Day 14 spent in and around San Antonio:
Started off with a taste of the local cuisine in Floresville; yummy TexMex breakfast tacos and they were cheap.
Next it was off to downtown San Antonio for a little of "normal" tourism. We went to the Alamo for a little history. This historical heavy is right in the middle of downtown and was much smaller than expected. Interestingly, we learned much beyond the Fess Parker Hollywood version. One fun side note: in the gift shop there was a sign on one display case that held replica guns - "No sales to students of persons on a group or bus tour. Texas state law." Seems so un-Texan and made us wonder if it was just because they were non-functioning replicas. Susan did almost have an irresistible urge to wear a coonskin cap and carry a Bowie knife..... almost; whew!
Then for some more time in the traditional tourist mode, we wandered around in the Market and had lunch along the Riverwalk. All very pretty with the Market being a bit of a hard sell zone for the touri leaning products that oozed from every corner. Then on the way to the car we came upon "Ripley's Believe It or Not Oddatorium". Though this might sound right in keeping with our Oddasee ideals but..... believe it or not, we resisted (so far). Looked awfully "Disney" and doubtful there was much in there that was "real" (ie: conjoined twins, man with spike through head etc.) beyond fiberglass representations of the genuine articles.... ooh we're becoming odd and weird stuff snobs. Besides, twenty bucks seemed a bit stiff.
After all that, it was time to head off in earnest toward our latest Oddasee site. It was time to find the "Museum of Toilet Seats." After calling ahead to be sure that it would be open after 5:00pm, in a nice old neighborhood we found the non-descript but lovely home of an outsider art god, Barney Smith. In back alley we saw what must have been a garage with adjoining work sheds. The door was ajar and the welcome sign was out. We were soon greeted heartily by the beaming artist of the day. Aside from his infectious warmth and inviting nature before us loomed yet another mind/eye-boggling sight..... there were hundreds (1005 to be exact) of embellished toilet seat covers hanging on every wall and filling every empty space from floor to ceiling and hanging from above as well. Wow Wow Wow! Then the story-telling began as we were given a tour beyond compare. Mr. Smith told us the inspiration and motivation for many many pieces. Like the guy in the Cockroach Museum, he is quite the celebrity with numerous appearance on national TV programs from Montel Williams, the Today Show and Road Trip with Tom Green - to mention but a few. He insisted we watch a few videos for many of our questions will be answered there. Even during the video show, he continued to tell us more and more about the pieces. There were walls of boxes filled with stuff for use in future projects. Totally friggin' unbelievable. Barney is 88 and going strong. He has been married to the same woman (a saint) for 67 years. He his full of pride but that doesn't hold a candle when compared to his excitement about each piece and the joy he gets from showing the truly appreciative (S and R and Carol). He absolutely loves showing people his art and telling his stories. He relishes input and has an impressive list of the people that have visited and where they came from. Everyone signs a "seat" and he carves their name into the seat of their state.
We were completely amazed by this human "commode-ity" and flushed with the honor and privilege it was to meet him. There were handshakes, hugs and goodbye waves as we drove away.
And that is exactly why we are on this road crusade.
Love and whooooooosh-swirl,
Rodney and Susan
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