The Alamo in downtown San Antonio
Deep within the heart of downtown San Antonio lays an infamous part of Texas state history. More than 2.5 million individuals a year visit “The Alamo” on a yearly basis. This 4.2 acre historic piece of land is essentially the resting place of the 300 year old mission where a small fraction of native Texans found themselves holed up for a full 13 days against the Mexican army, headed by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna in 1836.
Many remember the stories of James Bowie, William B. Travis, and David Crockett who fought gallantly despite what would be obviously grim outcomes. Yes, although the defenders of the Alamo lost the battle and inevitably their lives, The Alamo has become something of a symbol of courage against impossible odds and a staple for the undeniable Texas spirit of valor. Many of The Alamo’s visitors feel a deep rooted connection with this historic landmark and it is no wonder that many individuals do indeed, “Remember the Alamo.”
The greatest part of this location, aside from being able to see and touch a pivotal moment in Texas history is the fact that The Alamo is free to visit. Since 1905 The Alamo has been headed by the daughters of the Republic of Texas and only receives monetary funds from governmental agencies, patron donations, and money made from the gift shop. The Alamo is also open all year around with the exception of Christmas Even and Christmas Day and rests in the Alamo Plaza.
So, now that it is cooling off a bit, and maybe the seasonal trees are about to start thinking about the possibility of perhaps changing color sometime soon, it's time to sort out the garden for winter. A few of the hanging tomato plants still had a few slowly-ripening tomatoes on them, but the rest were pretty well done for the year. So this last week before the rain kicked in, we pulled them up, and tossed them into the mulch pile, and moved the hanging frame around to hang facing the kitchen window. Oddly enough, the eggplant, okra and various Bell and jalapeno pepper plands are still going great guns, and I intend to let them go on as long as they can. I once had a jalapeno pepper plant that went through three seasons, due to being planted against the south-facing wall of the house, and sheltered from cold winds. So, all to the good, now that summer is over – we certainly will not have to buy any more pepper plants in the spring.
Having gotten through the worst of summer, now we must face the worst of winter – and there will be a worst, I am certain. There will be some days and nights where the temperatures will plunge to the twenties and even below ... and now we have even more plants which will need sheltering. The spider plants and the hanging baskets full of herbs will not handle cold at all well, and there is really not enough room now to bring them inside, or shelter them in the garage. But this year, we have a solution to that. But I am getting ahead of myself...
Some of the bedding plants which I had optimistically set out just as the summer heat reached apogee did not thrive as expected, in spite of daily watering, so we had to reconfigure that back corner of the garden ... perfect for the folding greenhouse.
When I first came to Texas, at the express request of the US Air Force some (mumble) seventeen (mumble) years ago I thought I knew all there was to know about the place: the Alamo of course, and the Riverwalk, too. I knew that Houston had a Grand Opera, that Lubbock was a flat as a pancake griddle with some Monopoly houses set on it, I had read Edna Ferber's Giant, and I knew about cattle drives and the King Ranch, and that Texas was called the buckle of the Bible Belt ... I knew pretty much what any well-read traveler could pick up through the medium of pop culture and the base library.
What I did not know, until well after I got here and began to look around – was how very much more there was. Like all those other ethnic and cultural groups who came to Texas and make their mark – of which the Germans were the largest and most distinctive part. Who knew that Gillespie, Kendall, Comal and Kerr Counties had been almost exclusively German-speaking since before the Civil War and well up into the twentieth century. Now I do know – having spent the last few years researching and writing about that fascinating anomaly, as well as partaking in a good few of those local and particularly German celebrations. Right now we are coming up on Oktoberfest, as celebrated here in Texas. The original and still-ongoing Munich Oktoberfest began in the first decade of the 19th century, as celebration of the marriage of King Ludwig (then Crown Prince) of Bavaria to suitably Germanic princess, to which the general public was invited to attend. Once in the mood to celebrate, everyone was keen on keeping it on, and so it metamorphosed into agricultural fair – since this would be about the time that the yearly harvest was completed – a horse race, a parade ... and all sorts of other things, to include beer, music, and partying.
So, it's an honorable tradition, now having been celebrated for two centuries, almost without interruption, and those parts of Texas settled by Germans have taken to celebrating also, with suds, wurst, gusto and enthusiasm. No, really – you may see more funny hats at these bashes than you would have ever thought possible. In the main, they are local festivals, where outside enthusiasts are warmly welcomed; just as everyone is Irish for St. Patrick's Day everyone is German for Oktoberfest – or in the case of New Braunfels, Wurstfest.
The most conveniently located Oktoberfest is in San Antonio, on the verge of 
So, we were off to Boerne again last Friday, rejoicing in the rain that had fallen the night before – this time so that I could do a talk on the Civil War in the Hill Country for a local chapter of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Quite a few of the members are transplanted Texans, courtesy of military service – so the series of events in the years 1860-65 in the Hill Country were new to them and interesting.
