The Cassinelli Gin House

The Cassinelli Gin House is located in the corner of Pecan and Academy Street. When I was young this house was unoccupied and in bad shape. Located in historic South Del Rio it is one block from San Felipe Creek and Del Rio Rotary Park that was not in existence when I was growing up.

I have been wanting to feature it on the blog for a long time but it is difficult to find a parking space and a little dangerous if you try to walk to the corner to photograph the Texas marker.

I was not living here when it was remodeled and housed an insurance company.  I remember going in once and dropping off my parent's check payment but as hard as I try I do not recall what it looked like inside.

The current owners have done a formidable job keeping up with the grounds and seem to be avid Volkswagon fans as they have several in their property. They own a VW Westfalia Camper Van in pristine condition that looks like someone is living out of. It even had its second-floor camper out unfortunately, I was not able to take a picture of it.  It has a Kennedy/Johnson campaign sticker.  I have featured that van on a prior post when it was parked at HEB a couple of years ago.

Drove down the street to Del Rio Rotary Park and took a picture of its vast backyard and though you can not see it from the lens of my cheap phone it has a vegetable garden, a chicken coop and though I can not be sure I believe a compost pile that is not visible from this picture.

The ducks sure seemed to be enjoying themselves now that the park is closed and they do not have to compete with the locals to swim in its cool waters on this hot day.

A little sad to see the park closed but we know it is for the well being of our citizenry. These pictures were taken on Monday, August 31st.

This morning it was very cloudy and I was hopeful that we might be the beneficiary of another 3-minute shower but it was not to be. The sun came out around 2:00 p.m. and the heat once again took over.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

All parks along the banks of San Felipe Creek are closed

I had no plans to make a blog post this evening but upon reading our local newspaper The Del Rio News-Herald I felt compelled to do so. While I do not have a large following I have been sharing a lot of pictures of our local gem San Felipe Creek...not that my blog had anything to do with people visiting...but all the parks on its banks are closed and have been for a while.

Today's article is pointing to the fact that law enforcement is having a problem with Out-of-Town park violators from other Texas cities such as Eagle Pass, Midland, New Braunfels, and Austin.  Here is a link to that article http://delrionewsherald.com/news/article_95f402fa-c7b0-11ea-96e1-ab2546d55ec1.html

Thank you for visiting Del Rio but please note San Felipe Creek is closed for now.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Economic Boost

Some parts of Del Rio were hard hit by golf size hail two weeks ago.  Since then we have had an influx of hail repair businesses setting up all over town.  While the local paper only mentioned the better hotels being at full occupancy, the other hotels in the area seem full as well.

This past Friday,  April 1st around 2:10 a.m. being the night owl that I am...I was up, when I heard like rocks hitting the roof and my bedroom window.  It did not take long to realize that it was hail. It was so loud it even woke up mother.

Went to open up the front door to look out and yep it was hailing pea size and quarter size hail. Saw the neighbors running outside to put their cars under the carport and others turning on the lights to see what was going on.  Lucky for us, the car was in the garage and we have a metal roof,

Seems a lot of cars in this area substained damage and now we have even more hail repair shops and roofing contractors setting up shop in our little town,  Goes to show how there can be a silver lining even in hard times.

For the past two weeks I have been trying to eat right, gave up my 7-UP, menudo, pizza and all those things that are delicious but not good for you.  All so the lab work I had done today would not come out as bad as I think it will.  I know two weeks of sacrifice can't make up for months of bad habits but at least I can lie to myself and say...I tried?

I was fasting but was not able to make it to the hospital until 1:30 p.m.  Had to run other errands and was starving, decided  that since I have one week until I get the results, I might as well reward myself since I do not anticipate good news.

Stopped at Whataburger as it has been at least three or four months since I have eaten a hamburger. By this time it was around 3:00 p.m so I was very surprised at how full the parking lot was and how many people were dining inside...again an economic boost to our local economy.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Library / Camping / Tumble (Updated)

I am pretty bummed about how long the library expansion is taking. You would think we were adding a second story and lots of square footage.  There is little to no parking and most people park at the church across the street.

This Easter I noticed that camping in area parks has gone down.  Maybe it was the cooler temperatures.

I took a tumble this weekend when I went to feed the dogs.  I was in a hurry and did not notice that Pedrito had dug yet another hole.  I was afraid he might pounce on me but darn dog didn't even notice I fell as he was busy eating!

Only Boris and Tammy noticed.  Boris barked and Tammy looked at me as saying "well, I can't get you up woman".  Oscar did not notice either, he was busy eating as well.  I landed face down and twisted my ankle.  I laid there for a while covered in dirt and leaves.

I was in so much pain that I did not return to watch my Spurs play until the third quarter.  I am back to normal now,

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

We are playing great...GSG!!!

A crowd favorite and one of mine as well.....Boban Marjanovic...

Early start to my day

We are not morning people but we had to be at the hospital early this morning for a cat scan.  It was rather nippy and was glad I found my jacket last night as it was needed.

Spring break is over in our school district. There was so much traffic, it is obvious Del Rio is no longer a small town.  Glad it is not every day that we have to be out and about during rush hour.

I so wanted to take a nap after we got home but had other stuff that required my attention. Hopefully, I can squeeze in a trip to the laundromat this week.  Oh yeah...and more weed pulling :-(

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Spurs Corner

It is not that I expect the Spurs to win every single game but how do you blow a 20 plus point lead?
Sports commentator Sean Elliot summed it up best "we had a win hangover".

We got complacent and along with turnovers, it pretty much sealed our fate.  Only positive thing I can say is that at least we did not play at home.

Spruced up campgrounds

It had been a while since I had visited the Amistad National Recreational Area campgrounds in particular San Pedro.  I am happy to report that it has been spruced up. For one it has new signs.

