The Alamo and Missions 2013

Here we are visiting the Alamo, the lines were 4-5 hours long this morning.  This was not only the morning that people gather at sun rise and honor the people who lost there lives here on the last day of the siege March 6, 1836 (the day we visited was March 7,2013) but it was also the last day that The Travis Letter was to here. This was the first time this letter has been back at the Alamo and people from all over were here to see it "under glass" and well protected. This letter was written by the 26 year old commander asking for help. It is 177 years old.

We toured the outside grounds and took pictures, with the idea of returning the next day to see the inside of the Alamo, which we did.  This tree was 40 yrs old when it was moved here in 1912 by a wagon pulled by 4 mules. People said it would not grow, but today it is 12 feet in circumference and it's main branches are over 50 feet long.

This was the church area and it held the gun powder during the siege.  It is now the gift shop.

This was pretty cool and I could just see the people setting around placing these soldiers, horses, canons etc up to show the fighting at the Alamo.  The gun smoke is actually a cotton ball pulled thin.

Back side of the Alamo

This is the front door of the Alamo where you can see some of the bullet holes.

Like I said we came back the next day and got right into the Alamo.  You will probably not see many pictures of the inside of the mission itself because cameras are not allowed.  Well look fast I didn't see the sign, but, I heard someone telling someone else no pictures, but I had already taken mine, so I quickly put mine away.  I was not impressed with the inside.

The first mission in this area was the Mission San Antonio de Valero, better known as the Alamo, founded in 1718. The Mission Nuestra Senora de la Purisima "Concepcion" served the area around 1731. If you look closely (didn't show up on camera) on the building you can still see some of the original colorful geometric designs that once covered the surface.

This is part of the walls that surrounded the mission.

Here you can see the squares on top of the arch way where the soliders would crouch and put there rifles out one of the four windows .

We were very fortunate to arrive after closing time, as usual.  They were having a wedding rehearsal this evening and the wedding coordinator let us in and gave us a private tour. In the picture below you can see a door on the middle right that is where the father would enter the church and walk down steps behind the alter.

These are the big heavy doors at the back of the church.  You can see day light through the door in several places.

This is Phil trying to get in the back door I guess.

Hey look I was along on this trip. We took a picture of a young couple who snuck in the gate same as us and they wanted to take our picture too. Look at the carvings around the door.

This is the 'Rose window' look at the fine detail and the craftsmanship of the artisans who worked on the missions.

This is the Mission San Juan Capistrano established in East Texas and moved  here in 1731.

This is the Mission San Francisco de los Tejas in 1690, the oldest of the East Texas Missions and was moved here in 1731. It was renamed San Francisco de la Espada. I was fascinated by this small church. The arch way around the door is a broken arch many say it was a mistake by the builder.

These Missions depended on the water supply to the fort for there survival so they built acequia madre (mother ditch) systems.  The Mission Espada has the best-preserved system built in 1745 and still diverts river water today.  It is the oldest Spanish aqueduct in the United States.

The picture above is the top of the picture here on the bottom.  Boy does that make any sense?

I really enjoyed seeing the Missions.  We were only able to go into the first one but that was OK.  We saw 3 of the Missions still have Fathers living on the property, and they have personalized them in some way with flowers, lights and music.  Very peaceful in the setting of the sun.

Our visit to the Alamo was all the more exciting because our grand daughter Ivy had been studying the Alamo in school the past week and she knew all about the Travis Letter.   Thanks for sharing your information with us Ivy.

San Antonio 2013

This is the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Tx. It is a WWII Aircraft Carrier and the first one to carry women (1980) Tokyo Rose nicknamed it the "Blue Ghost" because the Japanese reported it sunk 4 different times. It carried 3,000 people during WWII. You could play 3 football games or 14 basketball games on it at the same time. HUGE

This tree is in Rockport, Tx in the state park.  It is a coastal live oak and is over 1,000 years old. 11 feet across the trunk, 35 feet around 44 feet tall.  This picture does not show the awesomeness of it.  The picture below they say are the babies of this tree.  Beautiful park.

