While we were waiting for the truck to be built, I took a job in California.  It met NONE of my usual criteria for contracts that I take.  First it was 36 hours, second the pay was low, and finally it was night shift.  The only thing that contract had going for it, was that it was only 8 weeks, and would keep me working, while we waited in Texas for our truck.  My requirement of the hospital was that they would allow me to cluster my shifts, so that I would work 6 days on, and then have 8 days off. 

Since there is no sleeping in the RV during the day, it was decided that Mike and the kids would stay near his family, and I would commute to San Antonio.  It was a three-ish hour trip (once I learned how to avoid the rush hour around Austin!)  I stayed in a hotel, sleeping the days between my night shifts, and then would drive back to Mike & the kids for my week off.  It worked out well. 

Sometimes on my time off, Mike and the kids would come to San Antonio and stay in the hotel with me.  While we were in San Antonio, we saw SO many things.  In fact, I like San Antonio so much, I told my husband, if he'd ever brought me to San Antonio when we were first married, we might have moved there, rather than to Michigan! 

Our adventures included a trip to the San Antonio Zoo and aquarium. http://www.sazoo-aq.org/  which we thought would be better called the San Antonio Zoo and Aviary.  They had thousand of tropical birds.  They were truly the most unique part of that zoo experience.

San Antonio Zoo

We visited the Institute of Texan Culture http://www.texancultures.utsa.edu/public/index.htm  it is a fascinating museum and very child friendly.  There was an exhibit of early Native American life, as well as a chuck wagon, an adobe hut with a costumed interpreter grinding corn, and a sharecroppers cabin, to name a few. Most of the artifacts are actually reproductions, which the children are allowed to handle and use.  They even had period costumes for the children to try on. 

We also went to the Witte Museum http://www.wittemuseum.org/exhibits/hebtreehouse.html which has a hands-on science treehouse for children, with exhibits for the kids to explore.  The kids loved the water play area outside, and learned about gear ratios, magnets and more.

Of course, no trip to San Antonio would be complete without a trip to the Alamo and the Riverwalk. 

Being from the north, I had never really learned the story of the Alamo.  So, before we went, I studied up, and spent time with the kids explaining that this was different than most of the museums we went to, as it was a more of a memorial to the men who had died there.  I believe even they felt the solemnity of the place.  http://www.thealamo.org

After our time at the Alamo, (it took about a half day) we went to the RiverWalk.  It was a fun experience, and the older children related it to stories we'd read about Venice during our studies.  (The Papa Piccolo unit from Five in a Row. http://www.fiveinarow.com )  It wasn't a difficult leap to be able to imagine what Venice might be like.

One other place worth mentioning was the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park. 

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/lyndon_b_johnson/

They have a turn of the century working farm with costumed interpreters set up.  The day we were there, the gardens were growing, we saw the animals being tended, a blacksmith working, and a woman in the kitchen shared with us what life was like on a small farm in the hill country of Texas in the early 1900's. 

Living History experiences and events have always been my favorite way of teaching my children history.  It is so much more interesting than textbooks, and places which allow the children to actually put themselves into the mix are even better!

We ended up our time in San Antonio just in time to pick up the truck, and head for a family reunion for Independence Day weekend.