Tuesday, 26 February 2019
Castroville Regional Park
For some time now, we've been aware of the Regional Park down the street in Castroville. It seemed to have an abundance of recreational areas and trails but we never took advantage until today. We didn't really have anything on our agenda so we hit the park to do some hiking. At first we just saw the flat and smooth walking trails, but after looking around, we discovered these great hiking trails that climb mountains and go through ravines!
Monday, 25 February 2019
Roadside Attractions in San Antonio
We toured around San Antonio trying to locate some unique roadside attractions! And we found a few 😊
(1) First up was the 9/11 memorial just down the highway from our campground. Unfortunately it appears to be underappreciated, as it's fallen into quite a state of disrepair. There are several monuments at this site representing different elements of the tragedy - The Pentagon, Flight 93, and the twin towers.
(2) After that was the Muffler Man Indian. This Indian is part of the 'Muffler Man' collection that can be found across the country. If you're like me, you never heard of these giant figures before. This collection is a bunch of 20 foot tall fiberglass figures that were constructed back in the 1960s starting with a Paul Bunyan. They were used for advertising and promotion. After Paul, there was a slew of mechanic figures holding mufflers. Eventually they were all called Muffler Men!
(3) Next up was a true junkyard dog! Built from scrap parts of cars, it sits in front of a scrapyard where I suspect the materials came from!. The junkyard was sold years ago, and the new owner of the property decided to hold onto the dog! It's primarily a full size Plymouth Fury standing on end, the nose being a hood from a VW bug, the tongue is from the hood of a Cadillac.
(4) Later we came across the oldest kid's amusement park in the US. Established in 1925, and restored in 2006. It features a carousel built in 1918 and a miniature ferris wheel. It still operates on a seasonal basis. It's only open in summer so it was closed when we there.
(5) Finally, these last photos are of a statue I came across at a local campus. The statue is affectionately known as the 'mansplaining' statue. It was created in 2006 and you could say it flew under the radar for several years, until 2015 when Cathy de la Cruz started a teacher certification course. She spotted the statue and tweeted a photo with the tag #mansplaining. It went viral overnight and caused quite a stir. You should google 'mansplaining' if you're not familiar with the term, then it'll all make sense...lol. When we were there, I noticed a sign next to the statue stating it is called 'Classmates', but honestly it screams mansplaining :-)
(1) First up was the 9/11 memorial just down the highway from our campground. Unfortunately it appears to be underappreciated, as it's fallen into quite a state of disrepair. There are several monuments at this site representing different elements of the tragedy - The Pentagon, Flight 93, and the twin towers.
(2) After that was the Muffler Man Indian. This Indian is part of the 'Muffler Man' collection that can be found across the country. If you're like me, you never heard of these giant figures before. This collection is a bunch of 20 foot tall fiberglass figures that were constructed back in the 1960s starting with a Paul Bunyan. They were used for advertising and promotion. After Paul, there was a slew of mechanic figures holding mufflers. Eventually they were all called Muffler Men!
(3) Next up was a true junkyard dog! Built from scrap parts of cars, it sits in front of a scrapyard where I suspect the materials came from!. The junkyard was sold years ago, and the new owner of the property decided to hold onto the dog! It's primarily a full size Plymouth Fury standing on end, the nose being a hood from a VW bug, the tongue is from the hood of a Cadillac.
(4) Later we came across the oldest kid's amusement park in the US. Established in 1925, and restored in 2006. It features a carousel built in 1918 and a miniature ferris wheel. It still operates on a seasonal basis. It's only open in summer so it was closed when we there.
(5) Finally, these last photos are of a statue I came across at a local campus. The statue is affectionately known as the 'mansplaining' statue. It was created in 2006 and you could say it flew under the radar for several years, until 2015 when Cathy de la Cruz started a teacher certification course. She spotted the statue and tweeted a photo with the tag #mansplaining. It went viral overnight and caused quite a stir. You should google 'mansplaining' if you're not familiar with the term, then it'll all make sense...lol. When we were there, I noticed a sign next to the statue stating it is called 'Classmates', but honestly it screams mansplaining :-)
Sunday, 24 February 2019
Latest Video is up...MCTS Season 2 Episode 10
Hey guys, our latest video is up on YouTube! We check out the Riverwalk, we visit the Ranger Creek distillery of San Antonio, then later we explore a couple of the Spanish Missions!
