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Travelogue: Texas (mostly)
April 2003
Part 3

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April 8 to 18 (Part 1) | April 19 to 25 (Part 2) 
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Read part 1 and part 2

Saturday April 26

This weekend would have been the targeted weekend for our Un-reunion, an informal get-together of high school classmates in off-years (i.e., not a 20th or 25th or anything like that). But it turned out that this weekend was not a convenient one for many people. Being the weekend after Easter, it was likely that events which might have been held last weekend had it not been Easter were pushed to this weekend, so many who might otherwise have been here had conflicts and could not attend. The only classmate I would end up seeing today was Rob Wohrer.

I was falling in and out of sleep, waking up for good close to 9. My off-and-on intestinal distress of the last few days appeared to have abated; good. I didn't have breakfast because I'd be having lunch around 11:30. But I still wanted to read the paper. However, when I went downstairs to the rack outside the lobby, it was empty. I had to walk over to the Luby's Cafeteria to get a paper. After finishing that, I watched some of the Speed Racer DVD, along with part of the TV commercials DVD set I'd gotten yesterday. After 11, I stopped and got ready to head to Seabrook.

Tookie's is a Seabrook landmark, known for their hamburgers. But until today, I had never set foot inside the place. Traffic on 146 made it hard to turn into the parking lot, but I eventually did so and spotted a black Impala with Texas A&M license plates. Rob was here, all right. I went inside, and he waved to me from his table. The waitress had to visit our table a few times to take our order. Rob knew what he wanted, but I didn't. This was new to me. I ended up ordering the same burger as he, though I only got fries on the side while he got a fries and rings combination. We talked about old times and more recent times and bemoaned the fact that we were it for the April attempted un-reunion. He recalled being turned on to Tookie's by classmate Mark Estes, who worked here back then. Apparently, he lost his job for providing too many free samples to friends at the back door, said Rob, who happened to be one of those friends.... He mentioned the travelogues I'd done in the past and wondered if today's meal would be included; wonder no longer, Rob! And now I'm wondering why I had never bothered coming here before today, for their burgers are excellent.

After finishing our meals and soaking in enough atmosphere, we decided to pop on down to the Kemah Boardwalk and hang out there a bit. We would park in the garage, and if we got separated, then we'd meet near one of the arcade games (ring the bell, win a prize). Traffic was a little heavy at the light leaving Tookie's. I was listening to NFL draft coverage on ESPN Radio and learned that, as expected, Detroit selected wide receiver Charles Rogers from my alma mater, Michigan State, with their first pick. We had little trouble parking in the garage, though I had taken a wrong turn and exited the garage before immediately re-entering it. So there we were hanging out along the boardwalk, I with my video camera in hand. It was a wonderful day – warm but not too humid. The creek was filled with boats heading into and out of Galveston Bay. One boat was offering bay and lake tours for $5 (normally $8). Another boat, Joe's Boardwalk Beast, offered 20 minute rides on the bay at speeds up to 50 MPH. "You may get wet," said the signs at their ticket booth. We walked along the whole length of the boardwalk, from the start at the Aquarium to its finish past Willie G.'s. On the way, we observed many ducks and ducklings, live fish of varying sizes, at least one fish head, some pieces of trash that had gone astray, a few dead fish, and at least one jellyfish. Rest assured, these were in the water, not on the boardwalk.

As we walked, we started talking about reunions and un-reunions, and I suggested that the Boardwalk might be a good place to hold one. There is a small hotel here called the Boardwalk Inn, I said. So we went over to the inn to see it for ourselves. One of the managers on duty gave Rob a folder containing the information needed for events such as reunions. Their large room only holds 70 people, and they only have around 60 rooms. That would make it tough for a full reunion, as we had well over 100 show at the last one. But the restaurants could be reserved for parties, she explained. She gave us her contact information, and we left contemplating what might be. We stopped at the unisex bathroom in the lobby, a potential scene of discomfort for those who enter and didn't notice that it said "unisex restroom." No, this wasn't like the one on Ally McBeal; this restroom had separate rooms for washing and for the toilet, but neither was segregated by sex. Back to reunion planning: I wouldn't mind seeing either a reunion or an un-reunion here. An un-reunion certainly would work, for you wouldn't have that many people attending (not like a full-blown one), and you could set aside a block of rooms at the inn. And those who were local or who didn't want to stay there could come down to the Boardwalk easily. There is definitely an ambience to the Boardwalk that attracts people, and I for one would like to take advantage of it someday.

