Since Juries and I have met we have been on many expeditions and adventures. If you have done any genealogy research, then I know you will understand. Of all of our experiences the one I will never forget is when we discovered an overgrown and forgotten cemetery, known locally by only the real old timers as the "Carvajal Cemetery". It was a cool, very windy, little overcast and erie kind of day. The ground was still a little damp from the nights dew. We in our quest to discover other Carvajal family members, climbed thru and over long ago forgotten fences which were in much need of repair and they were hidden with all varities of vines and weeds. We foraged thru bushes and weeds that were nearly as tall as we are and in certain areas the weeds were taller. The thought never occured to us about snakes and spiders and other creatures, natural and un-natural that might lerk in just that type of terrain. We actually found several still identifible graves and several that were just barely apparent. Somehow we were separated and I could barely hear Juries calling out names of the graves she had located. I barely heard her when she ask what direction I was headed in, and she warned me to be careful because the San Antonio River was very close by. No sooner had she said it as I pushed my way through some very dense weeds and there in my face, about two inches from my nose, was the biggest and uglies spider I have ever seen in all my entire life. Being very light on my feet I mangaged to side step it and suddently realized that there of all places was the river that Juries had cautioned me about.

The water was about 30 feet below the embankment!! Had I stepped over another inch, I would have found myself rolling down into the San Antonio River!!!! Oh my Jesus, what a close call and Thank you Lord for saving me! My heart was pounding so hard that I could no longer hear the wind rustling through the weeds. My knees were so shaky that I could barely lift my feet. I composed myself and decided to look for Juries - who knows she might be in trouble and need help. I called out Juries where are you?, Juries, Juries, Juries where are you?, I could barely hear her and my first thought was that she had fallen into a hole, possibly in an old grave that had caved in!!! I headed in the direction of her voice and the weeds seemed to get a little shorter, short enough that I could see a grave that had been enclosed with a wrought iron fence. I heard some weeds rustling to my right and I quickly turned and saw a hugh rabbit and tried to get a shot ( a pic) of it but it was gone in a flash.

As I turned around in the direction of the fenced grave site I called out again for Juries, she did not answer, but at that very INSTANT a figure dressed in white with the wind blowing her hair straight up emerged from what appeared to be from within the fenced grave itself. There went my heart again, my knees started to quiver, but before my eyes could roll to the back of my head, I mustered all the strength I could and lifted my camera up to my face, it was as though this figure was willing me to become putty and hender any possible movement on my part, my camera seemed to weight a ton, my camera seemed to wildly start clicking, clicking, clicking and then I realized if I took my finger off the button the camera would stop. I then heard Juries say, "Albert, I found something over here", Oh Man!. She could have said "I found a pot of gold over here" and I could not have gotten any more excited, the next step would have been to just pass out!! But of course being a man of adventure and excitement - I was able to maintain a cool exterior, I think, Uh, I hope!

Juries has been a true friend and an inspiration, a breath of fresh air. She has worked very diligently to continue her education and has been most successful in not only her personal life but her professional life as well. She has put in an insurmoutable amount of hours into our family research. She makes time in her life to work, to go to school, be a mother, a loving and caring daughter. Not to mention the numerous hours at libraries, business seminars and associations. I was definitely blessed the day we meet.