As you can tell from our blog, Marilyn is a vital part of our trip. Although she had a voice, thanks to Peter and Barbara Miles she now has a physical presence and distinct personality. She IS the Perfect Woman! She says things like, “It really doesn’t matter if you leave the toilet seat up…..it makes it easier to clean!” Peter’s using her to try to train me but, it’s not working. He’s VERY frustrated! Now back to our trip. Sorry for the length of this blog; we had some complaints because we haven’t blogged in a few days so we didn’t want to leave anything out.
MORE FOR MARCH 14, 2008
Friday evening, after we moved into our very comfortable accommodations at Chris and Covey’s, we shared a delicious dinner with Peter’s cousins Covey, Chris, Aminah, her daughter Helise, son-in-law Isom and grandson Tariq. Before dinner we toasted Sylvette’s birthday with Chris’ homemade jalapeño margaritas. It was wonderful reconnecting with family…….it seemed as though we’d always been together! We sat at the table, reminisced and eventually got to politics………….it was a spirited political discussion (Chris and Covey were disappointed when Ron Paul dropped out).
MARCH 15, 2008
After a relaxing Saturday morning, Aminah picked us up about 11 for our first venture into San Antonio. We saw a Texas version of a St. Paddy’s Day parade complete with motorcycle riders one of whom was a leprechaun wearing a Kelly green ten-gallon hat. We visited La Villita, the original city settlement now occupied with art galleries and shops. We did the River walk (the river was dyed green!) and had a great Mexican lunch serenaded by a Mariachi band. The weather has gotten pretty hot; the natives were complaining but we were totally enjoying it! It was great to be back in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops! We saw the Alamo (pretty small!) and walked through the hotel bar where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders. We were going to include the name of the hotel in our photo contest but we have too many Googlers; it would have been too easy!
In the evening we attended Chris’ Uncle Ed’s 80th birthday party. It was fun to visit with some of his family; it had been 40 years since Peter had seen Chris’ mother Patricia. We enjoyed talking with Uncle Ed’s wife Rosa, a specialist in the AP literature curriculum and with family friend Brian who gave us some pointers on the Big Bend National Park area.
MARCH 16, 2008
Sunday morning, after a stop at Starbucks’s, we drove with Chris and Covey to Mission National Park, still in the city limits of San Antonio…….the city is HUGE. We visited Mission Concepcion, the best preserved of the eighteenth century missions, and experienced part of a Palm Sunday mass, Mariachi band and all! Our next stop was Mission San Jose, the “queen of missions,” where Peter was impressed with the original earthen/stone ovens and wondered how a pizza would taste cooked in one of those. Over the years in our travels we’re always surprised at the amount of graffiti we see; but imagine our shock at seeing a small swastika carved into the wall of the mission church. Still a local parish, Palm Sunday mass was going on there also.
Back in downtown San Antonio, we went to El Mercado, a huge market full of locals, pottery, jewelry, blankets and entertainment (everything from kids dancing to Elvis songs to a Mexican version of Arabic belly-dancing, a youth orchestra and chorus, a Selena wannabe singer, and a Peruvian band). We had lunch at the famous Mi Tierra, one of Chris and Covey’s favorite Mexican restaurants; it’s open 24 hours a day and, in their youth, Chris and Covey had many late night and early morning meals here!
Dinner that evening was at Aminah and Rachman’s. We were bowled over by the art and sculpture we saw. Rachman showed us his outdoor sculpture studio, some of his pieces, both finished and in progress, and some of the beautiful furniture he’s made. Aminah’s art is everywhere from murals to an oil painting that we particularly loved. We especially enjoyed getting to know Rachman and were overwhelmed by the artistic talent they both possess. We talked about wood, sculpture, politics, art and life and had a wonderful meal at the Ullmers. We left with a gift from them, an Aminah Original….a beautiful hand-painted broom.
MARCH 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We left Chris and Covey’s with very fond memories and also with t-shirts and tiles designed by Chris. San Antonio was a trip highlight; the city is alive with art and music we would love to go back there someday. Chris and Covey’s house is full of original art by Aminah, Rachman, Chris, Chris’ family and Covey and we were impressed with all their artistic talent and our lack thereof!
Marilyn led us out of San Antonio and on to Stonewall, Texas, the home of Becker Vineyards. The Beckers are the parents of Will, a good friend of Pete III and Karen from college. Early in the 90s they purchased land in Stonewall, started a vineyard and have become very successful (the vineyard is mentioned in “1000 Places to See in the US and Canada”). After some serious wine tasting and a quick tour of neighboring Fredericksburg, another place mentioned in “1000 Places to See….,” we slowly made our way along a one-lane rocky dirt road through a dry creek bed to the Becker’s rustic stone and log cabin located in the middle of the vineyard. It was quiet and peaceful and a wonderful place to unwind. We were able to connect to the Internet, check our email and read the bad news of the day. Sitting on the Becker porch, drinking Becker wine, the world seemed so remote. We were even treated by the appearance of an armadillo who was totally disinterested in us! Saw some eagles, deer and heard owls and wild turkeys. We were asleep by 9 and slept through a Texas sized thunder storm during the night.
Today we’re off to Big Bend National Park in the far south west of Texas along the Rio Grande River on the Mexican border.
Sally: Glad you liked the photo!
Covey: The “educational” part of the blog belongs to Connie!
Pam: Thanks for the St. Paddy’s Day memories!
Carol: Glad to have you online with us.
