San Antonio and September Pages

Labor Day weekend we took a little trip to San Antonio to tube the Comal River with some ward friends.  We decided to make a weekend out of it and stayed for two nights downtown in the Hyatt Regency hotel right across the street from the Alamo.  It had a rooftop pool with great views of the city and it sits on the Riverwalk with its great nightlife and food.

Let me just say that I have been to San Antonio several times now, and I never tire of the city.  Love, love, love it!  I have always had fantastic food there, the Alamo is so unique, and the riverwalk is just beautiful.  This time we tried a new restaurant called "The Original Mexican Restaurant."  I have tried a LOT of Mexican food in a LOT of cities, but I now have a favorite of all time.  LOVED IT!  Part of it is the awesome atmosphere.  You can sit outside along the Riverwalk or inside an old warehouse type building with lots of charm.

A mariachi band asked if we'd like a song, so we obliged.  They played the same song in the video for us.  I didn't record when they were facing us because my phone died, but the next table requested the exact same song (which was hilarious) so you can hear it with their backs facing you.  The kids were riveted on their amazing music, as was I.  This video clip is worth the download wait time in my opinion.  Gives you a little taste...

Needless to say, we ate there again the very next night.

Sunday morning we found the local meetinghouse and attended church.  It reminded us a lot of our downtown Houston ward, small in numbers, diverse members, but lots of spirit.

Afterward we set out to tour Mission Trail, a bike trail (we drove) that connects 5 missions in the San Antonio area.  Mission Concepción was having a wedding inside, so we didn't go inside, and Mission San Jose was having church services.  We were there when they let out and were treated with this great music.  Check out the clip:

Monday morning we met up with some of the ward members and tubed the Comal River.  I could kick myself for not purchasing a waterproof camera beforehand.  It was a great time, but only have one photo to show for it.  The kids loved it.  I was worried about them, but the river was slow enough that they didn't have a problem.  By the end Ethen was standing on his tube surfer style to try and keep his balance.  After the ride we went into the town of Gruene, TX, and ate at the famous Gristmill Restaurant with our friends.

Here are the layouts for September: