Back Home Again

Shrimp Run

I had planned on going to Tulsa over the three-day Labor Day holiday.  Then my buddy Carl called up with a suggestion.  How about you come up the weekend before for Jana's 50th birthday party....and you bring 35 lbs of shrimp with you when you come?  I must admit...I do love a challenge.

I put the gears in motion and took Friday and Monday as vacation days.  I scoped out my coolers:  a 48-quart and a 24-quart cooler.  That should be plenty....right?

I made plans to stay with Carl's buddy Big John on Thursday night.  Big John is a food guy and knows his stuff.  He made me one of the best steak's I've ever eaten.  Also a salad made from grilled charred lettuce.  It was awesome.  What a great cook and host he is.  Big John then took me by the seafood stores, less than 2 miles from his house.  He gave me the wise advise to go to more than one to compare prices.

I woke up the next morning and hit a little shore diner that I'd been to before awaiting the shop openings at 8am.  After an ample breakfast, I headed to the shrimp stores.  The one that Carl told me about didn't appear to be open at 7:45am but the one across the street was.  I went inside and the workers were loading the bins with ice and setting up signs.  They asked if I was ready to order.  No, not just yet.  I went back across the street to the desired venue.  The workers were still outside smoking and didn't go inside until the stroke of 8am.  I went inside and nothing was ready.  I asked the lady behind the counter about their tilapia and she told me they had only frozen, and pointed to the counter.  I wasn't feeling the love.  Plus, it was hot in there...with fresh seafood?  Ewww.  I went back across the street and called Carl.  We figured out what we wanted and it all fit in one cooler.  The old Asian man behind the counter taking the money asked where I was headed.  I said, "Okahoma".  He yelled out, "Put in lots of ice.  He go LONG way!"  The little guy carried the cooler down to my car and I placed it on trash bags in the back seat.

I hit the road about 9am, after rush hour.  I started about a half hour south of downtown Houston.  So on my way I saw Sam Houston Tollroad two times and I-610 two times.  I felt like I was driving in circles.  It took about an hour to drive out of the traffic.  I really could've used a nap, but didn't dare stop in the 100+ degree heat.  I hit Dallas at a good time and made it to Oklahoma in good time....for me.  By the time I got to Okmulgee, OK one of the plastic bags was poking through, so I added another bag of ice.  

That night, Carl and I delivered the 35 lbs of shrimp to Mark and Jana.  520 miles and the shrimp is still iced down.  The 50th birthday party would be the next night.

Houston, TX to Indiana

My buddy Chip and his wife Sue were going to have their annual pool party on July 3.  I had planned on leaving early in the morning on Saturday and arrive sometime late in the evening while the party was going on.  Chip informed me that would be too late since the band would be playing from 4 to 7pm.

I hem-haw'd around on Friday and finally at noon I decided to hit the road early.  I was on the expressway at 12:30pm.  There wasn't too much traffic on the Houston highways, to my surprise.  I made it to the east side of Houston in about 35 minutes are started up US-59 headed for Texarkana.  It was 100 degrees when I left.  The car's thermometer did not drop below 100 until I got past Little Rock, AR.

I stopped and ate some Taco Bueno in Little Rock.  The sun was just starting to set.  It was not yet 9pm and I decided to drive "just a little further".  As I proceeded up I-40 and then I-55, there was less and less traffic.  These two highways are usually jammed with traffic.  I had originally planned on spending the night somewhere in Arkansas and finish the drive in the morning.  As it neared midnight in Sikeston, MO, I knew I had to make a decision to spend the night or keep going.  Southern Illinois is pretty sparsely populated and there aren't many motels along the way.  I decided to keep going.

I pulled into a rest stop near I-57 and I-64.  It was loaded with semi trucks.  I took a ten minute nap and then headed on up the road.  By the time I got to Effingham, IL I was beat.  I didn't think I could go on.  But with a big gulp full of Diet Coke, I got back on the highway.  I got behind a FedEx truck and coasted into Terre Haute.  As I pulled into my friends' driveway it was 6:15 EDT and the sun was just rising.  

I drove almost 17 hours straight.  I think I'm getting too old for that kind of car travel alone.

Whistle While You Work

Yesterday as I was heading to the Baggage Area of Terminal B at IAH airport, I passed a pilot heading for his plane. He was dragging his luggage behind him and just whistling a happy tune. It was great to see an airline employee so happy going to work. Then I realized what the tune was. It was "If I Only Had a Brain" from The Wizard of Oz. Somehow, I don't think I would want to fly on his plane.

