San Antonio is a unique city for many reasons, but at the beginning of November, the city displays one of it’s truly authentic cultural occasions--the Day of the Dead.  The Dia de los Muertos is a Spanish event which celebrates the ancestry of families by communing with those who have passed on.  In San Antonio, there are many concerts, art shows, and carnivals around the city which offer a way to experience an event that doesn’t exist in most parts of the country.

On the surface, communing with the deceased may seem like a creepy or macabre event marked by skeletons, skulls, and other ghoulish symbols, but the holiday is actually a cheerful celebration of the lives of the deceased and is meant to praise, rather than to gloomily ponder our existences.   Indeed, the event is an artistic celebration as much as anything, marked by singing, parades, costumes, the eating of candy and sweets, and the building of alters.  The Day of the Dead can be thought of as Halloween with a purpose.  While Halloween is little more than a time for the kids to dress up like the latest cartoon character and ask for candy, the Day of the Dead offers to opportunity to dress up and eat candy too, but at the heart of the event is a bringing together of the family--both alive and dead--in a celebration of this life and the next.

San Antonio supports a strong and varied artistic community, and the Day of the Dead is one of the spectacular and influential times of the year.  Galleries, cultural centers, and even restaurants and bars all across town (and throughout Texas) will have displays, showings, poetry readings, and other Dia de los Muertos-inspired events during the celebration.  Cemeteries are popular locations to visit, as many people spend the holiday having a picnic at a loved one’s graveside, decorating headstones with flowers, and eating ‘dead bread’, sugar skulls, and other delicacies.

Some of the other celebrations around town include:
Market Square, November 2--Come by to see more than 30 altars created by tenets, schools, and merchants, and with musical performances.
El Sol Studios, November 2, with the exhibits on display throughout the month.  Features altars by some of San Antonio’s well-known artists, and also a procession.
Say Si, November 1, exhibits on display throughout the month.  Stop by to see folk art, arts and crafts workshops for the entire family, food, live music, dance performances, altars, silent auctions, loterias, and much, much more.

Most events around the city are free, but some do charge admission and require tickets, so be sure to plan ahead and make sure that tickets aren’t required.  The Day of the Dead is one of San Antonio’s most interesting and unique celebrations--a bit of Mardi Gras mixed with Halloween.  So, get your ‘dead bread’ in the oven, your sugar skulls ready, and your face paint kit out, and get ready for the festivities, San Antonio!

The NBA’s preseason is underway, and that means that the 2008 season is just weeks away!  The biggest question for the Spurs during the offseason has been, and continues to be the ankle of Manu Ginobili.  Manu’s ankle has been an issue for much of the last year, culminating in the Olympics injury which required surgery last month.  Ginobili is expected to miss the entire preseason, and perhaps as much as two months of the regular season.

The good news for the Spurs and their fans is that Ginobili was recently seen at the team’s training facility with no limp, no crutches, and with no protective boot.  Although it’s still too early to tell exactly when he’ll be back, Ginobili is hoping to be ready for the first game of the regular season.

As far as the offseason is concerned, the team should look fairly similar to the one of the last few years, except for some minor changes in the supporting cast.  One of the key players that will be missing from this year’s version is Brent Barry.  A new addition to the team is George Hill at point guard.  Hill is the team’s draft pick from this year’s draft, and the team hopes that he can become a reliable option at point guard.  If Hill’s first summer league game is any indication of what is to come, the Spurs will have a back up for Tony Parker.  In that first game, Hill scored 17 points, pulled down 8 rebounds, and outplayed OJ Mayo.

Another addition to the team is Roger Mason, Jr.  Mason’s four-year career has been spent bouncing from team to team, before having a breakout season for the Wizards last year, filling in for the injured Gilbert Arenas and starting 9 games.  Mason averaged 9 ppg, shot 44% from the field, 40% from behind the arc, and 87% from the free throw line.

