January 22, 2012

Yesterday I asked Jordan to be in some of my pictures; she's a good model!

Today Lance, Marla and Jordan came over to our RV because our first stop for the day was the Flea market across the highway from us.  There were a few booths selling new products (sunglasses and such), but most were true flea market vendors, offering the proceeds of countless yard sales and estate liquidations.  There were some genuine antiques, some specialty items, and a lot of junk; personally I like the junk.  And by diligent searching, we found a few things we couldn’t live without.

For lunch Lance and Marla suggested we go to CBQ Eatery - excellent idea!  It was started a few years ago by a DJ who decided to change careers, and as far as we could see, it was a good decision.  Randy and I ordered one appetizer, one side dish and one sandwich.  Appetizer:  Kanas City Pork Wings - meaty, tender pork ribs in sauce.  Side dish:  Punk Potatoes - home fries with bacon and covered in beer cheese sauce.  Sandwich:  The Primal Stoopid - grilled cheese with ham, bacon and gruyere, topped with beer cheese sauce, bacon and 2 fried eggs.  And it was all good, every single bite!  Plus the service was great; our server was attentive, helpful and friendly.  Plus the place was clean and attractive.  We give this place high marks on all counts.

Next Marla suggested we visit the Snake Farm Zoo.  As the name suggests, they have a lot of snakes, including a couple of Albino Western Diamondback who are pretty active and look mighty mean. 

They have some huge Reticulated Pythons, which are the longest snakes in the world.  I thought Anaconda were, but they are the heaviest (and they have some of those here, too).  But the highlight for me was when a young man named Clover brought out a couple of animals for the visitors to learn about.  First he brought out a bearded dragon, which is a small lizard.  It looks spiky, but the spikes are actually modified scales and they feel rubbery.  Next Clover brought out a Python.  He talked about it for awhile but I didn’t hear much of what he said because I was busy admiring the snake.  Eventually he finished talking and let us hold it.  I was amazed how soft the underside was - almost like baby skin.  And every time it moves you can feel all those muscles contracting.  I love snakes!

They also have a big (7 feet long) Asian Water Monitor named Khan.  Like so many exotic animals that used to be pets, he was suffering from malnutrition when he was donated to the zoo.  People don’t seem to realize that malnutrition has lasting effects; of course, these are the same people who don’t realize that not every animal should be a pet.  In Khan’s case, he was raised on dog food and since that isn’t what a growing lizard needs, his jaw is slightly deformed.  Clover says these animals are about as smart as a 6-year old, and Khan is his favorite animal in the zoo.  Khan shares his kennel (and his heat lamps) with a group of other reptiles, including an American alligator, a big Guadalupe Spiny Softshell turtle and several River Cooters. . . yes, that’s really the name of these turtles.  Kahn is the biggest varmint in the kennel but he seems laid back, even if he does use a turtle for a pillow.

Outside the reptile house is a small zoo with some unusual animals, like the Patagonia Cavy.  It’s the second largest rodent in the world (Capybara are the largest, and they have those, too), but to me they looked like a cross between a big rabbit and a small deer.    

They have a couple Spotted Hyenas here; I haven’t seen those in a small zoo before and can’t imagine how these ended up here.  They also have several large, brilliantly-colored Macaws.  I am always surprised that so many of these birds end up in zoos because they are such expensive pets.  The petting zoo here includes some very fat pot-bellied pigs, the usual assortment of goats, and a beautiful llama.  In one of the paddocks, a zebra shares it’s digs with miniature horses, and in the next corral are several different species of cattle, including buffalo and whatever that is with the great big horns

After we left the zoo, Marla took us to see the pet store where she works.  They have an adorable Kinkajou there, aka a Honey Bear.  She has a fully prehensile tail, a lot of energy, and was never still enough for me to take a good picture.  She liked to climb on Randy and nibble on his head. 

Lance drove us out to a beautiful park nearby, where scuba divers were training in the lake.  The surrounding neighborhood includes some beautiful houses, and in a side yard between 2 houses we found a large heard of deer.  When Lance slowed the car down they got curious and came up to investigate us.  If we had stayed there I think a couple would have stuck their head in the window.  But on the other hand, they might have head-butted the car, and it was a new car, so we rolled up the window and left them to their grazing. 

We have to leave early tomorrow, so we decided the sightseeing was done for the day.  Many, many thanks to Lance, Marla and Jordan for a wonderful time in San Antonio!