Queen of the Missions

The Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo is considered the "Queen of Missions" and was the second of the missions founded in what grew to become San Antonio, Texas.  On our recent trip to San Antonio we spent some time touring the mission complex.

The view above is of the restored entrance to the mission which was founded in 1720.  The compound is very large and from outside the entrance we were unable to see the church.

Once we entered the gate I turned around a took this photo from the inside.  Notice the platform and gun ports above the gate.

In the first photo you should have noticed the round structure to the right.  The photo above is the inside of that building.  Note the cannon ports as well as the gun port at the top.  A platform at slightly higher than head height encircled the room giving the guards a place to stand from which to fire through the ports.  This mission was more than just a church.  It was a fortified city able to resist attack by Comanche and other tribes.

The above view is from the gate, looking toward the church.  In the foreground you see the foundation of another structure -- possibly officers quarters for the troops stationed at the mission.

The interior of the walls was actually a continuous series of apartments that housed the Indians (native Americans if you prefer) that had been converted to the Catholic faith.  In many ways, these Indians were slaves in service of the church -- tending fields, digging the system of acequias, and providing labor for other tasks as needed.  There were also compartments used for storing arms and ammunition and store rooms of other sorts.  Note the oven for baking.

As we approached the church complex we began to realize the size of the structure.  Again, note the oven on the right and the foundation of another building ahead.

This is another view of the church complex.  The mission was constructed over a period between 1768 and 1782 using the labor of the Indian converts.

Most people would call this yucca -- I grew up calling it Bear Grass.  Yucca is generally a broader leaf.  The showy blooms on these caught my eye.

I like the arches.  The contrast beween the greenery and the stone of the ancient structure emphasizes the "Old World" look of the church and attached buildings.

The different layers of this perspective were interesting to me.  Note that there are three rows of arches.

This was a rare moment that the walk beneath the arches had no people in it.

Water is always a necessity.  There were a couple of wells within the property as well as the acequia flowing just to the rear of the church complex.  An acequia is an irrigation canal.  If the inhabitants of the fortified city were cut off from the San Antonio River and irrigation canals, they would always have a supply of water at hand within the walls.

Behind the church complex were the Friars quarters and beyond them, a flour mill.  The mill you see in the photo was probably the most intriguing part of the mission complex to me.  What you see is a guess as to the way the original mill appeared.  This is a restoration that was done in the 1930's.  The grindstone is a monolithic block of chert.  The short post on the left supported a beam beneath the floor which in turn supported the water wheel and grindstone mechanism.  The wedges driven through the slot in the post were used to adjust the tolerance of the grindstone by slightly raising or lowering the mechanism below the floor.  The taller post was a crane that could be pivoted and used to lift the stone for cleaning or replacement.

This mill could produce about 50 lbs. of flour per hour -- more than enough to supply the approximately 300 residents.  The wheat was poured into the hopper at the top and the flour caught in a bucket.  This mill house has a stone floor.  It is more likely that the floor was made of wood so that in the event the grindstone was dropped it wouldn't break.  Such stones were prized possessions and difficult to come by -- likely being imported from France.

The wooden arm protruding through the window controlled the water flow by raising and lowering a gate.  The water fell approximately 9 feet to turn a horizontal waterwheel attached to the shaft which in turn rotated the grindstone.

Above is a photo of the church and you can just make out the Friars Quarters on the left edge of the photo.

Stonework above the entry to the church.

The Madonna and Child.

Mission Concepcion, San Antonio, Texas

The Mission Concepcion in San Antonio, Texas, was another stop on our recent travels.  Established in 1716, it was re-located to its present site in 1731 and is the oldest un-restored church in America.  The mission is located at 807 Mission Road.  At its height, around 1762, the mission boasted a population of 207 and had seen 792 baptisms.  It had ceased to exist as an independent mission by the end of the century.

Mission Concepcion

The ruined area to the right contained the living quarters of the Franciscans.

I'm always facinated by arches which were critical to the strength and stability of the structure.  It's too bad the park service finds it necessary to place modern benches and garbage containers in the structure.

The orginal paintings on the interior are very interesting.  Note the steel supporting rod at the top of the photo -- not original equipment.

The church continues to be used today.  It is interesting to see the contrast between the modern greenery and rug and the painting on the plastered walls.

The seating is very old although not, I'm sure, as old as the structure itself.  Note again the arched ceiling necessary for strength.  The dome that can be seen in the first photo covers the altar area at the front of the chapel that you see in this photo.

