A Trip to Southeast Texas

I recently took a trip to the Houston area in Southeast Texas, meeting up with my parents, brothers, and families. We stayed in Montgomery (about an hour northwest of Houston). Most of the time we spent catching up with each other, but we also found some time for a little sightseeing.

In case there was any question that you're in Houston, this is what greets travelers leaving Terminal A in the airport.

Before this trip, I knew in theory that the Houston area is heavily populated, but being there really gives you a feel for how many people live in and around the city. Wikipedia says that Houston is the 4th-largest city, and the wider metro area is the 5th most-populated, in the United States. We made the drive from the city to Montgomery several times during our stay, and it never felt like we were out in the country. Texas has a whole lot of land, and the people are certainly spreading out across it.

Full-sized shuttle mock-up at the Space Center.

The place we stayed at is a condo complex on Lake Conroe called Villas on the Lake. The buildings are a bit older, but are well enough maintained. There was plenty of room for all eight of us (six adults, two kids) in the three-bedroom condo. There's not a whole lot nearby other than the lake itself, but within moderate driving distance you can find a good number of stores and restaurants.

Memory Park in Montgomery.

Visiting in the middle of March was a wise decision as far as weather goes. Mostly upper 70s during the day and 60s at night. There were a couple of minor rain showers and some fog, but mostly the skies stayed clear. It was easy to imagine just how hot and humid things would be in the height of summer, though. I don't think I'd want to go back in August!

A few hanging fish at the Museum of Natural Science.

We took three trips for sightseeing while we were in the area:

• Space Center Houston is right across from the NASA Johnson Space Center. It's set up largely like a children's museum, with lots of interactive exhibits and learning presentations. For us old people there's also some displays on the history of NASA's various programs and a full-sized space shuttle/carrier plane mock-up.
• The Houston Museum of Natural Science has three floors packed full of all kinds of exhibits, from Texan wildlife to Amazon tribal culture to ancient Egypt. We picked this particular museum largely to indulge my niece's love of mummies by visiting the "Mummies of the World" special exhibit. We only spent an afternoon in this very impressive museum, but I could easily have spent twice that long and still not seen everything.
• On the other end of the sight-seeing spectrum from those large establishments was Fernland Park and Memory Park in Montgomery. Fernland Park is a collection of historic buildings that have been moved to Montgomery from their original locations, some from nearly 200 years ago. I particularly liked the log cabin that was built in the late 1800s. Adjacent to Fernland is Memory Park, a pond surrounded by walking paths with many memorandum signs from those who have donated time, money, and labor to creating the park. 

The hour or two spent to see those small Montgomery parks was a nice contrast to the hours spent at the larger Houston establishments. Nice to avoid the drive through Houston traffic, too.

One of the log cabins at Fernland Park.

This short trip was a nice introduction to some of what Southeast Texas has to offer. If I make another visit, I'd like to see the rest of the museum district, and maybe catch one of the Houston sports teams in town.

Dear Grandma - How about those Cubs?

Dear Grandma Scott - It's finally happened. The Cubs are playing in a World Series.

I don't have a lot of memories of you, since you passed away when I was still a teenager. Much of what I do recall is from the last part of your life, when you lived with my family but were mostly confined to your own room. I didn't see much of you other than mealtimes, and not even that when your lifelong heavy cigarette smoking led to your hospitalization and eventual passing. But that was the end, and I prefer to remember earlier times.

Before the sports media explosion of the last decade or two, it wasn't nearly as easy to be a serious sports fan as it is now, particularly if you didn't live in a team's home area. There was no Internet to look up all the bits of information about every player, no streaming video to watch individual games from across the country (and world), and cable TV options were much more limited. The Chicago Cubs were an exception, though, thanks to WGN Sports broadcasting a large number of their games. Our family didn't watch a lot of TV, but when you lived with us, my mom made sure we had cable so that you could see the Cubs games.

You sitting close to that little black-and-white TV in your room, turned up loud to help you hear it, the voices of Harry Carey and Steve Stone - that's how I best remember your time living with us. I was more interested in reading and games and music than in actually sitting down to watch a baseball game, so we didn't actually watch very many games together. I still heard plenty, though. Thanks to you (and mom, who got it from you) I knew all about baseball, and in particular the Cubs. And I followed your example in becoming a life-long fan.

