The Last Chapter

I've been gone from San Miguel since the 21st of April - a lifetime ago. As you know I've stayed with friends and family all over BUT there is one more stop to make. Kingwood Texas where four of the six grandkids live.

School is about to get out and so that means "awards" days and I want to be there to see what is happening. I'll be up there for several days just hanging out with the family.........floating in the pool with the kids and sleeping in the same room with Hannah and Emma. It WILL be great fun and I can hardly wait til manana.

Eventually, probably next Friday or Saturday I'll head home to San Miguel. Well, maybe I'll wait til Monday or Tuesday.........see, I'm having such a good time that I don't want to leave.

Even the weather has cooperated and the humidity has not been oppressive, yet.

This has been a fun trip...........Geez, I love being retired. I highly recommend it to all those people who say they don't know what they would do if they were retired. My answer, ENJOY LIFE.

Art Car Parade - 2009

If you think the Orange Show Eyeopener Tour was wacky - then here is the ART Car Parade. This is organized by the same people that I toured with, sort of. http://www.flickr.com/photos/23280022@N08/sets/72157617907501716/
If this doesn't make you grin, nothing will.

Orange Show Eyeopener Tour 2009

It was wacky, zany, outrageous and visually stimulating. Not to mention exhausting ,whimsical and great fun. If you want to travel along and see all the outsider stuff and some fabulous architecture, click below.

http://www.narrowlarry.com/nm1.html

Let me know what you think.

B.O.I.

Ask just about anyone in the Houston area what "BOI" means and they will say - "born on the island" - meaning Galveston. Those that were, are very proud of that fact. It means a hardy, funky and gracious soul - kinda like a pirate. I'm kidding about the pirate. But there were pirates here a while back.........

Nowadays they are called construction workers. They are here in droves trying to put the island and people's lives back together, slowly but surely. I drove in Tuesday and was amazed at how much had been done just since the 22nd of April when I last arrived. More piles of debris cleared. Driveways poured and grass planted.

Now my friends Vandy and Sue are starting on the rebuilding of their place. We went by yesterday to see if any workers were there yet - nada. We talked about space planning issues and furniture placement etc. I have to make sure the guest bedroom is perfect.......my domain.

Vandy is a "BOI" and his family's history here goes way back. Sue moved here as a little child and can't claim that status, but she proudly claims being married to a "BOI". I think it's all very cute and innocent.

The sky is blue, didn't see a soul today as I walked the beach. Only a few birds looking for breakfast. Yesterday we saw (well Vandy saw) a baby dolphin in the shallows. I hope I see a pod this afternoon. I'll be sad to leave here tomorrow and head back to civilization. I can assure you that being at the water has changed my perspective of where I intend to live in the future, dramatically.

I'm at a crossroads in many ways. My life is getting ready to change in many positive ways and when the time is right............I'll share it with you, my friends. It's all good!

Baby Steps

I'm SO glad I'm back in Texas! I'm taking baby steps to get back "into the groove". You know all those things you HAVE to do when you return from a two week trip - laundry, gas for the car, checking on emails and of course, Bloggers. Oh yes, and I lost my drivers license in the Denver airport so that was another chore - taken care of today......... The trip was great! The visit with the "Gypsy Kids" was great fun. Lots more to share about that in the coming weeks. (The little baby feet are Matilda's). Note how she ALWAYS crosses her legs. Too cute.
Then there was the "Eye -chantment Trip to New Mexico". It was a blast........an eyestanding, eye-opening trip. More on that too as the weeks go by and the photos roll in from the camera- toting other travelers. I finally stopped photographing and decided to wait for their photos. Well, I did take close to 300 photos over the last 6 weeks......a few you have seen.

So, I'm back. It was nearly 24/7 for five days of fun. It appears that in the last two days, any time I get near the bed, I fall on it and sleep for a couple of hours. Oh dear, am I starting to slow down?

For the next few days I'm going to enjoy the slow pace of naps, laying out in the sun, having a toddy out on the deck in the evenings and watching the surf in Galveston. With my feet crossed, just like Baby Matilda.

"Movin On" - Chapter 5

Tomorrow I head off to Albuquerque to "roll" with my outsider art friends! It will be a blast..........We'll be all over northern New Mexico for five days seeing all manner of quirky, interesting (to me and others) environments, art and who knows what else.

I doubt I'll have access to a computer until the 26th of May - so ya'll have a great and safe Memorial Day weekend!

Let's see, on the 26th I'll be back in Galveston, then Houston, then...............oh my gosh, having fun is exhausting. And, whoever said "retirement is boring" isn't retired.

STOP praying.............

