Last time I had just finished talking about our most recent trip to San Antonio. I had just signed off when I realized I left out two important facets of the tale. First, our daughter-in-law’s work on the landscaping for the Canopy Hotel (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/satpypy-canopy-san-antonio-riverwalk/), and, second, Martha’s other, family connection to San Antonio.
This time, I’m going to talk about Emily and the Canopy. Next time, Martha, and San Antonio.
Here is a collage of snaps from the Canopy Hotel and its landscaping. I don’t know exactly what parts can be considered purely Emily’s, but I know she had a hand in it all. It is rather a wonderful thing, I think, to be an artist of living things...
Okay...as I’ve said before, we’ve got talented kids. David is an architect. He works for a fairly famous firm in Austin. A lot of his work seems to be in either high-end restaurants or, at the other end of the spectrum, affordable housing. Right now, he’s doing a lot of driving back and forth from Houston, where he is working on several projects that involve restaurants or restaurants in mixed use developments. And he has just finished working on a project for Habitat For Humanity, where he did both some design and, and one point (along with the senior partners) the actual nailing up of boards and such. It is nice to stay human.
Emily, meanwhile, is a landscape architect. Her bent is for living things, and she’s very good at it. When they found out where we were staying, Emily and David told us we had to see one of the projects on which she’d worked--specifically, the landscaping for Hilton’s Canopy Hotel, which is on the Riverwalk and just about next door to the Esquire (https://www.hilton.com/en/hotels/satpypy-canopy-san-antonio-riverwalk/gallery/). I’ve long admired their open air restaurant, which is right on the water, but I’ve never been in San Antonio when it was (for us, anyway) cool enough to sit there.
But, on the afternoon of the concert, we decided to take a gander at the Canopy’s greenery. We trotted over to the hotel and went into the lobby. Two very nice young people at the desk, a man and woman, looked up at us and smiled as we entered. Somewhat tentatively, I explained our mission, “...you see, uh, er, our daughter-in-law did some of the design and we were wondering if and where...”
I half expected them to sit there and blink in total disbelief. It’s the reaction I get to a lot of my queries. Disbelief. Followed by incomprehension. Flavored with mild disgust. And topped off with a few suggestions that I take my silly a*sed questions someplace else. Anyplace else. So long as it is FAR away...
To my surprise, the man and woman were absolutely delighted. “Of course! Of course! That’s terrific! You can get the best view from the restaurant downstairs. But you may want to check out the Otro bar, which is on a terrace overlooking ...and you have a great view of...”
They were very helpful, excited, and eager. I stumbled away. I’m not used to that sort of thing. They oughtta warn ya before they spring that civility and knowledgeable stuff on you. I mean, really...
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So, anyway, we walked about a bit, and enjoyed the green and leafy things. It was nice to know, and see, that life here was continuing. All about us was concrete, and steel, and heat.
Yet, with the assistance of Emily, slender, green things yet managed to grow, and strive upwards towards the sun...
And managing, even, to charm a passing man with a badge, a gun...and a camera. Who would stop, admire, and snap photos to take home...
To be admired by those, we trust, who loved him.
More to come.
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Copyright©2022 Michael Jay Tucker
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