Maria’s Tortillas (Niosa)

Turkey Legs and Corn on the Cob (Junteenth)

Cowboy Breakfast (Rodeo)

Chile Queens (Market Square)

Aguas Frescas (Raspa carts)

Margaritas

Pig Stand (Southtown)

St. Mary’s Oyster Bake (Fiesta)

SUMMER

Market Square: A family (grandmother, mother, daughter) dines under an umbrella while a young lady sells paper flower coronas (crowns) to the table; another vendor sells aguas frescas under the papel picado hanging from the balcony of La Margarita restaurant; above them, a guitarist and a legendary Conjunto performer, Santiago Jimenez, join a pachuco on the balcony of La Margarita.
Downtown: An armadillo encounters one of the cement elephants in front of the Herzburg Museum near a memorial to the closed museum/library.
North of Downtown and traveling West: The mysterious "grotto"/little summer house/folly in San Pedro Springs Park: a crawfish (a frequent resident of the San Pedro Springs), is jumping from the moat surrounding the grotto; the Historic Camino Real (the Kings Road) connects the San Pedro Park to Fredericksburg Road where the Cool Crest miniature golf course is surrounded by its signature banana tree grove; a vendor pushes a raspa cart along the Camino Real toward Woodlawn Lake where a goose nests on the bank; 4th of July fireworks light up the "sunfish" sail boats and the landmark lighthouse on Woodlawn Lake; several other landmark towers, including the Hemisfair and a church, line up with the lighthouse, marking the San Antonio skyline as seen from the west side of town.

AUTUMN

San Antonio Riverwalk: Crowded river barges cue along the shimmering river, flanked by luminarias, cypress trees strewn with lights, and a canopy of umbrellas sheltering restaurant diners. A gondola glides in the foreground as a reminder that Hugman envisioned gondolas as the preferred vehicle for passengers along his visionary riverwalk. One of the river taxis suggests a calavera, or skull, in keeping with Day of the Dead in November. A staircase leads to the street above. Above the river, next to the Commerce St. Bridge, “Bongo Joe”, in his signature fez and homemade oil drums, performs in front of the Alamo with the Hemisfair Tower and the Torch of Friendship peeking from behind. River walk grackles compete for the sound waves. It was Hemisfair that brought George Coleman to San Antonio to perform for the crowds. But he stayed long after the fair was over and delighted the crowds for twenty years at his two favorite sites, the Commerce St. Bridge and in front of the Alamo.
The Farmers Market at the S.A. Mercado: A traditional Day of the Dead altar has been installed for the Nov. 2 celebration. The table features a decorated candy skull, marigolds, a candle, a cup of hot chocolate, empanadas, tequila, a plate of chicken mole, and a pan de muertos, (Day of the Dead bread in the general shape of a skeleton). Enjoying the altar and each other's company are two ranchers sitting in front of their classic pick up trucks.
The near Northwest, along Fredericksburg Road: The E & B Drive Thru Ice House features a seasonal skeleton, (calavera), and standard Ojo de Dios and Tweety bird piñatas for sale. Pumpkins are another hot item in autumn.
Outskirts of San Antonio, but what much of the city looked like before it was developed: Working ranch scene, complete with longhorns and cattle egrets in the corral, a windmill and cacti.

WINTER

Downtown Riverwalk: The annual River Parade on the San Antonio River: a barge featuring musicians (a drummer, tambourine player, and a mariachi guitarist), perform, while a woman throws a string of beads to onlookers. Luminarias (paper bags with lit candles in them) light up the banks of the river during the Festival of the Luminarias. The trees are lit with cascading Christmas lights, which reflect on the shimmering water below. Above the river, the annual S.A. Conservation Society's Las Posadas candlelight procession makes its way across the bridge and over to La Villita. An angel leads the way with the traditional festive standard, followed by Mary and Joseph, in Mexican costume, carrying a candle and bells, and another standard bearer behind them. Grackles and bats make a fuss, as an opossum defends its perch in the cypress trees along the river.
Just North of Downtown: Brackenridge Park - The cement wood entrance to the Japanese Tea Garden, by Dionisio Rodriguez. The HEB/Witte Museum Tree House, designed by Lake Flato Architects. A confused woodpecker and a Texas horned toad/lizard test the cement wood tree, sculpted by S. A. artist, Carlos Cortez, which supports the tree house. A roadrunner takes shelter in the limb of one of the huge "live" oaks nearby in the park. A toothy sun looms above the trees to remind us that even in winter the sun shines down hard on San Antonio.

SPRING

Downtown Riverwalk: Texas Cavaliers River parade with King Antonio waving to (implied) spectators on the banks as his signature float/barge passes under a bridge spanning the San Antonio River. Nighttime lights are reflected on the shimmering river. On the bridge above the river parade, little legs dangle from the openings in the bridge as children sit and watch the parade below. A mother sips from a soda. Children costumed as the king and queen of Fiesta, mimicking the adults below, wave to the crowd. The little queen holds a cascaron in the air while her other arm wraps around that of her escort, the king. The moon, a well-lit lamp post, and trees along the street set the stage for the nightly ritual of the noisy grackles reaping havoc as they prepare to roost in the cypress trees for the night.
Just North of Downtown, Alamo Heights: A VIA rider reads a book while waiting for a bus at the Dionisio Rodrigues concrete wood bus shelter on Broadway.
Brackenridge Park: Real trees are the setting for the traditional celebration of Easter in Brackenridge Park: a picnic table is "saved" by cabling a tire to the table; an egg shaped home-made sign indicates the spot where the Garcia family has had their Easter picnic site since 1947. A camp tent has been set up so a family member can spend the night saving the prized spot. One of the Garcias is grilling sausages on the pit. A pinata hangs from one of the many live oaks in the park. Among the permanent residents of the park are the herons and roosters, both of whom are taking refuge on the upper limbs of the oaks. A nest of hungry baby herons eagerly awaits a meal.