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8 contents 10 Dominion residents offer opportunities for Money & Manners 16 Cibolo Nature Center 19 Water Conservation: Tips Facts & Resources 24 Newt Gingrich: Rediscovering God in America 28 Don t Spend It All On the Nursing Home 30 Fun & Exciting Summer Camps for Kids 31 Corkscrew Corner 32 Austin Steam Train: A ride back to simpler times 36 Summer Pet Safety Tips Things to Try This Summer at Texas Ski Ranch 40 Jack Hanna stops by SeaWorld & visits with Community Circular Magazines 45 Pioneers of The Dominion & Future Plans for the Community 46 Super Slow Fitness 48 Say No To Heart Disease 52 Mercedes-Benz of Boerne 54 Dirty Dusty Designs 59 Puzzles Publishers: Community Circular Magazines a division of White-Frisbie Media Graphic Design Taylor Davis Michelle Fortenberry Jared Hawkinson Lucy Hutchenson James Tootle Administrative Risa Castillo Jared Hawkinson Jake Hatcher Sales Rachel Danley Sheryl Hawkinson To advertise your product or services in The Dominion Magazine, please contact Rachel Danley at or by at sales@communitycircular.com The Dominion Magazine is a periodical published for the enjoyment of The Dominion subdivision. The magazine is intended to cover entertaining and informative topics that are of interest to The Dominion subdivision. The magazine is not affiliated with The Dominion subdivision or any government agency and is supported by its advertisers. We want your feedback! What do you think of our all-new The Dominion Magazine? As a reader, we want to hear from you. If you have feedback on any of our articles, or the magazine itself, we want to know about it. We encourage you to visit our web site at and let us know what s on your mind. The Dominion Magazine is published by Community Circular Magazines, a subsidiary product of White-Frisbie Media. It is provided for the enjoyment and education of its readership. The information presented in this magazine is believed to be true at the time of publishing. Community Circular Magazines does not guarantee or warranty any of the services or products produced by the companies represented herein. Community Circulars is a proud member in excellent standing with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). If you have any feedback on this publication, please contact us at or visit our web site at Become a contributor to The Dominion Magazine! We are looking for contributors to our new magazine. Have an article idea? Or maybe you would like to write periodically for the magazine. We re looking for readers to contribute their ideas, articles, photography, short stories, poetry and more! Have a photo that you think would look great on our cover? Send it to us! To send us your content or ideas, please go to our web site at We re also accepting photos for our The Dominion Pet s Corner - send us photos of your furry family members so our readers can learn more about how special they are to you. Where in the world is The Dominion Magazine? Traveling? Be sure to take The Dominion Magazine with you! Take a picture holding the magazine. Tell us a little about your travels. We would love to know where you ve been traveling and where in the world The Dominion Magazine has been! We would like to say thank you to the local businesses that support The Dominion Magazine. Many Dominion area business owners and/or employees are also residents in the area; we appreciate their support and thank them for the services they provide to our readers. 8 TheDominionMagazine.com

10 European and Texan sensibilities combine to form a unique partnership and offer valuable opportunities to the San Antonio area. Money& Manners A few years ago, Mark and Heather Magarian were leading what seemed to be very different lives on distant shores. He, an Englishman with a background working as a trader for billionaire Martin Gruss and also serving as a Vice President at Deutsche Bank in London - she, a native San Antonian, mortgage banker and part-time model whom regularly traveled the world. Mark and Heather met at the ultra-chic Chinese restaurant, Hakkasan, where Mark was entertaining clients and where Heather was visiting on holiday. Mark says that when he first saw Heather across the room, he knew she was the one. Growing up in London, Mark says he was always very analytical. He wanted to understand what drove good and bad decision making, especially in the world of investments in which irrational behavior is the hallmark of market bubbles and bottoms. He wanted to understand why he did what he did and that ultimately led to insights into the behavior of others. Mark remembers one of the stories he read during the crash of 87 in The Telegraph on how some investors had success when others were failing. How had they accomplished that? Mark distilled it to two things: All had a lot of hardship to get where they were and were willing to make decisive changes when needed. Mark was off and running. He started reading books on the financial markets and analyzing them. The ones who made it when everyone else was losing it, soon became clear. Their personalities had developed the ability to adapt, sense opportunity and not follow the herd. 10 TheDominionMagazine.com

