And The Winner is .....

Coming back from our recent trip in Bakersfield, I realized how varied our landscaping is in Texas versus California. Yeah, green is green, but one plant that Texas does much better than California is the Crape Myrtle. In fact, Crape Myrtle is the official state shrub. It's a hardy plant that handles a wide range of weather--and in Texas that can be anything from 18 to 100 degrees.

We had Crape Myrtles in California; in fact, we had two in our yard in Bakersfield. But they didn't grow anything like the ones we have in our yard here in San Antonio. Here, they are lush, green and the when they blossom, they take your breath away. Beautiful purples, blues, reds, pinks and whites abound in the Crape Myrtles around here.

You can't go into any plant nursery in Texas without seeing Crapes lining fences and sizes ranging from one gallon and up. I've even seen huge multiple gallon containers that would take a backhoe to plant.



I think I'm partial to San Antonio and its plants. San Antonio residents tend to do more natural landscaping than California. And between the multi-colored Crape Myrtles and limestone, you toss in a rose bush or two and it's beautiful.

They bloom from about June through October and they are a breeze to take care of--give them some full sun, water and fertilizer every now and then and they will do you proud.

What's In A Name?

I came from a part of California that had some wacky town names--Weedpatch, Buttonwillow, Greenacres, Fruitvale and Oildale. But I moved to a place that has town names that don't sound like they should either. One example is the little town of Boerne, Texas. Its north of San Antonio. Most people would look at the name and pronounce it "born," but that would be wrong. It's pronounced "birney."

Another town outside of San Antonio is called Gruene. Now, most of us would pronounce it "Gruune." Nope, they pronounce it, "Green." Say what? How do you get "Green" out of Gruene? Apparently, it's the German influence. Germans settled in the Hill County, as the area around here is called, years ago. Their presence affected the food, the economy and what towns were called and pronounced.

I do keep the locals entertained with my ability to mispronounce most all names. It's not just towns, but sometimes people's last names. I get razzed for my lack of talent of pronouncing Hispanic names. I can't roll my r's and I put emphasis on parts of the name you shouldn't.

I keep trying to tell people I'm hearing impaired. It's not just being a silly white gal who has no clue. I speak what I hear and I don't hear so well.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

Everything is bigger in Texas

I've been in the middle of a "Man vs. Food," marathon on the weekends as I can fit it in between chores. I've had friends ask me if I've been to the couple of places, host Adam Richman, had visited while in San Antonio. I had missed the original airing of the show, but thanks to Netflix, I have been able to catch up on the San Antonio show, plus the other shows I haven't watched.

I hadn't been to the three places highlighted on the San Antonio show--Lulu's Bakery and Cafe, Chunky's Burgers and Big Lou's Pizza. After seeing the show, I just had to try them.

The first place we have been able to check out was Lulu's Bakery and Cafe near the RiverWalk and north of the Alamo. It's a typical, older hole-in-the-wall diner that sports almost a '50s retro/Texas theme. We decided to have breakfast first and it was nice. They promote their chicken fried steak that's as large as a plate, but that early in the morning eggs and biscuits sounded more like a breakfast. We also ordered the cinnamon roll so we could experience it first hand.

After our meal, our pink cowboy-hatted waitress brought out the humongous cinnamon roll to our table. Three and a half pounds of cinnamon goodness arrived with a steak knife stabbed in the middle of it. This was not a roll you just pick up with one hand take a bite of--you have to cut pieces off it, just to be able to get your mouth around it.



I sliced out a small slice of it and began eating. It is not just all looks. Lulu's cinnamon rolls are very tasty. They are perfectly cooked in the middle for being something so big. It wasn't doughy at all. It had the perfect amount of cinnamon and lots and lots of sugar. I think if I tried to eat the whole thing I'd die of sugar overdose.

The waitress told us that Adam finished off not only the Sheriff's platter, a huge plate of food featuring a chicken fried steak, but he also ate a whole cinnamon roll by himself. Looking at the roll in person, I have no flipping idea how he did it. It's like eating a two layer cake in one sitting.

I would have been majorly ill if I had even attempted it. It's got a LOT of sugar on it. Texas does like to do things bigger and better and Lulu's has a three and a half pound example.

