The Houston Connection

We went to Houston to visit my grandmother over the weekend. She had never met Troy, so we decided to take him down to see her while he stood could. It was a long drive, and Troy did not like having to sit still in the car that long. He was antsy and kept asking to get out, so he could walk around. Knowing that we'd never make it if we had to stop every 15 min to let him run around, we tried our best to distract him. We stayed with my mom on Friday, and needless to say that after four and half hours in the car with a complaining two-year old, my wife and I were glad to finally be there.

The visit with my grandmother was good, although Troy was bored most of the time. We weren't expecting to be there long, so we didn't take any toys with us inside. At first, he was keeping himself entertained by exploring and poking his nose into everything, but eventually he wanted to DO something, so I had to step away to play with him. The most unique thing about my grandmother's house is the mail slot. It was designed with a little door on the outside where the mail can be dropped, and then it slides through the wall and comes out a little door on the inside. So someone can get the mail without ever stepping out of the house.

So, I showed Troy how this worked, and he was immediately captivated with taking mail and dropping it through the slot on the outside and then running inside to open the little door and see it magically appear. For about ten minutes, he was satisfied that dada had provided acceptable entertainment. After that, it just got old. So, I took him for a walk around the neighborhood and over to my old high school. I told him about memories I had of walking down the trail along the ditch behind my grandmother's house, playing soccer on the field behind the high school that is now a parking lot, and eating lunch alone on the steps of the temporary building that was where the newly-rebuilt high school is now located. He didn't seem to care nearly as much as I did and was more interested in the heavy machinery that they were using to do the construction.

We went back to the house and visited a little more before heading out to eat for lunch. I was once again thwarted in my attempt to eat the world's greatest hamburger, as Bellaire Broiler Burger was once again mysteriously closed (the same thing happened the last time I was here three years ago). So, we stopped at Blood Bros. BBQ, got a to-go order, and took it to the park to enjoy the gorgeous day. After a short romp in the park to try to wear Troy out, we loaded ourselves back in the car and headed home.

On the way, we decided to stop at Bucky's in Madisonville to get gas and stretch our legs. I knew Troy would enjoy seeing the "giant beaver" since there was a giant beaver character in one of the short films he enjoys watching on YouTube. I was right, and we had to take a prerequisite picture with the bronze statue on the sidewalk. Then, it was back in the car to complete our trip. Luckily, Troy dozed for a little while on the drive, so we only had to entertain him part of the way home. All in all a good trip, if not exhausting from all of the driving.