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Above: Cypress Creek, as seen from Sabino Ranch. pitched in, saving lives and property where possible. There was
Below: The public entrance to the Blue Hole. certainly no humor to be found in such a horrific event but one
story tugged at my funny-bone just a bit: Apparently, there was
Continued from the previous page a group of UT sorority girls who were trapped in the upstairs
and attic area of an old rental house near the flood plane. As the
surrounded by tall Cypress and Cedar Elms, pure spring-fed story goes, these girls had certainly not been listening weather
water rushing over the falls. As nightfall approached, I fired reports while quaffing a few too many and had to be rescued by
up the little hibachi grill we’d use to cook the hotdogs, nestled the Austin Fire Department – no one seemed to mind that at all.
beside the beer in our ice chest. How lucky we were to be in such Every person in town pitched in to help, providing food, clothing
a place - a place that many people could never see. and shelter to the flood victims. Even today, scores of firemen
from as far away as New York come to Wimberley to replant
We awoke the next morning to a symphony of singing birds, trees, make repairs or any other needed tasks or chores that
dappled morning sunlight and unblemished surroundings. With help the needy.
no one else in sight, I thought, “Why not do a little ‘skinny dip-
ping’ beneath the waterfall?” My original plan was just to dip Neighbor helping neighbor had always been “the Wimberley
in the chilly water, fill a bucket to carry back to the campsite to Way,” but since its incorporation 15 years ago, townsfolk began
wash my hair – but when I accidentally kicked shampoo into the to drift apart. That all changed on Memorial Day 2015 - the flood
waterfall, bubbles and suds billowed over like an advertisement helped to bring the citizens together again.
for detergent. What to do? I was sure I’d ruined this pristine As Terry and I wrapped up our visit with Bruce, I just had to
piece of nature! What if Mrs. Harris saw it? make one more stop at Pitzer’s Fine Art Gallery to see the sculp-
tures created by internationally-recognized artist Angela De La
Thankfully, the bubbles dissipated and the suds disappeared. Vega. Angela’s parents are neighbors in Sun City – a reminder
With a deep sigh of relief, we spent our second and last night at that, truly, we are all more connected than we realize.
Little Arkansas. Aglow with a sense of wellbeing and serenity, we We left Wimberley with a great sense of encouragement. A cloak
felt so fortunate to have experienced this exquisite place. While of blue-grey sky descended upon us, and we prepared for a rainy
that morning I’d feared my shampoo would leave an indelible ride. But driving home, we considered how our connections to the
mark on Little Arkansas, it was Little Arkansas that ultimately past propel us into the future – that a shared history of survival
left its mark in us. against the odds breeds a people capable of renewing the future.
“It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves.”
My flashback faded into the past as Bruce tapped me on the (William Shakespeare.)
shoulder - Bill’s presentation was coming to an end. As we
listened to those final stories, we recognized a common thread ONLINE: SCTEXAS.ORG
throughout Wimberley’s history: folks helping other folks. Locals
had provided for one another through fires, hardships, sickness
and death. There were huge floods back in the day; major ones
in 1869 and 1929, but none to compare with the Memorial Day
Flood of 2015, which killed twelve people – friends, neighbors
and loved ones, especially in this small town. Such a tradition
is a valuable thing, especially when it is a tradition lost in much
of our nation today.

After our good-byes, we departed Bill’s ranch and headed to
the fire station to meet Fire Captain Carrell Czichos. Captain
Czichos has lived in Wimberley all 64 years of his life, and can
regale you with story after story - especially about that fateful
Memorial Day when the Blanco River rose 52 feet above flood
level. The Captain told us that his team went 54 hours without
sleep. At one point there were 180 calls listed on the board in
the firehouse – a number that was nearly impossible to respond
to completely. Fortunately, firefighters from surrounding towns

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