Kings X Toy Soldiers in San Antonio Texas

I don't admit this to everyone, but I love to paint toy soldiers.  I have done it for a long time now.  I started in my teens, painting mostly 32nd scale WWII soldiers.  Lots of Germans.  That is a popular era, and quality toy soldiers of that time are readily available and affordable.  I would buy mine at Wal-Mart and K-Mart back then.

Well, I have really been on a Civil War kick over the last few years, and I got back in to painting soldiers again through my interest in that conflict.

AND, with our recent visits to the Alamo, and reading up on that fight, I have found myself painting 2 inch tall Alamo Defenders and their attackers.

My cousin actually used to live in San Antonio, and he told me that I had to stop by the toy soldier shop in the Menger while there.


Well, Kings X is that toy soldier shop in the Menger. 

Kings X sales mostly very detailed miniatures produced by King & Country.  They have an amazing diorama set up depicting the Alamo in their shop.

There were some other battles shown around the shop, but obviously with the actual Alamo just feet away, that battle is what you want to see in miniatures.

AND, a highly detailed hand painted miniature is, in many ways, the PERFECT souvenir of your trip.  Also, with the Menger's connection to Teddy Roosevelt, picking up the Kings X exclusive Teddy figure here is a no-brainer.  Yes, I bought one.

I also picked up a bag of very detailed TSSD Alamo soldiers that are unpainted- so I can paint them back home while remembering our time in San Antonio!

Their Alamo diorama alone is worth stopping by to check it out.  It is amazing!

Buy something while you are there though.  Like I said, having a cool Alamo soldier, bought from a place where the battle happened makes for a cool shelf item to take home.

San Antonio and the Alamo

So, like I said, we JUST got back from our second trip to San Antonio in less than a year.  San Antonio is the kind of place that is worthy of repeat visits.  It is alive and colorful.  It is unique and fun.  AND, there is enough history to justify several trips to soak it all in.

On this trip, there were many things we did the first time around, that we felt the need to do again (visit the Alamo, stop by some of the historic hotels, walk all over the River Walk).  AND, there were some things we wanted to do this time we missed out on the first time around.

One of our friends said that they wanted to make sure that we did the River Walk.  I tried to explain that, downtown, doing the River Walk is like doing the sidewalk in most other cities.  Its everywhere, and you are going to be on it as you get to most places.

I personally wanted to get more Alamo time in this time around too.  I was also particularly excited about learning more about the battle and all.  Luckily, the Alamo offers "Battlefield Tours" several times a day for those people wanting to learn more....  Plus, there is an impressive museum inside of the mall by the Alamo that has some great relics relating to the historic fight.

So, over the next few days I will get some of my photos from the trip up.........

"A Time To Stand- The Epic of the Alamo" by Walter Lord

I read Walter Lord's "A Time To Stand" shortly after reading "Exploring the Legends of the Alamo" by Wallace O. Chariton.  In fact, "A Time to Stand" was mentioned in the Chariton book a few times, so I thought it would be worth picking up.

Walter Lord's book is simply an interesting read, that offers an easy to understand telling of the events that went down at the Alamo.  He tells about the people involved, what brought them to the Alamo, and he explains all of the politics surrounding the fort and it's importance.

Like Chariton, he does get into some of the mysteries and questions that still linger (there is a brief chapter towards the end of the book titled, "Riddles of the Alamo").  Lord brings up the various questions, and then gives brief, to the point facts known abut the legends.

He also notes all of the men who fell at the Alamo, clarifying that, as newly discovered records sometimes pop up, the list can change.

I would highly recommend this one to anyone thinking about visiting the historic place.

"Exploring the Legends of the Alamo" by Wallace O. Chariton

After visiting the Alamo in San Antonio in 2016, and knowing that we would be there again in 2017, I wanted to read up a little more on the Alamo.

The story is a great one.  A rugged bunch of pioneers against Santa Anna's much larger army.....

Plus, it went down in 1836.  Reports, first hand accounts, and records in general are pretty scarce.

AND there are some conflicting bits of information here and there.

Luckily, Wallace O. Chariton has put together the very fun to read book, "Exploring the Legends of the Alamo".

Even if you aren't familiar with the story of the Alamo, this would be a good starting point.  Chariton gives most of the basics of the battle and the events as he discusses "the Legends."

In this volume, Wallace Chariton is trying to resolve some of the mysteries about the battle.  He looks at who said what about the events.  He discusses the reliability of the sources too, which gets interesting!

Chariton discusses some intriguing topics/legends/rumors.  He debates the possibility that some of those at the Alamo surrendered, and did not die fighting.  He asks about why a 400 person army did not come to the aid of those at the Alamo- and he also considers what may have happened if they had helped.  He speculates about how survivor Susanna Dickinson's reports have preserved...  and confused the story.

One chapter in particular that I enjoyed covered a man who MAY have left the Alamo just before the final battle.  His intriguing story becomes very cloudy since his existence is in question, and his stories are told by someone else, many years later.

