A Taste of Texas

Jake and I arrived in Houston last week to typical hot and humid summertime weather. We continually whine about the southern heat, but enjoy swimming in our pool, which boasts lovely 86 degree water. Even though that may seem too warm for some people, it is the perfect pool temperature, in my opinion. It is, after all, almost 20 degrees below the air temp, and I actually feel chilly when the 105 degree breeze hits me as I emerge from the water. The relentless heat does wear thin after a while, though, and both Jacob and I usually look forward to getting back up north to cooler weather after spending an extended period of time in Texas. But - whoa - now the temperatures in Michigan have also been at the century mark and above. What is going on with this heatwave? We do plan to head to the U.P. around the 4th of July, so hopefully we will find a reprieve from 90 and 100 degree temperatures up there.

Texas in the shade - temperatures that only Norm could appreciate.

I'm Sirius

After searching for a new SUV for a few months, Jim and I finally decided to purchase a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It has tons of room and I was delighted to find that it got over 25 miles to the gallon on my recent drive from Michigan to Texas. Even though we didn't buy the fancy-schmancy model, our version has many awesome standard features that typically cost extra in other vehicles. Besides things like 4-wheel-drive and rear seat air/heat vents, our Jeep came with free Sirius satellite radio for a year. I must admit that not only was I underwhelmed when our sales guy informed us about this service, I also did not really know what it entailed. When Jake and I were cruising through the boonies of Kentucky the other day, we were annoyed that we couldn't find a radio station without static. I clicked on the Sirius button and things have not been the same since then.  I scanned through many of the available channels - including music from the 40s, 50s, 60s, every kind of rock or talk, weather, traffic, show tunes, country, etc. - and became "siriusly" transfixed. I fell in love with the songs from the 70s station and reminisced for hours while listening to familiar tune after tune after tune. I hadn't heard "Chick a Boom" for decades! I am now a sucker for Sirius and only time will tell if this is just a phase I am going through or if I am hopelessly hooked on satellite radio.

Plumbing 101

I was sitting at Jacob's computer the other night and began to smell a disgusting sewer stench permeating the air. I walked into the adjacent bathroom, but could not pinpoint exactly where the odor was coming from. Retreating back to the computer, I hoped that the smell would just go away. Unfortunately, it only became worse. I sniffed around the bathroom again and discovered that the offensive odor was coming from the bathtub drain. This seemed odd to me because we never even use that particular tub - everyone at the condo always uses the shower in the master bathroom. I assumed that I would have to call a plumber in the morning to assess the issue. Puzzled and annoyed, I went to the internet and looked up "sewer smells coming from bathtubs." It surprised me to find numerous articles all recommending the same quick fix to my stinky dilemma. The solution? Simply run a quart of water into the drain. Apparently, the curvy pipe underneath sinks and tubs actually has a purpose. After you use water, some of it stays in the curvy part, thus forming a seal that keeps sewer gases and crawling vermin from coming up through the pipe. When a fixture goes unused for a month or more, the water seal evaporates, allowing a gross stench to enter your room. They say that this phenomenon is most common in guest bathrooms and other seldom-used areas.

I couldn't really believe that the solution to this mess would be as easy as a quart of water, but I decided to give it a try. I overcompensated and ran a few gallons of H2O down the drain. Thirty minutes later, the odor was indeed dissipating. After an hour had gone by, any remaining sewer-y smells had pretty much disappeared. When two hours had passed, the bathroom was fresh and clean with no remaining hint of the putrid problem. (Okay, it wasn't really fresh and clean because it is, after all, the bathroom that a 15-year-old boy uses.) I went to sleep that night patting myself on the back for a job well done. Now I just have to remember to run water in the tub - and every other unused drain - every month or so to avoid a repeat of the matter.

