Jim, Bev, Barack, Bill, Jimmy and W

As of yesterday afternoon, we are in Austin, Texas.  We arrived the same day as did several former US presidents and the current one, all of whom were attending a three-day civil rights summit at the nearby LBJ Presidential Library to commemorate the anniversary of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Friends recommended an RV park in the center of downtown which would have been great, but there were no available spaces for another month. RV Park #1 recommended Lone Star RV further south -- and we got one of their last spots.  What's taking up all the RV spots is not the presidents and their entourages. Obviously. Instead, it's the 2014 Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, which is some kind of motorcycle race. I guess. There are lots of "toy hauler" type rigs here at the RV park, full of motorcycles.  We look a little out of place with  kayaks on our tow car.

Anyway, we arrived in Austin yesterday, went to lunch, bought groceries at the local HEB (Steve and Norma introduced us to HEB -- a Texas and northern Mexico food store chain started in 1905 in Kerrville, TX, and named for the founder's youngest son Howard E. Butt, who later took over the business).  Then we wandered around the RV park and that was about it.  

Before we left San Antonio, however, we did some kayaking on the San Antonio River and spent more time with SLC friends Steve and Norma.

Pretty shot Jim took of Bev kayaking under a foot path on the San Antonio River.

Steve and Norma on their apartment patio.  Norma is a terrific cook and an amazing baker. Baking is science; Norma puts her scientific background to good use on our last day with them and made a terrific cherry pie. Thank you so much for your hospitality, Steve and Norma.  

San Antonio as seen from the Lackland Air Force Base RV Fam Camp.

An Air Force plane flying very near the Lackland Fam Camp.

And, as seen at the Austin RV park where we are now staying:  To the far left is a "toy hauler" RV; toy haulers have a garage at the back where you can haul a motorcycle, four wheeler or some other outdoor vehicle.  Two RVs to the right is a motorhome with a motor cycle at the back.  To the right of that is a  trailer (that I assume contains motorcycles) attached to a fifth-wheel. The owners are all apparently here for a big Austin motorcycle race.

More Wandering in San Antonio, TX

Yesterday Jim and I scouted potential kayaking on the San Antonio River. The Riverwalk, which we visited in downtown Antonio and talked about on our last post, actually extends another 15 miles past parks, picnic areas, and historic buildings including those in San Antonio's mission area. If the weather is good tomorrow -- and we can find a place where I (not Jim; he always does just fine) can figure out how to get both me and my boat in the water -- that's where we'll be.

Today Steve and Norma took us to San Antonio's Pearl District, whose website calls it a "culinary and cultural destination."  From 1881 to 2001 it was the site of variously-named breweries, from Behloradsky to Pearl (at one time the largest brewery in Texas) to Pabst.  Pearl is now home to shops, restaurants, a year-round farmers market, and a culinary institute. The four of us wandered, bought a few things (well, Norma and I did; the guys just hung out and talked) and then went to lunch.

Later Norma drove us in an unexpected downpour to Central Market, a huge upscale grocery store where you can drink beer while you shop. We obviously are not in Kansas -- or Utah -- anymore.

A less urban part of the San Antonio Riverwalk not far from the city's mission area.

The Riverwalk and other parts of the city have a bike rental program called "B-Cycle."

Jim, Steve, Bev and Norma at our lunch location, a Pearl District restaurant called "Cured."  Notice the "double helix" necklace Norma bought at a Pearl shop.  As a molecular biologist, Norma thought it was very cool.  As someone with a BA degree, I just hope I called it by the right name.

None of us are huge meat eaters, so we weren't sure about eating at Cured, whose menu features sausage po boys, pork cheeks, whipped pork butter, etc, etc.  But our waiter, Mark (far left) was great and we all got the burger with onion jam. Very good.  Behind us are various slabs of protein being cured.

View through Norma and Steve's car window:  After a Texas downpour, cars to the right were driving in about 6 inches of water.

Jim and Steve wandering around San Antonio's Central Market drinking beer while buying beer.  Two happy guys.

San Antonio, Texas

From San Angelo, we drove about 200 miles southeast to San Antonio, Texas.  Besides thinking San Antonio sounded like a great place to visit, we had an extra incentive: Salt Lake City friends Steve and Norma moved here (temporarily) last year.

Steve and Norma's daughter, Carolyn, and SIL, Mike, are both medical residents in San Antonio. Since Carolyn and Mike also have two small children and Mike is in the military, Carolyn and Mike are about as busy as you can get.  So Steve and Norma graciously agreed to come to San Antonio and help.  S and N live in an apartment across a courtyard from Carolyn and Mike; Norma says they sometimes make 15 trips back and forth between the two places.

The first night we were here, Norma grilled burgers for us, Carolyn, Mike and the babies. Yesterday Steve and Norma took us to San Antonio's famous River Walk, and treated us to lunch at the Iron Cactus, a great Mexican restaurant.

Today S and N brought the babies to the base and we hung out.  Two-year-old Zoe loved the "cab over" bed in our motor home and also wanted to drive the rig.  We didn't let her drive, but she did find the horn all on her own.  

Top L to R:  Jim, Bev and Norma.  At the bottom is Steve. If Bradley Cooper were only with us, maybe we could have gotten all of Steve's face in the photo. Appears we are all fans of the transition lens.

A better photo of Steve's face (plus Jim and Norma), this time near the River Walk.  Steve is a retired elementary school teacher; a former student almost always approaches him whenever we are with them in Salt Lake.  Norma is on leave from her job as a human genetics research scientist.

