Twinkle Twinkle Little Star/ Being Happy Where You Are

Twinkle twinkle....


Last night, Carlos was barking his head off over, from the sounds of it, a bear or mountain lion, but from appearances, a squirrel.  I let him out on the back deck and followed him out because, of course, my first instinct is to see if it really might be something big and dangerous.
We stood together on the deck, him staring into the woods, me trying to figure out what he was staring out. A glass of red wine in my hand, plans for dinner in my head (chicken tortilla soup) and the awareness that once the dog quit barking it was a still evening with perfect temperatures. I was overcome with the feeling of contentment. Happiness at being in my cabin in the woods, working at a job that I (mostly) enjoy, with friends within walking distance. All was right with the world.

No bears, just squirrels.

I came in to a text from friend Martha letting me know there would be a meteor shower overnight. Nothing I love better than a big celestial display. The Orionids, crumbs from Halley's Comet, would be entering our atmosphere and streaking across the sky.


Because of the bright, almost full, moon the best viewing time would be EARLY, some time between 4:00am and 6:00am. I didn't set my alarm but awoke automatically at 3:45am. Dressing in the dark (this morning I realized I had been wearing two different color Uggs) I slipped into boots, a sweater, a down jacket and grabbed some blankets. A quick check outside showed the moon was just about to dip behind the mountains, but it was still a little bright. Since tortilla soup had been my dinner, I was hungry. A bagel made in the dark, quickly eaten, constituted "first breakfast".

Back outside, the rocker and tree stump foot stool pulled out into the yard, blankets under me and over me...I settled in.
Three streaks of light flew across the sky, all within a minute of each other. They were so quick and so close together I forgot to make a wish.

I waited, in the dark, listening for Carlos to come back...of course he had run off into the night as soon as I let him out. That dog is not afraid of anything.  More streaks across the black. Wishes made.

Eventually the dog came back. The clouds were starting to gather and the flashes were less frequent. I bargained with myself...one more and then I'll go in. A couple more little streaks and the cold was starting to get to me. I waited for the best last one.

At 5:00am I came back inside. The thermometer registered 33º.  Probably saw ten to twelve shooting stars in the hour I was outside. Not a spectacular display but then I realized how many YEARS went by living in Texas, light pollution everywhere, where I did not see stars, much less stars flying across the blackened sky.

And I felt it again.
Contentment.
I  am in a wonderful place.

My night sky, on a cloud free night. 

Many thanks to those who have sparked my interest in the skies.  From the high school friend who pointed out what is still my favorite star cluster- Pleiades-to the twenty something friend who took me off to the country back in the late 70s to see the Perseids to my friend this summer who aligned the camper window (serendipitously and accidentally)  with the Milky Way so that, lying in bed, the galaxy floated above. And to Martha who has been fabulous about alerting me to sky exhibits I might have missed (such as this one!) and also for introducing me to Sky View Lite, the iPad app that identifies the constellations for me.

I marvel at what I can see and wonder just what the Native Americans and early Pioneers must have thought, being surrounded here in the West with the vast black night sky. It amazes me that I am seeing what they once saw. You can look out of your window tonight and see the same moon that I see, the same moon that our ancestors saw.  We are all connected under the same sky.

Contentment.

The Colorado sky insists on showing off. 

Daily. 

Some other sky posts here and here and here.

No. 90: Another New Restaurant

No. 90:Another New Restaurant- Bar Louie


When Bunny got home from college, she knew she needed a job. And she knew she needed to make decent money.  Off she went in search of gainful employment.

A new place had opened up in the same spot as where she used to work in Sugar Land's Town Center.  Bar Louie had replaced Lasagna House and apparently it was the hopping new spot to eat. And to work.

Bar Louie

Great outdoor seating area. 

Unless it's June in Texas.

So Bunny of course went and got herself hired. Her work experience has not been painless.  She works ridiculously long hours, has one very difficult manager and frequently ends up working the outside tables which can be lucrative and/or a waste of time. Depends on the weather. But she's making good money so she isn't complaining. (Too much.)

