Annapolis, 5/16/25

 

Spending a week with my sister, Nannie, at her new home in a new town and a new state (North Beach, Maryland, on Chesapeake Bay), suited both of us to a tee.  We're not people who sit around much, though in-between outings we happily parked our booties in her living room easy chairs.  North Beach is very walkable, to the P.O., a coffee shop, farmers market, and so on ... plus a terrific pier and half-mile boardwalk along the bay.  And walk we did!  Most days the weather was fine, albeit more humid than I'm used to.

One day we drove to Annapolis, about an hour north, where we explored the historic area, including the capitol building.  Raise your hand if you knew that Annapolis was Maryland's state capital.  School groups were also touring, probably end-of-year field trips, studying up on their history.  No problem for us.

Nannie worked at the Louisiana State Capitol her entire career,

so the photo is a requisite!

The building is impressive.

Always learning!

On the left is the Senate chamber; on the right is

 the House of Delegates.  Nicely done.

Nannie, schmoozing with Mark Twain.

And here she's checking George Washington's speech.

After thoroughly exploring the state house, we walked a block or two to venerable St Anne's Episcopal Church.  It's impressive, but not overly ornate.  Founded in 1692, the first two churches burned to the ground, and the third and present church was built in 1858.  We may have said a prayer or two ....

We inquired at the Visitor Center about a favorite lunch spot.  One lady said she really liked eating at Chick and Ruth's Deli, within walking distance and on the way to the harbor.  (They were really helpful, supplying maps and assorted pamphlets.)  Well, we said, let's give the deli a try.  As you see above, it's certainly a colorful place!  Let me tell you, we split a crab-cake-and-shrimp-salad-on-rye-bread club sandwich.  The Best Ever!

We continued walking toward the harbor and decided a harbor cruise would be a neat addition to our day.  Above is the Harbor Queen, our ship for 40 minutes.  The narration provided us with details about what we were seeing.  We motored past part of the US Naval Academy.  Wind in our faces kept us kind of cool; out of the wind, the sun felt hot.  It was lovely being on the water.

I don't remember what these gray boats were called,

but we saw a slew of them lined up.

Lots of small white sails dotted the bay.  Also in the picture is a huge radio tower, one of three remaining out of 18 (I think) at Greenbury Point in Anne Arundel County across from the academy.  The US Navy (NSS Annapolis) operated these local landmarks.

Having fun!

Speaking of having fun, we had a blast tootling around Annapolis, neither of us had ever been.  BTW, wind plays havoc with a perfect hair-do!  I think this was Friday, and -- lucky us --we had a few more days to see whatz cookin' in and around North Beach, Maryland.

On the road ...

 

Maybe it's time to catch up on our itinerary!  When we left my sister's in Baton Rouge on October 30th, we pointed Tergel west on I-10, and the interminable trek through Texas.  Definitely not our favorite thing, but traveling further north is risky this time of year, weather-wise.  As it was, a cold front was approaching with big north winds and cool temps.

Our second overnight stop was at the Kerrville Elks Lodge, which we've done before, where we stoked in some of Bill's yummy BBQ, which we've also done before.  The next morning's low temp of 27 surprised us!  Time to get out of town and get warmer!

Driving all day like this, we usually change drivers every 2-3 hours, so neither of us tires too much.  We made it to Van Horn the next night, and were glad to get out and go for a walk after setting up.  Didn't know Ocotillo's would have a second bloom in autumn if they got water/rain, as this one obviously had.  We still had a far piece of Texas left to travel, but we made it to Columbus, New Mexico the next afternoon, and a state park that's been on my bucket list for a very long time!

Pancho Villa State Park sits almost on top of the border with old Mexico.  Driving in from El Paso, we took Hwy 9 to the park, paralleling the giant wall our country's erected to separate New from Old.  Most of the landscape along this area was bleak, no villages or communities.  But, what do animals do; how do they cross this partition to intermingle?

From the campground, we drove Smartie down to the border to see the wall in person.  It's massive.  Like a colossal cage to confine people on both sides.  Like the Berlin Wall.  We came back to the park to explore.

Quite a history here, all of it surrounding Pancho Villa and his raid on Camp Furlong and the Town of Columbus on March 9, 1916.

We walked the state park grounds and visited the museum (above).  Lots to see, including a few adobe structures that were just hangin' on.

This strange-looking tank was parked in front of the museum.

I parked on it for a few minutes!

Headquarters Building, Camp Furlong.

Camp Furlong was established in 1912 as a US Army border camp amid rising tensions along the United States-Mexican border during the Mexican Revolution. The Camp was the site of the first tactical military airfield in the US with the 1st Aero Squadron and Curtiss JN3 Jenny biplanes providing observation and scouting.  Housing more than 5,000 troops at one point, Camp Furlong was discontinued in 1918, but used intermittently until 1924.

 

The beginning of the panel, above, states, "Site of the last hostile action by foreign troops in the Continental United States."  Much speculation about why Pancho Villa attacked, none of it confirmed.  In fact, some don't believe Pancho Villa was even involved.  100+ years later we'll never know the truth.