11 Mark & Heather pictured at The Dominion Country Club Meanwhile, Heather was growing into a young lady in her native San Antonio. She was of Scots-Irish descent and with the encouragement of her parents, Heather learned and competed as an Irish and Scottish dancer. She practiced diligently every day and ultimately won the World Championship of Irish Dancing in This involves no small amount of talent and precision. It brought her into a new culture and into the art world where she was introduced to the European style of elegant living, the social graces, and eventually to Mark. It was late in 2006 when Heather and Mark met. They began dating immediately and conducted a long distance romance for under a year before Heather moved to London. The Magarians were married in summer of 2008 in the fairytale setting of Dundas Castle in Edinburgh, Scotland. They spent another year living in London several blocks from Buckingham Palace before building a house in The Dominion and making San Antonio a permanent home. Now Mark works as a financial advisor and portfolio manager for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and Heather runs a school of etiquette and charm for children. The beauty of etiquette is that it helps us move more fluidly in the social arena because it is a universal language, Heather says. Even those without the benefit of having refined their personal presentation at a charm school understand and respond to being treated with gentleness, fairness, kindness and respect. Heather keeps very busy with her etiquette business Little Miss Manners, which has expanded into a variety of venues including semi-private summer classes, the Girl Scouts & Brownies, Jr. Cotillion, Mom s Class (a semi-private class for the mothers of the children she teaches) and private lessons for adults. Each promotes confidence, closeness and trust. Heather demonstrating her talent as a World- Champion Irish dancer TheDominionMagazine.com 11

12 It is my goal to empower each student with the confidence to handle almost every type of social situation. One of Heather s clients comments: My 8 yr. old daughter not only enjoyed her classes, but learned so many things other than just your typical manners. She would come home every day very excited about what she learned and continues even now to speak of the sessions. I would highly recommend Little Miss Manners summer program and have already planned on doing a refresher course this summer for my daughter. Trust is vital in every relationship, but it is perhaps nowhere more important than in the investment field. Working with an advisor that is qualified to handle your affairs, always with your interests at the forefront is paramount. Mark, with 14 years experience in his field, uses the latest technology and live feeds from all over the globe to screen thousands of stocks in real time with the touch of a button each working day. From a global macro perspective, Mark isolates trends in stocks, bonds, commodities and currencies finding alternative investment opportunities and narrowing the focus to areas displaying the most promise. At a micro level he chooses a handful of stocks out of those thousands looking for strong margins, little to no debt and high growth. It s a best in class approach. Of all the secrets Mark has learned over the years, he says his global approach and perspective are perhaps the most important. From my first job trading emerging markets as the Russian crisis unfolded in 1998 to working in more developed markets with the tech bubble in 2000, it seemed that every situation I was thrown into had a turbulent market. With a mandate across strategies and asset classes of generate returns but manage downside and protect capital, I was forced to become more disciplined and precise in managing risk. Mark says There s usually an opportunity somewhere but what does that mean and shouldn t we be investing in our own country? Part of what I m doing is helping my clients understand the global economy and how to succeed in it, Mark continues Without a good money manager to advise them, many individual investors try to manage risk themselves which without all the information and tools can be a difficult task. Every decision involves risk; even sitting on cash has its own risks attached to it. One of the big differences in my approach is I am more active in making decisions to reduce risk and protect capital. Of course, every client s needs are different. Determining risk tolerance is part of the equation for developing a successful portfolio. Mark & Heather on their wedding day in Scotland It s like Sun Tsu s Art of War. Different situations dictate different tactics. One of Mark s clients shares, I ve discovered from working with Mark that when I turn on the T.V. and see some bad news in the world I don t have to worry because I know he s already doing something to either protect my assets or take advantage of an opportunity. The problem is the industry is dominated by sales people. Sales has little to do with the skills needed to make good investment decisions; one needs to know how to change the outcome to take advantage of the hidden opportunities in the midst of what may seem a challenging market. Mark doesn t believe in riding out bear markets. The byproduct of a bear market environment is that as the market becomes depressed - people become more fearful. But those who have managed their money well are in a position to buy into opportunities at attractive prices. Mark states I work with individuals who want a different outcome to the norm, are focused on the bottom line, and covet the level of accountability and day-to-day risk management that they deserve. