Life is Grand in San Antonio,Texas

The Music of San Antonio!
First the music!  The old Spanish, the new Spanish and the all-American!

 

Adam Irigoyen
The young girls were screaming for him at the
Spanish People Festival

 

 

The Temptations



Hot date to the Majestic Theatre to hear
The Four Tops and The Temptations



Unbelievable Majestic Theatre
The ceiling was sprinkled with stars!

Getting to San Antonio from Gulf Shores, AL

Alabama Au Revoir!

We had about 700 miles to cover when we left Alabama on a stormy day (August 10), driving through terrible traffic and weather until we pulled into a Walmart 

The coach tucked in.
After travel we put the
generator on and get
dinner n a movie!
(at home :)

lot west of Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

We had planned to get further, but after having put eight hours on the road, we had to yield to our safety limit (at least when we're driving two vehicles).

Walmart out the front
window at night.

For those who don't know, Walmart and Sams clubs have an invitation to RVers to dry-dock in their parking lots overnight.  It's great because we can stretch our legs, stock up and be safe. We have a generator and all the food and water we need...we can even get a movie from Redbox while we're there. (And food, and hey, maybe a new dining room table?)

Other places we sometimes stay on the road are at Interstate rest-stops (if we know the area) or our friends tell us they stay at Flying Jays.

 

For hours we drove I-10 on an elevated highway across Louisiana
swamplands. A tractor-trailer on the other side had spilled its
logs in a multi-truck accident. There was no escape for them!

 

Texas!  Big sky state!
(Hoping to be in time for the Perseid Meteor Shower of Aug 11
but we didn't see anything.)

Here we are on Sunday, August 11th in San Antonio, Texas and it's hot! 101-degrees F almost every day and not a cloud or drop of rain to be seen.  We have shade! Three trees worth!

We want to just sit inside the air-conditioning every day doing music, but the culture and beauty wins out over the Texas heat and we make it out to the pool, the bike trail or the tennis courts every day. Our RV Park, Traveler's World, is right on the bike trail! We can go North to downtown on our bikes, or South to the missions!  The trails are full of wildflowers and workers who keep the water and grass flowing and growing.  We felt very safe and moderately challenged on the trails. There weren't that many people on  them except on the weekends so overall, Texas seems very quiet, hot and dry.  Good thing there were a few breweries on the trail, too!


Bike Trail along the River
(There was new landscaping all along the trail.)

  





Kim at McFarlin Tennis Center
We played just as much on the Alamo College courts.



Fine Dining at Culinary Arts Institute




The Missions of San Antonio
"The missions of San Antonio were far more than just churches, they were communities. Each was a fortified village, with its own church, farm, and ranch. Here, Franciscan friars gathered native peoples, converted them to Catholicism, taught them to live as Spaniards, and helped maintain Spanish control over the Texas frontier."
-San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department



I'm going to remember this!

We love the Moorish influence in the Spanish architecture!







Remember The Alamo!
At the Alamo we learned that after about a week of fighting Santa Anna, the men became aware that they were facing death in the next battle. The commander drew a line in the sand and asked those who were willing to risk their lives to defend the freedom of Texas to step over it--all but one did. Out of respect for those brave men who did indeed all die to defend their countrymen's right to be free of oppressive rule of Spain, we "Remember the Alamo!"  Thanks to the women and children hiding in a room within the walls, we know about the stories of their desperate days.  ...Sometimes the things that happen in our lives are someone else's story, not ours.

 

The Alamo is downtown and once included a large courtyard, which is now a fun street with shops.


Mission San Jose
This mission is still an active convent in addition to an active 


Indian Dwelling ...Sweet!

church community. The yard was well preserved.  It's so cool to see the inside of the Indian Dwellings, built into the walls around the courtyard.








Mission San Juan
We saw this one the most because we went down this bike trail the most. The main wall has been restored and white-washed and the church is still active in the community.

Active Prayer garden behind Mission San Juan Church

Mission Espada
This mission created a series of aqueducts to get the water from the San Antonio River to the labores (farm fields) surrounding the mission. 

