Melissa Ann Goodwin

Melissa Ann Goodwin

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Japanese Tea Garden, Riverwalk, We've been doing this a month and we're on the road again!

Today marks the one month anniversary of beginning this RV adventure. How time speeds by! We've ridden a roller coaster of learning, emotion and adventure. We fought winds through the midwest and in Santa Fe, gathered our belongings and said farewell to dear friends and a lovely phase of life that is preserved in my heart and mind like a scene in a snowglobe.

Today, we find ourselves at the end of our five day stay in San Antonio, Texas - the first multi-night destination on our itinerary. We've had a blast! Tomorrow we head out again, with our next multi-night stop being New Orleans. With luck, we'll arrive there Tuesday.

Yesterday we went to the Japanese Tea Garden, which my husband, Dick, aka RVPainter, went to fifty years ago - yes, I said 50! He thought the garden was lovely then and it was high on his list of "must see's".

It's still lovely, as you can see. But, as with most history, there is a sad story to go with the tea gardens, and as a writer of course I love the stories!

The first thing you notice when entering the Japanese Tea Garden is that the sign over the entrance reads:

CHINESE TEA GARDEN

The Japanese family that owned and ran the gardens and tea house were "relocated" to an interment camp during WWII and never returned to live there again. One child, now in her 80's, did come for the dedication of the tea gardens as city park a few years ago. You can imagine how emotional that must have been!

Because of anti-Japanese sentiment during the war, the sign was changed to read Chinese Tea Garden, and for historical preservation, it was left that way.

Here is a picture of the original Japanese Tea House in 1931:


The original tea house, with the children sitting on the wall.
 Walking through the peacful sunken garden, I imagined these girls chasing each other up and down the paths, playing hide and seek, or leaning over the bridges to peer into the koi ponds. I could almost hear the echoes of their laughter ....

                     .... Walk the paths with me and see if you can hear them too ...

RVPainter at the entrance to the Japanese Tea Garden. Notice that the sign
reads "Chinese Tea Garden."

The sunken garden consists of pathways that meander around koi ponds and beautiful flowers.




This tree could tell many stories





And a picture or two from the Riverwalk, which we enjoyed very much. Down along the river it is cool and green. The walk is lined with flowers and restaurants - we enjoyed our lunch at Boudrou's the best.




And of course, The Alamo :

21 comments:

  1. Anonymous5/05/2012

    What a beautiful place for quiet reflection. Looking forward to stories and photos from New Orleans.

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    1. I'm excited about New Orleans too! This tea garden was a definite highlight of San Antonio - not to be missed. Plus there is a tea house there and we had a lovely light lunch that was absolutely delicious and quite inexpensive.

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  2. Such a beautiful place. I love the colours in the close-up flower pictures (non-gardener here, so I have no idea what they are!)

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    1. I don't know a lot of them either, but they are simply beautiful. This is a special place.

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  3. Oh that looks like a perfect place to drink in beauty. It's kind of sad that they didn't change the name back. I wish they had bent the rules here just once.
    Drive safely!
    Blessings, Joanne

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    1. It is simply lovely and peaceful there. The story is so sad, yes.

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  4. Anonymous5/05/2012

    Beautiful gardens. Looking forward to hearing about New Orleans.

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  5. I will put those tea gardens on my list of 'must see' next time we are in san antonio. They are lovely! I haven't been to New Orleans but that is on my list as well. Great pictures, thanks for sharing!

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    1. Hi Sally - very lovely - a must see, in my book. Looking forward to seeing what New Orleans brings.

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  6. I love the shots of the river, especially the one with the restaurants lining up alongside of it. What a lovely place to stop and eat. Beautiful pics Melissa :)

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    1. Megan, it's a fun place - so many restaurants - we only ate at two and both were terrific.

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  7. It can't have been a month already. I guess I have to take your word for it.
    Those gardens were an enchantment. Thank you so much. Such peace and beauty.
    Looking forward to our next exciting installment of tales from your epic odyssey.

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    1. We've come a long way in a short time -both literally and figuratively!

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  8. Wonderful photos! I really like San Antonio, it's one of my favorite cities.

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    1. Hi Karen - it is a fun city, that's for sure.

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  9. What a wonderful place!

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  10. Beautiful photos of lovely gardens and trees. Looks so tranquil and peaceful. Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I've always wanted to visit San Antonio. Thanks for the photo tour!

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  12. Oh, I hope those sweet little girls didn't wind up in internment camps--how foolish we are! On a brighter note, I love your pics and especially the riverwalk one; the reflection of the bright colors in the water is lovely. It would make a nice jigsaw puzzle. Have fun in New Orleans!

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