It's Time

13502 Charter Bend

Have you ever made a big decision, then thought of it later with a big sigh of relief and feelings of “this just feels right”? Deciding to sell the Charter Bend house feels just that way.

We have tossed around the idea for years of “downsizing” into a smaller one-story house, but never did anything but talk about it. Our financial advisor asked if we’d thought about moving into a smaller place, outside the city (smaller mortgage, no city taxes). Well, yes, we said, but we hadn’t gotten serious about it. “Maybe this is the right time.” (Bruce is gradually transitioning to work from home, so the commute will be non-existent.)

We knew, right from the start, that the house is nowhere *near* ready to list. Carey’s mother Becky is a real estate agent, and she was kind enough to come over one morning, walk through the house, and let us know what needs fixing/repairing/replacing, and what can stay “as-is.” (We want the house to be “sell-able,” not the jewel of the neighborhood.) She also had a favorite contractor, who visited soon after. We now have a list of projects and a budget.

A lot of junk accumulates in a backyard after 18 years. Headed to the dump.

But it’s not just the work on the house; it’s the whole “decluttering inside” required before we move. A family (even an empty-nest one) builds up a *lot* of stuff over 18 years. We’re systematically going through the house and sorting things into various categories: keep, save for Sean, give away, yard sale, trash. It’s not a fun project, but it has to happen. Fortunately, we are in no rush and have the time to properly work the issue.

Bruce is trying to weather the maelstrom that is me when I have the “project bit” between my teeth. I can be a little---um---over-enthusiastic.

We were blessed and lucky in our choice of home. Since we moved here in 1998, Wurzbach Pkwy has been completed, HEB/Alon opened, NW Military has been upgraded, the Jewish Community Center was built, and Hardberger Park and the Salado Park Greenway opened. All directly touch/border our neighborhood (the Salado gate is less than a quarter mile away).

Salado Creek Greenway; gate is an easy bike ride away.

Next up: exterior work (replace trim, power washing, remove deck), then interior painting. I’ll post updates here as we go along. We hope to have the place listed by the spring.

Wish us luck!

Alamo A La Carte Bulletin: West Ave. is Open!

Happy day! West Ave. (between Nakoma and Interchange Pkwy) is now open! TxDOT (@TxDOTSanAntonio) plans lane closures for finishing work, and the road will have occasional overnight closures for overpass work. But this particular bottleneck should interfere with your daily commute no more!

Here's a newsletter with the latest update on Wurzbach Pkwy progress.

Ranger Creek’s Second Saturday Open House

Every second Saturday of the month from 2-5pm, Ranger Creek Brewing and Distilling @rangercreek hosts a lively open house. For $8 ($5 if you bring back your glass), they provide three beers, or two beers and a bourbon sample. Strong and smoky whiskeys don’t usually pass my lips, but I had to taste this small-batch, carefully crafted sample.

A rowdy crowd (watching the Florida/A&M game) filled the small tasting room, so we moved into the brewhouse to stake out our spot. Bruce beelined for the two food trucks (Spice Runner @spice_runner and Say She Ate @SaySheAteTX), and I procured beer. Say She Ate’s decadent duck fat fries with bleu cheese melted in the mouth. The Jamaican jerked ribs from Spice Runner fell off the bone. Their pita wrap with an African spice braise had a warm flavor with a hint of cinnamon.

Say She Ate's Akaushi sliders and duck fat fries

Ranger Creek focuses on the relationship between beer and whiskey or bourbon, making them unique amongst distillers and brewers.

We received only a small portion of bourbon (crazy arcane Texas ABC rules), but enough to savor the aroma and taste. Mark talked us through a four-part tasting. Step one: appearance. The bourbon had a rich copper/amber hue. It takes on a deep color in only nine months, since it ages in small, five-gallon barrels. Step 2: aroma. He suggested a small sniff, since bourbon has a significantly higher alcohol content than wine. I smelled caramel and charred oak. Steps 3 and 4: taste and finish. The bourbon felt warm as it went down and tasted much like it smelled, with honey and spice notes. 

