Sunday Outings

Last Sunday afternoon our entire family met for lunch and then spent some time at the San Antonio Zoo.  The weather was pleasant, although a little warm, and we enjoyed our time together.  Our time was spent walking around, seeing the animals, and exploring the newly renovated section of the Zoo that now features a carousel.

 

Lions and tigers, oh my!

 

As we walked around I thought of two other places in close proximity to the Zoo where visitors have enjoyed spending Sunday afternoons for many, many years.  The headwaters of the San Antonio River attracted early native Indian tribes as a ready source of fresh water.  After the establishment of San Antonio groups would come by buggies and horseback to enjoy the lush vegetation and flowing water from the underground springs.  Brackenridge Park was established in 1899, and even before it officially opened large numbers of visitors would arrive to picnic and spend time together. 

 

 

WPA picnic bench in Brackenridge Park with San Antonio River behind. 
This is not too far from the headwaters of the River.

Several Sundays ago I visited San Pedro Springs Park to make pictures for a post on Doorway Into the Past.  There were people picnicking, swimming and walking dogs on the trails. There were people everywhere and I wanted pictures without people.  As I sat on a stone wall overlooking the pool, in my mind I saw the old postcards that I had seen of people enjoying an outing in the area that I was looking at.  Girls sitting on the bank of the lake had their skirts spread around them, gentlemen in coats, ties and hats were standing under the trees talking, and a canoe of young men were paddling on the what was then just a lake.  A hundred plus years later people were still enjoying themselves, relaxing in the natural beauty of the park on a Sunday afternoon.  So, maybe it wasn't so bad that they were there to be in the pictures!

 

 

 

Today we have television, movies, the internet and countless forms of media to entertain us.  But just like generations before us we will head out to a park, the zoo, or some walking trails when we just want to relax.  A Sunday outing is one of life's simple things, isn't it?

Creative play at the park!

And, I have to add that while I was sitting on a bench at the Zoo, guarding the girls' wagon and waiting for family to go through the Lory Landing I realized that I had been staring at....a WPA marker!  The Zoo was the benefit of many WPA improvements, unbeknownst to me until the visit last Sunday!