Davy, Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier

Texas is all about Davy Crockett who preferred to be called David. He was killed at the Alamo along with James Bowie and everyone else. His portrait is in the main hall of the state house and he is revered here as a founding father. So today we drove to San Antonio to actually see the Alamo.

First stop was a lovely brunch hosted by Marlene and Bob. It was fun to spend time with the bride and groom and the family. We were in a private room at a great Tex-Mex restaurant with delicious food. I loved having good guacamole for breakfast. Lots of photos and family hugs.

 Mother of the bride, Marlene, with grandson Lincoln.

Cousin Faith and Tony.

Me with cousin Arnie. We share a birthday.

 Arnie and Celeste.

Erica and Derek, the bride and groom.

Now it is time for us to move on and wonder when we will see each other again.

Checked out of the W and headed south on I-35. It is mostly a strip of stores and restaurants for much of the trip. We made a stop at the town of Gruene, pronounced Green. This area was settled by Germans and many of the towns have German names. Gruene is an arty little town with antiques and restaurants. It also has the oldest dance hall in Texas. We went in to see the old wood floors and the place is still in use with a large bar and crowds listening to a band.

On to San Antonio which is an old city with a vibrant downtown. We found our hotel, the Sheraton Gunter, and checked in. After unpacking we walked about four blocks to see the Alamo.

It is a lovely site with lots of Live Oak trees. The original mission building was a church that was not completed. It had no roof and that was added later when the Texans used the property. During the war with Santa Anna the rebels used the mission and grounds and were all killed there. Soon after Santa Anna was defeated and Texas became an independent empire. Interestingly the four commanders at the Alamo were Crockett, Bowie and two others from South Carolina.

We toured inside the mission and around the grounds. In the long barracks building we watched a documentary and visited the gift shop. Then it was time to eat so we walked to the other end of town and the Market Square. This is a colorful place with restaurants, shops and kiosks. Mi Tierra was recommended and was a fun place to eat. It is a Mexican diner, huge, serving 700 at one time. They had mariachis serenading and tinsel decorations hanging from the ceiling.

The food was fast and good and lots of fun. We enjoyed cool margaritas and all the ambiance. They also have a large bakery with very tempting pastries.

Time to go to the hotel and rest. Sunday night means Downton Abbey and we climbed into bed to watch.