Remember the Alamo!

Situated about 50 miles south of Austin and 50 miles north of San Antonio is the Canyon Lake RV Resort in the Texas Hill Country, a very pretty area that we had heard about for years. The resort is located on the edge of Canyon Lake with lots of trees for shade, and with the hills in the distance, you almost forget you’re in Texas. The first thing we noticed when we arrived Mon. was all the deer that meander throughout the park. They hang out close to the RVs and campers, munching on grass, berries, and whatever people might throw to them. They don’t seem to get too close to people, but one day Russ got as close as he could and threw a couple pieces of apple in their direction. Every night, and sometimes when they get scared, they head to the wooded property next door, which according to one of the resort members belongs to a hunter. He evidently runs it as a deer lease, and she said the people in the park feed them and then he turns around and shoots them during deer season. Russ and I understand that people like to hunt, but we have never understood the concept of hunting leases where the animals gain your trust and are treated like pets just to be shot when the time comes. Hunting leases are not confined to deer but also elk, quail, turkey, etc. But anyway, as depressing a thought as that is, we enjoyed watching the grace and beauty of a dozen or so deer this week, and the dogs just wanted to play with those “big dogs”.











Being this close to San Antonio, on Wed. we decided to visit the Alamo (http://www.thealamo.org/). Most people probably don’t realize that it is situated in the heart of downtown San Antonio surrounded by skyscrapers, shops, offices, and directly across the street from the famous River Walk. And yet it was a relatively peaceful and serene place. Out front is a 60 foot tall monument dedicated to the heroes and defenders of the Alamo including William Travis, Davy Crockett, and Jim Bowie. The walls of the church and the Long Barrack are nearly 250 years old, but during the time of the battle, the church did not have a roof or the very recognizable “hump” to the church façade. Over the years repair work has been performed, and they are currently in the process of “cleaning” the interior walls, a very delicate and arduous process. Photographs are not allowed inside the church so I have no interior shots to share. When we arrived we rented the audio tour to get a better understanding of the facility and the battle that lasted 13 days. As we walked the grounds, the battle came to life through the narrative. Those famous words “Remember the Alamo!” were a rallying cry at the Battle of San Jacinto several weeks later and throughout Texas as a way to avenge and remember those who fought so heroically against overwhelming odds for freedom. Texas' independence laid the ground work for Texas' admission to the Union.










Many of you may not realize that the Alamo is actually part of a chain of 5 missions that were established along the San Antonio River in the 18th century. It was originally named Mission San Antonio de Valero and was the first mission on the river. The Spanish missions helped form the foundation for the city of San Antonio, and all are currently operated by the National Park Service with the exception of the Alamo (it’s under the care and maintenance of the State of Texas). Since I’m always eager to get our National Park Passport book stamped at locations whenever possible, we ventured south to what we thought was the main visitors’ center, Mission San Juan Capistrano. It’s located in a very serene and rural setting that was once a thriving community. As we learned from the park ranger, the main location and visitor center was a few miles north of where we were, and we had actually found the most difficult of the missions to find. Unfortunately for us the church was not open to the public and their NP stamp had recently been lost, but she gave us directions to what would be our next stop, Mission San Jose y San Miguel de Aguayo, assuring us that they would have the NP Mission stamp.

Mission San Jose is located amidst the hubbub of a neighborhood (with a Pizza Hut almost right next door). Originally founded in 1720 as the second church with construction beginning in 1768, it became known as the "Queen of the Missions" because of its large size and importance as a social center. After getting the Passport book stamped, we walked the grounds, passing several stone ovens outside the Indian Quarters within the walls of the compound on our way towards the church. With its two domes, the church is quite an impressive site. Constructed of limestone, the church has two domes, and is still in use today under the direction of the Catholic Church. The exterior has been restored to its original Baroque architecture including the ornate sacristy window known as the Rose Window, or Rosa’s Window, designed by Pedro Huizar supposedly for his lost love. The interior of the church is very simply adorned with a lovely outer room complete with votive candles for lighting. Russ and I both paused a moment to take in its simple beauty and to each light a candle in prayer. Adjacent to the church is what remains of the Convento, which provided a residence for missionaries and visitors. Though I would have liked seeing the other two missions, we needed to start heading back.

