August 3, 2013: August Birthdays
	May 26 - June 1, 2013: A Trip to South Dakota
	Return to the Index for 2013

This week, we are taking Prudence up on her invitation to come down to San Antonio for a few days since Karl and Nancy are going to be down there visiting. As always, we look forward to any chance to see the four of them, and were happy to drive down.

Nancy's House

Nancy has owned her own house in San Antonio for almost two years, now, and she had moved much of the furniture from her mother's house down here, and also done a lot of work on the house to put her own stamp on it. When they and we are here at teh same time, we like to go out and visit.

The house is a very nice one in a very new subdivision about 20 miles by car northwest of Ruckman Haus. Nancy wanted something closer, but most of the houses near Ruckman Haus were either too expensive or needed too much work. This one was relatively easy for her to decorate to her taste.

Although it is a bit of a drive from Prudence's, we know that Nancy and Karl like having their own place in San Antonio, with all of the things around them that they need. It is also now possible for them to bring one or more of their cats with them when they come to San Antonio, something they really couldn't do when they stayed at Ruckman Haus.

On this trip, Nancy and Karl have brought their "special needs" cat, "Pumpkin Doodle" (don't ask) down with them, and when we went out there for a visit, Fred was able to get some pictures of him. He also took some pictures around the house at Nancy's request. There are clickable thumbnails at left for some of these pictures.

The Market at the Pearl

On Saturday morning, we all decided to go down to the Pearl Brewery, which, of course, is no longer an actual brewery but an renovated area of upscale shops and living space on the Museum Reach portion of the San Antonio Riverwalk. We thought we might just wander around for a while, since Saturday is "Market Day," and there is something of a farmer's market going on. Ron also wanted to take Jax for a walk, and I volunteered to walk him.

The Pearl complex is not far from Ruckman Haus- maybe a mile or two. Once we parked near the LaGloria Restaurant (a Mexican place right on the Riverwalk that Ron and Prudence tell us is only so-so), we followed a circuitous route through the area. There is a little park there, and at one place a long, curved fountain that Fred and I used as backdrop for a few pictures. Prudence took a really nice picture of Fred and I at this fountain, and you can have a look at it here.

Some of the elements of the actual brewery were left, and these add character to the complex. The main brewery was hollowed out and converted into offices, apartments and shops. The iconic smokestack was left, and it is now decorative and can be seen from a long way up and down the Riverwalk. Also, elegant the turn-of-the-century building housing the Brewing Department was also left; it sits beside the Riverwalk, and it overlooked one of the areas where the market was going on.

I actually enjoyed holding onto Jax; he is much better behaved now that he has been going to doggy daycare each morning and socializing with other dogs (and usually getting so worn out the he is pretty docile for the rest of the day). There was a little park off to the side by the Riverwalk, and Fred got a couple of nice pictures there; there are clickable thumbnails for them below:

Walking around the market was pretty neat; there was a lot to look at and quite a few little shops that Nancy and Prudence went into to look around. About the only drawback was the heat; it was hot and steamy. But if you stayed in the shade and didn't try to turn the walk into a marathon, it wasn't bad. Fred took lots of pictures, and I've selected eight of the best ones to include here. There are clickable thumbnails for them below:

Just before we left the Pearl, Prudence took a nice photo of Karl, Fred, myself, Jax and Nancy, and you can see that photo here.

The only other picture I have to include from our trip down here was a picture Prudence took after we'd returned to Ruckman Haus and gone up to their apartment to relax. You can see that picture here.

We had a nice visit down here, as we always do, and, as we always do, we thank Prudence and Ron for their hospitality.

	August 3, 2013: August Birthdays
	May 26 - June 1, 2013: A Trip to South Dakota
	Return to the Index for 2013