Well, we’ve had a great time, a blast, an experience of a lifetime.

But now we’re homeward bound.

As I write we’re staying in a hotel for our last night in Houston – flying out tomorrow.

At this time, it’s customary to reflect on the highlights on what, for both of us, has been an amazing 20 months.

Here is a small sample of the many memorable experiences.

The Music Scene

This has been fantastic for a pair of old rockers like us. We have not only managed to get to a whole load of gigs, virtually on our doorstep, but Maurice has also played and gigged with a band, which has long been his aspiration.

All the gigs were good – although Madonna ranks as the disappointment, David Gilmour was perhaps the most emotional for me. To see him again after over 40 years and also on US soil took me back to my teenage self and my wonderful year I had in the US back then.

Our lovely house

We had a few false starts with houses when we first got here but managed to secure our rental in February last year. The house is modest by US – or Texan – standards but has been a lovely environment in which to live and welcome our many visitors. I will greatly miss the ‘closet’ space and Maurice will miss his guitar room for sure. Fitting all the clothes, and guitars, back into a regular sized space will be a challenge!

The weather – mostly

I like being warm most of the year and we did have the most lovely winter just past. It gets too hot and sticky in the summer and the torrential rain is not pleasant, but generally, the weather is a  whole lot better than Aberdeen. So I will miss being warm, but am quite looking forward to cooler nights and less humidity.

Ex-pat community

The people we have met through the ex-pat community have been so warm and welcoming to two first timers like us. Ex-pat life is lived in a bit of a bubble, not quite integrated as a local, yet not really aligned with any particular minority group. Ex-pats are a motley assortment of people, in Houston mainly in Oil and Gas jobs or in the Medical Professions.  The commonality is in being new, an outsider, initially anyway, and  someone who perhaps enjoys more material privileges in some ways than the regular workforce. In other ways we can see the cons too – as an ex-pat you experience the ever present likelihood of re-patriation or further moves in your daily life. More so at this time of global downturn in the Oil and Gas industry. So with the perks comes that nagging feeling that this won’t last forever – and it doesn’t.

Texan pals

The Texan friends we have made have also been so warm and welcoming to us. Are Texans different from others in the US? Perhaps the differences are just that they are very welcoming. They are used to incomers to their state, in Houston for sure, and are genuinely curious about you and where you have come from. Texas is massive and mainly rural with some fantastic cities and beautiful corners so Texans are rightly proud of being from this state. I am proud to have lived here and to have made some great friends too.

Shopping

Is it because we’re in the US or because we’re in Texas or because we’re in a big city? The choice of places in which to spend one’s hard earned cash is mind numbing. A store for every conceivable item you could desire. And supermarkets with aisle upon aisle of specialist items which in the UK may number one or two. The variety of hot sauces and also the range of types of noodles are particularly staggering!

Wildlife

I didn’t expect quite such an abundance on my doorstep in both the Bayou and Hermann Park. And then there was Brazos, Aransas, the Everglades, Custer and of course Alaska.

Interesting holidays

Our trip taking in Mt Rushmore was a more unusual route for Brits. A fantastic road trip followed this year by Florida and Alaska. Christmas in San Diego was certainly different and weekends away in Kansas City, LA, Chicago as well as Dallas, Corpus Christi, Austin and San Antonio nearer to home provided us with fantastic opportunities to see many corners of the USA.  I revisited New Orleans, Asheville, Nashville and Memphis too. Goodness I’m exhausted recounting it all!

Hermann Park and Miller Theater

To have both of these on our doorstep has been amazing. The Park provided our ‘back yard’ and walks a plenty. Miller Outdoor Theater is a wonderful facility – free, free, free entertainment of all kinds provided in a great outdoor setting in the park. Many highlights here include Spencer Davis, Jefferson Starship and Chubby Checker!

Food

Houston is promoting itself as a food city and with good reason. What an abundance of excellent restaurants of every variety. Our only slight disappointment was not finding a particularly good Indian Restaurant but there’s everything else!

SPCA

Loved loved loved volunteering here at the cattery and even featuring on TV! Only wish I could pack a few in my case and take them with me but don’t think they’d appreciate the journey.

Bayou walks – inc friendly peeps

Lots and lots of smiling friendly people out walking, running, on their bikes, walking dogs. All with a ‘how are YOU?’ Not what you’d expect in this huge city but our little corner in the Medical Center was very walkable. And full of health conscious folk.

At the risk of tempting fate if we go out tonight, I’ve not been mugged, despite the horror stories and I can’t say I ever really felt unsafe.

Houston, it’s been fab. This city has so much more to offer than jobs – many, many people move here for those. It could and should be a bit of a tourist spot in its own right. A great hub for onward cheap travel via Southwest Airlines and close to the cruise trade heading out of Galveston.

We’ve made the most of it.

A chapter ends and another will begin – Aberdeen here we come.

One last thing – we lived very close to a building site where we’ve witnessed an apartment block being erected from hole in the ground to nearly finished, but not quite. I took photos of the block over the time we’ve been here. Would have been nice to see it finished but next time we come to Houston perhaps it will be.