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney has the credibility and infrastructure that allow Mark to implement his strategies. A client sums it up, Mark s experience is unique in San Antonio. I feel I get a much higher level of service from him and the results speak for themselves. Mark & Heather s dogs, Larry & Oscar. Heather s summer etiquette classes ( Little Miss Manners) teach social skills to children from the ages of Four two-hour summer sessions offered weekly. Etiquette is the internationally accepted code of conduct standardized in the French courts and is used by diplomats and leaders the world over. Classes are very interactive and quite fun ~ Heather is down to earth with her teaching, which has been embraced by hundreds, It s the What s in it for you? method, which works every time : ) or (210) Mark D.V.F. Magarian Financial Advisor for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC, Member SIPC 9311 San Pedro Avenue, Suite 1200, San Antonio, TX call (210) or (210) TheDominionMagazine.com

16 Cibolo Nature Center in Boerne Offers Summer Camps for Kids With its 100 acres of Hill Country trails and wilderness plus an 11,000 squarefoot facility with sprawling porches, the Cibolo Nature Center (CNC) is ideal for outdoor adventure in the summertime where kids can explore, observe, and investigate our natural world. If you re a parent or guardian who s seeking great summer activities for your kids that are closer to home and kinder to your wallet, then you really should consider CNC in Boerne. And there s absolutely no cost for you and your family and friends to enjoy the Center year-round. CNC offers seven weeks of individually-themed Nature Camps and Art Camps throughout June and July. Children ages 6 to 12 are invited for a summer of nature and fun. (Five-year-olds may participate in Nature Camp if they ve attended kindergarten.) The mission of CNC summer camps is to bring environmental awareness and stewardship to children while fostering friendship and respect through nature, play, and creative hands-on educational activities. There are also traditional camp activities such as games, crafts, skits, silly songs, and special guests. Mary Gomillion, Director of Children s Education at CNC, stresses that We re a licensed day camp, which puts safety as a top priority as is evident by our trained and qualified summer staff. She adds All camp weeks are packed with activities, presenters and most of all fun! Each week-long camp runs Monday through Friday. Nature Camp is from 9 am to 1:30 pm and Art Camp follows from 1:30 to 4:30 pm so it s possible to attend both camps during the same week. Campers dress comfortably for the outdoors (swimsuits are appropriate for some Nature Camps). The weekly rate for Nature Camp is $150 per child while Art Camp costs $175 (art supplies included). Multiple-week discounts and scholarships are available. Registration packets and scholarship forms can be downloaded online at 16 TheDominionMagazine.com

17 Week 1 (June 6-10) Creek Week. Bring swimsuits and water shoes to cool off while swimming with the fish and learning to catch them, too. It s catch-and-release fishing only at the Cibolo, so fish can go on their merry way to be caught another day. Week 2 (June 13-17) Rowdy Reptiles. If you like snakes then you ll especially enjoy this camp. Snake expert Pete Mimikos teaches about these important animals including the poisonous varieties. Go on a snake hunt (and look up for snakes that live in trees!). Week 3 (June 20-24) Things with Wings. From predatory birds to bats to bugs, investigate creatures that fly to survive. Butterflies fly freely around the butterfly house. Learn amazing things from visiting experts and prepare for the Insect Olympics. Week 4 (June 27-July 1) Cibolo Native Americans. Cibolo Creek is rich in Native American history. Games were a large part of how Native American children learned to hunt for food. Celebrates how Native Americans lived and learned from the land. Three more Nature Camps in July Week 5 (July 11-25) - Something s Fishy! Week 6 (July 18-22) - Nature Trackers. Week 7 (July 25-29) - Water Week. For these camp descriptions, go to Campers spend time outside learning to see the beauty of nature and develop artworks based on their discoveries. This camp encourages a comfortable, creative and fun environment for all students to develop