Snow of Yesteryear

A visit to the archives produced the photo find above. My father and me, along about 1955, enjoying the snowfall in Manchaca. Manchaca has changed a good bit since then. The First Baptist Church building was replaced long ago. When we lived there, Manchaca was a little spot in the country, several miles from Austin.

My earliest memories involve Manchaca. We lived there until I was about three years old. I can remember falling and skinning my knee on the sidewalk in front of our house. I can remember the big cat we had, an ill-tempered beast that was not kid friendly. It came very close to clawing me across the eye on one occasion. We had a pet rabbit. We had a little Scottish terrier named Snuffy, who later succumbed to heartworms. I can remember the trellis work behind the house and I can remember long tables set up outside the church for potlucks.

Just a few spotty memories remain of Manchaca. When I was almost four, we made the move to San Gabriel. I've only been back a few times since then and I don't even know if the house we lived in is still there. But in my mind's eye I can see the sidewalk leading up to the little white house and I can see the view from the front window. It was the second place I lived and gave me my first experience with the rarity of snow in Texas.

LSW