Next place we have to check out is Big Lou's Pizza. Forty-two inches of pizza! There's no way I could eat that much. I will have to try a slice of it—a sliver or two. lol

Plateletpheresis

Donating blood is not for everyone. Personally, it doesn't bother me. In fact, one of the goals I wanted to achieve once I turned 18 was to donate blood. The other was to vote. Yeah, I know, I am a geek. I have been donating blood (and voting) off and on since I was 18--being turned down every now and then because I was underweight (How many times you can say that in your life? roflmao), because my iron was too low or I wasn't drinking enough water.

Drinking enough water is important in the donation process. Water helps the tech find your veins easier and it also makes the blood flow faster. Trust me; as much as I don't mind donating blood, I want the tech to find that vein as fast as they can. Needles don't bother me, but I do want a smooth and fast insertion. I'm not into pain, especially my own pain.

When I got the phone call asking if I'd donate platelets, I was a bit nervous. I had not done it before--I tried once before but, again, I wasn't drinking enough water so it would have been too hard to find a decent vein.

Platelet donations are important. Platelets help the body coagulate the blood. That way you won't bleed to death. Some people have a hard time creating platelets, especially those who are going through chemotherapy. Donations help build up their systems to fight the cancer.

I've seen the machines they use to remove platelets when I donated blood. They are intimidating machines with lots of doodads hanging off them. I will admit they scared me because of my ignorance about them.

I was taking the day off from work anyway for a doctor's appointment, so I agreed to donate. The process was going to take about two hours all together. That's way longer than just donating blood, but I learned there is a bit more involved with platelet donation than just donating blood.

With platelet donation, they take blood out of you, and separate it to collect the platelets, and then return the blood back into your body with an anticoagulant called sodium citrate. One of the side effects of the anticoagulant entering into my body was the "metallic ting" taste in my mouth. It was no big deal, they just gave me some Tums antacids and I chewed on them. The tingly taste when away quickly and didn't bother me anymore. I wasn't nauseated or dizzy.

You get to choose a movie to watch during the procedure (I watched Night at the Museum again). I was in the chair for about 90 minutes straight. You have to make sure you go to the bathroom first because once you are hooked up, you can't move. For me, that was the biggest psychological challenge. If you tell me I can't go to the bathroom, then all I want to do is go to the bathroom. But I surprised myself and did fine.




I had a single vein procedure. This means they use one needle/catheter in one arm to extract and return my blood. So it would draw for a certain time, then stop and return for a certain time. I did feel the pressure on my vein when the blood was being pumped back into my body. But after experiencing it a couple of times, I got used to it.

I wasn't the only person in there donating platelets. They had put the call out and many donors were kicking back in the chairs, watching movies and donating. The platelets don't have a long shelf life, so the donations are used within the week. We were helping people right away--our donation wasn't being stored away for a rainy day. It's needed right away. It's an awesome experience to know that what you are doing might save someone's life that same day or week.

I didn't know until they were done that I was a bonus donor. I had enough platelets in my body that my one donation would be able to help three patients or three treatments for one patient.

You can donate faster for platelets than just donating blood. Instead of waiting 56 days to donate blood again, you can donate platelets as quickly as three days later, if so needed. It's better for a person getting the donation to get platelets from the same donor to decrease problems. Some people who went through organ transplants or fighting leukemia might need multiple treatments to help them.

Personally, I might not donate again this week, but I will donate at least once a month. They offer appointments at the South Texas Blood Bank on Saturdays, so I don't have to take time off from work. The recovery time for me was nothing. I just had to make sure I drank liquids afterwards and take it easy for the rest of the day. No exercising (no complaints on that one, lol) and no heavy lifting. I felt fine afterwards.

Call your local blood bank if you are interested in donating platelets. It's a short break from your day that could help save someone's life. Go on, give a call and donate.

In south Texas, check out the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. You can visit their headquarters in their donor pavilion, located at 6211 IH 10 W., First Park Ten Boulevard in San Antonio. Contact them at (210)731-5555.

Planes and more planes

San Antonio is a big military town--from Lackland and Randolph Air Force Bases to Ft. Sam Houston. One thing that you don't get tired of here is watching all the cool planes fly around. From the fast, cool looking fighter jets who tend to fly in pairs as if playing tag--to some of the largest planes I've ever seen in my life.

I am always astounded how the big ones somehow stay up in the sky. They move so slowly they appear to be just floating in the sky like a lost child's balloon. I hold my breath, afraid they might just fall to the ground, but they finish their mission and land safely.

