Ho! Ho! What the..?

Shopping season is in full bloom and I am behind as usual.  I also made a vital discovery this past weekend.  Evidently, the ENTIRE city of Houston and all of the surrounding communities merged onto Westheimer Road where I live.  Starting at 8am on Saturday, the street was backed up and stalled until around 8pm on Sunday.  I can honestly say that I had not seen that kind of traffic in a very long time.

But..(and this is important) I still met some of the nicest shop clerks.  Folks that knew what they had to do and did it with a smile and good disposition.  I hit a number of different retailers and they all made the traffic stress just go away.  Thanks folks.  By the way, there are some absolutely outstanding antique shops and curio shops here.  I had a ball perusing them.  I even walked out with a picture frame the was made from an old cold house (gardening reference).

So have a great holiday folks.  I will be making the 14 hour drive to the plains of Illinois this year and spend Christmas with my two rugrats.  I get to make pralines, snickerdoodles, and flavored chocolates this year.  It is going to be a ball.

There just comes a time...

Here we come a' marchin' towards the holidays.  There are beautiful lights up at the Houston Zoo (I am going again... and again), there are magical elves putting up decorations in the office building, the students are sweating out finals...

Life is just good this time of year.

I am going to make the 14 hour drive up to see my folks and kids in Springfield, IL for the Christmas break.  I plan on making some chocolates for everyone to try and gather a handful of hot sauces for everyone to taste.  I know that I have been writing about all of the wonderful places to go and visit here in the Bayou City, but for me it always comes back to the food.  Always has...

You see, I am definitely NOT a hot sauce person.  Anyone who knows me can attest to that, but my son likes the stuff.  Anyway, in the Galleria shopping mall there is a place called the Pepper Palace that we always have to stop in and try.  So, I bought a pack of samplers for him to try and share with his cousins.  For his sister, I am making some different flavored chocolates. Everything from strawberry, to pomegranate to cayenne pepper.  Once again...food stuffs.

Now... let's just hope it doesn't blizzard during the drive.

New Orleans...

Preservation Hall before the show

Okay, I got to take a little trip last weekend and had the time of my life...

Remember when I told ya'll about one of the biggest benefits of living here in Houston is that there are lots of places to visit within a short drive.  Well, I discovered New Orleans... and boy, did I ever discover it.  It was my first visit and I walked through Bourbon Street for drinks and oysters, Frenchman's Street for some great jazz, Magazine Street for the shops and dining...

Dining in New Orleans is an event onto itself.  I went there with oysters and gumbo on my mind and it did not disappoint.  I could go on and on describing the eats.

More importantly (to me) is the fact that NOLA is a music city.  Much like Nashville (which attracts anyone who wants to be a country/western star), NOLA attracts blues and jazz musicians.  I have to admit that it was a thrill to hear the music coming from everywhere.

Gonna go back...

Outside the bubble...

A long time ago in a far away portion of my memory, I lived in "The North".  In fact, I still have family and friends in "The North".  Now that I live in Houston, I have come to appreciate the those hearty souls that occupy the nether regions north of Dallas.  You may be a bit confused at this attitude of mine but there is one simple reason for it...

...it is cold up there in "The North".

I have recently returned from a trip up there.  A trip where I was being enticed to move back up there.  Sure, the leaves were turning colors and on the surface, it looked wonderful.  The wind was blowing and there was the smell of fall in the air.  Folks were serving wonderfully hearty soups and stews (as is the tradition), a cup of hot apple cider or a hot toddy in my hand.  I pulled out the jackets that were gathering mothballs at my apartment in Houston.  I was sporting a fashionable sweater... it was all looking and feeling good.  I will admit that I went to bed that evening feeling really good about a return.

Then it happened...

I awoke the next morning and went for my walk.  It was 25 degrees and the wind was blowing.  I think my nose and right ear froze and fell off...

So I returned back to the comforts (68 degrees) of Houston and immediately drove to Galveston for a day at the beach.  Mid-November and I am walking on the beach with the sand in my toes and dipping my feet into the warm Gulf of Mexico.  Yeah...

So while I will have to travel back up there for the Christmas holidays, I think that it will be a good thing.  It will simply remind me that I really like Houston.

Coming up on a year...

It is hard to believe, but I have been in Houston almost a year now.  I moved south the weekend before Christmas and have been having an absolute ball here in the Bayou City.  I know that I still have two months to go before I hit the year mark, but I had some time to sit and reflect on what a wonderful year it has been.  The fantastic places I have visited here in Houston, the absolutely wonderful friends I have made.

I about fell out of my chair laugh at a post I read last week from a Houstonian that said "FINALLY, it is camping weather".  Um... it is November, but I completely understood the point.  Today, it will reach 70 degrees and some natives are chilly.  But I do understand...(...I think)

With the holidays approaching, I can't help but get excited over the possibilities.  There is a wonderful opportunity out there just waiting to break.  Let's see what happens...

The Fall Festival...

Tis the season of falling leaves (although here in the south, that doesn't happen for a while...), the smell of warm apple cider, pies in the oven, football on the tele, Jack o' Lanterns all about...  If I had to pick a favorite season, fall may be it (as long as it does not get cold).

Another thing that is in the air are the annual festivals.  Most of the ones I have seen about town are ethnic in nature (Italian, Turkish, Greek, Irish, Korean...) and they highlight their culture, music, (and more to my liking) their food and drink.  Lord knows I love a good festival.  Not to mention the Texas Renaissance Festival which runs to the beginning of December.

Also, Miller is winding down their fantastic season.  I simply cannot believe how lucky this city is to have a venue such as Miller Outdoor Auditorium.

Now, if you will excuse me...my bowl of candy corn is empty.

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...