Naysia #19

Saturday, March 11, 2017

When I birthed Naysia baby I never would have imagined we'd spend her 19th birthday in the teeny town of Castroville, Texas.  Nor did I imagine she'd have a love for tattoos.  Her friend Chris is a tattoo artist and agreed to hook her up for her birthday.  Our destination was only 30 miles away from San Antonio.  What should have been a 35 minute commute extended to over an hour due to the rain. 

My knowledge of Castroville was limited to stories shared by an assisted living resident named Mrs. B.  Mrs. B often (as in numerous times every single day) mentioned her childhood in Castroville.  She'd run around barefoot, ride horses, and go swimming in
the Medina River.  Her father owned the only meat market in town and eventually added a dance-hall.  Other than seeing what all her hype was about, I'd had no plans to visit Castroville.


We didn't see the Texas Tattoos sign until we passed it several times.  Located just off HWY 90 it was challenging to turn in with Ford trucks moving at 80mph were right behind us.  After a couple of u-turns we made it in.  My desire to sit in the waiting area while Naysia got her sunflower tat was non existent, so I decided to go exploring.  

Thankfully the rain cleared.  Chris gave me directions to the meat market.  Upon my arrival I realized I was not at the right place as Mrs. B's place was no longer in business.  I looked around the market and waited for the right time to ask someone where Mrs. B's childhood meat market/dancehall was.  I purchased a small tray of meat and cheese and asked the cashier where to go.  She gave me directions and said I couldn't get lost.  But I did. 

Along the way I stopped and admired the architecture of the St. Louis Catholic Church.  The history dates back to 1844--and mass is still held today.  Next stop was an antique shop that used to be a movie theatre...now a neat use of space.  Some of the original fixtures are still in place, including an inoperable water fountain. 

 

I asked the shopkeeper if she knew about the famed meat market/dancehall and it was right across the street!!  She mentioned that up until "recently," pigs were still being slaughtered there and she rearranged her schedule to be off those days as the squealing was horrendous.  Although not an overly impressive structure, it was gratifying to recall Mrs. B's stories and envision her in that setting.  Next stop was the Medina River.  Locals say the part I saw was a popular spot aka dirty, but the northwest end of the river is pristine.

Soon after seeing the river, Naysia called.  I picked her up and we headed back to town.  We picked up Attie and had dinner at Naysia's favorite place, Chili's.  Her birthday ended up being a win win for us both.  She was pleased with her new ink, enjoyed her dinner, we laughed (like always) with Attie, and I was able to explore a new place. Thank God for another birthday! Life is good.