Well, at least for warm weather. It must have been 90 here yesterday. It WAS a lovely day, to put it mildly. I reveled in the warmth, and spending it with the "Gypsy Kids". We started out at Whole Foods. I dislike shopping, so I sat outside at a table and watched all the shoppers. It was a revelation. I'm in "natural" country - and not a place very ethnically diverse..........but it was fun to observe.

We then went to the garden center to buy a butterfly bush to plant today, Monday, in memory of Jennifer. (See March 14th blog, Jennifer's Living Memorial, for the history of this). It was delightful to walk through the rows of lilacs, roses, and every other flower you can imagine. Matilda would scrunch up her nose and want to smell EVERY flower. It was so cute - especially for a Grammy.

In the afternoon, after "nap time", we ventured down to the main street with the "Bob" which is the name for a very fancy, expensive stroller and strolled along. What a vibrant downtown they have - with sidewalk cafes, courtyards, and other people with strollers and dogs.

You can tell from the first photo of Matilda in long pants and long sleeve shirt to the second photo of her sitting barefoot and in a sundress how much it warmed up during the day. Where she was sitting is a public area where water spouts come out of the ground and the children gleefully play. (I sure was tempted to run through). Matilda loved watching the children.

I've been able to download a few photos to my son's computer. NOW, once he brought it up, I realize why I bought a Flashdrive last December, at his insistence. However, I had no idea what it was for...........If I had it with me, I could download everything - oh well.

Such is life.

Ms. Martha and Me

The WHOLE deal of my traveling saga came about because of this wonderful, gentle, kind, caring lady. My friend Martha. She turned 80 last week and her family had a wonderful gathering on May 2nd So I headed up, wild horses couldn't have kept me away, for this celebratory event. I've mentioned Martha many times in many blogs. She is my "centering" friend. When I get out of kilter, or off the main path, just a sweet, calm comment from Martha either makes me laugh out loud or causes me to think carefully about what she has to tell me.

She is much beloved. She has a social schedule which wears me out when I come to Houston. She always welcomes me with a key, coffee and a smile. Oh, and a wonderful place to stay. There were times I was with her for months - in the terrible times. She always was welcoming.

My dear friend is the most understated "Grand Lady" I have ever known. She's one of those Southern Magnolias who appears as though she could wilt, but I'm here to tell you, under that Southern Belle exterior is a woman who can do anything. You name a country - she's been there. You come up with a subject and it's likely she has read about it.

I'm honored to consider her one of my best friends. Our friendship has grown from good times through terrible times and now back to fun times. What more can I say? I love her as though she were my sister..........and she is in spirit.

Keeping Secrets!

Don't you just HATE when you are asked to keep a secret - a GOOD secret that you want to share with the world? I feel like a human pressure cooker whose top is going to explode...........but keep the secret I will.............until I'm told I can tell.

I remember as a child NOT being able to EVER keep a secret. My brothers and sister would avoid me like the plague if they were doing something they shouldn't or something they didn't want told...............oh my, I had a hard time then.

Ironically though, in the business world I knew so many highly sensitive, "top secret" things. Especially when I worked for a defense contractor and had a crypto clearance. It NEVER occurred to me to divulge any of it - even to this day. I also knew many things from private clients that was confidential information relating to finances etc. and again, it never occurred to me to divulge that info.

BUT today I'm having to be quiet - keep my lips pressed together, and NOT call anyone who is a close friend..................or blog about it...............I promised.

Baby, books, and Grammy

I'm here in Ft. Collins with Matilda, her books and all the things she loves. I've so far read "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" almost a zillion times and every other book that she loves to hear over and over............and over. She knows how to "sign" to "read a book" and "More"..........so the rest is history.

This is such a fascinating time to observe her. In this discovery phase, they watch your mouth as you say the words and then try to say them. The minute I came in the door she started doing "patty cake" which I did with her another zillion times in December. Do you think she remembers that far back? I have now added another zillion times to it, plus adding "This little Piggy", (which makes her peal with laughter), the ABC song and a few other songs that I would NEVER sing in front of anyone other then a baby who knows no better what off key singing sounds like............. It worked with all the other grandbabies and it works like magic with her.

The weather here is magnificent - whew. The house is adorable - a tri-level with a big finished basement now known as "the man cave". Yes, the settlers are settled. I even watched my son cut the grass in their large yard last night with an old fashioned push mower. He reminded me of all the times he did this as a teenager, back in the "olden" days..........

