Ivan loves the Solis ladies.But first, we got the news that Gilbert Clarence Wright was born in Columbus, Ohio to his proud parents and our friends Margie and John. Hooray for this year's baby boom. The class of 2026 is going to be off the hook!
Congrats Koehler-Wright Family!Our trip began with our first plane trip with an infant in tow. It went pretty well---in fact Ivan seemed excited by all the engine noise and the occasional bumps.
Glow-baby!
When we landed, we were welcomed by Dali and Gonzalo, the proud abuelos and our hosts in Houston. Ivan cried the entire ride from the airport home which seemed a little rude, but you know babies: they do what they want. We were treated to a great home-cooked meal and a much more relaxed Ivan when we got to the house. The grandparents had a swell time getting reacquainted with their newest grandchild.
Ivan has clearly benefited from his mother's good looks.After determining that Ivan is definitely shaping up to look a little like everyone in his lineage, we settled down to get ready for the first party of the trip: niece Valeria's 15th birthday.
Um, the cake corner?
This was Ivan's first family birthday party, and it was great to introduce him to his super smart and sophisticated cousin and her parents, Narda and Javier, as well as some of the extended family. Ivan seemed to have a special connection with Tio Javier!
It was a great Saturday in Houston with some surprisingly nice weather and good company. Plus, Sasha learned a lot about Texas high school traditions from freshman Valeria---they take Homecoming to a whole new level in the Lone Star State!
Speaking of football, on Sunday we headed over to Chateau Daigrepont to watch a Houston Texans game and enjoy an old-fashioned cook-out. Derek and Rhia recently moved into their new place and adopted an amazingly cute beagle puppy named Bailey. We swung over to our favorite Texas grocer to pick up some provisions for the cook-out and had to tear ourselves away from Central Market's bounty.
Meats!
We saw the gang again later that week for a Rockets preseason game thanks to Sergio's pal Tony who very generously arranged for the most family-friendly sporting outing ever. We had box seats with nursing/napping friendly sofas and a stocked fridge --- Sasha and Ivan were in hog heaven, and happily, the Rockets beat the Spurs to make for a perfect evening.
Clutch City in the house!
Ivan charms the Power Dancers. And their weird hosiery.Typically, we spent a lot of our time chasing down meals while we were in Houston. We had our hearts set on eating hometown favorites that we couldn't find in Mexico City. We went to Treebeard's, a cafeteria that specializes in Southern and Cajun dishes, and had some great red beans and rice.
The neatest thing about the place is its location in a beautiful church downtown. It is only open for lunch and fills up early with office workers.
Dude, get a new shirt.While we were downtown, we noticed all of the skyscrapers with boarded-up windows still waiting for repair after Hurricane Ike. In general, several weeks after the storm there was still a lot of damage to see from the hurricane and everyone we met had a story to tell about days or even weeks without power. No small thing to be without air conditioning or refrigeration in this steamy city!
But by the time of our visit, it was business as usual for Houstonians. And for us that meant a shopping, driving, eating free-for-all. Early in our trip we scheduled a fun lunch with Sergio's cousin Monica who met us at an Italian-style deli in Rice Village.
Monica had some wild stories about bailing water out of her house for hours during the storm, and then waiting weeks for an AWOL insurance adjuster to get the ball rolling on fixing it all up. Fingers crossed for Monica and her adorable house!
On another afternoon, we took time out to try some po boys and gumbo. We gave the food an average grade, but were definitely thrilled with the giant fountain Dr. Peppers on a hot sticky Houston day.
Never pass on gumbo...Other highlights of the week included Sergio reliving his high school glory days with a turn on his friends' trivia team Monday night at a classy spot called the Velvet Melvin. The guys came from behind to finish second which won them assorted promotional vodka gear including a snappy little outfit for Sasha that she will never, ever wear. Second place is even more impressive when you know that the winners featured a girl these fellas went to middle school with who is actually employed writing trivia questions (yeah, wow). And perhaps disturbingly, Ivan seemed the most relaxed at the saloon--he dozed dreamily in the smoke-free icehouse environs and even seemed a little disappointed when it was time to go home.
We spent a lot of our time shopping for things to mail back to ourselves in Mexico: chocolate chips, peanut butter, our favorite drugstore goodies, etc. We also managed to eat barbecue, thai food and pizza. Not a spot of culture on our schedule at all: somehow we managed to bump our trip to the Menil in favor of the Galleria.
But maybe The Galleria is the soul of Houston after all? It is one heckuva mall, that's for sure. While we were there Sergio managed to accidentally try on a remarkable Italian suit that made him look like George Clooney and that only cost twice as much as what we sold Sasha's car for (seriously). It kind of spoiled us for suit shopping the rest of the week.
We know it is hard times out there what with the financial crisis and all, but our overall impression of Houston was still one of SUVs, gated communities, and the most fantastic cosmetics salespeople in the world (thank you Neiman Marcus ladies!)
Up next is the Corpus Christi trip report...
1 comment:
yes leigh, they DO do blond well. i heartily endorse a salon called SOLUTION in River Oaks and a dude named Mario. Loved him and he confirmed that there's no such thing as too blond in Houston Texas...
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