Home at Last

Last night at 8:30 we arrived home after a 3 and 1/2 week absence.  I don't know how people travel all of the time - it isn't for me.  Travel (to me) is tiring and disorienting.  I certainly can't focus on a job while traveling or stay involved in community activities or projects.  I just can't imagine how parents who travel are able to stay involved in their childrens' lives.  My hats off to those who do it well.

After we left our duties at the book store in St. Augustine, we stopped in the Tampa area to celebrate Jalen's 1st birthday.  This year just flew by!  He is a very happy and healthy little boy - and cute, I must say.  I'm putting up a couple of photos - you can see he can toss a basket ball already.

It seems that he enjoys getting "older" as tossing those balls is about as much fun as he has had yet!  He did not like that silly birthday hat and he was not excited about having birthday cake frosting on his hands - he put his hands out for his Dad to wipe them off.  

Well, it is great that he had family present to celebrate his 1st birthday and that they have been around to watch him grow this far.  I still love those Jalen hugs and kisses!

St. Augustine, FL

Well, Friends. I'm back at my first love - working in a used book store! By helping out at Wolf's Head Books I'm able to do the parts of the business I love - sell and buy but don't have to do the parts I don't love - worry about the rent, the orders, the employees, the insurance, the d.b. %, etc. Pure book selling - or reading if there is no selling :).


The weather is beautiful, there is a festival in town, I'm living across the street from the Atlantic and about as happy as I can be away from my own bed.  Right now I'm very happy that I offered to volunteer to help a friend.

We miss you, Harvey Wolf.
 

Used Book Stores in Texas

I've driven/ridden over 2000 miles in the past 2 weeks and have visited antique malls, used book stores and library resale areas in numerous towns.  It would seem to me that Texas is a hard state to find reasonably priced books in v.g. condition.  Either the books weren't of any interest to me, they were very expensive or in very poor condition. Or all 3!

In one town (not in TX) a bookstore I went into was so small and so crowded that I literally could barely move sideways down the aisle (walk would indicate forward momentum).  There were 2 L shape areas nestled so close together that I though the clerk was kidding when he said any FL history would be inside the area!  And I'm not THAT big a person (petite people would have had a problem).  Anyways, there were books everywhere in this tiny shop.  When the guy said he had been there since 1986 - and I almost asked if he had sold anything yet!

It is just truly a fun experience to see how so many shops are arranged, what kind of stock they have and get the feel of the place.  And I don't understand shops where the new "customer" isn't acknowledged or welcomed when s/he enters the store.  A simple "hi" or "welcome" would be nice and many dealers don't offer it - I wonder why.

San Antonio Alamo

Alamo Cactus

Texas Wild Flowers including famous Blue Bonnet

San Antonio is Done

We came, we saw, we ate, we walked and we're gone! Sunday AM we head for New Orleans.  Here are a few more photos of our visit in this very tourist friendly town.

Cactus

Can't remember!

We took the river tour.

Great Dane on the Riverwalk - everyone loves their dog! 155 lbs. sitting with owner at restaurant.

 

Fiesta - food, music, dancing, buying and people watching. 

 St. Mary's Catholic Church

Bell's on River Tour

More Riverwalk

The Riverwalk is more upscale than what we thought - not run down at all!  We took the boat road on the river and were surprised that it is 25 ft. deep in some places.  Surprised because there are so many tourists walking around and in many places there are no railings - you just have to figure out for yourself that if you could fall in - I didn't even see a warning:  "Notice: Water is wet, cold and deep _ Caution should be used!".  I wonder why we need notices on carry out coffee cups that say coffer "may be hot" but we don't need railing with crowds?

We also went to the Alamo - just because it was there and listened to the history of the area.  The volunteer did a very nice job.  Our weather was threatening with lots of rain in the area but we had quite a nice day.

San Antonio - Finally!

Wefinally made it to San Antonio River Walk and already love it and are over whelmed with things to do.  It is rainy here tonight so the photos are not bright and shinny - just like it looks in a rainy day.

Fort Worth Art Fair and Area

We're
really loving the Fort Worth area. Dallas is BIG but Fort Worth is manageable and has some history.
These wire art images floating in the air were my favorite art show pieces.  

This cattle mural is very big and represents the Fort Worth cattle history.  

You
can't have a good art fair without food.  I saw this "plate" of "insects" being shared by a very happy looking couple.  For outside fair food, I think I prefer a carmled apple!

Joel Hill, Bob's brother-in-law loves to take Max, his Babe Magnet to such events! Max soaks up the attention and honestly, so did Joel.  Bob is now considering a small dog  :(

Bob's sister has been cooking wonderful meals for us, I'm gaining weight and our vacation is only a week old!  Once we don't have these steak and shrimp and pasta dinners with bottles of wine, maybe I'll be able to focus more on salads :(.  Not nearly as much fun.

If anyone is considering a TX vacation, I suggest this time of the year.  We're hoping to see some of the blue bonnets and other wild flowers as we drive to San Antonio.  The weather is wonderful and the antique malls we've been to have been very, very big!  Texas sized, I suppose.  Big enough to have shopping carts!  I've never been to an antique store with a shopping cart and I don't think I like it - sticking antiques into a Big Lots type cart just doesn't do anything for the ambiance of the shopping experience.

Well, today we're going to Grapevine and Central Marketplace, a "destination" shopping experience for international and deli foods.  Yummm.