Visiting "Old" Mission, Texas

Our main activity for the day was a trip downtown to see the older part of town. It is only a couple of miles from where we are staying, but it is not on the beaten path for any other place we have gone so far.

Unfortunately the museum was closed today, but a stroll down Conway Avenue gave us a better feel for the heart and soul of this city of over 80,000.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Mission, Texas

We did have the chance to go inside Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, which was originally constructed around 1903. The stained glass was stunning from inside the building, as the sun shone through the glass, making the interior so vibrant.

Lots of gorgeous stained glass was lit from behind on this sunny day.

We also enjoyed squeezing our way through this old-timey hardware store that was packed to the rafters with touristy stuff, as well as all kinds of hardware. All the employees and other customers were hispanic, but funny signs and other things were all in English. 

Silly sculptures/yard art, and, yes, baby chicks, and everything in between....

 

Who wouldn't want one of these horsey seats?

Here is a historic, old movie theater that has been re-purposed to community events, etc. I wonder if there is dancing during the big band jam?

A stroll through a pawn shop revealed two accordions for sale, as well as dozens of used cowboy boots, along with the usual stuff you might find anywhere such as electronics, electric guitars, watches, etc.

We wrapped up our visit with lunch at a Mexican restaurant. I had soft steak tacos and Ron had brisket tacos. 

Our trip downtown made us feel a sense of place that we had not felt in the RV park. It was a fun diversion, and different than the other sightseeing we have been doing, which has mainly been bird walks and hiking.

Which, by the way, we also did - later in the afternoon. And I got a pretty good picture of a kestrel and I spotted a female blue-gray gnatcatcher, which I had never heard of before today! 

The Kestrel is North America's smallest falcon. 

---Mari