Anyway, like a good mommy, I had to go see what all the fuss was about.

Libby and I met for happy hour a couple of weeks ago. Happy hour is a deal. Half price martinis, wines and beers plus a good selection of half price appetizers. The food portions are plentiful and filling.

Libby ordered the bruschetta for us to share. A giant martini glass lined with toast slices and the center piled high with tomatoes, garlic and goodness was deposited on our table. We also tried a couple of martinis. My new fave is the Lemon Drop and yay! they have a yummy grand one.

Sadly, no pictures exist of this evening.

Once we had decimated the bruschetta, I ordered some buffalo wings (still on the half price menu) while Libby tried an enormous plate of chicken nachos. And maybe we each had another martini.

Good food, plenty of it and great deals from 5pm to 7pm, what's not to love?

In fact, I loved it so much, I went back the following week on a Tuesday night. Tuesday just happens to be $5.00 burger night, too.

This time I went with Martha. Again we tried some martinis. The chips/queso/salsa/guacamole appetizer started our evening. (Still half price here, guys.)   Dinner was a $5.00 hamburger that came with my favorite, tater tots. So filling I could not even contemplate finishing it.

Martha/Me: martinis in hand, burgers in belly.

This is not diet food. This is not health food. But for a fun evening with affordable prices and good solid food, Bar Louie is the place.

And if you're lucky, you'll get this really cute waitress.

Bunny

Waitress extraordinaire

No. 90: Twelve New Restaurants in 2017

No. 90: Twelve New Restaurants in 2017
Hopping over to the Fourth One!


I love that I have so many willing partners in crime when it comes to my challenges. Friend Martha is probably the most helpful because A) she is always up for a good time and a new adventure and B) she has a husband that travels so she is frequently alone and looking for company.

Last night we tried a new restaurant in the Rice Village area in Houston. A whole little row of restaurants greeted us but our destination was Hopdoddy Burger Bar.   An incredibly interesting gentleman had been in the office waiting for his buddy and we got to talking. Man, we covered the gamut of topics.  Race relations (He is black and I am not) and the price of slaves in the 1800s, the risk management part of casinos, horse racing, and good restaurants. He had heard great things about Hopdoddy's so I figured it was a good one for the list. Also it's a restaurant that originated in Austin, so that gives it a pretty good pedigree.

Doesn't it looks like fun?

Hmmm. Appears I might be tilting a bit upon our departure.

Even though I'm a huge fan of sitting outside, it was sprinkling a bit so we opted for an indoor table. The set up was one of those "stand in line, they assign you a table while you are waiting, order, and then the food comes out by waiter" arrangements.

It was hard to choose. Every single hamburger looked beyond yummy. They cheerfully make substitutions. Thankfully. 

I ended up with a Thunderbird which was supposed to have grilled chicken but I was jones-ing for a burger.  So they substituted.

Doesn't that look delicious? 

It was. 

 Martha had the Magic Shroom burger. We also shared some of the best french fries con chili con queso.   They were the closest I've had here to my favorite fries from the Fritz in Salida. 

And we both had margaritas.  

Big and Little Larrys. 

Or as my girls would call them "the mama and the baby" margaritas.

For some reason they call the margarita with Grand Marnier "Little Larry". Or off the menu but also available, the "Big Larry". 

See? 

It was an enticing cocktail list but we went with the basics.

Fortunately Martha had the Little Larry as she was driving.  They were sufficiently potent, especially considering the waitstaff had already passed out samples of the classic margaritas while we waited in line. Talk about keeping the customers happy while they wait!

A great evening out, a yummy meal and home at a reasonable hour. I even brought the Big Guy a hamburger since I am leaving him to take care of all the animals this weekend while I head to San Antonio. Figure I better butter him up a bit.