Special kudos to Justin Kubu, friend of Suzanne and Pete. When Suzanne showed him the blog, he immediately knew that the first day’s mystery photo was from The Sopranos….he’s a great fan of the show.
MORE FOR MARCH 14, 2008
Friday evening, after we moved into our very comfortable accommodations at Chris and Covey’s, we shared a delicious dinner with Peter’s cousins Covey, Chris, Aminah, her daughter Helise, son-in-law Isom and grandson Tariq. Before dinner we toasted Sylvette’s birthday with Chris’ homemade jalapeño margaritas. It was wonderful reconnecting with family…….it seemed as though we’d always been together! We sat at the table, reminisced and eventually got to politics………….it was a spirited political discussion (Chris and Covey were disappointed when Ron Paul dropped out).
MARCH 15, 2008
After a relaxing Saturday morning, Aminah picked us up about 11 for our first venture into San Antonio. We saw a Texas version of a St. Paddy’s Day parade complete with motorcycle riders one of whom was a leprechaun wearing a Kelly green ten-gallon hat. We visited La Villita, the original city settlement now occupied with art galleries and shops. We did the River walk (the river was dyed green!) and had a great Mexican lunch serenaded by a Mariachi band. The weather has gotten pretty hot; the natives were complaining but we were totally enjoying it! It was great to be back in T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops! We saw the Alamo (pretty small!) and walked through the hotel bar where Teddy Roosevelt recruited Rough Riders. We were going to include the name of the hotel in our photo contest but we have too many Googlers; it would have been too easy!
In the evening we attended Chris’ Uncle Ed’s 80th birthday party. It was fun to visit with some of his family; it had been 40 years since Peter had seen Chris’ mother Patricia. We enjoyed talking with Uncle Ed’s wife Rosa, a specialist in the AP literature curriculum and with family friend Brian who gave us some pointers on the Big Bend National Park area.
MARCH 16, 2008
Sunday morning, after a stop at Starbucks’s, we drove with Chris and Covey to Mission National Park, still in the city limits of San Antonio…….the city is HUGE. We visited Mission Concepcion, the best preserved of the eighteenth century missions, and experienced part of a Palm Sunday mass, Mariachi band and all! Our next stop was Mission San Jose, the “queen of missions,” where Peter was impressed with the original earthen/stone ovens and wondered how a pizza would taste cooked in one of those. Over the years in our travels we’re always surprised at the amount of graffiti we see; but imagine our shock at seeing a small swastika carved into the wall of the mission church. Still a local parish, Palm Sunday mass was going on there also.
Back in downtown San Antonio, we went to El Mercado, a huge market full of locals, pottery, jewelry, blankets and entertainment (everything from kids dancing to Elvis songs to a Mexican version of Arabic belly-dancing, a youth orchestra and chorus, a Selena wannabe singer, and a Peruvian band). We had lunch at the famous Mi Tierra, one of Chris and Covey’s favorite Mexican restaurants; it’s open 24 hours a day and, in their youth, Chris and Covey had many late night and early morning meals here!
Dinner that evening was at Aminah and Rachman’s. We were bowled over by the art and sculpture we saw. Rachman showed us his outdoor sculpture studio, some of his pieces, both finished and in progress, and some of the beautiful furniture he’s made. Aminah’s art is everywhere from murals to an oil painting that we particularly loved. We especially enjoyed getting to know Rachman and were overwhelmed by the artistic talent they both possess. We talked about wood, sculpture, politics, art and life and had a wonderful meal at the Ullmers. We left with a gift from them, an Aminah Original….a beautiful hand-painted broom.
MARCH 17, 2008
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We left Chris and Covey’s with very fond memories and also with t-shirts and tiles designed by Chris. San Antonio was a trip highlight; the city is alive with art and music we would love to go back there someday. Chris and Covey’s house is full of original art by Aminah, Rachman, Chris, Chris’ family and Covey and we were impressed with all their artistic talent and our lack thereof!
Marilyn led us out of San Antonio and on to Stonewall, Texas, the home of Becker Vineyards. The Beckers are the parents of Will, a good friend of Pete III and Karen from college. Early in the 90s they purchased land in Stonewall, started a vineyard and have become very successful (the vineyard is mentioned in “1000 Places to See in the US and Canada”). After some serious wine tasting and a quick tour of neighboring Fredericksburg, another place mentioned in “1000 Places to See….,” we slowly made our way along a one-lane rocky dirt road through a dry creek bed to the Becker’s rustic stone and log cabin located in the middle of the vineyard. It was quiet and peaceful and a wonderful place to unwind. We were able to connect to the Internet, check our email and read the bad news of the day. Sitting on the Becker porch, drinking Becker wine, the world seemed so remote. We were even treated by the appearance of an armadillo who was totally disinterested in us! Saw some eagles, deer and heard owls and wild turkeys. We were asleep by 9 and slept through a Texas sized thunder storm during the night.
Today we’re off to Big Bend National Park in the far south west of Texas along the Rio Grande River on the Mexican border.
Sally: Glad you liked the photo!
Covey: The “educational” part of the blog belongs to Connie!
Pam: Thanks for the St. Paddy’s Day memories!
Carol: Glad to have you online with us.
Special kudos to Justin Kubu, friend of Suzanne and Pete. When Suzanne showed him the blog, he immediately knew that the first day’s mystery photo was from The Sopranos….he’s a great fan of the show.
1 comment:
Happy to hear Marilyn is keeping you company. If you go thru Marathon on the way, it's possible the gift shop (near a very nice hotel)has the "Giorgio" piece. Have fun ! Pete
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