We all know that it hasn't been easy. Even those who know nothing else about baseball can tell you that the Chicago Cubs have a ridiculously long World Series drought. Much of the time the team was just bad, and even when they were good the playoffs never went well. From what I remember, though, the winning (or lack thereof) wasn't what you focused on. Whether the team was in contention or losing 100 games, you'd be watching. Sure, it was great when they won, but the important thing for you was hearing Harry and seeing Wrigley Field and watching the games played.

The current Cubs would be both easy for you to recognize, and completely different. Wrigley Field has gone through some changes, but it's still the same hundred-year-old park with the ivy walls. They've built up an amazing roster, largely with young players that could be around for years. There's no Harry in the broadcast booth, but his face still looks down on the field, and manager Joe Maddon is a kindred off-the-wall soul. They've always sung "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch at Wrigley, and now there's a song after every win, too.

Over the next couple of weeks, as Chicago and Cleveland (yes, the Indians made it too) play for the World Series title, I'll be watching. And I know you are, too.

Love,
Your Grandson Sam

Talking Rock Caverns

During our recent trip to Branson, Missouri, my family took a short drive outside of town to visit Talking Rocks Cavern.

It's around a half-hour drive outside of Branson to get to Talking Rocks Cavern, but you don't have to worry too much about getting lost. There are lots of signs along the way, mostly featuring a very happy lizard (probably a salamander, since they have those in caves) with a camera. The route goes right past Silver Dollar City, the large theme park outside of Branson, so you can zoom past the long lines of cars waiting to enter there and feel good about your choice of destination.

The outdoor Speleo Box.

Before we even entered the building above the cave, we discovered the Speleo Box, a big wooden structure that simulates crawling through a cavern. There are actually two of them, one inside the gift shop, and one out in front. The sign on it recommends that no one larger than 6'2" or 240 pounds try it out. My brother isn't too far shy of that, but he tried it anyway and was able to make it through. I didn't feel like contorting myself quite that much, and considering how much my brother complained about soreness later on, it was probably a wise decision. Lots of the many kids running around had a great time crawling through, though, without consequences on old bones and muscles.

My niece Frances, on her way out of the Speleo Box.

The cavern itself is around 100 feet deep, with just one human-sized opening at the top. It's quite damp, with a pool at the bottom, and there are some small drainage holes which keeps it from flooding (except in really heavy rains, which take some time to drain out). You walk down some fairly steep steps until you're fairly near the bottom, just above that muddy pool. It's not a difficult climb, but you definitely want to be careful and take it slow to avoid slipping. Our guide told us that the steps were built by lowering cement down one bucket at a time through that top opening - not a quick or easy task.

The "angel" formation in the cave...from the right angle it looks like a tall thin person with wings.

Speaking of our guide (whose name was David), he (and all the others working there) were knowledgeable and friendly. My nieces were particularly curious about just about everything in the cave, and he was very patient answering their questions. In between their interruptions, he told us some of the history behind the discovery of the cave and how the various owners over the years had made use of it as an attraction.

More cave formations.

None of the rocks in the cavern actually talk, although previous owners of the cavern thought it would be a great idea to hide speakers in the cave and use them to startle visitors during the tour. This went over about as well as you'd expect, and the whole talking rock idea was abandoned. The current owners opted to avoid frightening people and instead play some music with a bit of a light show for the tour groups, of which I approve.

Our family at the bottom of the cave.

In addition to the cave itself, visitors can explore a nature trail that's about a mile long. There's a few interesting-looking rock formations along the way, and a wooden lookout tower that commands a nice view of the valley where Talking Rocks is located. It mostly goes through fairly thick woods, so I imagine that some wildlife moves through there as well, although I didn't notice anything beyond insects.

View from the lookout tour on the nature trail.

All told, we probably spent 3-4 hours at the Talking Rocks Cavern, and I thoroughly enjoyed it all. Well worth the visit if you're in the area.

The Titanic Museum in Branson

When my family decided to take a short vacation in Branson, Missouri, I must say that a museum dedicated to the Titanic was not something I was expecting to find.

View of the museum as you pull into the parking lot.

Right off the main road through Branson's entertainment strip, at a fairly major intersection, sits the museum. They have signs, but they're not really necessary since the building is modeled to look like the front half of the luxury liner. With an iceberg, of course.

My Titanic passenger - Quigg Baxter.

When you first arrive and get your ticket, they also give you a card with information about a passenger or crew member that was on the Titanic when it went down. After you go through the whole museum, there's a wall near the end that tells you whether your person survived or perished. (Mine didn't make it.) It's a nice little personal touch to give everyone something to think about on the way through.

