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Posts Tagged ‘Hill Country Web Development’

How website design impacts your potential

February 24th, 2012 by Rainman Web Development No Comments

The newest desinger and devleoper to join the Rainman team is Chris Garza, who comes to us all the way from Chicago. Chris takes on a hot topic in website design, how design impacts your company’s online potential.

Believe it, or not, the design and development of your website will affect all of your audience in one way or another. In a retail setting, nobody wants to walk into store that is completely unorganized, with aisles that are difficult to navigate and employees that ignore you. Customers want to be able to find what they are looking for fast, easy, and get great customer service while shopping.

Your website works the same way. A website with complicated navigation, poor visual appeal, and a lack of organization is more likely to detour users faster than sites that are easy to navigate and have a clean, enjoyable design. The easier you make it for the client or customer, the more they will want to do business with you and your company.

Your goal is to make your website inviting and welcome, having a cluttered and poorly designed website will only hurt your business and your image. Apple’s website is one of the best examples of this, their website has a great look and is extremely easy to navigate.

Look at your website as an employee that works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Most business owners would not hire an employee if they know the employee is not qualified and will hurt the image of their company. This works the same way with your website.

Take the time to think about what elements you want on your website. Look at websites that you enjoy and take notes on what elements you think make their website successful. Taking the time and money to produce a good website will insure you better success in the online market.

Not sure what you want on your site design-wise? Don’t worry, Rainman designers and devleopers are here to walk you through the process step by step. Give us a call today for your free website recommendation: 830.331.9995 or email us at sales@rainman.com.

-Chris Garza, Designer and Developer, Rainman.com and Amanda Koone, Director of Operations, Rainman.com

Peaches: On to the Good Stuff!

August 26th, 2011 by Rainman Web Development No Comments

For the past few weeks, we here at Rainman Web Development have had peaches on the brain. To close out our special month-long series on the peach industry here in the central Texas area, we decided it was time for what everyone really wants to read about: the recipes!

Here’s a recipe we love from world-famous chef, Bobby Flay. You can find the recipe here or just read below.

Grilled Peach Cobbler

Ingredients:

- 6 ripe peaches, halved, pit removed

- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted cold butter, melted, plus more if needed, divided

- 8 tablespoons light brown sugar, divided

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided

- ½ cup granola

- 1 pint vanilla ice cream (we really like Blue Bell Vanilla Bean)

- ½ cup prepared caramel sauce, heated

Directions:

Heat your grill to medium.

Place the peaches cut side down on the grill until browned. Remove from the grill, cut into wedges and place into a gratin dish. To the peaches add half the butter, half the brown sugar and half the cinnamon, and toss. Add the remaining butter, sugar and cinnamon to the granola in a small bowl and toss until combined, adding more butter if needed. Top the peaches with the granola mixture and place the gratin dish onto the grill. Close and bake until the peaches and granola are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Place 1 large scoop of ice cream into 4 bowls and top with the peach mixture. Drizzle with some of the caramel sauce, and enjoy!

If the heat is really getting to you this year, like it is here in Boerne, then try this recipe for a refreshing summer libation.

Frozen Peach Margarita (makes 3-4 margaritas)

Ingredients:

- 3 peaches peeled and sliced

- 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice

- 1 cup of your favorite tequila

- ½ cup of Triple Sec (or other orange liqueur)

- 3 tablespoons of honey

- 3 cups of ice

Directions:

Places all ingredients in blender and blend to desired consistency. If you like, you can salt or sugar the rim of the glass and garnish with a small piece of fresh mint. Then, sit back, sip, and enjoy!

Both of these recipes seem so delicious. We just might have to try them out this weekend!

That’s it for our special series on National Peach Month. We hope you’ve enjoyed reading about our favorite fruit as much as we’ve enjoyed talking about them. Stay tuned for next week, when we introduce a new topic for September. Until then, have a great weekend!

Hill Country Peaches

August 19th, 2011 by Rainman Web Development No Comments

When first settled by German immigrants in the mid-1800s, the Texas Hill Country became a fertile land with the ideal elevation and soil for large crops of peaches. Naturally, many peach-growing businesses have “cropped up” and become profitable ventures over the past 150 years. This week, we take a look at just a few of those orchards.

One of the oldest orchards in Fredericksburg is the Donald Eckhardt Orchard. Here, they’ve been growing peaches since 1936; that’s 75 years! Not only can you pick up your fresh peach here during the season, but you can also have your pick of plums and tomatoes.

