This is the latest field assignment that I had to do for my humanities class here at Palo Alto College. We had the oppurtunity to learn about a certain form of music that is unique to south Texas. This music is called cojunto music. This genre of music gets it's roots in the old world polka genre. They took the accordian and mixed in the six string bass guitar to form this new style of music. We also had the honor of having a very special guest speaker come to class and talk with us. This guest speaker is a professor of this form of music. He runs the only cojunto music program in the nation. I was very glad to have him come and give us some background in cojunto music. In addition to learning about this music he explained how cojunto music and the mexican race go hand in hand. With the birth of cojunto music the mexican people now had a form of music that they can truly call their own. This gives the mexican people a forum to share their ideas and struggles in the form of music. This is very important andI now know why this guest speaker was so proud of this music. To wrap up his presentation he played the accordian for us as well as a drum and an old flute. I now have a better understanding of cojunto music and I am glad this guest speaker came to enlighten us on this music.

This is the latest entry in my Humanities blog here at Palo Alto College. This essay will cover some of the art work that we have here in San Antonio Texas. San Antonio is a place where we have many nice local galleries for art and sculpture. In addition to the galleries here we also have a growing artist community that show off their work downtown. The place I chose to go to for my assignment was the Mcnay art museum. This gallery was once the residence of one of the most prominent women in San Antonio. Mrs. Mcnay the resident of this estate was an avid art collector and when she passed she willed her house to be made into an art gallery. She had quite a collection that served as the base for the artwork that would be shown here. Since opening five decades ago, the McNay Art Museum continues to build on an already strong collection of 19th- and 20th-century European and American paintings and sculpture by significant artists ranging from Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Auguste Rodin, Henri Matisse, and Pablo Picasso, to Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, John Sloan, and Marsden Hartley. In addition to the impressive collection of artwork here the grounds are beautiful. So beautiful in fact that many people here in San Antonio choose the Mcnay as the site for their wedding pictures. I really enjoyed my visit here and now I would like to discuss two pieces I saw here that really caught my eye.

The first painting I liked was Corn Hill by Edward hopper and this painting is oil on canvas and was done in 1930. Edward Hopper was an American painter and printmaker. His works represented light as it is reflected off of familiar objects. While most popularly known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. This work shows two European villas on top of a big hill in the European countryside. Just as Hopper was known for this portrait is full of light and it shows the effect of the sun on colors in this landscape. You have different color grasses on the hills and a real nice contrast in the painting with the clear blue sky. This is a very nice painting and I really enjoyed seeing this piece. Another piece that I saw at the Mcnay was Women crossing the fields by Vincent Van Gough. This piece was done in 1890 and is oil on paper. Van Gough was a Dutch Post-Impressionist artist.[1] His paintings and drawings include some of the world's best known, most popular and most expensive pieces. You already may be familiar with some of Van Gough’s art such as starry night which is probably his most famous work. This work has that distinct Van Gough look and I was very happy to be able to see works by such famous artist right here in my own city. This was a very fun trip and I look forward to coming back to the Mcnay to see some of the exhibits that are coming soon to the Mcnay.

This is the latest entry into my blog. We are in the end of our semester here at Palo Alto College. This short essay is the most recent field assignment we are required to write. I will tell you guys about a building here in San Antonio that has a unique look. The Bexar County Courthouse has a majestic old world style to it. This essay was supposed to be on art in San Antonio. However we had the option instead to write this essay on buildings in San Antonio. I chose the courthouse not because it has a modern artsy look. I chose the courthouse because it reminded me of an old English castle. The building is made of red sand stone that has a very nice red tint. The architect J Reily Gordon designed this courthouse in the Romanesque revival style of the old world. Hence the reason why the courthouse looks like a castle. The high walls of the courthouse along with the huge tower and high arches above the entryway add to the castle feel. This is a beautiful classic structure that definitely stands out here in San Antonio. It adds an old world flair that complements the newer buildings around it. Classic lines, grand old world design, all of these things help make this building not only functional but also very beautiful to look at. This is art in every since of the word.

I am currently in the middle of a semester here at Palo Alto. We are required to write a series of essay’s for my humanities class. This essay I will write today will cover our environment. I am going to tell you about a wildlife preserve here in San Antonio. The name of this preserve is Mitchell Lake and it is located on the south side of San Antonio. This Lake has a unique past and I would like to give you some information about this place.

Mitchell lake preserve is located on the south side of San Antonio not too far from our college campus. This place was not always a wildlife preserve. Before this place was a preserve it had a lot less flattering job. This was the site of a waste management plant that treated raw sewage from the city of San Antonio. In fact this area was not the most popular site for the residents who lived nearby. However it was tolerated by everyone here because they realized the need for this treatment facility. The sewage treatment plant stopped releasing the sewage into the lake preserve in 1987. Mitchell Lake had more to offer than just a dumping site for raw sewage. The series of wetlands in the area is a haven for many species of birds. The lake is positioned on a natural migratory bird route and serves as a resting point for tens of thousands of birds each year. Bird-watchers come from all over the world to see the unique variety of birds that visit there. Among the more than 300 species observed are pelicans, egrets, roseate spoonbills, wild ducks, and hawks.

The preserve has gotten so popular that is attracting bird watchers from around the world. It is rare to have a place to go and see so many different species of birds. The city of San Antonio realized that this was in fact a unique habitat and that it would be a good idea to protect it. At the same time developing the area would provide tourist easier access to the preserve. But in December 2002, SAWS Board committed $1.5 million to improve roads and bridges on the property and to build a visitor's center. Those improvements were substantially completed in January of 2004.The visitor's center was created through the restoration of the Leeper House, a historic building relocated to the lake from the McNay Art Museum. The converted building features a meeting room, testing lab, office and disabled-accessible restrooms. Eventually Mitchell Lake will be part of a Mission Trail with hiking and biking paths. So if you like to do stuff in the outdoors I would suggest you take a trip to Mitchell Lake. Bring you a good set of binoculars and enjoy all of the different species of birds that frequent the area. This is a place so close to home where you can go and enjoy the environment in a purer sence. A place that has not been spoiled by man so enjoy!