And this weekend is Fiesta in San Antonio. I am super super excited. Lots of fun activities in the few days I will be there. Follow me on Instagram @ininnbee to see pics as they happen!

Springing forward...

Spring has Sprung....


It's Spring. Certainly it is in Texas. And we are hurtling towards Summer. The heat will be here before we know it and how will I manage? Haven't spent a full summer in Texas in a few years. Not sure I will be able to do it.

Anyway. Spring.


Three ways I know it is Spring for sure- at least in these parts- are bluebonnets, the rodeo and allergies.


I know the bluebonnets are in bloom by the adorable photos my nieces post on Facebook of their children plopped in a field of snakes bugs mice flowers.  Also we have a few little patches of blue flowers in our neighborhood.  I never got pics of my kids sitting amongst the bluebonnets (an act that surely brands me as a failed Texas mother) but I have gotten the dogs.
So.
Proof that it is spring in Texas: My child in a field (patch) of bluebonnets.

 Carlos could not understand why I wanted him to sit and stay. 

So grateful to the neighbors for keeping their little bluebonnet patches. 

And here is the last dog, the amazing Jake, also posing in a field (patch) of blue.  Can't even tell he only has three legs at this point.

 Look at that sweet face. 

He had survived bone cancer and his leg being amputated 

by about 8 months at this point. Four months later he was gone. 

Good dog, Jake. 

Aren't they cute?

My allergies are also blooming. Ugh. Every Spring. And Fall.
In spite of 4 years of allergy shots, my sinuses still notice the change of seasons.
I am medicating myself daily with at least one of the available disagreeable options.
Nasacort, which clears up my sinuses and doesn't put me to sleep, apparently causes glaucoma.
Benadryl and Claritin-D both work wonderfully, but it seems they are going to give me dementia.

Talk about the lesser of two (three) evils.
Do I not breathe, not see or not think?
I'm going to have to go with my girls' attitude on this. By the time I develop whatever symptoms I end up developing, hopefully science will have a cure.
(I used to get this rationale from those girls every time I insisted on sunscreen. I gave up threatening cancer and instead threatened spotted skin like their sunbathing mother and now both of them are regular and diligent sunscreen users. It pays to know your children's weaknesses.)

And the last true sign Spring has sprung in Texas is rodeo.  Every March for almost 3 weeks, the city of Houston does rodeo. And they do it big time. Or is that bigly?

This was an amazing display.  

Starting with one grandma horse, all of her daughters and their daughters came out one by one

and ran through the arena. 

All bred to be bucking horses. 

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo is one of the largest live entertainment and livestock exhibitions in the United States. The musical entertainment runs from rock, Tejano to country. There's mutton busting and bull riding and wagon races. Carnival rides outside have all the wonderful fried foods you could imagine. There's a Wine Garden for the adults and plenty of clubs with live music to entertain the volunteers. 

The beginning of an evening at the Wine Garden. 

Martha and I ran into Allison and her friends. 

And there are TONS of volunteers.  Thirty three thousand volunteers.  One of the benefits of volunteering for the rodeo is that you get to go to any and every show (that you aren't working) for free and bring a friend along. Friend Martha is a volunteer. She has been for 14 years. And this year I benefited from her volunteering not once but twice!  She loves to go to all the shows but her sweet husband travels a lot so she needs company. I am always (almost always) a willing date. 

The wine bottles are adding up and we've added another friend.

Thanks to Martha I saw Chris Stapleton one night and Chris Young another.  We ran into my high school friend Allison and her friends at the Chris Young concert and both nights saw many of her volunteering partners and friends.   

Several bottles in and the nice man at the next table offered to take our pic. 

He also volunteered to photo bomb.

We were all quite happy at this point!

Martha even got me out on the dance floor trying to teach me a line dance before we both realized that was a mistake. I have many talents. Dancing is not one of them. 

Chris Stapleton. An amazing concert. 

He seemed like such a shy performer but his music was beyond...

And Chris Young. 