new techniques and skills while learning to express themselves through art. Doris Perez, Director of Operations for CNC, says, The opportunity for children to explore the creative process and the natural world at the same time makes Art Camp a really special event. Week 1 (June 6-10) Take a Walk with a Line. Creativity blooms after inspirational hikes in the park. Have fun experimenting with a variety of drawing media and methods. Explore art fundamentals such as composition, volume, light and shadow, line and color. Week 2 (June 13-17) Deep in the Art of Texas. Mockingbirds, lightning bugs, prickly pear, armadillos and buffalo inspire this camp s young artists. Work in a variety of media while celebrating the many styles of local Lone Star artists. Observe creative processes from one of Boerne s very own professional artists. Week 3 (June 20-24) Color Your Summer. Express your artistic spirit in bold or delicate colors with imaginative and descriptive brushstrokes. Experiment with landscape, self portrait, and other subject matter with various forms of wet media including watercolors at the Cibolo Creek. Week 4 (June 27-July 1) Tell Your Story. This week s art camp is all about creating a story using your imagination on canvas. Discover the connection between art and literature by exploring narrative elements in a work of art and how to interpret the story that it tells while creating your own book. Three more Art Camps in July Week 5 (July 11-25) Discovery-Scape. Week 6 (July 18-22) The Art Explorers. Week 7 (July 25-29) Contemporary Collage Craze. For these camp descriptions, go to On Fridays, family and friends are invited to view an exhibit of art that s created during camp. by Scott Sparks Cibolo Nature Center 140 City Park Road, Boerne, TX Ph: nature@cibolo.org Web: TheDominionMagazine.com 17

19 Water Conservation in San Antonio & Surrounding Cities by Susan Marx Waterfall and pool at Westcave Preserve located just west of Austin, Texas. In the 19th century, American writer Mark Twain said (of the American Southwest) where whiskey is for drinking over and water is for fighting over. People are still fighting over water in Texas mostly landowners who want it in writing that they own the water beneath their land like minerals and gas. Rule of Capture is the long held notion that says whatever you can pump out of your land is yours and there s no limit except for the capacity of the pump. In fact, there is a bill before the Texas State Legislature right now on this very issue. Republican Senator Troy Fraser introduced Senate Bill 332 a law that could make groundwater a vested property right. The thing is, water is a shared limited resource and when it s in short supply, what you withdraw from the groundwater directly affects how much is available for everybody else. San Antonio, as most of us already know, sits right on top of the Edwards Aquifer a massive reservoir of fresh water that extends 180 miles long and 45 miles wide encompassing many species of plants and animals. Archeological records show that native American Indians settled here 11,000 years ago because of the abundance of clean groundwater. In fact, San Antonio is one of the only cities in the U.S. that draws almost exclusively from an aquifer to supply its population with potable water. The State of Texas established the Edwards Aquifer Authority (EAA) in 1993 (which was implemented in1996), to oversee and limit water usage of the aquifer to protect the endangered species that thrive there. If SB 332 becomes law, Roland Ruiz (public information officer at EAA) says they will seek to be exempted because of the EAA Act. Hydro-geologist Brian Smith of the Barton Springs Water Conservation District of the Edwards Aquifer says, The real limiting factor is that we need to maintain a certain level in aquifers to provide adequate flow to the springs. Without adequate spring flow the rivers dry up and destroy habitats, wildlife and aquatic recreation. Smith said, We have to reduce over- pumping to protect the aquifers. The seven months prior to May of this year are the driest on record and weather predictions lead experts to believe the current drought is on track to continue. New Braunfels (which uses Comal Springs and well J-17 both fed by the Edwards Aquifer) announced a Stage 1 Critical Drought on April 13 restricting outdoor watering to even or odd days depending on your address. Fair Oaks Ranch and Bulverde/Spring Ranch (which use the Trinity Aquifer and Canyon Lake which is fed by the Trinity) announced Stage 1 Critical Drought on April 14 and are also restricting outdoor watering. On April 18, 2011 the EAA issued a Stage 1 Critical Drought Alert requiring permittees in San Antonio to reduce their pumping by 20%. For more information about possible restrictions on water use in your area contact or Ruiz adds Within the San Antonio region over the past years there has been a fundamental shift in perspective on the use of water. When the EAA placed a cap on permits and started restricting water usage of the aquifer they created a water market. Water has a financial value like it never had before and people are treating it like a precious resource. It s an example of how public policy leads to conservation. Ruiz believes, however, that water conservation is nothing short of behavior TheDominionMagazine.com online at CommunityCircular.com 19

