Texas Christmas 2011

Christmas celebrations started on Christmas eve when we were all treated to great food and company at Theresa and Steve's home.  The next morning around 11 am we all went to Liz and Dave's home for more food, champange and orange juice in preparation for opening of the Christmas presents.  Then home again to prepare the roast lamb and trifle.  This along with the Christmas cake was our contribution to Christmas feast.  Many of the homes in Eden Roc, our subdivision were brightly decorated and below is an example.  There were sparkling lights on many houses.  

Having spent the last 3 Christmas' in Canada with our great Canadian friends and lots of snow outside it was still cool enough to light a fire at Liz and Dave's.  However, there was no snow.

Christmas is about having time with family and friends and our extended Texas family truly made us welcome.

Dave and Steve are both British and their wives Liz and Theresa lived in the UK for many years so a trifle was a favourite dessert for our Brits.  Liz was doing an excellent job of serving it up to all.

Liz also made a delicious steamed pudding, something we had not eaten for 3 years and it was just great.

We even had a traditional Christmas cake.

After dining it was time to clean up and as you can see Dave is doing an excellent job of it.

It was so nice to spend this Christmas with our Texas family who are always so welcoming and kind.

We hope that you all had the opportunity to share your day with those you care about and may 2012 be a good year for all.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Christmas Greetings

We would like to wish all our relatives and friends around the world all the very best for the festive season.

May you all have a wonderful Christmas and a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year.

Last night in Tampa

Hello again.  Just a quick note on our last night in Tampa.  We are back staying at the Westin Hotel but in a different room.  We still have a great view and you will see the large ships which depart from here to the Gulf of Mexico and beyond.  They are so large that they dwarf the surrounding houses as they pass.   

Tampa is a very easy city to walk around and has many good restaurants.  We are very partial to Tapas and twice we had the opportunity to enjoy the great food served at the Tinatapas Restaurant which was just a short walk from our hotel.  The food is delicious and the staff very friendly.  If you are ever in Tampa treat yourselves to this restaurant where Scott Fox (Manager) and his staff will really look after you.  To see more about this restaurant have a look at http://www.tinatapas.com/    We are certainly purchasing a tapas cookbook when we get back to San Antonio.

Cheers to all,
Ross and Bev 

Disney World - Orlando, Florida

Following the SOMC Conference in Tampa we took the opportunity to visit Disney World in Orlando.  We stayed at the Walt Disney World Holiday Inn.  The photo below is from our balcony which was located on Beuna Vista Blvd looking north west to Disney World some 9 miles away.  

Many of  you have been to Disney World and will know of EPCOT which stands for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.  It can best be described as the thinking tourists Disney World.  Opportunites here include  amazing experience such as SOARIN.  To see more on EPCOT have a look at http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/park/epcot/      

Many nations are represented at EPCOT and a favorite place to eat for us was the Japanese pavilion which had great food and very pleasant surroundings.

There are many pretty gardens dotted around EPCOT.

Christmas decorations were everywhere throughout the park and even Pluto gets the royal treatment at this time of the year.    

We also visited Universal Studio's Adventure Island where the Harry Potter's Wizardind World is located.  For those of you who are Harry Potter fans it is really worth a visit.  

Ross enjoying fish and chips outside Harry Potter's dining hall.

Important message below.

There are numerous theme parks which offer frightening rides.

A fun place for all.

We return to San Antonio tomorrow having meet very friendly people and enjoying the opportunity to see more of this interesting country.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross 

Tampa -Florida

Hello from Tampa, Florida.  We are visiting here as Bev is attending the 2011 Special Operations Medical Association Conference which will finish on Tuesday and then we are having a couple of days in Orlando enjoying Disney Land.  Tampa has a population of 300,000 and this is the view south into the Gulf of Mexico from our hotel window.

The Tampa skyline.

Tampa is a busy shipline hub and on a daily basis there are several cruise ship departures into the Gulf of Mexico.  The ships are huge as you can see from the photo below. 

Tampa also has an historic district called the Ybor City which was founded in the 1880's by people from Spain, Cuba and Italy.    To see more of this area have a look at www.visitflorida.com/Ybor_City

One of its oldest restuarants is called the Columba Restaurant and it was stablished in 1905.  To know more about this icon have a look at www.columbiarestaurant.com/ourstory.asp

The areas has a latin feel to it with cobbled streets and interesting sidewalks.

For those who like a cigar at the end of their meal they can be found in Ybor City where cigar stores are still in business. 

The way to see the place is by trolley car which for $5.00 you can have a day's pass. 

Tampa is an easy place to get around and has lots of friendly folks.

Best wishes,

Ross and Bev 

Thanksgiving San Antonio

Thanksgiving in the USA is always celebrated on the third Thursday of November so this year we were able to celebrate 2 Thanksgivings.  One in Canada as it is celebrated on the actual day which is a month before the USA.  It was great once again to join the Reilly family on this day.  Dennis has been busy recreating his backyard which now have a great deck on which to sit.  So it was fitting that Dennis took the chance to enjoy a sit down before his skills were required in the kitchen.  

The view from his deck is over the well used swimming pool.

His new outside entertainment area was completed in time for the day.  The weather was fantastic and great use was made of this area.

Three huge turkeys were cooked over the morning, 2 of which were cooked in boiling oil.  Justin is in the process of preparing the birds for cooking and in the background you will see the turkey cooking containers.

This method of cooking is very rapid and a 23 lb turkey cooks in 45-50 minutes and looks fantastic as you can see as Justin removes it from the pot. 

Dennis is concentrating on carving the first of the 3. 

Thanksgiving is about sharing and enjoying a good time with those you care about and the spread below provides some idea of the harvest we were about to enjoy.

For many years the Reilly family has welcomed young soldiers into their home at Thanksgiving and this year we had the opportunity to enjoy the day with 6 fine young man and women.  Shortly 2 will be assigned to Germany, one to Afghanistan and the others to various places in the USA.  They were the most delightful people and were great representatives of the US Army.   The picture below says it all.  A happy day spent with great people.

We are very thankful for the life we have and for our wonderful family and friends.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Down Town - San Antonio

San Antonio and the Alamo played a critical role in the Texas Revolution and  a visit to The Alamo is a must.  A walk-through of this icon provides the story of tenacity and bravery of many men such as Crockett, Travis and Bowie who fought and died to protect this part of the country.  To see more about the Alamo have a look at http://www.thealamo.org/   

The Tower of the Americas is another landmark and it is located in HemisFair Park.  It is 750 foot tall and provides an excellent view of the city.  To read more about this have a look at http://www.toweroftheamericas.com/ 

In 1968 HemisFair Park was built to host the 1968 Worlds Fair and to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of San Antonio.  It is a beautifully landscaped surrounding, with large shade trees, flowering plants and cascading waterfalls.  To see more of this area have a look at

www.texasexplorer.com/HemisFairPark.htm

From the Tower of the Americas the following photos will give some idea of the size of the city from 750 feet up in the air. 

We enjoyed a light lunch at the restaurant in the Tower of the Americas before returning to Maple Glade.

More to follow.

Bev and Ross