San Antiono Trip Pt.2

So sometime on Sunday morning we woke up and eventually had breakfast. I played with Jamie and Destiny for a while before we headed downtown to see the Alamo. Ever since I was a little kid I've been taken with the story of the Alamo. I once cut the illustrations out of a Scott County Public Library book about the Alamo when I was a little kid. My favorite Christmas present is still the Alamo that Daddy made for me when I was a kid. The American version of the story is pretty compelling with heroes like Mr. David Crockett (as Jamie called him), Bowie, and Travis and their brave band of 180 facing a villain like Santa Anna and his 4000 Mexican soldiers and fighting to the death. It was interesting to see it the day after seeing the 300 and it's retelling of Thermopylae. The comparison was even made at the Alamo. A small band of "freedom fighters" facing the hordes of "tyranny," makes for a stirring story. Of course, Mexicans probably remember the story differently and I couldn't forget a remark by my American Church History professor at Trinity about the Revolutionary War, "Just think, if we'd lost we might have been as tyrannized as Canada." Still, politics aside, it's an amazing place to be. We entered the compound from the back. It was pretty and peaceful with flowers and cacti and such. Due to the cool, rainy weather the crowd wasn't large and it was nice just walking around the grounds. Eventually we got in line and made our way into the chapel. There are reminders on the doors that it is a shrine and should be honored by silence and no photography. At least there was no photography. One of the more moving parts was the presence of the flags of the birthplace of each of the men who'd died there. There were fifteen Kentuckians. After leaving the chapel we walked around some of the exhibits and looked at the various cannons. Jamie had recently done a school project on Davie Crockett and was suitably excited by the many Crockett relics. On the whole the most amazing thing for me was the size of the Alamo. It was so much smaller than it's myth. I've heard that before but it's another thing to stand outside the chapel and marvel at how small it is. We had a good time, even if we were rained on.

After the Alamo we headed back past the big boots to Jenn's church, the San Antonio Vineyard. We got there just after the praise time was ending. We heard a good sermon on stewardship and letting Jesus be lord of all from Matthew 6:18-34. The speaker was the pastor of a different Vineyard and finished early so we took some time for silent reflection and prayer based on the message. One of the things that had convicted me during the sermon was the idea that by not taking better care of my body I was denying Jesus' lordship. I resolved to go to the doctor about my cough and to get a check-up when I got home.

After church we went back to Jenn and Rachel's for some leftover pizza and chicken noodle soup. I got to meat Rachel and she seemed fun and nice. We left the kids with her and went back to downtown San Antonio to go the River Walk. The River Walk is a part of the stretch where the San Antonio River flows through the city. There are shops and restaurants with paved walkways and lots of charming little bridges over the river which doesn't look to be much larger than the Elkhorn Creek back home or the Des Plaines River here. There's even a neat terraced fountain/waterfall across from the Alamo that flows through a big hotel and down to the river. I'd first heard about the San Antonio River Walk back when I was looking for colleges and it was mentioned in the literature that Trinity College in San Antonio sent me. I remember walking on the paths by the Cannon River in Northfield while I was in college and wishing I was in San Antonio to see the real River Walk. it definitely lived up to my expectations. It rained on us there as well which was good for mine and Jenn's colds but not for us. Still it was a lot of fun and a beautiful stretch of river. We pretty much turned in after getting home with plans of waking early to head to Corpus Cristi and the beach the next day. To be continued....

p.s. for them what are curious. I finally went to the doctor this past Monday. He diagnosed me with a sinus infection and prescribed some antibiotics and a nasal inhaler. I think I'm finally getting over the cough and cold. It feels weird not to be coughing or sniffling all the time. I was very happy with my doctor since I'd just picked him out of a book with no references. He was funny and his treatment seems to be working. Once I'm done with my medication I think I'll go back for an overall check up.