Sorry I missed a few days including Halloween especially since Halloween and the Day of the Dead  is a religions experience in San Antonio. Unfortunately  I got laid low by the after vacation cold. They are always tough, stuffy nose, chest congestion and oh so tired.  I guess I’m lucky it hit on the weekend. I doubt work would be happy to have me take more time off right after vacation!

But Back to Vacation. After visiting the Alamo, which in addition to being the Cradle of Texas Liberty was the first mission on the San Antonio River built in 1718, we headed to Mission San Jose. This mission was founded 2 years after the Alamo in 1720 and is one of the best known of the Texas Missions.

At first the missions were without walls but as the number of mission residents grew, walls were erected to encircle the the mission structures.

Mission residents learned the use of firearms to fend off Apache and Comanche raids.

Mission San Jose is not only a well preserved piece of history , it is still an active church with a breathtaking sanctuary.

The Spanish artisans, many brought in from New Spain, preserved the basic components of Spanish architecture.

In Mission San Jose a beautiful Rose window is preserved and has reached legendary status.

Mission San Jose is the finest example of a completely  restored mission in the United States, important enough to be a National Park.