The Spurs got off to a rocky start in the preseason, dropping their first two games to division rivals Houston and New Orleans.  Recently, San Antonio has managed to even up their record by going on the road to beat Detroit and Cleveland.

One issue working against the Spurs is their age.  San Antonio has managed to keep their core together, but age is certainly something that will be a factor at some point in the future.  Tim Duncan is 32, Bruce Bowen is 37, Ginobili is 31, and Finley and Kurt Thomas are 35.  Parker is still a spry 27, but the Spurs certainly need some of their young talent to step up and begin to take on active roles.

While age is an issue, the one thing that San Antonio can always count on to keep them in every game is their defense.  Bowen, Duncan, and Kurt Thomas are tough, hard-nosed defenders that should be able to help the Spurs stay in the hunt until Manu Ginobili returns.

San Antonio has won at least 56 games for an amazing 8 straight years, and are hoping to keep that streak going.  This year will be a test in that regard.  Starting the season without Ginobili, or with a recovering version, will require other players to step up and fill in.  Last year, injuries caused most of the Spurs’ top players to miss significant time, and the results showed.  The team was never able to play with consistency and as a result, failed to meet their lofty expectations.  Time will tell if this year will be different.

TEXAS (globest.com, Real Estate Center) – Despite nationwide economic woes, construction of multifamily housing is surging throughout Texas.

There are 55,516 units under construction in the four major metros. Currently, 20,585 units are being built in North Texas; 16,282 in Houston; 13,018 in Austin; and 5,631 in San Antonio. Dallas–Fort Worth is seeing its highest building level since 1999.

This adds to the existing inventory of 562,465 units in Dallas–Fort Worth; 162,280 in Austin; 497,010 in Houston; and 136,455 in San Antonio.

Occupancy climbed slightly. Dallas–Fort Worth units held just over 93 percent occupancy; Austin, 94 percent; Houston, nearly 92 percent; and San Antonio, just under 93 percent.

Average monthly rent statewide jumped up $23 to $771. Averages also increased within the four major metros. Dallas–Fort Worth recorded an average of $776; Austin, $838; Houston, $764; and San Antonio, $712.

"The Texas multifamily market has always been highly cyclical," said Dr. Jim Gaines, research economist with the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. "Now we're seeing an uptick because of the slowdown in the single-family housing market. Most of these projects reflect financing put in place before the financial crisis began to escalate. It will be interesting to see if any new projects begin in the new year."

San Antonio was ranked number 33 in the category of "sustainable" cities by the Sustainlane.com website. Down from number 21 in 2006.

Sustain.com rated US Cities using indicators including air quality, public transit, availability of farmer's markets, renewable energy, water quality, local foods, real estate affordability, traffic congestion and development approaches to determine the overal ranking.

The city ranked highly in water useage conservation.

San Antonio's "Green" rating

San Antonio Shows off its Artistic Side

San Antonio is always a place that prides itself on its unique heritage and culture, and is quickly becoming known throughout the world for hosting art events and openings that are on par with, not only the bigger cities in Texas, but across the nation itself.  September brings a dazzling array of expositions, shows, and festivals to the city, with something for almost all tastes.

FOTOSEPTIEMBRE is an annual international photography festival, which takes place throughout the entire month of September at a variety of location in San Antonio and the Hill Country.  The show is heavy on local talent, with some of San Antonio’s finest photographers displaying their works, but the international artists are well-represented as well, with many artists from all over Latin America, Great Britain, Canada, France, Russia, Japan, Belgium, Spain, Singapore, Switzerland, and more.  Each photographer’s show is contained in one location, museum, gallery, or cultural center, and in addition to the exhibit itself, features talks given by curators, the photographers themselves, and public discussions on some of the themes.  The website fotoseptiembreusa.com has event information and schedules for all the exhibits.