Jim and Bev at the Alamo.  The Battle of the Alamo was a pivotal event in the Texas Revolution, which freed Texas from Mexico.  Highly irritated (to say the least) that all Alamo defenders were killed, Texas settlers and other adventurers wanting revenge joined the Texas army.  They soon defeated the Mexican Army, and ended the revolution. At least that's my understanding after several glasses of wine and some internet research.

Part of the San Antonio River Walk, a two-and-a-half mile network along the San Antonio River lined with shops, hotels, bars and restaurants. A lot of the walkways and bridges were built by the WPA.  Jim had a professor at Oregon State University who worked on redevelopment plans for the River Walk; I'm assuming that was after the time frame of the WPA unless Jim is a heck of a lot older than he looks.

The Emily Morgan Hotel in San Antonio is one of many, many beautiful downtown buildings.

Our treesy camping spot at San Antonio's Lackland Air Force Base Fam Camp.

Norma and the very talkative Zoe at our motorhome.

Steve plus baby Zack, who looks like his dad.

Steve, Norma and their grand kids in front of a vintage "T-6 Texan" airplane on display at Lackland AFB.  

Quack means Quack

In the last couple of days we've kayaked twice on San Angelo's Lake Nasworthy.  

Yesterday while on the lake, we saw white ducks creating a ruckus on shore.  One duck in particular was being chased. The chased duck finally jumped in the water; the chaser was right behind and they literally almost swam into my (Bev's) kayak. Then the duck in front started diving and swimming under water -- and these were white domestic ducks, the kind that normally don't do a lot of diving. The chaser started diving as well.  

When the chaser finally caught up with the chased, Jim got concerned.

Jim:  That one duck is trying to drown the other duck. 

Bev:   I think they're mating.

Jim:  Oh.

Finally Daisy swam fast and furiously until she was far away and the guys gave up.  But it was wild animal kingdom out there for a few minutes. I could have gotten some amazing photos if I hadn't lost my "boat camera," but that probably would have been an invasion of privacy.

No duck photos, but here's one Jim took that shows the lake level at Lake Nasworthy in San Angelo, Texas.  Jim read that the lake level is down about 50 percent and we've seen signs around town advertising a "pray for rain" vigil for this coming weekend.  A lot of folks have lake shore property here and boats in their back yards -- but they can't use the boats because the water close to shore is too shallow.

San Angelo, Texas

After a week in El Paso, then a couple of days at Balmorhea State Park, we are now at Goodfellow Air Force Base Recreation Center in San Angelo, Texas. Jim picked San Angelo and the GAFB rec center as our next stop because it's not only near water, it's near a lot of water: Lake Nasworthy and the South Concho River which flows through the lake.  

San Angelo was founded by European American in 1867 when the US built Fort Concho, one of the many forts built to protect people as pioneers moved west.  The lake was built in 1930 by a local utility company to provide municipal water to the city.

According to Wikipedia,  San Angelo was at one time a "fairly lawless cow town filled with brothels, saloons and gambling houses."  In fact, the guy who checked us in at our RV Park told me about a restaurant in town called Miss Hattie's that used to be a brothel.  He said the story is that the brothel was connected via a tunnel to a bank, so people could appear to be "doing bank business."

The former cow town now has thrift stores, jewelry shops, antique mini-malls, art galleries, half a dozen brew pubs, a couple of wine bars and a city park system with 32 parks.  Pretty good for a town of about 96,000 people.

Jim discovered Joe's Brewhouse while I was wandering around the shops.  I joined Jim and we loved it.  We spent two hours talking with the great bartender, Allyn, and another customer, Laurie.  

San Angelo's downtown has a mixture of 1950- 60's style buildings plus older buildings with interesting architectural details.

In the early 2000's, San Angelo apparently had a "live sheep stampede" to recreate the glory days of its sheep industry.  Then the artsy town had a contest where businesses purchased plain white fiberglass sheep and local artists were commissioned to paint/decorate them.  This one decorated with pennies -- heads at the front and tails at the rear --  is near a bank.  The sheep statue near the entrance to Goodfellow Air Force Base was wearing a sheepskin bomber jacket.

Jim at San Angelo's Zero One Ale House.  Tourist literature said it was the newest brew pub in town.  Lots of beer selection and great food.

We came on this weird scene at the San Angelo City Library when we walked back to our car.   Our car -- with our kayaks -- is reflected in the middle of the glass.  Reflected in the glass to the left a photographer who was taking photos of the woman against the wall.  To the right is some guy who appeared to be helping, although the photog later took a photo of him and the red-shirted woman hugging; not sure what that was about. The ceramic tiles the woman is leaning against each depict a cowboy reading a book.

The Tom Green Count Courthouse, named after a Tom Green who was a Brigadier General in the Confederate Army, not actor Tom Green who seems crazy and was briefly married to Drew Barrymore. Doubt if you thought it was the latter, however.

Mom:  One of the antique stores had a huge selection of your "autumn leaf" dishware.  A candlestick was going for $125, which seemed hard to believe.  Time to quit running the ramekins through the dishwasher.

Our new friends at our favorite San Angelo pub, Joe's Brewhouse. Laurie works in marketing in Abilene and had just spent the weekend boating at Lake Amistad.  Allyn was our bar tender.  He's a professor at Angelo State University who bar tends for fun.  He should add beer appreciation classes because he's knowledgeable and a great bar keep, too. Topics of conversation included beer, snakes (rattlers vs. water moccasins), exercise, alligators, boating, and a lot more.

Close call:  We went out for Mexican food at a place called Franco's.  Cooper was in the car, so we found a shady parking spot at a Baptist church across the street.  If we'd back up six more inches we would have scraped the kayaks off the car.