Arrival back in Houston for John and First Week in Texas for Karin

John flew to Houston in the upper end of the plane, and I flew at the back - well over the wing actually. I was actually embarrassed to be flying in that plane, it was 3/4 empty and it was environmentally shameful.

Jet lag hit me hard, but how could I stop... here is what we did with the first few days in Houston.

A new friend

Note:  John had to go straight back to work the day after we arrived...

 John works on the 10th floor of the building on the right. At the bottom where the umbrellas are is the rooftop putting green (Godfrey)and restaurant below that.

He had our home all ready for me, so I could get straight on with life.

Thursday : Jet-Culture-shocked - but had a walk nonetheless to see where you can get to on foot. I held an umbrella because it was soooo hot.  As our dear friend Adrian noted it would also be difficult for me to go far without pavements (roads are called pavements here so you American's will have to forgive my Britishness).  But I got to the supermarket and (of course) the bookstore (which is dangerously close to the house, closer than the library! ) and the deli Leibman's Wine and Fine Foods.

Friday: After work John took me for a drive around some parks Addicks Reservoir as the sun went down.
There are 3 videos embedded in this blog
You need to click here to see the first one...   After The Rains
Addicks is a water catchment area that really comes into its own during periods of heavy rain.

It was lovely with a cool clamminess that should ring bells for some readers. It is a beautiful parkland, with lots of public facilities like football pitches, roller blading areas and lots of green spaces... picnic spots and all so close to the house

I just don't understand (perhaps, as yet) what all the doom and gloom comments about Houston are founded on.  So far I have seen beautiful parks and lakes, green spaces a-plenty.  Yes I have seen bad roads, pot-holed and busy, but I have certainly experienced worse.  

And then there is the city/downtown, here with the bayou full of water (but we will come to that later...)
Saturday: John encouraged a walk along the 'bio'... or bayou as it is spelt.  It was interesting seeing so many people out and about. It was pretty darn hot and yet they say it is the best time of year.  Unfortuantely the walk turned out to be really long as I said I needed the loo and John misjudged the distances, it would have been better to have turned round and come home at that point - instead we ended up walking 6 miles round trip... but it was an achievement, especially with a full bladder!
Go Here Please!!!! (( I can't get the darn video to load in Blogger!!!)
Then on to coffee to refill the bladder and to register at MAC the local sports centre where I will be fishily happy in the outdoor pool thank you very much.
As I had forgotten to pack my swimmies we then went to Katy Mills which is an outlet place near Katy.

Although the red maple leaves suggested I was back in Canada.

There I found a Clark's shoe shop that had more shoes for my size of feet than I have ever seen in my entire life...so I bought 3 pairs: One pair of high tech flip flops, one pair of walking sandals and one pair of open backed sandals... I am sorted for the duration I think. (Edit:I hadn't seen it rain here when I wrote that)

Then Town and Country a shopping mall in the direction of downtown... as we couldn't find any swim wear, it being autumn now, the sports shops have started selling ski wear.

Sunday - We went to Galveston

View from Jimmy's on the Pier - "Coffee, Yes!"

Relics of Hurricane Ike 2008 - Real estate in the wrong place.

 Candy coloured real estate (in the right place), although still close to the coast.

 Fishing in Sohar

John and Karin do Selfies now

Monday:  Having actually driven the car a short distance yesterday, I found I was excited about going out on my own so I mapped the route to what I now see as very local, but then seemed like an expedition away... Buttons and Bows.  And here is my first attempt at a new style of photo I have invented called a whose, where those of us who are truly camera shy - and only want to occupy a tiny piece of a photo that includes themselves... just show the side of their heads....

This shop will not be everything to me, but it is good to know i can get thread from a shop not 5 mins away.

Tuesday's driving took me to Wholefoods where I was relieved to find organic and my sort of stuff, hemp seeds, quinoa, millet etc...
Wednesday's highlight was afternoon tea with Erna, and her friends Karen who we had dined with at Erna's on Saturday night and her neighbour, Susan.  It was pleasant and interesting to hear others' experiences in and out of Houston and in their lives in general.
Thursday Vally Willis who was part of wednesday stitching group in Calgary came round for a coffee.  Great to catchup with her after 5 years or so.  She is so willing to help me settle in - so nice.

Friday - John had a flex day so we went to sort out my SocialSecurity number, which we couldn't quite but it is on its way... This only took 45 minutes not a prolonged affair that we had been warned about.  And during our wait one of the managers of the office came out to thank us (the general public) for our kind and understanding responses to their announcements and guidelines. He told us that we were welcome to make suggestions and talk to the other managers who would be coming to see us and circulate amongst us shortly.  It was Public Service week and this is what they do.  When have you ever been thanked for being in a public services building, town hall, police station, hospital or anything???  I thought they were asking for a tip at first....