Well, it was time to leave. We said our goodbyes and then headed up the road. Coincidentally, we were both heading north on 146. Rob was probably heading back home. I, on the other hand, was heading to Pasadena on Red Bluff Road. I had not known earlier what I was going to do, but now I did. Having only bought the Galveston and Brazoria Key Map atlas yesterday, I was now after the Harris County and Houston one. I figured that Wal-Marts would have it; I did find the one atlas there, you know. Red Bluff hadn't changed all that much, not up to the intersection with Fairmont Parkway. The parkway had become more developed over the years, though. I remember a time when the old East Belt began at Fairmont Parkway – all surface streets, no overpasses, and not much was around. Now, it's a full-fledged freeway intersection, and there was a Wal-Mart there among loads of other stores. The Wal-Mart was busy, as one might expect on a Saturday afternoon in Pasadena. Unfortunately, they didn't have the atlas. I found the next Wal-Mart, this one a Supercenter, on Southmore between Main and Shaver, the former location of Sears. This, too, was a busy store. But they didn't have the atlas, either. I consoled myself with a can of 25-cent pop – Wal-Mart's version of 7-Up. I put the ballgame back on, for I'd been listening to it since I left Kemah. The game was tied in the bottom of the 10th, and Astros reliver Billy Wagner was in his final inning no matter what happened. The announcers were praising the job he'd done so far, when suddenly he gives up a home run. Game over, Astros lose again. Hoo boy. At least they're not as bad as the Tigers.

Back to my map quest (not to be confused with Mapquest.com): I recalled seeing an ad in the other atlas for their own store on Alabama. So it was up on the Pasadena Freeway, which wound its way through the very picturesque refinery district of Stinkadena (no odors today, though), then onto the South Loop for a short time, then up the Gulf Freeway to the Southwest Freeway to Shepherd to Alabama. I was concerned that the store would have closed for the day by the time I arrived. Well, I didn't need to be concerned about that at all, for the sign on the door said "Closed Saturday and Sunday". That part of the trip had been in vain. Next: the Bookstop on Shepherd. No atlas. The Borders on Alabama and Kirby: nope, no atlas. The Walgreens on Westheimer across from Central Market: nope. I set aside my map quest for two things. One, get gas, which I did at the Exxon on San Felipe and the West Loop; and two, visit the Micro Center just north of there. I didn't expect to find the atlas there, and they didn't have it, but I did find some magazines of interest, two relating to video production and the other being Mac Addict magazine. Next door was their store front for HDTV's and other entertainment devices. I visited briefly and noted that one of the projectors (HD capable) was on sale. Then it was back to the atlas quest and back to the Barnes and Noble on Westheimer across from the Galleria. No atlas!

By this time, it was getting late, and I was getting frustrated. I vowed to try the Key Map store next week. But I had a couple more places I could try. I had noticed that the Gulf Freeway was congested both ways at FM 1959, so I considered it a place best avoided. So I worked my way back to Nassau Bay via the West Loop, which turned into the South Loop, then down the South Freeway to Beltway 8 to Telephone Road (almost typed "Telegraph" there – must remember that Telephone is Houston, but Telegraph is Detroit) through Pearland. The regular Wal-Mart on Telephone Road did not have an atlas. But it did have another 25-cent vending machine, from which I bought a can of grape soda. Then it was onto FM 518 and past a Wal-Mart Supercenter. My last chance for tonight for an atlas, and I came up empty. So back to the hotel I went.

Now you may be wondering why I've been on a quest for these atlases, when you consider that I'm now living in the Detroit area. What use would I have for them up there? Well, they would not be of much use up there, but I do get down to Texas fairly often. I've driven down the last 3 years. Also, I've got atlases from San Francisco and Los Angeles from my trips out there. I needed them there and might need them again. Also, I've liked maps from a young age and have been collecting older ones over the last few years. In fact, I brought some vintage maps with me on this trip. One of them is of Houston from around 1950 (1948 to 1951 at the latest). This map shows mainly the area that we know today as inside the Loop. There is one street that follows the course of the North Loop, but it's just a street, not a freeway. The only freeway shown on here is the Gulf Freeway, and it's under construction. No I-45, no I-10. I also have a state map from 1937 that shows the highways and some unusual highway markings by today's standards. First of all, the road that we know as Highway 3 is shown on that map as being Highway 6 as well as US 75. Highway 3 back then was a lot longer than today; it followed US 90 across the state. Highway 35 started up in East Texas and followed the route of today's US 59 into Houston before leaving the same way it does today. In fact, while coming down 59 two weeks ago, I saw some signs saying "Old Highway 35" branching from the roadway. OK, end of digression.

