Places to Visit: San Antonio

Everyone knows about the Alamo - but the city's slogan should be "The Alamo and so much more".  The best times to visit - spring, summer, fall, and winter.  Being located in South Texas, the winters are very mild.

PLACES TO SEE:
1.  The Alamo -

The church turned fortress during the Texas Revolution where 189 brave Texians (as they were called then) were defeated by Santa Ana's army is located downtown.

2.  The Riverwalk-

Beautiful tree shaded sidewalks with shops and restaurants.

3.  San Antonio Botanical Gardens - located in Alamo Heights, has flora and fauna native to the area.

4.  Pearl Brewery - an old brewery that has been converted into shops and restaurants.  The brewery used to be the home of Pearl Beer.  It was built in 1883.

5.  Fiesta Texas - A Six Flags water park that is open between May and September with limited openings during other times of the year, home of watersparks, shows, and rides.

6.  Seaworld of Texas - The home of Shamu with numerous water related shows, a waterpark, and rides.  Open May-September daily with other limited openings during the year.

7.  Schlitterbahn - Not really in San Antonio, but worth the 32 mile trip north to New Braunfels.  It has been rated the #1 waterpark in America for the last 10 years.


PARKS:

San Antonio Missions National Historic Park - Preserves five frontier missions.  This is a driving tour and some of the parishes are still active. It usually takes  at least 3-4 hours. Mission San José and the park's Visitor Center usually take about 1½ to 2 hours to see and do everything. Missions Concepción, San Juan, and Espada can be viewed in 30 minutes or less. Add more time in order to visit the Espada Dam and Aqueduct.

Government Canyon State Natural Area - Government Canyon State Natural Area is an approximately 8,624-acre area in Bexar County, just outside San Antonio. The State Natural Area was purchased by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in 1993, in cooperation with Edwards Aquifer Authority (formerly Edwards Underground Water District), San Antonio Water System, the Trust for Public Land and the federal government Land and Water Conservation Fund. The park opened to the public on October 15th, 2005.

Friedrich Wilderness Park -  This is the birdwatchers paradise.  The geology can be somewhat steep, depending upon the trail.  See bird list.

EVENTS:

FEB:  San Antonio Live Stock Show & Rodeo - actually the second largest in the country only to Houston.

APR:  Poteet Strawberry Festival - takes place in a southern suburb.  Anything and everything strawberry available.


 Fiesta SA! - a 10 day celebration to commemorate the Texians victory at the Battle of San Jacinto.  It has turned into numerous activities as well as  a street party well worth the visit.

San Antonio also has numerous historic hotels that offer specials. Some include:  Sheraton Gunter, St. Anthony, Emily Morgan, Omni La Mansion Del Rio, Emily Morgan, Hotel Valencia (not historic, but nice), and of course the historic Fairmont Hotel. 


I have to include the story behind the Fairmont from their website:

As The World Watches

Then came the move that made The Fairmount famous and sparked its first rebirth.
In 1984, the city struggled with the fate of The Fairmount. Developers were preparing to erect a major new retail center and hotel that would one day be known as Rivercenter Mall and the Marriott Rivercenter Hotel. Public improvements for that project called for the widening of Bowie Street, but The Fairmount stood in the way.
Another city with fewer ties to the past might have easily gone forward with the demolition option, but San Antonio is a community famous for its conservation efforts. A local development team and local financial backers organized the Fairmount Hotel Company, which worked with the City of San Antonio, the San Antonio Conservation Society, the Texas Historical Commission and the University of Texas Center for Archaeological Research to plan and execute an out-of-the-box strategy - moving the three-story building to a new home next to the La Villita National Historic District.
The move took six days, from March 30 to April 4, 1985, and cost approximately $1 million to complete the feat. A total of 36 dollies with pneumatic tires transported 3.2
million pounds of brick, mortar and steel six blocks to The Fairmount's new home. The trip required that the Commerce Street Bridge over the San Antonio River be reinforced to accommodate the unusually heavy traffic of one building.
Moving crews met at 5 a.m. each day to begin the slow trek toward Alamo and E. Nueva streets, with thousands of local residents lining the way to watch the engineering marvel. International press covered the event, with stories about The Fairmount's move appearing across the country and in more than 30 foreign countries. The Guinness Book of World Records noted that it was the heaviest building ever moved on wheels.

If you plan on visiting San Antonio - you HAVE to try the local cuisine - tagged "Tex-Mex".  Some of my favorite restaurants include:

Mi Tierra, Los Barrios, Jacala's, Mamacita's, and a small restaurant called Gilbert's off Marbach and 410.  Gilbert is a sweetheart and he has a plate called the Jave special (Carne Guisada enchiladas) - the place ain't fancy - but it has great food!

Home Hazard Hunt

Have you looked around your house lately?  There are hazards around.  Now is the time to do something about them.

Some types of hazards to look for:

• Physical Hazards (such as broken glass (including windows), furniture (broken) or metal.
• Chemical Hazards (such as cleaners, paint, fuels) - can they be discarded safely?
• Fire Hazards (wood, paper, wiring, car)
•  Food (rusted or bulging cans, boxes with holes may indicate rodent damage, expired foods - all need to be discarded)

Here is a very good video from the Sioux Falls Fire Department:

Back Yard Gardening

Have you thought about your garden this year?

Do you have a space?  If not, what about containers?