So much cactus, different kinds, too.  Sorry to say, I was disappointed in this "Mickey Mouse" park.  I was anxious to get here early so we'd be sure to get a space.  At arrival, the campground was empty.  We found out why.  The restrooms were closed, as well as the dump station.  I looked on their website before coming here and didn't see that notice anywhere.  Obviously I looked at the wrong site.  We saw signs of neglect, too.  Such a shame that states can't take care of their terrific resources.

Jimmy at the Old US Custom House, built in 1901.

Across the road leading to old Mexico, was this cute caboose.

Also not open.

However, we saw plenty of birds and hundreds of White-winged Doves.  A cornfield was located behind the park boundary; the corn, of course, long gone, but those doves flew there the following morning, and probably every morning!  We also heard Sandhill Cranes and saw them soaring above a different field.

So, now I can cross Pancho Villa State Park off my list.  Been there, done that.  We moved on the next morning.  The good news is that we learned some new things, and that's always a plus.

Still birthdayin'! To 11/19/19

Nannie and Bubba didn't just fly to California for one day ... we had four clear days with them, oh goodie!  Friday and Saturday were taken up with preparing and partying, which left Sunday and Monday free.  They flew home to Baton Rouge on Tuesday, Nov 19th.  Meanwhile, we tried to pack as much as we could into these shortened November days.

Our sweet two-and-a-half-year-old grandgirl, Everly Rose, spent Saturday night with us in Nevada City.  She partied so hard on Saturday that she slept 12 solid hours and didn't wake up till 8:45 Sunday morning.  When she appeared at her bedroom door, saying, "Gramma," she was greeted by four smiling adults, rather than just two, all of whom turned around to look at her, and all replying, "good morning!"  She was surprised, but grinned.  Life is that much more fun when she's around.

We brought in four balloons from our front-yard banner (see previous post) which she loved -- those things were all over the ceilings.  The entire morning was entertaining.  Nannie and I took her to the playground at Pioneer Park for a while, and in the afternoon, we met Matt in Auburn to return her, 'cause she had pre-school on Monday.

Gang's all here, including the weatherman on KCRA news,

(TV reflection in the window)!

On Monday, we visited Old Sac (Sacramento), which Nannie and Bubba hadn't seen.  It's kind of a tedious drive getting there, but we enjoyed touring around the riverfront historic district, with its Gold Rush-era buildings, cobblestone streets, and horse-drawn carriages.  Lunch at Rio City Cafe was very enjoyable, sitting outside overlooking the Sacramento River.   Quite pleasant and good food.  Mostly we strolled and looked.  Below are pics from our ramblings.

Bubba and Jimmy -- Santa Fe all the way!

Whoa, getting an early start for the Christmas holiday!

I like the Old meets New juxtaposition.

Sacramento's iconic 1935 vertical lift Tower Bridge.  It wasn't always painted gold.  In 2001, residents who lived within 35 mi of the capital voted on a new color scheme. Their choices were all-gold; green, gold and silver; or burgundy, silver and gold. The winning choice was all gold, and it was repainted in 2002.  In the pic above, it looks gold-green, but it's a tough one to photograph, especially if you're aiming into the sun!  I think it's an attractive structure.

When we left Old Sac, we made a beeline for Matt and Jen's in (nearby, kinda) Fair Oaks, where the family could meet up one more time.  We brought (banner) balloons with us, always a hit, as you see above!  This and the header pic were taken Monday evening.  Our time together was precious, and it made everyone happy.

Home again to party leftovers and a movie on Netflix called "Peanut Butter Falcon."  If you get a chance, check it out ... it's very different and so worth seeing.  Nannie and Bubba began packing .... 

Tuesday morning, we had a final Sapo game in the driveway before the long hop to Sacramento's airport.  Who won?  We all won.  Altogether this was a wonderful, short but sweet, 75th happy birthday visit, and Jimmy and I feel like the luckiest people in this country!  It's been grand!  But our birthdayin' ain't over yet.  We're still partying (at least till my official birthday this coming Saturday)!

Adios, it's been fun! Wed, 3/11/19

Though the San Antonio afternoon was warm, bordering on hot (to me, anyway), Jimmy and I nevertheless set forth on a stretch of the eight-mile River Walk Mission Reach.  Still clad in jeans, with the temp in the 80's and a bright Texas sun beaming down on the Lone Star state, we thought we could put in a few miles.  This winding path is graced with four 18th century Spanish missions – Mission Concepción, Mission San José, Mission San Juan and Mission Espada.  Since we'd already toured all four, we were eager to begin a walk along the river.

San Antonio did a great job on their 15-mile River Walk.  They've provided plenty of lovely areas to enjoy a picnic or simply sit and drink in the beautiful surroundings and, of course, walk.

We spied many trees covered with these golden buttons.

Sweet Acacia is one of the first trees to blossom in San Antonio.

We began our walk from the Mission San Juan portal, and at a distance, we wondered what these 10-20 ft tall shapes were. Placed in one spot on both sides of the River Walk, we began to see the distinctive polychrome tones. Up close we saw they were made of steel, very unique. Belgian artist Arne Quinze created "Whispers," as his first permanent installation in the United States.