Sadly the acoustics were off at this performance, but it

was still an amazing night of fun and music.

So YAY for Spring. The rodeo is over. The bluebonnets are almost done. And the allergies? They are probably here to stay. 
Sigh. 

No. 92: Visit the Buffalo Bayou Park Cistern +

No. 92: Visit the Buffalo Bayou  Park Cistern plus
A New Restaurant for 2017 (No. 90)


Visiting a decommissioned underwater cistern doesn't really sound like something to look forward to,  but ever since I first read about it a year or so ago, it has been on my list. And that was before it was even open to the public.

The drinking water reservoir was originally built in 1926 to hold water for the City of Houston. Eventually it sprang a leak and was decommissioned in 2007, then slated for demolition.  The Buffalo Bayou Partnership, which has developed the park running along Buffalo Bayou,  realized the significance of the old cistern and stepped in to save it.

Opening to the public in May of 2016, the cistern is accessed through a tunnel and toured by walking the 1/4 mile path built around the interior of the reservoir. There are two skylights which allow light to enter for regular viewing. (This visit the skylights were covered because of an art installation.) Inside the 87,500 square foot space there are 221 evenly spaced 25 foot tall columns that rest in about 6" of water. The little bit of water is left in the reservoir to help protect the concrete structure and it also allows the columns to reflect, making them seem to project into infinity. 

Entering the ramp to the space, the temperature drops a bit and there is that lovely dank smell of water.  The lights go off completely for about 30 seconds to allow your eyes to adjust to the dark.  The longer you are in the space, the more acclimated your eyes get.   

Upon entry, they give you a minute to let your eyes adjust to the dark.

In partnership with the Houston Museum of Fine Art the cistern is currently exhibiting an audio visual feast, Rain by Magdalena Fernández.  The almost two minute light show is accompanied by the sounds of a thunderstorm. Bars of light are projected onto the columns, building with the storm until there is simultaneous flash of light and thunder . A Slovenian a cappella group created the thunderstorm sounds by snapping fingers, stomping their heels, and slapping their hands against their legs. The damp earthy smell of the cistern adds to the effect of a summer storm. The show repeated as the tour guide walked us around the structure, occasionally stopping so we could take pictures without bumping into each other in the dark.  As we travelled around the perimeter, I was able to see more of the light show as my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the space. 

The beginning of the exhibition, lights slowly coming up.

And it was amazing. I was silently clapping with each crash of thunder. So worth the trip.  
I can't wait to go back when the exhibit is gone so I can experience the cistern on its own. I'm sure it will be just as fascinating, albeit a bit quieter. 

Thunder and lightning!

O my!

After the tour, it was lunch time. The Kitchen at the Dunlavy had been recommended for lunch and it did not disappoint. 

There was a little wait- 

here we are outside in line!

Also in the Buffalo Bayou Park but a bit of a distance from the cistern, we drove rather than taking one of the many trails. Martha was once again my companion for this adventure because she is always game to try something new, bless her heart. I had the most scrumptious turkey and brie sandwich while Martha tried the chicken BLT. (We both agreed my sandwich was the better value and flavor. Her's was a little sparse.)   

Is this not just the perfect decór? 

Warehouse meets 40s glamour. 

And look at those happy diners!

Tummies full, we walked down to the Waugh Street bridge from the restaurant to listen to the bats twitter.  The path goes under the bridge and you can hear the bat colony rustling around, making sweet little sounds.  I need to go back at dusk to watch them all fly out in search of dinner. Maybe that needs to be added to the list? 

All in all it was a fabulous way to spend a Saturday. The cistern is a quick visit but it does not disappoint and the entire Buffalo Bayou Park is a jewel. Definitely I will go back. Maybe rent bicycles next time? Watch the bats? Who knows? 

Cistern and restaurant visited. Yay. 


(And thanks to Martha for the last three pics. My iPhone was declaring "no more room". Sigh)

New Buds

New Buds....


