Day 8
There are good days, okay days, maybe a few not so good days, and there are great days. Well, today was a really great day! We have been enjoying our trip, of course, but today was probably our favorite so far. We learned a lot, we walked a lot, we ate a lot :)...it was just great!
We went to the beautiful San Jose mission. They showed an informative movie. The younger kids were each able to earn a Junior Park Ranger badge. It was fascinating learning the history of this area and its people. The mission was peaceful and beautiful. It was built to convert the natives, as well as protect them from the Apaches and European diseases that were starting to spread. In the end, about 70% of the natives ended up dying from disease within the mission, but according to what we learned today, I think they still lived longer than if they had never lived in the missions. We definitely learned a lot about a group of people of which we knew little before today!
After our time at the San Jose mission, Harvey had scouted out a local restaurant. We were trying to find it in the middle of a neighborhood, and honestly, I started getting worried. Harvey is great at picking restaurants "off the beaten path," which I love. There have been a couple of occasions, however, where our hunts for these places have landed us by people's back porches, rather than in an eating establishment :). Well, this time, he proved once again to be very right in his choice, as we landed, not on a back porch, but at a flour mill! Yes, you read it correctly...Pioneer Flour Mill run for over 100 years by the Guenther family. As it turns out, this mill has an amazing little cafe/restaurant and makes amazing baked goods with their amazing flour and cornmeal ;). Seriously, it was so delicious! I had some wonderful chicken salad with fresh fruit. We all had homeade, light, small wheat rolls. Some had pancakes, waffles, sandwiches on homeade bread...but the best? The most amazing iced brownie I think I have ever eaten! Seriously :). Even Trey licked his fork, and he does not always love dessert! That brownie was too die for, y'all (don't you love how I just sounded like Paula Deen)! But, it gets even better...they had a gift shop. This lovely lady who had worked there for over 20 years proceeded to tell Rebekah, Elizabeth, & I the story of the Guenther family. It was fascinating!! Unbeknownst to me, apparently that area of TX has quite a German influence, thanks to a certain King William of Germany (although he was not called a king, I forget his official title). If you ever have time to search the history of that area, I recommend it. Specifically, the history of the Guenther family. It was truly a delightful lunch. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the restaurant was in the former home that belonged to the Guenthers! It was lovely, with its tiled floors and beautiful stained glass. Our lunch-disguised-history-lesson was a treat that I will remember for a long time :).
Yesterday, on our way to San Antonio, I read a book aloud that did a great job of explaining the Alamo. It was called, "Susanna of the Alamo." It was based on a true story of two survivors in the Alamo. Reading the book first, and then watching the Alamo Imax movie, also the History Channel movie at the Alamo, and finally, listening to one of the doscents give a memorized speech on the Alamo, I think, really helped to capture the details of the famous battle in our minds. There was a sweet older lady, who also worked at the Alamo, that answered a lot of questions for us. One of her ancestors fought in one of the other battles during that time in Texas. Fascinating!
We ended with a most amazing dinner at a local place called Rosario's. If I tried to describe their most amazing roasted salsa, no words could do it justice. So, just trust me that if you are ever in San Antonio, you MUST eat there!!
This trip is so different in that we are not visiting all of the National Parks. It is a little sad, but a lot has to do with where are (and are not). Seeing all of the bison, elk, mountain goats, etc. made such an impact on us all last year. It is quite different not to be seeing all of that wildlife this time. But, we are still enjoying ourselves, learning lots of new things, and appreciating seeing new parts of the country.
Today I am thankful for the men and women who have fought for freedom in our country. I am thankful for Jesus giving up his life for us.
Carried by His Grace,
We went to the beautiful San Jose mission. They showed an informative movie. The younger kids were each able to earn a Junior Park Ranger badge. It was fascinating learning the history of this area and its people. The mission was peaceful and beautiful. It was built to convert the natives, as well as protect them from the Apaches and European diseases that were starting to spread. In the end, about 70% of the natives ended up dying from disease within the mission, but according to what we learned today, I think they still lived longer than if they had never lived in the missions. We definitely learned a lot about a group of people of which we knew little before today!
After our time at the San Jose mission, Harvey had scouted out a local restaurant. We were trying to find it in the middle of a neighborhood, and honestly, I started getting worried. Harvey is great at picking restaurants "off the beaten path," which I love. There have been a couple of occasions, however, where our hunts for these places have landed us by people's back porches, rather than in an eating establishment :). Well, this time, he proved once again to be very right in his choice, as we landed, not on a back porch, but at a flour mill! Yes, you read it correctly...Pioneer Flour Mill run for over 100 years by the Guenther family. As it turns out, this mill has an amazing little cafe/restaurant and makes amazing baked goods with their amazing flour and cornmeal ;). Seriously, it was so delicious! I had some wonderful chicken salad with fresh fruit. We all had homeade, light, small wheat rolls. Some had pancakes, waffles, sandwiches on homeade bread...but the best? The most amazing iced brownie I think I have ever eaten! Seriously :). Even Trey licked his fork, and he does not always love dessert! That brownie was too die for, y'all (don't you love how I just sounded like Paula Deen)! But, it gets even better...they had a gift shop. This lovely lady who had worked there for over 20 years proceeded to tell Rebekah, Elizabeth, & I the story of the Guenther family. It was fascinating!! Unbeknownst to me, apparently that area of TX has quite a German influence, thanks to a certain King William of Germany (although he was not called a king, I forget his official title). If you ever have time to search the history of that area, I recommend it. Specifically, the history of the Guenther family. It was truly a delightful lunch. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the restaurant was in the former home that belonged to the Guenthers! It was lovely, with its tiled floors and beautiful stained glass. Our lunch-disguised-history-lesson was a treat that I will remember for a long time :).
Yesterday, on our way to San Antonio, I read a book aloud that did a great job of explaining the Alamo. It was called, "Susanna of the Alamo." It was based on a true story of two survivors in the Alamo. Reading the book first, and then watching the Alamo Imax movie, also the History Channel movie at the Alamo, and finally, listening to one of the doscents give a memorized speech on the Alamo, I think, really helped to capture the details of the famous battle in our minds. There was a sweet older lady, who also worked at the Alamo, that answered a lot of questions for us. One of her ancestors fought in one of the other battles during that time in Texas. Fascinating!
We ended with a most amazing dinner at a local place called Rosario's. If I tried to describe their most amazing roasted salsa, no words could do it justice. So, just trust me that if you are ever in San Antonio, you MUST eat there!!
This trip is so different in that we are not visiting all of the National Parks. It is a little sad, but a lot has to do with where are (and are not). Seeing all of the bison, elk, mountain goats, etc. made such an impact on us all last year. It is quite different not to be seeing all of that wildlife this time. But, we are still enjoying ourselves, learning lots of new things, and appreciating seeing new parts of the country.
Today I am thankful for the men and women who have fought for freedom in our country. I am thankful for Jesus giving up his life for us.
Carried by His Grace,
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