Busy day in San Antonio

A storm is coming in this weekend and we may get rain plus it will be much cooler so I am doing some extra things while it is 83 degrees and sunny. By the time I made it through the Zoo, Tea Garden and Mission San Jose, my feet and back said "NO MORE" so we came back to the hotel and napped. Plus I walked a few blocks from the hotel to lunch and back. My FitBit says 3.6 miles so far and I will go more since I want to walk along the Riverwalk this evening to dinner someplace. 8-) Samantha is doing a fine job of getting me around town. I don't think I would ever go back to using maps - even if someone else was driving.

San Antonio Zoo: I had a great time at the zoo today. I didn't realize that the zoo here has so many exhibits of birds - probably the most I have ever seen in a zoo. They even have a lot of "winter visitor" birds since this is a popular area for winter migrating birds - here down to the gulf. The high point for me was seeing the 3 African Lion cub triplets. The 2 boys and 1 girl were born July 25, 2015 so are about 5 months old. The parents are first time parents......

"Daddy, wait on me." He would roar at them whenever they would come over and try to play with him and then they would scamper away. 

Mom was much more tolerant when they tried to play with her. 

"Here I come."  Look how big his feet are!

"Wonder if I can climb this tree. You catch me if I fall. "

The three finally tired out and rested for a few minutes. Dad and Mom were napping in the sun. 

Most of the birds had pictures with their species on them but neither this one or the next one had a name. They sure were pretty!

I may have to ask my friend in Oregon what species they are. 

Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo: The mission was built in 1768 and replaced the original crude mission built in 1750.  Most of the compound, including it's outer walls has been restored. Each mission was a fortified village with the church, housing, crops, etc in side the walls. Mission San José was established by Franciscan priests and served the local Indians. Enough rooms were built to house 350 Indians. The mission lands were given to its Indians in 1794, and mission activities officially ended in 1824. However, the church is still a functioning Catholic church.    

The walls are massive and there is 3 gates into the mission grounds. 

The Church and Conventor. The Conventor is on the right side behind the curved openings. It is where the missionaries were housed. 

Front of the church. 

Interior of the church. A music major student from a local university was playing Christmas Carols on the baby ground piano. Nice!

The alter area. It is really beautiful!

Tomorrow it's off to the Botanical Gardens, San Fernando Cathedral and the Alamo.  

On to San Antonio with a few stops along the way....

It was a long drive today - not because of the hours behind the wheel but due to the number of tourist stops I made along the way. Two were planned but the 3rd one was not planned since I didn't know about it until yesterday.

National Museum of the Pacific Way - Fredericksburg, Texas
I thought they were kidding when AAA said to allow 2.5 hours to tour it but they were not kidding. It is huge with many. many exhibits that covered about every major battle in the Pacific during WW2 plus events leading up to the war and the immediate aftermath. The museum is well done and is self-guided so I could go at my own pace. I eventually skipped some of the island battle exhibits.

There were 2 exhibits that really stood out for me. One of them was listing to President Roosevelt address Congress in which he declares war on Japan. This is the picture of him signing the declaration after the speech.

This looks larger than it is but it is a replica of the containers that held the atomic bombs that were dropped on Japan. It was really interesting to read the minute by minute events that the pilots went through as they dropped the bomb and immediately afterward.

Luckenback, Texas

You won't appreciate Luckenbach unless you are a fan of Willie Nelson. Larry and I were here in around 2004 when we were trying to decide where to retire to and were considering San Antonio. Visiting Luckenbach was his favorite part of the trip! Unfortunately, it is a lot more commercialized today than it was back then. 

Lyndon B Johnson Historic Park
Last night I was looking at the map and noticed the park. I looked it up and saw that I would be near it today so stopped in. I had never heard about it before. The park is the LBJ's ranch that he had both before and after he was President. After you go get a pass to go onto the ranch, you take a drive that goes all around it - through the pasture, across the Pedernalesles River, and to the Texas White House - the ranch house.

It is open range so I had to stop a couple of times and let the cattle get off the road. 

The Johnson's home that was know as the Texas White House. There is a landing strip behind the house for his small Air Force 1 jet when he came home for a visit and for visiting dignitaries to use. The house overlooks the River - a beautiful view. 

Good Day for being a tourist!!

