Lizzy was not able to join us again this year for the fireworks in Gainesville. These fireworks on the UF Campus are on the 3rd of July every year. We have a nice spot we go to on top of a parking garage. This year we went to a higher parking garage:
We got to hang out for a while while we waited for the fireworks:
We had a great view!
07/04/25
We went to the annual ward 4th of July breakfast:
We had some speeches to recognize our freedoms:
Time to salute the flag:
Zach played for us as we sang the Star Spangled Banner:
Time to eat!
Later in the evening we went to Alachua, Fl to watch the big fireworks from the truck in the parking lot!
We tried to get comfortable:
We had a great view!
These fireworks are so good!
Although we missed Lizzy we definitely had a Happy 4th of July!!
This is Lizzy’s last year to be able to attend FSY (For The Strength Of Youth Conference). Although our stake was assigned a different date and location they were able register to go back to DeLand, Fl to the Stetson College Campus again this year.
The Tanners drove everyone down again and Mom and Dad picked us up bright and early at 7am on Saturday. They found Lizzy and Lily:
Sawyer and Zach found us:
We went to Denny’s for breakfast:
The girls were knocked out pretty fast!
Zach was a good sport while Sawyer was comfy in the back.
Family Vacation Day Eight (Thursday): Our last day in San Antonio, TX. We are ready to walk to the Alamo!
There were sunflowers along the way:
And other pretty flowers:
A glimpse at River Walk (we’ll do that later):
On the way to th Alamo we happened upon a Juneteenth celebration in a park where actors were portraying the experiences of the enslaved people at the time of their emancipation.
The birds were very interactive here!
“Food? food?, food? . .?
After the performance we went to the Alamo which was right behind the park stage:
There were several different buildings with artifacts and informative materials to keep us engaged for 3 hours!
The sacristy in the main church building:
A bible on display:
The Alamo was well worth the visit!
After the Alamo we did a little shopping:
Dad bought Mom a new ring.
We then stopped for lunch and treats and headed to the beautiful River Walk:
River Walk!
So pretty!
Lots of arches:
Lizzy still loves pigeons (her favorite bird):
Our next stop was the San Fernando Cathedral, one of the oldest active cathedrals in the United States.
It’s so nice to be able to go into the Cathedrals:
Beautiful stained glass!
The organ!!
Outside the cathedral:
The Founders Monument:
Deciding which crown they would want:
After the Cathedral area we walked to the Historic Market Square (think Flea Market):
Historic Market Square.
And we stopped at a bakery:
On our way “home” we took the River Walk again.
This tunnel was cool:
Historic River walk is so nice:
Best Friend Sisters relaxing:
Almost to our bridge exit:
The Spanish architecture was nice too:
There were some interesting things along the streets:
Finally this evening we walked to a restaurant for dinner. It was an action-packed last day in San Antonio!
06/20/25
Today we drove back home. That was a wonderful vacation and we are so happy we could take Luna Dog with us:
Family Vacation Day Seven (Wednesday): Today we drove back to San Antonio. Rachel specifically asked to visit the Holocaust Museum:
Located in a Jewish center it was on the second floor:
Thought provoking. . .
After the museum we went to a park across the street from our next destination, the Japanese Tea Garden & Chinese Gardens. This was Mom’s destination of choice and we all found beauty to enjoy! It was advertised as a Japanese Tea Garden online.
This little sign was off to the side of the main entrance:
It was beautiful:
Lots of water, pathways and greenery and Luna Dog was allowed to join us:
Papaya!!
We all enjoyed the gardens:
There even was a waterfall:
We all had our favorite spots:
Peaceful!
Mom and Dad really enjoyed it too:
In the front outside the gardens was an old “Mexican Village”:
Not much more to see and you could not go inside:
Our next stop is the AirBnB.
In the evening we walked to a Belgian Bistro for dinner:
We were having a great day!
Then we walked to Hemisfair Park, a local free park. It was amazing! There were outside games, gardens, playgrounds, sculptures, and , art, music and a plethora of water features.