In addition to still pictures, San Antonio also welcomes the moving pictures to town, in the form of the European Film Festival.  This year marks the fifth year San Antonio will host this event.  From Sept. 8-11, the Palladium will screen a variety of films from France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland, and also host discussion panels with a number of film professors, writers, filmmakers, and industry specialists.  The festival is produced by Santikos Theaters, UTSA, the city of San Antonio, and a variety of European consulates.  Admission is free, and all movies will be shown with English subtitles four times daily.

Finally, music lovers will not want to miss Jazz’SAlive on Sept 20-21 at Travis Park.  While some of the acts are still to be determined, one major headliner is Dave Brubeck.  Jazz fans around the globe Brubeck as a musical genius, and in addition to playing with such legends as Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Rushing, and Carmen McRae, Brubeck has been inducted to numerous music Halls of Fame, and showered with accolades and awards.  Jazz’SAlive is sponsored by the San Antonio Parks Foundation and the city, and admission is free.  This year marks the 25th anniversary of the event, and one that music lovers won’t want to miss.

September is a month jam-packed with activities and cultural outings with something that should satisfy most all tastes.  San Antonio is quickly becoming known as a vibrant arts town, so come on out and support the artists and the city.  See you there!

Team USA Takes B-Ball Gold; Argentina Bronze, but Ginobili Injured

For Spurs' fans, the finals of the Olympic basketball tournament must have been a conflicting time.  On one hand, Team USA rolled to the gold medal that eluded them four years ago in Athens, and put American basketball back on top of the world.  On the other hand, the players representing the home town team were playing for the powder blue of Argentina.  The San Antonio Spurs are like the UN of the NBA: there are so many nationalities and countries represented, that allegiances are sometimes tested.

Regardless of whether San Antonio Spurs fans were cheering for the home town boys' Argentine team or for the USA when the two squads met late in the tournament and Manu Ginobili went down with an injured ankle, gasps were heard all the way from Beijing to Buenos Aires, and from San Antonio to Bahia Blanco.

Spurs fans know that with Manu in the line up and at full strength in last years’ NBA Finals, the Spurs stood a very good chance of knocking out the Lakers, and advancing to play the Celtics.  However, Ginobili’s bad ankle perhaps cost the team that chance.   To see him go down again in the Olympics with the same problem was a nightmare scenario for San Antonio.

Ginobili and the San Antonio Spurs do have some time to heal before the season kicks off, but starting off the season on the wrong foot is not something that San Antonio fans had in mind. . .

As far as USA basketball was concerned, the 2008 Olympics were a rousing success.  The Americans routed each team they played until the finals, where the Spanish team gave them all the wanted.  Earlier in the tournament, the US team beat Spain by almost 40 points in one of the most lopsided games of the Olympics.   In the gold medal game, the Spanish came prepared to play.

With as little as three minutes left to play, the outcome was very much in doubt.   Pau Gasol hit a jumper to make it a five point game, but just a few seconds later, Kobe Bryant hit a three pointer and got fouled.  Spain wasn’t done, as they countered with a 5-0 run to draw the lead back down to 4 points with just over two minutes left.  A Wade 3, followed by a layup by Bryant almost sealed it and the Spanish were forced to foul.

For the US, it was a team effort, and the antithesis of 2004, where Larry Brown led Team Bad Karma to the bronze.  In the end, the Americans were pressured, and their teamwork paid off this time with a 118-107 win, and the gold medal.

With the Olympics in full swing, some dreams are being fulfilled, while others are being crushed. With just a few days before the closing ceremony, let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the games in Beijing.

San Antonio’s track star, Marshevet Hooker,keeps running her best, although the Jamaican runners are blowing away all comers, and rewriting the record books in the process.  In the 200m, Hooker ran a personal career best and finished in  fifth place.  Two Jamaican runners took the gold and bronze, while one of Hooker’s American teammates, Allyson Felix, took home the silver.

The American track teams have been less than spectacular in this year’s games.  Team USA was expected to be one of the better teams in many of the events, but disaster struck both the men’s and women’s teams in the 400m relay.  In both instances, a dropped baton doomed the teams, as the women were disqualified for illegal passing, and the men did not finish.