The sound gets you, too. My work is right near Lackland AFB, so on my lunch or breaks I see and hear the wide variety of what the military is using--not counting what the public is flying around in. Base sounding vrooms make my skin tingle with their power. The higher pitch sounds of the fighter jets as they scream across the horizon make me smile. Yeah, Top Gun is the first image in my mind when I see them.

I'm not sure what the official names of the planes I see, as I'm not experienced in that field of study. But there has to be some F-16 Fighting Falcons, and I think I've seen them. Also the C-5 Galaxy has to be the honking big planes I see flying around.

I wish I was a flying nut, then I'd know for sure. Having all these planes around does make for an interesting break. Sitting on the picnic table underneath the oak tree allows me a unique opportunity to scope out what the military is using. At least, what they let us see in the daytime. I learned from being around Edwards AFB in California, that the really cool stuff flies at night. lol

Museum Wish List

One of the things I was so excited about moving to San Antonio was the opportunity to check out the myriad of museums. From rare art, animal horns in all shapes and sizes to one of the largest collections in the southern United States of ancient Egyptian, Near Eastern, Greek and Roman art--San Antonio has it all.

I've been to the McNay Art Museum, which I loved, and I am adding the San Antonio Museum of Art to the top of my list. I am so jazzed about seeing so many wonderful exhibits. Dale Chihuly, is a well-known glass artist, and he did a permanent installation of one of his pieces at the San Antonio Art Museum or SAM. It is called "Persian Ceiling," and I am blown away just by the photo and can't wait to see it in person. The colors are so rich and vibrant it makes the blood tingle in my veins.

I was perusing the museum's site the other day and I was floored when I saw the teaser to its Western Antiquities collection. Seeing the photo of seated statue of the goddess Sekhmet made me stop cold. Wow. I want to see this in person and I will.



"The Egyptian collection represents nearly 4000 years of civilization, from the Predynastic through the late Roman and Byzantine periods. A colossal statue of the goddess Sekhmet greets visitors to the Egyptian galleries. Other highlights of the collection are a remarkable Predynastic female figurine carved of ivory and a group of 28 relief sculptures from Amarna, the capital city of the 18th Dynasty king Akhenaten. Among important works representing later phases of Egyptian history are a group of plaster mummy masks and two mummy portraits from the 2nd to 3rd century A.D."


Man, I love history. I can't wait to visit this place.

San Antonio Museum of Art
200 West Jones Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78215
(210) 978-8100
info@samuseum.org

Smells like an Onion, Feels Like a Fair

I always have an instant sensual memory when I happen to smell onion rings. Tonight, I was picking up dinner at a local hamburger place and Jerry wanted onion rings. From the moment I put the bag in my car and I smelled the rings, the image of the Kern County Fair crossed my mind.

I can close my eyes and visualize walking along the paths with the booths selling corn on the cob, gargantuan hand dipped corn dogs, and mouth watering cinnamon rolls. But it's the smell of fried onion rings that brings those images to mind. Not the smell of corn on the cob or the other items.

Warm, summer nights, the bells and whistles from the midway and trying not to sneeze from the hay bales all these cross my mind. Cowboys, wanna-be cowboys and gang bangers alike walk around the kid goats, bunny rabbits and beautiful horses.

I remember grabbing the boys when they were younger and making goofy faces for the photo booth. We eagerly awaited the strip of photos and made fun of each other. It was geeky fun and I wouldn't trade those memories for any amount of money.

I have to say I do miss the Kern County Fair. We haven't yet gone to a fair here in San Antonio. They hold theirs in February and I just can't gear myself up to go to it. I need my fair at the end of September, beginning of October for it to be a "true" fair.

I think I will just close my eyes and sniff the onion rings and remember times past.

Foggy Thoughts

I can't help myself; I bust out laughing when people in San Antonio complain about the fog. Fog? San Antonio. Please. You want to complain about fog, try driving through Tule fog. Now, that's some serious fog. I once drove into Bakersfield from Arvin where the fog was so thick that I couldn't see the past the front hood of the car. I had to drive with the window rolled down and sticking my head out every so often to try to find the white line in the road. I drove what was normally a 30 minute drive that took me almost an hour and a half. I had to drive so slow to be safe. I couldn't follow the tail lights of the car in front of me, because they could be driving off the road themselves.

People in San Antonio get so nervous in their "fog." Geez. Their fog is pretty, somewhat thin and you can easily see down the road at least four car lengths. That's a clear day in Central California. lol

But, in Bakersfield I had to laugh when it snowed six inches that one year. Residents there freaked out. They had no clue how to drive in snow. I mean come on, this is not that much snow.



