02/01/2009

I'm writing this post on a Sunday morning when we would normally be at church. One of several downsides to Nick's job at Which Wich is the regularity of 'emergency absences' which he is required to fill. This morning he will be headed to one of his stores to cover for a guy who landed himself in the poky...or so he claims. (Last night he was scheduled to work with his least favorite co-worker and today is, conveniently, Super Bowl Sunday....hmmm.) Anyway, this will be the last time Nick gets called in to cover a Sunday shift at Which Wich because, as of next week, Nick no longer works for Which Wich. He was given both an up AND down-grade by the #2 casual dining restaurant chain in the USA. What do I mean? More pay, more benefits (upgrade) and less hours, less responsibility (downgrade). It's an agreeable arrangement.

That being said, Nick will be training here in San Antone for three or so months. When his training is complete he will go manage the Chili's in Kerrville, TX. Kerrville is about an hour away from San Antone (whip out your maps, folks) in the heart of hill country. People like to tell us that we'll be living in "God's Country." This perked our curiosity a bit. So, on our agenda yesterday we had two things. 1: Attend the Rodeo kickoff parade and 2: Drive out to our new hometown and give it a once-over. So, the picture diary begins with the Rodeo parade aka 'cattle drive' down the main street in downtown San Antone. Yes, they herd longhorn cattle down the middle of the street while innocent bystanders are protected only by some bright orange mesh fencing. Only in Texas.


Here come the cowboys. Nathan says they are wearing 'horse hats.' The longhorn cattle are pretty unruly, and at one point we literally had to back up to avoid being decapitated by a horn. It was an adventure. Later on yesterday evening Nathan was informing us that he had no greater desire in life than to own one of these longhorn cattle. He had a plan: the cow (black and white is his preference) would come "up, up, up the stairs" and right on into the house. Where would he sleep? "With Uncle Kyle." I wonder if Kyle would be cool with that?
Then, after the cattle went by, there was the usual unrelated military display. Every single parade in Texas honors the Texas National Guard. I don't know why. Maybe we like to remind ourselves that if we wanted to take on the US of A or Mexico we could. Seriously, we could be attending a parade hosted by peace activists and it would end with our Texas National Guard.
We thought these people had the worst job. But, they were hooked up with uniforms, wheelbarrows, etc. We had no clue....
These guys were ACTUALLY the worst job. They actually had to pick up the poop. The other people were just for show. After this group, another motley crew came down the streets looking rather similar and doing the same job. They were followed by the huge street sweepers (two of them). It took 4 minutes after the parade for the streets to look freshly paved and polished.
Watching the parade. We took a picture of Queenie, but she looked intoxicated. It wasn't her best look.
Okay, so on to Kerrville. We hijacked Kyle's computer for our drive out to Kerrville and I spent the time looking up some things, typing some emails, etc., and thus cannot tell you a single thing about the drive out. Was it beautiful? Not sure. But, then we pulled into the parking lot of Nick's new Chili's. It is a great place! It actually sits on the Guadalupe River and has a patio in back. This picture is of the restaurant's backside. You can't see the river, but we are parked right alongside it.
This is the side/front of the Chili's. It looks very country western and rustic. We actually ate dinner inside, and it's nice, but the outside has more character.
Now for a taste of Kerrville. Kerrville is home to about 20,000 people. It survives off of hill country tourism. It takes 5 minutes to drive through. It has one homeless person. And the homeless person has a cell phone. We know this because we met him. Anyway, here is where the locals purchase their flooring. Notice, cowhide rugs are an option.
The local 'mall' featuring all of 14 stores. To Kyle's dismay there is no Abercrombie, American Eagle, OR Hollister. But, listen, if you can't find it at Bealls, I say you don't need it!
This next picture is for Dad Jones. This little restaurant is built inside the old railroad station. The railroad tracks are gone (sorry), but in a town of 20,000 this is a pretty outstanding tribute. The other notable 'train' attraction is an abandoned train cave housing 3 million Mexican bats. Tours of their nigh time emergence are offered seasonally.

Typical Kerrville landscape. Brownish. Hilly. A few shrub-like trees. The occasional VERY homely cactus. It's actually very pretty, but as we are in the middle of a draught, it's pretty brown.
Just a little local eatery. Looks like the kind of place I would enjoy going. I can't wait to move out here and get to know the people and the little shops. We stopped at a local park to let the kids run and play for a bit. This park goes along the Guadalupe River. We are sitting where the river would be if we had more rain. Nathan was throwing big rocks into the river and cheering wildly as they splashed.
Nia Madelynn walked around with her silkies. She loves being mobile! This park is a great spot for picnics, etc. We want you all to come and visit. We probably won't move out here until Nick completes his training...so, at least 3 or 4 months. But, we're excited.
Our news isn't as earth shattering as Adam and Emily's news (and I mean earth shattering in a good way). But, we're tickled. Just wanted to share.