Present time, Texas

Here in the heart of Texas, San Antonio, we have been playing tourist just a little. From here you can drive through some of the best of the state. The Riverwalk, Padre Island, Frederiksburg, the Hill Country, Austin. We like it here when the temperature is around 70, like it is now. Too bad there isn't any rain, because the drought is pretty bad. Most creeks are dry, lakes are down, and rivers are a trickle. They are clear though, and the Guadalupe bass have been concentrated in the few deep holes remaining, so are easy to see. There is little hope for next spring's wildflower crop, unless rain comes. What happened to that dire forecast of the worstest hurricane season ever?



The towns are kinda neat, most having had the common sense to preserve their charm even through the 80's. The architecture is not really achitecture, but a simple look that comes from a strong sense of Texas landscape, using local materials, and the classic American Main Steet. Some of the oldest buildings in the small towns date from the 1850's when there was a significant German immigration. In fact, the house in which Chester Nimitz was born was built at that time. On the side streets are some wonderful old homes, from log construction to Victorian, and very well maintained. This one was lived in and obviously well loved, though not a monument or a museum. Many of these have been used by only a very few families in their history. Wide streets lined with giant oaks, gardens and big lawns all make these little places even more attractive.


Every time we go down to the Riverwalk, we remark how well done it is, and ask the rhetorical question: "Why does't every city with a river do this?". Of course no one answers, that is the point of a rhetiroical question. But the cities that have tried seem to fail in a decade long fizzle. Of course, the project here was conceived in the 20's and begun in the 30's, so they have had a long time to integrate the river into the downtown. And now they are extending it a couple of more miles, a really good idea to encompass some open land and a great flour mill. The Riverwalk was built out of a citizen protest at the proposal to cover or divert the river, after the 1921 flood. Good civic planning here. And to help maintain it the officials have annual festivals, like the one to help check and replace burned out light bulbs on the Christmas lights, or the most popular, the Mud Fest, when the river is closed off, drained, and groups clean out sections of the river bottom of debris and silt, engaging is a wild and dirty time. Now that's imaginative!

Since we were so close, we took a drive down to Padre Island, just to relax and let Maryvonne recharge her power (it comes from the water, like Aquagirl). The water was warm, but not warm enough for me, and it was clear. The sand is fine and clean, and the beach wide. This is a great beach to drive on, so you can bring all the stuff you need to have a great beach day. For us, we enjoyed real chairs on the beach for the first time- what a treat! All we did was lounge, enjoy the mild weather and watch the tiny waves. Nice to do for a few hours!