When I was a kid, I had to walk to school in snow that reached my knees. Just like those stories you hear about. lol Only they were true. I used to walk in the wheel tracks of cars that drove on the road just so I didn't have to keep sinking in the snow. Once I started to drive, then I learned of a new terror. Reno can get some amazing snow storms. I can still remember driving to University of Nevada, Reno with snow like this:



Man, scraping snow/ice off your windshield was a biotch. And what's worse than driving in thick snow was hitting black ice. With black ice, it's not like you can see it to avoid it like a snow drift. With black ice, especially at night, you hit it and before you know it you are doing wheelies in the middle of a busy road. Ughhh

I guess I'm a seasoned driver. I've driven in the worst of the worst. Snow storms, Tule fog and rain that flooded the road as I drove over it.

San Antonio fog is bad. Yeah, right. rofl

Rain in San Antonio

This past Saturday, Jerry and I went to a concert that featured the Beatles tribute band, "Rain." We love Beatles music and spending a couple of hours listening to great musicians play some of our favorite music was completely cool.

Yes, I know they aren't the Beatles. They do their damndest to look, talk and sing like them, but they aren't the Fab Four. I'm not delusional to believe I was listening to the original band. But they are pretty darned good singers and musicians in their own right. The guy who portrayed George Harrison could play some serious guitar. He had two solos that were amazing.

They are more of an "event," as much as a concert, as they do videos in between the songs. There were easily three generations of fans in the audience. Everyone had a great time. It was held at the Majestic Theater, which I've mentioned before, is a gorgeous venue. The concert was sold out. In fact, Rain, sold out all eight shows they held here in San Antonio.

I think I can honestly say I enjoy the earlier music of the Beatles. "Love Me Do," "I Wanna Hold Your Hand," "Twist and Shout," and "Help." Man, I can hear those songs and instantly want to get up and dance around the room. Jerry appreciates their later studio music, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band," "Come Together," and the such. They had such diversity. There is something for everyone.

It was a sad day when the Beatles broke up and a devastating day when John was murdered. What a light of goodness he was. We haven't seen Paul McCartney in concert. He's a bit expensive. If I go to see him in concert, baby, I'm sitting right up front. He's a living piece of rock and roll history.

Going out made me realize how I want to do more of it. We've seen concerts in Bakersfield--George Thorogood, Tom Petty, Doobie Brothers, BTO and others. I think I'm going to like the diversity of the bands that come here to San Antonio.

Since it's just Jerry and I now, we can get away to do things. I'm starting to like this middle age spurt we are going through.

If Rain comes to your town, check them out. It's a great night out and will give you a chance to hear some great music.

McNay Art Museum

On a misty, rain-soaked afternoon, Jerry and I decided it was the perfect day to visit the McNay Art Museum. I had put the bug in his ear weeks earlier and we couldn't have asked for a better day to be inside. Located about 20 miles from our house, we drove through beautiful, older neighborhoods to find the museum. The McNay Art Museum was the former home of Marion Koogler McNay. And what a home it was--a mansion of beauty and charm.



Built in 1927, the mansion is a 24-room Spanish Colonial-Revival that is elaborate without being gaudy. It sits on 23 acres of surrounding land and boasts a courtyard that is lush and calming.





Mrs. McNay was an avid art collector. The very first painting she ever bought was Diego Rivera’s Delfina Flores.



She passed away in 1950, but made sure that her artwork would not only be protected, but enjoyed by everyone. She left behind a collection 700 pieces of amazing art. An endowment she created helped start the first museum of modern art in Texas which opened its doors in 1954.

The collections has grown to more than 20,000 works that includes:
•Medieval and Renaissance art.
•19th- through 21st- century European and American paintings, sculptures and photographs.
•One of the finest collections of prints and drawings in the Southwest.
•The exceptional Tobin Collection of Theatre Arts.

The museum has a visiting exhibition featuring the reclaimed artwork of Jacques Goudstikker. I really enjoyed these paintings. They were Dutch "Golden Age" paintings of the 17th century, and a handful of Renaissance paintings. I find myself drawn to paintings from this era.

