5/24/13: Friday, San Antonio, TX: The Big Thundershower: Today we had another stroll along the Riverwalk, this time through downtown San Antonio. For lunch, we stopped at a place her family used to go to when she was little. I had my first bowl of real Texas chili as we ate at the riverside, under an umbrella.
   Rain hadn't been forecast, but it did start to rain as we were eating, and it soon rained very, very hard! Everyone is delighted; Texas has been in a terrible drought. We stuck it out but were pretty damp by the time we finished, so we dashed inside for a cup of hot tea before heading over to a store called the Five and Ten -- alas, $5 and $10! She bought a T-shirt for me and a poncho (accidentally) and umbrella for herself, and with the coverage of the latter two, we made it back to her car, soggy, somewhat weary, and very happy.
   The Riverwalk is so much more varied and lovely than I had imagined! The vegetation in the downtown area is particularly lush and tropical -- quite enchanting. During the storm, water seemed to cascade everywhere from the walls down into the river. They'd posted off a section of the walk, even stationing an officer there, where the runoff fell so hard and with such a volume that anyone trying to go through it was likely to be washed away.
    My feet are sore. What a wonderful day!