Blake Howe, Author at Boot Ranch

New Racquet Club a Smash Hit

Blake Howe on November 17, 2022

SERVING UP THE BEST IN RACQUET SPORTS

The games have begun at the luxurious new Boot Ranch Racquet Club, located midway between the Clubhouse Village and the Lake Club. This lively amenity is designed to delight serious players, while also welcoming novices to the fun of tennis and pickleball.

Pickleball has quickly become the fastest growing activity in the U.S. because it’s easy to learn and physically less taxing than tennis. Played with paddles and a wiffle ball on a smaller court, pickleball combines elements of tennis, badminton, and table tennis.

Members can play like the pros on the same cushioned acrylic surface used at the Australian Open. Eight dazzling new courts, four for tennis and four for pickleball, have dark-sky compliant lighting for evening play. The covered pavilion provides a post-match gathering spot with lots of shady seating, cold beverages, and restrooms. Beyond is a fire pit surrounded by Adirondack chairs, a gas grill, and a three-acre activity lawn.

Premium tennis racquets and pickleball paddles from Head are on hand for member use, as are balls for both sports. I-Smash ball machines can be reserved for a great solo practice workout, or you can work drills against a tennis backboard.

The Racquet Club is open daily from 9 am to 10 pm. Members can reserve court times in 30-minute intervals up to 120 minutes through the Club’s ForeTees mobile app. Regularly scheduled clinics and mixers will be posted on the Club calendar. Private lessons with top area professionals can be scheduled through the Activities Director.

OPENING DAY PHOTO GALLERY

The temperatures were only in the mid-fifties, but that didn’t deter members from turning out for a full day of clinics on the new courts.

CLICK ON ANY IMAGE BELOW TO ENLARGE AND SCROLL THROUGH PHOTO GALLERY

LIVE NEAR THE RACQUET CLUB ACTION

The Racquet Club is surrounded by 13 homesites, each averaging about a half-acre in size. Only a few homesites remain available, priced from $575,000 to $725,000.

To learn more or to schedule a private property tour, call (830) 997-6200 or fill out the form below.

A Treasured Collection

Blake Howe on September 20, 2022

Every picture (and memento) tells a story in the thoughtful Boot Ranch home of Linda Davis and Bruce Williams. In Issue 3 of The Boot Magazine, writer Anne Heinen takes readers on a tour of this residence. You may read the full story below, or click HERE for a PDF of how the story appears in the magazine.

A TREASURED COLLECTION

Story by Anne McCready Heinen

Linda Davis and Bruce Williams turned to an expert architect and builder for their Boot Ranch home, finished in 2014. But for the warm, casually elegant interior, the couple confidently relied on their own taste and intuition, bringing in art and decor they had handpicked and enjoyed in previous homes in Houston, Del Mar, California, and Mountain Home, Texas.

The result is a comfortable, sophisticated 8,700-square foot house that showcases the couple’s beloved art and sports memorabilia collections, while also providing plenty of room for entertaining and relaxing.

“I wanted to bring in elements of the home we built in Houston because I loved what we had,” Davis says. During construction in Fredericksburg, “We were in California, and I’d be up at 6 a.m. with the time difference, on the phone and computer, because it was a labor of love. I like everything about the planning, building, and decorating of a home.”

Adds Williams, “Linda was hands-on through the whole project with the architect, Gary Williams (no relation), and the builder, Centurion Custom Homes. She was intimately involved with everything.”

Situated on 13 acres overlooking the sixth fairway of the Boot Ranch Golf Course, the home is clad in multicolored stone from the same Oklahoma quarry used for the couple’s Houston home. Strategically placed, large windows provide expansive views of the sky, Hill Country vistas that change with the season, and the golf course. Interior plaster walls are accented by hand-scraped, walnut-wood floors and substantial wooden beams and accent

arches. A main hallway is inlaid with six equal-arm wooden crosses in subtle yet prominent homage to White Cross Ranch, Davis’s family heritage, and to

the couple’s faith.

“We believe we’re here because God led us here, and He has a purpose for us being here,” Williams says, adding that their faith steered them to do a house blessing with their Houston pastor and friends that included planting scripture, Bibles, and prayers in the walls of the under-construction home.

The couple’s favorite scripture is Luke 10:27: “He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength

and with all your mind,’ and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

Raised in California, Williams has lived in the Lone Star State since 1979. (“I got to Texas as fast as I could,” he says.) A former oil and gas company executive and an owner of the downtown Houston restaurant Irma’s Southwest, Williams is a devout member and supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Davis proudly hails from Midland. The couple met when both worked in the oil and gas industry in Houston in the 1980s—their home base until the

move to Fredericksburg, though in the intervening years they also got away from it all by spending time at their ranch in Mountain Home and their

ocean-view home in Del Mar. They recently sold both of those properties, opting to simplify their lives with the Boot Ranch home and a Hill Country ranch

that’s a 10-minute drive up the road. Their 1,700-square-foot guest house at Boot Ranch serves as home for Davis’s mother.

