December 11, 2003

December 11, 2003

Today we left for a long weekend vacation to San Antonio, TX.  We are going for the nice weather, the sights, and to see if we would like it as a retirement spot.  At the airport we rent a car and drive to the La Quinta Hotel-Market Square.  We have a nice lunch at a Mexican restaurant across the street at El Mercado, a traditional Mexican market.

From there we walk east a mile past the San Antonio River to the Alamo.  This famous facade is smaller than you think and in the middle of downtown San Antonio.  The Alamo, originally the Spanish Mission San Antonio de Valero, was where in 1836 a band of Texans held out to the death for thirteen days against the Mexican army of Generalissimo Antonio Lopez de Santa Ana.  Even though the Alamo was overrun, the delay was long enough for Sam Houston to gather an army and ultimately defeat Santa Ana, establishing independence for the Republic of Texas.  We walk thru the mission, now a memorial to those who died, and then thru the museum housed in the mission’s barracks.  The museum retells the story of the battle and its heroes, Davy Crockett, Jim Bowie, and Col. William Travis.

Afterwards, we walk back to the river and stroll along the bank.  The River Walk is the pride of San Antonio.  A sidewalk hugs both sides of this narrow horse-shoe-shaped canal off the San Antonio River.  It is below grade level downtown and is lined with restaurants, bars and hotels.  We stay for dinner and eat al fresco under the stars.  Since Christmas is approaching the river is trimmed with lights.  As we dine we watch riverboats cruise by with tourists.  At one point in the evening, the boats pass loaded with carolers serenading us.  Christmas has to be the best time to visit San Antonio.  After dinner we have a beer at Howl at the Moon watching two dueling comedic pianists.

December 12, 2003

December 12, 2003

Today we explored the local San Antonio area following the San Antonio River south.  Along the east bank is the King William Historic area.  This neighborhood near downtown was where prominent German merchants settled making it the most elegant of the late 1800’s.

South of San Antonio, along the river, is a chain of four Spanish missions forming the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. These missions along with the Alamo were established in the early 1700’s to convert the Indians to Christianity and indoctrinate them in Spanish culture. This was done to strengthen Spanish hold on the area in the light of how few Spanish soldiers or settlers lived here. We started in the north with Mission Concepcion and worked our way south to Mission Espada. The missions are in various states of renovation but have active Catholic parishes. Like the Alamo, they all have walled compounds to deter raids by nomadic Comanche Indians.

The Spanish did much to teach the locals European farming methods. The most interesting part for me is the remnant of an irrigation canal that still exists at one of the missions.  This aqueduct flows by water bridge over a natural stream. A great piece of engineering on the frontier!

We hit the River walk for dinner again.  Aimee is not feeling well so she just watches me eat dinner while sipping tea.

December 13, 2003

December 13, 2003

We drove to the north side of San Antonio to check out new house construction in the area.  When we tell them we are from Chicago and our price range, they tell us we want the Executive models.  You can definitely get a lot for your money here.

When we tire of this, we drive northwest of San Antonio toward the Texas Hill Country.  On our drive there it starts to pour but we continue on to the town of Fredericksburg.  German immigrants mostly settled the towns in this area.  We stroll down Main Street where all the turn of the century buildings are now quaint shops.  We eat lunch at a German restaurant.   Interestingly the Hill Country looks pretty flat to me.  Back in San Antonio we decide to spend the rainy afternoon at a local cinema.

December 14-15, 2003

December 14-15, 2003

From San Antonio we drove north to check out Austin.  There we take a short walk around the University of Texas campus.  Most prominent is the 300-foot Texas Tower, which gained infamy in 1966 when a sniper fired on the campus from its observation deck for 96 minutes.  We then walk thru the Texas Capitol Building and then to the Texas State History Museum.  It is interesting and recounts the history of Texas from a Spanish settlement to Republic to US state.  There was also a special exhibit on photography.

Before driving home we stop at some Austin open houses to get a comparison with San Antonio.  Austin is more expensive. The next morning we fly back home to Chicago.

January 21-28, 2004

January 21-28, 2004

We flew to Aruba for a week of sunshine away from the cold of Chicago. We land in the capitol, Oranjestad, and take a shuttle to the Holiday Inn Resort and Casino, located on Palm Beach.  It is a beautiful beach with lots of palm trees and sun cover. It is so nice we lay on the beach the whole week.  It is a very Americanized place, with lots of good restaurants within easy walking distance. Our favorite was a romantic dinner we ate on our own private balcony at the Argentinean steakhouse, Texas de Brazil.  One day late in the week we stroll down the beach to find a bunch people kite surfing. I had never seen it before.  It is very cool and we end up watching for quite a while.

February 26-29, 2004

February 26-29, 2004

This weekend I accompanied my male relatives on a fishing vacation to Mountain Home, AR. We spend the long weekend non-stop fishing for trout in the Norfork River, a tributary of the larger White River. We have been coming here so often we know where all the hiding spots are along this short five-mile river. Ideally we wade fish for Browns and Rainbows and the occasional Cutthroat and Brook. Our fishing is sometimes cut short when the dam unexpectedly releases water for power generation.

July 10-17, 2004

July 10-17, 2004

We went to the Florida Panhandle with my family again. We have been going down with them every other year. This time we returned to the Grayton Beach area east of Destin. The beach is beautiful, uncrowded, and filled with white talcum powder-like sand. We mostly sat at the beach, soaked up some rays and read a good novel. One day we drive into the nearby town of Seaside. It is a small, cute, and quirky idyllic town with central gazebo, brick paved streets and white picket fences. It is a planned community in the ‘New Urbanism’ style. It looks so much like the Disneyland version of a beach town that it was the perfect spot to film “The Truman Show”. In the movie Jim Carrey doesn’t know he is the main character on the set of a reality TV show. We like the town so much that we return that night for a performance of the play “Proof” at their small repertory theater. It was excellent and the lead actress outstanding.