REACHING HOUSTON

THURSDAY

This morning the Belgian waffles at the hotel were Texas-shaped -- of course!! -- so I enjoyed one.  It would have been nice if the plasticware were sufficiently strong to spear a bite of waffle without the fork bending.  It's  pet peeve of mine.  I don't mind plasticware in such situations,but it would be nice if it was sturdy enough to really use.  I know the heavy stuff costs a bit more, but at least it works.

The sky is grey and overcast as I leave Kerrville, Texas this morning.  Just outside of town the highway is a downhill 7% grade -- just to prove there really are hills in Texas.  The drive is a pleasant one -- much greener and many more trees than I expected.  Evidently there's been enough rainfall this year to keep the landscape green.

I'm looking for a Wal-Mart this morning to run a few errands and mainly to replace my watch battery.  I discovered as I was getting ready that my watch died at 5:00 a.m.  While I don't really like to shop in Wal-Mart, when I am traveling I can take care of most errands at one.  I finally decided, that if I was going to find one easily, I need to do a search on my GPS system.  The nearest one is four miles away.  When I get there everyone I see in the store, including the clerks, are senior citizens.  I know, I am one too, but these people seem really old.  After watching the jewelry person struggle for ten minutes to remove the back on my watch, she asked me to leave it until this afternoon, when someone else would be in who could do it.  Since that was not an option for me, I took my watch and will try to get a battery in Houston.

As I travel through San Antonia and later into Houston, I am on highways 6-8 lanes wide, filled with traffic, the overpasses make what the kids used to call "pretzel bridges," and generally these cities look like concrete jungles.  It's a transition I don't much like, after being in the wide open spaces of Arizona, New Mexico, and the rest of Texas. I navigate both cities, without a single wrong turn.

The car will turn over 7,000 miles today and I am still at least 1,000 miles from home.  My original plans said the trip would be about 7,100 but it will exceed 8,000 by the time I get home.  I have a hard time believing I have really driven that far -- or that I have been gone for nearly a month.  After this, any road trip will seem like a piece of cake. I am supposed to be home on Monday which seems way too soon.  I may take an extra day in the Great Smoky Mountains just to delay my return a bit. 

It's been a busy few months since my mother's illness and death in May, the memorial service, birthday celebration, and family gathering in June, then the tea room trip with Shawna in July, then a beach trip with friends in August, and finally this trip beginning the end of August to return Mother to Oregon and to deliver her books and mementos to family and friends.  When I get home,I have no major plans looming in the future, so I will be living in a new time.  My manuscript will be back from the critiquer, with comments on changes that need to be made. I know I will have hours of work on that project.  I've already made plans to resume my piano lessons after a six-month hiatus.  I am looking forward to the discipline and challenge of practice.  I will continue meeting with my knitting friends every Tuesday night.  Other than that, my time and schedule and plans are open for the fall.  I won't rush to fill any blank times with other activities.

Once in Houston we are having great family time with my nephew Phil's family and my brother Bill.  Candice, Landon, Caroline and I spent a delightful late afternoon at the Houston zoo. The last time I was at a zoo was probably at least thirty years ago, so I enjoyed it as much as the kids did.