20 modification. Even though technology has given us more efficient appliances (like lowflow toilets), Ruiz said, It really comes down to people changing the way they think about and use water. With the population doubling in San Antonio over the last 20 years, the San Antonio Water System (SAWS) is actively exploring ways to diversify off the Edwards Aquifer and supply the growing needs of the community. Fact #1 Texas is prone to cyclical drought. Water conservationist Todd Votteler, PhD said, Water planning is based on the worst drought on record for which we have measurement. The drought of record in Texas ( ) depleted the aquifers to such an extent the Comal and San Marcos springs (which draws on Edwards Aquifer) went dormant. That in turn caused the San Antonio River to dry up (the San Antonio River is fed by Comal and San Marcos springs). Recent tree ring studies of the Bald Cypress (which live 300-1,000 years) show that Texas has seen worse droughts than the 1950s drought and that a serious drought occurs about every 50 years. Fact #2 Since the mid-50s the population has doubled in Texas and is expected to double again by the year 2040 but state water supplies have not kept pace. San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in South Central Texas with a current population of 1.7 million and counting. Fact #3 The Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) makes long term plans for statewide water supply to meet the needs of the growing population and to prepare for the inevitable recurrence of drought. Based on data gathered across the state TWDB has determined that a full 30% of new water demand will be met through water conservation savings. Fact #4 Texas has extremely variable rainfall. It s feast or famine. We seem to either be in drought or are experiencing a deluge. The Edwards Plateau has some of the most intense rainfalls on record with as much as 22 inches falling in 3 hours. This water recharges the aquifer but the rest floods on the surface and is lost unless it is captured in reservoirs. The Comal River flows through Landa Park and is fed by natural springs. Edwards Aquifer Zones Regional Detail Contributing Zone Recharge Zone Transition / Artesian Zone Artesian Zone Travis 9 Edwards Real Kerr Bexar I-10 2 Kendall 3 US Hays Comal 7 8 I-35 Area Detailed 10 HWY 90 1 Kinney source: Uvalde Medina Las Mora Springs Medina Lake Large solution chamber Limestone fault Flowing limestone conduit San Antonio Bexar Canyon Lake Comal Springs San Marcos Springs Barton Springs San Felipe Springs Miles 0 30 North 20 online at TheDominionMagazine.com CommunityCircular.com

21 Karen Guz of SAWS says that since the creation of the EAA, they have been actively involved in educating the community on ways to conserve on an individual level. Guz said, We don t worry that we re going to run out of water. The Stage 1 Alert is part of a legislated water conservation management plan that prevents this. It means cutting back on per capita consumption and finding ways to diversify supply. Conservation also means being involved in partnership with the community and cultivating an awareness of how curbing personal water usage contributes to sustaining water supplies and keeping cities thriving and beautiful places to live. Guz says they re very proud of the fact that average water consumption has dropped significantly over the past 20 years. She says we ve doubled the number of customers but are using the same amount of water. That s an astonishing claim and it supports the findings of the TWDB that conservation is one of the best and most cost effective ways of supplying more water. As part of their ongoing efforts to educate the community, SAWS offers free conservation consultations. A representative comes out to your home and shows you exactly how to cut down on water usage. Guz says that on average, people do change their habits after this consultation. SAWS also offers free water-saving showerheads to those who visit their service center or have a consultation. These showerheads cut water usage down by half! Instead of using 3.5 gallons of water per minute, you only use They also give away free faucet aerators, which save gallons of water a minute. And for those households that meet the criterion SAWS also offers up to two free high efficiency toilets. Low income households may also qualify for free installation and plumbing repair. Incredible as it may seem, just by using more efficient fixtures and appliances, limiting your showers and other in-home use, like only running the washing machine when you have a full load, can save indoor consumption by 30%. By modifying watering habits as well, customers can shave off as much as 10,000 gallons annually. Multiply that by 1.7 million people and you can begin to see what a massive difference