Every step of the way, we were drenched in South Texas history. Enlarge the picture to read the caption and use your back arrow to return to this post.

Here, too, was part of the missions' history, via the Espada Acequia,

with San Antonio River at right.

In the past, I believe the river carried more water. Looks fairly thin now. We walked a mile or more in the sun before turning back. It was just too hot and not enough shade. The River Walk would be a wonderful way to get "your steps in" early in the morning or later in the evening. We didn't see many people out this afternoon, but I'm sure it's well used, because it's a very, very nice trail.

Returning on foot to Smartie, we crossed Berg's Mill Bridge, circa 1914 -- over 100 years old and now a foot/bicycle bridge only. It felt fairly sturdy to me! Vehicular traffic uses a newer bridge.

It's a short hop in Smartie from Mission San Juan to our Harvest Host campsite at the Texas Air Museum, and along the way is the retro-looking terminal building, so we decided to give it a look-see. It was built between 1935 and 1936 by the WPA. The building was remodeled and expanded in 2006-2008, but it retains much of its original character. Established in 1915 when the Stinson family initially leased the land from the City of San Antonio, Stinson Municipal Airport is the second oldest general aviation airport in continuous operation in the United States. Pretty neat!

What an intrepid young lady.

Would you want to pilot this "aircraft?"

Or even fly in it?

These pictures are from old photographs decorating the walls in the terminal. I know they're grainy with light issues, but these are the essence of where we're staying.

Home in Tergel, we set about getting ready to leave in the morning.  What a grand stop this has been ... we've enjoyed all of it.  Tomorrow we'll pull out early for Fort Stockton (ho-hum) as we continue our way toward home.  We slept with the windows open again.  Good thing I'm a light sleeper and can easily hear THE FIRST RAINDROP to hit the roof, and then I'm up closing the windows on the windy side.  I don't mind.  I like hearing the pitter-patter of wee little raindrops, though I was surprised by this rain, a secondary remnant of the wild storm that blasted through the Midwest.  The sun was shining when we left Thursday morning, waving goodbye to Gordon and Sue.  Adios, San Antonio!

Mission Concepción, Wed, 3/13/19

Mission Nuestra Señora de la Purísima Concepción de Acuña (Mission Concepción) is another beauty, and it was our fourth mission to visit on this two-day trip.

Mission Concepción is the oldest, best-preserved stone church in the United States. Its overall design is in the shape of a crucifix, and the vaulted roof has a dome. Two identical bell towers mark the entrance.  On the day we visited, seismologists were examining the church's walls for stability and/or movement; hence, you see the Genie (above) sort of marring my photo!  The walls of limestone are four feet thick, but the church retains the highest level of original colonial-era materials of any of the mission churches and is in very good condition overall.

This handsome stone church took about 15 years to build, and was dedicated in 1755. It appears very much today as it did over two centuries ago. Due to the fact that it was built directly on bedrock, it never lost its roof, or its integrity. It remains the least restored of the colonial structures within the Park.

Very little is known about the Franciscan friars and their role in the establishment of 18th century San Antonio. The surviving records fall short of revealing a true narrative of life in the Missions, either for the indigenous people that provided the labor to build them, or the Spaniards who brought their government and religion with them.  Or, more especially ...

... how the Franciscans could build a church that aligns precisely every year at 6:30pm on August 15th -- the Feast of the Assumption of Mary -- with a rare double illumination.  As the late summer sun arcs across the horizon, rays of light will pass through two windows on the mission’s western wall, one illuminating the face of Mary, as she is depicted in the painting of the Immaculate Conception that hangs behind the altar on the sanctuary wall (above).  At the same moment the face of Mary is illuminated, a second ray of light will illuminate the sanctuary floor at its center below the dome. As Jimmy and I entered the church, a docent was talking to two tourists about this double solar illumination.  We sat down in a pew and listened, and his audience grew.  He spoke so eloquently.  I discovered the photo below posted on the church bulletin board.  Jimmy and I found the whole subject fascinating.

Every year, hundreds of people of all faiths flock to witness this extraordinary spectacle. “Life was so harsh in 1731 when the mission was first planned, it really is a miracle that the people back then were able to survive, to design and build the missions, and to engineer this double solar illumination."

I know I've used the word unrestored or the like more than once, but park brochures and links stress it:  that Mission Concepción is the oldest unrestored stone church in America. In its heyday, colorful geometric designs covered its surface, but the patterns have long since faded or been worn away.  As you see, the roof is vaulted with a dome, and it is unretouched.  And, per above, recent research is suggesting a deliberate placement of windows to illuminate the main altar on specific feast days.

Monitoring crack movement.

Still amazed by what we learned at Mission Concepción, Jimmy and I strolled the grounds, stopping at this grotto to sit for a minute before going on to our next course of action, which was to be determined.  Meaning, what next?  It was a very warm day, after a cool morning start, and wearing jeans was a mistake on my part, but at least my feet were cool/ish in my sandals.  Four missions in two days have left us feeling thoroughly steeped in history.  I haven't mentioned a word about what religion did to the native population, and I won't now.  We were here to appreciate the beauty we saw.