San Antonio Zoo

The first time Beverley visited the San Antonio Zoo was in 1993 when she was posted to Fort Sam Houston.  She was taken there by Maureen Reilly (now deceased) who was to become a very dear friend to both of us.  Maureen was so thoughtful in taking Beverley to the Zoo and she did this as she thought that Beverley might be homesick and that seeing  a Kangaroo would give her great pleasure.  Well over the 19 years that we shared a great friendship with Maureen and remain so with her family she and Dennis made 2 trips to Australia and got to see Kangaroos in their home country. 

The San Antonio Zoological Gardens and Aquarium is an Association of Zoos and Aquarium-accredited zoos in Midtown San Antonio, Texas, United States. The 35-acre (14 ha) zoo has a collection of over 3,500 animals representing 750 species. The zoo's annual attendance exceeds 1,000,000.

The Richard Friedrich Aquarium was opened in 1948.

The Zoo is well set out and has animals have very comfortable homes.

Recently they have had a few new arrivals and Francois is a real cutey.

 We were fortunate to see mother and baby.  Mum is giving Francois a feed.

We enjoyed the opportunity to see the American Black Bear.  While in Fredericton we saw only one bear on the side of the road.

The Canadian Bear was not as big as these fellows.

 These Flamingos were a reminder of our time in Africa.

The Australian section provides and opportunity to gaze upon our wildlife.  So the Kangaroo which is one of the animals on our Coat of Arms rests under the shade (not of a Koolabah Tree).

While the Emu, the other animal on our Coat of Arms enjoys the rays of the afternoon sun.

The Zoo has animals from every part of the world.  The Rhino's are huge.

 The white Rhino was resting his chin.  He must have had a heavy night.

The weather is starting to cool down so it was perfect for spending several hours walking around the Zoo.

Best wishes,
Beverley and Ross



POW WOW - San Antonio

Last weekend we visited Traders Village in San Antonio.  It is the premier"Flea  Market" in San Antonio and features over 1,000 vendors selling virtually anything and everything from tires to turkey legs.  It is also the sight where a number of functions are held.  On the day we visited there was a POW WOW.  Just to freshen your memories a A pow-wow (also powwow or pow wow ) is a gathering of North America's Native people. The word derives from the Narragansett word powwaw, meaning "spiritual leader". A modern pow-wow is a specific type of event where both Native American and non-Native American people meet to dance, sing, socialize, and honor American Indian culture. There is generally a dancing competition, often with significant prize money awarded. Pow-wows vary in length from one day session of 5 to 6 hours to three days. Major pow-wows or pow-wows called for a special occasion can be up to one week long.

 

The term also has been used to describe any gathering of Native Americans of any tribe, and as such is occasionally heard in older Western movies. The word has also been used to refer to a meeting, especially a meeting of powerful people such as officers in the military. However, such use can also be viewed as disrespectful to Native culture.

Throughout the day there were many dances and the variety of wonderful dress with vibrant colours made for very pleasant experience.

 

We took the opportunity to try an Indian meatpie.  This was made with ground beef and encased in a dough like pastry.  It was very tasty.  It has spured our interest to see the POW WOW which is held each year in Dakota.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Boloxi - Mississippi

On the return home from Georgia went stayed over night in Boloxi, Mississippi.  The trip from Georgia took us past some interesting water ways. 

Boloxi is a sea side town situated in the Gulf of Mexico.  During Hurricane Katrina, Boloxi was almost obliterated and rebuilding is an ongoing activity.  There is still evidence of the disaster which flattened this coastal town.   The beaches have white sand and the water is blue.  

Slowly restaurants are opening up and we had a great seafood dinner at Snapper's Seafood restuarant.  To have a look at the menu, check out www.snappersseafoodbiloxi.com/

We really enjoyed our short stay in Boloxi and we will get back there at some stage as this is the home of Theresa and Marc.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross

Madison - Georgia

The town of Madison, Georgia is a very pretty town which has a population of 3,626 (2000 census).  It has some one hundred Antebellum homes which have been carefully restored.  While many believe that Sherman (during the civil war) spared the town because it was too beautiful to burn during his March to The Sea, the truth is that Madison was home to pro-Union Senator Joshua Hill. Hill had ties with General Sherman's brother at West Point, so his sparing the town was more political than an appreciation of its beauty. Currently, Madison has one of the largest historic districts in the state of Georgia and attracts tourists from all over the world who come to marvel at the antebellum architecture of the homes. Madison is the home of Southern Cross Guest Ranch. Southern Cross Guest Ranch is the only dude ranch in Georgia.

