July 2017 – Pink Hat Gypsy

Sunday Night on The Riverwalk

Posted on 9/25/20189/25/2018 by Pink hat dreamer

Don and I love to travel, but in the last few years we have discovered that we have so much to see right in our own backyard, so instead of getting on a plane each time we wanted to discover something new, we have started calling Ubers or booking hotel rooms downtown. Now we can see more of the city we call home, San Antonio.

There is a great variety of places to eat and drink on the San Antonio River, with something to satisfy every palet.

If your downtown, check out The Esquire (155 East Commerce St) , not only is this the oldest bar on the River Walk (opened in 1933) but it is also the longest wooden bar in Texas. They have great drinks, and serve food until 10 pm during the week and until 1am Thursday – Sunday. With inside seating, you can escape the heat of Texas summers and tables outside to enjoy the views of the beautiful river walk on nice days or evenings.

Close by on 234 Riverwalk Street is Waxy O’Conner’s, where we played a fun game of darts while listening to live music and enjoying a drink.

We have had the opportunity to visit several of the Waxy O’Conners across the US, and this one did not disappoint.

Our last stop of the night was our favorite and will probably become our San Antonio go to Sunday night spot in the future.

Right upstairs from Waxy O’Conners is Soho Wine and Martini Bar at 214 W Crocket Street. As soon as you walk in the fabulous sound of the “210 Blues Band”, catches your attention with their rocking Texas Blues. Very reminiscent of Stevie Ray Vaug

At the bar, Adrian made some of the best “craft” cocktails ever to cross our lips. Don discovered earlier if you put a slice of two of fresh jalapeño in a vodka/club soda (with lime), it is a cool, refreshing drink with a nice a kick. Adrian our bartender took this to the next level using a previous drink recipe called “The Batchelor” and turned it into a “Spicy Batchelor”.

The Soho was the former San Antonio Loan and Trust, and the bank vault still remains in place behind the bar, keeping safe their overflow of bottles and wines.

With live music every Sunday, I imagine this will not be our last visit to Soho Wine and Martini Bar.

All these great spots were with a 1000 feet of the beautiful hotel we had booked for the night, The Holiday Inn Riverwalk. We woke up the next morning and enjoyed coffee on our balcony overlooking the river.

There are lots of beautiful places to visit, but it is nice to know one of the most beautiful places in the country is right here in our hometown.

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“The Stranger In Yellow”

Posted on 9/25/20189/25/2018 by Pink hat dreamer

“Cthulhu Too, The Stranger in Yellow”

I love a good mystery, stories that are suspenseful and make your heart race with anticipation of what will happen next.
Many writers feel the only way to portray a thriller is by slashing everyone to bits showing every gory detail of blood and guts. Of course there is everyone’s favorite go to story….the scantily clad teens who decide they need to investigate the strange noises coming from an abandon shed…in the middle of nowhere, during a zombie apocalypse! That never seems to end well.

Eddie Wise does not need to cheapen his stories by using those techniques. He has written a true classic thriller with “Bride of Cthulhu”, and its sequel “The Stranger in Yellow”
“The Stranger in Yellow” is set in the 1940’s and brings back the characters of Emma and Holly, two cousins played by sisters, Liz and Kat Vermeulen. These actresses brilliantly give life to the complex cousins, who have already experienced enough terror for a lifetime as seen in “Bride of Cthulhu”
Again it seems that diabolical forces are at work trying destroy the world, and our heroines are right in the middle. These talented performers bring strength and a great chemistry to Emma and Holly. But don’t look for damsels in distress with the female characters in this show, Emma and Holly may have moments of weakness, but when danger threatens their family or friends they show heroic resilience and courage. The other female characters bring their own degree of strength to the plot. The sexy and mysterious Parker Abbernath (Molly Walter) takes the audience on an exciting ride of misdirection and deceit. Angie Hernandez as Margaret the resident cook and baker, always has the perfect line or pie to solve any problem.
Actor Ashton Simmons brings comic relief to the stage with his quick wit and well placed humor as Holly’s little brother Davis.
Torene White, Johnathan Schell, Hunter Lyke -Ho-Gland and Jessica Mitchell round out this superb cast. Every member of the company brings a sense of mystery to their roles making the audience wonder are they good or bad, and who is “The Stranger in Yellow?”

