Day Trippin'....

Short day trips are turning into a regular occurrence for us. Proof is that we've put 3 times as many miles on our tow vehicle as we have the motor coach. Maybe it's cabin fever or just general curiosity, but being in a new area begs exploration. The other day we decided to check out the S.A.S. shoe company located in the southwest corner of San Antonio. Why a shoe company? Well I've been wearing these ugly, but extremely comfortable shoes for about 8 years and since I learned they gave factory tours, I thought we'd stop in. Who knows... maybe I'd maybe buy a new pair while there. I plugged the address into our new Garmin GPS unit and headed out for the 45 mile trip.











Weaving through the concrete canyons of San Antonio with wild abandon, we let the electronics guide the way and before long we had arrived.

One of the hazards of retirement is loosing track of time and days of the week. After arriving at the S.A.S (San Antonio Shoe) we soon discovered that the factory was closed for the holidays (duh) but at least the retail store was open.

Stepping inside the retail store was sort of like walking into an old general store in the early 1900's; with the exception of several antique cars on display, the store was decorated with many old signs and memorabilia of days gone by. Thousands of their shoes were on display with all the varieties they make for the whole family. This factory store also sold seconds that were quite a bit cheaper but I couldn't detect any problems with the ones I looked at. The shoes are not cheap... just sort of ugly but feel, when you first put them on, as if you've owned them forever. The women's and kids styles were a little more stylish but the men's styles sort of pegs you as an old fart.

There was no lack of sales people as there was at least one assigned to about every aisle. All were very knowledgeable in fitting shoes even to the point of offering different sizes for each of your feet if needed. No Al Bundys' (old Married with Children tv show) here. Sales people knew their stuff.

I picked out my two pair in about 5 minutes then went looking for Sharon. After poking around several aisles in the women's department there she was... surrounded by a half dozen pair of loafers and one beleaguered clerk. I sat down to watch the process. Back and forth the clerk went... different sizes...different colors...with tassels....without tassels. The lady had the patience of Jobe. Far more than I could ever muster but she was a real trooper and hung in there until just the right pair (which I think was the first pair she tried on) was chosen. Off to the checkout and then to lunch. Lunch at the store was kind of unique. Coffee was free. Fresh cookies 5 cents, fresh popcorn 5 cents, a Coke 10 cents. Not exactly health food but lunch for two for 80 cents.

















After about two hours here (and 4 new pairs of shoes) we headed off to find a special meat market that had good quality beef. I needed a steak on the grill fix so we heard of a good market and headed there. Along the way we stumbled across one of the other cattle stockyards that had a unique statue atop its sorting gates. The Union Stock Yards may have seen better days but at this viewing it was impressive.
We've met a number of great people here at our current camp ground. Most have been in transit using Pecan Park as a last stop before ending their trip somewhere in the Rio Grand Valley. The RGV is a very popular snow bird destination with hundreds of camps and RV parks throughout the region. It's about a 260 mile trip from here and is a good days drive for the larger RV's. That works out to a 5+ hour drive for me and puts in the next camp by early afternoon.

Speaking of day trips... well actually two days; Sharon's sister invited us to spend Christmas with them up in Frisco. The thought of having Christmas alone wasn't too exiting so we jumped at the offer. She and John's home was all decked out with beautiful decorations inside and out that was mirrored throughout their gated community. The menu boasted a standing rib roast with all the trimmings. Again Linda and John outdid themselves with their gracious hospitality. Another treat of the day was meeting their next door neighbors Bobbye and Barlow. They were invited to join us for dinner and the ensuing conversation was both entertaining and covered a wide range of interesting subjects. Good neighbors are a priceless item and Bobbye and Barlow sure fit the bill. So as the Christmas of 2007 slowly faded away, our bellies were full, our eyes were droopy and our hearts were filled with the joy of the season. We hope all of you enjoyed your holiday as well. Here's a photo of Bobbye, John, Linda, and Punkin (standing in for Barlow).

I managed to wash the coach and car yesterday (whew) while Sharon caught up the laundry. Kind of another low key day but it's all better than heading to the office.

Today we sought out, what many locals have said, is the finest catfish/seafood restaurant in the area. Clear Springs Restaurant certainly exceeded expectations. A combo dinner of catfish and shrimp, a load of the best onion rings we had ever tasted, a couple of cold Shiner Bock beers all wrapped up in a folksy plaid tablecloth atmosphere and served by a cute little filly named Lacey...life is good. Wish you all were here.

I caught a few minutes of the Michigan weather report and thought of some of the old gang at the office. Rich, Tom, Kathy, Bob, Craig, Carol and all the others who are facing some more of natures meanness in the coming weeks. I miss all of you but not that damn cold weather. The only thing I can say is get those 4 buckle arctics on, wrap your head in a long scarf, get a least two coats on and above all....don't forget the flask.

Happy New year to one and all and thanks for accompanying us on our journey.