Coronavirus, Part 1

Ted. The current worldwide health crisis is the first big test for the life style that Judy and I adopted three years ago. No, we are not sick but yes, we are affected by all of the changes that are occurring around us.

For starters, we have learned a lot from watching  two CNN Town Hall Meetings about the coronavirus. You can still stream them at CNN.com. [As an aside, our son, who works for CNN, did the design work for the specials.]

We also just received an email from a long time Servas friend of our who told us about life today in Turin, Italy. Her warning to us and all Americans is to take the virus very seriously.  

Sitting on the porch of our cabin on a ranch in the Texas Hill Country, it is easy to imagine that the cares of the world are far away. A trip to the grocery store quickly brings us back to reality. Our little corner of Texas, like the rest of the world, is in full blown panic mode. Is it justified? Time will tell. Is our world changing? Unquestionably. Like everyone else on the planet, we are in a “Wait and See” mode.

Short term, we are making some adjustments. On next Tuesday, we had planned to fly from San Antonio to Albuquerque, New Mexico for the next leg of our Southwest US adventure. We have now cancelled the flight and will rent a car and drive there. When we arrive, we will follow social distancing guidelines and not go out of our way to meet new folks (church, volunteering and Servas being our usual methods). Many museums and galleries may be closed and concerts and plays are being cancelled so there will be time for walks, books and puzzles. With March Madness (college basketball championship) cancelled and baseball postponed, I’ll be watching more Netflix and less sports. But these are all minor problems.

We are witnessing a planetary paradigm shift that is surpassing 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis. When it is over, I think our country, and the rest of the world will be stronger. We are all adopting healthier habits, like proper hand washing. Teachers will learn how to teach remotely and more companies will explore remote working. Businesses will expand their supply sources to decrease dependence on a single country (Ikea being a leader at this).

Will we be going to Europe this summer? Will our family gather for my Dad’s 90^th birthday celebration? Will we, our friends or family members get sick? The answer to most questions is…”Wait and See.”

By the way, we always enjoy hearing from folks who choose to read our blog. If you would like to share how you and/or your community are dealing with the coronavirus, you can use the "Contact US" block on the right side of our home page. 

Our cabin in the Texas Hill Country

Discovering San Antonio

Judy. Once I read an interview with a woman from Lagos, Nigeria, who had come to the US to study. She said the greatest misconception about her home was that people thought Lagos was filled with grass huts. “No,” she had to explain, “it’s a big city—skyscrapers and all!”

Truth is, I probably thought the same as those folks she met. I’d like to tell you I’m better than that, especially with internet photos available to me, but the fact is that I often picture places differently before I get there.

Take San Antonio. I already told you I have a sense of “big” here, but before we came, I vaguely remembered the little town with the Alamo as the center that I had visited as a child. When we asked friends who had visited here what we should do, the immediate response was “Riverwalk!” which I pictured as a small downtown touristy area. Certainly there had to be more to do than that.

But San Antonio IS big, and the Riverwalk is so much more than the sweet, touristy downtown walk with shops and restaurants and an occasional tour boat. And while we’ve spent days at home, we’ve also really come to appreciate how much there is to see and do here.

Downtown Riverwalk

The Riverwalk now runs on either side of the city for several miles. Ted told you in our last post about biking the Mission Trail, which is a part of it. But even downtown, we often took some of its winding walks from one part of the city to another, avoiding the noise and traffic above us on the streets. Early on, we went to the Pearl, a brewery turned live/play/work community, and wandered on the walk toward downtown. It was quiet, and really beautiful, and USED by people.

 

Riverwalk by the Pearl

We waded through the crowds at the Alamo, but it’s only the first of the five Missions located near the river in the city.  Our visit to those other missions taught us a lot about how and why they were established, and their part in the history of this area of Texas.

One afternoon we rode the bus downtown and walked to Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, one of the two “painted churches” in San Antonio itself. German and Czech immigrants missed their elaborate churches back home, and painted the interiors to reflect the glory they remembered.  

A Painted Church

At the Briscoe

We took the bus to the Briscoe Western Art Museum, with its Western art and historical collection of artifacts, and another night, after a dinner of appetizers and drinks, rode it again to see the historical sound and light show on the façade of the Cathedral, where, incidentally, we had seen a harp concert two weeks before.