Ranger Creek uses 70% corn (locally grown), 16% unmalted rye, and 14-15% barley. All bourbons are produced in the US and aged in a brand-new oak barrel. (They next use the barrels for other whiskeys or beer. Their much-anticipated Imperial Porter, aged in former bourbon barrels, comes out this fall.)   The Texas weather greatly affects aging (their brewhouse is not climate controlled), so batch 9 can taste totally different than batch 6 (all labels include clearly marked batch numbers). We promptly visited Spec’s and picked up a bottle for a special occasion.

I foresee two issues as this event gains popularity. They have a large facility and open outside area, but it filled quickly. The fire department might object to the number of people at some point. And the tasting room has only one restroom, with a steady line all day. They’ll need to address these issues as the event becomes more popular.

They’ll be in Austin for a craft brewers festival in Austin in October, so the next open house is November 9. Bring folding chairs, and arrive early to claim a good spot. Mark your calendars for a fun afternoon.

Lagniappe Today: “A Little Something Special”

In May, the San Antonio City Council approved a six-month pilot to bring food trucks to downtown San Antonio. In July, they added more accessible locations, such as Main Plaza and Travis Park. On the first pleasant day after a blistering August, I ventured downtown to see who landed in Main Plaza this week (an easy three block walk from the Market Street garage).

Three food trucks parked directly across the street from the Bexar County Courthouse—Takoriya (Korean tacos), Cheesy Jane’s (burgers), and Lagniappe (“LAN-yap”) Today—“a little something special.” @lagniappetoday

Owners Joseph and Suzanne Jackson opened Lagniappe seven months ago. He mans the window, and she cooks succulent Cajun food like red beans and rice, gumbo, and po’ boys. I adore grits, so I chose the sausage, shrimp and cheesy grits.

I found a table under a shade tree as the San Fernando bells tolled. The smells of Cajun seasoning wafted out when I opened my bowl. The grits were creamy and smooth, with just the right amount of bite. The spicy andouille was sliced thin, and sweet shrimp completed the dish.

Their schedule includes the Point Park and Eats (on Boerne Stage Road) for Sunday lunch and three locations in downtown San Antonio for weekday lunches. Suzanne said they don’t have a permanent spot because they “like to move around.” They’re also available for private events and catering.

Next time you’re downtown for jury duty, skip the basement cafeteria for lunch and head over to Main Plaza instead.  

Update on Wurzbach Parkway

We anxiously await the opening of the various new sections of Wurzbach Parkway. Living at the corner of Wurzbach and NW Military (more or less), these extensions will make getting around the northside a heck of a lot easier.

I see the progress of the Blanco-to-West section nearly daily. The good news: this section will be finished by the end of the year! They’re installing visual barriers right now (see photo at left), so headlights will be restricted to the roadway, and drivers won’t be able to peep into the windows of neighboring apartments. As it is, some residents of the Las Brisas and Cape Cod apartments could stand on their balconies and throw rocks at the construction workers. The noise must be maddening. Can you imagine having to listen daily (hourly) to the beep-beep-beep of heavy vehicles in reverse?

West Avenue (between Nakoma and Bitters) should reopen by Halloween. Surprisingly, the closure didn’t result from installation of the overpass. Instead, they’re installing a raised section over Panther Creek (which overruns the road in even a small rainstorm); the overpass comes later and will not require such a drastic closure.

Wurzbach at the West closure

And a big road-closure heads-up: the northbound feeder of US 281 will close the weekend of August 24. In combination with the West closure, I would just plain avoid this section of town. It promises to be a complete mess.

If you want to stay up-to-date on progress, Josh Donat (joshDOTdonatATtxdot.gov) of the local TxDOT office publishes a weekly newsletter. Just send him at email, and let him know you’d like to subscribe. You can also follow them on Twitter @TxDOTSanAntonio. (Sorry about the funny formatting of the email; spam prevention.)

Drag racing worries us the most. Even now, with just the section of NW Military to Blanco complete, we can sit out on our back porch and hear the roar of engines zooming down the street. In the eight years (or so) that the section has been open, the slight left-hand bend down toward Blanco has already claimed three lives (in three separate instances, they all missed the curve and hit a tree at high speed). When extensive sections open, the problem will only worsen. A parkway provides limited places for police cars to lay in wait. I hope they can find a solution.

Wurzbach from Vista del Norte

For those of you interested in details and plans, you can find them on the Texas Department of Safety website.

Compared to my hometown of Houston, getting around San Antonio is a relative breeze. But Wurzbach will make things even easier.