We rode along the aqueducts and fields a couple different days, always with a big thermos of ice water.








Mission Concepcion
The church at this mission has the best preserved wall paintings. 

Artists Rendition of Mission Concepcion

Inside, the service equipment (digital organ and Bose sound system) have been added. The acoustics are excellent without them!



Murals over the library doors.





RIVER WALK!

This beautiful cultural setting is what drew us to the area!  We could see that there would be fine dining, shopping, architecture, culture and music.

 

 

 

Tex Mex!

 

Margarita!

 

La Villita Theatre on the River

 


La Villita Theatre at Night
from the boat ride.

 

Can you believe the city almost filled in the river
to save money? Concerned women acted together,
persuading them to make it the jewel of Texas instead!
How did they do it? A puppet show!

 Tiny Houses of Texas

Re-using salvage materials makes each tiny house
very special.

The Ranch Grandfather's Antler Collection
contributes to the staircase!

Huge collection of doors, windows and doorknobs!

Darby's House

A ranch house for 3-5 Cowboys

loft for sleeping area!

 

996 Miles to Mesa, AZ Next.

Surprise--We're Staying for the School Year!

Since Dede was hoping to get to teach in the 2013-14 school year, she transferred her teaching license to Arizona back in April. A big culture shock was learning that she is only qualified for a Provisional One-Year License because she doesn't speak Spanish. Really!? To become fully qualified, she will have to take a class on "Structured English Immersion" (AKA English Second Language). This is the way of things in the South, folks!  We're sure it's for the better, especially after being in Texas and feeling less than bilingual.

 

One morning, sipping coffee and thinking whether to go on a bike ride or a swim, Dede was on the Music Educator's website and noticed the "Job Center" button. Here she found four (4!) music teaching jobs posted for Phoenix, AZ.  Only hours after filling in the online application she got a phone call and only a week later was offered a job, starting ASAP.  That's the fastest and easiest job hunt either of us can remember!

 

So, yes, we'll be in CA as soon as a chance comes up! Our next posting will have pictures of our feet in the sand of the Pacific Ocean with Kim's children and Grandchildren playing along side!

 

You never know what's around the bend .... so Keep Your Spirits Up!

 

 

Why We Love Resort Hosting in Gulf Shores, AL!




Beautiful clubhouse at
Bella Terra RV Resort.
This is a must-see for anyone with a
Class A vehicle traveling through the area!

Resort Hosting, also known as work camping, or CamperForce, is how we live and work in luxury and freedom at the places we want to be.  We've been living fulltime in a motor coach (this is our third coach) for nine years. Most work camp positions are about 6 months with an option to extend. Up until this year, Dede has been teaching music in public school so we've stayed 4-5 years while only Kim did work camping.  With Dede now on sabbatical, we're both working together. If you want to see where else we've worked, you can look at our resume by clicking here.



One of the "Caseta" (little castle) sites, with a Pergola.


 
In exchange for our work, we are free to enjoy the resort and all its amenities--Wi-Fi, cable TV, electric, water, sewer, fitness room, pool, spa, activities. We both have the same days off. We're not employees, more like barterers. Kim learns about most of our 


One of Dede's jobs: Set up the private movie
with popcorn and soda.

opportunities from his membership in Workamper. We post our resume on this website and also look at job postings for the places we want to go.  It's pretty easy and we can look pretty far into the future, or make quick choices if plans change. For example, we plan to work camp (and Dede teach part time) when we get to CA in January so at this point (August) we already know about more than three opportunities and have done a phone interview for one of them. However we won't commit to one until we get to AZ (in September) and can take a car trip out to visit in person. In addition to the Workamper organization, our friends tell us about beautiful places and the types of work they've done around the country. Army Corp of Engineers is another good work camper resource, outside of private resorts and state/national parks.  We even found a blueberry farm that needed pickers for three months in exchange for a site plus cash-per-pound. Yum!

What About Normal Things, Like Our Mail?

Fun and Games while waiting for
 a Casting Crowns concert at
The Wharf in Orange Beach, AL.