Greetings from Sonora, Texas

Sonora is about 250 miles west of San Antonio.  I was trying to find a place along I-10 to stay since I didn't want to drive after dark and there aren't many places in west Texas that have decent hotels. Plus, in the morning I want to stop in Fredericksburg, TX on the way to San Antonio. It was a boring drive today! However, there wasn't as much truck traffic, not a lot of car traffic and the speed limit is 80 mph. So I set the cruise control on 80 and cruised. On this trip I have crossed the New Mexico border to border at the north end and now also at the south end. By the time I get home, I will have done Oklahoma east to west and south to north with Oklahoma City being the center point. Samantha can keep her job but she got reprimanded today when she took me to the wrong address in Sonora for my hotel... I had to use the cell phone to bail her out.

I stopped in Fort Stockton, Texas today for lunch and to do some looking around. In around 1857, a fort of around 12 buildings was built by the U. S. Army here to house the Calvary. In 1861 the Confederates took over the fort and held it until 1862. The Calvary was to protect settlers, wagon trains and the Butterfield Stage from the Comanche Indians. The army left in 1886 and only 5-6 building remain and have been restored.

Bunkhouse that housed about 50 solders.

This is the guard house.  It even had a cell in a dug-out basement for solitary confinement. 

John Wayne used this wagon in 2 of his movies - The Comancheres and Undefeated. I have never heard of either one of them.....

And then there is Paisano Pete - Ft Stockton's Roadrunner. At one time, he was the world's largest Roadrunner but I guess someone else built a larger one. This guy, dressed in his Christmas finery, is 11 feet tall, 20 feet long and weighs 860 lbs.

Tomorrow is the final drive to San Antonio by way of Fredericksburg to see the National Museum of the Pacific War plus a stop at Lukenbach, Texas...... 8-)

Mesilla, New Mexico

I packed yesterday but got up early this morning, loaded the car, stopped by Peppi's house to say good-by to Larry, went to McDonalds to get breakfast and headed east towards Texas.

It is a 5 hour drive from Tucson to El Paso but I stopped in Mesilla, NM for a couple of hours. Mesilla is on the outskirts of Las Cruces and has a population of about 2,600. However, it is rich in history.  In 1848, a small group of citizens in Las Cruces, unhappy at being part of the United States, decided to move south of the border and settled in Mesilla. In 1853 Mesilla became part of the United States due to the Gadsden Purchase. Two battles were fought at or in the town during the Civil War. During the American Civil War,  Mesilla briefly served as capital of the Confederate Territory of Arizona. Mesilla was a stop for the Butterfield Stage Line that began in 1858. The La Mesilla Historic District, which includes Mesilla Plaza (where these pictures were taken), was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1961.

Basilica of San Albino was originally built of adobe in 1855, still offers masses today, both in English and Spanish.

Parishioners were decorating the church for Christmas.There were around 50 poinsettias sitting outsides and were being moved inside the church. 

This is a rebuilt gazebo since the original one crumbled after many years.  One side of the square plaza is the church and shops are on the other 3 sides with a few restaurants. 

This building dates back to 1850.  It once housed the capitol of Arizona and New Mexico when they were one territory. Later it was the courthouse in which Billy The Kid was tried and sentenced to hang. Today it is a gift shop.....

I do like the looks of the entry in southwest homes when done in the traditional southwest style. 

The only rose still blooming in the church's rose garden. 

Tomorrow I will be heading on towards San Antonio and staying in Sonora, Texas tomorrow night rather than do a 12 hour drive in one day.

Reflections on Tucson

I head east in the morning towards Texas for a couple of weeks before heading north to home. It has been a great visit here with friends and I have have a great time.  I have had almost 2 weeks to think back on what I miss about living in Tucson and what I don't miss. I certainly miss my friends here but as for other things.......

I miss....

1. The bright blue skies during the day. The sky is crystal clean without the haze that is usually in the Midwest skies. I have heard that the haze in the Midwest is due to the humidity. 
2. The beautiful sunrises and sunsets due to the dust particles in the air. 

I don't miss....

1. The yards and landscaping made of rock. I got excited today when I saw a little circle of green grass. 
2. The overall brown due to the rock, dust, lack of greenery, etc. 
3. The palm trees - I always called them telephone poles with leaves on top. 
4. The low humidity. My sinus is not happy.. It was especially bad when it was really cold at night and the furnace in the room ran more.  
5. The hard water.  My hair is totally limp and even a curling iron doesn't help much. 

Not exactly an even scale for me and yet a lot of people wouldn't consider living any place else. 8-)

Biosphere 2

We just kept putting off going up to the Biosphere while we lived in Tucson. I think it was because (1) it is a really long way up a very busy city street and (2) neither Larry nor I were really science buffs. But I decided that this visit I would do it, I did, glad I went but have no desire to go back. At least it is checked off my bucket list....