Houston had a little party over the weekend. You may have heard about it. LOTS of people were in town and there were plenty of events and activities that came along with this party.

Last Wednesday, accompanied by friend Martha, I dropped in on some of my favorite visitors, the Budweiser Clydesdales.

Martha, Me, Rocco

These big boys were stationed at the Anheuser-Busch/Budweiser Brewery last week so we killed two three birds with one stone by chatting up the Clydesdales, touring the brewery and tasting some beers all in one afternoon.


First we met Rocco. He was the biggest of the two horses on show at 19 hands. (Your bit of horse info for the day: one hand is equivalent to four inches.) Extremely patient, he stood quietly while person after person snapped a pic or two and patted him. These horses are bomb proof. Also, they are spoiled beyond belief.

Rocco

Next up was Jack.  Jack was a little bit smaller at 18 hands. He was also a bit more personable, possibly because his line was shorter and he had not been as slammed with people as Rocco had. They were both so soft and sweet and it just made me realize how much I miss that wonderful horse and leather smell. Someone should bottle that scent. I know women who would pay to have the smell of horse, leather and grass around them 24/7. (Me!)

 My mother always said 

"You shouldn't kiss the cat." 

I imagine she would also say 

"You shouldn't kiss the horse."

Except I did.

I'm pretty happy here.

Love them horsies.

Notice I'm on my tippy toes.

The Clydesdales are draft horses, bred to pull wagons. They first made their appearance with Budweiser in 1933 when Augustus and Adolphus Busch gave a hitched set to their father to celebrate the repeal of prohibition. (And here's my post on that subject.) Now there are three teams of Clydesdales in the US and they travel around as representatives of the Anheuser-Busch Brewery. While there are ten horses on a team, only eight are hitched at one time. The other two are back ups, rotated in so that everyone gets a break.   These horses are NEVER ridden. It's against company policy because of insurance reasons.  (I really, really wanted to get up on one though. My sweet horse Picasso was big at 16.2 hands but these guys... well, you would be sitting pretty high up in the air.) The largest two horses are at the back of the team, doing most of the heavy pulling while the smaller ones are up front. The four horses in the middle are trained to rotate up or back as needed.

Clyde, the Dalmatian, was up next but he wasn't being as cooperative. He was in his truck but not too keen on coming out. He did sneak up for a few pats but I couldn't get my picture with him.

Well, Martha did get a snap of my bracelets and Clyde!

Isn't he handsome?

After we had our fill of Clydesdales, we moseyed over to the actual brewery and decided to take a tour. I love seeing how things are made. Even more fun, we got to taste beer straight out of the tank, unpasteurized.  (Another fun fact: canned and bottled beer is pasteurized while keg beer is not.)

Imagine how much beer is in here!

Our tour guide taps the tank for a taste of really fresh beer. 

Martha and I raising our cups for the first time of the day. 

Then we headed into the tasting room to sample the beer. I mean, that's practically a requirement, isn't it?    Our favorites? Oculto, which is aged with tequila barrel staves and infused with blue agave and Montejo, an authentic Mexican lager.  

Love that bottle art.

The Oculto, with its 6% alcohol content, was a winner just for its bottle art but it also had a citrusy flavor that almost made it a beer cooler. This would be a good summer beer.  
The Montejo- well, I just love a good Mexican beer.  Can't help it.   It was also light with an alcohol content of only 4.5%.  I'm a lightweight so I appreciate a lighter beer with flavor.

Still sampling. 

And still upright. 

A good sign.

As we toddled out to the car, guess who we ran into again?  Clyde! And this time he posed with us.
Budweiser has lots of Dalmatians and no, all of them are not named Clyde. There are some Buds, too.

Clyde begrudgingly posed with the two of us. 

It was a great morning and I enjoyed the horses so much I went back to the brewery on Saturday just so I could see the whole team hitched up.   What a fabulous advertising tool the Anheuser-Busch company has in these gentle giants.

The whole crew, including Clyde on the wagon.