Texas Bound

I got the relocation package and began making plans to move to Texas. All my belongings have been in a storage unit back in Indiana since last summer.

I flew back on a Sunday and began doing last minute packing. I picked up the 17 foot U-Haul truck on Tuesday. My buddy Carl flew in to Indy on Wednesday and we immediately began loading the truck. It took us 2.5 hours to load. I had to leave some items behind because the truck was jammed full. We drove to Terre Haute and spent a short night there. We arose the next day at 5am, showered, and hit the road. I was hoping to make it to Texarkana. We blew through there around 3pm. Carl said, "We're going all the way to Houston." We got into town about 9pm and went to unloading. With the help of my friends Gail and Pam, we got it all unloaded in 1.5 hours. Carl and I then stayed up and did some unpacking.

The next day we returned the U-Haul and then Carl flew back home on Saturday. I can't thank Carl enough for moving me down here. He drove 19 hours straight except for 20 minutes that I drove in Arkansas. What a trooper!

So now, as of April 1, I am a Houston resident. Never thought I'd say those words.

Indiana to Houston, TX

Well, two days after arriving on the farm, I was planning another big trip.  This time, driving all the way to Houston, TX.  I packed away all my belongings in the storage shed.  I then took a suitcase with two days of "road clothes" and headed to Terre Haute.  I spent the night there and headed out in the morning.  As I headed into southern Illinois, it started to rain.  Dear God, not again. 

I stopped at a rest stop and looked at a map.  I was directly east of Cape Girardeau, Missouri.  I had never been to that town and always wanted to go.  Since I was ahead of schedule, I took a little detour.  About an hour later, I crossed the Mississippi River.  There were signs about a historic district and I followed the signs into downtown.  I parked at a parking lot a half block from the river.  I walked down to an opening in a large retaining wall and there she was...the mighty Mississippi River.  It is truly amazing to see up close.  The town had some very old historic buildings and was well preserved.  I really liked this town.

It was then that I noticed a sign for Cajun food at a place called Broussard's.  Since it was noon, I decided to give it a whirl.  I ordered the lunch portion of the Crawfish Etouffee.  It was served in a bowl with bread on the side.  Absolutely delicious.  I asked the waitress if the cook was from Louisiana.  She said no, but the original chef was, and this chef was using his recipes. 

I got back on the interstate and headed south into the boot heel of Missouri and into Arkansas.  I had already made plans to stay with some friends in Arkansas.  There is a back road (Arkansas Hwy 1) that takes you to their town.  Shortly before I took the Hwy 1 exit it started to rain down hard.  I was glad to get off the interstate. 

As I continued on Hwy 1, the sun went down and the rains got harder.  I was blinded by the oncoming traffic and had to slow down to a crawl.  The road was rutted out and the ruts quickly filled with rainwater.  I was plowing water the entire time.  Several times, big semi trucks went by and splashed the windshield, blinding me for a split second.  The only saving grace was that there were reflector strips down the middle of the road.  It was a harrowing trip.  But I finally arrived at my destination, only about an hour late.  I later found out that there were tornado warnings as a large front pushed through.  If I would have just pulled over for an hour, I probably would have been better off.

I slept in the next day and had a late breakfast.  I purposely left late to miss the Houston traffic.  It gave me a good opportunity to visit with my friends.  I hit the road about 10am and headed south on a deserted US Hwy 165.  Eventually I got to Interstate 20, one of the nicest interstates in the country, I swear.  Only around Shreveport did I hit any traffic.  I then crossed over into Texas and found my way to US Hwy 59, which takes you all the way into Houston.  In the town of Lufkin, I stopped and ate at Taco Bueno.  Yum. 

I stopped outside of Houston and mounted my EZ Tag onto the windshield of my car.  This allows me to go onto the toll roads and pay through an account that I had previously set up.  Once you apply the sticker to the car, you can't remove it.  So I wanted to make sure that I made it to Houston before I applied it.  I no sooner got onto Beltway 8 (Sam Houston Tollway) and I saw nothing but taillights.  It was now 8pm.  When we finally crept up to the front of the traffic jam, there was nothing there.  That drives me crazy!  Traffic started moving and then soon everyone was travelling 80mph again.  I arrived at my destination about 9pm.

I started off December working in Houston.  Time for year-end again.  Bring it on!  