The Whooping Cranes are an amazing bird. They are the tallest North American Bird.  They have there own festival in Port Aransas this time of year.  This birds migrate from Canada here.  They have a 5 foot wing span, weight of 16# and a total body length of 52". They are endangered.  They mate for life and when the pair wake up in the morning they "call" out together. They got there name from the "whooping" sound they make and it is loud.  I wanted to see them fly (the black tips on their wings) and I wanted to hear there sound, after waiting for a little over a half hour we got to hear and see them.  It was a wonderful site. They are BIG birds and LOUD.

Here in San Antonio there city workers clean the street light poles.  There vehicle is a 3 wheel bike with a barrel on the back for their tools.  City is clean.

 

The River Walk at night.  We listened to a 90 minute time share talk and they gave us 2 boat tickets ($8.95 each) and $50.  OK I know your saying that we are cheap. Had a great boat ride and saw the walk at night.  Went back the next day and walked it by day.

OK I said we went back the next day.  We sat thru another time share for 90 minutes and they gave us $80 and kept us in out of the rain.  I know we are cheap but we enjoyed the town for free.  This mariachi band played for the couple behind us while we feasted on the food by the water again.  That couple paid them $15 we enjoyed them for free.

This is a tree root going out of the wall of a bar.  They say part of the root can be seen inside the bar.  Interesting huh.

If I remember correctly this is St Marks Lutheran church.

Transportation in San Antonio. Rent the bikes and return them at another bike stand somewhere else in the city.

You know I am fascinated by the houses and buildings and this is just 2 of the pictures we took.  Mighty interesting aren't they!

You see an arch like this over many cemeteries around the country.  What I thought was unusual was the wording. San Jose Burial Park.

 

We had a good time in San Antonio, the weather was great, ok it was rainy but we enjoyed that part too, the people were so nice and good food.

When I see a person in military uniform I will usually tell them Thank You for their service.  But, I have to admit,  at the River Walk I didn't.  I couldn't, because every  other person was in uniform.  There are 2 training bases near here and they enjoy there leaves with family here. 

odds and ends of Tx.

 See have seen a lot of road signs for Kolache, and I wanted to try one.  They are fried pies.  Oh don't get me wrong they are good but my gosh big road signs for a fried pie.  This is Texas I guess.

 Can I just say Texas is really windy.  So far every one we have stayed it has been windy.  But, when it isn't windy the mosquitos come out so I say let it blow.

 At a Catholic school I saw these benches along side of their playing field.  I wonder what the opposing teams benches say.

 How long has it been since you have seen a telephone booth?  This one sits on the corner of This Way and Parking Way.

This street corner was hard to find.  Went to the library and asked for directions to get to this corner.  The librarian and helpers said " you this way" then she laughed "and when you get here you go that way" and she laughed again. We do this all the time when giving directions but here in Lake Jackson it is funny because This Way and That Way are really street names. The streets are all curved because the guy who laid out the town didn't ever want to see the end of the road.  I was lost all the time.  Really

 OK grandkids, grandpa is eating his seafood gumbo on your beach of last summer. We enjoyed the memories we have of that time.  Thanks Kiddos.

 Lots of big ships going in and out.  Little tug boats pushing those big ships.

 This is a submarine sitting in the parking lot of a souvenir shop.

 I told myself that this is "my church" this morning.  Beautiful picture.  I mean the sky just opened up and let the sun shine come through.

 Bringing our home across to the island on a ferry.  I was scarred that we wouldn't fit.  It is a two lanes on each side.  We took up both lanes on our side with two cars setting next to each other in front of us and behind us.  Phil saw Dolphins.  I didn't.  I wasn't looking.

 Beautiful sunset from the beach over the sand dunes.  I might add that the sun sets in the North here

Big waves, but not for surfing I don't think.  Water to cold maybe.

Becki this is the best stop sign I have ever see.  Of course, dad doesn't stop here.

I love the "pictures" in the sand.  The lines the sea animals make, the water wave lines, the holes the crabs, ghost crabs etc make.