Day 7 – August
28, 2004
{Photos} Relaxation Day {Home}
Today we
did not have to get up early because our kids were going to meet us at the
motel. They arrived around 9 am and we
spent time just talking. Even as close as we are, it is still always special
when you can get your grown children to spend time just sitting around talking
and we treat those times as special times. A few hours later, Cory and Angie
wanted decided to go for a swim and Kelly, Karen and I took a ride downtown to
check out the Alamo and the River walk. I somehow always
pictured the Alamo as being more of a tourist attraction
separated from everything else so I was surprised to find it right in the
middle of town on a main street. We parked the bikes in a multilevel parking
garage and took a stroll down along the river. Diamond and I enjoyed an ice
cream cone made in front of us by mixing some sweet cream and chocolate chips.
Kelly also got ice cream and we watched the boats ferrying people around the
area while Karen got a Starbucks coffee. I am not sure where the boats went,
but the people seemed to be having a good time. There were so many restaurants
and sidewalk cafés that you just had to try something. I think there were as
many tourists watching us with Diamond riding the bike as there were looking at
the sights downtown. We even had one couple ask us if we would let them take a
picture of us. Then we headed over to Joe’s Crab Shack for a Saturday night
meal that we hoped Cory would remember. We said good night and headed back to
the motel. On the way, we stopped for gas and I should have known better.
Several different times on this trip, either just before, just after, or as
happened twice on this trip so far, it started raining when we stop to gas up.
If we had gone straight back, we would have been dry. Still it felt good to
cool off after such a hot day. I think when the leaders of our armed forces
decided where they should train new recruits they must look at the map, pick
the hottest, wettest, coldest, and driest places in the country and said, “Now
how can we make this place miserable for trainees?” He has to go back to the ranks tomorrow and
will spend a month or so in Kansas before coming back down here for another
three of four months of technical schooling. After that no one knows where he
will be going, so this time may be very important. We will get a little time
with him on the base tomorrow, but then it will be back on the road for us and
back to the AF for him. For now I am going to try to get good nights sleep and
look forward to being back on the road again. If you are out there the next few
days, then I’ll see you on the byways…