Angry Birds

When Jake and I were getting ready for school early one morning, we noticed a plethora of geese outside the condo window. The critters occasionally wander around our little court area, but typically they stay in the pond across the street. I am not fond of them, mostly because they peck around in the neighborhood flowers and leave behind icky goose droppings. When Jake and I went outside to leave for school, I told him to stomp his feet to shoo the feathered fiends away, assuring him that they would just scamper off. On this particular day, the adults were obviously teaching the youngsters how to be intimidating & annoying because as soon as we stepped onto the driveway, the geese all ran towards us. Fast. Jake and I freaked out and jumped into the CRV with dozens of the birds uncomfortably close behind. The flock moved aside as we backed into the street, but I was concerned that they would still be mingling when I returned home after dropping Jake off. It was garbage day and I had no intention of tangling with the varmints while I hauled my trash to the curb. Thankfully, they were gone when I got back, and I brought my bags & recycling out without being attacked. They did leave eleven piles of poop in our driveway, which I cleaned up and deposited into a trash bag. So gross. I have been wondering ever since that day why we need geese in the world. They brought down Sully's airplane, for goodness sake. Decades ago, Canadian geese were near extinction, but they made an incredible comeback due to conservation programs. Experts today admit that efforts to save the huge birds have been too successful and the results are not good. I don't have any answers to this dilemma. I only know that I don't really like geese.

Twenty-seven or so trouble-makers were on the prowl at 6:00 a.m. (That is our neighbor's trash. I hadn't put ours out yet.)

Holiday Weekend

On Saturday morning, Jim, Jacob, Nancy, Norm, Irma, Richie, and I hopped into a couple of vehicles and headed up to the farm in Kaleva. Since the farmhouse is no longer inhabitable, we checked into connecting rooms at a nearby, small-town motel. We have stayed at this particular place many times in the past, and, while the units are generously sized and the owners are very friendly, it also leaves a bit to be desired. Nancy, Norm, and Irma's room had a malfunctioning doorknob, and when they tried to open it to get out, the handle would just spin around in circles. If not for the door to our connecting room, the three of them would have been trapped inside. We gave them a key for our door, and kept the deadbolt unlocked so they could come and go as needed. During a thunderstorm early Sunday morning, a gust of wind blew our door completely open and wind & rain whooshed into our motel room. As the deluge continued, Jim, Jacob, and Richie all glanced up from their slumber and went right back to sleep. I had to clamor out of bed, push the door shut against the 40 mph breeze, then attempt to secure it well enough so it would stay closed. Fortunately, none of us are high-maintenance travelers, so between the door issues, dirty carpeting, and some visiting ants & crickets, we found things at the motel to be comical rather than annoying.

We did have a great weekend, despite some bouts of rain each day. (And despite having orange juice spilled all over me by our young "waitress" at breakfast on Sunday!) The guys dodged the showers and golfed both Saturday and Sunday. We met up with some cousins several different times at various restaurants, decorated graves at the cemetery, had a barbecue with relatives, and hit up the local casino. We went to a Memorial Day program at the VFW hall on Monday, where the current members display flags honoring their deceased veterans. My dad's flag from his funeral flies there each year. We were then concerned that we would encounter heavy traffic on our drive south yesterday afternoon, but were pleasantly surprised to cruise straight on home with no problems. It was a fun weekend, and was nice to visit Kaleva again after not being there for a couple of years.

Better Late than Never

Jake and I managed to get a few pictures when our CRV odometer turned from 99,999 miles over to 100,000 last week. We pulled onto a side street and snapped some exciting photos. It was around that time when Jacob noticed that the oil change reminder sticker on our windshield stated that our previous service visit had been at 93,500 miles. I couldn't believe that we had possibly gone that long without bringing the poor CRV in for an oil change. Was I really that careless? Jim checked his "vehicle maintenance spreadsheet," and advised me that - sure enough - over 6,000 miles had elapsed since our last trip to the service center. Oops. It is a good thing that the 100,000 hullabaloo brought our attention to the mileage. The CRV is happily sporting new oil and rotated tires as of yesterday afternoon.

Almost there!

There!

