Gone But Not Forgotten in San Antonio! - Part II (El Paso: metro, riding)

[TrapperL]

As I recall, there was a drive thru place just as you come into Castroville on the north side of the hiway. I don't think it's there anymore. But I'll look tomorrow since my travels will take me west past Castroville. Then again, it might not be if it was like the ones in Laredo. In Laredo they were selling a lot of stuff besides beer and liquor and it wasn't something you would want to take home and show the wife....and live.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by huckster

Anybody here remember patronizing the drive-thru beer store in Castroville?
Long time friend and I used to ride out to D'Hanis to collect seasoned Mesquite wood for Bar-b-ques once a year, every fall in a pickup truck. So, after the exhausting job of cutting the wood into 2 ft. lengths with chain saws and then tossing the wood in the truck bed we would always stop by on the way back to town.
I think this store is still there.

There is a drive through "barn" in Castroville but not sure how far back you are talking. Back in the 90's the hangout spot was the gas station next to Haby's for the high schoolers.

The barn I speak of is much like the one in Hondo that was owned by McBee's who also owned a BBQ restaurant in Hondo.

[huckster]

I believe the drive -thru Beer Store is gone, and it was, yes, on the north end of Castroville as one entered.
The place was like a barn, yuuuge it was, as poster Azure entered. The pickup fully loaded with mesquite with a camper top over it easily fit inside the place. I think, think;; the drive-thru place there now, is not the same one, that was there long ago. This was during the eighties when we going for firewood. We had been going out there near D'Hanis since the early seventies from northwest San Antonio as kids.

We even ate a half-baked armadillo out there, once, we had killed and cooked over a spit. This was before we found out they were so bad for one to eat. It did not taste good anyway. Horrible actually.
Good eating around here they were, however, during the Great Depression when there was no money for food. Hoover Hogs is what Armadillos were called. So I know what the great depression was like and it was not savory.
After FDR got elected Armadillo eating days became more scarce. The Armadillos became more scarce
too.

Oh, and by the way.....What could I buy at a drive -thru convenience store in Laredo that I could not show my wife ? Is the answer, what I think it is ?

Originally Posted by TrapperL

As I recall, there was a drive thru place just as you come into Castroville on the north side of the hiway. I don't think it's there anymore. But I'll look tomorrow since my travels will take me west past Castroville. Then again, it might not be if it was like the ones in Laredo. In Laredo they were selling a lot of stuff besides beer and liquor and it wasn't something you would want to take home and show the wife....and live.

[SATX56]

We had a deer lease just outside D'Hanis late 60's and early70's. There was a good place to grab a beer or supplies on the south side of 90 just before D'Hanis if I recall correctly. There was an SAPD cop someone in the family knew who's family opened a restaurant back in that time period I believe by the name of Britsche or something like that. Restaurant was just before Hondo I think. north of 90.

I used to order tons of Feed from Mumme's feed near Castroville to be delivered to the farm off Boerne Stage road and Scenic Loop. Dziuk's once had a satellite meat market on Pleasanton Rd here.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by Azure110

There is a drive through "barn" in Castroville but not sure how far back you are talking. Back in the 90's the hangout spot was the gas station next to Haby's for the high schoolers.

The barn I speak of is much like the one in Hondo that was owned by McBee's who also owned a BBQ restaurant in Hondo.

I wonder if those McBee's are one in the same or family of the McBee's that ran Hal's BBQ here on the south side. It's now B&B BBQ. There was a Sally McBee maybe the mother who was a real estate agent/broker here on the south side.

On another note.... the missing murals from the south side Sears store have been rediscovered. Actually, nearly 2 years ago .....

Missing Sears murals come to light - San Antonio Express-News

[huckster]

The Southside Sears wall paintings SATX ? I can barely believe this either. Will an exhibit go up at the Institute of Texas Cultures after restoration I wonder ? I surely would like to see them again after all this time has passed. I have not seen these since a boy.
I guess I took for granted that these were painted right onto the wall itself and so were destroyed. How interesting this information is after thirty years.

Originally Posted by SATX56

I wonder if those McBee's are one in the same or family of the McBee's that ran Hal's BBQ here on the south side. It's now B&B BBQ. There was a Sally McBee maybe the mother who was a real estate agent/broker here on the south side.

On another note.... the missing murals from the south side Sears store have been rediscovered. Actually, nearly 2 years ago .....

