Remember the Alamo

As Davy Crockett said "You all might be going to Hell but I'm going to the Alamo"

http://www.thealamo.org/history.html


which, as you can see, is right in the middle of San Antonio.

The site is a tourist trap surrounded by many shops all selling the same T-shirts but I found it remarkably moving despite my visit coinciding with that of a bunch of Shriners


http://www.shrinershq.org/Shrine/About/ShrinerPrimer.aspx

who I cannot look at without thinking of The Loyal Order of the Water Buffaloes

http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/fiction/fraternities/buffaloes.html

or The Sons of the Desert

http://www.laurel-and-hardy.com/html/home7.html

See what I mean?

P.S.
When I hear "Remember the Alamo" I don't think of the defenders battlecry I'm afraid... Invariably my first thought is of the punchline to Brian Glover's joke in The Slaughtered Lamb pub in American Werewolf in London

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/

San Antonio

Before I sign off on Laredo here is one of the gun stores...
And here is a vacant lot full of strange garden ornaments...
Made the drive from Laredo to San Antonio on Wednesday... Pulled over by the Border Patrol and they checked me for illegal immigrants... It's only about a 150 mile journey but the temperature dropped by 15 degrees.
I was tempted to San Antonio by the BBC's coverage of the South by South-West Festival, which happens each March, and I'm beginning to think that it might have been as wise as going to Cannes at Christmas because you love films. Not that it is an unattractive place, quite the reverse, the Riverwalk is a haven of peace in the middle of the city
it's just that the live music available seems unspectacular... Having said that I have a 24-hour Mexican Restaurant across the road (for those irresistible 4 AM Burrito urges) the customers are all Mexican; on my first night I had a drink and a snack there and was ambushed by the sweetest Mariachi band, a source of some amusement to the other customers as I was a solo Gringo, but the harmonies brought tears to my eyes... Which made me seem even more the Loco Gringo.

Last night was Sam's Burger Joint

http://www.samsburgerjoint.com/

for their Blues Jam, OK but as in Clarksdale it was enthusiastic white guys rather than anything authentic.

It's not the humidity... It's the heat

I'll leave it to the National Weather Service who, this morning, posted this warning...

Special Weather Statement

LA SALLE-WEBB- INCLUDING THE CITIES OF...COTULLA...ENCINAL...LAREDO...RIO BRAVO 428 AM CDT TUE JUN 3 2008

...HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 105 AND 109 DEGREES ARE EXPECTED LATE THIS AFTERNOON...

THE COMBINATION OF HIGH TEMPERATURE AND MODERATE MOISTURE CONTENT WILL RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES BETWEEN 105 AND 109 DEGREES OVER THAT PART OF THE RIO GRANDE PLAINS...GENERALLY WEST OF A LINE FROM AGUILARES TO COTULLA... LATE THIS AFTERNOON. THIS AREA INCLUDES THE COMMUNITIES OF LAS TIENDAS AND LAREDO.

RESIDENTS IN THE AFFECTED AREA WHO MUST VENTURE OUTDOORS ARE URGED TO LIMIT EXPOSURE TO DIRECT SUNLIGHT... WEAR LIGHT-COLORED CLOTHING...AVOID PROLONGED EXERTION...AND DRINK PLENTY OF WATER. INDOOR RESIDENTS SHOULD REMAIN IN AN AIR-CONDITIONED BUILDING.

Enough said, I'll be in the hotel bar taking on liquids.
And this is my hotel, 2 swimming pools, 2 bars, 3 restaurants and loads of fluffy towels... But it's just over the border from Mexico so it costs as much as a La Quinta in Houma where the WiFi doesn't work.

Comments

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Laredo

As I walked out on the streets of Laredo
As I walked out in Laredo one day
I knew that I'd left Uncle Sam's dominion
I knew that I'd left the old U. S of A

I can see by the faces that I've crossed the border
the streets all lead down the Mexico way
I try the food, I'm assaulted by flavours
chillies enough to make Gringos say "nay"

The beer also comes from south of the border
with names which ring of a Myan past
the glasses it's served in come straight from the freezer
I cannot imagine a finer repast.

Repeat ad nauseam then apologise to all within earshot.

Rodeo

Sinton is a small town between Smallertown and Nowhere, there is a feeling that about 30/40 years ago a major route passed through here but that has moved elsewhere and it has reverted to being a ranchers town. The arrival of the Pro-riders Rodeo Tour is a pretty big event, part circus coming to town and part agricultural show, if you can imagine a local Point-to-Point with Frankie Dettori and his pals riding the horses you would have a bead on it.

The riders travel around the South-Western states from Spring to Fall in motorhomes which have been extended to accommodate the horses at the back; it seems a pretty punishing life, I didn't see any walk without a limp. Apart from a couple of Black guys the Cowboys fall into two types, the tall, thin Caucasians and the short bull-shaped Hispanics and the audience is the same... The last time I was in Texas, about 30 years ago, I was in a bar when a white guy started joshing an Hispanic pal about being a "Wetback", the guy responded with "Hey I didn't cross the border, the border crossed me" the racial mix in Sinton is proof of that statement.

This mix was spiced up on the Friday night of a two night show, I went to both, with a charabanc load of prisoners from the State Penitentiary (in orange at the back) and their guards.

The events included Barrel Racing, a race with very tight turns, Calf Roping, Bull Wrestling and Bronco Riding but the most exciting is Bull riding, these pictures show a guy getting thrown

... which is what usually happens and that's when the show starts; there are clowns who do fool about a bit but their real job is to get the 2000lb lumps of severely pissed off beef away from the riders (as you see in the picture above, sometimes they get gored anyway). One of these clowns, the guy in the blue shorts and orange leg brace (yeah he limped too) started controlling these enormous, irate beasts by staring them down! He was mostly successful too, it was amazing seeing the bulls switching from gods of vengeance into rather embarrassed pussycats.

There was plentiful beer and food and, this being Small-town America, there was an emphasis on children and plenty for them to do... Things like Mutton Busting (riding sheep) and Calf Stampede (below) which consists of loads of children chasing calves in order to grab a ribbon from their tail and win vouchers for food from "Whataburger" (no really)... It was fun.


Here are a couple of films...

Route 181 Sunset

When I dreamed this trip, discovering the reality behind the romantic names of my imagination and meandering around Texas with enough time on my hands to make last minute detours, the photograph above is, as near as dammit, the image that formed in my head.

This is Route 181 north of Corpus Christi at about 8 o'clock... and I am on my way to Sinton for the rodeo, more of which later.