Missions San Juan and Espada

Last up on my Mission Trek were Missions San Juan and Espada.  San Juan was VASTLY different from the old photos I had seen depicting a raw, wood roofed, stone chapel.  Now, the mission is sans stone buttresses and cracks in it's character, smoothly finished and brightly whitewashed, set in a flat expanse of grass.    What was once a stately and weathered espadana is now a blank white canvas, robbing the mission of both time and character.  I was a bit disappointed by the blandness of it all and didn't spend much time there.

But this tree was cool.

 

Clean....and MEH.

 

Off I ventured to the delightfully intimate and inviting Mission Espada.  Embraced by lush trees and gardens, this, the very first Mission of Spanish Texas, very much appealed to the hippy in me!  As I approached the reconstructed cloisters, the peace, devotion and invisible presence of priests in residence was tangible.  Not a soul in sight,  but the place was very alive with flowers, potted vegetables, giant chimes hanging from the branches of tress, wrought iron sculptures, benches...like a tiny mellow commune missing only the tie dye and weed.
The chapel's splendid façade is about all that remains of the original structure.  Much of the mission has been rebuilt since 1885.  Originally the mission -fashioned after a typical Spanish village- housed a brickyard, an acequia system, and hundreds of Indians who where offered training in various vocations to build up the area's economy.

The only person I saw there....a woman in earnest prayer....I wonder what her thoughts were.....

A grand espadana with thick wooden door leading into the cool quiet chapel

 

The priest's quarters

 

I saw such beauty in the crumbling ruins of the mission's outer walls.

 

I loved the shading and subtle colors....I'd like to reproduce it with charcoal and acrylic!

 

 



Mission San Jose

I tore myself away from the morning marathon of reality TV watching(insert tongue in cheek) to continue on my Mission Trek-enjoying the convenience of my little rental car.  Today was the day of Dylan's graduation from tech school and  I had a few hours beforehand.  Yeah, there was NO way I would have been able to run to each mission the evening before! 
First stop was Mission San Jose, probably my favorite of all the missions.  Stepping through the entrance of the defensive  walls that boarder and enclose  the mission, I was fortunate to run into a very friendly and knowledgeable  volunteer who was interested in my photography.  He explained that the "Queen of the Missions", founded in 1720, had once housed more than 400 Coahuiltecan Indians, 300 children alone!  Hard to imagine such activity within the walls of this small plaza.  The population farmed, ran a grainary, as well as managed a ranch 25 miles away.  The mission's perimeter walls doubled as living quarters for the Indians.  It was a step back in time into the simple yet busy life of these residents as I entered one of the "apartments" to get a glimpse inside.  Thick walls providing shelter as well as protection from Comanche and Apache raids, white washed and bright, yet cool as the heat rose outside.
The Spanish-Baroque architecture and ornamentation of the church was gorgeous. 

 

The defensive walls/Indian's quarters with beehive shaped community stoves outside

Inside an apartment....beauty, bounty, and grace in simplicity.

 

St. Rose inside the sacristy

Onward to the church, it's courtyard garden and the unfinished monastery

 

The Gothic arches were FABULOUS!!!!

Underside of the stairs leading up into the church bell tower

One last remnant of the church's original  painted designs

Dig the Immaculate Heart above St. Joseph!

 

I was wishing Willa could be here.  It would have been easy to access the inner child and spend a day playing in this amazing place!

 

Lackland AFB and a fruitful run!

Today I brought Dylan back to base so she could "show me around".  Let's just say, "Ah, Lackland!  A symphony in beige!" and call it at that.  Nothing of interest here, folks.  Except maybe watching basic trainees doing drills and stopping by the park where they keep all the various cool aircraft from years past.  That I kinda dug!  And I found some really big neato acorns to bring home to Willa there.  HUGE they were.  Happy squirrels at Lackland, yes?  The Plane Park had kind of an Indiana Jones feel to it!  Minus the explosions and Arabs..... 
Hmmmm.  And it was....interesting to see the (outside, of course) dorms where Dylan had been living.  Annnnnnnd....
 I'm TRYING here, folks, to be generous.  Really, there just wasn't much else. 
Oh, well, it can't ALL be fabulous, now can it?!
So we got Dylan's hair did and met up with her BFF to go out to lunch.  I'm glad Dylan has had a close friend these past few months.  I enjoyed talking boy problems with them and eating pasta.  The bummer was that it had to be a shorter day with Dylan since military duties -sans mom from Alaska- called.  Back on base we took some time driving the route through the maze that is Lackland that I would be taking the next day to find my way to the hall they would be graduating in.  After Dylan assured me I didn't need a special pass to get on base for graduation and with the directions entered into my iPhone(foreshadowing here!), I dropped the girls off at their dorm and headed out on my own for the evening.

