Alamo

We spent a lazy morning at the camper. The last couple of driving days were stressful! Rich called the VA about medicine for when we get home and made January appointments, including one for his leg. Then, we went to the Alamo! Everybody remembers hearing about the Alamo and the famous people who died there, but unless you're a Western history buff like Rich, it's hard to remember why it was important. We walked all around the Alamo and never did learn very much. So, Nancy bought a book to help out. First, the Alamo was part of the mission system for seventy years starting in 1718 and was called the Misson San Antonio de Valero. Each of the five missions here was self-sufficient and grew fruits, vegetables , and grains for the friars and for the natives who lived inside the walls. The locals were also taught skills to maintain the community from iron working to weaving. In 1793, the Spanish government gave the farmland of all five missions to the Native residents. Around 1800, Spanish soldiers occupied the former missions and called the San Antonio, the Alamo in honor of their hometown. Spanish, Rebels, or Mexican soldiers occupied the Alamo for years and it was deteriorating and falling apart. Then the Texas colonists, three quarters of whom were Americans, decided to rebel against the Mexican government in 1836 because the laws about their land kept being changed. The volunteers had some victories, including ones in San Antonio, and then occupied the Alamo. 200 men were then under attack for 13 days by over 2000 Mexican soldiers. All but six men died, and they were quickly executed. The women and children (women and children??? who knew???) were released with money and blankets. The fact that the women and children carried the story and that Davey Crockett, a popular figure, was among the dead fired up the rest of the country to "Remember the Alamo." Eventually, that cry helped win battles and Texas won its freedom and became its own country for about 11 years. Now, the Alamo is operated by The Daughters of the Republic of Texas as a sacred shrine to those who struggled against overwhelming odds and sacrificed their lives for the cause of freedom.
After all that, we got Daisy and took a walk on the River Walk. It is a beautifully landscaped section of the San Antonio River in downtown that is lined with fountains and waterfalls, hotels and restaurants. We'd been so looking forward to this! We ate lunch at an outside cafe by the river at the Hilton. Daisy was welcome. The waiter even brought her a bowl of water. After another stroll, we returned to the RV park and made plans to board Daisy for the next two days so we could ride the boats on the river tour.
We slept with thoughts of the peaceful Alamo site and the battle that once was.

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