We opted for the 5k distance instead of the 10k because (1) I am recuperating, (2) it was chilly and misty, and (3) everyone in our group thought it was a good idea. The walk started at the Park Plaza Hotel.
Across the street from our start point was the beautiful St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and bell tower.
St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Seguin, Texas |
St. Andrew's Bell Tower |
Guadalupe County District Courthouse |
Europeans first heard about pecans from Cabeza de Vaca who traveled the "River of Nuts." I found the informational sign below to be very interesting.
Sign under "The World's Largest Pecan" |
Downtown Seguin |
Municipal Building |
Olivia Mansion Bed and Breakfast |
Entry to Texas Theatre |
A beautiful home |
Downtown Seguin |
Bob, Peri, and Jim |
Scissor-tailed flycatcher |
Description of plants and animals found along this 2.5-mile, spring-fed waterway. |
Peri and Bob walking along Walnut Springs Park pathway |
We continued on to the Sebastopol House which has so much history I'm going to write about it in a separate blog. Here are a couple of photos of the Greek Revival house from the outside. We actually went inside and took their free tour.
Me, Peri, and Jim outside Sebastopol House |
Peri, Bob, and Jim at back of house where we entered for the tour. |
Hugo and Georgia Gibson House |
Seguin Public Library |
St. James Catholic Church |
Black vultures cleaning up a dead squirrel |
Bob in front of another beautiful historic home |
Campbell Cabin (dog-trot style cabin) |
Seguin's First Church |
At this point in the walk, we got a little turned around and ended up going a few blocks out of our way. Our final destination was Central Park to see the Colonel Juan Seguin statue. This is a fitting tribute to the man who fought for Texas independence.
Colonel Juan Seguin |
Here is a bit of history from the memorial:
"Young Juan Seguin inherited his love for Texas Independence as a family tradition. Seguin family members were among the original settlers to arrive and build some of the earlier villages in Texas starting in 1722.
"The original Seguins during the 16th century had migrated from Gevauden, France to New Spain in the Western Hemisphere.
"Santiago Seguin, Juan's grandfather, in 1778 supplied Texas beef to the Spanish forces allied with the American colonists who were fighting for their independence from England.
"Erasmo, father of Juan Seguin, was a close friend of Stephen F. Austin. Erasmo served as Postmaster of Texas territory for 30 years commencing in 1807. He was also a senator in the Mexican Congress representing Texas. Erasmo was later selected by Texans to be a signer of the Declaration of Independence from Mexico."With a pedigree like that, you would expect great things from Juan, and he did not disappoint. Juan's greatest motivator was a desire to live free. He was the first to sound the alarm of impending danger to Texas by Santa Anna's dictatorship. Juan Seguin's thirst for liberty was one of the motivating forces behind the Texas War for Independence. His entire career of commerce, civic and military leadership was closely associated with the deeds of that struggle. (Information from the Juan Seguin memorial.)
With that, we finished our walk. The sun never came out and the temperature did not climb above the 50s.
On the way to lunch, we took a detour to see the Power Plant Restaurant. It had sounded interesting and I wanted to take a look. Jim and Peri led the way in their car and we followed. The restaurant originally was an electric power plant. As you walk to the entrance, they have markers of how high flood waters came up in the past. The power plant sits about 28' above the Guadalupe River.
Depths of flood waters - Power Plant Grill Restaurant |
Waterfall at the Power Plant |
Peri, Jim, and Bob waiting for me |
On the way back to their place, we stopped at Bill Miller BBQ to pick up a lemon merengue pie. We spent the rest of the afternoon playing Sequence. The guys beat the ladies by one game, this time. I'm sure we'll have many rematches.
Thanks, Jim and Peri, for a fun afternoon. Peri sent us home with some of the pie, and ingredients for a ginger/lemon/marshmallow root tea. Mmmm!
It was fun to get out of the house for some fresh air after Bob and I had both been sick for a couple of weeks. See my next blog for our tour of the Sebastopol House in Seguin.
Good night.
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