It's not a vacation. But it also kind of is?

Yesterday we flew down to San Antonio. We'll be burying mom's ashes tomorrow morning, but that left us with half of yesterday and all of today to fill.

Why so early? Well, Dad was coming down because he wanted to be sure everything was set and to be on hand for any final details, so we wanted to be here to support him however he needed.

In the end, he didn't need us (and really, the boys aren't super conducive to helping because they don't really have a dog in this fight. They loved my mom. She loved them. But the death of a grandparent is a lot less to a child than to the parent whose mom it was.)

And thus...vacation of sorts.

Yesterday we went and saw the Alamo and hiked along the riverwalk a little. We'd planned to hop a boat tour, but it decided to rain, so we postponed that. Maybe on Sunday.

Today we toured the other four Missions. There were probably other choices that could be made but 1) I love the history of that era - it's the history I most remember from my own childhood and the Spanish colonization/Conquistadores time is one that I find super fascinating. And 2)? It's exactly the kind of vacation my mom would have planned. It seems only fitting that we do that (vs something like Sea World or the Lego Discovery Center) when we're here to inter her remains.

We finished with the Missions around 1, had some BBQ for lunch (because Texas) and then headed to the Botanical Gardens.

I have to say, the San Antonio Botanical Gardens are a delight. If we lived here, I could see us holding an annual pass and spending many a random hour or two walking the paths.

This evening, since all of Dad's siblings have arrived, we had pizza and conversation down in the hotel lobby/breakfast area. It was nice to catch up with aunts and uncles who I haven't seen in ...a very long time. And I think it's nice that they're here for my dad. (My sister thinks they're intrusive and shouldn't be here and basically spent the whole evening at a table far removed from everyone else having a panic attack.)

Tomorrow is the graveside service. I'm not sure about after - lunch, for sure, and then who knows. Maybe just casual time in the hotel pool? Sunday I think we'll try the boat tour again and then we fly out in the afternoon.

It's not really a vacation. But in some ways it has been. And it's weird to try and decide if I can say I enjoyed myself because, well, no. But also yes.