 Then we went for a coffee in Montrose an up and coming area that was very run down (and a dangerous area) once, then it was populated by a gay community and now is all artsy and buoyant.

 Art community, art coffee shop, art wall.

Nice coffee, sitting outdoors by the bamboo which screened the sitting area from the car park and then a short walk around the eclectic houses...

 Yes, it's someone's home

Then we had lunch in Rice area and looked for some mincemeat! in the British shop.  But saw more oriental stuff here.

The owner of this Turkish store insisted on taking the image. Credits are due to him.

As if that wasn't enough for a wonderful day we then went to Brazos Provincial Park.  Oh my goodness what a wonderful place.

 This is all you are getting of this other new friend for the time being

 There was no-one there.
You have to also imagine it hot and steamy.
That is: Climate Zone Number 2 is defined as

• Hot – Humid(2A) with IP Units 6300 < CDD50ºF ≤ 9000 and SI Units 3500 < CDD10ºC ≤ 5000
• Dry(2B) with IP Units 6300 < CDD50ºF ≤ 9000 and SI Units 3500 < CDD10ºC ≤ 5000

 Ancient oaks - Evergreen and deciduous are everywhere, often with aerial ferns

 Typical Brazos area lake, smartly covered with lily pads belying what lies beneath....

So beautiful

We were there so very late that it was dusk but we had company on the bridge

Click here for the next video Raccoon5

then shopping for tea... We were pretty hungry and fortunately the shops do sell a selection of beans and ample supplies of tortilla.

Saturday  Swim first .. met up with Gordon who called me a Shell Wife because I have been swimming during the week.  I don't like him any more.  Then we went for lunch in the new Italian cafe at the MFA (Museum of Fine Art) Houston and saw wonderful art spread over two buildings:
(please see my arts blog for more on FAM that day)

 Mr Calder's mobile - It is big!

 Tiffany - 1000s of pieces of glass make up this window

 Lightning Strike

 Georgia O'Keefe

 Ice bowl - the preserve of those folks with ice houses

Sunday Swim again, John likes to swim when he isn't cycling into work, if you see what I mean.  He is so fit these days.  Then I drove into the downtown, but John took over to park the car....we ended up in a free space in the Market Park parking area. There is a sculpture there allowing one to reflect on the one Houstonian who was killed in the Twin Tower bombing.  It was a lovely tribute but sadly people had moved (away somewhere) the polished rocks that had formed part of the monument.  Then coffee below the Rice Hotel, which is one of the oldest buildings in the city and is still a hotel.

 This one (above) is for you Margaret

Nice coffee shop,  though no guns allowed

Then drove out to Chappel Hill where the normally (when John last visited) sleepy old high street had had a transformation with a big Scarecrow festival and all that that entails.

It was massively hot and I didn't have a hat.  I saw a boy selling cold water bottles... at least that is what I am going to call them.   I bought one ($1) and drank some of the chilled water it was heavenly - and this from someone who normally doesn't drink water if it has an ice cube in it.  Then I hugged that bottle for dear life to get my core temperature down.  And I survived.  The funny thing was the boy who sold me the water was maybe 14 years old and looked at me like I was an alien when I spoke to him (it was the accent, not my beetroot skin tone).
Click here for the final video in this blog entry - Music at Chappel Hill
Stalls of iron work (amazing... I liked the armadillos but we are on a cost cutting spell right now).  Cheaply made windmills like we see on Saltspring.  Flouncy homemade clothes for children.  Texas cakes = elongated doughnuts, line dancing (that I would have liked to have seen more of if that guy was in the line up again - he certainly could swing his hips! and possibly changed my opinion of line dancing for ever).  What else was there? country music (which you have experienced above), embellished large wooden crosses, sycamore seed head, nachos for $3 with a cheese sauce it really was the healthy option, police sherifs riding in golf buggies and off roaders, not too many scarecrows.

 More oak trees in the outskirts of Chappel Hill area.

Then on to Brenham.  Which was also in the throes of Scarecrow Times.

This is an interesting place that is trying to reinvent itself as an arts centre... like how many other towns and districts around Houston? I hope it manages it because it is full of old buildings and has the historic railway line and an interesting history:-

 The original railway from Houston westwards stopped there. Below is a building from the 1800s which will have been used as a railway supplies dept or storage. The tracks pass behind the building just out of view.

The place burnt down in late 1800
There are numerous water storage cisterns dug into the ground all around town, put in after the fire.

Doors and shutters were changed to tin/metal after the fire - another fire prevention measure.
Finally -  a wonderful cup of Jasmine tea in the farmers' store before going home.
The end of week number 1 - Phew.