They grated graded the roads (is that the correct terminology?)

They have also been busy trimming the trees

However, they did an awful job on the Billy Bob tree!

They still need to mow your yard Billy Bob...as usual your camping spot is all lonesome.

This is where I wish you a good night and Terlingua Dreams but I fell asleep watching TV last night and did not do my post. Have been up since 6:00 a.m. an oddity for me :D

A quiet place

Every now and then we all need a quiet place to retreat to.  Of course my number one choice would be Terlingua.  However, that is not possible in these awful three digit temperatures of West Texas.
 

 
I also like to go to my favorite campground at Lake Amistad...Governors Landing...but not in a non-air conditioned car.

So I decided to go to my old stomping grounds about two blocks from where we lived when we first moved to Del Rio.

I think I have mentioned on prior posts that moving from Austin, Texas to Del Rio was a cultural shock.

Dad had interviewed in Uvalde, Eagle Pass and Del Rio.  However, the job offer came from Del Rio.  Mother was hoping for Uvalde, Dad was hoping for Eagle Pass and I was hoping they would forget about moving and we could stay in Austin.

One of the things I loved most about Austin was going swimming at Barton Springs, it was cold as the dickens even when the temperatures were in the 100's.

While not Barton Springs by a long shot San Felipe Springs offered a nice place to cool off and make friends.

This particular area along the creek is not a popular location like say by the State Park or San Felipe Lions Park...both of which I have featured on this blog on several occasions...in particular during Easter when you are allowed to camp out for the weekend.

After the deadly floods of 1998 they made this into a park.  During the weekdays there aren't too many people here which suits me just fine.

This day it was just me and some friendly ducks.  They came up to me hoping I would feed them.  Sorry, maybe next time...

I liked her little poofy hair :)

 They made a nice couple.

Even Dad's old car seemed happy here in the shade.

Of course there are always those darn people that don't care about putting trash where it belongs, grrrrrrrrrr!!!

Apart from the above two pictures, everything was beautiful. The sound of the water had such a calming and relaxing effect.  If I had a strong back and could drag my zero gravity chair by the banks...I bet I could of taken a nice nap.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Podiatrist / Library / San Felipe Springs

What is it about me that when I do not have to go anywhere in particular, I have insomnia...yet when we have an appointment or a place we have to be at, at a given time...all of a sudden I get sleepy and usually over sleep?  Such was the case today.

Against all odds we made it on time to the downtown clinic I dislike to see the only podiatrist in town for a follow up visit.  To my surprise there were hardly any people and we were in and out in record time.

It was another 102 degree day, 39 Celsius.  Since we were already downtown decided to go check out the progress at the future library.  Hummm....what progress?

 No wonder it is going to take them two years to build it!

Not far from the library is San Felipe Lions Park.  Drove by to see how many people were enjoying the cool spring waters.  To my surprise no one was in the water.  They must of been home hiding out in the A/C.

I was thirsty so stopped at my favorite convenience store for an Icee but here they call them Slush Monkeys.  Noticed the price of gasoline had gone down.

 Price with a Stripes gift card...

This afternoon Walter paid us a visit.  I was so happy to see him...but you will have to read about that on his blog :)  http://mylittlewalter.blogspot.com/

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Three detained with bomb at Del Rio International Bridge

Photo and Story courtesy of El Zocalo-Ciudad Acuna

Three males were arrested last night at the International Bridge as they were about to cross into Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico with a bomb along with bomb making material. While they were arrested by City of Del Rio Police and ICE agents they were turned over to the FBI.

Del Rio Mayor Robert Garza was advised of the situation at 11:30 p.m. by the Fire Marshall who ordered the International Bridge closed until the bomb squad from Laredo, Texas could arrive.

The bridge remained closed until 5:00 a.m. this morning as a safety measure and also to await the arrival of the Laredo team who ordered the removal of the vehicle involved and took the bomb with them.

Many people were stuck in Del Rio, Texas as well as in Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila and had to sleep in their cars or go to a hotel.

The above is a condensed version of their article which you will find here http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/apresan-a-tres-con-bomba-en-el-puente-1407130538

If you would like to read the Del Rio News-Herald online edition of this story...well I regret to inform you they did not even mention it.  They still have Christmas stories from LAST year! http://delrionewsherald.com/

I know many people do not go to Mexico because of the perceived danger, which I have never felt or I would not go. Yet here are these individuals calmly driving through Del Rio coming from who knows where with a bomb on board.  Just goes to show that danger can be found anywhere.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Torrential Downpours

Photos courtesy of El Zocalo - Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila

We wanted rain and boy did we get some!  It began after midnight and it went on for hours.  I went to check the kitchen where we have had problems in the past, that were fixed a couple of years back. Glad I did because the top portion of the window was leaking and I caught it just in time.

Went to check the fireplace and more leaks!  However, I always keep a bucket in there just in case. I was glad my mother was sound asleep.  That is until the second round of storms when thunder and lighting woke her up.  Per the weather channel we got from 3.96 to 7.96 inches depending on where you live in Val Verde County.

Since I do not buy the local newspaper and their e-edition in practically worthless I have no idea how Del Rio fared.  However, Ciudad Acuna, Coahuila has an excellent newspaper El Zocalo with an equally good webpage. http://www.zocalo.com.mx/seccion/articulo/pierden-todo-cientos-de-familias-1403333432

There I learned that one person drowned, 500 people had to be evacuated at the height of the storm to shelters and many more were rescued from atop their roofs this morning. Actually, many cities in the state of Coahuila flooded due to this weather system.

I cross this road on the way to Bodegas Aurrera (grocery story owned by Walmart) over Las Vacas creek which rarely has any water but now resembles a river.

Hope everyone got a good dose of liquid gold and that you were not adversely affected.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.