In addition to the wonderful weather, there are all kinds of massive magnificent trees, both in their yard and to see out all their windows. Oh, and the lilacs are blooming everywhere. Aaah, I haven't smelled a lilac since I was a little girl growing up in Illinois. It's a fragrance you never forget and sigh when you smell it again. It has probably been 50 years since I have smelled one but it sure brought back memories Now if they had peonies and hollyhocks here, it would be a fragrant bliss.

We'll do some hiking this weekend, which I'm looking forward to, along with the baby, the dog and the "Gypsy Kids". Life is good!

Movin' On - Chapter 4

I'm off to Colorado to hang out with the "Gypsy Kids"! I'm leaving today and this will be the fourth stop on this traveling saga. I was reminded yesterday that this time last year, Baby Matilda was being introduced to the Pacific Ocean. Well at least her toes were being dipped. We were in Sayulita for a week and no one at that point knew the kids were going to be gypsies with a tent, a dog, a new baby and some possessions. There circuitous path and final settling in Ft. Collins was destiny. They are "settled" as settlers become, with new friends and a new life.

So I'm off to enjoy seeing all this. They have a house now and of course, one of the MAIN reasons for going is to be on the floor tumbling around with Matilda as she hopefully signs, "Grammy". I can hardly wait.

Lest you think my visit in Houston was nothing more then Bluebell and Barbecue (not anymore), I did do a few cultural things. Monday night it was connecting with my friends from the Houston Culinary Guild. A delightful group of women who I have known and participated in events with for 15 years - no I don't cook - but I was in that industry for years. And then last night, I was lucky enough to attend the Accession Committee "do" at the Museum of Fine Arts where new acquisitions are presented to the committee by the curators of the various departments. Then the committee votes on what to acquire in the coming year. It is always fascinating and I always learn something. My dear friend Martha is involved with the group and I'm lucky enough to get to "tag along"...........

So that's about it from this side of the border..............see you on down the road. Oh, and please pray for sunny skies and warm weather because if there is a blizzard, it WILL be my last time in Colorado.

Feeling introspective.........

Watching the sun set with no one to share always makes me aware of my aloneness. It is one of the few times that I do......feel alone.

I don't want it to be that way anymore. I'm in the process of changing that part of my life.

Toes entwined in the sand, while fingers are entwined also, will be the beginning of bliss. Sharing is the goal. Love, life, laughter and all that goes with it.........ALL that goes with it.

WHEN it works out, and it will - NO MORE watching sunsets, or for that matter, sunrises alone.

What's Important!

I must forewarn you - I have been rather introspective the last few days, while I had a little time to gaze out at the sunsets and skyline of Houston and the green of Memorial Park. So below is one of the posts I wrote as I watched the sun set the other evening.........alone.

For me, someone's soul is important. Their intentions and actions mean much more then the color of their hair or lack thereof. Intelligence and humor are the icing on the cake.

So it drives me absolutely crazy (some say that would be a short trip) when I meet a person who is looking for an "accessory" not a partner. You would think that with age would come wisdom - but I find that is far from true.

So many are still in the throes of caring "what other people think". And, I tell them that most people are too busy thinking about themselves and their lives to really care about yours. So, it is a wasted effort.

I'm amused and chagrined in this "dating episode" to see men around my age looking for women 25-45 who MUST have.........and then the physical descriptives start. As though they are buying a possession, a fancy tie or cuff links, if you will.

And, older women, I suppose do the same thing........not this one though.

So my question always is" What if that carefully selected accessory were to become ill or injured and no longer could be the "perfect accessory" to make the person look better? What then?

Ten and Growing!

Every time I see him, which is in the spring and winter, the first minutes are shy and reserved.

I'm patient, ask questions, and wait for him to warm up and remember.....I'm his Grammy. He always does.

I start also with talking about memories - the sound of the train going by his old house when he was little; butterflies being released in his yard; the porch swing I used to rock him on, his Mom. He always remembers and the soft smile begins.

It warms my heart.

Today was the same. At first he doesn't get too close, but ALWAYS before the day is over, he is laying near me so I can reach over and rub his back and ruffle his coal black hair - just like his Mom did.

He is a kind and loving boy that any mother and grandmother would be proud of.....his smiles and softness remind me so much of her.

I like to "listen" to his smiles...........just like I listened to his Mom's.

SO PROUD!

I am SO proud of Houston! I was downtown last night at Discovery Green......and it was.....green.
Green grass, green trees, beautiful lawns and water features everywhere. Add to that the fact that the Rockets and the Astros were playing nearby and downtown was "hopping". And, I do mean "hopping".