There are several options:

Square foot gardening:

Vertical Gardens:

Raised Bed Gardens:

Aquaponics:

Container Gardens:

Go to your state extension service website and see what grows in your area.

Save money on groceries and eat healthier:

Conserve

One of the best ways to save money is to conserve - Here are some ways how:

• Turn off the lights when you are not in the room - remind your family to also!
• Turn off and unplug appliances when not in use!
• Have your cooling and/or heating system tuned up once a year!
• Plan your errands ahead of leaving the house so you save on gas!
• Hold clothing swaps!
• If needed, insulate with blankets by hanging over the windows to protect against the cold.  A wool blanket or sleeping bag will work wonders for keeping the cold out of the room.

Let's Not Forget A Date Which Will Live In Infamy!

By American Thinker's Rick Moran

Exactly 70 years ago, the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. We can look at that event now, through the prism of time and distance coldly, rationally, and understand that war was forced upon us. We can vaguely sense the outrage and shock that Americans at that time felt as an echo that has crossed over the decades to arrive diminished and largely cleansed of the raw power those emotions engendered in the America of 1941.
But if you want to get a real sense of the almost speechless rage and feelings of utter betrayal that Americans felt at the time, you can do no better than listen to Franklin Roosevelt's masterful Declaration of War, given before a joint session of Congress on December 8.
Roosevelt's indictment of the Japanese imperial empire is rightly considered one of the finest speeches of the 20th century. Like the Continental Congress laying out the reasons for going to war with Great Britain to achieve our freedom in the Declaration of Independence, Roosevelt carefully built his case for war with a series of accusations falling like hammer blows against the Japanese that leave one breathless today. The speech is short - barely 8 minutes - but it encapsulates all the horror, the anger, even the feelings of helplessness that the American people felt that day.
Listen now and be transported back in time as Roosevelt hurls down the gauntlet and challenges the mighty Japanese empire.

Text of speech follows:

Mr. Vice President, Mr. Speaker, members of the Senate and the House of Representatives:
Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 - a date which will live in infamy - the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.
The United States was at peace with that nation, and, at the solicitation of Japan, was still in conversation with its government and its Emperor looking toward the maintenance of peace in the Pacific.
Indeed, one hour after Japanese air squadrons had commenced bombing in the American island of Oahu, the Japanese Ambassador to the United States and his colleague delivered to our Secretary of State a formal reply to a recent American message. And, while this reply stated that it seemed useless to continue the existing diplomatic negotiations, it contained no threat or hint of war or of armed attack.
It will be recorded that the distance of Hawaii from Japan makes it obvious that the attack was deliberately planned many days or even weeks ago. During the intervening time the Japanese Government has deliberately sought to deceive the United States by false statements and expressions of hope for continued peace.
The attack yesterday on the Hawaiian Islands has caused severe damage to American naval and military forces. I regret to tell you that very many American lives have been lost. In addition, American ships have been reported torpedoed on the high seas between San Francisco and Honolulu.
Yesterday the Japanese Government also launched an attack against Malaya.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Hong Kong.
Last night Japanese forces attacked Guam.
Last night Japanese forces attacked the Philippine Islands.
Last night the Japanese attacked Wake Island.
And this morning the Japanese attacked Midway Island.
Japan has therefore undertaken a surprise offensive extending throughout the Pacific area. The facts of yesterday and today speak for themselves. The people of the United States have already formed their opinions and well understand the implications to the very life and safety of our nation.
As Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy I have directed that all measures be taken for our defense, that always will our whole nation remember the character of the onslaught against us.
No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people, in their righteous might, will win through to absolute victory.
I believe that I interpret the will of the Congress and of the people when I assert that we will not only defend ourselves to the uttermost but will make it very certain that this form of treachery shall never again endanger us.
Hostilities exist. There is no blinking at the fact that our people, our territory and our interests are in grave danger.
With confidence in our armed forces, with the unbounding determination of our people, we will gain the inevitable triumph. So help us God.
I ask that the Congress declare that since the unprovoked and dastardly attack by Japan on Sunday, December 7th, 1941, a state of war has existed between the United States and the Japanese Empire.

Read more: http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/12/a_date_which_will_live_in_infamy.html#ixzz1ftUGCchs

Keep Your Mortgage at 28% of Your Income!

Whenever financing a home or refinancing a home, your mortgage should not account for more than 28% of your income.  The ration is called HTI (Home to Income).  It looks like this:

• Total Income/PITIA (Principle, Interest, Taxes, Insurance, Association dues) = %

Total income may include wages, self employment income, child support, alimony, certain types of government assistance, pension, annuity income, retirement, etc..

The housing portion is Principle, Interest, Taxes (county, school, local or state), Insurance (property, flood, wind, earthquake riders), and Association (HOA or Property if a condo).

The ideal number at the end is 28% or lower.

Reduce Temptation to Spend More!

Here are some tips for reducing spending at any time!

• Don't go to the store unless you have a specific reason and then only buy what is on your list.
• Don't visit Internet sites that sell items.
• Remove yourself from company email/sale list.
• Don't browse the ads in the paper.
• Don't meet up at the mall with friends.
• Don't stop at the outlet malls on a trip.
• Get rid of the catalog and sales papers in your possession.
• Use cash!  Leave your credit cards at home.  Ladies, you know where we hide it!