Missing Sears murals come to light - San Antonio Express-News

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by huckster

The Southside Sears wall paintings SATX ? I can barely believe this either. Will an exhibit go up at the Institute of Texas Cultures after restoration I wonder ? I surely would like to see them again after all this time has passed. I have not seen these since a boy.
I guess I took for granted that these were painted right onto the wall itself and so were destroyed. How interesting this information is after thirty years.

Yeah, I assumed they were painted on, at least from memory. Sounds like they're saying they were taken down during a remodel in 84, I believe. I remember they rearranged the store about that time. Don't know if they took them down then or just before the demolition later. I almost feel like HEB which replaced Sears should acquire the murals and hang them in their store. Many south side folk would appreciate that. Though that doesn't sound like a great place for them. Maybe the renovated Hangar 9 at Brooks. Seems as though it won't be a museum for memorabilia of Brooks valuable contributions to the nation's space program. Talk is of renting it out for quinceanera parties Spending millions restoring it and it's immediate park area seems crazy without a museum use in mind.

[TrapperL]

I believe by the name of Britsche

The place is called Hermann Sons Steak House and is on the south side of 90 across from Mummes. The place went thru a remodel about 6-7 years ago and is not the same anymore. Nice place but the food is iffy, sometimes great, sometimes not so great. The Britsche bunch had also opened a restaurant on top of the hill in Castroville at the motel there. It was pretty decent for upper end eating. That was maybe 15 years ago. Nice place where you could look out at night all the way to SA. As I recall, they hit some bad financial times and just about lost everything. FWIW, if you enjoyed taking pics at the bank in D Hanis, it's gone. Burnt nearly to the ground. That bank was straight out of a western movie only it was real. If the McBees in Jourdanton is the same as the one in SA, best of luck with that. Been to the one in Jourdanton twice and both times were horrible, and that's a compliment. GROSSLY over cooked to the point of being hard as a rock. If I hadn't paid so much for it it would have been garbage and I would have stopped somewhere else for a decent meal. The womanly "services" available at the drive thrus in Laredo is probably what you're thinking. You can even get take out by the hour. Seems the local police are blind to it but then again, the guys I know down there are police and they frequent BoysTown so often they know the girls by first names. Not my thing but apparently they like it. How their marriages survive is beyond me as all of them I know are married and the wives are aware of the "trips" across the border. Was good to see the old Sears murals again. Too bad Sears is in such bad shape and probably will be gone next year along with K Mart. It would have been neat to actually see the murals hanging once more in a Sears. I thought it was painted on the building too and not on canvas.

[Azure110]

Originally Posted by SATX56

I wonder if those McBee's are one in the same or family of the McBee's that ran Hal's BBQ here on the south side. It's now B&B BBQ. There was a Sally McBee maybe the mother who was a real estate agent/broker here on the south side.

On another note.... the missing murals from the south side Sears store have been rediscovered. Actually, nearly 2 years ago .....

Missing Sears murals come to light - San Antonio Express-News

I personally knew the McBee family in Hondo although I have not spoken to them in years. The founder (Norman McBee) of McBee's BBQ in Hondo passed away this year but I don't think he owned the restaurant for several years prior to his death. As far I know, they did not run any BBQ business in San Antonio.

I think B&B has been run by the same family even when it was HAL. I know the current owner Mr. Finley attempted to open an BBQ restaurant on Dezavala called Finley's Chicken-N-Rib or something like that (same space where Mr. Cod's Fish-N-Chips originally was) but it didn't last long.

[SATX56]

Originally Posted by Azure110

I personally knew the McBee family in Hondo although I have not spoken to them in years. The founder (Norman McBee) of McBee's BBQ in Hondo passed away this year but I don't think he owned the restaurant for several years prior to his death. As far I know, they did not run any BBQ business in San Antonio.

I think B&B has been run by the same family even when it was HAL. I know the current owner Mr. Finley attempted to open an BBQ restaurant on Dezavala called Finley's Chicken-N-Rib or something like that (same space where Mr. Cod's Fish-N-Chips originally was) but it didn't last long.

Hmmh.. Finley is a familiar name also. Maybe it was longer ago than I thought. We've known this McBee lady over 40 years. Pretty sure her sons ran that BBQ joint on Pleasanton Rd. at one time. Maybe I was mistaken. Wouldn't be the first time. Thanks for that info.