We were looking at original artwork from 400-500 years ago. It's mind blowing to think that something hanging on the wall right in front of me was painted so long ago. Colors were vibrant and clear, while others were soft and muted. Clear lines, delicate brushwork on canvases that were created by natural light. No lightbulbs helped the artists. They couldn't just go down to their local Hobby Lobby and pick up a tube of paint. They had to make their own paint fresh every day.

I love the Old Masters more than the modern stuff. I admit it. In one gallery, they hung all the modern paintings and scultpures. There was a painting of a trash bag. Just a trash bag. I don't get it. Sorry. Lots of squiggly lines on one painting. No rhyme, no reason, no clarity. Just a squiggly mess.

We didn't stay long in that gallery. Some people love that kind of stuff. Not me.

Another exhibit they have is the The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper. This was a beautiful, and touching collection. I have to share what the museum had to say about the collection:

San Antonians Harmon and Harriet Kelley began collecting African American art in the 1980s. Since that time, their collection has grown quantitatively and qualitatively to become one of the finest such collections in public or private hands in the United States. Every room of their home is full of museum-quality paintings, drawings, and prints illustrating the rich history of African American art from the late 19th century to the present. The Harmon and Harriet Kelley Collection of African American Art: Works on Paper, featuring nearly 100 prints, drawings, and watercolors, is a wonderful introduction to the riches of their collection and also a remarkable and unique survey of more than a century of American art. A rare opportunity to see these privately held treasures, this exhibition also serves as an advocate for greater understanding and appreciation of the contributions made by African Americans to art history.

Harmon and Harriet Kelley were prescient as collectors, buying works of art at a time when not many other collectors were interested. Hence, their collection contains many works which are not to be seen anywhere else. Among the earliest and rarest works in the exhibition are prints by the 19-century printmaker Grafton Taylor Brown, the first documented professional graphic artist to work on the West Coast. The exhibition is also particularly rich in works by artists of the 1930s and 40s, which document in strikingly beautiful and personal ways the growing awareness of African American heritage and identity. Among the artists included in the exhibition whose work focused on the African American experience are Elizabeth Catlett, Romare Bearden, and Jacob Lawrence. The exhibition also includes contemporary works by Alison Saar and Robert Colescott. In all, more than 50 different artists are represented by works in the exhibition.

I admit I am ignorant about African American artists. I enjoyed walking from gallery to gallery admiring the work I saw. There was one particular one that grabbed my heart and literally almost made me cry.



You can just feel the emotion breathe from this artwork. I find it powerfully sad.

If you ever get a chance to visit the McNay Art Museum, I highly recommend it.

Majestic Theater

San Antonio has many entertainment venues and one of the prettiest and most unique, in my opinion, is the Majestic Theater. Jerry and I saw it for the first time when we saw a comedy show. I was blown away with how elaborate the place is. I was used to the Fox Theater in Bakersfield and thought it was a nice theater, but the Majestic leaves the Fox Theater in the dust. At one point, the Majestic was the largest theatre in Texas.

But size aside, it is a beautiful theater. It has so many visuals to it I want to go back just to tour it without seeing an event.

It's hard for me to explain the interior, so I am just going to grab what they say on their web site.

Inspired by Spanish Mission, Baroque, and Mediterranean architectural traditions, theatre patrons are transported to a fantasy villa. Walls become towers with windows of colorful glass. A rare white peacock perches on a balcony railing as doves are caught in mid-flight. Grape vines creep along the walls and luscious foliage flourishes. The vaulted "sky" comes to life as stars twinkle while drifting clouds pass by overhead. Balconies, tile roofs, arches, and columns, railings, elaborate ornamentation, statues, and a bell tower all aid in the transformation of the theatre into a mystical village.





The acoustics are really great in the theater. And even the bathrooms are cool looking. lol It's classy elegance and a beautiful lady.

Jerry and I hope to buy tickets tomorrow to watch "Rain." They are the Beatle tribute band. We plan to make a night of it with dinner out and then the concert. I am looking forward to visiting the Majestic again.

Want to learn more? Check it out.

http://www.majesticempire.com/aboutMajestic.php

Museums

There are many museums in San Antonio and I haven't seen as many as I'd like. The one that I want to see next is the McNay Art Museum. I keep hearing about it on the local news and it peaks my interest. I love art and I believe this place has exhibits that will inspire me.

For those who haven't heard about it, check this out:
http://www.mcnayart.org/#/history/

The grounds look beautiful and I think it would be a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. I just have to talk Jerry into visting it. Hummmm....must think... lol