Cameras aren't allowed once you get inside, so I don't have anything to show of the actual displays. I thought they were very well put together, though. One of the first things you see is a scale model of the entire ship that took two full years to build, for instance. There are lots of artifacts from the Titanic herself or the Olympic, her sister ship. Everyone is given an audio tour handset to listen to as you go through the displays that adds some more information to what is posted.

Completely unrelated to the museum itself - this car, driven by a guy with a full white Santa beard, pulled up as we were waiting to go inside. The toy car key actually turns as the car is moving.

There are details on all the things you'd expect - the ship's size and construction, the three different passenger classes, the crew, details on the fatal crash. One whole room was devoted to the musicians who famously played on as the ship was going down, which I thought was one of the better parts of the entire tour. Lots of details on various individual passengers and crew as well, especially those with relatives who had saved some of their belongings.

And then there are things that I was surprised to see, such as information about the dogs that were on the ship. Apparently the butcher was in charge of keeping them fed and exercised. Impressive detail of research, that is, although I did note that they were unsure of the names or breeds of some of the pooches. There was also a room kept very cold that I assume was meant to give you an idea of what the night of the crash felt like, and an actual ice wall to touch on the way in. A bit overkill, perhaps, but it added some flavor to the experience.

A closer look at the side of the museum building, iceberg and all.

Southern Missouri isn't the first place I think of when the Titanic is mentioned, but I very much enjoyed this particular museum. They've done a good job with the displays and there's plenty of interesting information. Worth a stop if you're in the area.

A Stay in Branson Missouri

My brothers and I met up recently in Branson, Missouri as a sort of mini-family vacation.

They have a nice riverwalk area in downtown Branson.

The very first thing you notice when making your way into Branson for the first time is the traffic, which is always backed up on the main road. (At least, it is during the summer tourist season, when we were there.) Long-term municipal planning was apparently not a high priority when the city got started. The one main road is only a single lane each way, always incredibly crowded, and almost all the major attractions are located along it. Once you're off that road, the rest of the town is pretty widely spread out with lots of empty space between clusters of buildings. It's not a place where you want to run a tight schedule, because getting around is likely to take a while.

Our parents couldn't make it, being in Japan, but they provided the housing at the Wyndham Meadows time-share resort. It's a few miles outside of the downtown strip. The complex is medium-sized as these things go, around forty building sections with a half-dozen units each. There's a recreation center building with various places for games and movie-watching, but the main attraction is five different pools scattered around the complex. The staff was helpful and friendly, and didn't try too hard to sell us on buying into the time-share. Overall I'd say it was a good stay.

View from one of our rooms at the resort.

There was one minor disruption when a thunderstorm came through and knocked out power for a few hours one evening. That's a hazard anywhere in the Midwest, and it was handled fairly quickly. Fortunately it happened in the early evening, so we still had natural light and the heat wasn't too oppressive even without the air conditioning.

Riverboat. It had a paddlewheel for show, but was moving pretty fast.

Branson has a lot of theatre shows of various kinds. Acrobats, magicians, musical acts, illusionists, hypnotists, variety shows...there are advertisements everywhere. Nearly as common are the billboards and other ads for discount tickets. None of our family is has any particular interest in the theatre shows, though, so we looked into some of the other options.

Downtown Branson has the usual assortment of shops and restaurants that you find in many smaller tourist towns across the United States, so we spent an afternoon there. (Highlight: the soda fountain/ice cream place.) There's no lack of restaurant choices on the main strip, either. Fairly wide variety, and the few that we tried during our stay were all good.

This statue was located downtown. No explanation offered.

Since we skipped the theatre shows, that left time for some other attractions. Prominently displayed at a major intersection is the Titanic museum. You can't miss it since the building is shaped like the front half of the famous luxury liner. We also took a half-day trip about a half-hour drive away to the Talking Rock Caverns, and took the tour down into the cave. I enjoyed both, and will likely post some further details another time.

It was hot. This was on the cavern trip, but all the days were similar.

Branson was an interesting place to visit and they certainly have plenty of options for entertainment (especially if you like those theatre shows). It's a bit far away from Michigan to make it a repeat vacation destination for me, but it's certainly worth visiting once.

Happy Father's Day

We are all shaped by our parents, to some extent. In most cases, a very great extent. On this Father's Day, a small part of what my dad has given me. (If this sounds familiar, that's because I said much the same thing on Mother's Day.)

