Zippidee do da, Zippidee - Hey, what was that??

Aaaah, the tremendous bang of a tire bursting. I'm used to that; Marque had that problem for awhile. But...this is the YMCA bus. It's taking 12 of us AOAers (Active Older Adults) on a field trip. This is not supposed to happen!



L>R: Here's Jeni, our intrepid driver who deftly pulled the bus off to the inside of the interstate by the barrier separating East and West traffic. This is where we waited for the replacement bus to arrive. Does it look like we're having fun yet? The errant right rear tire that caused our delay; and the replacement bus that had no a/c and a horrible droning that lasted our entire trip and home again.











We made it. We're visiting the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston in Houston. The structure to the right of the church is the bell tower. We were treated to a melodious noon concert. The wood for the massive beautiful doors came from Brazil. The co-cathedral was dedicated 2 April 2008 by Daniel Cardinal DiNardo of Galveston.



The altar is made from Ethiopian red marble. The wood behind Christ on the cross is American Linden covered with gold leaf. A hand-crafted Opus XIX organ with 5499 pipes was still being installed in the choir loft whilst we were there.



The many thousand pounds statues of Jesus and Mary appear to be floating in front of the backdrop. The supports are artfully concealed behind each statue.



After a short ride through town, we went to Treebeards at The Cloister of Christ Church Cathedral for lunch. We all tried different menu items, cafeteria style, and vowed to return again some time. Sandy, Carolyn, and Beth enjoyed some great Southern fare.

We returned to the Y grateful that we didn't have to drive downtown. Many more excursions are planned {Carolyn, Beth, Peggy (the cute little gal in the third row on the right in the bus photo),and I are on the AOA committee} on which we will continue to enjoy each others' fellowship. Looking forward to the next trip and hoping the Y gets the a/c fixed on the buses.

Hither and Yon

Just a trip to get out of the house...who knows why when we are leaving the air-conditioned comfort of home for the air-conditioned comfort of the car, but we just like to see new places. So today we decided to drive around in the 'cone tree' or as country as you can get in this part of Texas.

We headed towards Magnolia and Rose Hill, beautifully named towns. Taking the back roads affords us the opportunity to stray from the beaten path and explore at will. Such a difference in landscape from where we live which is converted rice paddies. There the areas were heavily treed. The houses built on large acreage were practically invisible from the street. (Just so you don't think I am losing my marbles, these houses are not the ones that were invisible...the others really were not visible therefore no photographs). We've already decided on a John Deere riding mower with an umbrella top to reflect the summer heat when mowing the estate. = ) The local deer can keep the trees trimmed to the same height as they chew on the leaves and the Roadrunners can keep the grasshopper population at bay.

The only downside to the trip was our choice of places to have lunch. The Magnolia Diner seemed to be the local gathering place aside from the fast food choices. We joined the masses. All I will say is that dining with flies and the occasional mosquito is only acceptable when on a picnic. We'll definitely try some place else next time.

Took back roads home as well and I was falling asleep ~ fortunately I was not behind the wheel. This hot weather makes one very lethargic. We won't be making any more of these spontaneous trips until the weather cools down again...cools down a lot!

WooHoo - It's Frenchy's Chicken for a late lunch

We hadn't heard of Frenchy's Chicken until reading the obituary of its founder in the Chronicle this month. This afternoon since we were already down in that area, I suggested we pop on over and get some of this "I've got to get me some" food.



We were in the MKX, so programmed in Frenchy's Chicken on the GPS. It actually directed us right to the spot albeit telling us it was on the right when it was on the left. As we passed it by, I noticed the cars were in two lines to go through the drive-thru and lined up into the street. Hmmm, that indicated to me that this must be one darn good eating establishment. The restaurant celebrated its 40th year in 2009 asking their patrons to join them in the celebration on 3 July from 6-9PM. Judging from the number of people there at 3 in the afternoon today, the place must have been overflowing.



We didn't join in the drive-thru lines as Sneed has always had a disinclination to do so. Instead, we went inside the small ordering area and joined the stand-in lines. The lines were all quite populated, mainly by the indigenous population of that part of town. The lines were moving quite slowly - I remarked to Sneed we might be there at dinner time. After being offered a place in a line which was almost empty, we got to order. As this was our first time, we only bought a 4 piece white meat box with red beans and rice, a biscuit, and as we found out when we got home, a lightly cooked jalapeno pepper which Sneed will be suffering from for the next few days.






Here's a satisfied customer. He'll tell you it was worth the wait and to borrow an advertising phrase from another chicken establishment, it was "finger lickin' good". We definitely will return...but only in daylight. = )

Mermaid in the Pool

Aedin in the pool today and showing her mastery of jumping in the pool and swimming.

Father's Day Photos

Erika took some outstanding photos of the children for Father's Day. Proudly I say we've got a good-looking group.