We tried to play ping pong. We had so much fun!
There were lots of sculptures:
This park contains a life-size cow sculptures that are transformed by local artists and auctioned off for charity:
Family Vacation Day Six (Tuesday). Today Rachel drove us to Garner State Park in Concan, TX. We hiked the Old Baldy, Foshee, Bridges, and Crystal Cave Trails. First we took the trail up Mount Ol’ Baldy, a 500 foot steep and rocky climb. The views were awesome!
We’re ready!
Which way? It’s a loop:
This plant literally has little saws on each blade!
Our view up the mountain!
Halfway there!
Having so much fun!
Enjoying the views. . .almost at the top:
Taking it all in:
Ripe fruit to sample. It was actually not bad tasting but the texture is slimy:
We made it to the top!
Amazing views:
We went back down the mountain and headed uphill again and saw where we had climbed. . .
Mount Ol’ Baldy!
Another beautiful view further up the trail:
We are all having a great time:
Dad’s favorite type of hiking is rocky and with bouldering and a bonus with caves (still to come)! He sure got that today!
This is how we kept track of the trail. The trail blazes were yellow footprints on the rocks along the way:
Crystal Cave!
Not a huge cave but it was cool:
Lizzy is almost always the first one inside when we find a cave!
She explored a little tunnel only to discover a huge nest of spiders!
Caving is dirty. Time to hike to the next cave:
We found White Rock Cave:
Rachel relaxed in the cool air (around 70 degrees) at the front of the cave:
We explored the cave:
Look what was directly over our heads in the cave! Mind you this is with a flash, the cave is very dark.
They are all spiders!
End of hike pic, but the adventure is not over. . .
Peddle Boating on the Frio River!
Mom loves peddle boats!
We took turns peddling the boat. Mom and Dad peddled first:
Vacation Day Two (Friday). Today we planned a fun day in New Orleans! Luna is not too excited about staying home without us, but she’ll be okay…
We took a bus downtown and then walked through the city:
There were some interesting buildings:
Rachel was especially excited about The National WWII Museum, but we all ended up really being impressed by it!
It was educational and interactiveWe were each given a name of someone who actually served in the war. Throughout the museum there were stations where you could scan your card to gain more information about the individual. It was very impactful:
Our great-grandfather on Mom’s side, Gorden McCarty, died in this war just days before the war ended:
A very diverse experience:
After this museum we got a bite to eat and then surprised the girls with this!:
The Titanic Immersive Voyage Experience.Everyone gets a passenger to follow:
At the end of the “experience” you find out if they lived or died:
Recreation in progress.Recreation mastery!Cool model!
Nice optical allusion!:
First class status!
We sit in boats to watch the museums movie portrayal of the highlighted events.
After the Titanic Experience we went to the famous Bourbon Street:
We are not in Gainesville, Fl!
We stopped for some gelato:
We came upon a fun street band:
Men dressed as statues and did not move at all!
There was a pretty horse with a buggy:
And a beautiful Cathedral:
With Gorgeous stained glass!!
Later that evening we went out to dinner a short walk from the Airbnb:
This year we are going to New Orleans and Texas. Why? We wanted to have a driving vacation so we could bring Luna Dog with us! We use to have a driving vacation every other year but it has been many years since we did that so Luna has been left out. We got on the road at 7:30 am and drove up Florida to Alabama and then to Mississippi.
Mom did the first three hours of driving now it’s Dad’s turn:
We love car rideswith the napping, movie watching, music and singing our hearts out!
Our first stop along the way. . .
Ocean Springs Beach, Biloxi, Mississippi. Luna lovin’ life with the family all together.
We are way out in the water but it’s not over waist deep! The Biloxi Bay water was warm and the sand was soft. Luna likes to keep an eye on us but is not interested in going in the water at all!
Off to New Orleans!
Our Airbnb in New Orleans for the next two nights:
