When we were visiting our kids in eastern Washington the girls took walks each morning while the guys worked on some projects. These are some of the sights we saw on the early morning walk. This property is adjacent to our son’s. I thought the horse corral was very nice. The horse farthest in the photo above is named Hutch. (As in Starsky and Hutch) I don’t know the name of the one closest to the fence.
I’m linking up to Good Fences hosted by TexWisGirl at Run*A*Round Ranch Report.
Erected in grateful recognition of the supreme acct of heroism of the thirty two men from Gonzales who gave their lives in the Alamo in response to the appeal of Travis.
San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution. In December 1835, Texians and Tejano volunteers battled Mexican troops quartered in the city, forcing General Martin Perfecto de Cos to surrender. The victorious volunteers then occupied the Alamo and strengthened its defenses.
On February 23, 1836, the arrival of General Antonio Lopez Santa Anna nearly caught them by surprise. Undaunted, the Texians and Tejanos prepared to defend the Alamo. William B. Travis, the commander of the Alamo, sent out couriers carrying pleas for help.
On the eight day of the siege, a band of 32 volunteers from Gonzales arrived, bringing the number of defenders to nearly two hundred. Even though outnumbered ten-to-one, Travis’ men believed the Alamo was the key to the defense of Texas, and they were willing to defend the post to the last man. Among the Alamo’s garrison were James Bowie, renowned knife fighter, and David Crockett, famed frontiersman and former Tennessee congressman.
The final assault came before daybreak on the morning of March 6, 1836, the thirteenth day of the siege. Cannon and small arms fire from inside the Alamo beat back several Mexican attacks. Regrouping, Santa Ana’s soldiers scaled the walls and rushed into the compound. The desperate struggle continued until the defenders were overwhelmed. By sunrise, the battle had ended and the garrison slain.
While the facts surrounding the siege of the Alamo continue to be debated, there is no doubt what the battle has come to symbolize. People worldwide continue to remember the Alamo as a heroic struggle against overwhelming odds- a place where men made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. For this reason the Alamo remains hallowed ground and the shrine of Texas Liberty.
ht: THEALAMO.ORG
I’m linking up for Tuesday’s Treasures hosted by Tom The Backroads Traveler.
I was pleased that the Alamo was walking distance from our hotel during our short stay in San Antonio. No photos were allowed inside the Alamo and proper respect was required. I also visited the cathedral where some of the remains of the Alamo heroes are entombed. I’ll share more photos of the San Fernando Cathedral soon.
I’ll also be linking up to signs, signs with Lesley on Wednesday.
I was melting yesterday in the unseasonable heat we had here in the Seattle area. Our poor Spring plants don’t know what to make of it! I am thankful that we didn’t have the sauna like humidity that we experienced in San Antonio, though.
We had our first visit to our son and daughter in law since they were married last June. They live on 7 acres in the northeastern part of our state and the first thing we notice is how quiet it is. Even the dog that our son inherited when he married his dear wife is quiet.
She did not bark once during our whole visit! Here she is greeting us on our arrival.
The girls took a 3 mile walk on Saturday and a shorter walk with a steeper climb on Sunday while the guys worked on a truck and a chicken coop. D & J bought 8 chicks who are growing rapidly and who will need a coop for comfort and laying of eggs. They thought they were 8 chicks but come to find out one is a rooster. That might change the quiet they are enjoying now…
These are some quiet scenes we enjoyed on our walks.
Quail were running across our son’s property. I find them so fun to watch.
The country might be quiet but you have to equip yourself for the possibility of meeting up with wild animals and we didn’t take our walks without bear repellent.
We had a lovely quick weekend with quality time spent with our kids and it was so quiet in the evening and during our walks. We also had a quick storm roll through with the promise of the rainbow when it was over. God’s promise to us. “I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”
I’m linking up to ABC Wednesday for the letter Q. Q is for quiet, quality, quick, and quail. Thanks to Mrs. Nesbitt and the ABC team for the start and continuation of this meme.
I’ve got lots more to share from our trip to visit our son and daughter in law that will show up for memes in the future like Good Fences, The Barn Collective and Signs, signs.
Today I will mow the lawn early since we have a forecast in the 80’s again and then I’ll run some errands. Hope you weren’t in the path of the storms that caused so much damage yesterday in the middle of our country.
…it was the worst of drives!
On Friday I got a rental car and drove north on I-35 from San Antonio to Austin. The goal was to meet up with my brother Leonard and his family. I made it to Austin to the spot where we were to meet up for lunch.
This is the original Chuy’s in Austin and it was hopping all afternoon long. When I got here I got a call from Leonard saying they had a flat tire that came with a very long story we won’t go into. The short part of the story is that they got to a Honda dealership in Waco and the dealership gave them a loaner car to continue on their journey to Austin. We had a good meal at Chuy’s and headed to a home of one of their friends to spend some time together.
When I was at El Mercado in San Antonio I picked up a little something for Hope and Andrew. Hope is wearing her flower head piece and Andrew is strumming his gift.
After dinner the kids got ready for bed and my brother drove me back to my car so I could head back to San Antonio. It was real good to see them all face to face.