(Internet photo) The facility was built during 1987-1991 and is currently owned by the University of Arizona.  It was named "Biosphere 2" because it was meant to be the second fully self-sufficient biosphere, after the Earth itself. The tall building on the left contains a 1/2 acre rain forest.  The long building on the left contains a replica of a section of the Baja California sea plus a section of the Baja desert. There is also a "farm" containing fruit and coffee trees. The round buildings on the right are where the 8 people lived for 2 years in 1991-93. Underground is 2 acres of machinery that supports the everything that goes on inside Biosphere.

This is the rain forest that was man-made and just like one in Brazil. Right now testing is being done at the Biosphere to study the effects of reducing water in the rain forest, ocean and desert. What happens to the trees and plants if water is reduced. They can make it very humid, like a rain forest, or cool it down. Fortunately for us on the tour, it was cool today since they were doing some work in the forest.  Over the years, many types of experiments and studies have been done at the Biosphere.. 

This is the ocean section. The water is 20 feet deep at the far end next to the wave making wall. Closest to where I was standing is a beach. There are quite a few fish in the salt water. 

This is a small section of the desert. I is a duplicate of the Baja desert, which is near the ocean and that is why it looks different from the Arizona desert. 

A very small portion of the equipment below ground that controls everything. 

Looking at the ocean floor from below ground. 

Here are the 8 people from all over the world that lived there for 2 years. Each person was an expert in a different skill - such as one was a doctor, one was an expert in plants, there was a mechanical engineer, one was an expert in animals, etc. These people were locked in this closed environment and had to live on what they raised on the farm. Their oxygen was created by the water, animals and plants. They had a few goats for milk and a few chickens for eggs. As they reproduced, they would kill one to have meat but mostly had vegetarian meals since that is what they raised. They cooked 3 meals a day but had no cooking oil so had to learn how to cook differently. NOTHING was brought in to help them after the doors were sealed. One person went outside for medical help after she cut part of her finger off and the doctor couldn't replace it. She was treated and then went back in 4 hours later. They collected condensation off the windows for drinking water. 

This was their kitchen. They took turns cooking and the person had to fix all 3 meals for the day.

 Each person had their own 2 story apartment. This was the living area and the bedroom was upstairs. There was a TV across the room from the sofa. 

It is amazing what they did but not a life for me!!!!!!

Another day at the Desert Museum

I have a pattern of spending the anniversary day of Larry's death doing something he like to do.  If  I am in Tucson then I go someplace he really enjoyed and the Desert Museum was a favorite of his while we live here. So off  I went this morning.... It was a beautiful day - sunny and warmer than the last few days - up to 59 which was wonderful in the sun.

One of the exhibits in the aquarium is these garden eels which are really weird looking. They kinda look like worms sticking up out of the gravel and sway with the current waiting on unsuspecting prey to  come by so they can grab it. 

My buddy Cruz is tucked back in his cave watching the world go by.  The docent said that a service dog had gone by earlier and both Cruz and the dog alerted. So I guess Cruz has maybe had a run-in with a dog when he was young and was roaming around San Jose, CA looking for food. Soon after I took this picture, he went out on a big rock and sat in the sun for the longest time. He is such a magnificent mountain lion. 

The bobcat was laying on a rock in the sun enjoying the sun. He reminded me of Morris who used to sleep in the same position including let one leg hand over. 

Here is a Gila Woodpecker sitting on top of a very tall Saguaro cactus. They will build a nest inside the cactus. 

Quit looking for an animal in this picture because there isn't one. It is actually the Big Horn Sheep exhibit but they were inside while it was being cleaned.  All these rocks are man-made. They have a big workshop at the museum who does nothing but construct rocks for exhibits and the museum grounds. You absolutely cannot tell the rocks are not real and they even feel real. 

This buy, I haven't found out what his name is yet, was in the Walk-In Aviary. I was taking pictures of him and just after this one he flew up and attacked my head. He was flying around my head and I'm trying to wave him off. I got out of there! I don't know what I did to make him mad except take his picture but he looks mad in this one. 

Tomorrow I am heading up north of Tucson to tour the Biosphere - something I never did during the 9 years we lived here.

Unexpected event....