Saturday, 23 February 2019
The Pig Stand Since 1921!
We made an interesting discovery today! While out driving around San Antonio, we came across a restaurant with a fascinating past.
The 'Pig Stand' here in town has been around since the 1920s. This was a very innovative restaurant and came up with a lot of forward thinking concepts back in the day that now might seem pretty mundane. A lot of firsts can be attributed to this restaurant:
- The first drive-in restaurant with carhops.
- The first drive-through window.
- The first to use neon signs.
- They created onion rings.
- They came up with chicken fried steak.
- They coined the term 'Texas Toast'.
The Pig Stand grew quickly from one location to a country wide chain within a few short years...in fact they invented the concept of chain restaurants.
During the Second World War, expansion halted and instead they retreated to just Texas locations.
By the 2000s they were struggling, with the chain declaring bankruptcy in 2006.
A few months after closing, Mary Ann Hill former waitress at this location in San Antonio bought this restaurant and reopened it. It's still open today - the one remaining location of a chain that once stretched from sea to sea.
The day we were there, we ordered their specialty, the Pig Sandwich combo - pork sandwich, onion rings, fries, coleslaw and a sweet tea. it was all very good!
The 'Pig Stand' here in town has been around since the 1920s. This was a very innovative restaurant and came up with a lot of forward thinking concepts back in the day that now might seem pretty mundane. A lot of firsts can be attributed to this restaurant:
- The first drive-in restaurant with carhops.
- The first drive-through window.
- The first to use neon signs.
- They created onion rings.
- They came up with chicken fried steak.
- They coined the term 'Texas Toast'.
The Pig Stand grew quickly from one location to a country wide chain within a few short years...in fact they invented the concept of chain restaurants.
During the Second World War, expansion halted and instead they retreated to just Texas locations.
By the 2000s they were struggling, with the chain declaring bankruptcy in 2006.
A few months after closing, Mary Ann Hill former waitress at this location in San Antonio bought this restaurant and reopened it. It's still open today - the one remaining location of a chain that once stretched from sea to sea.
The day we were there, we ordered their specialty, the Pig Sandwich combo - pork sandwich, onion rings, fries, coleslaw and a sweet tea. it was all very good!
Sunday, 17 February 2019
Latest video! MCTS Season 2 Episode 9
Our latest video is up on YouTube! This was our first full week in San Antonio and we spend time exploring the outlying areas.
Friday, 15 February 2019
El Mercado Part 1
Recently, we spent part of a day exploring downtown San Antonio, but today after visiting The Alamo, we wanted to see more of the downtown area:
First downtown item on our agenda was to visit the Mexican market...aka 'El Mercado' including a stop at the Mi Tierra bakery. We got some yummy treats like coconut pralines, cream cheese filled churros, and leche quemada (mexican fudge)...sadly they all evaporated before I got pictures...lol.
But I did get some pictures of some cool Mexican merchandise that was on display...
First downtown item on our agenda was to visit the Mexican market...aka 'El Mercado' including a stop at the Mi Tierra bakery. We got some yummy treats like coconut pralines, cream cheese filled churros, and leche quemada (mexican fudge)...sadly they all evaporated before I got pictures...lol.
But I did get some pictures of some cool Mexican merchandise that was on display...
The Alamo
We saved the most famous mission for last - The Alamo - originally named 'Mission San Antonio de Valero'.
In 1709, Valero was built just outside San Antonio and after changing locations several times, Valero eventually moved to its current location in downtown San Antonio in 1724. It was the first of the five missions to be located in the San Antonio area.
The original purpose of Valero was much like the other missions, convert the indigenous population not only to Catholicism but also to the Spanish way of life.
By 1793, Volero was secularized, and with increased pressure from the French and the Americans, the Spanish military moved in and converted it to a frontier outpost and military garrison.
