Growing Up in Bandera

I got to thinking today that the disappearing sights aren’t the only indication that things ain’t what they used to be around Bandera. I was out in my yard walking around trying desperately to remember exactly what chore I was supposed to be taking care of when I heard the distinct sound of a flock of geese overhead. If you have ever heard them then you know it is a sound like no other.

I don’t know what it is about the sound that just takes ahold of me and I start scanning the blue sky trying to locate the flying V formation of the migrating geese. Blocking the sun with my hands I looked straight up, right and then left but I never located them even though their honking went on for several minutes. They fly so high at times that they are almost impossible to locate.

Returning memories of watching them as a kid with my mom as they flew in an uneven V and then breaking away in parts only to reform with different geese taking the lead was an indication that some things haven’t changed. Then sadness closed in as I realized that with all the increased noise levels that we have today in town with truck traffic, motorcycles, sirens and such that I was probably just lucky to have heard this indication that a spectacle of nature was happening. Now I have to wonder how many times I have missed it.

The siren on the water town has been silenced. No longer do we get a signal calling the volunteer firefighters to a meeting. No more signals of a fire and counting the blasts to indicated the type of fire. I had heard that it is still used in emergency situations like severe flooding and tornado alerts. With so many other modern ways to communicate impending disasters I’m not sure that is still true. Maybe they just don’t want everyone in town following the fire truck to the fire like we used to do in the old days.

There were two events that would pretty much empty the town of traffic back in the day. In addition to the townsfolk following the fire truck to a fire out in the county there were the Friday night Bandera Bulldogs away football games. I got pretty lonesome working at the Phillip’s 66 service station in Bandera on those game nights.

Evenings were generally slow anyway at the gas station. Occasionally my boss would stagger in from The Purple Cow Bar next door to raid the cash register but otherwise it was pretty quiet on most of those nights.

I’m sure that things will keep on changing and getting louder here in my hometown as my Growing Up In Bandera goes rolling on. One thing will forever remain unchanged. I will continue to enjoy the opportunity to stop and visit with those special friends from back in the day. Sadly those too are becoming fewer it seems.