A new adventure ahead...

There is a new adventure ahead of me.  While I have absolutely loved my time in Houston (and would recommend this city to anyone who is interested), I have been given an opportunity that I just can't pass up.  So, at the end of this month this blog will transition in a new exploration.

I shall miss all of the things that have made this city great.  The Art Car Parade, the Bayou City Art Festival, trips to Galveston, the rows and rows of restaurants, and especially Miller Outdoor Theater.

The hospitality of the folks of Houston is something I will always appreciate.  The forth largest city in the United States has many things to be very proud of and I have thoroughly enjoyed myself here.

Salut!
New Blog for a new adventure - The Corn Bred Kid in Cali

The rugrats are coming..! The rugrats are coming..!

The Web Guy and the rugrats.

After a lovely spring break vacation (the university allots a three day weekend for staff - no I am not complaining...).  I am now in the midst of preparing for the impending invasion of teenagers.  One fifteen year old Prince and a twelve year old Princess shall grace the halls of the manor.  This also means that there shall be new rules/realities within the manor.

1. The day shall not begin before 10 am AT THE EARLIEST!
2. The carefully laid out plans of the Lord (Me) have a great chance of being tossed aside by said teenagers.
3. The Lord of the manor (Me) shall lose all control of the viewing habits within the manor.
4. The Lord of the manor (Me) shall have to deal with an overly pampered and hyped up Cat of the manor once the Prince and Princess return to the corn of Indiana (He gets this wide-eyed, manic look on his face that screams "Play with Me!' for about a week after they leave).

Now...having understood what is about to happen, I am thrilled beyond belief and the impending outbreak of pandemonium.  Thank goodness that I live in this area because there is no shortage of things to do.

The Bayou City Art Fair is this upcoming weekend.  If you have not been to one of these, I cannot recommend it enough.  I am finally going to visit NASA's Johnson Space Center.  Then there is the mandatory visits to the Houston Zoo and the Museum of Natural Science.

My son has already decreed that he MUST schedule a visit with his Houston friends which I have no idea what that may entail.  Maybe a visit to the Galleria Mall (... that IS what these teenage types do isn't it?).

So, I have cleaned the apartment and made the beds.  I have stocked up with snacks.  Life is going to be grand!

Culturally refreshed...

Weekends here in Houston are just something to behold.  As I am sure there are in Chicago, Los Angeles, or (gulp) New York activities are plentiful on the weekends.  BUT, I would challenge them to a certain distinction.  I would challenge them to the number of times that the "big guns" of the cultural landscape come out and give fantastic performances for the public... and oh yeah... for free.

Saturday started off wonderfully with the Bayou City Art Fair.  This HUGE art fair brings artists from all over the country to display pieces from almost every medium.  The spring version is held at Memorial Park and the fall version is held downtown.  There is nothing quite like walking around for three hours enjoying some fantastic creations.

Then in the evening hearing the wonderful musicianship of the Houston Symphony at Miller Outdoor Auditorium.  It was the annual Lunada concert celebrating Latin American composers.  The music just floated wonderfully and allowed a person to just drift away.  Hokey..?  Sure.  But that is about the best way I can describe it.  This was the Symphony's fourth (at least) free concert of the year for the public.  When you combine that with the Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, and the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company all giving free performances at Miller...

Well, it just doesn't get much better than that.

Experimental theater with puppets

I am excited.  Tonight, a group of us will be attending a show at the Catastrophic Theater.  It will be my first visit to this theater and I am really looking forward to it.

The little ones visit went very well and I am still dealing with an over stimulated cat.  The furry grey boarder was constantly played with by my kids and now that they are gone, he is going through some type of withdrawal.  I am getting this psychotic "play with me now" stare right before he jumps onto my thigh with his claws bared.

During their visit we had a marvelous time going to the Bayou City Arts Festival.  This is an amazing display that happens twice a year and if you have not gone out to see it then you are REALLY missing out on something.

Once again, the Houston Zoo, The Houston Museum of Natural Science and Miller Outdoor Theater came through magnificently.  The outdoor performance was a celebration of the hispanic culture here in Houston and featured a Columbian Salsa band that really had everyone dancing.

Now I just have to find my way to the Renaissance Festival before it leaves in December...

In a week...

In seven days, my two sidekicks come back to Houston...and boy, what a weekend is on store.  As usual, there is just so much going on here.

Of course we will have to start off the weekend with a trip to Galveston.  Since there are no oceans or gulfs in Indiana, they love to hit the beach.  Next is where the mayhem will ensue.

The weekend of October 12th and 13th has the following wonderful events.  The Bayou City Arts Festival, The Texas Contemporary Arts Fair, The Texas Renaissance Festival (opening weekend) The Houston Food Truck Fest (Haute Wheels Houston), the Houston Italian Festival, and a couple of other things...

On top of that is the usual fantastic fare at Miller Outdoor Auditorium and the Houston Zoo.

On Monday I was hoping to take the kids on a tour of the Johnson Space Center (NASA), but with the government shutdown we may not be able to do that.  Oh well, it would not be hard to talk them into going back to the beach...

Giant circle of art...and food

What a great weekend!

On Saturday, I attended the Bayou City Art Festival in Memorial Park.  It took me over four hours to peruse the booths.  The artists were from all over the country and there was something there for everyone.  Paintings, sculpture, photography, photography paintings... you get the idea.  A plethora of mediums and styles to suit everyone.

I knew that this would be wonderful right from the start when the first exhibit at the entrance was a display of brightly colored, outdoor, wind-powered, mobiles.  I am probably mistaken in their description, but man were they just a joy to look at as they moved in the breeze.  It just got better from there... the overwhelming number of artists were very friendly and loved to talk about how they created their work.  I did take my camera, but I just have a thing about taking pictures of an artists pieces.

After wandering around for over four hours, I was famished so I headed over to one of my favorite burger joints - 5 Guys Burgers and Fries.  Cheeseburger with grilled onions and grilled mushrooms... oh yeah!

Headed back to 14 Pews on Sunday to see a showing of Don Hertzfeldt's animated short film "It's Such a Beautiful Day".  I love going to this place because the company is wonderful.  The film was not my cup of tea, but there were a couple of patrons there that LOVED the film and the after show discussion was very entertaining.  Then it hit me...

DAMN!!!  I missed the Houston Food Truck Festival (Haute Wheels Houston)!  Next year...