Remember the Alamo

The boys had their first trip as coherent young men to the Alamo yesterday. We didn’t do the guided tour (as only Jake is THAT coherent), but roamed around reading signs and looking at artifacts. They enjoyed it, and Dad and I especially enjoyed making up stories to see if they could tell we were kidding. Like, we passed a section of the building with a little door at the top of the very tall wall that had a long aluminum ladder going into it. Dad said, “Look, boys! There’s the ladder they used to get up into that room!” Jake knew pretty quickly that he was kidding, but the other two didn’t, and turned to me for verification. See, they know us well enough that they can safely assume we’re kidding until proven serious. At one point, we were standing where we could see the top floors and sign of the Crockett Hotel. I explained that it was owned by Davy Crockett’s family, so when all the defenders arrived at the mission, they stayed in the hotel until it was time to fight. Of course, Jake knew THAT wasn’t true, but Levi twisted his face up and looked at me with a half-believing smile and said, “Did they REALLY, Mom?” They are so much fun. We saw the most beautiful oak tree I’ve ever seen, on the southern side of the mission, I believe (but wouldn’t guarantee). It was GI-normous, and the branches made a full canopy that HAD to have been 20-25 feet across. It was amazing! While I’ve been to the Alamo several times in my life, I never remember much about the actual site, so it all seems new to me again. I guess that’s because we usually go about ten years between visits!

While downtown, we also ate at the Guadalajara Grill, which was our original destination. They make a soup with beef and chicken fajita, shrimp, nopalitos (cactus strips), cheese, and a spicy broth that is served in a hot rock bowl from which it derives it’s name – molcajete. White folks say it slowly… ‘mole-kah-heh’-tay.’ It’s delicious, and we make a trip down there at least once every 9 or 10 months just for that dish. Their other food is exceptional, as well, but it’s the bowl we really go for. After that, we hit the street on the way to the Alamo, and stopped to check out the mirror maze. We decided to wait until we had a little more time downtown and the boys were a little older before we spent $50 to go through it, but it looked like so much fun! In that storefront was also a little candy store, where we filled a couple of bags with bulk candy to eat while we walked. While we didn’t put much of a dent in it, we DID eat! Then we went to Schilo’s German deli for some famous rootbeer that didn’t taste anything like we remembered. It was thick and syrupy, but that didn’t stop the boys from guzzling it down. After a mug and a half, Levi started moaning about his tummy. Luke wasn’t far behind, and Levi actually waddled to the restroom because he was so full and miserable. Luke told me he had ‘learned his lesson’, but as soon as we got home, he promptly went for the candy bag again! I think it will take a lot more than a little tummy ache to teach THAT sugar fool a lesson!!

The next couple of days, we’ll be helping Craig’s brother and family move, so that ought to be fun! I’d rather be helping someone else, than moving myself any day! Jake and I are headed to piano this morning, first. He is doing SO well with his new piano teacher! His first teacher went slowly through the beginner book, teaching some fingerings, a little technique, and some little one-liner melodies. He wasn’t able to actually PLAY anything, though. With the new teacher, he has to learn a new two-handed song EVERY week, as well as figure out the melody of a well-known song or hymn by ear every week. It’s a LOT more challenging, and he’s doing great. It makes that monthly piano fee seem more important!