It was 6:30 when I got home. Today had been a full housekeeping day, so the room had been completely cleaned. But the bathtub was filling with water; it seemed that my faucet was hard to completely shut off. I called Keith Z. to see what was up, as he should have returned from DC yesterday. He had indeed returned, but he was in no mood for company. He was complaining about coming down with something on Easter (recall our visit to Eckerd's for medicine and munchies), and it turned out he was right. His ears had yet to pop from the flight. Having experienced that problem myself, I knew how miserable he must have been feeling. Best to try again in a few days. So now I had to figure out what to have for supper. There was a box of fajita preparations in the freezer – meat, veggies, sauce and tortillas – so I figured I'd have those. I defrosted everything and cooked the meal and was disappointed with the taste. Not much flavor to them at all. I'd been spoiled by the real Mexican food down here. What I didn't finish (quite a lot, actually), I scraped into the garbage bag. So I settled in for a calm evening of surf music on XM 30 (Wax My Woody), then some of Space Cowboys on TNT, and finally a Saturday Night Live repeat from a few weeks ago. Hm – perhaps I should start to develop the SNL habit again.

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Sunday April 27

Another morning, another breakfast, another check of e-mail, another shower. I tried calling the Vandervorts again, wondering why they had not replied to my message from a few days earlier. It turned out that they'd been out of town and had just returned. We made arrangements to meet for dinner tomorrow at Joe's, naturally, at 6. As I was reviewing my e-mail, or perhaps doing some work on this document, the phone rang. It was my aunt Marie calling from Detroit. It took me a moment to recognize her, for I wasn't expecting to hear from her down here. Uncle Bill was off in his plane heading for Indiana, scouting locations for a regional gathering of Stinson plane owners later this year. She reminded me that the annual EAA pancake breakfast is in June and that Sharon and family would be in town for it. We could make it a big ol' affair there this year. I've been to it on numerous occasions.

What was I going to do today? Head back to the Boardwalk, that's what. I wanted to take a ride on one of the boats. Not the Boardwalk Beast, though, but the other one. I got there prior to 11, but there was no sign of the boat. I got some fish food and ended up throwing it at a couple of ducks; they ate it. I went up on the top of the parking deck and took some video from up there. I thought I might have been able to see all the way across the bay, but I wasn't sure. Noon approached, and I was getting hungry. But before I could decide on a restaurant, I saw the boat pull up to the dock. Their first ride of the day was noon, it appeared. So I was the first one to board the vessel – and I was the only one to board the vessel. It was just two crew members and me as we went out into the bay for a bit, then turned around and headed up the creek and into Clear Lake. We went under the bridge and past the Seabrook Shipyard, past the fancy homes of Clear Lake Shores. We went as far as the Watergate Yacht Club before turning around and heading back to the dock. This boat was the first one in operation at the Boardwalk; the Beast is a more recent attraction. Naturally, I had video running most of the time. We had a nice breeze blowing through the craft as we went east.

After we docked, I saw the line for their next ride. No private ride for the next crew! Now what to do for lunch. Would I try the Aquarium? Not today; instead, I'd go across the channel to Seabrook and Pappadeaux. I didn't think I'd have any problem with bugs in the rice this time. And I didn't. I had the opelousas again, but this time the sauce was somewhat different. It was quite good, and I couldn't finish it. Maybe if I'd passed on the Caesar salad, I might have finished it. But I had some room for a slice of key lime pie. After I left, with my wallet lightened by $38 (after tip), I went to the Kemah Wal-Mart. Yes, I was resuming my atlas quest. But first, I had to visit the restroom. Having completed that business, the quest resumed in earnest. And this time, success! I found the atlas! Then I set off looking for some caffeine-free Dr Pepper, but they didn't have any. So I left with just the atlas. My next stop was the Kroger's on FM 270, the one that used to be an Albertson's. Like the one on Kirby, there was a newspaper vendor out front. He asked if I wanted to get a paper; I said I'd consider it on the way out. I did find the pop, and I did get a paper on the way out. It was back to the hotel, but the drive turned miserable. I feared a relapse of my intestinal distress. It was all I could do to hold on until I got back to my room. I wonder what happened? It may have been the Caesar salad; they have been known to irritate me. So it was time for another dose of generic Imodium. While it took effect, I read the paper and worked on this travelogue.

