The weather is hot! As I write we’re experiencing 35ºC on a regular basis, sometimes up as far as 40º which is over 100º in old money.
So what do we do on the weekend when it is too hot to venture out for long walks, or even relax in our minuscule garden?
We’ve been taking full advantage of being in the US and going away for long weekends, as well as exploring what Houston has to offer. Here are 6 things to do on a weekend in Houston.
Get away and see a legendary rock band
When we first realised the Rolling Stones were playing a select US tour – called the Zip Code tour – we were disappointed that they were not taking in Houston. Annoyingly they were going to Dallas, on a weekend that Maurice was in Nigeria. So impulsively, we bought tickets for Kansas City. We thought that was the next nearest location. It was, kind of, but still a 15 hour drive away, so we flew. Flights out of Houston are relatively inexpensive, by UK standards at least, and certainly by Aberdeen standards. We found Kansas City to be unexpectedly pleasant, an interesting and attractive city, totally different from Houston. We visited the WWI Museum and were moved by the displays and short movies on show. I also popped in to the Hallmark visitor center and was quite amazed at how this company had grown from its modest beginnings in Kansas City. It has had quite an impact world wide. Did you know that the UK send more cards per head of population than any other country, even the US?
The concert itself had the added bonus of Ed Sheeran supporting the Stones which made for a great gig, and the people we met and the city made us feel very welcome. The Stones were completely wonderful. I can’t believe how pipe-cleaner bendy and fit Mick Jagger still is. I’ve never seen them before, and it was one of the best. Not sure that they will have many more years of gigging like this left, but hey, BB King managed well into his 80s. So who knows.
Experience the 4th of July
Independence day. Independence from us lot that is. I cycled over to the Miller box office in Hermann Park for the free tickets to see the concert and fireworks in the park that evening. The queue was the longest I’d seen and a queue ‘monitor’ advised us it was unlikely we’d get tickets as we were so far back. Some left at that point, I opted to stay. A scorching two hours of pleasant chat with fellow queue members resulted in the tickets all gone about 20 people ahead of us. Grrrr. I was very close. Anyway, we still came down to the park with our seats and our cool bag full of beer to sit on the hill at the back. But the place was absolutely mobbed. We ended up pretty far away really, could hardly hear the music, a faint stirring every so often, perhaps. We knew the national anthem was played, everyone stood up, many with hands on hearts. But the fireworks were spectacular and we had a great view from our little pitch in the middle of the crowd. I was struck by the diversity in the park, people from all over the world celebrating the US Independence Day with probably not much idea of the history. A great night.
Visit the San Jacinto Monument
A humungous obelisk like construction rises from the estuary, near where the battle of San Jacinto allegedly took place. This is an interesting sight to see and has a view of the surrounding very flat area from the top. There is a US battleship moored nearby which is now a museum. The area is estuarine and full of interesting bird life too – you could while away the time happily bird watching here, if it were not so hot.
Get away to the beach
We decided on a long weekend in Corpus Christi very impulsively and drove the 3 and a half hours or so to get there quite easily. First stop was the beach at Padre Island, 60 miles of powder white sand and although it was hot, at least the sea breeze and the sea itself kept you cool. It is reputed to be the longest stretch of barrier island in the world! Lots of pelicans flew overhead and the occasional sand piper too. Further up the beach, you can drive right on to it and just park up. We saw RVs, massive trucks with 4 wheel drive and all manner of tents, gazebos and other shelters all lined up, barbecues fired and small crowds of families gathered for the day.
Maurice had been to Corpus Christi as a young seaman back when he was 21. So he was re-visiting his lost youth. He couldn’t really remember much about it however, being as back then he was a 21 year old, most was seen through the bottom of a beer glass. But he did remember the Seaman’s Mission, or International Seamen’s Center as it is now known. So we popped along there on the Saturday night for a trip down memory lane and a few beers. We passed the time there in pleasant company until it closed. It was like another era, exactly as it had been 30 odd years ago, the place is a haven for seafarers from all over the world. A place of safety and community, you can play pool, table football, cards, read, have a pint and feel safe. A very worth while place.
On the way back to Houston the next day, we visited Aransas Wildlife Refuge, a state run park and nature center. Among the birds and deer we also met our first real alligator. The female voice is another visitor conversing with Maurice, not me with an american accent…
Visit Brazos Bend State Park
Our first trip to Brazos was a bit disappointing as it was closed. It had suffered from the extensive flooding upstream, which had dumped a great deal of water over the park and the access roads. We checked first before driving there the second time. We found it to be a lovely area, very well kept and pretty quiet. It may be because of the heat, or just that it is generally a quiet spot. It was lovely to feel you were in the countryside, no noise of traffic, just insects and birds and the occasional baying of an animal we could not identify. I could well imagine Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn sitting fishing at the side of one of the small lakes in the park. This is alligator country, but sorry to say we only met a baby one in the Nature Center, held by the very informative warden. A fellow park visitor, who had hiked around for 6 hours with 3 small children in the blazing heat (goodness knows how) had spotted at least 30 that same day so we were just unlucky I guess. That and we certainly did not hike for 6 hours.
Visit Car Dealerships and Test Drive Cars
Ok, so not such a conventional thing to do, but when it is hot, it’s quite helpful to be inside a wonderfully air conditioned vehicle, or indeed a car showroom. We did have some purpose to this activity, however. We’ve managed perfectly well with one vehicle – and a sensible one at that – for over 6 months. But the time had come for me to get a bit more independence. Especially since going out for walks is just so unpleasant in the middle of the day. We’ve finally managed to buy a Nissan Rogue to match our Nissan Sentra! A lovely car it is too. And once again, sensible. Nissan – pronounced Neeeeesan over here – ‘innovation that excites’…..er well, maybe.
We’ll keep you posted!
Whole Other Country 