Segway Spin

Recently, Steve discovered a business near his house that rents Segways. He invited Jacob to try out the personal transportation gizmos with him, and Jacob was very eager to give it a whirl. They made reservations for an hour-long tour this afternoon. Both Jake and Steve got the hang of riding the Segways rather quickly and soon they were zipping around the practice area like skilled professionals. Their guide said that they did such a good job that he was even able to bring them on some advanced trails. The two had a great time and now highly recommend the Segway as a fun & entertaining way to get from one place to another.

Jake and Steve on their Segways.

100,000

Jim, Jacob, and I have begun looking for a new car - well, actually a small SUV. We visited numerous dealerships this weekend in an attempt to narrow down our choices. Our stops so far have included the showrooms of Honda, Jeep, Mitsubishi, Dodge, Kia, Ford, Subaru, and Hyundai. We always get a good chuckle from car salesmen, and this shopping trip was no exception. We came across two sales people - both women - who, despite saying that they had many years of experience, didn't know some fairly basic facts about their particular brands. The funniest guy we encountered, however, was at a Honda dealer. He asked us tons of questions, even though we explained that we were just beginning our search and simply wanted to check out the sizes & colors of CRVs. We started to walk outside to the lot, and, in an attempt to make us stop, he told us to just sit back and "circle some of your favorite colors" in the brochure until he returned with some keys. Jim, Jacob, and I looked at each other and burst out laughing. I don't think any of us have been asked to circle our favorite colors since first grade.

Soon our 2006 CRV will hit 100,000 miles, which is one of the reasons that we are shopping for something new. During our drive from Michigan to Texas in January, Adam, Jacob, and I traveled in Adam's Jeep Liberty. We knew "Libby" the Jeep would hit 100,000 miles sometime on our journey, and vowed to pay attention so we wouldn't miss the milestone. Adam wondered exactly what we should do to mark the achievement, and I suggested that we take a picture of the odometer. Sarcastically, I added that maybe we could also pull over to the side of the road, get out of the vehicle, jump up and down, and shout woo-hoo. The first time we passed a car broken down on the side of the freeway, Jacob quipped, "They must be celebrating 100,000." I found the "celebrating 100,000" line absolutely hilarious and each time we passed a vehicle pulled off the roadway, I kept the joke going. Much to the chagrin of Adam and Jacob, I repeated it over and over again - all the way to Texas. By the way, we missed seeing "Libby" turn 100K by two miles, so we have no pictures of the event. Hopefully, I will get a shot of the CRV odometer when it reaches 100,000!

What's in a Name?

When Jim's job was transferred to Houston, his company required him to establish a legal residence there. That included getting a new driver's license and registering his car in the state of Texas. He complained endlessly about the horrible lines he encountered at the Department of Public Safety office when he first went to get his license two years ago. In Michigan, everyone grumbles about long waits at the Secretary of State office, but seldom have I actually been there more than 30 minutes. Jim said at the Texas DPS, the lines were out the door and it took him almost two hours to reach the counter. To make matters worse, once he made it to the front of the line he didn't have all of the proper identification he needed so he had to make a second trip back to the over-crowded and under-staffed DPS. He did have his passport with him the first time, but the workers insisted on seeing his birth certificate, which is odd because in order to obtain a passport you need to present your birth certificate. Anyway, after two attempts and four hours of waiting time, Jim received his Texas driver's license and new plates for the car.

Fast forward to six months after the DPS debacle. Jim was at a blood drive at work making a donation. When it was his turn to head to the table, the nurse called out, "Anthony." No response. Again, "Anthony." Jim realized she was speaking to him and told her that his first name was James and his middle name was Anthony. The nurse said that, nope, his driver's license had his name listed as Anthony James. When Jim double checked, sure enough it was backwards. I have to admit that even I had peeked at his Texas license and didn't notice the error. Jim didn't think too much about it and, though I urged him to get it fixed, he had no desire to stand in line at the DPS again. Luckily, he had his passport to use every time he flew somewhere. Whenever he needed to show his driver's license, however, he was Anthony. It apparently posed no problems when Jim was selected for jury duty in Houston. At the casinos in Vegas, his player's club cards were printed out with the name Anthony. I even started calling him Tony. When we attended the "Price is Right Live" show, his name tag was written as Anthony. Time and time again, he was referred to by his middle name. Finally yesterday, Jim - aka Anthony - returned to the DPS and waited the seemingly-requisite two hours to have his name corrected on his license. I'm sure it was a fun ride having an alias, but today he is back to being James Anthony.

