But allow me to share my trip to San Antonio. I didn't think I would like it, as Texas sometimes seems like a country of its own, in both good and bad ways. But I did. I do. I like San Antonio. The River Walk was great, especially with all of the live music. Jazz, salsa, folk, all good. The margaritas were excellent, as was the guacamole. I enjoyed the Alamo a lot more than I thought I would, and sent plenty of post cards to family with the necessary joke about looking for the basement.
Equally interesting (don't judge), I went into the wax museum and Ripley's Believe it or Not museum. Ripley's was pretty fascinating. Sometimes gross, but usually just eye-catching. But what I find myself continuing to consider is something from the wax museum. First of all, there are several sections. It's not just celebrities. You've got your stars of today and yesteryear, sometimes in character clothing, sometimes not. You've got your fairy tale figures (Cinderella, Rumplestiltzkin, Hansel & Gretel), then your local (Texas) historical figures. Pancho Villa was there with what I think was a real, stuffed horse. There are a few presidents in there, some nameless soldiers and scenes from the nation's history. There's a horror section, which I never enjoy. (Though it was funny - I went with a board member from work, and I had my fingers in my ears the whole time, making him walk first and open all the doors. I really don't do haunted houses.) My most exciting figure to see in person was probably Indiana Jones, though others were certainly more realistic depictions. (Some were really bad!)
Finally, the last section was religious. There are a lot of Catholics in the area, which I'm guessing is the reasoning for having this kind of display. You see the last supper, Jesus dragging the cross, Jesus crucified, and then the pieta pose. It's kind of graphic, and to me, seems inappropriate for children. I didn't have a camera, but found some other pictures online. The sad thing is, the one of him on the cross has a girl in front of it, posing with her hand on her hip. She's on a family trip & wants to look cool in the pictures, which seems totally on target for kid-priorities. But how de-sensitized are we that our children aren't phased in the slightest when seeing a man nailed up by his wrists for torture? I know it's a common image, but it's still pretty graphic. You can't see the detail in these pictures, but he's grimacing and crying in both.
I also managed to get caught up in the American Airlines debacle and had all flights canceled. It bought me more time in the city, which was pretty nice. Sitting now in this dusty office makes me long for fresh air, fresh jazz, and fresh margaritas. Mmmmmmm. Oh, and Harrison Ford.
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