Back to Texas- spent some time in Corsicana, an hour and a half south of Dallas/Ft. Worth. Rick grew up in this "small" town of 25,000 (which, for Texas, is kind of small) and we spent Saturday night and Sunday catching up on sleep and hanging out with his parents (Becky and Roy). Sunday afternoon we went out to Becky's parents' house--the boys shot guns and Becky and I were going to ride Red, her quarter horse, but we found him lame and doctored him instead.
Monday morning we left early and headed to College Station, a few hours southwest near Huston. Rick and both of his parents had gone to college at Texas A&M and Rick had lived here for the past 6 or 8 years. I toured the college in the morning and we were back on the road mid-afternoon on the way to San Antonio.
Monday night we stayed in San Antonio and the Burns crew showed me a good time. After some Mexican food, we headed to the River Walk. I don't remember all of the history behind the canal system, but there was a mall and hotels along the water's edge. We took a tour boat just as dusk was falling. The Walk was busy with people and had a nice atmosphere about it. Above is a theater where they shot part of Miss Congeniality-- I believe it's the scene where Miss Rhode Island describes the perfect date as "April 25th. Because it's not too hot, not too cold, all you need is a light jacket." One of my favorite movie quotes.
The next morning we headed to the Alamo, where I got quite the dose of Texas history. Did you know that Texas used to be its own country? Anyway, the Alamo used to be a missionary and a few hundred volunteer fighters (including Davy Crockett) held off several thousand Mexican troops for 13 days. The Mexicans win the battle, but not the war. For a better synopsis, check out the website. All of the specifics are debated, but everyone knows the story. Above is a statue with all of the names of those in the Alamo--there was a Burns. A possible relative? Are Rick's ancestors famous?
The Alamo itself is pretty small. It was a very educational experience--there was a lot of information to absorb.
And then we were back on the road. Rick's dad is a farmer and had been doing some farming in extreme south Texas and needed to go and pick up some equipment near the Mexico border. The fields Roy works in the winter are almost 500 miles south of home, so we got to see a lot of Texas countryside. Below is some of the flooding near Corpus Christi.
Tuesday night we were in Raymondville and we drove down to South Padre Island to take in the scene. But man, was that a long day of driving...
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