The historical sound and light show at the Cathedral

Not far from us is the Japanese Garden, built by a Japanese family, decades ago, in an old quarry. It was well worth the short walk, even on a crowded Sunday. 

Waterfall at the Japanese Garden

The bus system itself worked well for us. We bought senior passes for the month and rode to the Rodeo, the McNay Art Museum, the grocery store, and downtown whenever we felt like it.

Around the corner from our home is NOLA, a New Orleans-inspired breakfast place. I can’t say the beignets and café-au-lait were as good as in NO, but the blue crab omelet was killer. And around the corner from that was their evening restaurant, the Cookhouse, with the best oysters I’ve had in awhile, straight from the Gulf.

 

The church we attended, Christ Episcopal, is huge, with a full campus of buildings and four Sunday services, but they have numerous Bible study groups and some great outreach opportunities. On Saturday mornings, we were able to help make breakfast tacos which they served, restaurant-style, to the homeless and working poor who came, and who later were welcomed to the food pantry and the clothes closet. On the Sunday before Mardi Gras, they had a Gospel Jazz service that had been started by Jim Culloum, who used to do the Riverwalk Jazz program on NPR, Jim has since passed away, but there were some mighty fine jazz musicians on that altar. 

Groceries ready for those who need them

Texans being the way they are, an old friend from high school, one of several who've become Texans, drove five hours to spend time with us. Melvin--now using his middle name "Dallas"--is a good friend. 

Texans have big hearts

We never made it to the Tower of the Americas, for a view of the city, or to the zoo, but we saw plenty of other San Antonio sights.

So, yeah. San Antonio is big and bustling, with a lot going on. And a whole lot more than the Riverwalk. 

Sunset from our house

San Antonio Missions

Ted. Of course, Judy and I have heard of the famous San Antonio River Walk but we thought it was just a two-mile long canal with tourist boats plying the waters and touristy cafes lining the banks. That happens to be true of the original stretch of river, which was developed downtown in the 1930’s. Since that time, though, the city has wisely expanded the walk to create a trail that now follows the San Antonio River for 15 miles.  For most of that length, it is a peaceful paved path, often on both sides of the river. 

South of town, the River Walk strings together four missions to form the San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. While the Alamo is certainly the most famous mission in this area, the 18^th century Franciscan monks established a whole series of missions along the river. 

We decided that the best way to explore this area was on two wheels so, after taking the bus to the Blue Star Arts Complex, we rented bicycles ($20 for a half day). Loading a picnic lunch and water into our baskets, we headed out on a 20 mile round trip adventure. It was a beautiful Friday afternoon and the trail was not crowded at all. 

Crossing the San Antonio, which is not a big river

Mission Concepción

Why were the indigenous hunter/gathers in this region willing to provide the labor to build these impressive complexes? Apparently, several forces were at play. Diseases introduced by the Spaniards and attacks by the warlike Lipan Apaches led to an increased need for safety and reliable food supplies.

The walls of Mission San José encompass a large area

Originally, the walls of the churches were brightly painted

Mission San Juan

In addition to the missions, we saw some wildlife and remnants of the irrigation canals (acequias)  built during the mission days to supply the crops.

This acequia is still in use

Courtyard of Mission Espada

We finished up at the Blue Star Brewery; a perfect end for an interesting day – one of the best during our visit.

We knew we were nearly back in San Antonio when we spied the tower of the Americas

Why San Antonio?

Ted. We heard this question a lot after we announced our travel plans for this spring. The short answer is “Why not San Antonio?” The reality is that we were looking for a way to return to the American West. We quickly settled on the Southwest because it would be a bit warmer. We lived in Arizona back in the 80’s but neither of us had spent much time in Texas. We have heard great things about San Antonio from folks who had visited and knew a couple of people who lived in Texas and that pretty well settled the matter.

We are two weeks into our 5-week Texas adventure and I must say that I am pleased with our choice. Frankly, the only negative so far has been the weather. We’ve had some nice days but there have been a lot of cold, rainy days. As all travelers know, weather does affect one’s impression of a place. The outlook is for sunny skies and warming temperatures so I think the worst is behind us.

So what do we like so far?

