San Antonio TX Post-Thanksgiving Part II - Riverwalk and Alamo, San Jose Mission, Christmas Lights

Monday November 30, 2015

On Monday, Peggy and Patricia took me to see the Christmas lights in the area and they were amazing! But first, who wants hot sauce?  You can find it here!  

I didn't go in cause it was closed, but who could resist?

I never would have thought Christmas lights in the south would be this bright! I found it strange to see Christmas lights down here where the weather is like summer.  No snow, no cold weather, no breath in the air.  We drove up to Fredericksburg and walked around checking out the stores, had dinner at a German restaurant, then drove back through Johnson City on our way home.

The lights were absolutely stunning.  I’ve seen the lights up north but never thought I’d see them down here.

On Tuesday and Thursday we went to Peggy’s house to use her internet to do some paperwork and wash laundry.  It was incredibly generous of her to let us use her house. 

Wednesday December 2, 2015

Wednesday we took off for San Antonio.  There is so much to see there and it was a beautiful day.  We started off visiting the mission at San Jose – what an amazing place. With my sisters-in-laws, the lovely Patricia and Peggy!

We toured the grounds which included the primitive housing and the church.

I learned the Indians were indentured and lived in the missions doing whatever was required of them.  They professed to be Christian but often followed their pagan ways.  The church and grounds were meticulously cared for.

We then had lunch on the Riverwalk overlooking the river watching the boats and ducks.  The marguerita and food was delish.

 

  

We then walked over to the Alamo which I never realized was right in town. 

All this time I thought it was somewhere out in the country, but it was just a short walk away, right in San Antonio.  Seeing it at sunset was awesome and we walked all around it and seeing the old stones made me realized its history.

We worked our way back to the Riverwalk where we had dessert and saw the river lights before heading home.   What an amazing trip, I’m sure I’ll be back to see for more.  

Friday December 4, 2015

The night before we left Guadalupe State Park, Peggy, Jeff, Patricia and Steve came over for a cookout.  We had hot dogs, lots of appetizers and drinks.  We had been the only campers in the parks, but more people came for the weekend.  It was a great send-off as we are leaving the next morning for Mission TX for a month.  

See you in Mission TX!

Bought a car, Wolf Trap, Campfires and other stuff

It's been a busy couple weeks. Things are finally back to normal and I'm back to my retirement mode, still unpacking for good measure.

So I finally bought a new car last week. I had rented a car for a month when I moved, and it cost me a small fortune since I didn't drop it back off in Manhattan. When it was getting close to returning it, I dragged my butt out to shop for a car and bought a 2009 Kia Sportage. I originally went shopping for a Suburu because they have such a good reputation and gets around in the snow, which I will definitely need here in upstate NY! I ended up with the Kia because it's been redesigned and is better quality than when they first came out, and it was about $5000 less than the Suburu. In addition, I got a 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty for about $1300 extra which gives me peace of mind since I plan to keep it forever. Anyways, it's a sturdy little SUV and I think I'm going to like it a lot.
So I took my new Kia to Vienna WV to pick up my daughter Carla, who was an opera intern at Wolf Trap this summer. She reserved a ticket for me to see La Boheme Friday night and it was absolutely lovely.

I have to rave about Diego Torre, a Filene artist who played the part of Rodolfo; shades of Pavarotti. I was absolutely mezmerized by his talent. I met him at one of the after-parties, and he is the most humble and nicest guy you could hope to meet. He is going to be such an influence in the opera world. He is making his Met debut later this year, and I plan to be there. I enjoyed myself immensely. Sorry the picture isn't the best, but it's the only one I have.
The next day, we packed up the car and headed back home. Carla stayed a few days with me to regroup before heading back to NYC. Nina and her boyfriend Marcus also came up that weekend from Philadelpia and we all had a grand time, barbecuing, and had a couple campfires in the fire pit in my yard.

I loved having my 2 kids here for a few days, and I'm loving this small-town life where I can get to the post office or grocery store in less than 5 minutes. Last Monday, I had my things which had been in storage for the past 7 years delivered from PA. So the unpacking continues. I still have time to relax and take time to get acquainted with my new home.