Miss D. and I made it safely to San Antonio yesterday, Friday . . . no thanks to heavy traffic and a number of idiot drivers along US Highway 281. That was no fun!
Today we raided the San Antonio Shoes (SAS) factory shop. We both really like their shoes for comfort and extended wear on hard (i.e. concrete) surfaces, so we took advantage of being in their home town. We each bought a pair of their shoes, which are not cheap at all, but are very high quality; then we discovered that they had a section for their discontinued lines, where one could look for styles one had liked, but which are no longer in production, and sold at a greatly reduced price. Miss D. swooped on them, and came away with several pairs of heavily discounted sandals that will see her through the next few years. Basically, we got five pairs of shoes for what three pairs would normally cost. That was a very worthwhile shopping trip!
(A big benefit of shopping at a SAS store is the care with which they measure your feet, and look for discrepancies. For example, my foot length and breadth suggest a size 11-11.5 shoe, but when you take my arch height and injury damage into account, I usually need a 13-13.5 shoe in W or WW [wide or extra wide] to get my foot into it! That's the kind of measurement that saves time and hassle when buying shoes online, making it easy to order something that you can be pretty sure will fit.)
The afternoon was spent at a book signing, which later adjourned to a burger joint, which moved on to one of the conference rooms at the hotel where we're staying. Those of you who are military veterans will have no trouble imagining what happens when a bunch of writers, most of whom happen to be vets (many combat vets) start telling war stories (which tend to get more interesting as the level in the bottle[s] drops). One of the authors was introducing poor, innocent guests to the joys of a White Russian (extra strength, of course), while others were producing their own bottles and regaling us with stories of kilt and corset contests (namely, what was under [some of] the garments in question) - rubber duckies may have featured . . . Further deponent sayeth naught! Suffice it to say that there was much laughter, and a good time was had by all.
We'll be heading home tomorrow, Sunday, hoping for less traffic than we had on the way down. I hope normal blogging will resume on Monday. Thank you for the prayers for traveling mercies; please don't stop!
Peter
6 comments:
SAS shoes- I'd forgotten about them. Years ago, e used to stop at their outlet store at Pepperelli Center (?)along the road to SA / Austin. in New Braunfels. Great prices.
Sunday morning traffic should be more sedate. With Fall semesters for colleges starting, that may be the reason for excess stupidity demonstrations. Be careful.
When in SA I have got to make a trip to Delia's Tamales.
If on Hwy 281, have you stopped in Hico at the Wiseman house chocolate makers yet ?
AH San Antonio - as a lad of 19 - this was in 1967 - in the Air Force, I used to walk that town after a great steak dinner with friends at a restaurant. $1.85 for a by-god actual t-bone steak that covered the plate, a big baked potato with all the trimmings, probably something green that never got eaten, and a couple of glasses of iced tea. With sugar!
Then a walk back to the Base, dodging empty beer cans thrown by the 'goat- ropers'(As we disdainfully called them - actually good guys) as they drove by - always in a pick-em-up truck. We never got hit but it was close....
The fact that we dated their "wimmin" did not help the GI-Goat-roper relationship.
Reading your tale of heavy traffic reminded me of the above, in more peaceful days (other than the beer cans).
We have an SAS in Cincinnati. Yes, expensive, but the support and comfort, and not needing to be "broken in" are worth the price. We always buy our shoes there now.
May God see you safely all the way home!
Tsquared - you have good taste in tamale factories. Delia's down in the Texas RGV are extremely popular. The cooks know just the amount of ingredient that lets the tamale almost de-cloak itself from the corn husk. Damn good grazing !! A bit pricey, but worth it. Just try and tone down the number consumed, it is very hard to do.
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