Riverwalk
San Antonio is justifiably famous for its river walk. Scenic, lots of restaurants, tourists, and margaritas. We had a beautiful day today, enjoying mild, sunny weather, and some good food.
Just think… a few decades ago this was a dumping ground for the businesses at street level. Great reclamation job!
Looking upriver
Romola and Ida on one of the foot bridges across the river
Whatever this is, it's colorful
Still a little early for margaritas....
A colorful restaurant on the river
San Antonio, Texas
We arrived at the RV park in San Antonio, TX. Nice place, trees, pool.etc. and a bus stop right outside the door. Easy travel to and from Downtown, including the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We’ll be here a week before we head back to the lake. Fun, lots of places to get a margarita!
The view from our window.....
New neighbors
The RV park we are in is near San Antonio, on a lake, quiet, and peaceful. So much, that the local population includes a very large deer contingent. Here are some of our new neighbors.
The husband.....
.... and one of his wives.
Kerrville wrapup
Our rally ended in Kerrville, and we had a great time. Here are some of the events we attended:
Some classic pieces at the Museum of Western Art; a great retro-concert at the Rockbox Theater, a very well done (and sobering) Pacific war re-enactment (part of the Nimitz Museum), and OktoberFest in Fredericksburg.
Statue at the Museum of Modern Art
Also on display some beautiful paintings
The Beatles? No, Rockbox theater. Great!
War in the Pacific re-enactment (Nimitz Museum)
Romola and Ida ata giant stein at OktoberFest
Round Top Festival Music Hall
James Dick is one of the most accomplished concert piano players in our country, with accolades from around the world. In the late 60’s he decided to teach music, and he bought property in Round Top, TX (about an hour away from Austin and San Antonio). The project soon grew, and he established scholarships for both established and emerging music professionals. The project grew to include a 200 acre garden, beautifully restored buildings, and a brand new 1,100 seat concert hall of world class acoustics.
Much more can be found at the web site http://www.festivalhill.org. We had a private tour there and it was fascinating. The concert hall, the restored historic church moved here to become a chapel, the use and re-use of natural resources in unbelievable. If you are ever in this area, and if you like music, go take a look. You won’t be disappointed. James Dick lives on premises; we will be attending one of his concerts in January ’11.
The top of the festival hall
Inside the music hall
This crystal plate set inspired.....
.... this ceiling design in wood.
Landscaping around the chapel
A view in the gardens
Model Airplane Museum
If you were a kid growing up in the mid 1900’s, and you had a model airplane, chances are it would have been made by the Stanzel company. They were the leading designer and manufacturer of model airplanes (and some circus rides, too). The Stanzel brothers, who started the business, donated much to their home town of Schulenburg, including scholarships for deserving local students. The brothers are now gone, but their commemorative museum is a testament to their hard work and ingenuity.
The sign outside the museum
For more info: http://www.stanzelmuseum.org/
Painted churches, Texas
We joined the Traveling Supremes on a rolling rally starting in Schulenburg, TX. This area has a strong German and Czech heritage. Within a short driving trip you can find 6 churches dating back to the 1800’s, all with excellent craftmanship and especially colors, hence “painted churches”. Here are a few highlights.
A dramatic view of one of the steeples
One of the many stained glass windows
Elaborate ceiling decorations
A totally different "look" at the front of the church
Each church has their own distinct style
Seeing double
Although there are quite a few motorhomes like ours on the road, we finally saw one that had exactly the same colors. Not only did we see one, he actually was in the space next to us! Good thing I didn’t come home late after a bender, I may have tried to get in the wrong one.
Although we both had the same colors, ours was 6 months newer and the colors are not exactly the same. Maybe ours just bleached out a little more :0….
Twins!
Balloon festival, Plano, TX
Last weekend we joined Stacy, Dallas and her mother at the Plano Balloon Festival. It was hot when we got there, then it started to pour rain. The event was put on hold for an hour,then re-opened when the rain quit. So we had a pleasant, but very humid, time. We strolled the various vendor areas, and got to see the balloon glow up close and personal.
Maybe not as big as Albuquerque, but interesting and fun.
The passing rainstorm left behind a beautiful sunset
One of the balloons at dusk
Balloon glow....
Closeup of one of the balloons
And this is how the hot air is produced...
Too bad they didn't all light up at the same time
Cuba, Route 66
After a pleasant week visiting Romola’s sister, it’s time to head south to Dallas. Hopefully, Hermine won’t affect us too much as we head down south.
Spent a night in Cuba, Missouri. Cuba is right on Route 66, the famous north/south and east/west highway of yesteryear. Old gas stations and other buildings reflect back on this rich heritage. But before Rte 66, Cuba was a center point for some epic Civil war battles. After the war, the city thrived and was one of the largest apple producers in the country. Even now, it is the largest manufacturer of wooden barrels.
In 1901 the People’s Bank was established, in 2001 the bank celebrated its anniversary with big events and notably a painted mural depicted its first teller and long time president. Soon, the mural became famous, and others followed. Now there is a whole series depicting historical facts of the area. Nicely done; below are a few of them.
One of the more interesting ones was the one depicting Amelia Earhart. Apparently, she “visited” Cuba by having an emergency landing in the city. Repairs were made, and she was on her way again, but not before it was marked by the city fathers as a visit by a famous personality. Cute….
Amelia mural
In 1940, Harry Truman visited Cuba on a political speech. Only two people showed up, because there was a fair going on. So he grabbed hos Coca Cola crate that he was standing on, walked over to the fair, and gave a much more impassioned speech. Later, he became president… maybe had his roots here!
This mural is right by the hotel where Truman began his speech
There are also several fantastic murals depicting the Civil War activities in this area.
A commemorative of the battle
If you ever come here, I would recommend the “Missouri Hicks” BBQ. As a Texan, I hate to admit it, but the BBQ was excellent, and the decor spectacular.
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