Dad and I have pretty much always looked a lot alike, so I think a lot of my physical genetics came from his side of the family. Medium height and build, glasses, and an unfortunate tendency toward allergies. I've been told that people have even mistaken us from a distance, although that probably wouldn't happen any more due to hair color. 

My dad has always loved music. He has a wonderful singing voice, and loves to play the guitar. I have a lot of childhood memories of family nights of singing and stories. Often Dad would lead worship songs at church as well. I attribute much of my love of music to growing up with so much of Dad's music around me.

Dad is an engineer by trade, spending most of his working life as part of team that built very large buildings (power plants and such). The detail-oriented approach and mathematical skills that made him great at that job were passed on to me, and are the basis of my own academic and professional career in computer science and information technology.

My father is deeply invested in his faith. Not "deeply religious" as such, since that phrase carries the connotation of being devoted to a church. Dad is indeed active with churches and other such organizations, but what I see most in him is the desire to live according to his faith. He's followed Biblical examples in many ways, including working with the homeless and prisoners, and being a missionary to foreign lands. Often things don't work out perfectly, of course, but that doesn't stop my dad from doing what he believes is God's will in his life.

I'm afraid I'll need to also admit to inheriting much of my sense of humor from my dad. The family car rarely passed a graveyard without hearing that "people are dying to get in there," and I don't have time to recount all the puns. Everyone has some bad "dad jokes" they remember from childhood, but I'm sure mine were the worst. (Just like you're sure that yours were.) If anyone has a problem with a terrible joke they heard from me, please direct the blame up a generation to my dad.

On this Father's Day, I'm several thousand miles and many time zones from my dad, so I can't visit in person. Fortunately, technology gives me the means to say "I love you" and "Happy Father's Day" from wherever we each happen to be. Love you, Dad!

Happy Flag Day

In 1777 on June 14th, the Second Continental Congress adopted an official flag for their new country. We in the United States also celebrate the birth of the US Army on this day - that same congress had reached consensus on the army two years earlier.

Flag Day isn't one of the most well-known holidays, but in my family we always paid attention. Not so much for the flag part; more because it happens to be my Mom's birthday. Very fitting that she was born on a day with such historical importance, given how much she loves the subject of history.

For a year or so when I was a kid, my family lived in Baltimore. I don't remember a lot about our time in Baltimore, but a trip we made to Fort McHenry has stayed in my mind. I particularly remember viewing the original Star-Spangled Banner, the flag that was flying over the fort during the Battle of Baltimore. It was that flag which inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that later became our national anthem. I highly recommend it to anyone who has the chance to visit that part of the country.

So happy birthday to my Mom, the US Army, and the official adoption of the US flag. Many happy returns to all three!

Happy Mother's Day

We are all shaped by our parents, to some extent. In most cases, a very great extent. On this Mother's Day, a small part of what my mom has given me. (We'll get to dad later.)

Genetics is the most obvious part of inheritance, though in my case I don't think about those aspects too much. I'm pretty sure mom's side of the family gave my brothers and I a good portion of our height, since we're all taller than either parent, and her dad was a tall man. Thick and dark hair from her side as well. And a tendency toward poor eyesight, although I think both parents may be equally to blame for that one.

Whether dealing with a herd of rambunctious sons, teaching elementary and middle school, or dealing with the many twists of life, my mother has consistently showed amazing patience. I can count on one hand the number of times I remember seeing her truly angry. I know she gets frustrated like anyone else, but most of the time you'd never know it. She's my example when I need to keep my own cool.

I first learned the facts about my faith from my parents. Some of my earliest memories are family Bible story times and songs. (The singing was mostly dad, as one of my mother's few faults is a tendency to be only in the general vicinity of the melody.) More important than the facts, though, was that my parents lived the tenets of their faith through their actions. My mom's patience, empathy, and constant support of everyone around her taught me more about those aspects of life than any Bible story ever could.

My mom is a historian and a fan of trivia. (Which one could argue is the same thing in many cases. Not that I'd ever make such an argument.) My fondness for either of those isn't as deep as hers, but I've certainly been known to watch the occasional Jeopardy episode or play a game of Trivial Pursuit with no outside prompting. I absolutely love historical or alternate-history fiction, which largely depends on knowing the real history on which it is based. Mom instilled the desire to learn that history in me, and to this day I'll go out of my way to find interesting takes on historical events (such as Extra History).

On this Mother's Day, I'm several thousand miles and many time zones from my mom, so I can't visit in person. Fortunately, technology gives me the means to say "I love you" and "Happy Mother's Day" from wherever we each happen to be. Love you, Mom!