On the way we stopped at the Camping World in New Braunfels just to look around, and while there asked for recommendations on a nearby place to eat. As we had learned earlier in the week, New Braunfels is a little bit of Germany smack dab in the middle of the Hill Country, and since we like German food, were directed to try Friesenhaus (http://www.friesenhausnb.com/ ), an authentic German restaurant. The owners came from Germany about three years ago and fell in love with the area so opened this restaurant. The food was excellent which we washed down with some German beer, and then got a couple pieces of scrumptious desserts to go. Shame we won’t be here next month for the Wurstfest!


I'm sure many of you who know the San Antonio area may wonder if we checked out the River Walk while in town. We did walk across the street and down to the lower level. What we saw was very pretty, then Russ said it looked like a place to spend money, I took a couple pictures, and we left. :-) The rest of the week was pretty laid back as Russ came down with a nasty cold. We leave Mon. for Lake Whitney, TX, and awaiting the next Tigers game we'll be attending in Waco against Baylor on Sat.

Texas Grabbed Our Tigers By the Tail

On our way to Thackerville, OK, (known as the Quarter Horse capital of the world) we stopped at a KFC buffet offering a $1 discount for “seniors” over age 55, so Russ got to take advantage of his first senior discount! Then when we arrived at the campground we learned that the nearby Winstar casino offered a FREE breakfast on Wed. mornings to those 55 & older! What a deal! Of course I had to pay $10 for mine, but the food was good and after gambling a little bit, Russ actually made money covering the cost of my meal. Woohoo!

As we left Thackerville on Fri., crossing the Red River into Texas, we cranked up our CD of the Mizzou fight song believing that had brought us good luck when we entered Nebraska. Though we didn’t attend the previous week’s game in person, maybe not playing it when we entered Oklahoma had caused the Tigers’ loss at Oklahoma State last week! We weren’t taking any chances this time!

Driving down the highway, we were reminded of the interesting things one sees traveling from place to place. Take for instance this giant eagle outside a car dealership in Waco, TX, or this longhorn steer grazing on the grass between the highway and the Teco Westinghouse corporate offices in Round Rock, TX!

We discovered while in St. Louis that a couple of friends would also be attending the game in Austin. Shortly after we arrived in Austin, Bob called and told us everyone was meeting at Chuy’s Mexican Restaurant for dinner and margaritas then heading over to a hangout on campus called Posse for some after dinner drinkin’. (That's Bob in the black t-shirt) Our group was a mixture of Tiger and Longhorn fans ready for some fun and a good game! Bob's sister, Kathy, and her husband, Larry (whom we had met at our tailgate in St. Louis) had come down for the trip, too. At Chuy’s Russ and I both got the nightly special, “Hatch Chicken Enchiladas”. Having lived in New Mexico for a few years, we were both very familiar with the Hatch, NM, green chile and were excited to try the dish since it’s not something you find in most places. Chicken & green chile enchiladas topped with a creamy white cheese sauce…and it did not disappoint! Oh, yeah, and the margaritas were pretty tasty, too.

One downside to Austin seems to be the traffic. To say the least it’s a nightmare and quite dysfunctional. Russ says whoever was responsible for designing the street layout should be shot! Getting anywhere takes forever and this being a big football weekend didn’t help matters any.

Game time wasn’t until 7PM, so we hung out at the RV watching ESPN College Game Day, which was taking place on the campus in Austin that morning, and relaxing until late afternoon when we were going to meet up with Jim and his two sons. We had decided to attend the Mizzou Alumni Tailgate again like we did in Nebraska and were to meet there. An added bonus for me this weekend was that Glenda, a friend whom I worked with in Houston, was in town visiting her kids who go to the University of Texas. Her daughter’s place is only about 5 min. from the Rec Center where we were to meet Jim and the Alumni bash was happening so she walked over and we had a great albeit brief visit.

As it turns out the tailgate was a combined Tigers and Longhorns affair with cheerleaders and mascots from both schools but only the UT band. A member of the Mizzou band was sitting at our table and told us that UT would not allot them any seats at the game whether they paid for them or not! At Nebraska they were allotted 40 seats and had to pay $40 for each one so they sent a pep band out of their 250 members. Even though it would have been a much farther trip, this wasn’t even an option at UT. Anyway, the UT band did play a modified version of the Mizzou fight song twice for all of us Tiger faithful. This tailgate included a hosted bar of beer and wine, and even though Russ and Jim had started partying outside beforehand with the Jack Daniels that Jim brought along, that didn’t stop them from enjoying the free beer! We had a great time with Jim and his sons, Jimmy and Joey, but Russ and I felt the bash in Lincoln was much better.

