07/10/2026
We always loved the river, and that's all we ever called it. Not the Frio, simply the river. It was the place that held some of our happiest memories. When we were younger, we headed to the shallow water, where generations of families have gathered to wade, splash, and play. That’s Johnny Graves with his hands up in the “Baby’s Pool” with Billie sitting on the bank.
Tom and Mimi Neal settled here in 1916 and began renting cottages in 1926. For more than a century, the Neals, Graveses, and Buchanans have experienced God's quiet presence in the warmth of the sun, the cool water, and the beauty of Concan and the Frio River. Families that have passed through these hills remind us of the blessings we enjoy as a nation.
My granddaughter Addison, at seven years old, wrote about her favorite time of year, summertime, with the kind of openness and happiness only a child can offer. She wrote about feeling warm and hot, about splashing in the water, about admiring the sun as it gleamed on the river. She talked about swimming, going on vacation, hanging out with her cousins, and feeling free and young, like she never had to go to school again. She ended with the kind of declaration that makes you smile because it’s so true to childhood: “I LOVE summer because it is awesome.”
Reading her words, I'm transported back to my own childhood at the river, remembering that same delight, freedom, and the joy that generations of families have experienced over the years.
