

I took a little side trip to Galveston in December. There were two historic houses that I wanted to tour, and the traffic due to road construction did not deter me! The mansion on the left is Bishop’s Palace and the one on the right is the Moody Mansion.
They were both well-preserved and decorated for the holidays. Both tour guides said that the summer breezes kept the houses “cool” in the warmer months, but I’m sure they were still stifling! I was glad, again, that I was visiting in December and not July.



Did I mention the millwork in these houses? Absolutely incredible to see that level of artistry in wood all over both mansions; samples below.



Just lovely. It’s hard to pick my other favorites from these homes, but here’s another sample from a butler’s pantry, bathroom, and a bedroom.



The pink tile on that fireplace. 🔥


I also took a drive down to the beach to see the sunset and drive past the boardwalk. I was warned that these beaches are not the same as a Florida or East Coast beach, but it was still a lovely sight to behold. After, I drove to the downtown area past some other very charming historic neighborhoods in a search of a mailbox to send some postcards. Even at the post office, there wasn’t a mailbox where I could drop them. 🍫 There was a cruise ship in the bay (harbor?) – not sure what they call it.
On the way back to my hotel, I placed a to go order at Salt Grass – a Texas (?) chain that has reasonable steak prices and good sides. Not sure if they are based in Texas, but that’s always where I’ve visited their restaurants. I also treated myself to a hotel stay to sleep in a big bed and have a hot shower without my flip flops.

Speaking of food, I had so much good food when I was in Houston. I went with my co-worker to a couple of bakeries and tried concha for the first time. Arthur thought they were pretty good, too. I had a delightful “taco” on a flour tortilla with a crusted on layer of melted cheese, then steak, and then cut-up poblanos. I also had a chance to meet up with some other co-workers in downtown Houston for brunch one crisp morning; the food was ok, but the conversation was fantastic.

I am officially an H-E-B convert. I have a lot of co-workers who live in Texas, so they always talk about how great it is, but I was able to experience it for myself, and it was a delight. I still miss the butter tortillas, the flavored almonds, the pre-washed, packaged TX russet potatoes, and just the general grocery atmosphere. I highly recommend if you are in anywhere in TX near an H-E-B. They are also great to their employees. One of my current co-workers has kept her part-time (one day a month) H-E-B gig because they are so generous.
Before I leave Houston, just a couple of things I wanted to add, so I don’t forget as a look back at this time.



Overall, we had really great weather when I was in Houston, but like a lot of places I’ve been, the tornados showed up. We also had a couple weeks when the RV park got really nervous about water usage, so we were back to using water for gallon jugs and hoping it would get warm enough for the park managers to feel comfortable with turn on the water.
On one visit downtown, we discovered this amazing rooftop garden. In the main building there were a few shops and some restaurants, but the outdoor space on the roof was really the highlight.
My now favorite road trip meal is a baked potato with butter, bacon, and cheddar cheese. If I was feeling fancy, I would add a bit of sour cream. Most of those ingredients are refrigerated, and at some point in Houston, a part in our fridge decided it was done with the road trip. 🍫🍫🍫 More on this later in Austin – our next stop in TX.



You’re probably wondering how Arthur is doing. By the time we reached Houston, we’d been on the road for a full year. He endured a couple babysitting stints with help from our friends at Rover.com while we were in Houston when I went to FL and MN. He made friends with a new toy and then decided he didn’t like it. He chased the red dot without me having to wave my arm in the air to keep him entertained. And, for time to time, he got annoyed with me and face-planted into the wall. Oh, Arthur.
Up next – two months in Austin, TX. 🤠

















































