Jetway Jinx

On our recent flight from Detroit to Las Vegas, Jacob and I had to change planes in Houston. During our layover at IAH, Jim planned to meet up with us and join us on the Houston to Vegas leg of our journey. We were scheduled to leave Detroit at 5:30 p.m., but our departure was delayed when the maintenance crew had to board our aircraft to "fix a seat." Luckily, the workers were pretty speedy and we took off at 6:00 p.m. I was a bit concerned about making our connection in Houston, though, because we only had 40 minutes between flights. When the captain announced the flying time between Michigan and Texas, I did the math and figured that we would have about 22 minutes to deplane and run to our next gate after landing. I was relieved when we finally arrived in Houston and I assured myself that we would be able to make it to our Vegas flight without any trouble. Jacob and I jumped up as soon as our plane was parked at gate C21 and patiently waited for the throngs of other passengers to get the heck out of our way. We waited. And waited. The aircraft aisle was clogged with people, but nobody was moving. After 5 minutes, an announcement was made that the jetway was broken and the maintenance crew was on its way to take a look. We had made it to Houston with minutes to spare, only to be foiled by a jetway. We were stuck on the plane; so close and yet so far away. Long story short - the jetway was eventually fixed and we made it to the Vegas flight as it was in the final boarding process. Jim was waiting for us there, unaware of our quandary and the mad dash that we had to make through the humid halls of IAH's United concourse.

Following our return flight from Las Vegas to Houston, we pulled up to gate E8 to deplane. Lots of folks were catching connecting flights, but we were staying in Texas for a few days so we were in no rush to get off. Everyone hopped up and waited for the door to open. They waited. And waited. The aircraft aisle was clogged with people, but nobody was moving. In a wacky coincidence, an announcement was made that the jetway was broken and the maintenance crew was on its way to take a look. Of the hundreds of flights I had taken prior to these, I had never before come across a damaged jetway. I don't know what that says about United's jetways at Houston Intercontinental, but I found it slightly strange to encounter two broken ones at the same airport within days of each other.

Drought Results

The 2011 drought in the south was pretty devastating for farmers and ranchers throughout the Lone Star state. The final tally of agricultural loses in Texas alone amounted to around 10 billion dollars. It was really sad to see completely dried-up fields while driving through the state last year and to hear stories of livestock dying of dehydration right out in their pastures. With over 300 miles of Gulf coastline, I would think that the state would look more into seawater desalination. I don't claim to know a lot about the subject, but I do know that Texans are not eager to build desalination plants because they are quite costly - about 1 billion dollars each. Perhaps some young whipper-snapper college students will figure out how to lower the price of desalinating seawater so future droughts won't have such tragic results.

The lakes and rivers around our house in Houston are beginning to refill since there has been a normal amount of rain this spring. Last year's drought took a heavy toll on the trees and plants in our area, though. Many large, mature trees paid the ultimate price and had to be cut down. This is especially evident along our community's "Greenbelt" walking/biking trails. While strolling down the paths this week, I was dismayed to see that about one third of the trees have been chopped down. In addition, almost all of the beautiful fan palms that adorned the trails have turned brown and/or shriveled up. Hopefully this summer will bring average rainfall so we don't lose any more trees. Besides looking nice, the foliage provides much needed shade when the temperatures reach 100 degrees around here.

I was shocked to see how many trees were actually affected by the drought.

The poor Greenbelt trails look almost barren this year.