Time passed. It was now 7, and I was thinking about supper. I was thinking about Fuddrucker's, in fact. But I waited for a half-hour before going there, where I ordered their smallest burger (1/3 pound) and a regular order of fries. The burger was good, as always. Perhaps I could have had a half-pound burger. Now which is better, Fuddrucker's or Tookie's? They're both good, though Fuddrucker's lets you top your own burgers yourself. I've only had one Tookie burger, while I've eaten at Fuddrucker's many times, so I can't make a fair decision yet. And given that there are Fuddrucker's around the country but only one Tookie's, I may never be able to make a fair decision.

While going to the game, I tuned the radio down the dial. I heard KIKK-AM sign off for the day. Business Radio – what a change from the country music that was synonymous with KIKK. Then it was on to KILT and ESPN Radio, where they were carrying a game featuring the Anaheim Angels. Now had I traveled to California, I might have gone to that ballgame. But I wouldn't have gone to Tookie's...

Now for some comments about radio down here. With my XM, I hadn't been listening to much radio down here. KTRH had the Astros and news and talk. KIKK-FM was now playing smooth jazz. KRBE was still hot hits and top 40, although I wouldn't listen to it now; it's no longer my music. There are more Spanish language stations than there used to be.

When I arrived back at the room, I was going to put the ballgame on. However, I encountered Star Wars on TBS, so I left it there. Can't go wrong with Star Wars. I had it on in the background while I did some checking of e-mail and some work on this travelogue.

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Monday April 28

Today started out as a slow day. I went down for my paper and had my breakfast, finishing the box of Cracklin' Oat Bran. I didn't have anything scheduled until 6 at night, when I would go out to Alvin. So what did I do today? Not very much in the morning and early afternoon. One factor: I was low on money, and payday wouldn't be until Wednesday (my paycheck would be direct-deposited, so I knew it would be available on payday morning). So I didn't go out for lunch. I had a frozen pizza instead. I cleaned the windows on my car, for they were filthy, and I had trouble seeing the outside mirrors under certain conditions. I did the dishes. I listened to Rush Limbaugh for a time, then turned on CNN to see and hear the President speak from Dearborn, not more than 3 miles from my office. I worked on this travelogue for a time.

A little after 3, I decided to spend some time at the new Wal-Mart Supercenter in La Marque before going to Alvin. I went down Highway 3 through Webster, League City and Dickinson before turning off onto FM 2004 and passing the Mall of the Mainland before encountering the new Wal-Mart on the other side of the freeway. This store replaced the one in Texas City that was across the street from the mall. Of course, it was similar to other Wal-Mart Supercenters elsewhere. Today, I was looking for replacement blades for my electric razor. They were two years old, and though frequent cleaning via compressed air helped prolong their life, they were in need of replacement. Oddly enough, it was on a trip down here in 2001 that I got those blades. I found the blades easily enough. But the new razors and their features caught my eye. There was one razor there that could be cleaned by washing the heads. There were many like that, actually. The prices went all over the map. But this one was apparently $40, according to a tag on the shelf. Wow, what a bargain. A new razor for the price of two replacement blade sets. Forget the blades, get the razor. Then I went around the store, picking up things as I went along. I got some coloring books for nephew Brandon while he visits me in June. I got the latest issue of Texas Monthly, which rated the top 50 barbecue joints in Texas (Joe's in Alvin was not on the list, but Goode Co. in Houston was). I got some MiniDV tapes, though I doubted I'd be using any more on this trip. I picked up the DVD "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", a documentary about the backing musicians on all of the great Motown hits, men who were unknown to the general public. I also picked up a 20-cassette set of The Shadow, the old radio series. I'd become interested in it when I heard it on XM Radio's RadioClassics channel. I knew of an online archive of old Shadow episodes, but I wasn't too happy about their fidelity. Hopefully, the tapes would sound better, and I could create better-quality MP3 files for loading into my iPod. Of course, I could listen to the tapes in the car. And one other thing: the set cost half-price here, $30 instead of $60.