There is confusion about numbers (how many men exactly died at the Alamo?).  There is confusion about names, and who was where during the battle.

Luckily, Wallace O. Chariton covers it all in a very easy to understand way, making this a fun and interesting book to read about the legends of the Alamo!

San Antonio Texas..... AGAIN!

You may recall that last year, we went to San Antonio to visit the Alamo and some other sites....

Well, we had a great time, and that town quickly became one of those places I was looking for an excuse to visit again!

So, a few months ago one of our friends that travels with us sometimes was suggesting some weekend trips we could all do together.  Well, San Antonio made its way into the discussion.

Our friend had never been, and, after thinking about it, we realized that we would be game for going back again less than a year later!

This also gave me a chance to read a few more books on the Alamo, to research the area some more, and to just indulge in all of that San Antonio coolness.

Over the next several days, we will be bringing up our SECOND visit to San Antonio Texas!

"Remembering Kentucky's Confederates" by Geoffrey R. Walden

Geoffrey R. Walden's "Remembering Kentucky's Confederates" from the Images of America series is a great reference to have around if you are interested in the Civil War in Kentucky.

It is mostly photos, with descriptions about the person or people in the shots.  There are photos and names you would expect to see in a book on the Confederacy in Kentucky.  Sue Mundy, John Hunt Morgan, and John C. Breckenridge all appear.  You know members of the Todd family show up too!

I was most impressed with some photos relating to Morgan's Raiders.  It is probably one of the most famous photos associated with the group.  It is a rough looking bunch of Morgan's men taken at Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh, where the men were held prisoner at the time.  Well, this book contains some more information on each of the men in the picture, including individual photos of each man!

There are some great reunion photos from after the war too, along with some cool early photos of monuments around the state!

President Chester Arthur State Historic Site in Fairfield Vermont

We drove a bit out of our way to visit the President Chester Arthur State Historic Site in Fairfield Vermont.  We were OK with the driving though, as driving anywhere in Vermont is part of the fun.

The replica house (built in 1953 using photos of the original) is very small, and only open on certain days.  Unfortunately, we were there on a day when the actual house was not opened up, but we were able to look around, and see through the windows.  Again, it is small, and I am not sure if going inside would have added much to the visit.

The area is very secluded.  We did see one person jogging on the road nearby, but otherwise, we felt like we had the area to ourselves.

There is a monument where it is believed Arthur was born right beside the replica home.

We did not spend a lot of time here, but it is always exciting visiting a site associated with a President's birth.

Green Mountain Inn in Stowe Vermont

We stayed at some very nice, upscale, cozy Inns on this trip.  We loved them all.  Well, the Green Mountain Inn in Stowe Vermont was another very cool and historic place to stay.

We checked in a bit early, and we were thrilled with our room.  It was very nice.  We did notice some garbage in a garbage can, and we immediately called housekeeping about this.  A very kind lady came in and took care of it, apologized, and said that it was her fault personally that the garbage can had been ignored!  I was very impressed with how quickly it was taken care of, and by the fact that someone took responsibility for this small mistake.

We enjoyed some tea and cookies set out in the evening.  We thought this was a nice touch.  We also relaxed in rocking chairs on the Inns front porch!

We walked around town some, and checked things out.  I mentioned before that this is a very nice, walkable area.  There is a lot to do right around the hotel.

That evening, we had dinner in their restaurant.  We had a very sweet waitress named Barb.  The food was good here too!  I had a great Reuben and fries. 

One big thing that the Green Mountain Inn had on its competition was a Presidential connection.  Chester Arthur spent some time here, and so did Gerald Ford.

Both of these visits are kind of curious and unique.  Arthur was a local guy, but he is noted as being here while performing in a play.

Future never elected President Gerald Ford was here way before his political career got moving.  He did a photo shoot while working as a young model!  There are some photos and displays on the hotels presidential connections by the elevator.

As we checked out, the friendly front desk staff gave us a punch card and explained their loyalty program to us.  It is pretty cool actually.  Our card never expires (so if we don't get back to the area for several years, that's OK).  It was an easy to understand and utilize program.

This was the last historic hotel we would stay at while in Vermont and it was a real treat!

Stowe Vermont

Stowe is such a perfect little place.  I think it might be the ultimate stereotypical Vermont town.  It seemed very comfortable, and very attractive to us.

We walked around and took it all in.  There was a nice, helpful visitor center.  We enjoyed coffee at the very nice Black Cap Coffee.  we enjoyed some interesting sculptures around town.

Here are some pictures we took while we walked around the area.

Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe Vermont

We were in the Stowe area for some time.  We had thought briefly about trying to get a room at the Trapp Family Lodge, but we decided not to.

An acquaintance had visited several months earlier, and described the staff as "prickly" towards non-hotel guests.  And, we got the same vibe while reading some online reviews.  Plus, another historic inn in the same area had better reviews, and was significantly more affordable.

Still, it is THE Trapp Family Lodge, and we were in the area, so we decided to swing by just to check it out.

