The Alamo

One of the highlights of our trip to San Antonio was getting to see the historic Alamo in person; I remember learning about the Battle of the Alamo back in elementary school and being so taken by the sacrifices made by the men who had bravely fought there for Texan independence.

I was a little surprised by the small size of the monument--for a place that looms so large in American history, I was expecting something much more grandiose.  But the time-worn and battle-scarred eighteenth-century facade did not disappoint, especially since one could walk right up to it and examine all of its architectural details up close.

We had hoped to take the tour of the chapel but long lines and an increasingly cranky Sammy (who was long overdue for a nap) kind of put a damper on those plans, although we did enjoy walking around the grounds and checking out the Long Barracks and other structures on the site.  We'll definitely make sure to take the tour the next time we find ourselves in San Antonio.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: The Tower of the Americas

{Located just a short walk away from our hotel was the Hemisfair Park, a lushly landscaped city park that was built to host the 1968 World's Fair.  There are a number of gorgeous historic structures within the park that are in the process of being slowly rehabbed, as well as an awesome playground where Sammy ran himself ragged, but the biggest (or tallest) highlight of the park was the 750-foot tall Tower of the Americas.}

{After a quick ride up in a glass-fronted elevator, the three of us were greeted by beautiful panoramic views of San Antonio and the surrounding areas.}

{I had a lot of fun finding the places we'd already walked to, like the Torch of Friendship sculpture, which was a pretty easy landmark to pick out thanks to its vibrant red color.}

{Sammy spent most of his time running around the observation deck, "chasing" after the airplanes and helicopters that flew by the tower.  Needless to say, he napped very well that afternoon.}

The San Antonio Stroll

Time flies when you're having fun!  I really feel as though we only scratched the surface of all that San Antonio has to offer in the two days we had to sight-see and explore so hopefully there will be more trips there in the future.   San Antonio is a wonderfully walkable city, thanks primarily to the River Walk located in the heart of downtown, and Captain Husband, Sammy and I definitely logged our fair share of miles on it while we were there.

The scenery along the river was so beautiful and tranquil without the hustle and bustle of street traffic to get in the way; the Gothic spire of Saint Joseph's cathedral was just visible from the River Walk.

And did I mention how lush and green everything was along the River Walk?  Oh man, I just kept saying to Captain Husband about how I couldn't get over all of the green.  I'm going to be having some serious withdrawal issues once we're back in El Paso.

Sammy was so good the whole time we were in San Antonio; he loved going out in the stroller and would actually climb into it in the hotel room and command that we, "go, go, go!"  All of the activity near the water had him totally enthralled, especially all of the people watching, boats going by, and ducks begging for snacks.  The ducks weren't the only feathered friends out enjoying the water, though:

I guess even pigeons enjoy a good foot soak from time to time.

Nine hours later...

Well, we all managed to survive the nearly nine hours it took to drive from El Paso to San Antonio.  Barely, I might add.  Captain Husband still isn't quite used to traveling with a toddler and would get a bit upset whenever Sammy would start to fuss about being stuck in his car seat for so long.  However, as soon as we checked in to our hotel (located conveniently right on the San Antonio River Walk), the stress of the drive was totally forgotten--Sammy was just so excited to be able to play without being restricted by the confines of the car and CH and I were pretty excited about ordering room service:

Delicious and outrageously expensive room service.  It was worth every penny to just be able to sit and unwind from the stress of the drive without worrying about finding a place to eat in the cold rain.

We spent most of Sunday walking around downtown San Antonio, taking in the sights and taking a lot of photos.  I was especially struck by this rather unique sculpture located near the intersection of Alamo and Commerce Streets.  A little bit of internet sleuthing back at the hotel yesterday afternoon revealed the name of the sculpture as the Torch of Friendship.

This rather distinctive work of art was presented to the city of San Antonio by the consulate of Mexico to represent the friendship and shared roots that many Texans share with Mexico.  Although it may not appear all that monumental in my photos, the "Torch" stands sixty-five feet in height and is pretty impressive in person.  We've got one more day here in San Antonio and then we'll be heading back to El Paso, so I hope you're ready for a week-full of photos from our trip!

Working for the weekend

Even though there wasn't much wild and crazy going on around these parts this week I'm feeling pretty beat today.  Maybe it has something to do with the Zumba classes that I've started attending Tuesday evenings or the brisk three-mile walk I took on Wednesday.  Or maybe it's because Sammy has started waking up earlier even with the black-out curtains that I put up in his room in the hopes that the darkness would entice him to stay in his bed a bit longer.  In any case, I am super ready for the weekend; Captain Husband has a four-day pass so we've decided to take a rather last minute trip to San Antonio.  I'm pretty excited to see a new part of Texas and to visit the Alamo for the first time--if anyone has any must-see places that we need to check out while we're there, let me know in the comments.  Have a great weekend everyone!

Texture Thursday: Ladybug, ladybug

Another all-natural texture shot for Texture Thursday thanks to the desert landscape of El Paso.  I took this photo when Sammy and I were checking out the poppies over the weekend and managed to capture a tiny little ladybug going about its business near some of the poppies.  It's funny--I had found myself wondering not too long ago about whether or not there were any ladybugs out here in the southwest, but it looks like there are at least a few.

Wordless{ish} Wednesday: Thrift store goodies

{It's been so long since I've had the opportunity to leisurely poke around the local thrift stores; usually I have Sammy in tow and it's not long before he's trying to climb out of the shopping cart so he can play with all of the toys on display.  But I was able to escape for a few hours this Sunday while Captain Husband stayed home with Sammy while he napped.  In addition to a few summer outfits that I scored for Sammy, I also found some really great fabric, including these adorable semi-completed cafe curtains in turquoise gingham.  Now all I need to do is line them and add the pom-pom trim and then I'll have some super cute curtains for the kitchen.}

{As you can see, the kitchen is terribly in need of some window treatments--also CH is tired of being blinded by the evening sun every time we sit down to eat dinner.}

{In addition to the curtains and the clothing, I also scored four large rolls of fabulous vintage yellow-on-chrome wallpaper from the 60s.  Now why do I need four large rolls of vintage wallpaper?  Um, I'm really not sure to be honest.  But I do know that one of these days I'll happen to come across a piece of furniture or something that needs a little TLC and *pow* I'll have the perfect makeover for it.  What's the neatest thing you've ever come across while scouring second-hand shops?}