BACK IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.

Thursday, February 22 – Yesterday was our last day in San Antonio, Texas. It was an awful day weather wise. It rained, and the wind never gave up. We just enjoyed a relaxing day inside.

Today, we had a nice short drive from San Antonio to Houston, Texas. We began on I-10 from San Antonio to Sealy, then traveled the backroads to Houston. It is so nice to get off the busy highway and enjoy the drive. We arrived in Houston before noon. We aren’t in our “normal” site. A gentleman is there, but he is to leave on March 4. We may move then.

Site 5

Looking right. Yes, they have had a ton of rain.

Looking left.

We will be here at least a month enjoying visits with our daughter, Carrie, attending the rodeo, fun times at the Lodge and maybe doing some sightseeing. Paul has already washed his filthy truck and our 5th wheel. Man did both of them need a bath and bad! Unless we do something “blog worthy,” we won’t be posting much.

David left so we are now in our “normal” Site #1. Bella is so much more happier in this spot. When we were in Site 5 and Marsha walked her, Bella would always want to go walk to Site 1.

Looking right. That is the Elks property on the other side of the fence.

Looking left. Yes, those are puddles again. More rain last night. Yuck!

Bella in her element.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

A RAINY DAY IN SAN ANTONIO

Tuesday, February 20 – It was cloudy and misting a little rain this morning in San Antonio, Texas, so we decided on a couple indoor activities. We read that the Texas Pearl Brewery and neighborhood was an interesting place to visit. It is the former Pearl Brewery that has been repurposed into a shopping, eating, hotel, and living area. It is also home to the Culinary Institute of America. We walked around main building that is currently a hotel, visited several of the shops and tried to get a feel for the place. It certainly is a beautiful repurposing of a former factory that's for sure!

Lots of specialty shops.

Luxury apartment living.

One of many upscale lounges.

The old reception area.

We then decided to check out the North Star Mall, which is the largest mall in San Antonio. We walked around for about an hour, stopping in a couple stores, but soon decided we weren't in the shopping mood.

These boots light up at night. Always bigger in Texas.

It was a good attempt to find an alternative is sitting at home, but we soon found ourselves back at the RV relaxing for the remainder of the day. Tomorrow is our last day in San Antonio and rain may be in the forecast again. We'll see if we stay home or spend our last day checking out other parts of San Antonio.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!

SAN FERANDO CATHEDRAL AND REMEMBER THE ALAMO

Monday, February 19…continued – After our visit to the El Mercado in San Antonio, we then walked up to the 18th-century San Fernando Cathedral. It is the first church built in San Antonio, the oldest standing church in Texas, and one of the oldest cathedrals in the U.S. San Fernando Cathedral was founded by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain and is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas. This beautiful Catholic Cathedral has many gorgeous stain glass windows and beautiful religious statues. In a small room near the entrance is the tomb of the Alamo defenders. A small sarcophagus contains the bones of Davey Crockett, Jim Bowie, Sam Travis and others killed at the Alamo.

Stations of the Cross were gorgeous.

Marsha and her love for ceilings.

The Alamo was our next stop. If you've never been to San Antonio, you might be surprised to find the Alamo located right downtown. The town actually grew up around this famous mission. It is also surprising to find the Alamo is fairly small. As the website so accurately puts it….

Their call for aid and refusal to surrender in the face of overwhelming odds stirred America and the world. Their sacrifice helped give birth to Texas.

Look at the window and you can see how thick the walls are.

There are several small tents with people dressed in period attire explaining different aspects of life and events from the time period.

A dentist explains the tools of his trade, and the doctor’s. Look at that hacksaw. WOW.

This gentleman explained how they loaded their guns. What a task.

The visit and self-guided tour is free to the public and is a well-done presentation. We watched a movie from “The History Channel” about the battle…excellent. There is a nice museum in the long barracks located within the walls of the fort.

A hospital room.

Baptismal font.

Outside the Long Barrack.

This live Oak is amazing. Do the math. It is 146 years old.

After spending the next hour looking for where we parked the truck, we loaded up and headed back to the RV park. There for a minute we thought we might have to spend the night in the Alamo. Parking certainly isn't a problem in the area with numerous lots, decks, and metered street parking. We added to our exercise for the day by walking quite a few blocks out of our way but luckily found our parking spot.

Rain is in the forecast for tomorrow. Our truck and 5^th wheel need a good bath after our stay in the dusty desert around Big Bend. We'll see if the predicted thunderstorms hit the area or if more outdoor touring takes place.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y’all back real soon. Have a great day!