I had to pay for the electronics items in that department, so that's what I did. Then I left for more shopping. I found a pair of shorts and put those into the cart. Then it was time to check out. But there was a problem with the razor: it rang up $148, not the $40 I was expecting. The cashier called for a manager, who took a long time to appear. She would not honor the $40 price. I walked with her over to the rack and pointed out the $40 price. She and several other employees reviewed the situation. Although the model number and name were on the tag on the rack, the UPC code was not identical, so the manager would still not honor the price. It would have to go to another manager. This had taken some time, and I was getting quite upset, so I said forget it, got the blades I came here for, and got those instead. There was another problem at checkout: the register was taking forever to approve my charge. I thought it was a problem with the card, but it wasn't. I'd seriously considered junking the whole order and walking out, but I didn't. I left in a foul mood. I was of a mind never to shop there again!

I had a lot of time before I had to go to Alvin, so I went over to the Mall of the Mainland. Now this facility had never had a lot of business. The parking lot in front of Sears wasn't busy at all. I went inside and started looking for razors. I was going to prove Wal-Mart wrong. Sears had one razor that Wal-Mart had, but not the one I wanted. Their price was higher, but it was comparable to Wal-Mart's. Next, I went to Foley's. They had improved versions of that razor and the one I had planned on getting, the improvement being a 12-volt car adapter. The one razor was higher than Sears, but the one I wanted – well, imagine my surprise when it was priced at $199! Hm – perhaps the Wal-Mart computer was right and the rack tag was wrong. I checked the other stores, but none of them had that razor. I needed to find another store to check the price – who was right? I went out to Alvin, listening to the Bangles on my iPod. When I got there, I went to the Wal-Mart and headed straight for the razors. Now their rack had a price tag for a similar model to the one I had wanted – but it said $128. There was no doubt about it: the rack tag in La Marque was in error, and the store was well within its rights to refuse to honor it. That was over a hundred-dollar error! But I didn't know that at the time. I wasn't trying to pull a fast one; I honestly thought $40 was a reasonable price. I wonder if the tag would have been pulled or corrected were I to visit tomorrow? Still, that was a nice razor, but only at $40, not at $148. But I didn't leave empty-handed; I got two 12-packs of caffeine-free Dr Pepper and the new TV Guide. Now you might argue that I didn't need to get the TV Guide, that I should have waited until returning to Michigan. Well, I would be getting the Detroit one upon my return. But I wanted to review the listings to see if there was anything I should be alert for.

Joe's wasn't very busy tonight. John Vandervort was on a bench in front of the restaurant, on the watch for me. I showed up and we went inside. Now I didn't feel like a BBQ baked potato tonight, so I just had a chopped beef sandwich and a bag of chips, along with a Sprite. The barbecue was the same, and it was still as good as always. Already inside at their table were Helen, Gaye, husband Steve and their daughter Joanna. Everybody was doing all right, even Helen, who was recovering from health problems that I won't disclose here. We talked about various things, including the quality of barbecue at some high-rated restaurants in the Hill Country (they'd gone there last week).

It was back to the hotel around 7:45. I found a place to store the 3 12-packs of pop currently in the car, pop which would be heading back to Michigan with me. I picked up the loose garbage in the front seat of the car and put it in the bag. I took my stuff and went upstairs for the night, where I would spend the evening working on this travelogue while listening to the XM Music Lab on XM channel 51, their channel for progressive music (think Frank Zappa, early Genesis, and extremely early Pink Floyd, all of whom I heard tonight). The new shorts fit well and should be comfortable. Later on, I snacked on some tortilla chips and Nuevo Leon salsa, which starts off moderately then gets quite hot the more you eat it. Whoa!

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Tuesday April 29

I showered, then read the morning paper. What was I going to do today? In the evening, I would be going downtown to see the Astros, but this morning, I was going to go into town for one final visit to the Central Market (final visit for this trip, I mean). It was mainly a stock-up visit for wasabi-coated peas and some St. Arnold root beer. Three 6-packs of it went into the back seat of my car when I left the store, and it won't leave until I put it into my pantry back home. I may save some for when my sister and family visit. According to the Saint Arnold Website, the only store that sells their root beer is in fact the Central Market on Westheimer. A few restaurants around town offer it, including Goode Co. Barbecue, and they sell it by the case at their brewery. I won't be finding it in Michigan any time soon.

I'd reached the store by taking Elgin Avenue all the way from the Gulf Freeway and the University of Houston campus. There had been some developments at UH since the last time I was there, such as the building that now houses KUHT-TV and KUHF-FM. From there, it was a straight shot to the Central Market (Elgin turns into Westheimer, as you read earlier in this travelogue). When I left, I debated whether or not to visit the Apple Store at the Galleria. If I'd gone, I would have considered getting a wireless networking card for my iMac computer. But I didn't go. There are Apple Stores in Michigan, and I could get the card there just as easily. Instead, I visited the Container Store across the street, and then I stopped by the Best Buy on Richmond again. I didn't get anything at either place, though I briefly considered the second-season set of Babylon 5, which had just come out today. I have yet to get the first season set.

