January 26 - 28, 2011 - We visit Rosemary and Carlos in Houston...

We camp in Houston at the close-in and nice Lake View RV Park.  Houston downtown looks far more interesting than I remember from 45 years ago, and of course far more developed.  Oil is king here and has been for decades, but medical looks to be coming up fast.

Carlos and Rosemary have done many things in their lives and have enjoyed themselves many ways, currently by traveling tens-of-thousands of miles yearly in their Airstream, customized inside for their comfort.  They have committed to Airstream travel for the next few years so their house is rented out and they live, when in Houston, in a very nice 1-bedroom apartment in a high-rise, with a corner-room view of much of the city.

St Arnold Brewery - Houston.

Who???

Houston from their corner apartment.

We share their taste in fine arts.

A water memorial.

We hosted Carlos and Rosemary on Pasadena and San Diego tours, and it is time to see if they measure up in their town of Houston.

They do.  In two days we get a a grand driving tour of the local colleges, the many famous medical facilities, the housing areas and shopping districts.   They draw on Marcia's services for a paint consultation on their home, and we notice we twice get to see one of their properties - a paint store, viewed in daylight and later in the dark - and curiously not the source of the paints they plan to use on their house.  In their company we also tour the Rothko Chapel, Menil Museum and the Museum of fine Arts, the latter having an excellent and poignant photographic exhibit dealing with the aftermath of Katrina.

Food?  Lunch at an excellent rib joint favored by Carlos (Goode's), dinner at their "second choice" Mexican restaurant Escalante's (the 1st choice was too far away), a microbrewery tour with tasting privileges, then another dinner of take-out from Central Market (a worthy Whole Foods competitor) enjoying the view from their apartment.  We finish the evening at an excellent small-theater play called God of Carnage, returning to our trailer to rest, as we leave Texas tomorrow and that isn't easy.