AWESOME.

 

More froo frooing for graduation.  Reveling in what girldom she can.

I strive for going on at least one good long run in every new place I visit.  This was my exciting San Antonio run!   While on the River Walk downtown the day before, I ascertained right away that running on it was not going to happen.  Too many people, too slim a walkway, and a high chance of me, Grace, falling into the river.  BUT!  Upon a quick glance at a map I saw that the River Walk extends both north and south from the Downtown area.  I also noticed that there where several missions close to the section of the walk heading south on what is called the Mission Reach Trail.  I thought it might be fun to head southward  to visit each mission and get some photos along the way.  I hadn't actually checked out the distance I would need to run to get to each, but the maps along the trail soon told me I'd be lucky to get to the first one within the time I had allotted for my run!  Ooops!  Not being used to the heat and not carrying water, I played it safe and set out to find the first mission.  The other's would have to wait for the next day and the convenience of my rental car.  I had to switch a "long slow" run into high gear to get there.  This southern part of the walk was wider and vastly more quiet passing first through a historical residential area, parks, and then an old industrial part of town harboring a defunct grainary, artist community, and a brewery.  So many interesting things along the way caught my eye...

 

 

"Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Ben franklin

Sweaty and hungry but determined to get to that mission

 In order to get to Mission Concepcion, I had to break from the Mission Reach trail and head up to street level and through quite the "sketchy" neighborhood.  I picked up my pace for those 3 blocks and found myself in a vast green park with the first glimpse of a crumbling old wall through the trees.  I followed the sidewalk and the mission came into view.  Built on bedrock and made of limestone hewn from the ground surrounding the mission by Hanai Indians- there are even remains of a quarry about 100 yards from the front wall- it's unmoving walls have remained preserved all this time.  I wasn't able to go inside since it was after hours.  Regrettable because apparently one can see the many fine examples of original frescos bearing Moorish, Renaissance and native motifs.  The mission was formidable and beautiful in it's cruciform bearing.  There where a couple of photographers taking advantage of the lighting and the beautiful mission.  It looked like there was a couple having engagement photos taken and another photog was shooting a lovely young woman wearing the most fantastic dress!  A stunning modern blend of traditional Spanish and a funky ombre of lavender to indigo.  I snuck a photo or 2 of her! Following a walkway, one is taken through  a small grove of trees into a quiet and meditative sancticenter.  Old benches of carved stone arcing in a semi-circle around a huge, rather odd looking pile of small sandstone boulders, many looking eerily like human skulls!  A statue of Mary aloft and one below her, a woman knelt in reverence, lit candles and flowers interspersed throughout lessened the severity of the of this slightly macabre alter .  The potency of these female archetypes took me back through the ages before Christianity to a time when the feminine was revered as strength, power, and equally balanced with the masculine...

 Following along the stone trail I found a statue of St. Francis, Patron Saint of Animals.  I thought  of Willa, her love for animals and how the story of St. Francis has always captured her.  The statue's presence further lightened the mood in the darkening wood.

Original stone-the latter day additions having weathered away- still standing

 

Mary and some other chick

St. Francis

Realizing that my run back to the car was going to be a twilit one  hrough a potentially unsafe(in my experience)neighborhood, I begrudgingly grabbed a few more photos of the mission and headed back to the River Walk.  As I ran passed the tiny decrepit houses with rusted out shells of automobiles and car seats for lawn furniture,  I was gifted a paradigm shift.  While extremely low income, yes, I was surprised that the area was fairy litter free.  And the folks enjoying their evening outside or driving by had nothing but a smile or a wave-an elderly lady even called out, "go, go, go!" as I ran by.  I could slow down my nervous pace in this place.  I didn't experience any salacious glances or wolf calls or stares implying I was in the wrong "territory".  I found myself gradually joined by couples old and young, parents towing kiddos in wagons or bike seats, fellow runners and their dogs...all heading to the River Walk to enjoy the evening.  It was wonderful and  heartening  to experience this peace in what most would call the ghetto. 
What makes that place so different from others, I wonder.......?

This was one of the best "discovery" runs I've ever been on...... :)