Cannonball!

My parents visited my brother's family in Florida recently, and during the visit my dad taught my oldest niece, Genevieve, how to do a cannonball. (They have a pool in the backyard, so this is an important skill to have.)

The very best cannonballs start with height. . .

Andrea

Happy trails

On Sunday I went on a trail ride with my friends Stacia and Matt. Stacia rode her horse Haley and Matt rode Kidd. (Thank you, Mary!) Matt took pictures along the way. Enjoy!

Martin's Tavern

Last night I went to Martin's Tavern in Georgetown with some friends. It's fantastic - great food and lots of history there. JFK proposed to Jackie in booth #3. Here's a picture of me in that booth.

Thank you for a great dinner, Mike!

My best pen pal

I'm so tickled - today I got my first ever letter from my oldest niece. She must have received the halloween card that I sent her, and this is her reply.

My favorite part is the big smiley spider.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Gary, Duke and me!

Remember the Alamo

On my last day in San Antonio, C., C., and I went to the river walk, the Alamo, and the Menger hotel. The Alamo is a really interesting spot. C. had never been inside, which was good because I didn't feel as alone in being a tourist. This wasn't my first time at the Alamo. Lots of history there.

The Menger hotel is right near the Alamo and has been around since the 1800's. It's beautiful - lots of art and artifacts, almost like a museum inside. Apparently lots of famous people have stayed there. Robert E. Lee rode his horse into the lobby one day.

A. recommends that if you stay at the Menger, ask to stay in the old section of the hotel. He once stayed in the Roy Rogers room - which was, at one time, actually Roy Rogers' room.

C., C. and I walked the river walk. Really pretty. Even if you've seen it a dozen times, it's always fun to see again.

More San Antonio

C. and C. taught me to play poker - Texas hold 'em, of course. We played in 2 tournaments last weekend, and I surprised myself by staying in the game a lot longer than I expected. (Kenny Rogers was right, especially about the folding part.)

We also sang karaoke. My secret to karaoke is to do it in locations where I don't live and people don't know me. :-) C. and I sang the I'm-not-ready-to-make-nice song by the Dixie Chicks. A risky choice in TX, I learned. C. said that the kitchen staff stopped working and came out to watch us. So we either did great or terrible, and probably nothing in between. I think we did OK. C. also sang Volvere. I also sang Jackson by Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, with an older guy who we met at the bar. The karaoke was probably the highlight of my time in TX.

Vvvrooom

OK I didn't get to drive a race car today , but I at least got to sit in one. David Quackenbush was at work today with his car. He let me sit in it. Thank you, David!

You have to get in and out of this car Dukes-of-Hazzard style. Not very roomy, but it goes 170 mph and has the world's largest cup/thermos-with-a-straw holder.

Cowboys and bulls

Here's another San Antonio post.

On the night of C's birthday, we met some of her friends for a drink and then went to Cowboys dance hall. When C. and I lived in Dallas we danced a lot, so it was kinda like old times.

What's a trip to TX without a rodeo? Cowboys has live bull riding in the bar. You walk through a door and find yourself standing in a big room with a bleachers and a not-quite-full-size arena. Both the bulls and the cowboys seemed better than I've seen them there before. Fun stuff.

Check out the video, but you might want to skip the first part where they introduce the cowboys.

Gruene, TX

On C.'s birthday we drove about 30 minutes north of San Antonio to Gruene (pronounced "green"), TX. We had a great lunch at the Gristmill, on a deck overlooking the Guadalupe River.

The main attraction in Gruene is the dance hall. It epitomizes TX. There was no band playing when we walked through, but you could almost feel all the bands that had been there before. Creaky old wood floors, a smell that a place earns only over time, and wooden screen doors. George Strait played at the dance hall before he went to Nashville in 1981.

Just flew in from Texas. . .

San Antonio is great. And not just because my friend C. lives there, but that's a huge plus.

In a nutshell our weekend involved: 2 dance halls, 1 live bull riding event (in one of those dance halls), 2 poker tournaments, 1 karaoke bar, the Alamo (remember it) and the river walk, Gruene (pronounced "green"), and a death-defying bike ride - fairly long and partially in the dark.

More details and photos coming soon. Gotta go unpack. . .