Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX

We rolled into San Antonio on January 12. We were already missing Stephanie and her family, whom we had left behind in Wimberly. Fort Sam Houston has always been special to us. In Jerry’s days as an Army Reserve Officer, we traveled there several times for annual training and hospital administration courses. We could not help but remember the first trip in October
1962. We stayed in a trailer court near the post in our new Coleman Apache pop-up trailer with Robin, age five and Andrea, age two. We pulled our little trailer with a Renault Dauphine. That was a lot of fun, but we prefer our 34 foot Airstream with all the amenities of a hotel suite, including a queen size bed. Now if we could also enjoy the 30 mpg which the Renault gave us along with gas at .27 per gallon. In those days there were even "gas wars!"

During our earlier trips to San Antonio, there was a great preacher at Trinity Baptist Church named Dr. Buckner Fanning. We always looked forward to his uplifting messages. He is now retired, and the congregation and choir have shrunk significantly. Nevertheless, the sermons continue to be excellent, and the Sunday school class, That Class, is friendly. We felt like regular members.

Stephanie, Steve and the three G's came to visit us on Sunday. They also delivered the G Flat Trio. (More about them later.) It had rained and was a little drizzilly, but we had a good time on the River Walk, San Antonio’s number one tourist attraction. During our two weeks stay at Fort Sam, we worked at losing some of the pounds gained over the holidays. In addition to using the post fitness club, we rode our fold-up bikes almost every day (unfolded). The RV park is close to main post and is one of the best Army famcamps in the nation. We try to stay at military parks whenever possible, because the price is right, they are well maintained, and they give us access to the commissary, PX , and many other facilities.

Bandera, TX: Cowboy Country

One of the truly fun things we enjoyed while camped in Wimberly was our trip to Bandera with Jack, Lucie, and Lincoln. Bandera calls itself the “Cowboy Capital of the World.” The grandchildren dressed in their best cowboy/cowgirl attire, and we headed for the shootout. The children really liked shopping at antique stores, which delighted Jerry. They also had fun at the park skipping rocks in the river. The children really liked shopping at antique stores, which delighted Jerry. They also had fun at the park skipping rocks in the river. The biggest treat, however, was a horseback ride led by real wranglers though the wooded, rocky trail of the Silver Spur Ranch. Gloria and Jerry enjoyed the ride as much as the kids. The wrangler invited us to visit the baby donkey. We walked into the pasture and pet it along with some of the other donkeys. We recommend the Silver Spur for friendly wranglers, beautiful lodge, and interesting animals.

Birthday Celebrations

We celebrated Stephanie’s birthday on January 2 at a Japanese restaurant in San Marcos. The table chef prepared the entire meal in front of us. In addition to igniting a huge flame on the grill, his ability to toss the food and tools of his trade in the air and then catch them “wowed” all of us.

We gathered at the Macaroni Grill near Austin to Celebrate Lucie's ninth birthday on January 6. She will be "razor" sharp with her tennis gear, new wheels, and many other special gifts. The food was delicious and fellowship was sweet. Happy Birthday, Stephanie and Lucie!

University of Texas

Shortly after UT won the national collegiate football title, we took the grandchildren to Austin to see the campus. Vince Young, Texas's great quarterback, was the talk of the town. Many years ago, the tower on campus was infamous because of the mass slayings that took place at the hands of a deranged rifleman, who fired at will from the top. Even today, the tower is heavily shrouded in security, and there are only certain days that visitors are admitted. We were not there on one of those days.

New Years Day: A Special Blessing

Sunday was New Years Day, and we began the new year appropriately by attending the beautiful Baptist Church in Palacios. After posing for photos and enjoying fellowship with Lanny and Ruth Ann’s friends, we traveled a few miles to Blessing, where Lanny had spent his childhood years. When we entered the old Hotel Blessing for a sumptuous all-you-can-eat buffet, compliments of Lanny and Ruth Ann, we stepped back in time to 1920. Little has changed at the historic lodge since it was founded in 1916. Functional rooms are still available. The buffet meal was a real Texas style "home cooked" feast. Following lunch, we all said our goodbyes and went our separate ways. It was wonderful for the children to be able to enjoy this special holiday with both sets of grandparents.

Palacios, TX: Happy New Year 2006!

Lanny and Ruth Ann, Steve’s parents, opened their unusual, picturesque, waterside home to us for the New Years holiday. We left our car and trailer in Wimberly and rode with Stephanie, Steve and the children for three hours to reach Palocious. The celebration was well worth the long ride. New Years Eve was great fun. In addition to our carload from Wimberly, the get-to-gather was attended by Steve's sister's family from Houston, another sister from Memphis, TN and Steven’s parents. Most of the adults had trouble making it until midnight, but the kids were in full swing. Fishing, boating and eating were the primary activities on this fun-filled holiday weekend. There was also NFL football on TV plus good fellowship. We are pleased that our daughter picked a Christian man from a great Christ-centered family. He's also good looking, industrious, and smart.