Dad and Mary Visit

Last weekend we had a great visit from my Dad and Mary. They left Mary's parents house in southern Minnesota Thursday morning and drove straight through and made it to our place around 11 Thursday night. Friday morning Rachel and I had to work for a couple hours so they got to sleep in, then we had a nice brunch. That afternoon we went to the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, it was 33 acres of plants from around the world and many native plants and flowers. Next we headed downtown to the Buckhorn Saloon for some prickly pear margaritas and Shiner beers. After the first round, Dad and Mary walked down to see the Alamo, then we went to a great Mexican restaurant called the Picante Grill. That evening we relaxed at home and taught Rachel how to play the card game, "500." She caught on very quick, and we played for a few hours.

On Saturday we headed out northeast of San Antonio to a drive-thru Safari animal park. They had hundreds of different animals, and some came right up the car. After the park, we went to our favorite barbeque place and had some amazing brisket, ribs, and pork. Next we headed to a historic little town called Gruene, first we watched some live music at the oldest dance hall in Texas. Next we walked the streets doing a little shopping and enjoying the weather. Then we headed home to relax and play some more cards. Rachel was even better, but Dad and I still represented.

Sunday we got up and headed down to the RiverWalk to walk around for awhile. Around 12 we were already hungry and ate at a Mexican restaurant and sat outside right on the river. This was awesome; until after dinner Rachel accidentally knocked her sunglasses into the river! She was sad, but quickly mentioned that there is a mall close by, so we stopped in and she got some new shades. Next we headed northwest to the Hill Country to the Sister Creek winery. It was a very nice winery that had actually won several awards. We did a self-guided tour then sampled 8 different wines. After the winery we went to the small town of Boerne for some antique shopping and exploring. When we got home we had an awesome homemade meal of pork tacos, then watched the Academy Awards.

Monday Rachel and I had to work until around 1 o'clock, during that time Dad and Mary went back down to the RiverWalk to take the riverboat cruise and some more exploring. Next we took a convertible ride, then sat out in the sun next to the swimming pool. After the sun went down, we went inside and Dad and Mary made Mary's famous stromboli. We spent the last night again beating the girls in 500, but we did let them win one game. Tuesday morning Dad and Mary had to leave at around 7 am and head east for Florida. Rachel and I thoroughly enjoyed the visit and showing our new city and apartment. We have a break for a couple weeks until three of my friends and my sister come down to visit for their spring break, should be a great time.