A trip to the past... Part 2.

Darkness comes early this time of the year, and before we knew it, it was dark enough to head out. It'd been so cold up in Dallas, but get down to San Antonio and its almost balmy! Driving through the residential neighborhoods and I was still seeing roses in bloom. Bastards... my roses got froze off last week.

I've only been to the Riverwalk once before, and then I was very very sick, so I was really looking forward to it. I'm a sucker for christmas lights and love wandering around going "OOOOH!" at folks displays. We get closer into downtown and traffic stops. Apparently everybody thinks this is a wonderful idea for a Saturday night. No matter though. I'm in the car with my loves. Nobody needs to pee, and we're chattering away... oh, and I'm looking at downtown and going OOOH! at all the pretty little twinkling lights. Jacob is commenting that there must be a game going on for it to be this thick, but I really don't care. After living for many years in the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex, you kinda get used to this kind of thing. Twenty minutes later, and we're finally off the exit ramp... and looking for a parking spot. Full... full.... 20$ parking???? Holy crap! Finally, Lady Luck smiles on us, and we find 12$ parking, AND an empty spot real close to the entrance / exit of the lot :) Yay us! *Happy dance*. I'm officially bouncy, and enjoying being in a fairly new to me city, lovely buildings, loads of history, fairly friendly people. OOOOh lookie! Horse drawn carriages! And holy crap they're decked out. They've got to have a couple car batteries under that thing for all the lights. Geez louise. I'm wandering around with my camera phone, taking pictures of everything, and being duly impressed.... til we come to the Alamo. As I said before, I've only been here once, and then I was very very very sick (as in hadn't eaten in almost two weeks) massive live oaks all around us, draped in teensy tiny lights, hanging down. The smell of the river, the hustle and bustle of the crowd, and the general history. A christmas tree there in the plaza that must have been three stories tall, all decked out.. and then the Alamo itself. I adore that place.. must go back sometime when we have more time to just wander around.

Down on the Riverwalk itself, its utterly divine. Little stands set up all up and down it, singing on the boats, not too terribly cold, just cool enough to make it comfortable to wear a light jacket. Poor Jacob, he should have known... you bring two women shopping / wandering with you, you WILL be stopped at every jewelery and sparkly shop we pass. I'd never seen Luminaries in real life, only on tv and magazines, and they're just too neat... but then again, I'm also exceptionally bouncy and everything is just too neat. The tiny little lights hanging from the trees over the river, the various bands playing through the cool night air, the laughter ringing through the crowd. ... and speaking of the crowd.. it was packed! Remember how I said there had been little stands set up all up and down the riverwalk? Well, also, being an exceptionally busy night, (we found out later that there was four major events going on that evening alone) and you could barely walk the riverwalk at all! There were times of me standing on the stones next to the river, hoping to god that nobody bumps into me or else I'd be soaked! Angela had the idea earlier in the evening for us to have dinner on the riverwalk, but after passing quite a few places with a 1 hour wait, two hour wait, and more, we opted to just eat at home. Its cheaper and much better than anything they could give us anyway :)

We head on back to the parents' place after getting slightly drizzled on, and wandering for a few more hours... and checking out every shop we come to, and there is a wonderful meal waiting for us, with card games later, and some wonderful fudge for a late night dessert. Climbing into bed, the glow from the christmas lights softly filtering through the curtains, we plan our adventures for the next day and reflect on the day's journeys. Tomorrow will be even better.

A trip to the past.

Its been since October since we've been able to go on a trip and I've been going nuts wanting to get out and go see. A trip to San Antonio had been planned for some time and friday finally arrived. It almost got called because of other people and obligations, but I couldn't let that happen. I NEEDED to get out. To go see and do and be me again. To be free for a little while.

I finally get out of work and head down to meet up with Jacob and Angela, get the car packed, and wait... and wait.. and wait some more! Jacob is stuck at a work thing and doesn't get home until two hours later than he is supposed to, but at 8:30 we are off! Finally! But before we get too far, we must stop for food.

