Field Trip - Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch

A few weeks ago the kids and I headed up the road to a little town called Pilot Point to attend Homeschool Day at Sharkarosa Wildlife Ranch.

When we arrived we loaded into a tram and were ready to start our adventure.

The tram's first stop was to see and pet some animals I didn't know existed. Such as the Zdonk. A cross between a Zebra and a Donkey!

There was also a Zorse - that's right a zebra/horse!

We were also able to pet some beautiful horses.

The tram then took us to see zebras! We were not able to pet them, though, because though they are beautiful, they are not very friendly.

There were also these guanacos or spitting camels (they looked very much like alpaca).

The tram's last stop was to see and pet some camels!

I can almost hear him saying, "Guess what day it is!?!?!...

Hump day - yeah!"

After the tram ride we had more fun learning all about the animals at the ranch. 

We learned all about lemurs and even saw a 4 day old lemur baby!

SOOOO CUTE!

We took a barrel train ride...

And went on a scavenger hunt!

The kids even pet a baby kangaroo and a snake!

We all had a super fun day!! Mig has asked me almost every day since if we can go to Sharkarosa today.

We will definitely be going back!

More pictures from our vacation...

Ok - so if you can't tell, we had an awesome time on our little vacation. I promise this is my last San Antonio post (until the next time we go down). 

So there are just a few more pictures I wanted to share here. You can't go to San Antonio and not see the Alamo. 

Our last stop when seeing all of the missions was the Alamo and Riverwalk. 

This time, I was so impressed with the big statue in front of the Alamo. The artistry is so amazing!

Here is the picture we finally got after our meal at the Tower of the Americas.

The Riverwalk:

This little bird was hiding in a bush on the Riverwalk.

This statue is how I know where in downtown San Antonio I am. It is called the Torch of Friendship.

And another on the Riverwalk.

The kids had a super fun time at GiGi and PopPop's house, too. They did crafts, went out for milkshakes, saw newborn deer and even had an ice cream making contest. With out GiGi and PopPop this trip would not have been possible. Thank you guys!!! We love you!

More from San Antonio

On our second full day in San Antonio Byron and I spent some time with some friends that just moved to San Antonio. Then we went to lunch at Los Patios - which is beautiful and has shops and a nature trail nearby. That evening we saw a movie - Godzilla! 

The next day we headed out to the Japanese Tea Gardens. For some unknown reason, it is called the Japanese Tea Gardens, but you are greeted with an elaborate sign that welcomes you to the "Chinese Tea Garden". HA!!

When Memaw and Papaw lived in San Antonio, Papaw would take my sister and me to the Tea Gardens at least once a year. At one time there was a sky ride that would go from the entrance of the zoo and over the Tea Gardens (some call them the "Sunken Gardens"). The sky ride is no longer there, but the gardens are still serene, beautiful and a great site seeing activity!

We battled the rain on our visit, but it was still so beautiful!

Byron took the camera from me again. I tell you - I am so much more comfortable behind the camera, but I love how this next picture turned out! 

I even got a few of my handsome guy!

Beside the garden is the Sunken Garden Amphitheater, which is still in use today. On the day we visited, it was not being used, so we snuck up on stage!

That evening, Byron made dinner reservations at the Chart House Restaurant which sits at the very top of the Tower of Americas.

I had really wanted to get a picture of us standing in front of the tower before we walked in to send to the kids, but as we approached the tower it began raining. I was pretty disappointed that we didn't get the picture I was hoping for, but as we ascended the tower on the elevator, we looked out to see the most beautiful rainbow! We ended up being seated with an amazing view of the rainbow over the city of San Antonio. Talk about romantic!! Byron couldn't have planned it any better if he had tried!

The restaurant rotates very slowly around the tower so that during your meal you get a 360 degree view of San Antonio. The food was so good! It was definitely a night to remember!

The Missions of San Antonio

The week before last my sweet parents watched the kids so that Byron and I could have a little (kid-less) vacation! It was so nice and so needed! We went to San Antonio with no real plans except getting some rest and spending time together. So nice!

On our first day in San Antonio we took the morning nice and slow, had a good breakfast and then went on a fun adventure! San Antonio is home to 5 old Spanish missions. The best known, of course, being the Alamo. We decided to see them all! We started in the south and found Mission Espada. 

Mission Espada was built in the late-1700s by Spanish Franciscan monks to bring their values and faith to the Native Americans in Texas. Much of the mission is gone now except the church (which is being remodeled right now). It was beautiful, quiet, and off of the beaten path of most tourists.

Next, we went north a little and found Mission San Juan. Mission San Juan came to Texas in 1731 and is still quite beautiful today! The church is still active holding bilingual services every Sunday!

I even stepped in front of the camera during our trip (with much persuading from my sweet husband!).

As we got close to the church, we could hear old hymns playing. It was so peaceful and beautiful! 

My grandparents lived in San Antonio for quite awhile when I was younger and Papaw loved the old Spanish missions and cathedrals. I was thinking of Papaw a lot while we walked around the missions. I was especially emotional when I as I opened the door to enter the sanctuary, his favorite hymn, Amazing Grace, began to play. It was such a sweet blessing and a very sweet moment.

Our next stop on the Mission trail was Mission San Jose. This was my favorite of all the missions! In fact, it is known as the "Queen of the Missions"!

The church has been restored to something very close to it's original structure. It is built from limestone in the extraordinary Spanish colonial Baroque style.

The Rose Window is known as the best example of Spanish Colonial ornamentation in the United States. It has appeared in many movies and is quite famous. There is a folktale surrounding the window that Pedro Huizar, a carpenter from Spain carved the window as a monument to his sweetheart, Rosa. However, on her way from Spain to join Pedro here in the US, Rosa was lost at sea. Pedro then carved the window as a memorial to her and a sign of enduring love. 

The entire building is covered in beautiful and ornate designs.

This is part of the convent.

The last of the missions (besides the Alamo) is Mission Concepcion. 

The walls of this mission are no longer standing, but the church itself is a wonder! It is on elf the country's oldest original stone churches. It was originally covered with bright frescoes, but besides that, very little of it's appearance has changed in over 250 years.

I think it looks like a castle in a fairy tale!

This was such a fun day! If you are looking for something to do in San Antonio, I would definitely recommend visiting the missions. It is totally free and there are a few ways you can do it, driving like we did, by kayak, or even taking a 7 mile walking/biking trail that goes by each of them.