THIS IS YOUR MISSION...

Mission Concepción

Make it your mission to visit the San Antonio missions! Can't believe I've lived in Texas all my life without visiting any other than the Alamo, and just recently, the one in Goliad. Alas, it took the formation of Hubby's Hill Country Photo Walk group to finally spur me into action. 

Their very first adventure was scheduled for this past Friday, but when we awoke to rain and heavy fog, cancellation messages were quick to pop up on Hubby's phone. Fortunately, for we intrepid few who opted to carry on, it ended up being a great day for photo-taking!

Mission San José

Though there is a bit of color left inside some of the missions, most of their original color-madness has been worn away by time and the elements.

The Only Piece of Color Left on the Exterior

Years ago when I visited Biltmore Estate with a friend, I discovered that, while most people were interested in seeing the glamorous public spaces and gardens, what I loved was seeing the kitchens, larders, servant's quarters, attics, and veggie gardens. I had a compulsion to see what all went on behind the scenes, to make it all work. The same was true here. So while my fellow adventurers were busy choosing which of their cameras and lenses and settings were just right for capturing that certain architectural detail, I was off exploring the amazing stone ovens and wells and aqueduct systems that brought water from the river to run their grist mill.

The Oldest Mill in Texas

After that we stopped at conveniently located Nicha's Comida Mexicana on Roosevelt, just across the street from this awesome drive-in theater...

 

for a mighty tasty lunch. Tell 'em it's your first time there, and you get a free cup of tortilla soup! Next it was on to tiny little Mission San Juan.

The interesting thing to me is that all these little mission chapels appear to be holding weekly services still, and this building below had a sign saying it was a private residence.

Just as we hit our last stop, Mission Espada, the clouds broke loose. Fortunately, we were able to pull right up to the front door and get a good look without leaving the car. Alas, that door happened to be fairly awesome, and two of our group just couldn't resist hopping out in the rain to snap a few close-ups of it. Good thing they did, since that ended up being Hubby's favorite photo of the day!

My favorite part of the day? When the other couple finished loading our trunk to the brim with all their equipment, then turned to me to ask where all my stuff was. The look on their faces when I pulled my tiny point-and-shoot from my hip pocket? Priceless!