WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, SAN ANTONIO � Woke up to say goodbye to Meg as she went to the doctor; then I showered and went to NASA in Houston. They let you in to see a good deal of LBJ Space Center � Mission Control, Astronaut Training, the Pool � if you take all the tours. I just did M. Control after seeing Armageddon again. Then I got updates on future shuttle missions and got to see training in the pool via video. Rocket Park was neat too � the last Saturn V rocket ever built, for Apollo 17, which never flew. Longhorns grazing right next to it.

The drive to San Antonio was hot and pleasant � opening the rear left window increased breezes while cutting down on the noise a little. Cloud cover provided some relief from the heat. Rolling hills deep in the heart of Texas. Made San Antone around five, drove though and found The Villas, Jen�s and Julie�s place. Jen came home, we went to Pasta Vino for dinner, rented Desperate Measures, I bought more postcards, and wrote them after the movie.

Hot Texas sunshine
Warm afternoon, scorching roads
Over the hills, west.

THURSDAY, JULY 9, SAN ANTONIO � Julie and I did what we do best today � screwed around, playing annoying tourists. At the Alamo we joked about its commercialization and all that�s been done to a Texas and American symbol. Some aspects of the original structure and display are intriguing though. And we did enjoy fooling around in the gift shop. We bought wooden and giant postcards. We also saw the wax museum and Ripley�s Believe It or Not � most of which we believed. I did see a real shrunken head and people with things through their bodies � and they all survived. Also, a man deposits $50 in the bank. He withdrawals $20, leaving $30; withdrawals $15, leaving $15, withdrawals $9, leaving $6; withdrawals $6, leaving $0. The withdrawals total $50, but the money left totals $51. What�s up with that?

Dinner was enjoyed at the Alamo Cafe � TexMex � which had a great menu cover � the Alamo with diner neon and parking spaces and other cafe stuff superimposed. Neat. Then Julie and I watched Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil � I liked it. Also got to tape Barenaked Ladies and Natalie Imbruglia. Tomorrow we all depart � Jen to Dallas, Julie to Houston and me to Austin.

San Antonio �
The mission still stands, barely �
City surrounding.