Finally it was time to head over to the stadium. The campus is quite large and I had forgotten about the famous clock tower that rises 307 feet. It was from the observation deck of this clock tower in 1966 that Charles Whitman had randomly killed and wounded several people with a deer rifle. This was significant to me because in high school I had written a report on mass murderers for history class, and this was one of the subjects of that report. Odd to be seeing it in person after all these years.

With over 98,000 in attendance, the stadium was packed…mostly in orange and white of course. I’d like to say it was a good game, but only if you were a UT fan. With a final score of 56-31, you might think it had been a fairly tight game, but it’s only that the Tigers played a better second half but not well enough to come back and win. Plans had been to meet up with Jim and the boys afterward for a couple more drinks, but when we caught up with them, it was decided a better plan was to head back to their hotel. Jim was pretty well plastered! He had snuck some of that Jack Daniels into the stadium! It’s so funny how well respected, conservative businessmen can become college boys again! LOL

Though the Tigers have now lost two in a row, we still hold high hopes for them to finish the season as Big 12 North champions and perhaps meet up with Texas again in the Big 12 Championship. Hopefully we’ll be better prepared for them next time!

Sound of the Heartland

This has been a pretty laid back week with not much going on. We’re in Halstead, KS, a small town among many others, surrounded by acres and acres of farmland. But nestled here I discovered a real gem on Thurs. night only 15 min. away…Sound of the Heartland Chorus (http://www.soundoftheheartland.com/). And at the end of the evening all I could say was WOW!!

(For my non-Sweet Adelines friends, some of this may sound like Greek or you may find it boring, so please feel free to scroll further down and/or just look at the pictures. But for those of you who might find it interesting, please read on!)

They will be representing Region 7 at the Intl. competition in Hawaii next month and have an interesting story on how this came to be. I arrived at the rehearsal early and found the director trying to finish a quick dinner while doing some chorus work on her computer. She told me that this chorus generally has about 22 members, and back in 2006 she had talked with the director of the Oklahoma Jubilee Chorus out of Tulsa (Region 25) about doing a show together. Things went so well with the strengths of both choruses combining to create something special, unique, and wonderful. The two directors talked some more, came up with a plan, and presented their choruses with the idea of competing together under the dual membership provision with the directors sharing co-director status. This meant that the Sound of the Heartland members would have to become members of Oklahoma Jubilee, too, and vice versa. Each chorus has rehearsal on Thurs. evenings in their respective towns, and it was proposed that one Sat. a month the combined chorus would meet to rehearse (as Intl. approaches they are meeting a little more often). Everyone loved the idea, and at the regional contest in April 2007, the “new” Sound of the Heartland Chorus won! This win earned them the opportunity to represent the region at Intl. in 2008.

Now as we talked I began to realize that I wasn’t going to see the “combined” chorus that will be competing in Hawaii but rather her small chorus, and I will confess that initially I was a little disappointed. After all, I was beginning to feel like I was getting a preview of Intl. this being the third contestant I would have seen. But what I experienced was phenomenal. About 1/3 of the combined chorus was in attendance for a total of 17 women (actually 16 women plus an 11 year old girl who is a singing member; a member’s granddaughter who has been singing with them for a couple years). I participated in physical and vocal warm-ups, and then they began working on their ballad, You Can’t Go On Forever. It’s a beautiful song, and I was so pleasantly surprised when I realized I knew the arranger, Anita Barzilla! As I stood there trying to follow the music and sing along, I was amazed at what I was hearing behind me. The sound was so incredible that during the last run through I had to sit out because I wanted to listen to it from the audience perspective. I could hardly believe the sound that was coming out of just 17 people, and I kept thinking that I can't even imagine what they sound like when they have 60+ onstage! (Reminded me of another little chorus I competed with a few years ago. :-) And the showmanship was there with everyone engaged and involved in every song they did especially when they performed Hooked On A Feeling, an obvious favorite. You would imagine that your eyes would naturally go to the little girl because everyone always watches the cute little girl among a group of adult women, but I barely noticed that there was a little girl in their midst...she did not steal the spotlight from anyone! (And that’s a good thing!!)

LaDonna Cheatham has been their director since 1994 and earned the title of Master Director with their win in 2007. She is fun, energetic, and her enthusiasm is infectious. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to chat with her before the rehearsal…I felt like we were old friends. She seems to have that kind of rapport with people. With new costumes and high hopes, these ladies get the opportunity to experience performing on the Intl. stage, an event I will always cherish, and I wish them all the best in Hawaii!