Now the road drama started for me. After I was out of Austin with an hour to go to get back to San Antonio the flashes of lightning lit up the sky and the rain started. The conditions got really bad for a good stretch of time and I was praying hard. All the cars on the freeway slowed way down. I have never in my life seen so much lightning in such a short period of time. Thankfully there was only one time that I could not see out of the windshield because of water thrown up from another vehicle onto my car. I was so so relieved to finally get to our hotel exit from the freeway and out of the car!
We will be flying home this evening and I’ll share more about the things I saw in San Antonio next week. Hope y’all are doing well!
…the Alamo!
I walked to the Alamo from our hotel and then got on a hop on hop off trolley tour. I have more to share from the Alamo and the rest of the great things I saw today. It was hot and muggy today and air conditioning was really appreciated. Tomorrow I will be driving to Austin to meet up with my brother, SIL, niece and nephew who are driving down from Dallas.
We arrived to San Antonio in the late afternoon and after checking in to our hotel we walked along the River Walk and beyond to a Steak House for dinner before turning in for the night. It was sunny and hot, hot, hot. We were happy to not have rain and hail!
Tomorrow I will go to the Alamo and possibly get on a trolley tour. Dear will be busy in a booth at the Oncology Nurses Society annual meeting. Over 50% of our plane was filled with Oncology nurses traveling to the meeting.
We spotted many farms with barns on our way to our son and daughter in law’s home in Eastern Washington.
This first group are taken from I-90 going at least 70 miles per hour!
This was my favorite that I managed to click fast enough when I saw the barn quilt on it.
The next group I share will be from Highway 395 going north from Spokane, Washington.
Linking up to The Barn Collective hosted by Tom the Backroads Traveler.
We will be hitting these same roads heading home today. We’ve been walking and eating and doing some construction on a Chicken Coop. The trip takes up to 6 hours so if I don’t visit today to see your barns hopefully I’ll get around tomorrow morning.
…from my regular scenery.
I’ll be back to city life on Monday with lots to share from the country.
We left early in the morning and our first stop was for breakfast in Cle Elum.
Friendly people and good food if you need someplace to eat on your way across the Cascades we recommend this cafe. They have “acres” of parking…that cracked me up but I suppose if you are traveling in R.V.’s and pulling trailers filled with bikes and camping gear this is the place for you!
We got some great inside information from the family sitting next to us on visiting Roslyn and Ronald. After breakfast in Cle Elum and a stop at the small town hardware store we headed West to Roslyn.
Incorporated in 1886 the coal-mining town of Roslyn played an important role in Washington State History. The extensive coal fields in the area fueled the Northern Pacific Railroad’s trains during construction and early operation of a direct rail line through the Cascade Mountains.
Roslyn also claimed fame because of the T.V. series Northern Exposure. It was called Cicely on the show and suppose to be in Alaska but the filming was done on the streets of Roslyn, Washington.
The Brick is Washington’s oldest continuously operating bar established in 1889. They are also known for Northern Exposure being filmed there and a movie called The Runner Stumbles with Dick Van Dyke. The Runner Stumbles was also filmed at the Immaculate Conception Church in Roslyn shown below.
This was a fun day trip for us and we enjoyed seeing this little towns. Driving around you are always sure to find some interesting yard art, too.
Rust in Peace…clever.
We are still having a heat wave here in the Pacific Northwest. Of course since this is so out of the ordinary everyone’s talking about it. I’ve never had to water plants in April before but I’ve been busy dragging the hoses around and watering the last couple days.
How are things in your corner of the world?
Linking up to Signs, signs with Lesley.
We found this monument close to Stanley’s in Stanley Park and I’m glad we took the time to read the inscription.
The monument was erected as a memorial to President Harding’s visit to Canada in 1923.
“What an object lesson of peace is shown today by our two countries by all the world. No grim-faced fortifications mark our frontiers. No huge battleships patrol our dividing waters. No stealthy spies lurk in our tranquil border hamlets. Only a scrap of paper recording hardly more than a simple understanding safeguards lives and property on the Great Lakes, and only humble mile posts mark the inviolable boundary line for thousands of miles through farm and forest.
Our protection is in our fraternity. Our armour is our faith, the tie that binds more firmly year by year. Ever increasing acquaintances and comradeship through interchange of citizens and the contract is not of perishable parchment, but of fair and honorable dealing which God grant shall continue for all time.
Erected by Kiwanis International in memory of a great occasion in the life of two sister nations here on July 26, 1923 Warren Gamaliel Harding twenty ninth president of the United States and first president to visit Canada.” (Erected 9-16-1925)
We were very surprised to read that Harding was the very first president to visit Canada.
Linking to Mrs. Nesbitt’s ABC Wednesday for N is for Neighboring Nations. Thank you Roger and team for administrating the meme.
I’m also linking to Tuesday’s Treasures with Tom the Backroads Traveler with this National treasure.
In the last few years I’ve enjoyed many visits to our neighbor to the North and I’m always thankful that it’s an safe border to cross without fear.
The Happy Wonderer ~ ellen b. 