The pair’s collections include a select assortment of mostly-18th-century tortoiseshell cases and mirrors, informally grouped on a great room coffee table,

button by my bed and it turns off all the lights that we’ve programmed to turn off at nighttime.”

Williams’s sports memorabilia collection began, as so many do, with his childhood baseball cards. Today he has baseball, football, and basketball cards,

including a prized Michael Jordan rookie card, and fourteen signed baseball jerseys from select players, including Roger Clemens, Hank Aaron, and Nolan Ryan. More than 55 baseballs, many from key games, are signed by Hall of Fame players, including Mickey Mantle and Johnny Bench. From the golf world, Willliams has collected 17 autographed Masters Tournament flags with signatures from greats like Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. Joe Montana and Heisman Trophy winner Tim Brown are among the signatories on 22 footballs. His collection also includes two basketballs and two football helmets.

Many items are displayed along the hallways, shelves, and walls of the lower-level game room and office, which also holds a beautifully crafted desk built by Williams’s father, as well as numbered LeRoy Neiman prints. His California roots led Williams to collect Neiman’s San Francisco 49ers football scenes, including the Joe Montana to Dwight Clark catch that beat the Dallas Cowboys for the 1982 NFC championship.

“Too Tall Jones (who played for the Cowboys) is in this print,” Williams says. “He was out here once for a golf tournament, and I asked him, ‘What happened on that catch?’ He was still mad about it all these years later.”

Williams encountered many players through his affiliation with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and as hegathered autographs, he asked each to

include a favorite scripture number on their jersey or pennant as well.

Community worship at Boot Ranch shows up in Haus Church, a gathering of the faithful who take turns hosting religious services at their homes, including

the couple’s. “We’ve had a number of local homeowners who God has raised up, both men and women, who give a message, and we pray, sing, and have church,” Williams says. He adds, “We get to wake up every morning and say, ‘God, what are we doing today?’ We’re very intentional about

using this home for God’s purposes and kingdom.”

Why Fredericksburg?

Blake Howe on August 15, 2022

Why do entrepreneurs and executives who could live and work from anywhere choose the Texas Hill Country and Boot Ranch? Meet two couples – the Dunns and the McDade – to learn the answer. You can read the full story from Issue 3 of THE BOOT magazine below, or click HERE to read as a downloadable PDF.

The Fairy Godmother

Blake Howe on July 6, 2022

Entrepreneur, preservationist, and philanthropist Dian Graves Owen Stai shares her passion and prosperity with the Fredericksburg community. Read the whole story by Lori Moffatt from Issue 3 of The Boot magazine.

The Making of a Winery

Blake Howe on June 10, 2022

A friendship that began at a wine tasting event has grown into a partnership based on their shared passion. Food and wine writer Jessica Dupuy tells how Barbara Lecuona and Mary Anne Waldrip joined forces to create a new Hill Country winery.

On Vintages & Vintners

Blake Howe on April 20, 2022

Assistant general manager Jerome Smojver is elevating the wine program at Boot Ranch through education, new experiences and travel opportunities.

The Art of Joy

Blake Howe on April 8, 2022

In Issue 3 of The Boot magazine, writer Roger Munford tells the story of Valerie Walden’s metamorphosis from tech executive to fine artist.

Blending Skill and Spirt

Blake Howe on March 30, 2022

With prizewinning products and a formidable female leadership team, the Blanco-based Milam & Greene distillery has found a unique recipe for success. Writer John Koenig gives a taste of their story in Issue 3 of The Boot magazine.

Creating Soup du Jour

Blake Howe on March 10, 2022

Executive sous chef Lana Black is the undisputed soup queen of Boot Ranch, turning simple ingredients into rich and sometimes complex culinary treats. Food writer Jessica Dupuy tells Chef Lana’s story in Issue 3 of The Boot magazine, including her Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe.

2022 PCR Top Community

Blake Howe on February 22, 2022

Private Communities Registry (PCR) has recognized Boot Ranch as one of the most popular lifestyle communities for 2022, based on interest generated through its website, PrivateCommunities.com. PRC lists more than 300 communities across the country that offer not just luxury real estate but also high-demand amenities and gated access.

Throughout 2021, PrivateCommunities.com visitors demonstrated the appeal of Boot Ranch through website interest, engagement, and demand for more information.