There once was a River
by Juanita Herff Chipman
It wasn't really a river but to my twin, Carolyn Herff and me the Cibolo Creek was more than a river. It ran through Boerne, our little town. The mill pond dam held it back for a while, however it was un-tamable and had a mind of its own; like a woman, sometimes calm and restrained, sometimes in a rage, and sometimes depressed; that was when a drought lasted seven years and she almost went dry and looked so sad. When a down-pour came she was wild and wonderful.
When I was a child in the 30's, she was full of laughter and fun. Those were the best years!! We hung from giant grape vines and swung out over the water making a huge splash, Tarzan like. Carolyn and I camped-out with our girl friends where Brown Creek comes in. That's where we swam the horses, riding the dappled Grey and Jerry the pony bear-back into the deep water, needless to say, we were bear, also.
Her best years are gone, now. If it were not for the reclaimed water from the sewer plant in Boerne, the Cibolo would be a dry creek- bed lined with dead cypress trees.We can hold on to the way it was, a remnant of the past, and be glad children can still play in the waters that may not run so freely, but still run.
Thank you, all who have befriended the Cibolo Nature Center. Love, Juanita