When I left, it was 11 AM. Lunchtime was at hand. But I wasn't in the mood for anything on that side of town. Instead, I wanted to make my second and final visit to Laredo's on this trip. So I threaded my way across town (Richmond to Weslayan to the Southwest and Gulf Freeways, then the South Loop to the Pasadena Freeway to Red Bluff Boulevard) and got to Laredo's after noon. Of course, I had my usual. Then I went back to the hotel to rest up and let my stomach settle down.

Around 5:15, I got a call from the lobby. Chris Mallios was here to pick me up for the ballgame. I'd seen his dad last week, but I hadn't seen him in several years. He'd run for county commissioner in north Galveston County last year but lost to the incumbent. He was currently working for the Channelview school district on the groundkeeping staff after holding a similar position with the county.

We got to the park in plenty of time for the first pitch. We parked in a nearby church parking lot and walked over to the Will Call window for the tickets. I remarked that we'd be a lot farther out at the Dome. And so, after picking up our tickets, we went inside Minute Maid Park (formerly Enron Field and Astros Field). We walked around the whole park. I wanted to get ideas for dinner, and I wanted to see the sights. We stopped at one of the gift shops, where I bought an inflatable bat for Brandon (a real bat might not be a good idea for him just yet). It folded nicely into my pocket, where it would stay until I got back to the hotel. We went up to the club level, one level above main level. Now this was a nice setup. The concourse was "inside", as if it were a regular building. There was a bar area, some restaurant facilities and tables where you could eat your meal. When you wanted to go to your seat, you'd open up a door like you were leaving a building. Our seats were up the third base line, but we had a great view of most of the field, all except the left field corner. The roof was open tonight, and there was a breeze. It seemed to be blowing from right field to left.

Now it was time for supper. Despite my having had Mexican food already, we both ended up having something Mexican for supper; Chris got a fajita plate, while I got a fajita salad, thinking it would be different enough from what I had for lunch. In fact, it was different enough. It was somewhat inconvenient to eat at the seat, but it was enjoyable anyway. It was quite large, and I couldn't finish it. As for the game, it too was enjoyable, even though the Astros lost. It was in doubt until the last pitch, though. Lance Berkman was ejected late in the game for arguing balls and strikes with the umpire, and the fans let the ump have it.

When the game was over, we stopped briefly at the Shed, the Astros memorabilia store. I got an Astro hat, and Chris got a coffee mug. We had to exit through old Union Station. It had to have been a fancy building in its heyday serving train passengers. I remember being with my folks as they were picking up Grandma Reini at the train station; I wonder if it was this one? Then we found the truck and headed for home. All in all, a nice evening.

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Wednesday April 30

I woke up fairly early, around 6 AM. I wanted to get more sleep, so I lay in the bed for a while, but it didn't work. So I gave up and resumed reading Forward The Foundation, which I ended up finishing. I went downstairs, got the paper, and then had breakfast. I checked e-mail, and I also checked my bank account balance. Payday was today, and the check would be direct-deposited, but I needed to know the amount. Why? Because I had to pay some bills that would be coming due shortly, bills that I didn't think I could wait to pay until I returned home. What a fun experience.

I knew my vacation was drawing to a close, so I took out my suitcase and began to pack it. I wouldn't need all of my clothes on the return trip; I'd hardly need any at all, in fact. Later that morning, I went to the CompUSA and Barnes and Noble on Bay Area. I didn't get anything at CompUSA, but I did pick up two science-fiction magazines. I came close to getting Marvin Zindler's biography, but I decided to pass on it. Now it was lunchtime, and my destination was Chabuca's on Nasa 1. Unfortunately, I had to wander through the back streets of Webster to get there, as eastbound Nasa 1 was closed at Walnut due to an accident. But I didn't have to wander very long or far, and I soon found myself in the Chabuca's parking lot. I'd been here last year, and I really enjoyed it. Their centerpiece meal is the rodizio, where many different varieties of meats and some fruits are supplied to you on spits from chefs who walk around the restaurant, offering to slice some off for you. Along with that, you can enjoy a buffet of different kinds of salads, cheeses, breads, etc. It's not a cheap meal ($14.95 for lunch), but it is a very good meal. Naturally, that's what I got. I thought the meats were a little slow to come out, but once they did, they came quickly. I sampled nearly everything, but I had to pass on some items when I just didn't have room on the plate for them – or in the stomach, for that matter. I rolled out of there, so to speak, and went back to my hotel room.