Little ones were leaping through the "water feature" that is reminiscent of us running through the sprinklers as kids. Adults were strolling and looking at the art cars parked everywhere. Some guys who imitate the Blues Brothers (and looked like them) were singing with their sound system, etc. on a corner and then there was a band near one of the restaurants. In addition, somehow they transplanted an allee of old, old oaks to create a magnificent walkway and the whole thing was near perfection.

I was amazed and awed that an old, ugly warehouse and parking lot area had been transformed into an area to attract multi-generations. What a delight!

We sat on the lawn after looking at all the cars, then listened to the music and saw a film about art car parades all over the world. I ran into people I know and had an inkling that this is Houston's answer to the jardins of Mexico. There certainly was a lot of parading going on.

So, if you get to Houston, make a point of going down in the evening and just strolling. Enjoy the
fragrance of the gardenias and other plantings. See the boats floating on the ponds and have a drink or two at The Grove. It is well worth it.

By the way, my friends that I went with decided, without reading the blog, that we needed to go to Tony Mandola's for dinner. I got a chuckle out of that after the comment of a reader of the blog.

I took lots of photos of the people sitting at the bar at Tony Mandola's-the art cars-and, Discovery Green. However, as you know, you'll have to wait til I get back home in Mexico in order to be able to post them on the blog - darn. But, anything worth having is worth waiting for........Right?

"Futzing" at Fry's

Now I will start out by saying if you don't know what "futzing" is, you haven't lived! It's great and a great word. It certainly describes the trip to Fry's yesterday.



I'm a list maker. I do that so when I get in a store with more then 10 items my eyes don't glaze over and then I become confused. Especially true when I'm in a store full of stuff that I have, for the most part, no idea of its purpose. And, in this instance, I don't care. It does strike me as amazing that there can be so much "stuff" to buy, none of which is essential!



So, with list in hand, and brother Bill leading the way, in the door we went. He, shaking his head at my lack of knowledge, has not been shopping with me since 1998 when he helped me buy a computer. I do think I heard him mutter something under his breath like, "And it will be another 10 years before I do this again". He's such a curmudgeon. That's why I love him.



I'm great at talking myself out of buying things - especially after I see the price. For instance, I THOUGHT I wanted a DVD/CD burner...............until I saw $80 and then economically it didn't make sense to me. $24.95 would have made sense. So, I scratched that off the list as my brother again was shaking his head. We did buy speakers(since the speakers on my computer haven't worked for months, a phone (because I'm FINALLY getting Vonage and already have the number), a case for new CDs (to replace the nice leather one that was stolen) and the best thing, a new Diana Krall CD called "Quiet Nights".



Oh my, with songs such as Where or When, Walk on By, I've Grown Accustomed to his Face, and So Nice......if you're a romantic, get this CD! If you have recently had your heart broken, you might not, because "Guess I'll Hang My Tears Out to Dry" might choke you up...........for sure.

I can hardly wait for ten years from now when brother Bill and I go on a shopping excursion again. I can't even imagine, in my wildest dreams, what will be available to buy then. I'm certain of one thing, my brother will still be shaking his head at me!

Moving on

When I come to Texas I stay with different friends and family. I've learned a week is max because no matter how hard one tries to be inconspicuous, another person impacts another person's space. So, I'll be moving to my fourth place.

Hence I'm moving on to be near downtown Houston manana en la manana. I'll be "inside the loop" as Houstonians like to describe it. The place I stay is magnificent with views from the 19th floor of downtown, Memorial Park and Buffalo Bayou. No, no buffaloes ever roamed there that I'm aware of.

I'm always awed by how treed Houston is and by the amount of wildlife that inhabits the bayou. It's only a 10 minute drive to downtown but it feels like you're in the country IF you don't look at the traffic on Memorial Drive.

Since my friend is part of the culinary world, as I once was, we have much in common along with many friends in common. So, until I leave for Denver next week, I'll be up in my aerie peering down at wildlife............and humanity and dining at some of my favorite restaurants, I'm sure.

Eccentricity as an Art Form

Texans are masters of the grand gesture. Both in their personalities, their actions and this weekend, in their rolling works of art known as Art Cars. Two hundred and fifty wacky, wild vehicles (and I use that term loosely) will roll down Allen Parkway to the delight of all who see or participate in this spectacle of creativity. I can't wait. It's a barrel of fun.

One year I went to the pre-party and the theme was "mechanic chic". Hmmm, you should have seen the outfits. The person that capped off the night ,however, was a rollerskater with long legs and hubcaps placed in all the strategic places. It was art at its finest, ha.

I've always been delighted with the eccentric people I have known and/or just read about. I do treasure my eccentric friends (and, they know who they are)! But, some of those famous eccentrics such as Ann Richards, Marvin Zindler, Molly Ivins and my friend Racehorse Haynes are or were the mark of a Texan.

