On the third day

Each of us had pre-planned what we would order for breakfast at Guenthers our second time around. I went for the breakfast tacos - had to share one with Pablo as they were very filling, and got the fruit again. But, I share a bit of Sharon's apple strudel - to die for!

We rode the Wyndham shuttle over to Guenthers this day. On the way back, we walked around the river and stopped at our condo. Then we stopped a river taxi and headed north on the newest section of the Riverwalk toward the Pearl Brewery. Along the way, we discovered (our taxi captain broke it to us) that the brewery wasn't even a brewery, wasn't open and didn't do tours. Hmmm, then why the hell do they call it Pearl Brewery on the maps?

This upper end isn't developed commercially like the lower end, but is artsy - with art in the bridges and along the route. One bridge even had noise art - recorded noise from the gulf broadcast constantly. Beautifully landscaped as well. When we got to the end, there was a funky restaurant called Glorias along with a few shops in a LEED certified building. We stopped for bevvies and a bit of sustenance. And I had my bestest drink of the trip - (or 2) a mojito with fresh mint! Paul had his first Pearl beer - though it was brewed in Houston I believe.

From this funky spot, we caught the taxi directly to the oldest VFW in Texas - that was once in the middle of nowhere, when the Riverwalk was built right by it. It was a perfect dive, just right for Crestonians! We got a bucket 'o beer. And I mean bucket - rubber, like you'd expect to find sudsy water in...we took it to the balcony and chillaxed there with the other drunks um I mean patrons. The next taxi driver was the bomb! He was a font of knowledge and took us the rest of the route - we stayed on all around the old section of the Riverwalk too.

We decided to go back to the Wyndham and change clothes before our final hurrah - evening out. We were going to Boudro's - a place we had scoped out earlier. Unfortunately there was a 1 hour 20 minute wait. BUT, we could wait at their sister location with a nice drink. Sure! (We're easy...) So a hostess led us through the bowels of the dark restaurant and into a stainless steel elevator. And out a door, around a corner. Across a street. Around another corner...it was very confusing.

But the sister place (I never did get the name) had lovely martinis. And funky 50's motif. We hadn't even gotten the first drinks drunk when our number was up! Lucky there was a chef dude to follow back to Boudro's! Damn it was dark in that place - and some of us needed a flashlite to read the menu. I had a fish platter with lobster, seared scallop and some delectable cod. I was moaning in pleasure while I ate. Paul had blackened prime rib that he couldn't see because it was black!

All to soon it was time to pack up and get up to fly home. Unfortunately, our bad luck with flying hung around for this trip too. Bad weather in Houston screwed us up, and we didn't get much help from Continental as they made us wait all day in Houston before getting us in to Omaha. Even when our 9 PM flight was called, the pilots weren't there and we had to wait for them to show up. We got home to Creston at 2 a.m. I wasn't impressed with Continental - not all that helpful. I went to sleep after 3 and got up to drive to DSM at 6. Long day. But a good vacation made the long day a lil easier to take...

Bobbie and Sharon were in charge of re-ticketing after we missed our first Omaha flight

I just flew in from San Antonio

And boy are my eyeballs tired. From sitting at the Houston airport for 9 F*$(ing hours! But let's not let that distract from the grand time we had on our San Antonio vacation (flights through Houston out of Omaha to and from).

We took off from Creston at 3:30 a.m. sharp. Al, Sharon, Bobbie and Jeff picked us up and we cruised to Omaha across Highway 34. We were wary due to flooding of the might Mo this summer, but it didn't end up bothering our route any. Whilst we awaited our flight, the stewardess specially chose us to sit in the exit row. Somehow that stuck with us the rest of this trip...

On the way there...flights went smoothly. The taxi ride, once we got to San Antonio, was interesting. Not the best running vehicle, and our driver made a quick exit to gas up - running on fumes, I guess! Our condo was very nice - a Wyndham high rise. Each couple had our own room with bath. We took off right away to find the store for a few supplies (insert liquor).

Then we checked out the pool and off we went to the Riverwalk that night. Sharon and I took along light sweaters, but I quickly learned 95 degrees didn't leave room for wearing no jacket! We grazed and drank our way up and back to our place. Last stop was a nice hotel where we had some bitchin' pizza with the lightest crust - it practically floated to my tummy.

Day 2 dawned. The guys whipped up breakfast - complete with Bloody Marys for some. The we trotted across several blocks in search of the double decker tour bus. It took a bit, but we hunted one down. We sat on the top - hot as it was, but we wished to take in the sights of the city. This season seems to be a slow one here - before many Texas schools get out. Hot as hell!

You can tell by the look on Paul's face - no Pee Wee's bike...

By the time we stopped we needed to hit a historical pub for another bevvie. Then on to the Alamo. Remember the Alamo? Interesting stuff. Pretty cool (though very hot) and historical (and crowded).

And hear this...Pee Wee's bike is not in the basement. (guess you had to see the movie). We spent the rest of the day exploring the Riverwalk and establishments. We went to Dick's Last Resort - a place I always like to go as the antithesis to Hooters. It's full of funny stuff. Sharon got a funny hat! We drank all along the Riverwalk. I sweated it all out - but had fun doing it!