As kids,we never had that problem.We ate mostly at home.We used to drive from San Antonio out to Bandera to one of the creeks in the area and splash around and eat a picnic lunch.Or my dad would drive to Blanco to the state park there.He and my brother would fish in the Blanco River,and us girls,(my mom,sister and I) would walk around looking at wild flowers and such.We would eat lunch there,and that evening go home and eat the fish my dad and brother caught.We ate sunfish and perch and have veggies and stuff with it.
When we lived in Alaska we would go to Green Lake and pick wild berries and run around and play.For birthdays or other special occassions we'd eat at Nikko Gardens in Anchorage,a japanese restaurant. To make a long story short,we kids,since my dad was military,were exposed to different cultures and food,even if the on;y forgein place we lived was Okinawa.Our parents read to us as kids,and we were always going to the library.They discussed current events and history with us. I recall my dad visiting my brother and sister at school,and giving talks about North Africa and WW2 and Okinawa when we were kids.We always went on drives to little towns and in evenings ,looking for wildlife like deers and rabbits.
Whatever my parents faults,they loved us and tried to expose us to a broader view of the world and it's peoples.Very few children today are lucky to have parents like mine,God rest their souls.
The town I live in Schertz,is listed as one of the best places to live in Texas.Yet much of the charm to me is disappearing.You could drive out in the area around town and see deer and other wildlife,
but with the constant building of houses,they are driving the wildlife out.The big box stores continue to come.Have SuperWalmart and now Lowe's coming in, with the massive traffic jams on FM3009 and I-35North due to constant commercial building.Used to be only Schertz Bank and Trust in town.Now We have Bank of America,Capital One,Chase,Washington Mutual,plus two local San Antonio credit unions,Randolph-Brooks,and Security Service,both started by local military personnel.
Yes we have the chains,but there are some local places that are pretty good.
Cibolo which is two miles from here is experiencing growth,but at a slower place. I've been to the three local restaurants there and enjoyed them.
It's sad to think that this will just be a mass of homes and businesses from San Antonio to Austin which may happend before I die.
new Braunfels,still has it's charm and while they have Walmart,etc.
Main Street is still the same and there are local places to eat and shop.
The problem is these places rated books give people the idea that Schertz or new Braunfels is a great place to live,so people move here.And at the same time,these new comers without meaning to destroy the very things that make some of these towns such nice places.