Eddie Wise has once again given us a roller coaster ride of suspense, romance, heartbreak and comedy, all brilliantly delivered by a talented cast and crew.
“Stranger in Yellow” guarantees to keep you on the edge of your seat until the final curtain.

” Cthulhu Too, Stranger in Yellow” will be playing at The Overtime Theater Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm July 21- August 1. Sunday July 30 at 3:00 pm and Sunday August 6 at 7:00 pm.

Tickets are 10.00 each and can be purchased at the door or at Brown Paper Tickets http://m.bpt.me/event/3019708
Seating is limited and reservations are strongly recommended and can be made by calling 210-557-7562.
The Overtime Theater is located at 5409 Bandera Road Ste 205.

If you were not able to catch Bride of Cthulhu and want to find out what you missed from the first show you can purchase a copy of the script at the theater, or on Amazon.com (Bride of Cthulhu The Bride Mythos Saga Book 1)

Travel

C’est La Vie….. Ya’ll

Posted on 9/25/20189/25/2018 by Pink hat dreamer

This summer Don and I decided to visit Paris, Athens, Nevada, Bethlehem, Reno and Palestine…. all without leaving Texas.
And though seeing these places in Texas might be different from visiting the real things, Texas does have its own kind of unique beauty and fun.
While we did not get to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris France, we did stand below The Texas Eiffel Tower, complete with a red cowboy hat at The Love Civic Center in Paris Texas.

Italy may be able to boast it has some of the greatest food in the world, Texas has fabulous BBQ at Blacks in Lockhart, and good home cooking at the Road House Cafe in Paris

Londons bridges are historic and the Thames beautiful, but can they tube down the Thames like they can down the Guadalupe River?

Check out the Waco Suspension Bridge or the Piano Bridge near Schulenburg, Texas if you want to see some great historical Texas bridges.

Texas may not have the Eurostar, but The Pacific Railroad runs through just about every little town, and the views of the farms, rivers and fields is beautiful.

French love their wine, but even Texas has beautiful Vineyards with delicious wines coming out of the Hill country, and if your more of a beer person, check out the dozens of micro brewery’s that are making their mark in our state. If you cant make up your mind go to Wilson Street Liquors where Misty will help you decide from a large selection of wine, beer and various liquors to include some interesting Moonshines.

Who needs overpriced couture clothing shops, when you can stop in Lockhart Texas and get beautiful vintage clothing from Magic Mirror, and meet Natalie, a talented friendly shop owner who knows all things vintage.

And yes “Notre-Dame de Paris” is a church that everyone should have the chance to see, but if you cant afford passage across the pond come to Texas and check out our historic Missions in San Antonio or our painted churches in Schulenburg.

If music is your thing, we have plenty of talented Texas originals like Shelley Laine, Tele Novella, Thor and Friends and River City Kings. Or go to Austin one of the true music Capitals of the world.

We also do theater in Texas, if your looking for something original check out The Overtime Theater in San Antonio for Cthulhu Too The Stranger in Yellow (running July 21-August 12)

There was no unrest in Palestine Texas, instead we found a friendly little town where businesses closed on The 4rth of July and everyone in town headed out to the park to celebrate The USA with fireworks and community.

Texas is a beautiful state, and Texans do not fall into any one category. Yes we have cowboys, ranches and long horn cattle, but we also have NASA, top colleges, The Gulf Coast, plus a huge melting pot of people who came from all over the world to settle and share their culture, art, cooking, education and generosity.

The greatest thing about Texas though is the Texas friendly you feel when you travel through the state and are welcomed to each town.

C’est la vie ya’ll,such is life in this great state. So if your looking for a place where you can experience great food, theater, music, art and some of the nicest people around, then come on down and experience Texas.