Certainly the biggest story in Track and Field this year, was the emergence of Usain Bolt, the Jamaican sprinter, who, in his own words, “blew the world’s mind.”  Bolt rewrote the record books in the 100m, and left spectators breathless, by even pulling up short at the end of the race and still setting the world record.  In the 200m, Bolt left no doubt.  He set a world record in that event also, taking the gold, and becoming the first person in history to set world records in both events.

While USA track has not had its best days, Team USA in basketball has been all that has been expected, and looks well on their way to redemption, after losing to Argentina in Athens.  The US has found itself pressed for a quarter, or even a half, but has ended up blowing out all their competition.  The combination of LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Dwayne Wade, and the other superstars has been too much for the likes of China, Germany, Angola, and Spain, even though many of those teams have NBA stars playing for them.  Spain was expected to be the toughest competition for the Americans--sporting several NBA players--yet the USA crushed them by almost 40 points.

As far as Spurs fans are concerned, Team Argentina--the off-season hideout for San Antonio Spurs’ Manu Ginobili and Fabricio Oberto--got off to a slow start, dropping their first game to Lithuania, yet quickly found their stride, rolling off four straight wins.  As of this moment, the Argentine Spurs are tied for first in the first pool, but are yet to play the USA.

It seems all but certain that the USA will run off with the Men’s Basketball gold, the only question being, will anyone even challenge them?

In another show of American dominance, Michael Phelps provided as much drama as perhaps there has ever been seen in the games.  Phelps was on a quest to be the first person to win 8 gold medals in a single Olympics.  Phelps and his swimming mates, had several close calls, including one race in which Phelps reached out to beat his Serbian competitor by literally a fingernail.  The race was so close, that it was unknown for some time who had actually won.  Eventually,  the video provided the answer: Phelps had won by 1/100 of a second.

Overall, at the time of this writing, the USA is ahead in the overall medal count by a count of 99 to 83 over China.  The Chinese, however, are ahead in the gold medal count, by a margin of 46-30 over the Americans.  Russia is far behind in third place, with 53 medals overall, and 16 golds.

Veterans Land Board rates for homes goes up.

Texas Veterans Land Board (TVLB)
Weekly Rate Sheet (Effective July 25, 2008)
Base Rate for all housing loans: 6.00%
Base Rate applies to all loans with a term greater than 15 years. The TVLB mortgage rates are effective for all rate lock applications received by CitiMortgage, Inc. after July 25, 2008 5:00 p.m. CST.

Available Discounts to Base Rate*

Discount for loans with a term of 15 years or less:  -.25%
Qualified Veterans with Disabilities Program Discount: -.35%
Qualified Service Era Discount (Restricted Pool): -1.54%

*One or more of the above discounts may apply if qualifying criteria are met.

Note: All VLB mortgage rates and discounts are subject to change at any time. Also note that the Base Rate and Qualified Service Era Discount (Restricted Pool) are subject to adjustment on the first business day of each week.

Spurs 2008 Draft

The NBA Draft has once again come and gone, and if there's one thing that can be counted on-aside from New York fans booing every pick their team makes, and an assortment of questionable fashion decisions-is the San Antonio Spurs making some interesting picks, and choosing some players that most casual basketball fans have never heard of.  The Spurs had a fairly good season last year, and were perhaps a Brent Barry foul call away from having a chance at extending their series against the Lakers, and meeting the Celtics in the Finals, and management stated soon after their season ended that they would not be blowing up the team this season and starting over.

San Antonio had three picks, the 26th in the first round, and two late picks in the second round.  In past drafts, like last year's for example, management went out on a limb and picked a player in Tiago Splitter, who then went on to sign a all-but-permanent contract to stay in Spain for the next several years.  With their second pick in 2007, they took Marcus Williams, who lasted with the team long enough to have a cup of coffee before catching his flight to the Clippers.