This team is from St. Louis.

These silly boys were shaking their heads like crazy.

 Each leather and brass harness weighs about 130 pounds. 

A great way to spend the day: hugging on animals and drinking beer.


Another fun fact: Martha LOVES to help me with my challenges and is always up for a spontaneous trip ANYWHERE but guess what? She has NEVER read my blog. Ever. I've told her she has been featured many times, but nope...she has never read it. Maybe this time.....

If you want to read about more adventures with Martha click  here and here and here and here.

No: 63 and No. 89: MyOhMy

No. 63: The Twelfth New Restaurant of the Year and ...
No. 89: MyOhMy  (You'll just have to read on to get THAT explanation)

Last week, in celebration of my turning older than dirt, sweet friend Martha took me out for an evening of..... fun.

Martha seems to love helping with my challenges. This time she came up with something not even on the list, not even thought of to be on the list, not even in my thoughts at all, except once she suggested it I was all in. I mean, how could I not be?

For my birthday we went to dinner.

Then we went to a show.

Dinner was in downtown Houston at MKT Bar.  In the same building as Phoenicia Specialty Foods, a cool international food market, the restaurant offers free parking and some great specials. We happened to be there on steak Thursday and since we were in a time crunch, we both went for the special.  $12.99 got us a melt-in-your-mouth rib eye, twice baked potato, a salad and some yummy yummy little onion ring something-or-others.  The crowd was lively ( we shared a table with a Christmas party group that was having all kinds of fun) and about thirty years younger than us.

The sign over our table. 

That's the best I did for pics in the restaurant.

Take my word for it, it was fun. 

And why were we in a time crunch? 

Because of the show.  MyOhMy. 

That's the show name.  At Warehouse Live, also in downtown Houston, MyOhMy is billed as "not the same ol' drag...show". So yes, we saw men dressed as women. Lip syncing and dancing. Dressed to the nines. 

Another couple, friends of Martha's, joined us and we had VIP seating right in front of the stage. Up close and personal.

Me, Martha, Barry and Victor. 

I did not get the message that the dress code was "leather".

Silly me, I wore velvet.

There were three performers: Candy Cane, Fantasha and London Something....can't remember. 

Fantasha did Tina Turner to perfection, right down to the shimmy. Candy Cane channeled Beyonce and Selena. London emulated Diana Ross? Again, after a while, all of them ran together.   They were all great but too many diva performers were covered for me to keep them all straight. I just sat back and enjoyed. 

Candy Cane. 

"She" was absolutely gorgeous.

Fantasha doing Tina Turner.

Flawlessly.

London as Diana Ross

Towards the end of the show, they decided to give out door prizes. Martha graciously volunteered me for pulling names out of the hat.  So up on the stage I went, readers in hand, standing next to the show organizer and Miss Candy Cane. Let me tell you, up close she was amazing. Not a hair on her body. Beautiful skin. Some excellent plastic surgery. Gender bending at its finest.  Standing next to her (him?) it really brought home how fluid gender can be. 

I think I'm the only female in this photo. 

The performers danced/sang/shimmied and wiggled amongst the audience through the entire show, accepting tips as they sang. Apparently that is how they make most of their money, not from ticket sales, but from tips. A hard way to earn your keep considering the amount of wigs, dresses and heels they wear in one show. Add in the surgeries and electrolysis these performers have been through and they must need a lot of dollar bills to make an evening profitable.  

After the closing act, we managed to snag a few pics with the individual performers. 

Taking their bows 

Martha, Fantasia, Me

I had on heels, Martha was in flats.We look like dwarfs. 

These are big (wo)men in high high heels. 

Here we are with London.

Again, dwarfed. 

The night was a blast. Definitely something I had never been to before. 

A gazillion thanks to Martha for coming up with the idea and treating me for the night. 

Got my twelfth (and final) restaurant for the year in and I definitely added"drag show" to the list just so I could cross it out. No. 89, also done.