Beautiful Dancers

We went to the Dance Recital back in May, but the professional photos just came in and here they are. First, Aedin in her Hip Hop outfit, then Dylin in her outfit from her Ballet/Tap number. The final photo shows Erika as well in her Jazz outfit (you should see her high over the head kicks a la the Rockettes) and Dylin in her Hip Hop outfit. Well done, ladies.

Out and About

Exploring Texas is so much fun. We are now visiting areas that we had just gone through or stopped in to take Courthouse photographs. Today we went WSW through Wallis onto Eagle Lake then NNE through Alleyton onto Cat Spring where we had lunch.

Sights along the way included these in Wallis. Two painted buildings, the second of which I thought were real windows until we got up really close.

At first I couldn't imagine what those weird-headed people were on the side of the building. All was answered when I looked up and saw that they were the Peach Family members of the Peach Family Pharmacy. Keeping your family healthy. Clever.

As we were going over the RR tracks, this bumper sticker evoked a smile. A Texas Tech grad...maybe even involved in the offshore drilling business.

House for sale near Mentz includes 5 acres and its own wildlife.


Carol's at Cat Spring had a lunch buffet. At $16.99 per person and food that was lukewarm at best and empty warming bins which took forever to be refilled, suffice it to say, we like Blessing's little old ladies' buffet at $9 much better. Rather disappointing as we had heard some good reports about the place.

Acute Hearing - Boon or Bane?

Last night after watching an exceptionally exciting comeback by the Astros in the 8th inning allowing them to even the series with the Rockies 1-1, I toddled down the stairs to rest my weary head.

When I walked in the bedroom, Sneed sleepily requested that I turn on the ceiling fan which I did. Once I put my head on the pillow, I could hear the motor of the fan. Next the tick-tock of the grandfather clock out on the landing. Then the cacophony of the insects outside the window on my side of the bed was droning in my head. I asked hubby if he heard all this, and he barely whispered "no" as he blissfully slept on.

The Pause that Refreshes

Sneed just brought me a Mocha Milkshake he had concocted. (They sell my fave Blue Bell ice cream in the ballpark but would you believe no milkshakes?) The best way to watch an Astros game...milkshake in an Astros cup. And instant replays...and the Astros ahead 3-2 in the 6th. Doesn't get much better than that when watching Astros ball.

WooHoo, the Astros hold on to win 6-3. Told ya they play better than what we saw last night. Going to Colorado for 4 games and then on to NY and the new Yankee Stadium...we'll see how they fare next week.

They say, "all good things must come to an end"....

Who are 'they' anyway and why did 'they' have to say this? The Astros 4 game winning streak came to a skidding halt tonight when the Cubbies beat up on them 8-5. A gallant effort was made in the 9th, but too little, too late. They certainly didn't look like the same team who defeated the Cubs (3-1) the night before.


Kevin Eschenfelder, Fox Sports announcer, and Jimmy Wynn, former Astro, whose bobblehead was given to the first 10,000 into the stadium. We just missed getting one and we were even early!

We entered Minute Maid park through a different entrance and saw a different part of the stadium before finding our seats. VA Tech Alums got discounted tickets for the game so we had great seats practically sitting on the field. We were only 7 rows up along the third base line.



Two of the original "Killer Bs", Bagwell and Biggio, with their career records. Being an Astros fan, I probably shouldn't say this, but I thought Biggio was never going to get that 3000th hit so he could retire.



Undoubtedly, the happiest moment in Astros history. They were the 2005 National League Champs under Skipper Phil Garner's watch. Owner Drayton McLane hasn't seen anything like it since.



Here's the lineup...pretty evenly matched (the players, not the photos). First inning, Roy O performed like the Roy O we know and love. Three up, three down. Bottom of the first, Lance Berkman singled and brought Michael Bourn in. 1-0 Astros...odds are that if we score first, we usually win. Hmm, did ya see the BA of Aramis Ramirez. A paltry .158 pretty far below the Mendoza line. (FYI, The Mendoza Line is an informal term used in baseball for the threshold of incompetent hitting, generally at .200) Don't feel bad if you didn't know the term, I didn't until my friend, Steve in Tampa, explained it to me. Anyway, that third baseman was a thorn in the Astros side. He went 3 for 4 scoring a homer in the second which tied the game. I won't bore you with the details of the game, but let's just say the Astros have played better ball than this.






< Unfortunately, that record won't hold with the season he's had so far.









> If only he could continue to play at that pace.





< A Lance Berkman Puma



























> I've never seen this Important Announcement. Evidently it was meant for the Cubs fans = )








The final tally. One of the highlights of the game was watching Lou Piniella walk on and off the field. He always looked down yet you'd think he stand up tall and be proud of his team.