A member of the Valley Lodge Trail Ride crosses over a highway overpass. In many ways, Fulshear is at an intersection of what it was, is, and will be.

Master-plan housing communities have replaced vast prairies, where crops sprouted and cattle once grazed, in Fulshear, Texas.

With a population of just 1,134 individuals in 2010, the town west of Houston has experienced population growth rate of about 663% in under a decade.

“Nothing ever stays the same,” Joe Dozier said.

A Fulshear native, Joe lived in the town most of his life, but moved away to a nearby city when the area’s development began impacting his memories.

“I miss the small-town atmosphere and the people. It’s not the Fulshear that I grew up in," Dozier said. "Don’t judge it by what it is now. To be honest, I don’t even like going out there anymore.”

The reality of what this town is today is much different. With each new road finished, house built, or pile of dirt removed, memories of myself and the other residents who spent their lives in Fulshear have eroded.

A mural hangs above the bookshelves of my childhood elementary school, depicting the landscape of what Fulshear once was.

Trail riders progress through the fleeting southeast Texas prairie.

Houses started appearing out of what seemed like nowhere. We were no longer a small town. We were an up-and-coming city.

Viola Randle holds hands with other parishioners at the Greater Zachery Missionary Baptist Church. At 95 years old, Viola is one of the longest living residents in Fulshear. She’s lived in town her entire life, was the mayor for five years, and has been instrumental in the shaping Fulshear’s history.

“People would come out here because they loved the breeze. They enjoyed it just as much as I did, but it started fading when people started learning about Fulshear,” Randle said. “This is a special place, it's not just somewhere in the world. Fulshear has been a special place for a lot of special people.”

Growing up, one of my childhood friend’s grandmother lived in this house. I had met her maybe once, but always thought of her each time I drove by.

To the left of the house was an old hamburger restaurant that no longer exists. I often met my friends there with my family, where we ran and played in the adjacent empty field while our parents waited for our food. We did not have to worry about the dangers of busy roads and oncoming traffic, something that is far from the case now.

I have no need to travel down this road very often now. The hamburger joint was replaced by a fancier restaurant, where I worked one of my first job as a waitress.

There are moments when the past and present still collide, such as when members of the Valley Lodge Trail ride begin return to the trail after taking a lunch break.

The walls of Dozier’s Grocery and Market, a barbecue restaurant and smokehouse opened since 1957, have withstood the transformation.

Each time I leave and return to Fulshear, there is something that has changed. People move away. Roads change to accommodate the construction. More houses are built. And with each instance, my memories fade more and more.

The majority of individuals who grew up in Fulshear have chosen to move away, taking the town's history with them. Replacing them are individuals and families wanting a quiet, country lifestyle.

A server makes an espresso drink at a local cafe, as I once did the same.

West of downtown Fulshear, remnants of the past can be seen. Pecan trees stand tall. Memories of riding horses, wandering the woods, and witnessing the capability of nature is evident.

East of the downtown area, with trees that are strategically plotted, the control that nature once had over the Texas prairie is now overwhelmed with a suburban landscape.

Only very early in the morning or late at night do the quiet streets of my childhood looks the same. It is here, at this time and in moments like these, where my memories remain.