Yachting smorgasbord

According the local information services, Kemah is an Indian word meaning “wind in my face” which is incredibly apt.  This wonderful boating playground is located about 30 minutes south of Houston in the Galveston Bay area.  Because of its location, its primary business is commercial shipping and fishing, but its clearly a great destination for a days outing for fun and relaxation.  There are restaurants galore, the Kemah Boardwalk and a diverse range of recreational activities.  Its also only a short hop, skip and jump from the Lyndon B Johnson NASA space station!

But importantly for my household, it’s the water activities that take prime position in the ‘what to do in Kemah’ guidebook. 

Apparently the Bay Area is home to the largest recreational boating community in the USA.  And from the moment one drives into the Kemah-Bay Area you simply can’t doubt that claim - the horizon is spiked with a sea (pardon the pun) of masts.  My partner in crime’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets with what for him is like a yachting heaven.

Thousands upon thousands of boat and yachts of all sizes to be seen.  The choice for him is going to be overwhelming, like a kid in a lollie shop having to choose just one kind of bull’s-eye hard candy!!  

That plethora of choice will buy me time, me thinks, on a large ‘play thing’ expense.

Getting some wheels

So it would have been easy to be confused and to think that I was attempting to buy the State of Texas as opposed to a small car.  The amount of paperwork and reference checks etc was overwhelming.  What you would think was going to be a one-hour trip; particularly given I had already chosen the car, turned into a 3-hour exercise of paperwork!!  And even once the price was agreed upon and the paperwork completed….wait there’s more.  Then I had to choose the service extras.  It was like ordering a meal.  Do you want fries with that?  What kind of dressing – we have blue, ranch, mayo, balsamic, thousand island etc etc etc? What would you like on the side – carrots, beets, grits, onion rings, corn bread?  It really was an overwhelming experience and not one I would like to repeat but yep; that was just part one of the purchase.  We have gone from being religiously a ‘no car family’ to being a ‘two car family’.  A 'his and hers', one for work and one for pleasure, two car family.  

So one car purchase down and one to go.  Save me!!!

Day tripping nostalgia

Old Town Spring, about 30 minutes north of Houston, is a quaint little town chock full of wonderfully colourful shops carrying all sorts of collectibles, antiques, knick knacks and artworks.   

The town originally grew up in support of the Great Northern Railroad and has many wonderful old Victorian style buildings that help create a fabulous nostalgic atmosphere.   It’s a wonderful escape from the hustle and bustle of big city life, freeways and strip malls!  It’s a great place to merely wander, get lost in all the unique and unusual bits and bobs on offer, and enjoy a good old-fashioned meal.

White knuckle night

This last week in Houston has seen some horrific traffic crashes resulting in death, and tragically, alcohol and speed have generally been involved.  Last week, in separate incidents, 2 drunk drivers managed to kill 5 people by driving the wrong way on the 45 North freeway.  It seems that this aspect of today’s world has no passport as such tragedies can be observed world over.

I had my first night time freeway experience here on Saturday night.  I drove home after a day visiting friends in The Woodlands, about 45 minutes north of Houston.  This freeway has 6 lanes of traffic going in one direction; and everyone appears to need to get to wherever it is they are going faster.  So you have 6 lanes of drivers travelling at 70 mph plus, all zigzagging in and out of lanes in order to get ahead.  Sadly, here its not against the law to text or talk on a phone while driving, so you can also observe cars veering across lines while the driver is inevitably preoccupied with his or her phone.  Add to that inexperienced drivers speeding, and potentially drunk drivers, and I can assure you, that driving on a Houston freeway late at night is more than a hair raising experience.  It definitely is a white-knuckle drive!

Wet Wet Wet

Rain, rain and more rain.  Houston is a beautifully green city and over the last 24 hours, it is plain to understand, and see, why.   Constant solid rain over night and continuing again this morning.  Flooding in the southern suburbs and driving on these roads is a hairy experience.

It reminds me of Darwin during the wet season – amazing electrical storms; heavy constant rain; steamy humidity; but oh so green.  Plants just go crazy.