2016 New Years Day dawned and we hitched up Gypsy and got the wheels rolling down the highway.
We headed east on I10 and spent the first night in Fort Willcox. We enjoy staying at the rustic Fort Willcox RV Park. The lady that owns it is interesting and she makes us hot waffles in the morning.
Brr............it was cold in the morning when we left Fort Willcox heading to Las Cruces. The wintry landscape was mysteriously beautiful.
But as the sun broke through it warmed up. The trip to Las Cruces seemed to fly by.
Carl and Charlotte are so generous with their hospitality. When we arrived at their house friends were waiting.
These friends are so wonderfully kind, caring, and very, very fun to be around. I am so blessed to have them in my life.
The men patiently allow the girls to giggle just like we were back in high school. (We tried not to laugh too hard at the lamp shade on Walt's head.)
Of course the guys do their share of giving us a bad time. They too are so fun and ever generous to us. Sylvia and David were unable to be there and we missed them. There was much laughter and so much good food made with Hatch green chile. It was such a good time and the hours flew by too quickly.
The next day we were back on the road in the chilly morning. The smoke from the plant in El Paso danced to the sky in the cold air.
Snow dusted the mountains along the highway. After a quiet night in Fort Stockton we were headed to San Antonio.
There was a sigh of pleasure when we reached the rolling hills nearing San Antonio.
Lunch time............a stop at Cooper's B-B-Q in Junction.
It's all about the meat at Cooper's. I had chicken and Walt had brisket.
The decor is nicer than Cooper's in Llano but Llano is more fun because you pick the meat right out of the smoker. This location even has a drive through. If you love meat this is the place to go.
There it is! San Antonio under cloudy skies but we are happy to be here. We settled into Braunig Lake RV Resort. It is the same place we stayed last spring. Convenient yet it has a rural feel. Before calling it a night we took a trip to H.E.B. for a little grocery shopping. Walt and I go round and round about it's name. He insists on calling it Heeb. I can't convince him that if he is going to not use the initials it would have to be Heb because there is only one E. Again...........we are too easily amused.
The next morning it was time to do a little exploring. There are so many examples of historic architecture in San Antonio.
Walt wanted to go look at the Rockwood Travel Trailer we had seem when we were here last spring to go through it closer. We still like it but to get the two recliners and a larger bathroom we would lose almost all the outside storage space and the outside kitchen. We will have to think about what works best.
From the RV sales center we went to the Historic Market Square.
When we were in San Antonio last spring the Market was one place that I wanted to go but we didn't have a day that it fit.
Market Square is a three-block outdoor plaza lined with shops and restaurants in downtown San Antonio.
It is the largest Mexican Market in the United States.
The "El Mercado" building was built as a Works Progress Administration project during 1938-1939 after the existing municipal market house (known as the Giles building) was torn down.
Farmer's originally sold their produce straight from their trucks inside the open air building.
In 1975, the last produce was sold there, and the market house underwent renovation to convert it into an enclosed air-conditioned mercado.
There is so much to see, so many colors to startle the eye, and there is much of the unexpected.
Love, love, love this children's table and stools.
Who remembers making tissue paper flowers? Aren't these pretty?
Even the back sides of the buildings are happily colorful.
If I still had a yard one or two of these would have gone home with me.
We happily wandered through the Market for a couple hours. Being winter and a Tuesday there was hardly anyone there.
Lunch time! Walt did a great job with his choice. It is rumored that Pancho Villa planned to retire in the United States and that he even buried some of his treasure in the Mercado area of San Antonio.
The food was fresh and delicious and the decor was festive and modern. Mmmm, if you go try the Green Chile Con Queso.
This mural depicting people hanging a picture of a pride of lions on the side of the Goodwill building near Market Square in San Antonio is by the artist Jesse Trevino. He was a most promising artist before he lost his painting hand in Vietnam. His successful struggle to adapt and learn to paint with his remaining hand has been an inspiration to other amputees.
There was one last stop I wanted to see before we called it a day.
Tim Duncan's automotive customization shop was on my list to see. It was a second choice since the Spurs are playing out of town this week and we couldn't go to a game. He is my favorite basketball player and since I couldn't go to a game I thought it would be fun to see his shop. No new wheels or customization for us though.
Happy to be on the road again. The first few days have been fun and a great way to start the New Year.