Pedernales Valley Farms has been in the peach game for a while, since 1973. This farm operates The Big Red Barn, where peaches, other produce and wares are sold, including farm-fresh veggies, jams and Texas pecans.

If you are looking to get out in the fields and pick your own fruit, try Marburger Orchard. Here, you can make an appointment to pick your own peaches, strawberries or blackberries whenever they’re in season. We speak from experience, picking your own peaches and/or berries can be a great family day-trip, plus you’ll be able to get the freshest fruit, next to growing it in your own backyard!

These are just three options when it comes to fresh peaches in the Hill Country. For more options, please check out the Hill Country Fruit Council at www.texaspeaches.com.

Did you know Rainman Web Development got it’s start in the Texas Hill Country? As a matter of fact, we’re pretty sweet on peaches too, as the original Rainman Web Development offices were located in Fredericksburg, Texas.

Rainey Threadgill, CEO and Owner of Rainman Web Development also resides in Fredericksburg, Texas as do a few other Rainmen and Rainwomen.

Peach Crops Surviving Texas Drought

August 12th, 2011 by Rainman Web Development No Comments

Part 2 in our 4-part special series for National Peach Month

www.crisisboom.com

The majority of us at Rainman were born and raised here in the heart of Texas, so summer’s heat comes as little surprise to us. This year, however, the oppressive temperatures and astounding lack of rainfall is bringing many Texans to their knees. When it comes to agriculture, rain can be both good and bad. For the cotton industry, the dry weather has been a blessing this year. But here in peach country, the drought of 2011 is definitely taking its toll.

In central Texas, there have been more than 40 days of triple-digit temperatures, with the heat at the Rainman Web Development offices in Boerne regularly hitting around 103. In east Texas, the drought is moving lake levels so low that debris from the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia crash are finally being recovered. According to the Lower Colorado River Authority, the past ten months (October 2010 to July 2011) has been the driest stretch since we started keeping record of it in 1895, with rainfall totals around central Texas 16 to 20 inches below annual averages.

How is the heat affecting the peach crop this year? Well, the small quantity and diminutive size of the peaches this year is actually not the product of the hot weather. Instead, the extreme cold from last winter is to blame along with an extreme lack of rain. The Hill Country endured last winter did more damage to the peach crops than this summers intense heat. Any peaches that made it through the harsh cold have been left smaller, with more of a tart taste than the regular large, sweet peaches we all know and love.

With no rescue from the drought in sight, farmers are already starting to worry about next year’s crops. We can only hope that this devastating drought can be broken with some sort of weather miracle. Now, if you’ll excuse us…we’re about to start doing a rain dance!

Image: www.crisisboom.com

Sources: Reuters, MSNBC, TXFB, LCRA, & CNN

Movin’ to the Country…Gonna Eat A Lot of Peaches!

August 5th, 2011 by Rainman Web Development No Comments

The following blog entry is part one in a four-part special series by Rainman Web Development honoring the favorite fruit of the Texas Hill Country: the peach. In honor of National Peach Month, please enjoy this special series about the delectable treat.

Here at Rainman, we have what we like to call a “healthy obsession” with peaches. We were founded in the heart of Texas peach country, Fredericksburg. And, even though we’ve moved to Boerne since then, we are still deep in the Texas Hill Country and our Fredericksburg roots make us uniquely qualified to talk about those sweet little fruits that can be found on so many roadside stands.

Peaches have been a major part of Texas agriculture almost since the inception of the State’s existence. When German settlers first settled in the Texas Hill Country in the year 1846, they found the mixture of nutrient-rich soil, along with the land’s altitude above sea-level, lent itself perfectly to the growing of peach crops. For the past 160 years, farmers in and around the city of Fredericksburg, and Gillespie County have been churning out the best peaches in the region.

In Gillespie County alone, there are over 1,400 acres of peach crops, which turn out around 40% of Texas’ peach crop each year— the highest amount in the entire State of Texas! Each tree has the capacity to put out three to four bushels of peaches (150-200lbs.) every year. With over 12 varieties of peaches currently produced in the area, there is never a shortage of options when it comes to choosing your favorite.

Over the next few weeks, we’re going to explore many aspects of the peach industry here in the Hill Country. We’ll talk about the many companies that produce the dozen or so varieties of peaches for us, explore how the current drought in Texas has affected the crop this year and share some of our favorite recipes using the sweet treat, as well as some of our own personal experiences with this region’s pride and joy.

Stay tuned for each of our five blog postings here during National Peach Month. Things are sure to get tasty!