"Remember the Alamo!"

Alan and I visited San Antonio, Texas yesterday and stayed at a wonderful inexpensive hotel kiddie-corner to the Alamo.  The hotel was built in 1909 and has kept its old charm with modern amenties.  We paid $94 per night plus taxes and parking, while nearby downtown hotels ranged from $250-$600. The Gibbs Hotel is a true bargain.

The Alamo holds a special meaning to me as I am related to Davy Crockett.  According to the genealogical records, my sisters and I are first cousins to Davy, 6 generations removed.  [Alan checked and I have been wrongfully saying 7 generations removed.]

I felt more awed and quiet in the Alamo church where the last stand took place.  Reading about the bravery of the 200 men who were defending the fort and trying to hold out for reinforcements against 6,000 of Santa Anna's men, I actually felt a bit weepy.

I felt the urge to share my relationship to one of the volunteer docents and he took us privately to the possible site of Davy Crockett's death in front of the church [a surviving eye-witness claimed she saw his body and recognized him by the strange hat], the musket ball holes on the wall immediately behind where he may have died, and a place near the church door where Davy very neatly, in old script, may have carved his name.  It was very moving.  The other story about Crockett's death was that he survived the fight, but was executed by Santa Anna.  Some eye witness reports from the women who were allowed to live claim that survivors were tortured unmercilessly until they convulsed and died.  Finally, I signed my name in a visitors' book of descendants of those who survived.  Crockett had many descendants who have visited and written in the book--too many to look at, but fun to note.  

The Alamo structure is beautiful.  This evening picture was particularly perfect as the sign from the Crockett Hotel was peeking over the right side.


Davy Crockett's name etched in the doorway.



San Antonio has a wonderful, fun Riverwalk full of restaurants and shops and beautiful landscapes.  We enjoyed cocktails and food and a lovely boat tour that told us lots about the history of the city and the Riverwalk itself.  We are proud of how well our communities and their governments work to improve the appearance of our towns and take advantage of what we have.  Keep using that creativity!

Riverwalk at night:



Riverwalk from the tour boat:



San Antonio's Riverwalk was a project in 1939 of the WPA.  It stands in sharp contrast to Highway 35 from San Antonio to Austin and then to Waco, which is a road lined with commercial establishments of differing age and styles, no landscape to speak of and no charm.  Interestingly, Lady Bird Johnson's project as First Lady was Highway Beautification.  Sadly, her efforts did not reach her home area.  Much of Highway 35 is under construction. Maybe there is hope.

We ended the day sitting at "Bat Bridge" in Austin waiting for the bats to come out.  They did come out (by the millions, literally, but it was too dark to enjoy their sprialling and circling in the sky.  With our binoculars and some light from street lamps, we saw 30 minutes (and still coming) of bats exiting their daytime roost by the hundreds each second.  Reports are that more than 2 million roost their during May-November.  Amazing also disappointing not to see them as clearly as a moonlit sky would have allowed.

But not to be totally unfulfilled, the crows at WalMart in Waco were out in their glory as we exited the van at first light:



Unfortunately, half of the crows flew off before we snapped the picture.  A reunion every morning, the WM employees told me.

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