Once when I was helping out with a charity golf tournament, Racehorse Haynes and several of us sat on the floor one night and listened to stories of his escapades. One of the funniest was the first time he won a case. His fee, probably his smallest ever, was $100. Boy was he thrilled. He told the people he wanted to be paid in $1 bills. So he took those $1 bills and carefully covered the top of his desk. Then he called his buddies to come have a drink to celebrate with him. He said that midway through the evening he noticed the bills were disappearing, rapidly. So, he called a halt to the gathering and never did that again. Of course I can't possibly tell it as funny as Racehorse could, but it was hilarious that night. He turned out to be a great friend and was instrumental at a crucial time in helping my daughter Jennifer........and wouldn''t take a cent.

Yes, I heartily agree that Texans are a different breed. AND, there are a million more stories to tell.

"Gettin' my Groove on"

I'm getting back "in the groove". I jumped up on that Southwest Freeway this morning in my car as though I did it every day. Now, to get on that freeway, one must almost go from 0 to 60 in three seconds to prevent being either hit from behind, or either side, as they have the entrance and exit ramps almost simultaneous. It is a death wish, I promise. It definitely makes your heart race.

My mission - to get one tire to replace the blown out tire and to get a new cell phone to replace the 8 year old one. The battery was not charging well any more. Now, that's only two things so that seems doable. Heck, I can do three things in San Miguel in a day without losing my mind.

Oh brother! They have a "hand off" system at AT&T. The person who greets you and asks your needs, he hands you off to the second person who asks the same question who hands you off to the young, newly hired person who has no clue or personality to deal with much of anything. And, I'm being kind. It is not within their mental grasp that you don't want the fanciest, most expensive or complicated phone. It wasn't til I finally said, "I want a replacement that doesn't cost anything", twice, that dawn struck. So now I have a cell phone with hot air balloons swimming around on the screen that does more stuff then the Space Station that NASA has. It can even check my emails , if I knew how to do that............(I need not even mention, to those of you that read this blog often, that that will happen the day hell freezes over). To be honest, I couldn't even figure out (a) how to call a number, or (b) how to answer a call and had to ask a man at my next stop to help me. What ever happened to "plain vanilla" stuff? Although I was assured that my plan had NOT been changed because I have no roaming charges in Mexico or the USA , my new charge is $20 US less per month then it used to be........I give up.

Then on to the Discount Tire place where the good news was that the blown tire was worth $100 and a new one is $121. The bad news was the right front had 4/23rds tread left, which in my mathematical but unknowing brain, sounded not so good. So, two tires later for almost the price of one and waiting one and one half hours for the completion of that deal, I moved on.

The car was covered with road crud, beach sand, and assorted bugs. I wish you could have seen the haughty look on the guy's face when I told him I wanted a "basic" car wash. Total disbelief.

Ahh ,but the saving grace was the guys cleaning the cars. All Mexicans. One noticed my holographic sticker and in Spanish wanted to know where I was from. When I told him Estado de Guanajuato and then San Miguel, he rolled his eyes and appeared to swoon. It made me laugh out loud and made my day.

I jumped back on the freeway, just a little bit slower and a with a bit of a smile left on my face.

Get ready for a big laugh. Tomorrow I'm dragging my brother to Fry's to help me buy "electronic stuff". Of course, being a "girly girl", I'd much rather it be Victoria Secret, but last I checked, they don't sell computer speakers or DVD burners or all the other unknown stuff I need to buy. This WILL turn out to be a hysterically funny chapter in this Houston saga. Stay tuned.

"Hot" Houston

At one point, the guys at the Tourist Bureau used that phrase to get people to Houston. If I remember correctly, it backfired. Well, I'm here to tell you that it IS hot already in Houston and it's just the beginning of May - BUT not as hot as San Miguel - so there IS a method to my madness.

Last night I sat on a porch with a great friend where we discussed all manner of life issues. Since it is on the second floor, we were looking out through the trees and down at the passing walkers and cars. The evenings in Houston, to me, are lovely. The sound of the cicadas remind me of times laying in a hammock in the backyard looking at the stars. Simple pleasures.

As we sat on the porch, the other memory that came tumbling in was as a little girl in Chicago spending the night at my grandparents' house where they had a screened in back porch. EVERY time, in the summer, when my cousin and I spent the night there, my grandmother would let us drag a mattress down the hall and out onto that porch and spend the night out there. Another simple pleasure.

So, although the traffic is frenetic and people move at a fast pace, if you try hard enough and get off the beaten track, the lazy, Southern, down home feel of Houston does still exist - Woo hoo.