San Antonio Tea Party

Being good Right Wingers, we decided to attend a Tea Party to protest the thoughtless, dangerous and wasteful spending and taxing by our government. (both parties are guilty of this) We were going to attend a smaller gathering in our neighborhood but I had a last minute idea to go to a bigger rally at the Alamo. Gigi hooked us up with a great deal at the Marriott on the Riverwalk. (Thanks a ton, the hotel is very nice.) I am glad we went, the turn out was huge. 16,000 people! Ted Nugent and Glen Beck were a big draw, as was the cause and the location. People there were very nice, no rioting or destruction of private property. No fighting or any disruptive behavior. Everyone respected the Alamo and stayed in the designated areas. The TV coverage did not do justice to the size of the crowd. All the side streets were packed. People thought of some hilarious signs. I liked that people came up with their own signs and were not issued slogans like you see at liberal riots. After the party we went on a boat tour of the Riverwalk which was very informative and cool. Then, in the morning, we drove went to Mission San Jose built in 1720. It was like touring old castle ruins. Then we drove through the hill country through New Braunfels to an old town called Gruene, pronounced Green. It is a historical old town turned into a boutique shopping area on the banks of the Guadalupe River. I was excited to see how clear the river is and look forward to flyfishing again. Remington was as good as can be expected and it was a much need change of scenery for all of us. They are having another rally on the Fourth of July, hopefully we can make it out there again.

View of the Alamo and the Tea Party from the hotel room a couple hours before the event. You can see how big the crowd was, before it even started.


Street level view of the crowd


Remo stretching his legs at the Alamo


A few pictures of Mission San Jose, located a few miles from the Alamo

Easter time

We attended Kingwood's annual Picnic on the Park yesterday. Rems had his first Easter egg hunt. He was the most somber egg-hunter ever, still recovering from a nasty stomach bug! We saw ponies, goats, chickens, a pig, dyed Easter-ducks, reptiles and more! Rems and his best fiend, I mean friend Alek rode around in the wagon and wore their matching jackets. What a beautiful day!

Newsletter: Month 13

Dear Remi,

Today you turn 13 months old.

You've been all over town. You visited the Johnson Space Center (where you fell asleep,) the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo (where you fell asleep,) the Bluebell ice cream factory (you fell asleep to and from,)
and Galveston (twice...and guess what? You fell asleep!) Grandma Sano came for a week-long visit and Uncle Roger made a brief stop in Houston, too.
Grandma gave you your first haircut:
And you took your first train ride. Well, tram ride:
You had your first bite of ice cream:
You had your first wagon ride:
And had your first glimpse of a tarantula!
First roll around in the woodchips at the park:
After a month of many firsts, you also are going through your first sickness. You won't eat, you barely drink, and you have gone through about 20 diapers today. Somehow, you still manage a sweet smile here and there. Get well soon!
Love you to bits!!!
Love,
Mama

Hippitus Hoppitus, Easter's on it's way

I was asking Keith the other day why he thinks the Easter bunny lays eggs. Here is an interesting explanation...

The idea of an egg-laying bunny came to the United States in the 18th century. German immigrants in the Pennsylvania Dutch area told their children about the "Osterhas," sometimes spelled "Oschter Haws." "Hase" means "hare," not rabbit, and in Northwest European folklore the "Easter Bunny" indeed is a hare, not a rabbit. According to the legend, only good children received gifts of colored eggs in the nests that they made in their caps and bonnets before Easter. In 1835, Jakob Grimm wrote of long-standing similar myths in Germany itself. Noting many related landmarks and customs, Grimm suggested that these derived from legends of Ostara.

The German and Amish legends were most likely rooted in European folklore about hares' eggs which seems to have been a confusion between hares raising their young at ground level and the finding of plovers' nests nearby, abandoned by the adult birds to distract predators. Hares use a hollow called a form rather than a burrow. Lapwings nest on the same sort of ground, and their nests look very similar to hare forms. So in the Spring, eggs would be found in what looked like hare forms, giving rise to the belief that the hare laid eggs in the spring.

I am SO far behind!

Beth, don't think we have forgotten you already! I have been a lazy blogger! I wanted to post the few pictures I have of your lovely trip to visit (mostly of the space center.) Come back soon!

Fresh Herbs

Hey, Keith!
Here are your preciousessss...
Yes, I'm taking care of them!

A Wonderful Visit

My Aunt Marian visited last week from South Dakota. We get to see her so rarely, but it is a real treat when we do! Remi and I were lucky enough to see her two nights in a row (Keith was even able to join us one of those nights)
"The Girls"
"The Blood"