The first soldiers to arrive were a troop of soldiers from Alamo de Parras just south of the Rio Grande. They became know as the Alamo Company, and the compound simply became know as the Alamo.
But the story doesn't end there...
An anti-Spanish revolt began in 1810 spreading across Mexico and into Texas. By 1821 Mexico gained its independence, and with Texas still under its control, the Alamo remained a military outpost and shifted its allegiance to the newly formed nation. For the next few decades, Texas was a hotly contested area, between Mexico, America and the Texan colonists pushing for Texas independence with many battles happening in San Antonio during this Texas Revolution.
In late 1835, a skirmish broke out in Gonzales, Texas between Mexico and the colonists. The battle moved to San Antonio with the rebels gaining control of the city and the Alamo. In 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrived in San Antonio to put down the rebellion. The colonists retreated to the fort known as The Alamo. They fought valiantly to defend the Alamo but needed to retreat once again. The 200 colonists on the defense turned the tables and staged a surprise attack defeating the advancing, much larger, Mexican army, capturing Santa Anna and achieved independence to the memorable cry 'Remember the Alamo'
In 1709, Valero was built just outside San Antonio and after changing locations several times, Valero eventually moved to its current location in downtown San Antonio in 1724. It was the first of the five missions to be located in the San Antonio area.
The original purpose of Valero was much like the other missions, convert the indigenous population not only to Catholicism but also to the Spanish way of life.
By 1793, Volero was secularized, and with increased pressure from the French and the Americans, the Spanish military moved in and converted it to a frontier outpost and military garrison.
The first soldiers to arrive were a troop of soldiers from Alamo de Parras just south of the Rio Grande. They became know as the Alamo Company, and the compound simply became know as the Alamo.
But the story doesn't end there...
An anti-Spanish revolt began in 1810 spreading across Mexico and into Texas. By 1821 Mexico gained its independence, and with Texas still under its control, the Alamo remained a military outpost and shifted its allegiance to the newly formed nation. For the next few decades, Texas was a hotly contested area, between Mexico, America and the Texan colonists pushing for Texas independence with many battles happening in San Antonio during this Texas Revolution.
In late 1835, a skirmish broke out in Gonzales, Texas between Mexico and the colonists. The battle moved to San Antonio with the rebels gaining control of the city and the Alamo. In 1836, General Antonio López de Santa Anna and his army arrived in San Antonio to put down the rebellion. The colonists retreated to the fort known as The Alamo. They fought valiantly to defend the Alamo but needed to retreat once again. The 200 colonists on the defense turned the tables and staged a surprise attack defeating the advancing, much larger, Mexican army, capturing Santa Anna and achieved independence to the memorable cry 'Remember the Alamo'
Wednesday, 13 February 2019
Mission San Juan
The fourth mission of our tour was San Juan. Originally built in 1716 in eastern Texas, San Juan was moved to its current location in 1731. By 1756, a church, a friary, and a granary had been added. This mission became the biggest, busiest, and most successful of all the missions.
Eventually, San Juan became a totally self-contained, self-sustaining, community, producing iron tools and cloth, and preparing hides. Just outside the walled-in courtyard, they had gardens and orchards, providing melons, pumpkins, grapes, and peppers. Beyond the complex, native american farmers cultivated corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane. A ranch several miles away reportedly had sheep and cattle.
This produce not only supported the San Antonio missions, but also helped the local settlements. By the mid-1700s, San Juan had such an abundance of farm and pasture lands, they became a regional supplier of agricultural produce and established a trade network reaching east into Louisiana and south into Mexico
Eventually, San Juan became a totally self-contained, self-sustaining, community, producing iron tools and cloth, and preparing hides. Just outside the walled-in courtyard, they had gardens and orchards, providing melons, pumpkins, grapes, and peppers. Beyond the complex, native american farmers cultivated corn, beans, squash, sweet potatoes, and sugar cane. A ranch several miles away reportedly had sheep and cattle.
This produce not only supported the San Antonio missions, but also helped the local settlements. By the mid-1700s, San Juan had such an abundance of farm and pasture lands, they became a regional supplier of agricultural produce and established a trade network reaching east into Louisiana and south into Mexico
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