I'd be meeting with my friend Keith in the afternoon, and I'd be having a light dinner at his place (I wouldn't have been in the mood for a heavy dinner). Before I went over, though, I took a swing by Helen's Garden in old League City again. This time, I inspected the main dedication plaque and the plaque on one of the benches. I did indeed see the Mallios name there, as Chris had told me last night. I'd not noticed on my first visit, but this time I did. I drove past the old and "new" League City Elementary schools, then headed over to Zab's, fending off the traffic jams on Main Street near the freeway and Hobbs Road. When I got there, he was busy finishing up an important paper he was writing for the Marine Corps, so I passed the time by watching the Scooby-Doo movie that he'd recorded on his PVR. I'd never seen it before, for I'd been turned off by so-so reviews. However, it was a better film than I thought it would be. Halfway through, his ex Renee brought home daughter Hannah (it was a daddy week for her).

Tonight's dinner was a rice dish, somewhat akin to dirty rice, and a soup that I sweared smelled very much like the hot sauce from Swanson's Mexican TV dinners. I did not say that as a complaint, for I liked the soup, and I liked the hot sauce. It was a good meal, and I said so. Then it was time for Mommy to leave, but Hannah was somewhat reluctant to see her go. Later on, Keith and I started discussing what would be involved in digitizing his old videotapes. He had around 10 8mm tapes that he wanted to digitize, but he didn't have all of the equipment to do so. I did have the equipment, so I offered to take the tapes back up to Michigan and digitize them. One roadblock: how would I get the digitized material to him? He didn't have a MiniDV camcorder, so that was out. DVD's were a possibility, but I'd need a lot of them. I'd figured out that a 120 GB hard drive would likely have the capacity for the digitized material. Since there wasn't a spare 120 GB hard drive laying around, we got online and searched for a good deal on one. Having found a deal, he ordered it and had it shipped to me. It would arrive after I got back to Michigan. By this time, South Park had started. Thanks to the miracle of the PVR, we could start to watch it while the remainder of the show was being recorded. Thus, it was 9:40 when South Park ended and I took my leave. I had a long day ahead of me tomorrow.

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Thursday May 1

Well, this was it. Time for me to return to Michigan. I got up around 6 and continued with my packing. As soon as 7 o'clock rolled around, I went downstairs for a luggage cart. Fortunately, both carts were available, and I took one of them back to my room. I loaded up the larger items (suitcase, guitar, etc.) and took them downstairs and outside to the car, where I loaded them into the back. Then it was back upstairs for another run, mainly of grocery bags. Some bags had groceries, and some had books and other stuff I'd bought on the trip. I put the cart back for others to use, then went to the room for one final check. All of the drawers were empty; I'd put the hotel's clock back in operation; the refrigerator was empty. All I had to do was turn out the lights, leave, and check out.

It was 7:55 when I started the car and began the trip back to Michigan. I wanted to go up through Texas and Arkansas while avoiding rush hour bottlenecks in town. Plotting my trip via Microsoft Streets and Trips a day or so ago suggested a possibility, which I took. Instead of heading up the Gulf Freeway, I went East on Nasa 1, then north on Kirby to Red Bluff. That would take me to the East Belt, which I could take to get up to the Eastex Freeway. It saved me some traffic problems, I'm sure. As I neared the East Belt, it suddenly occurred to me that I'd just made the drive that my dad took for two years or so to get to work, back when we lived in Pasadena. In terms of time, it was comparable to the drive I take to get to work every day, but it was a farther drive (15 miles versus my 11 or 12 miles).

There were no traffic problems on the East or North Belts, though the westbound exit to 59 was not marked, forcing me to do a loop-around. I was listening to KTRH for a little while; one big story was the arrest of Astros player Julio Lugo on charges of assaulting his wife. Those charges would lead to his dismissal from the team. Then I put on 60s on 6 on XM for a bit, and then I listened to The Point on 106.9, Conroe/Houston's '80s station. The drive up 59 was uneventful, and I made good time. I did stop at the Hot Biscuit in Nacogdoches, where I had their buffet. Unfortunately, the food wasn't very good, and I didn't care for it. Should have had something else. Back on the road, I tuned in the Rush Limbaugh show on Shreveport's KEEL.