Tulsa to Indiana

I made the decision early not to come home for any Thanksgiving dinner.  With Mom and Dad both gone now, and their house for sale, at best it would be very different this year.  When I left the farm for Tulsa, I literally packed the car in a half hour.  It was time to go back now and finish packing. 

I worked the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and decided I'd hit the road early Thanksgiving morning.  Wednesday was extremely warm (80 degrees) for Tulsa and some thunderstorms blew through around 10pm.  When I awoke the next morning it was 31 degrees.  There was a thin layer of ice on the windshield.  I stopped at a QuikTrip on the edge of town and get a big 32-oz drink and some peanut butter crackers...the breakfast of champions!  As I exited the store I felt something pelting me in the face...ice pellets.  Swell.

I proceeded up I-44 keeping a watchful eye on the sky and the thermometer which was teetering between 28 and 31 degrees.  The weather turned to freezing rain, and I had to crank up the defroster to keep the windshield from freezing.  About 3 hours into the trip, I reached Springfield, MO and pulled off to use the internet at a restaurant.  The weather seemed to be travelling right up I-44 with me, but it looked as though I would eventually drive out of it. 

I got some fuel at a gas station and while I was filling up, I took the opportunity to give my wipers a bounce to shake the ice off of them.  The driver's side cleaned up nicely with a bounce and a couple hits from my ice scraper.  I then proceeded to the passenger side.  I bounced the wiper blade which cracked in half.  Damn!  I had noticed a clicking sound all the way, but just ignored it.  There was no way I was going to drive with a broken wiper.  Now I was going to have to find wiper blades on Thanksgiving Day.  To top it all off, the wiper blades were just replaced three weeks before.  Friggin' Wal-Mart crap!

Luckily there was a Wal-Mart right next to the gas station.  I stormed into the store, mad as a hornet.  One worker asked me if they could help me find something.  I replied that I knew EXACTLY where I was going as I headed to the automotive department.  I hadn't taken the time to determine if it was the short wiper or the long one that broke, and I wasn't going back to the car to check it.  I bought both sizes and went out to the car.  Luckily, it stopped raining for a few minutes and I got the wiper replaced.  I didn't replace the driver's side...because it was only THREE WEEKS OLD.  Grrrrr.  I threw the bad wiper in the trash can and the other new one in the back seat and headed back to the interstate...an hour later.

A friend called me when I got around Rolla, MO and he checked the weather map for me again.  He too thought that I would eventually drive out of the messy weather.  About an hour later, I pulled over at a rest stop for a power nap.  I woke up twenty minutes later.  It was snowing.  Crap!  The snow continued all the way into St. Louis.  When I got to Illinois, it stopped snowing.  I had no precipitation at all for about a half hour.  Then the monsoon started.  I had a heavy rain all the way to Effingham, IL.  I stopped again for gas and told my friends in Terre Haute that I'd be there in an hour.  By then it was dark and almost impossible to see.  I got behind a semi truck and followed him all the way to Terre Haute. 

I finally arrived at my friends' house 11 hours after I started (it should take 9 hours).  I ate some leftovers and was in bed by 9pm. 

I slept in the next day and then headed to the farm.  I wanted to run some errands in my hometown but found that Black Friday is not the best day to do this.  Even all the government offices were closed.  So I went to eat lunch at my favorite restaurant, Frank & Mary's.  I spent the rest of the weekend packing and taking stuff to my storage locker. 

I later found my original receipt for the windshield wipers I bought three weeks prior, in Indiana.  You guessed it; I bought the same damn wipers in Springfield, MO.  I will say though, that they sure took a beating with all the rain I drove through.  And seeing that it was now prime Christmas shopping season, I didn't bother to return them either. 

 

Welcome Back

On Monday, I packed up my computer and office equipment along with a few clothes.  I spent the night in Terre Haute and hit the road west in the morning.  Other than crossing the Mississippi River bridge into downtown St. Louis at 8am (bad planning), I made pretty good time.  I had to take two short cat naps in the car on the way as I was nodding off.  I arrived into Tulsa about 3:15pm.  I've got my car unpacked and up and running here at work.

I ate my first lunch at Taco Bueno today.  Mmmm.  Just like I remembered. 

I'm living on Tulsa Time for a while....and loving it.