Of course, this time last year, the Spurs were coming off of a championship run, and no one could blame management for taking a flyer on a player in Splitter with lots of upside, but also with a risk that he might never wear the silver and black. This year's team was plagued by injury issues, and needs to get younger.  It also couldn't really afford to take many chances-although they did with the first pick.

George Hill is a point guard from IUPUI, and whom most fans have likely never heard of.  When he was in high school, though, all of the big school knew him, and he had scholarships from all of the big time basketball schools.  In the end, Indiana University, Temple, Florida, and the others couldn't lure him away from home and from his sick great-grandfather.  IUPUI stands for Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis, but only the name is what the school has in common with its namesakes, as far as basketball is concerned.

Hill is a dead-eye shooter, making around 45% of his shots from behind the arc in his senior campaign, while making almost 55% of all field goals.  He averaged 21 points per game last season.  In Hill’s redshirt Junior season he scored in double digits in every game, and scored more than 20 in half of them.  The Spurs' plan is for him to be Tony Parker’s backup, and to provide minutes off the bench.

The Spurs' second pick also had a prolific college career, and has a good chance to stick with the team.  Malik Hairston from Oregon is a solid prospect who can do a little of everything and was good value at the 48th spot.  At 6'5" and 205 he's a big two guard who averaged 16 ppg and just under 5 rebounds per game during his senior year.  Hairston shot 43% from behind the arc and made 52% of his field goals during his senior year.  Hairston played his senior year at over 220 pounds, but slimmed down before the pre-draft workouts.  Also in many of those workouts, he was pressed into duty as a point guard, where he showed off deft ball handling skills, and a nice handle.

It would seem that the Damon Stoudamire experiment is over, and Jaques Vaughn is perhaps on his way out as well with the drafting of two.

Finally, with their last pick, the Spurs took James Gist, a power forward out of Maryland who averaged 15 points and 7 rebounds during his senior year.  Gist is 6'8" and 225 lbs, and is athletic and can provide solid defense, if he can manage to stick with the team.

South Texas on a Tank of Gas: Canyon Lake

Next in our series of places to visit on a tank of gas is Canyon Lake.  Located just about an hour north of downtown San Antonio, one of the most scenic and beautiful lakes in the entire state waits to greet visitors.  Boasting 80 miles of shore, Canyon Lake is created from the waters from another of the Hill Country’s natural landmarks, the Guadalupe River.

Whatever their preference, visitors to the lake will find almost any outdoor activity available that one could hope for.  In addition to the lake itself, eight parks are located on its shores, including:

· Canyon Park & Canyon Beach Swim Area
· Comal Park
· Crane’s Mill Park
· Guadalupe Park
· Jacob’s Creek Park
· North Park
· Overlook Park
· Potter’s Creek Park

The lake is perfect for water sports of all sorts, including fishing, swimming, boating, skiing, and more.  The clear water and depth of the lake (43 foot average) also make it a great place for SCUBA diving.  Anyone who has their own diving equipment can come to Canyon Lake and enjoy exploring the unique underwater environment that it has to offer.  For other outdoors enthusiasts, camping, picnicking, and wildlife viewing can all be taken advantage of in the surrounding parks.  Whitewater aficionados will find the waters of the Upper Guadalupe a great place to put in their raft, canoe, or kayak, and get their adrenaline pumping as they speed downstream.  The Lower Guadalupe is perfect for lazing down the calmer waters in a tube or canoe.

Fishermen will find the waters teeming with a variety of fish species native to the area.  Anglers can test their skills trying to reel in Guadalupe, Largemouth, Smallmouth, and White Bass; Blue, Channel, and Flathead Catfish, Black and White Crappie, Bluegills, Walleyes, and more.

Canyon Lake is located about 20 miles north of New Braunfels, and can be reached by taking 281 N to the Boerne/New Braunfels Exit (46), then heading left on FM 3159 to Startz Rd.  The parks are usually open from 7 AM to 10 PM, and fees vary from free entrance to a few dollars per car.