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Published: February 13th 2010
Cool Mint Cafe
Zach, Andrew (holding Oliver), me, Jason, Rachel, and Grandma Jackie Yesterday was quite the adventure! My brother-in-law, Zach, recommended we eat at the Cool Mint Cafe near the University of Texas in San Marcos. It was to be Oliver's first time eating at a real restaurant (we ate at Chipotle once, but only stayed about 10 minutes). Oliver did OK. He cried a bit, but with so many people in our group, we were able to alternate holding him and entertaining him so that everyone could eat. I ordered a portabello sandwich. It was OK, albeit a little too sweet for my taste. However, the cool mint salad it came with was killer. It was made with mint and olives and onion. Delicious! Andrew ordered a sweet potato enchilada and loved it, although he got heart burn from the punch of spice later. My favorite part of the meal was my Mexican coke, made with cane sugar instead of high-fructose corn syrup. It actually tasted less sweet to me, and it had a cleaner finish. To be perfectly honest, I drank two glasses. Yum!
From Cool Mint Cafe, we headed to the Aquarena (Aqua Rena, perhaps?). Andrew's cousin, Rachel, told me stories of going there as a girl.
Rachel & Jason
Rachel with her boyfriend, Jason Apparently, there used to be a whole show there for kids. Families would board a submarine, and it would taken them down into the river/lake (which is crystal clear!), and they'd watch the mermaids and Ralph, the swimming pig. She had such nostalgia for it. We entered through the gift shop, and I browsed the merchandise. A shirt caught my attention; it had a pig on it. A real pig.
I asked Rachel about it. "Wait, was Ralph a REAL pig?" I'd thought it was animatronic! I pictured a Disney World show. Nope. She confirmed that the mermaids were people, and they had little oxygen sticks to stay underwater. And, yes, Ralph the swimming pig was a real pig. He'd dive into the water and swim around to the kids' enjoyment.
Apparently, the land was later purchased by the University to use for educational purposes. You can go on a glass-bottomed boat to look through the crystal clear water and see the fish and turtles. There's even an endangered salamander species that only lives there. Zach let us know the boat was a waste of money. However, I saw advertisements for glass-bottomed kayaks, and that sounded
Salt Shaker
This salt shaker is filled with rice. They explained to me that the rice helps absorb the moisture in the air to keep the salt from clumping. like a lot of fun. If it was 10 degrees warmer, I would have considered renting one.
We walked through the indoor area with aquariums full of local species to check out. Oliver was fascinated by the cat fish and soft-shelled turtle. Andrew talked to him about frogs, and Zach taught us about the fish. Then we proceeded outside to walk along the boardwalk. We could see through the water to see all the greenery and fish. We saw bass and frogs, and even a tri-colored heron flew by. It was a bit chilly, but Oliver didn't seem to mind the cold. There was a lot for him to see!
From San Marcos, we drove to Gruene, Texas. Apparently, it's a very German area. However, the locals pronounce it "green." We went to Gruene Hall, which is the oldest continually-running beer hall in the state. Andrew's uncle, Gene, boasted that it was in many cowboy movies. None of the movies he named I'd heard of, but then Rachel told me it was also in the John Travolta movie, "Michael." Ah-ha! I'd seen that one. The floors were wood planks that creeked as you walked, and there
Andrew and Ollie
Oliver's asleep while in his carrier as we head to Aquarena. was a stage in the back room where bands played. I loved the atmosphere, although the air was full of smoke (there's no smoking ban in the bars in Texas). Andrew had a Lone Star beer for $2.50 (cash only!), which I sampled. It was pretty good. Our group made its way outside to the picnic tables. Apparently, there aren't open container laws in many areas of Texas.
We walked to a cliff to look down on the Guadalupe River. During the summer, Rachel explained, the river is full of people from one end of the shore to another. They tube down the river, and it's a big tourist attraction. She said that most of the locals leave at this time. Still, it sounded fun to me! Maybe one year we'll come when it's warm and do a glass-bottomed kayak and then make our way to Gruene to tube down the river. Colleen also suggested we go on the Slitterbahn. It's a water park that uses water from the river. Andrew confirmed that it's a lot of fun.
On our drive back, we drove along the "Devil's spine," which allowed us to look down on the
forests of trees. It looked like they extended for miles. Homes dotted the hills, and Colleen told me that many homes in this area are built with local limestone. Lovely!
Today, our plans are up in the air. I'm not sure where our family tour-guides will take us, but I'm eager to find out!
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larry cusack
non-member comment
Lil' Texan
I would have blamed Ralph about wrecking the onesie.