Jenn Dolari @dolari@driveinsaturday.org

This season, tune in for the Texas Detective who doesn't take any shit. Tune in for....

Saturday's Texas Adventure, Part 2

From the Huebner House, she wrote for the FOURTH time, I headed to a very special place for me, "The Grotto."

The Grotto was a strip of forest behind our house, with a creek tunning through it. For eight years, I walked through this strip to get to middle and high school, read books here against the trees, biked it's many paths, and finished homework listening to bird and wind whistling through the branches.

Time has claimed about two thirds of the grotto, which haven't been built up, but were cleared for flood control. The southern most third still looks exactly as it did forty years ago, though. The section across the street was a part I didn't hang around out in much, but is now a city park, so at least some of these woods will always exist.

From there I hit the old apartment complex I lived in for a few years. It has seen beter days. Several of the buildings have burned down, windows are smashed out...it was pretty snazzy when we moved in in 1980. Times have not been good for them. It's hard to tell the Halloween decorated apartments from the others.

The old "Rain Roost" the kids hid under during the rain for my first four years of elementary school is now just a patch of ground. The tree I sat in as a kid is still there, and going strong, though. The game room where I'd play Asteroids is a Mexican Restaurant now.

It wasn't until decades later that I found out the hill I struggled to bike up was actually THE Locke Hill.

Where I am now.

Best freaking fajita taco I've had in decades.

Saturday's Texas Adventure: Part 1

My parents were busy this day, so o decide to take a chance on s trip into the Hill Country. I figured as long as I kept to myself, stayed in the car as much as possible, I could do a line road trip. It wouldn't be much different than when I'd roadtrip as a woman in the 90s.

I decided to go to my "secret place" in the Hill County, a spot I'd go to relax and think when I was troubled. It's a long ways away, but I figured I'd have time and decided to see sights that also were personal to me.

The first was what my sister called the Onion House, but I called the Huebner House. Both families owned it, but Joseph Huebner built it in the 1860s right at the crossing of both Bandera Roads at Leon Creek. He passed away in the 1880s, supposedly by supposedly drinking a canteen of kerosene and is buried I a very lovely part of the property. Given that the land was pretty vacant for 25 years, I'm surprised it wasn't vandalized. It's now taken care of.

I remember the house being decrepit and falling apart in the 80s, but that was a concerted effort to stabilize and restore it in the 2000s, something my sister was involved in. It's now a nature park.

I really want to go inside one day.

DAMMIT TEXAS YOU'LL KILL US ALL

My love of history is directly related to elementary school. First through fourth grade was at Lockhill Elementary (fifth was at Leon Valley), and I remember the first time I read this historical marker, I felt so proud.

Much of my San Antonio life has revolved around the intersection of Fredericksburg and Huebner. I've been to the site of the original school (likely incredibly old if its the site of the Lacey store), stagecoach stop and the oldest, still standing building (predating Lock Hill itself). I know the history and it's people.

While I don't want to be buried when I pass, if it were to happen, I'd like to I be buried at the Lock Hill Cemetery. I genuinely consider myself a citizen of that very long lost community.

::waves::

This was my nickname in high school:

I am in my favorite city in Texas, it's a happening Saturday night, Wurstfest is going on, and I just have to pass the city by.

I am alone, visibly trans, in rural Texas, and there are crowds everywhere. And all it takes is one jerk to make my life very complicated very quickly.

This is what they want. To make us go away, become invisible and get your vote while they drive us away.

But at least the guy at Chicken Express called me ma'am. I hope the next generation of politicianscan undo this mess.

Where I am now.

Some things never change. 30 years later, it still takes an hour to get out of UTSA.

::Turns on Lithium on Sirius XM and heads into the Hill Country::

Let's pretend it's the mid 90s and Amy or Steph is with me as we explore our world with the optimism of youth.

Oh, one last thing before bed.

We were almost T-boned in a high speed police chase west of Hondo.

Good night! :D

Good night.

Once there, we were broken hearted to find out that the park is only opened Saturday and Sunday.

We got some food, had a picnic at a local quiet parkas a consolation prize. We took a side trip home that was not only fairly quiet, but skipped a few towns I'd hoped to hit. But it was a nice trip and, not being in the Hill Country gave me the Big Sky I miss. I love the mountains of Washington, but that Big Sky...I miss it.

2/2

Today's Texas Adventure

Dad wanted to see Fort Inge, one of three "points"that make up the town of Uvalde (Fort Inge, Uvalde and Uvalde Junction). It was one of a line of forts designed to protect white pioneer from the Comanche on the area.

We headed out and stared fairly leisurely, but ends up skipping a few hours of cities as time began to dwindle. Uvalde is a long way from San Antonio.

1/2

Some sit down restaurant food, my first since coming to Texas. And likely my last given some of the looks I got at the restaurant. Thankful it was to go and that person was leaving.

I finally got some catfish. Folks got chicken fried steak. I miss southern cooking. The jerks, not so much. Just wish there weren't so many of them and things weren't so bad that I need to worry about them.