Glynn Praesel won his first buckle in Kendall County on the seventh bucking horse he ever climbed on. Forty-three years later, he’ll tell you he has failed more than he has succeeded, and that he is still more afraid of not living than of dying. Glynn Praesel was 19 and on the seventh bucking horse … Read more
Before Boerne had traffic circles, turf fields, and Starbucks, and before it became one of the fastest-growing towns in Texas, it was a quiet Hill Country town rooted in limestone, family names, and Sundays. For the ranching and farming families who lived outside of town, out toward Sisterdale, Waring, Welfare, and Bergheim, getting to church … Read more
After a day and a half of driving, we reached the last hour or so of the trail. We climbed one ridge, rounded a bend, and found another waiting. It felt as though we were sinking deeper and deeper into the mountains. Fall color of the aspens seemed to light up the hillsides like a … Read more
For Officer Brady Lastinger, moving to Boerne was a decision made by faith. Becoming a Boerne police officer was the fulfillment of a calling he had carried much longer. Lastinger grew up in Newport Beach, California, where he earned a business management degree from Chapman University and began working in commercial real estate, construction project … Read more
In 20 days, my son Hunter and I will make our way across the great plains of Northwest Texas, through the high desert of New Mexico, and toward the northern reaches of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains near the Wyoming border. For the past several weeks, I have collected the gear and necessities required to camp in … Read more
Officer Jeffrey Wilson on faith, family, accumulated trauma, and the support that helps first responders keep showing up For Officer Jeffrey Wilson, law enforcement grew from a childhood belief that public service could make a difference. Both of his grandfathers were Green Berets, a cousin served as a police officer, and family friends included a … Read more
Growing up in a solid Baptist home, dancing was never really discussed. Scottie Leech made sure piano lessons and choir weren’t optional – those were settled matters. Rhythm in our house came from a hymn book, not a hardwood floor. And if that didn’t shape the rest of us, my dad’s reputation in Brownfield certainly … Read more
I spent four and a half hours with Bill Thomas, and I left knowing I had only heard the beginning. That does not happen often. Most interviews eventually settle into a pattern: childhood, career, hardship, lesson learned. Bill does not speak that way. He tells his life as work remembered in motion: cattle gathered, pipe … Read more
Passion and Christ Each time, just before I turn the lights off, I stop and stare. Her uniform is clean and ready for inspection. Belly full of fuel, weapons stowed, and hatches battened down for the haul. She’s ready for battle. The time I spend in my shop prepping the boat for the next round … Read more
Herbie’s Cabin Every generation has that place. The one you return to — not just on the map, but in your heart. For me and a group of high school brothers from Brownfield, Texas, that place was Herbie’s Cabin in Ruidoso, New Mexico. Since 1980, we gathered there — year after year — thanks to … Read more