Mutzie and Marty Cousins

Noelle and Mike

The Liederkranz Choir of San Antonio Texas comes to Castroville Texas each year to help St. Louis Church celebrate their church festival. The choir sings the mass. Afterwards the choir comes to the Mutzie (my mother) Suehs's house for a Bloody Mary Party. They bring their accordions and their great voices and a good time is had by all. My friends from Austin, (The Zilker Conjunto Band) have been coming for several years to join in with the music. My daughter Noelle has been performing for the large group ever since she was 4 years old. The annual Bloody Mary Party has been a tradition of the Suehs' and the Liederkranz for at least 26 years. My wife Liz has been making the Bloody Marys for the party each year. Some years she has made Bloody Marys for over 200 people.

Ein Prosit !

Drawings by Mr. Suehs

I have always wanted to be an artist. Recently, in the last few years, I have discovered pen and ink. I enjoy drawing pictures of the old houses in Castroville,Texas. My drawings are simple. At first I didn't like my drawings. I thought they were too childlike , too simple and I have not mastered the skill of drawing with perspective. I showed my drawings to an architect friend. He loved them. He thought they were beautiful. I told him that that I was not happy about them because I have not developed perspective and my drawings were simple. He said, you don't want perspective. You have folk art ! You have style. Your drawings capture the simple houses in a simple way. If your drawings showed more perspective, they would be just another architect's drawings. Now I like my drawings. I like calling them "Folk art. I guess, the real reason I like drawing the old houses of Castroville is that they have good memories for me. I remember some of the folks who lived in the houses, some of them relatives, some of them friends, some I only knew from seeing them growing up in Castroville. I guess I am trying to tell stories with my drawings. My Memories from growing up in Castroville. As I draw a picture of one of the houses, little moments of time resurfaces in my memory. Things come up that I haven't thouht about in 40 years. I am also trying to write down these memory stories too.
I get great pleasure from these little stories. I really enjoy the old houses in Castroville. I try to visit them whenever I get a chance. I hope that as time goes on and the language of the folks that built the houses is gone and the folk customs and traditions that are practiced by the decendents are gone, that the little old houses will stand the test of time and still be standing, telling their story.