I didn't quite know what to expect other than 90 degree weather and 90% humidity so I packed accordingly.
I got a great consulting gig and the best part of it all, I was visiting close friends.
US Airways was my carrier. I heard noises on that plane I'd never heard before. The plane actually sounded like it was running on train tracks rather than flying in the air. You all (noticed I learned a bit of Texan when I was there) need to know I'm not able to fall asleep on planes (or in cars for that matter) so it was quite a long flight. When I touched down in Houston, I was not surprised to see shorts, tank tops, large canteen hats and big hair. I'm talking the biggest hair I've seen since my senior portraits, taken in 1987. These women (and some men) use aqua net proudly.
The rental car company was quite nice. They gave me a nice mid-size vehicle, a Chrysler. I was a bit scared when I stepped lightly on the gas. It had turbo. But after pulling out of the airport, I realized quickly why this car had get up and go. Most people in the Houston area drive 90 mph. In fact, gang members turn on their emergency flashers and travel in a pack. Weaving back and forth. Grandma drivers were even passing me. So, I picked up the pace and drove 80 mph to find 59 South. PS, 80 mph was still too slow.
My first impression of Texas:
1. Big hair
2. Fast cars
3. Large confederate flags
4. Huge roaches on the road that go crunch when you drive over them
5. And, billboards everywhere.
The first billboard I saw said, "love." Ahhh. This is nice.
A mile later, "marriage." Hmmm. I'm intrigued.
Two miles later, "along comes a baby carriage."
I felt like I entered the 1920s.
Remember the Burma-Shave advertising campaign? Burma-Shave was an American brand of brushless shaving cream. It was introduced in 1925 by the Burma-Vita company. The company's original product was a liniment made of ingredients described as coming "from the Malay Peninsula and Burma." Demand was sparse, and the company sought to expand sales by introducing a product with wider appeal, so they launched its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small, sequential, highway-billboard signs.
My first stop was Sugar Land, Texas.
Founded as a sugar plantation in the mid 1800s and incorporated in 1959, Sugar Land is located in Fort Bend County, 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston.
I stayed the night there.
But before I lay my head to the bed, I had to eat some dinner. It was 8 pm (6 pm back home).
This was the real test. Would they have vegetarian? (I gave up vegan for the four days I was visiting Texas). I had this sneaking suspicion they wouldn't know what "vegan" meant, let alone vegetarian. I almost thought for a minute that I may have to stop at one of the many barbecue stands that were set up along side of the road. In fact, they are known for longhorn meat and carnivorous ways.
I had a nice mesquite quesadilla minus cheese. (The waitress didn't really know what to do with that information).
When I woke up the next morning at o' dark hundred, I was shocked to see a very large windstorm and raindrops that looked like Bologna sandwiches. Remember? I didn't pack for rain. No coat. No umbrella.
That day, my hair was big. Huge.
I pulled into the town of Victoria, Texas. My official destination.
The University of Houston - Victoria, is a delightful campus in Victoria and was home to me for three days.
Victoria is located thirty miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico. The city is a regional hub for a seven-county area known as the "Golden Crescent" and serves a retail trade area of over 250,000 people. Victoria is known as "The Crossroads" because of its location within a two-hour drive of Corpus Christi, Houston, San Antonio and Austin.
And, Victoria is home to the oldest deli in Texas. Even better, Fossati's Delicatessen is one of the oldest restaurants in the country. It looks like a snapshot from Little House on the Prairie.
I had a nice pasta salad with the best dressing ever.
Even better, I had the same thing for dinner.
The challenge was the next day at lunch.
You see, breakfast was fine. I grabbed a banana, a soy latte and was out the door.
Lunch and dinner were a bit of a struggle.
In fact, that day for lunch I went with three gentleman who really didn't know what a vegetarian was or if they really wanted to know.
One asked, if I still ate chicken. The other said, no fish? But shrimp, right?
Thank goodness the chef had recently moved from Phoenix. I was able to get polenta. And, the three Texans that were with me, had a slab of each. The food presentation was so pretty, they just had to stick their fork in it and try it.
After lunch, we looked at the "river" behind the restaurant. The restaurant, once an old pump house (now cleverly named the Pump House) had outdoor seating so you could enjoy your food while looking at dead carcases on the muddy river - creek. Yes, I saw an ol' dead alligator and a wild bore. No bueno.
I have to say, the hospitality in Texas is off the charts. So many people wanted to carry my bags, others grabbed my purse (which I fear back home), they opened doors, scooped me up into trucks and kissed me on my cheek. Kind and gentle folks in Texas.
It's the only state in the union that the down trodden economic times hasn't hit and a gallon of gas is $3. Yes, I loved Texas.
I loved seeing my friends and their new son and I loved seeing the armadillo on the side of 59 South. Sure, he was taking the dirt nap but I've only seen armadillos on Saturday morning cartoons.
Thanks Texas. I'm glad I have my hair tamed after you took control.
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