Since most of our bills and banking are done online, we have little physical mail, which we've arranged to be sent to Kim's Mom (bless her!) and she forwards every month or so, to our current location. (Kim's actually on the deed to this property so it's a legal address for us, too.) Prior to setting that up we had a box with UPS, who offer a forwarding service for about $360/year. (There are many companies that offer this type of service, actually.)
 
To pay for gas and groceries, we need some kind of cash flow. For this year we're using our Amazon CamperForce savings to pay for gas. (Yes, we have a regular gas engine since we don't travel as much as others who have diesel.) We also have Kim's pension to cover our food, modest entertainment, new instruments and instrument repairs--this month's adventure, see below! For doctors and such, we use the local drop-in medical sites and regular dentists, eye doctors, etc. Thank goodness both of us have seriously good health! We try to live well, laugh often and love much...
 
 
 Doing What We Love to Do


Kim n Dede Perform for Happy Hour at Bella Terra




We fell in love with Bella Terra RV Resort last summer when we came here for six months as Resort Hosts.  For up to 15 hours a week, each, we have light assignments in addition to getting to perform our favorite music about once a month for the Happy Hours or Rallys.
 
Dede works in the front office (registration, welcoming, phone, light housekeeping) and as hostess (private movie theatre, mimosas, spud lunch, crafts). It's fun like "playing house."



Preparing the feast in the clubhouse kitchen.



Potatoes in the oven for a couple hours.

Kim does maintenance tasks (curbside trash pickup, site checks, opens and closes the main buildings and some painting. (Yes, this is the place where he broke both wrists last summer! Don't worry he's at 90% or better by now!)
 
 



Super Cool site with kitchen and tiki hut.

Here at Bella Terra, it feels like home, you know like the song, "Sweet Home Alabama!"  It's really fun to work with a great group of folks and friendly guests who are here for a good time. This summer we're stay for only one month. We're so grateful to the staff (Courtney, Katie, Billie and Tara) for welcoming us back for our short stay! Since we 'bin already train'd 'afore from last year, we shore jumped raht in! (Our AL friends are the first ones to poke fun at their dialect and we love decoding it!)







Laying in a new concrete pad in Phase III.

It's been so good to see everyone again and see how the place is growing!




 


 
 



 
Living In Places that We Love

This miniature replica of Café Du Monde
was purchased from Disney and relocated to Fairhope, AL.



Mavis and Richard
Mavis reminds us of
Dede's Nanny!

Dede and Panini Pete at
Panini Pete's, in Fairhope AL
Best beignet ever--even better than
Café du Monde in New Orleans!

On our days off we can head to the beach (our favorite), yoga class, visit with friends, shop up the street at the Tanger Outlet Mall, go to movies, visit the local cheese farm, beautiful downtown Fairhope, Orange Beach, Pensacola or Mobile! Last year we spent our 10th anniversary in Biloxi.
 


The signature Gulf Shores drink: Bushwacker
Made here at the Island Wings by Mike.
A fabulous new place with crazy good
"Blackened Mahi Mahi" sandwich!
(We think the sauce has clove in it!)
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wade shows off his vintage suitcases
at Dr. Music in Fairhope.
Kim n Dede bought one for our gear.
He makes them into terrific sound systems!

 
 
 
We love singing in the Gulf Shores United Methodist Church choir. 

Dede's friend Dona
(former Delta airline hostesss)
poses after bell choir practice in the GSUMC sanctuary.
This is a cool way to stow everyone's gloves!


Click here to read new research showing that when you sing in a choir, you not only synchronize your thinking and breathing, but your heart beats!

Since they were on summer break we only got in for one choir practice and one bell choir practice.  There's also a fantastic Coastal Chorale that we got to hear in concert. If we stay in that area again Kim would really like to be a part of it! (He also has his eye on some a capella groups in AZ!)
 
 

Kim sang Dede's arrangement of "You Raise Me Up" for all three Sunday Worship Services on August 7th. Kind of cool when a bluesy arrangement of a celtic hymn can be a part of traditional and contemporary settings!