We didn't spend a lot of time at the Lodge, but we did take in the views, chatted with staff, and walked through the gift shop.

After driving up hill for some time, we walked in.  There are displays about the family on the walls.

I asked a fellow at the front desk where the gift shop was located.  He very enthusiastically pointed the way for me.  So far, the place seemed very nice and friendly.

In the gift shop, we found several items we had to have (a patch, some postcards, etc.).  As I checked out, another very nice fellow helped me with my purchase.  I asked him about how it was working for the family.  He said that the Trapps are great people.  He also told me that three of the children are still living and that they are around the property!

We told the staff at the gift shop good-bye, and they responded with a very appropriate Auf Wiedersehen.

I have to be honest...  We loved the other place we stayed at in Stowe, but I hope to give the Trapp Family Lodge a chance at some point.  Our personal experience was much nicer than we expected.

Vermont Brewery in Burlington Vermont

I wanted to take a second to tip my hat to the Vermont Pub & Brewery in Burlington.  The place has a ton of history if you are into microbrewers and that kind of thing.  Being that I don't drink at all, I can't judge them on that, but man do they have a great atmosphere, and good food!

I was craving some onion rings and they brought out a massive plate of huge rings.  Me and three other people couldn't have finished them off.

This was some of the best bar food I have had in a while....

Burlington Vermont

Here are a some photos I took in Burlington Vermont.  We actually only spent a small amount of time here.  We did fly in and out from the town (LOVE the airport, small and easy to navigate) but we really only had a few hours to explore.

The town is vibrant and hoppin'.  There is a lot going on, and a lot of characters making the rounds.

On a normal day, I would explore a place like Burlington and describe it as cozy and casual.  After spending some time driving around the state of Vermont, and seeing towns like Woodstock, Montpelier, and Stowe... well, Burlington almost felt overwhelming.  You know you are in the biggest city in Vermont.

Here are a few photos....

The St. Albans Raiders by Daniel S. Rush and E. Gale Pewitt

While we were in St. Albans Vermont, I picked up "The St. Albans Raiders" by Daniel S. Rush and E. Gale Prewitt.

I really like this compact but complete telling of the story of the St. Albans raid for a couple of reasons.  First, Rush and Pewitt do a great but brief retelling of the Raid events.  You get the complete story here.

BUT, you also get a lot of other information on the Raid, mostly concerning what happened to each of the Raiders afterwards.  I really like the fact that the authors include burial information!

The Raid involved former Confederates associated with John Hunt Morgan.  Many of those Confederates were from Kentucky, specifically the Lexington area.  These raiders got together in Canada, and decided to rob some banks in the north, hoping to pull Union military resources away from the South.

In addition to giving the well known story of what happened, this volume includes well researched facts on what happened to the money stolen, including conflicting information on the exact amount.

The authors discuss the conflict about how this event is looked at by history- was it a raid by a bunch of outlaws, or was it a legitimate battle involving two opposing groups in the Civil War?

The book is full of great photos, including pretty much a photo of each participant in the raid.  There is a nice photo of some of those involved in front of Niagara Falls.  My favorite picture in the book is of raid leader Bennett Young speaking in 1917 at the dedication of a Confederate Memorial.  Woodrow Wilson is seated close by.

The St. Albans Raid- St. Albans Vermont

St. Albans Vermont just recently got put on my short list of places to retire.  This is a cool little town jam packed with history and small Vermont town coolness.

We swung by mostly because I wanted to see the town where the northern most land battle in the Civil War occurred.

In 1864, former members of Morgan's Raiders regrouped in Canada and plotted a raid into Vermont.  They ended up robbing 3 banks in this little town, and taking the loot back north with them.

The story gets really interesting because of how they were handled after being caught.  Some viewed them as thuggish bank robbers.  Some saw them as legitimate Confederates helping out with their governments war effort.  Anyway, it is a very interesting side note in Civil War history!

Our main goal of our visit was to stop by the Saint Albans Museum to see their display on the raid.

This is a great community museum ran by some friendly staff who seemed very excited about helping out.  We spent a couple of hours at this museum.  There is one room devoted to the raid, and I was most impressed with a display of actual stolen bills from the event!

They had various other rooms at the museum, and had exhibits on an old school, an old doctors office used in a Normal Rockwell painting, a model of  Phineas Gage, a display on an old theaters, and other things. 

ALL of the other displays were unique and fascinating, and absolutely worth mention in their own right.

We walked the town a little bit.  A nice lady asked what we were looking for, thinking we were lost.  We told her we were doing the walking tour of the town.  We thought it was very sweet that a local asked if confused looking tourists needed directions!

We also stopped by the extremely cozy little coffee shop called The Traveled Cup.  I love the name, and the coffee was great too!  You know I have mentioned that some places get it right, and some don't.  Well, these guys nailed it.  The place was so relaxing too.  If I lived in the area, I would be here all the time.

This is just such a neat little town, with a perfect museum, a perfect coffee shop, and great history.  I think the Norman Rockwell display at the museum is very fitting.