Yesterday, I had a grand time at San Jacinto Battlefield. I had to hurry more than I wanted as the weather was about to turn bad, but I managed to ascend the 570 foot monument and view the area. The Park literature says it is the tallest masonry structure in the world. The huge star at the top has nine points and is designed so that from whatever angle you view it, it looks like the five-point Texas Lone Star.  Later, I strolled through the museum and viewed relics of 400 years of Texas history.  As usual when I tour a museum, I came up with several writing ideas.  Here is a photo of yours truly at the base of the monument and a photo of the hand-recorded words of the beloved Southern song of the War Between the States, “The Bonnie Blue.”

Another interesting note about my trip: The Texas Independence Relay (race) was finished yesterday. According to one runner, Jo Lyn Baker, whose photo is below, there were 129 teams who ran the 203 mile relay from Gonzales to San Jacinto. I was amazed at the toughness of these runners and the camaraderie I saw, all of them proud of Texas, proud of being Texans. You can read more of the race and the dedicated runners here:

http://www.texasindependencerelay.com/raceinformation