The View Out Our Window


The window by the front door where
the weather pictures are taken.
Thank you to Ava, a former 
student of Dede's, for the orchid!

The weather in the Gulf Shores is hot and humid during this time of year (avg. 95 degrees, with 93% humidity). Most (normal) people prefer to visit the Gulf in the fall or the first part of the year when it's cooler and dryer. So the resort was much quieter than usual, although it seemed to be much busier than last summer (from the perspective of the front office).  As the economy lifts, everyone can have more fun traveling!

We like this way of traveling, where the view out the window changes often. Here, it changes even when we don't travel! Check it out ....


Our Site at Bella Terra
(Owned by the Developer)



The view out our window, most every day.

Weather moving in by the minute.



Weather is threatening!



Soaking, flooding rain.



Dramatic Shelf Cloud (Notice we're in sunshine!)




Beautiful sunset every day.

 
Collecting Music, Memories and Friends



We collect and share new music, or new arrangements of music as we make new friends:

• "L'Essential" (from Guy Robichauld, a singing bowls music healer in Clearwater FL),
• "Summertime" (new arrangement from Valerie Gillespie in Dade City, FL),
• "Deep River" (from the piles of music collecting on Kate's baby grand in Hilton Head, SC).

Dede performing at Sunset Corkroom






Elvis Tribute at Gulf Shores United Methodist Church
Where music director, Cody Johnson blew us away
playing rhythm guitar, background vocals, keyboard,
lead piano, while arranging and conducting all the charts!



Fabulous Clif Jones (Soprano Sax), Kim Halter (vocals and Guitar), Dede Ondishko (Bass, Rhythm, Electric Piano)
performing at Thee Coffee House on Friday night.
Thanks to everyone who came out for a fun time!

 



Clif Jones Performing at
Sunset Corkroom
Clif and Dede will make you cry
with "Deep River!"


Thee Coffee Shop, part of Gulf Shores United Methodist Church, operated by Wren and Elaine, also RV enthusiasts--we met them at the Tampa RV show last February (where we picked up enough coupons and specials to stay for the rest of the year on our very low budget!).  They also own and operate a Wedding Chapel. Elaine had me over for lunch, just the two of us for girl time! 


Thee Coffee Shop, part of Gulf Shores United Methodist Church
A great hang out between services on Sunday!

 


Elaine set up lunch for just us girls at the Wedding Chapel!





 

The Wedding Chapel
Gulf Shores, AL
They can do ceremony on beach or on their beautiful campus!

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Farewell to the Beach!

The Blue Angels

Last Day at the Beach for the foreseeable future. Sigh!

white sand, parasail

On this day, Kim spotted a dolphin, pelican, skates (look like baby sting-rays), fishes, parasails,

Last sandy feet day
for this cute girl!

sailing boats, the Blue Angels and always cute girls!




Beautiful Blue waters of Gulf Shore Beach




Cute guy, Kim at The Hangout on the Beach
Blackened shrimp wraps and Cold Beer--yum!




This is a skate.








Boys casting nets ...



to catch fish!




So What Happened to the Violin?


One day Dede decided to restring her fiddle because
it wouldn't stay in tune. Who knows how old the strings were.
Ooops--they didn't go on so good.
Kim!!!!




 

Kim fixed it up pretty good but it still wouldn't stay in tune.
Plus we had no idea whether the instrument was an expensive
relic or an old student warhorse.
So Dede asked around at the local shops and finally had to drive 1.5h to Mobile for help!



Halfway in, here it is with no strings, no bridge, no tailpiece!
Poor thing needed a lot of work!
Turns out the instrument is valued at about $1,500-2,000.
Good to know!




Eldon Bryson, Fiddle maker and repairer.
"You've never heard this instrument!" he says with excitement
after manipulating the sound posts inside the belly.
He plays a few tunes.
It really sings! No wolf notes! Simple joy!!
Dede promises to play it more.
PS - it's still in tune, a week later!



Leaving Alabama on Saturday Aug 10 for Texas
 (with plans to stop overnight along the route)