San Antonio, Past and Present

We have been staying in a nice RV park near Mission San Jose. I chose it primarily for its location, but it has many amenities and is also located right on the riverwalk trail. The first day we were here, we mostly settled in to the new space, but we did venture out to a taproom and a brewpub to eat (and drink).

Breakfast burrito in the trailer.

Freetail Brewing Taproom.

Delicious beer at Freetail Brewing.

Blue Star Brewing Company.

Strange welcome mat drawn at the entrance.

Smallest beer taster ever. I chose a different beer.

Our wonderful server (and guide), Bel.

Russ takes his first look at the riverwalk,

Flowers are blooming in San Antonio.

Our new spot.

We got up to make our appointed entry time to the Alamo at 9 am. Neither of us was particularly excited to see the Alamo, but it was better than we expected. I liked learning about the building conservation. The gift shop had nothing special, so we moved on to the riverwalk before it got too hot. We strolled around the downtown core of the walk, then went to the Rio Rio restaurant at a table on the canal for an early lunch.

The classic photo of the Alamo.

Great-tailed grackle finds his food.

I was impressed by the trees and grounds at the Alamo.

The riverwalk from under a bridge.

Russ waits for his food and enjoys the views.

Mahi Mahi tacos, Tex Mex style.

This pigeon wanted his share, but didn't get any from us.

An ice cream cone before the drive home.

Our next day found us at the San Jose Mission. The San Antonio Missions are a World Heritage Site now. The scale of it was amazing, so much of the original Mission has been preserved, with some rebuilding and repair. The grain mill really impressed me.

This was taken from inside the enclosure.

This part of the mill was rebuilt.

The mill water works.

I liked to old sign better than the newer one.

The mission granary. I found the fireplace inside surprising.

The front of the Mission San Jose church.

American red squirrel.

The structure of the old quarters was lovely.

Another view of the church from the back.

The outer walls and the main sign.

We ate breakfast at Brown Coffee before we saw the mission. I bought some whole beans to take with us. It was a relaxing morning with great coffee. After the tourist visit, we went to find some Texas BBQ and ended up at B&B Smokehouse (since 1958). It didn't feet right to be here in Texas and not let Russ try the BBQ.

Brown Coffee.

A perfect cappuccino and a sour cream pecan muffin.

I did the shopping at H-E-B. The pigeons liked the sign.

Half a Texas Royal Cookie. Coconut and Macadamia plus chocolate chips.

Deep fried pickles so crisp they were like potato chips.

Russ got a brisket sandwich, I got a loaded baked potato and bean taco.

The B&B. They made their own lemonade, too.

Our last full day here found us at the Botanical Garden. Honestly it was my favorite thing we did in San Antonio. The weather was perfect and the garden was something special. After our garden tour, we ate at Paloma Blanca, a restaurant recommended to us by one of our fellow Big Bend canoe trip paddlers. It was traditional Mexican food from central Mexico and so good. I loved the poblano cream soup and the tres leches cake the best, but nothing disappointed at this establishment.

A warm welcome.

A volunteer and master gardener shows us the way.

They also showcased a lot of sculpture.

The greenhouses.

A moist and lush fern grotto.

The whole place was seasonally decorated with pumpkins.

The White Dove.

The soup was my favorite dish.

Chile relleno de camarones with green salad.

Russ went with chicken enchiladas.

Tres Leches Cake.

I've been working on a needlepoint project during my down time in the R-Pod. I bought this kit when we were in Hawaii in February of 2019, just after Russ retired. COVID was just getting started, and there were few restrictions, if any. I've neglected the project until we left for this trip, and I am enjoying working on it as time permits. Hopefully, I will be able to finish before we get home. It seems likely.

Pineapples represent prosperity. It's a coin purse.

Sunrise this morning from the riverwalk near us.

It's nice to finish with the day's beginning.