The Morgan Country Courthouse was built in 1905 and is an example of Beaux Arts design.  It is listed on the National Register of historic Places restored in 2005.

There are many charming houses to see and the Rogers House and Rose Cottage is c1810.  It is a Plantation Plain style home and is an example of the early architecture of the South.  There are examples of Queen Anne style homes, churches constructed with bricks made by slaves and a number of elaborate examples of sophisticated Greek Revival Architecture which adds to the charm of this town.  

Madison has lots of lovely trees and is very easy to walk around.

If  you get the opportunity to be down this way it is worth a visit.

Best wishes,

Bev and Ross



Game Day UGA

In an unusual but very generous and enjoyable gesture by Theresa and Mark, all the guests who attended the wedding in Athens GA received tickets to the big football game the following day between traditional rivals Tennessee (UT) and the home team Georgia (UGA). This was more than just a game as Theresa is a graduate of UGA and Mark graduated from UT.

Game day transforms Athens as thousands upon thousands of supporters descend on the city, booking out all accommodation and trailer parks.

This is the scene outside our motel hours before the game.

There is no point trying to drive anywhere so we all walked to the game amazed at the tailgate parties and the whole game day atmosphere.

The parties on campus were just as well attended with many sites  set up with big screen TVs to cater for all those who missed out on tickets. The game was sold out well before the weekend.

The pre game entertainment was provided by the marching bands of both universities with UGA in red and UT in gold.

The stadium holds 93,000 people which is not much less than the population of the whole city and the game was televised nationally via the UGA's own TV station (WUGA-TV).

It was a close game with UGA holding on to win by a small margin.

We thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience.

Stay safe.

Bev and Ross

Athens, Georgia

Athens, Georgia is about a 2 day drive from San Antonio and is a college/university town as well as the birth place of R.E.M and B-52's. 

 The University of Georgia has a lovely campus and was established in 1785.   33,000 students attend this campus.

The city itself is very pretty.

The town has a number of historic features such as the Old Athens Cemetery.

The cemetery is in the center of the campus and has headstones dating the American Revolution.

The University is also the home of the Georgia Bulldogs football team and there are numerous statues such as this located around the city.

There are also very interesting motor bikes. We don't pretend to know the history of this scooter but it certainly has a military theme.

There are many places to eat and we really enjoyed the East West Bistro in Broad Street where delicious food such as the spicy shrimp salad that Ross was about to eat.

And, the fried chevre and basil poblano vinaigrette dish Beverley enjoyed.

Before one can drink in Athens proof of identity is required. 

Athens has lots to offer.  Being a University town there is always something on.  On this day the University wind ensemble entertained the crowd with classical music.

To know more about this interesting town have a look at http://www.visitathensga.com


Best wishes,
Beverley and Ross

Athens Georgia - Rehersal Dinner and Wedding

Last week we spent a few days in Athens, Georgia which is a 2 day drive from San Antonio.  We were invited to Marc and Theresa's wedding. Theresa is the daughter of Regina and Jim our great friends who live in Savannah, Georgia whom we visited with a couple of years ago.  As is the custom in America the evening before the wedding (27 Sep) there is a rehearsal dinner where family and friends get together to enjoy and share in the upcoming nuptials.  Marc's parents Francoise and David live in Tennessee and prepared an excellent spread of smoked BBQ meats.  You can see the BBQ's which they brought with them from Tennessee.

The venue was at The Farmhouse Inn - At the Hundred Acre Farm which is located a few minutes drive from historic Madison, Georgia.  The farm reminded us of Beaver Dam in Canada where we spent 21/2 great years.

To see more of this property have a look at www.thefarmhouseinn.com

Francoise and her mother-in-law Jean are great cooks and these are the magnificent desserts they prepared for us all.  A great finish to a wonderful evening with lovely people and great food.

On 28Sep it was Marc and Theresa's wedding day.  They were married in the chapel at the Athens Botanical Gardens.

The reception was held in the room under the chapel and here is Marc and Theresa thanking us all for joining them on their special day.  To see more photos of the wedding please have a look at the DJs pictures. You get to them by going to www.AmbienceEventServices.com and then scroll down on the left to find Marc and Theresa's wedding photos. 

Marc and Theresa are keen university football fans and as Theresa is a graduate of the University of Georgia and it was game weekend, it was fitting that  the mascot from the Georgia Bulldogs joined in the festivities.

It was a great wedding and we wish Marc and Theresa every happiness.

More to follow on our time away,

Best wishes to all.

Bev and Ross