We just returned from a delightful week in San Antonio. I can't believe it's been twenty years since we left. Our excuse for the visit was the ADA Convention, combined with the American College of Dentists Convention, but really, we just wanted to go back and see some old friends and revisit a special place in our lives.
After an exciting flight (did you know that the Santa Ana's generate turbulence for hundreds of miles at high altitudes?), we dropped below the clouds and saw our beloved "broccoli trees," the ubiquitous oaks of South Texas, and landed at San Antonio. We thought we were renting a Dodge Caliber or something similar. Instead they gave us a red 2008 Mustang. That cured any possibility of a midlife crisis (ha!). We dropped off Penny Gage, Tri-County Dental Society's Executive Director, at her downtown hotel, then made a beeline for Bill Miller's, a favorite barbecue restaurant. The brisket and sausage was delicious! So was the pecan pie! Then we went to see our dear friends Marvin and Bretta Weatherholtz, who boarded us for the week, except for the one night that we spent with Craig and Debbie Bassett, another pair of wonderful friends.
Even though twenty years had passed, we talked as if we had just seen them in the past week. I am thankful for friends like these. In our previous life, we traded babysitting with both families. It was so much fun to reconnect. We had a great time with them. We attended church in the Leon Valley Ward, a part of the Ninth Ward where we lived. I got to talk to my old Bishop, Ned Lunt, and my old Elder's Quorum President, Rick Knight. Both have served as Stake President since we left. I was glad to express my thanks for their guidance and example during a challenging period of my life.
We visited the San Antonio Temple after church. It is on a prominent hill north of town (it may be the highest). It's a beautiful temple, with the same layout as the Redlands Temple. When we moved to San Antonio in 1984, they were in the Mesa Temple district. When the Dallas Temple was dedicated that fall, we were all thrilled that the temple was "only" 300 miles away. We had some enjoyable excursions. What a thrill to see a temple in San Antonio! I played piano for a singalong with Weatherholtzes, and that was a highlight.
Much has changed in San Antonio in twenty years, and it didn't seem familiar. Perhaps the synapses have been disconnected. The freeways are being reconstructed, and traveling them is great. I love the frontage roads on Texas freeways. The biggest difference was that the Medical Center area was on the outskirts when we lived there. Now the city has grown far beyond that.On Monday, we went to see the Alamo and walk on the Riverwalk. We had lunch at County Line Barbecue at the river's edge, and saw a mother duck with her week-old ducklings (ten of them) swimming right by us. The brisket sandwiches were great.
Tuesday was our last day in San Antonio. We took a drive into the hill country before we headed to the airport. We flew back with some of my friends from Tri-County, Butch Ehrler and Ann Steiner, as well as a number of friends from Sacramento, San Diego, and the Bay Area. When we arrived in Ontario, we felt elated to be home. Traveling is fun, but there's no place like home. We are thankful to Dad and Mom for taking care of Christy for the week. Tom stayed home because he couldn't miss school, but we came home to a clean house and a well-stocked fridge. That was awesome!
1 comment:
I haven't looked at blogs for a long time. It was fun to see you go to San Antonio and even more fun to keep Christy.
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