People – With the exception of one grumpy Uber driver, folks have been uniformly friendly. That includes people at our church, bus drivers, my barber, Jesse and folks we pass in the street. I was surprised by the fact that I have rarely heard that harsh (to my ear) Texas twang. Nearly everyone we meet, which includes many locals, speak in a very neutral manner. Some people we’ve met have relocated from elsewhere in the country but many were born here.

Enjoying brunch with Servas hosts Brad & Gaby

Jesse's barber shop (most heads remain unclipped)

Christ Episcopal Church is quite large but filled with lots of open, friendly members. I attend a morning men’s group, Judy goes to a knitters group and we both volunteer at the Saturday morning outreach project. This is a weekly combination food bank, clothes bank and taco breakfast serving 75 –150 needy individuals and families from the surrounding neighborhoods. Yes, I’m back in the kitchen!

This Sunday was the annual jazz mass, which was followed by a gumbo dinner - a little bit of mardi gras right here in San Antonio.

A family of Dr Seuss fans at the rodeo

"Mutton busters" at the rodeo with nervous steeds in the background

VIA Metropolitan Transit – We are carless, which is easy to do here. Yes, we do walk a lot but, as seniors, we were able to get passes for unlimited bus rides for a month for only $19. The bus system is great! The buses are neat, clean and prompt with friendly drivers.  There have only been one or two occasions where we had to take Uber. Unfortunately, we rarely see more than six people on the bus but that is typical of transit systems around this country. As the old saying goes, “it doesn’t matter how good the dog food is, if the dogs won’t eat it.” Americans just don’t like buses! 

Our home - We have a cozy, 2-bedroom duplex in a funky, gentrifying part of town. The owner is great and we’re just a five minute walk to a YMCA which is always our go-to place for workouts (me) and yoga (Judy). Plus, the barking dog next door brings back fond memories of Oaxaca.

History & Culture – Founded in 1718, there is a lot of interesting history here (remember the Alamo?). There also appears to be a lot of old money so the arts are well supported. Last night we attended a free concert at San Fernando Cathedral and tomorrow night we’ll visit the Briscoe Western Art Museum (free on Tuesday nights).

We’ve still got two more weeks here and have lots of things we want to do. We probably won’t see everything though because, as we are finding, it’s also nice just to live in San Antonio.

Memorial to the 400 families from the Canary Islands who first settled Texas

Big

Judy. Back in the ‘70’s when I was in graduate school in Denver, my best friend was a Texan named Paula. Everything about Paula was big. Big woman, big heart, big talent, big dreams, big attitude, big smile. Definitely a woman living large. She taught me a lot about acceptance, tolerance, and drive. When she passed away a few years ago, I, as well as the huge number of friends and students who loved her, was devastated. 

Big Paula, little dog

Since we’ve arrived in San Antonio, Texas, I almost feel as though Paula were back. We’ve only been here two weeks, but I get the same sense of BIG. 

It isn’t really easy to describe exactly what gives me that feeling. We’ve experienced some cold and rain, so it’s not the big skies like we saw in Montana. Our duplex is small and cozy, so it’s not our home here.

But our welcome at church has been not just warm, but a sense of “Come on in!” Our friends who sent us to the rodeo with their own tickets did so with a sense of generosity and joy. The rodeo itself was BIG, with unabashed prayers and patriotism, and pride both in the young people involved, and in using proceeds for scholarships for Texas youth. The Alamo itself may be small, but the aura surrounding it is huge. 

Big Rodeo opening

Little Alamo, big heart

Our visit to the McNay Museum introduced us to the history of Marion McNay, an arts enthusiast who generously opened her huge home to art students, and collected works of emerging abstract artists. Even the bus drivers go out of their way to make us feel at home. 

The patio of the McNay home and museum with its big fountain

There is a strong sense, not only of place, but also of history here, as well as a progressive movement toward keeping the city relevant.

 

Big waterfall in the Japanese Garden

So far, our biggest excursions have been to the Japanese Garden, the Alamo, the Pearl (formerly a brewery, now an upscale condo and shops development along the Riverwalk), the Rodeo, and the McNay Museum. Weather is getting nicer, and we have so much more to explore—the Painted Churches, the downtown Riverwalk, and the Missions, among others. And I’m sure there’s more. 

Big fish along the Riverwalk near the Pearl

‘Cause it’s true. Everything is bigger in Texas.