San Antonio River Walk

Yesterday my sister Charlou and I went to San Antonio, about 45 minutes from where we're staying in New Braunfels. We're loving our time in the Texas Hill Country.

We really enjoyed the River Walk!

We strolled along its tree-lined paths, crossed over stone arched bridges and marveled at lush landscapes as the River Walk gently winded its way through the center of San Antonio. That's Charlou on a path below.

We hopped on to one of the San Antonio River Cruises.

I shot this as the boat went under a bridge:

I shot these from the tops of bridges:

This is a lovely amphitheater. The stage is on one side of the San Antonio River and the audience sits on the other side.

I took these photos while we were on the boat tour:

And these I shot while we were strolling along walkways:

 

The city's patron saint, San Antonio de Padua: 

Today we've got another big adventure planned. I'll blog about it tomorrow morning.

Yee-haw, y'all!

...With Waylon and Willie and the Boys

Yesterday was a perfect vacation day here in the Texas hill country.

My sister Charlou and I took a road trip for several hours with stops along the way.

Our first stop was Sisterdale. We stopped at Sister Creek Vineyards, which seemed fitting for obvious reasons!

This is the winery and tasting room. Really. But don't let the exterior looks fool you.

Their wines have won awards throughout the world.

Charlou among the wine barrels:

After some tasting and visiting with the friendly folks there, we bought a bottle and hit the road again.

Our next stop was Luckenbach, made famous in the iconic country song.

Much of the Texas hill country was settled by German immigrants and that influence is seen and felt in the names of towns such as Luckenbach. 

The U.S. Post Office there was in operation for 121 years before the federal government closed it in 1971. Now it's a general store and bar.

In the bar we had root beer; the real beer of choice in these parts is Shiner, brewed right here in Texas hill country. 

The bartender serenaded us with some pickin' and singin'.

So did this gentleman:

The wood-burning stove serves two purposes: to take the chill out of the air and heat deer sausages.

We had seen on the Luckenbach website that local pickers and singers play outdoors every day so we stuck around for a few minutes until this local musician arrived. I regret that I don't recall his name. 

He has a low, mournful voice and plays the guitar beautifully. He started with a slower version of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and went on from there. It was really nice.

There was plenty of other local color at Luckenbach yesterday:

Then it was on to historic Fredericksburg, which also has a strong German history and where those roots are very strong to this day.

Most of the German immigrant farmers kept small Sunday houses so they could come into town on Saturday to do business, stay over on Sunday to go to church, and head back to their farms on Monday mornings.

Many Sunday houses are still in use today as cottages associated with bed and breakfast inns. This one is on the grounds of the Pioneer Museum. 

We were surprised to see that the National Museum of the Pacific War is located in this little town of Fredericksburg until we learned that Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet during World War II, was born here (Nimitz is another German name).

 

I went a little nuts with photos of boots, most of which I shot in Fredericksburg (as well as one in Luckenbach and another in Driftwood):

Then it was on to The Salt Lick in Driftwood, which my manicurist Kasi told me is the only place to go for the most authentic Texas barbecue in the state. It's in the middle of nowhere, way off the beaten path, but was well worth the trip!

It's cash only and BYOB, so we opened the bottle of wine we bought at Sister Creek Vineyards.

I've never had Texas barbecue before. This was like nothing we had ever tasted before. Absolutely mouth-watering awesome! We shared: one plate had pork ribs, sausage, brisket and turkey and the other had the meatiest beef ribs ever. 

Everything is cooked over a wood fire.

And of course there was live country music! This is Darrell Goldman. He and his group sang and strummed really wonderfully, including a Texas twist on Elton John's "Rocket Man." Really! It was awesome.

Suffice it to say we had a terrific road trip yesterday! 

Today we're hunkering down and relaxing at the hotel. We might go to a movie later.

Hey, we're on vacation!

Looking for Something to Do? Free Events March 8 to 14

Here are my top picks for events scheduled from Saturday, March 8, to Friday, March 14.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare tell me there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

March is One City, One Story month! The 2014 novel, "Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore," is available in multiple formats. Be part of our annual community reading celebration by sitting in on a book discussion group Saturday, March 8, at 9:30 a.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. 

It's Teen Tech Week at Pasadena Central Library!  On Sunday, March 9, at 2 p.m. learn App Inventor, an easy program that allows you to create your own Android apps using laptop and cell phone emulator software provided by the library. Plus learn about the hottest careers in IT. It all happens in the Technology Learning Center. Call (626) 744-4066, option 4 to register.

March 31 is the deadline for enrollment in an approved health insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. If you think you might need to make any necessary decisions, plan on attending an enrollment fair Tuesday, March 11, from 1 to 6 p.m. in the Jack Scott Multipurpose Room at PCC's Community Education Center.

Elementary-aged children 6 and older will love reading to gentle, well-trained dogs at Barks and Books Tuesday, March 11, at 3:30 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library.

Pasadena Presbyterian Church presents The Whyman Project for the popular Music at Noon weekly concert Wednesday, March 12, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m.

This week's film in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Pasadena Central Library is Night at the Museum (2006, PG) Wednesday, March 12, at 1 p.m.

Children in third through sixth grades are invited to join Pasadena Public Library's new STEAM Team Club. Explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, math) concepts through creative and innovative projects based on fun challenges Wednesday, March 12, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. Call (626) 744-7262 to sign up.

You don't have to be a member of Pasadena Senior Center to see the Academy Award-nominated film Captain Phillips (2013, PG-13) there Friday, March 14, at 1 p.m.

Enjoy an evening of art, music, dance, drama and more when ArtNight Pasadena returns Friday, March 14, from 6 to 10 p.m. Nearly 20 of Pasadena's most prominent arts and cultural institutions will open their doors for free! Iconic food trucks (Kogi BBQ, Border Grill, Pie N' Burger and others) will be stationed at many of the institutions, so dig in! And check out the many options on the website for getting from venue to venue.  

Mystery History -- Solved!

I stumped everybody this week. 

In the 1912 photo above, Pasadena education and civic leaders lay the cornerstone of Pasadena High School at Hill and Colorado as hundreds look on.

The stone was engraved with "Polytechnic High School A.D. 1912."

In 1874, one week after the first school board was elected, the Pasadena Polytechnic High School was founded with 16 students in the home of William T. Clapp at 625 N. Orange Grove.

Three years later the students and teachers moved out of the Clapp home and into a new building at the southwest corner of Marengo and Walnut. The school was renamed for Benjamin "Don Benito" Wilson who donated five acres of land for the building.

By 1899 there were more than 100 students, 33 of them seniors who graduated from the school.

And by 1912, due to overcrowding, the school moved again -- this time to 18 acres at Hill and Colorado. The campus displaced a citrus orchard and the old Grant School originally built there.

The campus featured classically beautiful structures, including the vast Horace Mann Administrative Building...

...and the Jane Addams Domestic Sciences Building:

This photo is from the 1920-21 Pasadena City Schools Annual Report:

I wrote a Mystery History post in 2011 about the demolition of the Horace Mann building in 1934.

By 1923 an additional 19 acres were purchased, expanding the campus to 37 acres. The property was now bounded on the north by Colorado Boulevard, the east by Sierra Bonita Avenue, the south by Blanche Street (later renamed Del Mar) and the west by Hill Avenue. 

In 1928 Pasadena High School merged with Pasadena Junior College (there's a long story there that I won't get into here).

Finally, in 1960, Pasadena High School opened at its present location at 2925 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. 

See even more history of Pasadena High School in this wonderful Pasadena City College 75th anniversary book.