2019-02-14 Lake Braunig Get Together

On my way home from the Texas Ramblin' Roses rally in Goliad, I spent a few days at Braunig Lake RV Resort just south of 410 in San Antonio. I went there because a group of my Pink FlaminGoes friends were in town. We had a busy few days. Some had never been to San Antonio and some hadn't been in a very long time so sightseeing was definitely in order.

First we went to Mission San Jose. There are five missions in San Antonio. Probably the most well known is the Alamo. Now the Alamo is obviously important due to its prominent place in Texas history; however, the other four missions are better examples of actual missions.  All five are National Historic Parks. They are jointly run by the National Park Service and the Catholic Diocese of San Antonio because they are active churches. It is a partnership that works out very well as the Catholic Diocese is responsible for the actual church and the National park Service is responsible for the rest.

This is the church part of the mission.

This is part of enclosure around the mission. I should have mentioned that there is no charge to tour the missions and a park ranger gives regular tours. They are great but keep in mind that you will be standing for some time in different areas while you hear the history.

Artifacts from the mission days.

One of the entrances into the courtyard.

Front of the church.

There are numerous placards with info about the history. The missions were built more to occupy and hold the land than to help the Indians. In fact, the Indians were not treated very well at all.

After the ranger finished his tour, several of us walked outside the wall to check out the mill.

This is the Rose Window in the church.

Another day found us touring the Witte Museum. Just a hint for visitors, entrance is free on Tuesday nights. We were there during the day but we enjoyed it never the less.

The museum has several different diverse areas.

There is a wonderful early Texas section.

Next up they had a demonstration set up for riding a bicycle on a high wire. Of course, Karan was up for the challenge.

There she goes. She to pedal forward going across and then backwards going back.

Then there was the evening we headed down to the Riverwalk for the Lantern Parade. We had dinner on the balcony at Rio Rio Cantina overlooking the Riverwalk.

We never did see the small lanterns you could build and float yourself but we did see all the lanterns on the flatboats.

We also made it too the San Antonio Zoo.

First thing that greets you at the zoo is the bronze stature of the lions.

Pink flamingos for the Pink FlaminGoes visitors. Yeah, they are really more coral than pink.

Last event was a trip to Mi Tierra for dinner. It was Annette's birthday.

Mi Tierra is a very colorful place both with decorations and murals.

After lunch we walked across to the Mercado.

There was lots going on in the open area in front of El Mercado. This singer was really belting them out.

All in all, it was a great few days with friends old and new.

A Whirlwind Tour of San Antonio

Since I was gone all day Friday, I missed the email message from another Women RV forum member saying she would be in town on Friday on her way from Florida to California.  Thank goodness she texted me Saturday morning when she was about two hours away.  I gave her directions to my house and a little later she arrived.  She said she really hated to just pass through San Antonio without seeing the Alamo and the Riverwalk so, after a little backyard time for her dogs, we decided to make that wish happen.  My son Steve and grandson Cameron said they were always up for a trip downtown too so off we went.  It took just a bit of time to find parking as this was a three day weekend and people were in town to take advantage of it.

This is Carol demonstrating how small you have to fold up a $10 bill to get it into the slot for your parking place.

We walked down the street and through the courtyard of the Hyatt Hotel to the Riverwalk.  We enjoyed a nice lunch at a table right on the river.

Cameron was peaking down at us from the bridge next to the restaurant.

After we walked around part of the Riverwalk, we headed topside to see some of the city.  San Antonio is the City of Yellow Roses.

This was taken on the Main Plaza which has the Bexar County Courthouse on one side and San Fernando Cathedral on the other.

San Fernando Cathedral is the oldest, continuously functioning religious community in the State of Texas. The Cathedral building has the added distinction of being the oldest standing church building in Texas, and for all of its more than 281 years, has been serving the people of the Archdiocese and San Antonio.  From its founding on March 9, 1731 by a group of 15 families who came from the Canary Islands at the invitation of King Phillip V of Spain, this church was planned to be at the center of the life of this city. The church was completed in 1749 and the original walls still stand today forming what is now the sanctuary (the area around and behind the altar) of the present church. These walls are the oldest standing structure in the State of Texas. The dome of the original church was the geographic center of the city and the point from which all mileage was calculated to San Antonio.

In 1793, the Alamo, Mission San Antonio de Valero, was secularized and closed as a church. It’s people became members of San Fernando. The total population at the time was just over 1,000. The next year the other four missions in the area, San Jose, Concepcion, Espada, and Capistrano were also secularized and their lands divided among the Indians. In 1824 Missions Concepcion, San Jose, and Espada were made a part of the San Fernando parish.

The Battle of the Alamo in 1836 began after Mexican General Santa Ana raised the flag of "no quarter" from the tower of the church. In the back of the cathedral today there is a marble coffin with an inscribed plaque that the remains of William Travis, Jim Bowie, and Davy Crockett defenders of the Alamo are buried there.  This was the first time I saw this.

Our next stop was the Spanish Governor’s Palace. This building was the original Commandancia (residence and working office) for the Captain of the Presidio. After the threat of French encroachment in East Texas was gone, King Carlos III appointed the Marquis de Rubí inspector of frontier presidios. Rubí’s inspection resulted in the Royal Regulations of 1772 that ordered the capital of Spanish Texas be moved from the Presidio at Los Adaes, east of Nacogdoches, Texas, to the Presidio de San Antonio de Béjar. Rubí’s orders also stipulated that the captain of the presidio at Béjar serve as Governor of Texas.

By the time Spain lost control of Mexico and Texas in 1821, the Presidio had ceased to function as a military post. However its owner and former captain Ignacio Perez and his descendants continued to use the building as a residence through the mid-1800s. The building’s function changed from residential to commercial in the mid-1870s and through the 1920s it housed a variety of businesses including a pawn shop, a wholesale produce store, saloons, and a clothing store.  It was restored in the 1930's and is now owned by the city of San Antonio.

We didn't go inside because Carol wanted to see as much as she could and preferred to read about the buildings outside.

Next we had headed down the street to El Mercado.  Not a great picture but a fun place to visit.  We walked around the inside of the Mercado building and took a quick peak at the bakery and inside of Mi Tierra.  Mi Tierra and La Margarita next door are both very popular restaurants open 24 hours a day.

After our time at the Mercado, we headed back in the direction of the Alamo.  Carol really enjoyed all the unique architecture of buildings along the way.  There are a lot of old buildings and many of them are being renovated and repurposed for continued use.  My camera battery died just before we got there so I had to pull out this picture of the Alamo.  There were actually a crowd of people visiting with a long line to go inside the church portion.  Of course, those that know their Alamo battle history know that the church was no longer in use when the famous battle was fought.  It didn't even have a roof at that time.  We walked around inside the stone walls of the courtyard.  There is an enormous tree there that was actually moved there when it was 40 years old.

We spent about 4 hours and many miles walking around the downtown area and it was time for us to head back home to let all the dogs out.  We sat out on the patio at home and talked about all the sights to see.  I told it was such a shame she was going to pass through without seeing any of the Hill Country.  Plans are made in jello and the next thing we knew, Carol decided she wanted to see Fredericksburg.  So, rather than spend the night and leave very early the next morning to head for Fredericksburg, she decided she would rather drive in that direction and boon dock near Comfort.  She also decided that she would probably change her return plans and come back through San Antonio instead of further north.  So, with hugs and promises to see her again in the next couple of months, she was off.  It was a great "get acquainted" visit.