Other than that we did some minor repair work around the RV (Russ is quite the handyman!), rescued Scott when his pickup got stuck in the mud and AAA wouldn’t come until the road dried the next day, and just hung out. It’s been pretty windy here in Kansas, and this is the first campground where we have seen an actual brick storm shelter. As we’ve mentioned in the past, most buildings at campgrounds are wood structures that would not hold up to much, but they obviously take storms and tornadoes very seriously here in Kansas! When we rode into town the other day, we saw several homes that had the outside steel door that leads to the basement storm shelter. And Russ thought he saw the wicked witch fly by yesterday!!

Mon. we leave for 4 nights in Thackerville, OK, before heading to Austin, TX, for the Missouri game against #1 Texas on Sat. night….GO TIGERS!!!

College Football

....by Russ Farmer

If there is anything better than spending a fall Saturday in your favorite college’s football stadium, I’m not sure what it would be. Every town that hosts collegiate games boasts that their stadium and traditions are the best, and their passion for the home team runs very deep. I think the combination of the cool crisp air (although sometimes downright cold), the trees changing colors, bands playing, fans tailgating, and the sheer excitement of the day’s activities all add to the spectacle.

I remember growing up in St. Louis, and at about the age of 6 started making the annual trek with my father to attend a Missouri Tiger game in Columbia, MO. Back in those days most games were played on Sat. afternoon starting around 1pm. I can vividly remember the 120 mile drive on those Sat. mornings. We would arrive on campus and have an early lunch at the Student Union. As game time approached, we would walk about ¾ of a mile towards the stadium accompanied by a throng of fans and oftentimes Marching Mizzou. I can remember passing amongst the ROTC dorms where those students were parading in full dress with all the pageantry. To this day I can almost taste the salted ham sandwiches that were sold at the stadium for 50 cents. My father and I both looked forward to this treat every year.

The 1960s was the golden age of football for the Tigers. During that decade they won more games than any other team in the country, and unlike today, home games were full with non-conference battles against traditional powers from all over the country. We always returned home later that day with special memories regardless of the outcome of the game. Those Saturdays had such a lasting impression on me that even though I could have attended college almost anywhere in the country, I never gave a thought to going anywhere else. During my time there as a student, those salted ham sandwiches became less important, and sneaking in a pint of Jim Beam became our group’s prime focus. Of course after the game, it was time to trek up to one of the on-campus watering holes (Harpo’s or Déjà Vu) to continue the party.

Over the years Susan and I have had the opportunity to go to many college football games. We’ve seen the New Mexico Lobos, USC vs. Notre Dame at the Coliseum, Boston College vs. Syracuse in Foxboro, MA, Clemson vs. Miami at Death Valley, MU vs. Baylor in Waco, TX, MU vs. Texas A&M in College Station, TX, and a game in Baton Rouge featuring LSU. We have seen MU defeat Illinois in St. Louis the last two years, and in 2003 flew into Columbia, MO, to see the Tigers beat the Nebraska Cornhuskers for the first time in 30 years at home. We have also had the opportunity to see our Tigers play in the Holiday, Independence, and Cotton Bowls.

We have fond memories of each of these games for many different reasons. At the A&M game we actually walked into the stadium surrounded by Secret Service agents. They were not there to escort us, but Pres. George Bush (the elder) was walking right next to us! Somehow we got caught up in their group, and the next thing you knew we were on the field, up close and personal for pre-game ceremonies. By the way if you ever get a chance to attend a game at College Station, no matter who is playing, you should make the trip. The weekend starts off with 30,000-40,000 in attendance on Fri. night at 12 midnight for the Midnight Yell, a time to practice cheers for the next day’s game. Simply amazing! Our trip to the Holiday Bowl included Mike and Pat Lutz attending the game with us. Although he was my boss, that was the beginning of a close friendship that continues to this day. That 2003 win against Nebraska was special in that after 30 years my best friends in college, who attended that game with me in 1973, were back in Columbia to see the next victory with me. One of those friends, who I had not seen in over 25 years, even snuck in a pint of Jim Beam.

You see, the game is meant to transcend time and is really not about wins and losses, but about relationships and traditions. Sure, it is more fun when your home team wins, but the real joy comes in the moment that you will be able to treasure the rest of your life.