Ozark Wedding

Sis and I flew from North Carolina to St. Louis.  From there we rented a car and headed to Lake of the Ozarks.  We were heading to my nephew's wedding.  My nephew (and godson) is originally from Terre Haute, IN.  His fiance Michala is from Council Bluffs, IA.  They picked a point in the middle and said, "Let's get married here."  That point was the Tan-Tar-A Resort. 

As relatives arrived we spoke to them on the phone and the response was the same.  "It's kinda confusing here."  I didn't know what they meant until we got there.  There were several buildings alphabetically numbered from A to E.  Each had a series of numbers.  So room 291 might be in a different building than 235.  But once we got settled and figured out the overhead walkways, it was easy.  We spent a lot of time at the pool because the heat index was over 100 degrees.  It was very hot.

On Friday we had a welcome reception on one of the decks and a Mexican meal.  Brent and Michala both spoke and introduced the wedding party, the parents, and grandparents.  Several of the youngsters stayed on the deck into the wee hours finishing the keg of beer.

On Saturday, they had a quick ceremony on one of the patios.  It was still hot, but there was a nice breeze and soon we were in the shade.  It was very sweet and sentimental.  Afterwards was the reception in one of the ballrooms.  It was a round room with huge windows.  They had a slideshow of baby pictures and school pictures of both of them.  We had an excellent dinner and then the DJ kicked up the tunes for the next four hours.  We had a good time shaking our groove things.  It was a very fun wedding.

I drove the rental car back to the airport and then my niece, Brent's little sister, picked me up and drove me back to the farm.  She then headed out east to West Virgnia taking the same southern Ohio route I took a few days before. 

Brent and Michala just recently moved to the north side of Houston.  I saw them the last time I was down there in June.  I will be seeing more of them in the near future.  I just love Michala.  She's a great addition to our family!  Her family was a hoot too. 

Congratulations, Brent and Michala!!!

North Carolina

Last week I had a road trip.  My sister and her husband will be moving this fall from Texas to North Carolina.  They are building a home up in the mountains.

My sister packed up some furniture from Dad's house that nobody wanted and we loaded it into a U-Haul truck and headed east.  We chose a route on US-35 through southern Ohio down through West Virginia catching I-64 to I-77 into Virginia and then North Carolina.  It was a beautiful drive.  The day was overcast and that kept the temperature down.  Plus, the truck was very nice; like driving a big van.

We made good time and ate at the little town before we headed up the mountain.  We both had a stromboli which was excellent and dirt cheap.  It was quite a drive up the mountain, with beautiful scenery along the way.  Once we got to the summit, we stayed at a friend's home for the night.

In the morning, we drove over to their home.  It is mostly finished on the outside with the siding, windows, and roof completely done.  The workers helped us unload the furniture very quickly.  We later went down the mountain to get more patio furniture out of storage.

My sister gave me the grand tour of their beautiful new home.  I picked out my room for future stays.  I told her I even do windows.  There are a lot of windows!  I think they will be very happy in their mountain home.

Afterwards, we had to return the truck.  We passed the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way.  The U-Haul place doubles as a plant nursery.  We ate lunch in the town.  The people were so friendly.  And they have sweet tea!  That night, we dressed up and ate at the clubhouse, meeting some of the new neighbors. 

Their home should be mostly done in September.  My brother-in-law plans on retiring around Thanksgiving this year.  They are sure to have a great Christmas in the mountains this year.

Sweet Home Indiana

When I awoke in Tulsa on Sunday morning, the weather was predicting cold and cloudy in Oklahoma; sunny in Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana.  I told my friends I was leaving.  They wanted me to stay until Monday which looked like there would be precipitation along the way.  I hit the road and almost as soon as I got to Joplin, MO, the sun came out.  It was nice the entire trip.  All 650 miles of it.  I took a little ten-minute snooze around St. Louis and ate dinner in Terre Haute.  I arrived home about 11:30pm.

I had forgotten what shape I had left the house.  I still had Christmas lights on; half of which were not lit for some reason.  I had Christmas cards adorning the doorway.  My sister had left water running in the sinks so that the pipes wouldn't freeze.  All three sinks had huge rust spots in them.  They would have to be soaked with Iron-Out.  Dead mice in the garage had to be disposed of.  There was a grocery list at Dad's and some prescriptions to be filled.  They also had a water leak while I was gone and a plumber finally fixed the problem.  Dad's TV was on the blink; the second one (which I bought on Craigslist for $30) with the Superbowl just days away.

Lots to do, but still it is good to be back in my own bed.