I was sitting in the hotel reading this afternoon before going out for dinner and then attending the HOA meeting that I used to be so involved in when I lived her when the phone rings. It is Jane and I'm thinking as I answer that she wants to go with me to dinner and then we go to the meeting. However, I could tell as soon as I heard her voice that something was wrong. She said she had fallen and could I come take her to the hospital. Her daughter lives about 45 minutes away and my hotel is less than 10 minutes away. So.....I get to her house and we head for the ER. Four hours later we leave the ER and she has a splint on her right arm that she had broken in the fall. She was picking oranges off her tree, pulled on a stubborn one, it came loose and she fell back on the ground while trying to break her fall by putting her hand down.  The good part was that the break was a clean one with no bones pushed out of alignment or anything like that. It was the big bone in her right arm about 1-2" above the wrist.   The splint is temporary and she has to go next week and get a cast put on the arm. It could have been a lot worse! I called the daughter while she was in x-ray and she was waiting for us when we got back to Jane's house. Jane is not a happy camper tonight.......

Another cold night tonight.... 8-)

Another cold day

I sure am glad I brought a suitcase of winter sweaters, etc for the desert!  Everyone accuses me of bringing the cold weather and I remind them that it is warmer at home (Overland Park) than it is here. A couple of more days and then it should begin to warm up a bit - well at least up to the upper 50's which I will take right now if the sun is shinning. Today was meeting with friends and then I set in on one of the HOA meetings that I used to chair. Tomorrow is more of the same and then the rest of the week will be busier getting some things done before I leave on Sunday for Texas. It has been a good trip and really great to spend time with  friends but I still don't like the desert.... 8-)

Another day...

Today was a down day plus it was cold and rainy. A friend and I went shopping anyway and then went back to her house to thaw out.

This is not typical desert weather for December!  All the true snowbirds that have come here expecting 75 degree weather are not happy - me included. I don't mind 50 degree weather but this weather  is not desert weather. At home, it would be typical and we wouldn't complain. Tomorrow night it is supposed to get down to 24 degrees here in Tucson and 26 the next night. Now, in Missouri or Kansas, 24 is nothing but here is is more like what is it when we get down to 0 or below at home. It hasn't been that cold since January 2013 and I remember that freeze.  There were broken water lines all over town due to the construction methods here. Irrigation lines are buried just a few inches underground if they are buried at all. Water lines in homes and businesses sometimes go across the top of the roof instead of under the house. The water lines may run up the outside of a building and then into it. It is not pretty when there is a really hard freeze here!

This is a wind-up week for me since I head on to Texas next Sunday and new adventures.

2nd Day of the Photography class at the Desert Meseum

The class was really good and I'm so glad I did it!  I learned a lot of tips to use when shooting pictures of animals in captivity besides learning a lot of  information about some of the animals that I did not know. We spent 4 hours walking around the Desert Museum this morning starting at 7:30 when it was about 35 degrees - at least it was sunny and no wind. By the time we got done it was around 50 degrees. I took 289 pictures today so have a lot of editing to do.

This is the back of a Roadrunner.  Edie, her name,  moves her wings over to the side, so the sun can warm her back. Usually her wings cover her back and the sun heat can't get through the wings. We saw two different Roadrunners doing this today. 

Edie: "Who are you?"

This is the carrier used to move hummingbirds from here to another facility or when they bring them here. One bird is in each compartment with their feeder and a couple of lights for warmth. They are shipped on airlines as cargo. They raise a lot of their hummingbirds here but have to worry about inbreeding so trade with other zoos, etc. Every hummingbird in the enclosure, and there are a lot of the, are tracked and periodically caught so they can be checked and weighed. Not an easy task!

A mommy Big Horn Sheep (left) and her baby (right) that was born last April. 

Here is daddy. His horns weigh about 30 lbs total. He has a big muscle on the back of his head, at the base of the skull so he can carry the weight of the horns. When you are close enough to them, you can see the muscle. 

I  heard a lot of coyotes howling and yipping during the time we lived in Tucson.  However, I did not know they bark very much like a dog. His partner was on the other side of the enclosure and they were barking at each other. These two were very healthy with a beautiful coat - unlike the ones we usually see around town here. 

Great Horned Owl during the Raptor Flight today. 

The mountain lion is named "Cruz" and he is about 2 years old. A family in San Jose, CA called the police and said there was a mountain lion drinking out of their swimming pool. Wildlife authorities came out and verified that it was indeed a mountain lion and captured him. That was the day that Cruz won the mountain lion lottery. At the time he was about 6 months old, skinny and had a poor coat. The museum here was looking for a mountain lion after their  lion had died so Cruz came here. He had meatballs and cream cheese for breakfast this morning while we were taking pictures of him.