This past weekend we had the opportunity to see a game in Lincoln, NE, one of the truly great stadiums and home to perhaps one of the most consistently great football teams during the decades of the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Nebraska fans are known across the country as perhaps the best. They are passionate about their Huskers and are proud of their program’s tradition. As we were standing outside the stadium waiting for the game to start, many of those fans came up to Susan and me and asked if we were enjoying our visit to Lincoln. They asked if there was anything they could do to make our stay more enjoyable and offered suggestions for things to do during our stay. They wished us and our team luck in the upcoming game. They all seemed very genuine and sincere in their conversations, and showed both of us that there’s more to these games than the final score.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned is carved in the façade of Nebraska’s stadium. Upon entering the gates, these words greet each and every fan: "Not the victory but the action; Not the goal but the game; In the deed the glory."

So my advice to each of you is to enjoy the moment. It’s not about the final score. Don’t agonize over the local 18-year-old phenom who decides to take his talents to another school. Don’t spend hours reviewing a critical call that may have cost your team the game, frame by frame. Don’t criticize a young man who fumbles or the quarterback that throws the untimely interception. Don’t just judge your coaches on wins and losses but also in how well he molds the character of the young men he is leading. One thing that I have learned in almost 50 years of following college football is that no school wins forever. The lucky few have continued success at best for a decade or two. Unfortunately that success brings continued high expectations. And when those expectations aren’t met, fans demand answers. There really are no answers, and too many schools and alumni fail to realize that. It’s just the evolution of the game; it wasn’t meant for one team to always win. Live in the moment, and enjoy where the ride takes you. And when the trip is over, focus on the good times. Those memories will last you a lifetime.

….and continued by Susan Farmer

Unsure of how traffic would be, we left the campground in Yutan, NE, at 3:15 heading for Lincoln but the trip only took an hour. It was homecoming weekend at the University of Nebraska, and many of the frat houses had participated in a decorating contest keeping with this year’s theme of “Journey Through the Decades”. And as you can imagine most seemed to be centered on the Tigers at the mercy of the Huskers.

The Missouri Alumni Association was holding their Spirit Rally a couple hours before game time on campus at the Lied Center. The doors to the Rally didn’t open till 5:30, so we spent the time on a gorgeous fall day outside talking with other Mizzou fans. Once inside there were all sorts of Mizzou necklaces, mini pom-poms, and stickers for the taking, and upstairs the buffet line had started for Famous Dave’s Barbecue…what a meal! Soon a group of the cheerleaders arrived as well as some of the Golden Girls dance squad, Truman - the Tiger mascot, and part of the Mizzou Marching Band. Our table was right there in the middle of it all, and Russ said it’s been years since he’s been that close to the Golden Girls! After brief speeches by the Chancellor and the Director of Athletics, and rousing renditions of the Mizzou fight song and other traditional school songs, spirits were high and it was time to head to the stadium!!

Our seats were located in the upper northeast corner of the stadium with nearly 4,000 other Mizzou fans dressed in black and gold amidst a sea of over 80,000 in Nebraska red. A couple busloads of Mizzou students and alumni had even traveled from Columbia to root their team to victory. It had been 30 years since Missouri had won in Nebraska but that drought was finally over. The Tigers hammered the Cornhuskers 52-17…the most points scored by a Missouri football team at Nebraska ever!! The wind was brisk the entire game, and when Nebraska scored their first touchdown, the thousands of red balloons that were released swiftly made their way to the top of the stadium and beyond. It was quite a sight. Yes, the final score didn’t really matter that much, but rather witnessing that tradition and being in the moment will last a lifetime. I don’t have the same type of treasured memories Russ has from college, but I’m enjoying living and making them now.




Earlier in the day it was Halloween at the campground. Since it closes for the season in a couple weeks, a full day of activities had been planned. Many of the campers had their children and/or grandchildren here for the weekend; evidently it’s a tradition that has gone on for years. Costume judging was held in the Clubhouse and then the participants paraded through the campground trick or treating. Fortunately Scott had gone to Wal-Mart on Fri. and picked up some candy for us to give out, too. Afterwards there was to be a piñata and snacks at the clubhouse, then a hot dog roast around the bonfire at night, but we were going to miss those activities because of the game. Scott attended the bonfire and said it was fun and well attended with many folks bringing side dishes to share. Yeah, would have been fun but definitely didn’t want to miss the big game!

Mon. we arrived in Halstead, KS, just north of Wichita. No particular reason; just the next destination to spend a week on our way towards TX for the next Mizzou game in a couple weeks.