First off this morning we traveled just outside the city to the San Jose Mission. Very cool place, and our guides gave us a good idea of what life on an 18th century mission was like.
One of my favorite moments on the Mission tour though was when our tour guide pointed out the Yucca plant, a type of cactus. Kevin H. wanted to go have his picture taken with it because it looked like a giant corn. (You can take the boy out of Illinois, but not the Illinois out of the boy, apparently.) The following conversation ensued after Kevin was jabbed with one of the plant's giant spikes. Kevin: "Ouch!! This thing is sharp!!" Ms. Wych: "Well, it IS a cactus." Kevin: "IT'S A CACTUS?!" And so, lesson learned... listen to ALL of what your tour guide says!
After the Mission, we made the 1.5 hr trek to the Twin Elm Ranch. What a great place! VERY nice people, good food, lots to do, and a few hilarious singing cowboys (Dead Eye, T/Roy, and Justin) who lead the horseback rides. During the 5 hours we spent there, the kids were free to do whatever activities they chose. Offerings included lasso lessons, wading in the river, hanging out by the pool, volleyball, basketball, horseback riding, relay-racing, or just sitting around playing cards. All the kids (and adults!) had a fantastic time, and my personal favorite part was seeing the students really enjoying themselves without cell phones for a full five hours!
Lasso lessons! All I have to say about that is that it is HARDER than it looks!
A group shot in the river. Tanner, Allyssa, Kyler, Tyler, Matt Z, Marissa, Dani, Anna, Kyle, Jessica F., Jake, Maegen, Rebecca B, Kasombra, Becky M, Kelly, and Allison!
Audrey, Andrea, Sarah, Emily, Alex, and Mr. Muir are ready to go out on the trail! Audrey was very happy that "if she'd only brought a horn," her horse would be just like a unicorn.
Out on the trail!
The ranch owners organized a number of hilarious relay races for the kids. See video below!
Now I already told the story of Kevin's misadventure with the Yucca, but there are a few other "Quotes of the Day" for today.
"Ms. Wych, do you have any breath mints? I got a minnow in my mouth." -- Kasombra, while playing in the river.
"Mr. Anderson, do I need to wear pants for this?" -- Tony J., actually spoken yesterday but I forgot to mention it.
"M'am, do we know who's on this bus? For instance, if someone is in the bathroom when we leave the missions, we won't leave them behind?" -- The Bus #2 guest tour guide on the way to the Mission. No, we never take attendance and prefer to leave as many kids behind as possible... (Kidding!)
"Hi, my name is penguin and I am a cute penguin. -- Emily K" -- submitted by Erin W. via a piece of cardboard stuck under my hotel room door, with a plea to "please post!"
"Ms. Wych, I got stung by a scorpion, what should I do?" -- Kyle A.
YES, you read that last one correctly! No worries, it was a very small scorpion and he's just fine. :) But, I must say, I had NO idea how to answer that question!
So, there you have it! A great day! We're ready for the caverns tomorrow, then the trip home... I'll try to get one more blog post in via cell phone or email, but if not, see you back in Illinois!
"Ms. Wych, do you have any breath mints? I got a minnow in my mouth." -- Kasombra, while playing in the river.
"Mr. Anderson, do I need to wear pants for this?" -- Tony J., actually spoken yesterday but I forgot to mention it.
"M'am, do we know who's on this bus? For instance, if someone is in the bathroom when we leave the missions, we won't leave them behind?" -- The Bus #2 guest tour guide on the way to the Mission. No, we never take attendance and prefer to leave as many kids behind as possible... (Kidding!)
"Hi, my name is penguin and I am a cute penguin. -- Emily K" -- submitted by Erin W. via a piece of cardboard stuck under my hotel room door, with a plea to "please post!"
"Ms. Wych, I got stung by a scorpion, what should I do?" -- Kyle A.
YES, you read that last one correctly! No worries, it was a very small scorpion and he's just fine. :) But, I must say, I had NO idea how to answer that question!
So, there you have it! A great day! We're ready for the caverns tomorrow, then the trip home... I'll try to get one more blog post in via cell phone or email, but if not, see you back in Illinois!
So I heard that the Ranch was the biggest hit of the San Antonio trip! Seems that EVERYONE including chaperones had a blast there. I have to say, I am glad to hear there were no major mishaps like kids being bucked off of horses etc. The whole Scorpion incident with "Kyle" does not surprise me at all! If it can happen to anyone, it will happen to Kyle A.! I am sure everyone slept quite well their last night in the Lone Star State. Enjoy the stalagtites and stalagmites at the Caverns! Have a safe flight back to reality!
ReplyDeleteWell, Mrs. Milsaps ALMOST got bucked off...
ReplyDeleteHey, that was not just plain old cardboard, it was a fruit roll-up box. :)
ReplyDelete