I first saw him perform as the front man of Joe Jama and 100 Proof. He continued to perform occasionally into his 60s.
San Antonio Current: Joe Jama, a key figure in San Antonio’s West Side soul sound, has died
– photo by Joe Alexander
Mission Espada on its current site in San Antonio was built beginning in 1745 and completed in 1756, according to the National Park Service.
The Mission is on San Antonio’s south side just outside Loop 410 on Espada Road (Roosevelt Road exit from Loop 410).
It is the farthest south of the missions in San Antonio and is about two miles from Mission San Juan.
Official site: National Park Service: San Antonio Missions
The Essex Paint Jam Volume 4 attracted some of the area’s top local muralists back to Essex Modern City on the near East Side not far from downtown San Antonio and just a little ways south of the Alamodome.
While new work was going up, there were plenty of existing paintings to attract local art fans on the walls of the former manufacturing building near downtown.
– photo by Joe Alexander, all rights reserved
I was probably a week or two late to see the peak of the leaves changing colors, but there was still a lot of bright yellow in the trees. That made a vivid contrast to the red and tan striations of the rocky terrain in the park.
– photo by Joe Alexander, all rights reserved
Most of that drive takes you northeast up Interstate 15 through eastern Nevada, a sliver of northwestern Arizona and finally into the southwestern corner of Utah.
You never know what weather you’ll get when you book your vacation a few weeks out but I was fortunate to make the drive on a clear and sunny November day.
There were no traffic issues until I tried to park at the Zion National Park visitor’s center. I guess you need to get there early but I rolled in after 1 p.m. and the parking lot was completely full.
Amidst the crowds and hubbub of the international gathering of sports fans and gamblers, the Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo offered a place to find a little peace and quiet.
I remember back when you could walk into the south entrance to the Mirage from the Strip and see tigers walking around in glassed-in area right next to the hallway. That is the same spot where Diablo’s Cantina is now.
But the shopping center connected to Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas strip combines lots of high end shops with some fun architecture and entertaining fountains.
The Strip looked a lot different this time around due to all the fencing and seating areas set up for last weekend’s Formula 1 Grand Prix.
