San Antonio, TX

We drove to Houston the first day, stopping overnight at a Wal-Mart on the west side of Houston. The weather was stormy w/ rain, wind, and thunderstorms. Jan and George invited us to dinner in their coach, and we celebrated George S.’s birthday which was the following day (2/12), the day we arrived in San Antonio. While in San Antonio we enjoyed the food and sights, visiting the Alamo, River Walk, La Villeta (earliest settlement) , and other places. We took the narrated boat tour around the River Walk on our anniverary, Valentine’s Day, and at the outdoor “auditorium” along the way happened upon the annual wedding ceremony performed by a judge in both English and Spanish. Numerous couple of all ages accompanied by family groups repeated their vows. The area was decorated with yellow roses. Each lady on the boat tour was also given a yellow rose that day. We also visited Gruene, TX, settled by Germans in the mid 1840s near San Antonio. This charming town is home to Gruene Hall, a dance hall and saloon, Gruene Mercantile, now a well stocked antique store. We ate lunch at a delightful restaurant overlooking the Guadalupe River.