Stop at a fried chicken place, and they just can't seem to get orders right, but that's okay, there's nothing that can ruin my enjoyment of being free. There's a gentleman in there in coveralls and a sweatshirt that keeps on being real friendly, and I can't help but think I should know him. Is he actually flirting with me? Strange, but nice. I love Texan friendliness.

...And we're off! To go and see and do! To live! Flying down the freeway, the further we get from the metroplex, the more stars that can be seen. Chattering the entire way, laughter fills the car more often than not. I've never understood how anybody can not talk while in the car. To me, that's true quality time. Almost as good as pillowtalk. I love music, and if I am alone in the car, I almost always have something playing, but if I'm with someone, we WILL be talking. Its just right!

Late night, many hours of discussion, and the road flying past. Switch drivers, and I relax even further now that I'm driving. Getting farther away from all my cares, farther away from all those who would make demands of me. The open highway, the sound of the tires underneath me, the open road, and I'm free.

We arrive around 2:30 in San Antonio, set up the bed, and succumb to exaustion. An evening well spent, with so much to do and see tomorrow, and freedom tonight to rest and enjoy it all.

Homemade breakfast tacos for breakfast, one of my favourite things... and some truly incredible coffee to start the day, and the plan is to go out to Lukenbach for the day, go see some of the places that Jacob grew up at, see his history, and then to the riverwalk that evening when its all lit up for Christmas.

First, a house, then a park near there, where he used to go wander. A lovely pond with many many ducks, then to the woods. I immediately fall in love with them, and can't help but notice the turkey peppers growing wild on the side of the trail.

Further in, and it stops feeling like the city... a hush comes over the woods, an exclusion of the noise of the city. Hear the birds, hear the breeze in the trees, but for being in the middle of a major city, there's not much city noise. To the country girl, it feels right. Its a hell of a lot more hilly and steep than I'm accustomed to, but it is lovely. As we go along the trail, ravine on one side, and cliff on the other, he stops and points up the cliff and says there is the cave that he spent a lot of time in. I can't help myself, so up the cliff I go to see it. Almost a vertical face, and I'm BADLY out of shape, but I'm happy. I loved hiking all growing up, and the exertion just gets me in an even better mood. There's something about pushing yourself, about getting lost in the moment of finding your own limits and overcoming them, and about sharing that moment with someone that is special. I eventually make it up to the cave and look out. Trees and more trees and more trees. High up in a cliff overlooking a ravine and more hills. Peaceful. Timeless. All the hustle and bustle of the city is far away. The rocks speak of long ago, when that was ocean, of the cry of seabirds, but also of the more recent past, when all that area was untouched by human hand. I could spend a long time wandering those woods, and never tire of them. I look at Jacob, and know that this is his place, his home. More than any house ever was. This is the place that made him, and ask him to choose a rock from the cave. A piece of the cave, of his history, to take with us. To take into our future, and never forget what made him what he is.

After a few moments of peace, we hear kids further down the trail, breaking bottles and making a racket, and Angela far below us is getting rather worried because she can't come up with us, and we decide its time to go. He practically runs down the side of that cliff, years of experience with the rocky face evident in each stride, and I stand up and look down... and remember.. oh SHIT! I'm afraid of heights and I have to get down this thing! Jacob can't carry me, and even if he could, he's long gone. This is up to me. So, I laugh at my own fears, and start down on my butt. Crabbing down the nearly sheer rock wall, hanging onto brush and rocks and getting my butt covered in dirt. I eventually bound off at the bottom, laughing at myself and pleased, and we come back to a laughing Jacob. Apparently, the munchkins were rather spooked by a large biker dude with long dark hair telling them that they're done making a racket and its time to stop breaking shit.

And now, to Lukenbach!... or at least that was the plan. On our way out of town, we see a huge outdoor store and decide that Lukenbach is technically on our way home, so we can do that tomorrow.. lets stop here now. The place is duly impressive for an outdoor store in Texas, and has a two story waterfall, and not one, but TWO blue catfish in it... one of which is bigger than my coffee table! .. And they have fudge!

Back to the parents' place, to rest and recuperate and wait for nightfall. And then the Riverwalk!