I have Snowbirds in my House!

Holly’s Uncle George and Aunt Loann came to visit us in Houston this week! Escaping the snow and ice of South Dakota and made their way to Houston and arrived on Tuesday. I picked them up at the airport and brought them back to our house with a brief little tour of our neighborhood (the Heights) along the way. Later that night the weather was excellent, so we went downtown and had dinner at dinner on the balcony of The Aquarium. I was hesitant to go there at first because last time I ate there the food wasn’t so great. Maybe the chef was just having bad day or something. This time around it was very good. Holly and I shared a plate of shrimp wrapped in bacon. That ain’t natural! But it is delicious. Overall, the Aquarium is pretty nifty place to visit, although the food is a bit pricey.

The next day (Wednesday) I hauled George and Loann around with me as I ran some errands. After taking Ivy to her caretaker, we had breakfast at a little Guatemalan restaurant called “Chilosos”. Then we headed over to Canino’s Farmers Market (which is listed on VisitHoustonTexas.com as a place to check out) and bought some fruits, plus I learned how to ask for grapes without seeds (uvas sin semillas). In this market the food is fresh from Mexico everyday, plus the owners of the stands generally speak no English. So it is kind of little mini-trip to Mexico. I just like the vibe of the place. I feel more healthy just buying something there.

Later, about 1 pm, Jane made her way down to our house and we piled into Jane’s vehicle for some touring of Houston. First stop was Glendwood Cemetary for some gawking at graves of famous dead people (such as Howard Hughes) and lots of really cool tombstones.

… then later on to Sam Houston Park for the Heritage Society Tour. I’ve been threatening to do this tour ever since I moved here 4 years ago, but just never quite found the time or perfect moment to go… until today! All 4 of us got to do something we had never done before. Well, actually, Jane had taken the tour many years ago, but there were lots of new additions, so it was kind of new and fresh for her too. It is kind of cool being able to take a peek back into the lives of people who lived her 100 years ago or more. How they survived without air conditioning is beyond me.

On Thursday morning we had an hour or so to kill before they were heading off to Galveston for their cruise. So I took them to the observation deck of Chase Tower. I think it is the 60th floor or something like that. It’s not even all the way to the top of the building, but you still get a great view of the city and can see over to the Galleria and to Reliant Stadium and beyond. We can even see our house from up there. 🙂

At 12:00 pm on Thursday, they kicked me to the curb and off they went to Galveston. Have a good time on the cruise! See you Monday!