Working backward, I am back at Zorida’s house writing the blog. I fly out on Monday, so this is my last night here. We decided to try out the Longhorn Steak House fifteen minutes away on roads that Zorida knows. The food was good (Zorida’s soup was salty–an issue we often have in Texas: They love salt), and my ribeye steak was excellent. The salad was the usual, but the sweet potato with butter and cinnamon sugar was perfect. I had a ginger ale and Jack Daniels, as the beer in Texas has been a disappointment these couple of days–back to whiskeys! The steak was blackened on the sides and perfect inside, and the salt was at the right level. So, it’s not a bad ending for Texas evening.
Before dinner, we napped at the house, and I rested and read my Kindle on my phone. I am enjoying my Canada-based crime murder mystery. We returned to the house after lunch on the River Walk. We tried the Casa Rio; I ordered the “deluxe plate,” their most popular item according to the menu. I will not recommend it. I wanted to try the place as it was called the longest-running restaurant on the River Walk since 1946, and I figured it might not be great, but it should be good. No recommendation from me. But still, I was happy to try it.
Briscoe Western Art Museum is on the River Walk, and we did try to find another place, but it was in a Hotel. We then walked to the River Walk and saw the Casa Rio, only to learn that we walked about twice as far as there is a back entrance from their parking lot. Also, it was $25 to park in the parking garage on a Sunday for less than four hours!
Before this, we traveled on the highways back into San Antonio from Zorida’s house to find the Briscoe Art Western Museum. There was light rain, and we could not find any reasonable street parking, so we used the parking garage across the street (for $25-30 on Sunday, as I said already!). There are no shoulders or significant space for the water to accumulate in, and thus, you have to be careful driving in the rain here as the puddles can be considerable.
The museum was wonderful and full of paintings, sculptures–metal, clay, and stone, and objects. The saddles were a study in the history of saddles, the culture of horse riding, and some just from famous folks. Pancho Via’s was not far from Wild Bill’s and a room away from Santa Anna’s sword. The paintings of views of the West and various natives, cowboys/girls, and military from long ago were stunning. A French woman had a show of her black and white photos of the current life on the range and rodeos from the current times. It was surprising and told a great story of the people of the West. It looked old and new at the same time.
The Alamo Room told the story well–their diorama was better than anything at the Alamo, and a whole Wells Fargo stagecoach made me want to build a model to match. I was only sorry that the gift shop did not have a book on the general items in the museum for me to take home. I only found wooden nickles that seemed the perfect gift.
We started the morning around 8ish, and Zorida made breakfast again. Scrambled eggs with chicken with toast.
I slept well. The mattress was unbalanced and set off of the box spring below it, and it nearly dumped me at 4ish. I pushed the bed back to normal, and all was well afterward.
Thanks for reading.
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