January 20, 2012

01/10/12

We got some badly needed rain here in south Texas yesterday.  Although it was less than an inch, anything in this area will help.

01/12/12

Joyce got her new hard-lens contacts, which we hope will give her better vision.  They are not bifocal's so she'll still have to wear reading glasses, but hopefully these guys will buy her more time before she needs cornea transplants.  The jury is still out on them.

Justin and Adrian gave us a gift certificate to Bohanan's Prime Steaks and Seafood Restaurant in downtown San Antonio for Christmas so last night we had dinner there.

Bohanan's has been rated the number two steakhouse in Texas by Texas Monthly Magazine, just behind Pappas Brothers in Dallas and we have been told the number twelve steakhouse in the country.  Believe me, they deserve that distinction!

When Joyce made the reservations she was told to plan a minimum of two hours for the dining experience and they weren't kidding.  After being seated by Antonio, he asked us if we were under any time constraints.  The restaurant wants to make sure you have plenty of time to enjoy your dinner.

Bohanan's has one of the most extensive wine lists I have ever seen.  Included were wines from the California's Napa Valley, Washington State, Oregon and several other regions in the United States.  Also represented were offerings from France, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, Chili and many other countries.  One wine that caught my eye, a 2000 Bordeaux from Château Margaux was priced at $3350 a bottle.  And that wasn't even the most expensive listing!  I saw another for $4389 a bottle.  Just so you know, we didn't get one of those.

We were given menu's to look at and Antonio said he would be back soon with the "off menu" offerings.  He returned very shortly with a tray of cuts of meat, some of them looking like the whole side of a steer.  Offered was a 20 oz. bone-in ribeye, a 16 oz. New York and a bone-in filet.  All of this beef was USDA Prime, aged for 45 days.  The New York was dry-aged for the same time.

Then Antonio introduced us to the Japanese Akaushi beef, which takes beef to a whole new level.  This Red Cattle beef is rated three grades above USDA Prime and a step above Kobe beef.  There are only a couple of sources in the US for this beef, Bohanan's getting their's from Heartland Beef located in Yoakum, TX.

Without rambling too long about Bohanan's, let me say that our dining experience was amazing and, very expensive.  Thank you Justin and Adrian!

01/13/12ß

As most of you know that I am an amateur genealogist and have been working on my family history for a long time now.  Over the years I have discovered that I am related to the actor Lee Van Cleef through a marriage, I have African-American cousins and I am the 6th cousin of Leonard Vance who lives in Westfir, OR.  I was introduced to Len by Jim Glaspey and while looking into my Salt Lake City connections, I discovered our relationship.

This morning, while working on a 2nd cousin, Horace Lawson Hunley, I found that he invented the Hunley Submarine of Civil War fame.  Pictures of the Hunley.
This was sent to me today:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/a-clearer-view-steel-truss-surrounding-confederate-submarine-hl-hunley-will-be-removed/2012/01/12/gIQAYYn1sP_story.html?tid=pm_national_pop

This discovery will keep me going strong for another few years.  I know Joyce just loves hearing that.

01/15/12

On a whim, we invited two couples who checked into Hidden Valley to join us for supper at Agave's Mexican Restaurant.  Howard and Susan from Ajax, Ontario, Canada along with Doug and Ruth of Loveland, Colorado all provided lively conversation.  It's always interesting to hear about other RV'ers travels.

Today we're making a day trip up to Boerne to check out Market Day.

01/16/12

Even though the weather wasn't all that good, we drove up to Boerne to check out the the Market Days.  Like the town, the market was small with only a dozen or so vendors.  We suspect that the weather kept some of them home.  We did get some great seasonings and I got some candied jalapenos.

Our next stop for the day was in Fredericksburg where we had lunch at Wheeler's.  After walking around town for a while we decided to head back to San Antonio and make a Costco run.

Next stop, the El Chaparral Restaurant in Helotes, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants in the San Antonio area.

01/20/12

It's been a few days since I last wrote so let me bring you up-to-date.

The big thing is that we have decided to buy a Swivel Wheel-46 to haul Joyce's scooter around with us.  There is some question about the legality of the transporter in Oregon and other states but after discussing this with the factory, we have come to the conclusion that it doesn't meet the criteria of a "trailer".  This guy bolts to a receiver that is installed on our fifth wheel making it part of the frame.  When it is ready, we'll drive over to Katy (near Houston) to pick it up.

Thank all for now folks.

Barry & Joyce