The drive on 59 continued to be uneventful. I made my first gas stop in Marshall, just south of I-20. Marshall has been a traditional gas stop for our family on our trips, and I continued the tradition. As I drove up to Texarkana, I finished listening to Rush and started listening to the Sean Hannity show, for that was next on KEEL. He started reporting on President Bush's arrival by Navy jet on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. I flipped over to Fox News on XM to hear for myself. It took me 7 hours to get up to Texarkana, so this was shortly after 3 o'clock. I stopped at the first rest area in Arkansas for a bathroom visit, a chance to stretch, and a chance to get something to drink.

The drive continued. I encountered construction outside of Little Rock, but it didn't slow me very much. I didn't have any problems bypassing Little Rock and picking up I-40. Unfortunately, I hit some bad congestion on I-40 near mile marker 188. I wanted to keep going, so I exited the freeway and found my way down to US 70, which I would follow for several miles until I reached Brinkley. I got to drive through a couple of small Arkansas towns along the way; whoopee! While in Brinkley, I stopped for gas and had supper at McDonald's. I did not stop for the night; instead, I continued onward. I had it in my mind to stop in Blytheville for the night. When I-40 intersected I-55, I took 55 heading north. I was listening to the president speak to the nation from the deck of the Abraham Lincoln and kept on driving until he finished. By that time, I'd arrived in Blytheville and decided to stop for the night. There was a hotel right off the exit ramp, and I mean right off the ramp. I pulled in, got a room, then turned on the TV to watch the Astros lose again to the Braves.

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Friday May 2

For some reason, I woke up around 4:30. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I decided to get up for good. I did want to get an early start, after all. I turned on the TV and found one of the PBS stations (WKNO from Tennessee) airing some old TV programs. They were broadcasting the final episode of the Hollywood Palace, and then they started to carry an Ozzie and Harriet show with original commercials. But I didn't stay for that. I loaded up the car with the two bags that I'd taken in. Unfortunately, while intending to lock the car, I hit the wrong button on my keyless entry key fob. Instead of locking the car, I set off the alarm. The horn sounded four times before I could turn it off. I imagine that woke up a few people, but I hope they got back to sleep quickly. By 5:10, I was on the road again. But the clock in the car said 6:10, for I'd already changed it to Eastern time. I could hear WJR and the Paul W. Smith show on the radio, but just barely. I gave up on it and put on the Old Time Radio channel, which was playing a two-hour block of The Lone Ranger.

My drive took me into Missouri very quickly, but I would leave it almost as quickly, for I took I-155 across the Mississippi River into Tennessee. It would turn into US 51, which I would follow to its intersection with Kentucky's Purchase Parkway. I could see ominous weather in the distance, and it wouldn't be long before I ran into it in Kentucky. The rain puddled in the grooves in the road, and there were times that I had to drive while almost straddling the lanes. I didn't want to wipe out. I stopped for gas (but not breakfast) in Benton, Kentucky, then continued onward. I missed the turnoff for I-24, so I had to backtrack. I stayed on I-24 for a bit, until it was time to take the Western Kentucky Parkway.

There weren't many rest areas on the parkway, but I needed to stop at one. I felt myself getting tired, but I managed to hold on until the service area in the middle of the parkway. I saw a National Guard convoy parked there. I visited the restroom, picked up a Wall Street Journal, then proceeded to rest there for 20 minutes or so. I hadn't had breakfast, so I had a can of Dr Pepper and nibbled on some breadsticks. That must have perked me up a bit, for I made it to I-65 without any problems. As I cruised up the highway, I saw a billboard for Steak and Shake, so I decided to go there for lunch. It was in Louisville, a mile and a half from the freeway. Traffic was busy as I approached the restaurant, and it was busy as I left. But I did need the time to relax, eat and unwind. It put me in good stead for the final stretch.

I knew I could make it home tonight, possibly before dark, assuming nothing interfered. However, four spots of congested traffic did interfere: one outside Louisville, two in Cincinnati, and one in Dayton. But once I got through them, it was smooth cruising up I-75 into Michigan. At 8 PM, I was just south of the Sibley Road exit on I-275, listening to the Tigers game. Before long, I was on home grounds. Not much had changed in three weeks. I stopped at the Little Caesar's Pizza Station for some sliced pizza for supper, and I arrived home at 8:30 PM. The major unpacking could wait until tomorrow.

THE END

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