To me, the nice part of the meeting was that it took place at 
The oldest part of the Inn began as a private residence – a mansion, really – built by a family named Reed, in the 1850s. It was built of native stone, with walls twenty inches thick, and in the traditional Southern Colonial style, with a wide porch all across the front, and a long gallery on the second floor. The Reeds and other neighbors were in the habit of renting spare bedrooms to travelers and visitors, since there was no other accommodation for them. Some years after the Civil War, what became the structure was purchased by one Colonel Henry King, who served in the Texas state legislature, while his wife ran the Inn.
By then, Boerne was one of the places where local cattle ranchers assembled large herds for the long trek north to the rail-served stockyards in Kansas. After the Kings tenure, the original building was sold again, to a pair of hoteliers from Dallas, who renamed it the Boerne Hotel, and expanded the building, adding a pair of galleried wings on either side. They hoped to cater to those who came to restore their health in the mild climate of the Hill Country, and to wealthy San Antonio residents who came to escape the dreadful summer heat in those days before air conditioning. One of the biggest local boosters was a pair of doctors; William Kingsbury and Ferdinand Herff, who lauded the efficacy of the local hot springs and the clear air.
Before the San Antonio & Aransas Pass railroad line reached Boerne in 1887, those visitors arrived on the stage – which stopped at the hotel, after a seven-hour journey from San Antonio. For the remainder of the 19th century and the first two decades of the 20th, Boerne was a mecca for those wanting to recover their health, or just to spend a lively and fashionable summer in the Hills. For all of that time, the Kendall Inn was one of the main centers of social activity. Now, having become one of what my daughter calls 'a bedroom slipper of San Antonio' the Kendall Inn is still a destination, with a wine shop, a very fine restaurant and grill, a spa ... and of course, it is still a hotel.
Where in the world can one go toe to toe with celebrities and see strange and unusual items from all across the globe? The answer of course lies in the state of the art, interactive Ripley’s Believe It or Not at San Antonio, Texas. Just across from The Alamo and against the San Antonio River Walk, Ripley’s Believe It or Not is not only accessible but offers visitors a memorable experience. Many individuals recognize the name from the famous travel tome full of oddities and wonders, and the physical location upholds the book’s standards to the tee. Within the Ripley’s family the area features many different unique tourist attractions such as the Guinness World Records Museum or Louis Tussaud’s Wax Works Museum.
Over the years that we have lived in our 
If the dog has a tag on the collar with a current address and telephone number of the owner – that will be about 90% of the situation sorted out right there. Secure the dog and call the number. Sometimes the owner will come right away, and sometimes they can't come until after work. Quite often the dog will have done a runner from the back yard during the workday, and they will not even have noticed that Fido is gone.
A current rabies tag is almost as good as a name/address/telephone number tag. Call the veterinary clinic which issued the tag, and give them the rabies tag number. They can look it up in their registry and provide the dogs name, the owners' name and telephone number. Should you find the dog on a Saturday afternoon, you will probably be keeping the dog until Monday morning.
Without a collar, or anything on the collar offering information, one can always hope for a chip. Any veterinary clinic can and will scan a lost dog for free. Even if they do not find a chip, they can always give you a good idea of the breed, age, general health and if it has been neutered or not. In the absence of a collar, rabies tag or chip, this is good information to use in the next step – registering the dog as 'found' on lost pet websites, and with local organizations such as Man & Beast*. If possible also take a picture of the dog, and upload it with the general description. Don't forget about posting at the office of any nearby apartments or gated 
But keep back one vital bit of information about the dog. Does it have a distinctive scar or marking? Ask anyone claiming to be the owner to describe it; sometimes people will try and claim a dog which doesn't really belong to them for various reasons of their own.
Papering the neighborhood with flyers has proved to be the most effective method of restoring a stray dog to the owner; either our own flyers, or seeing that the owner of the missing animal has posted theirs. This does have limitations; a large dog can have come from a good way away. The first dog we ever found and returned had come from a home several miles up Stahl Road, and had been missing for two weeks. Another dog had come from the Feather Ridge subdivision, two miles up Nacogdoches Road from our home. (Coincidentally, both had been panicked by noise – a massive thunderstorm and 4th of July fireworks.) Even a small dog can cover a good distance; this summer, we found a tiny, fast-moving Pomeranian clear the other end of the subdivision from its home, a distance of more than a mile.
When an individual thinks of San Antonio, Texas this is one of the places he or she immediately envisions. SeaWorld San Antonio is a vast theme park that is far more than a simple place to see stunning orcas or playful, chattering dolphins. SeaWorld San Antonio is, instead, a world in which land dwellers can take part in the wonders of the sea; all at an affordable price and through a mountain of fun and exciting interaction.
Outdoor sports such as softball, baseball, football, golf and Frisbee are activities I enjoy when it is nice enough to get outside. Much of this summer was far too hot to be outside playing with the kids or having people over and thus the golf clubs and softball gear didn't get much action. Usually there is extra space in the house to keep all of my gear but with another baby and larger home office, the sports equipment is losing ground quickly. Most of it is beginning to pile up in the garage which is forcing the cars into the driveway. Now that the weather is starting to cool off, it's time to start golfing and dusting off the softball bats. What are options for cleaning out the garage with limited space in the house though? After some research, I found the best choice was to