TCFA Convention

Yesterday was another day of travel. After church and lunch I drove to San Antonio. It is about 530 miles.

On the way down I stopped in Kerrville for a bite to eat and ran into a couple from my home town. They also were headed to the TCFA Convention. Then after checking into the Crowne Plaza I turned around and saw 9 more people that live within 10 miles of me.

I am certain that a majority of the attendees will be from the Texas Panhandle area because that is where most of the cattle feeding occurs within the state. There are feedyards scattered throughout the state but the majority are in the Panhandle.

Some of the "hot" topics for this year's convention are 1) the impact of ethanol on cattle feeding, 2) animal activism and 3) export markets. The first one is really the only "new" topic. It seems like year after year there is concern over export markets and animal activism.

Home Again

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

El Mercado in San Antonio this morning followed by lunch at Mi Tierra Restaurant completed our trip. We left San Antonio around 1:00 pm and headed home. Our return was interrupted by a brief stop in Ballinger, Texas, to visit an antique shop that was having a "going out of business" sale. We managed to escape without a purchase. We had pizza in Snyder and then arrived home a little after 10:30 pm. The first chore upon arrival was re-wrapping the fish into appropriate sizes and getting it into the freezer. Now it is time for bed.

No matter where we roam
There's no place like home.

Well, maybe.....

Fiesta Texas

After picking up our fish from overnight freezing at Dolphin Docks, we headed across to Aransas Pass via the ferry. It was a very short ferry ride, but it put us on the north side of Corpus Christi Bay. From there we traveled west through Ingleside and then back across the bay into Corpus Christi. The bridge crossing the ship channel into Corpus Christi gave us a great view of the USS Lexington. Several year ago we were here and took the tour of the Lexington. It was very interesting. It is amazing how large an aircraft carrier actually is. There are many in use today that are much larger than the Lexington. We could also see numerous barges and other ships in the channel -- either docked at some of the many factories and warehouses, or moving up or down the channel.

We headed west from Corpus Christi on Interstate Highway 10 to San Antonio where we grabbed a quick lunch at WhattaBurger before heading to Fiesta Texas (a Six Flags Amusement Park). We should have realized how bad the crowds would be when we exited the Interstate to find traffic being diverted about 4 miles out of the way before being allowed to enter the park. Once we were able to enter the drive to the park, we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes to go through the automobile entry gate into the parking area. It was only the first of the many interminable seeming lines.

There seemed to be a direct correlation between the length of wait and the length of the ride. A 30 minute waiting line terminated in a 30 second ride. A 2-hour line led to a 2 minute ride. It was crazy. The best part of the park was the great weather. It was a perfect mid-70's day.

After spending about 7 hours to ride 5 rides, we decided it was time to leave. We were wet and hungry and getting cold from being wet. So, we headed into Boerne (pronounced burn-ee) to check into the motel and eat. After checking in, we quickly changed into dry clothes and went to Chili's for supper. It was very good.

Tomorrow we are heading back into San Antonio for a while -- probably to El Mercado and the River Walk -- possibly to the zoo -- and then heading back toward home. We may drive all the way, or we may stop somewhere before we get there and spend the night. It depends on how long we decide to stay in San Antonio.

Deep Sea Fishing

We left Dolphin Docks this morning at 7:30 a.m. on the "Dolphin Express" for our 8-hour fishing trip. It was very foggy. The 2 1/2 hours out were a little rough and a lot of people suffered. However, the fishing was good. We all caught our limit of King Fish and there were many other fish caught. My son and I ended up with a little over 75 lbs. of fish! He seemed to enjoy the trip a lot. In a few days I will attempt to post a few pictures from the trip.

As we started out of Corpus Christi Bay we were accompanied by 3 Dolphins (porpoises). They stayed with us only a short distance, but it was fun to see them darting back-and-forth in front of the bow of the boat.

I think I would really enjoy staying down here through the winters. Probably from about the 1st of November through April. The rest of the year is probably too hot for my tastes. Right now is just about perfect. The high today in Corpus Christi was supposed to be 81F but I suspect that it never got above 75F on the water.

When we returned to port we were craving Mexican Food, so we ate at La Playa Restaurant. It was very good. I would recommend it.

Tomorrow we head for San Antonio and Fiesta Texas and possibly the River Walk tomorrow night. It's only about a 2 1/2 hour drive from here to San Antonio. I hope the weather is as nice tomorrow as it was here today.