just a few relatively small adjustments can make. The biggest area of conservation that still needs improvement on the individual level is outdoor usage. Roland Ruiz and Karen Guz both say people generally over water their yards and that they have a hard time understanding that watering less is better for most landscapes. When you live in an area that is characterized by cyclical drought, you may also have to accept the fact that your yard may not be that green in the midst of a dry period. Another alternative is converting traditional grass yards to drought resistant Xeriscape. Xeriscape isn t just about rocks and cactus. There is a wide variety of plants you can choose from that only require minimal watering. SAWS has developed a site at the San Antonio Botanical Gardens called WaterSaver Lane that demonstrates how you can have Mediterranean landscapes, Hill Country Landscapes, Cottage Garden Landscapes, Spanish, Wild and traditional American that all look lush and colorful without using a lot of water. To see these landscape alternatives visit the gardens or the SAWS website It s also nice to know that SAWS is diversifying off the Edwards Aquifer by using the Trinity aquifer (which sits directly underneath the Edwards), Canyon Lake and an aquifer storage and recovery system The Comal Springs in New Braunfels, Texas emerge from underground. TheDominionMagazine.com online at CommunityCircular.com 21

22 they ve developed using the Carrizo-Wilcox Aquifer, south of San Antonio. The Carrizo-Wilcox (unlike the Edwards, which is made of limestone) is made of softer sandstone. SAWS injects water into the Carrizo-Wilcox for storage during wet times and then goes back and retrieves it again when demand is high in a dry period. It s a natural underground reservoir. Through various partnerships, the San Antonio Water System has developed a large water reclamation project that recycles wastewater for agricultural use, cooling towers and as production water for large commercial users like Toyota, Microsoft and University Health Science System. This is a large scale water conservation effort. In fact, on May 4, 2011 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) awarded SAWS for recycling and reusing water. Ann Hayden of SAWS said, The reclamation project allows San Antonio to attract large industries to the area without significantly impacting water resources. It takes a big chunk off potable demand. The reclamation site is also currently being developed as a future solar farm. Another industrial-sized SAWS conservation effort involves teaching businesses how to reclaim condensate off of their cooling systems. One large mall in San Antonio, for example, collects 40 gallons of water a minute from their air conditioners and recycles it to their cooling tower. SAWS has two other large scale water conservation projects on tap for the not too distant future. They are currently testing Wilcox Brackish Water Desalination which will deliver as much as 10 million gallons of water a day beginning in 2016 and a partnership with Gonzalez County called Regional Carrizo which will use Schertz/Sequin Local Government Corporation excess water through a shared pipeline coming together at the border of the City of San Antonio in late Finally, upon review of their 50 year water management plan under TWDB, SAWS is currently accepting Requests for Competitive Sealed Proposals (RFCSP) for a water supply supplement from parties with the ability to deliver water to Bexar County as part of an effort to diversify supply. In Texas, water conservation is a way of life. Texas State University limnologist Walter Rast studies inland fresh water supplies. Rast was head of United Nations Environmental Protection (UNEP) from headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya but has also contributed to water management all over the world. He said, That s where I learned that if I was going to work with sustainable water supplies I had to get into socioeconomic concerns. Water problems are basically the same everywhere you re either dealing with quality or quantity, Rast continued. What s different is the beliefs people have about water use. Ultimately the best solution is to get all the stakeholders together (water suppliers and water users) to discuss everybody s wants and needs. That can be a challenge. You invite everybody to a big powwow and smoke the peace pipe over what s best for the collective, Rast said. From his point of view, People either embrace water conservation or die of thirst because water may be a renewable resource but it s also a limited resource. Rast advocates building an additional water reservoir in San Antonio to compensate for the scarcity and deluge characteristics of the region. As the population increases, Rast says there will be less fresh water per capita and that means we need to start conserving water now. Xeriscaping: Large beds featuring native plants and drought resistant grass such as bermuda or zoysia will keep your yard looking great with minimal watering. 22 online at TheDominionMagazine.com CommunityCircular.com