San Antonio, TX – Dec 16, 2011

I was going to post my last entry for the year and I noticed I had some San Antonio shots I forgot to show. Instead of piggy banks…they have cow banks:

The muffler man in San Antonio is a Big Injin Car Salesman.

Although I first showed you the World’s Largest Boots in July of 2010 (Link top: San Antonio - 2010). Now, I can show you what they look like with Christmas lights:

The Alamo, San Antonio, TX - 15 DEC 2011

Forget the River Walk, the “must see” for me is the Alamo…the place where two American Pioneer Icons (David Crockett and Jim Bowie) met their death on March 6, 1836. 

Most of what was once the Alamo (Misión San Antonio de Valero) compound has been swallowed by the concrete and buildings of downtown San Antonio. 

The north wall where the commander William B. Travis was shot during the final siege, lies under the US Post Office Building.

Entering through Gate 4, we were greeted by beautifully landscaped grounds.

The Convent Courtyard had this historic live oak tree under which is a fenced off well:

Planted in 1914

The Gift Shop also contains exhibits of military artifacts, long rifles, bowie knives and other Alamo archeology:

Notice the building date, 1936, and the Shrine motif.

Near the gift shop is a Wall of History which gives details about the Almo’s 300 year existence. 

A small portion of the original living quarters (for priests, native peoples and soldiers) is now the Long Barrack Museum.

In 1914 a Japanese geography professor, Shigetaka Shiga, presented this monument to the Almo. It contains a poem which compares the Almo to The Siege of Nagashino Castle which took place in 1575.

And finally, I found the most photographed facade in the nation, the Shrine (Chapel) which has come to represent The Alamo and the famous battle for Texas independence: 

The best story is how a 23 year old heiress, Clara Driscoll, used a $1,000 of her own money, in 1905, to save this last remaining section of the Alamo for future generations.

Turning around, across the street from the Shrine, I found a Texas version of a Christmas tree.  It was adorned with: college emblems, Road Runners, oil derricks, boot spurs, long horn cattle, lone stars, outlines of the shape of the state, two types of cactus, howling coyotes, horses, cowboy boots, wagon wheels, rabbits, maple leaves (they have 19 different types of maples in Texas) and of course, armadillos.

Earl Abel's, San Antonio, TX – 09 AUG 2011

When Rob heard I was gong to Fort Sam Houston, he started insisting that I check out a restaurant named Earl Abel’s. Rob had gone to college in San Antonio and remembered the old local land mark as having good home style cooking. He talked about it so many times, I had the name memorized. As part of my class introductions, I ask students to tell me a little known fact, about their home town. My first student was from the area, so I asked him if he knew of Earl Abel’s…and of coursed he did. They are no longer located on Hildebrand and Broadway, as Rob remembered, the restaurant was sold, the old building demolished, and the property sold. The new owners rebuilt in a strip mall on Austin Highway.

They have a complete history of the placed printed on the menus. The condensed version is: Earl Abel was a organist for silent films…having once shared top billing with Rudy Vallee, Charlie Chaplin and Bing Crosby, the advent of “talkies” required he find a new means of support. In 1933 he opened his first restaurant in a small house on Main Street. Being in the mist of the Great Depression he had to use his entertainer skills to draw people in. Being before the days of mass air conditioning, he moved the restaurant outside calling it “The Garden of Eatin ” Then he offered a joke for every 5¢ beer that was sold…pretty soon his jokes and stories attracted as many customers as the ‘great food’. When “Adventures In Good Eating” by Duncan Hines featured Earl Abel’s, everything took off…he expanded to six location (including one in California) with the Broadway/Hildebrand location being built in 1940. The labor shortage during WWII caused all but the one location to close.

My meal was so big, I forgot I wanted to try the fried pickles...I did take a piece of German chocolate cake to go (it took me three days to finish it).

The new owners have kept the essence of Earl alive…good comfort food, reasonable prices, and a sense of humor.

The place looks empty because it was only 4:00 PM.

There were several humorous signs (they look like they were from the 30's) saying things such as: "Its tough to pay $1.25 for a stake but 50¢ Steaks are Tougher." or "It was a Brave Man who ate the First Oyster."

I have no idea what the sign on the left means (above).

There was a large mural above the booths (see panels below):

Looks like The Colonel made it here, too!

I order chicken fried steak…it was the best I’ve EVER had! It had big crunchy corn flakes covering, fresh mashed potatoes, green beans that came from the farm (not a can or freezer). I asked for the gravy on the side, and it was also good.

Looks like they once had car hops.

They even have a website: Link to: Earl Abel

If I’m ever in the area again, I’ll return to Earl Abel’s…Rob, you were right, I loved the place.

Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, TX - 30 JUL 2010

Fort Sam Houston has several decorative gates (no longer in use), proclaiming it's beginnings as 1876. It has the most historic buildings of any active installation; consequently, the entire Fort is designated as a National Historic Landmark and no building can be replaced or repaired without a lot of red tape. The place seems to be in a constant state of restoration, one building after another, over the years, receiving a historic face-lift. 

It seems I'm following Geronimo around the country...as they have an entire pamphlet titled: Geronimo at Fort Sam Houston. This is the tower at The Quadrangle, which is the oldest structure on the post and the former Quartermaster Supply Depot. There is no truth to the rumor that Geronimo leaped from this tower in an attempt to escape. In 1886, he only spent a couple of months here, as a prisoner, shortly after his capture. And when some soldiers took him up into the tower, he refused to go out on the balcony, fearing they wanted to throw him off.

I was fascinated with this friendship between a peacock and a rooster. They never left each others side the whole time I was there and the rooster kept crowing as if to impressed his friend.

 Tinky Winky take a ride:

The Quadrangle and the two museums, Fort Sam Houston Museum & US Army Medical Department Museum, are open to the public. I preferred the Medical museum as TW kept putting herself into the action. Tinky Winky comforts a wounded solider:

 TW directs an operation:

 TW joins Desert Storm:

TW learns how to drive a jeep:

I learned a new (for me) piece of Black History from the Medical Museum. Charles R. Drew, an African-American Army surgeon, pioneered the blood-bank when he developed improved techniques for blood storage, which saved thousands of lives during WWII. He was the first director of the Red Cross; however, racial segregation of donated blood caused him to resign in protest as there was "no scientific basis" for this practice.

This beautiful hand carved Korean Woman seems out of place in a medical museum, until you learn the story. In 1951, a member of the 45th Surgical Hospital acquired her in Seoul. She was dubbed "Agnes" and quickly became a treasured mascot. In 1954, the Mayor of Seoul authorized her removal from Korea as a gift to the unit.

Not far from the Fort, is the Pearl Brewing Company started in 1881. In 1886, it was renamed the San Antonio Brewing Company. By 1916, it became the largest brewery in Texas, with a capacity of 110,000 barrels per year. It was the only brewery in San Antonio to survive prohibition and within 15 minutes after prohibition ended, 100 trucks & 25 boxcars loaded with Pearl beer, rolled out the doors. Bought out by Pabst, they closed down in 2000. The historic site is currently owned by Silver Ventures which plans to transform it into a village where people can live, shop & work. I hope they succeed.

I had just enough time before flying home, to catch one of San Antonio's off beat tourist attractions. The Worlds Largest Cowboy Boots (40' tall):