Another Road Trip!! Houston!!

Well it was Memorial Day weekend and Terry and I were on the road again. We decided this time to check out Houston. It's a very easy 4 hour trip from Dallas on interstate 45, so it was the perfect distance for a quick jaunt on a long weekend. Well we really didn't quite know what to expect from Houston. We both had talked to people at work about what they thought of Houston. It is so funny because everyone here in Dallas would say "Why on earth do you want to go to that big dirty city" and "It's too hot and humid there, and the traffic is a nightmare!" We quickly learned that most people here in Dallas don't have a high opinion of Houston. Of course we're brave and head on down there anyhow. It was a great trip there. Sunny skies and 90 degree temps. Our Garmin GPS unit got us right to our hotel in the West University area (next to Rice University) near downtown Houston. Wow Houston does have an impressive skyline. It definitely rivals Dallas in size. I must say we actually had alot of fun over the weekend. Houston really wasn't that much different than Dallas. Yes is was Hot and Humid (96 degrees, 70-80% Humidity) but so was Dallas when we left. Honestly we couldn't really tell we were in a different city except it had more palm trees and tropical flowers. It was just as big and dirty as Dallas is, and the traffic was crappy like Dallas too. We ventured over to the Montrose Area in Midtown Houston (the Gay District.) and had a great time. We found a fabulous Vietnamese restauruant with a gorgeous patio, and also found the best Mexican restaurant in Houston. We checked out the nightlife in Houston (Montrose) and had a blast. Nothing like a hot, steamy, summer night to go hang out on the club patios and people watch and chat with new friends. (It's crazy but it does not cool off at night here in Texas. If it's hot and humid in the day it's still hot and humid at night!) I had to laugh when we told the guys in Houston what the people in Dallas say. They all laughed and said "ya that sounds like typical Dallatude." and "well you know people in Dallas are snobby and look down their nose at us in Houston." The people were very friendly and fun. So I'm glad we didn't listen to all the Dallas people and their "Dallatude" and went to Houston. We had a great weekend in suprisingly fun, and vibrant Houston. The only bad thing we had happen was when we tried to go to Galveston to the beach. Apparantly everyone else in Houston decided that heading to the beach would be a good idea too on Sunday. Well it all ended up in a nightmare traffic jam and we were stuck for an hour going nowhere. So well we turned around and drove back into town, and of course went antique shopping. So I guess we have a reason to go back because we didn't get to go to the beach. Anyhow we had a fun time over Memorial Day weekend. I learned a good lesson too about how important it is to explore and form your own opinions about things. If you listen to everyone else and don't find out for yourself, you could miss out on something fun. Now for the pictures. (I didn't have my camera on me alot, and unfortunately only got a couple pictures.)

The Houston Skyline

At the port of Houston it's nothing but Oil and Gas refineries on the Skyline

Here we have "Mary's" the oldest gay bar in Houston. Yes the interior is just as scary as the outside. If your from Salt Lake just think of the "RC!!" Terry and I didn't hang around very long here, (SCARY!!!)

Spring Cleaning

Oh my heck it's been a couple weeks since I posted a blog. Well it seems it was time for some spring cleaning. Todd, Bill, Terry, and I all decided to have a garage sale and get rid of some of our junk. Todd had a friend from work who brought alot of her stuff over, and we had a neighbor of Todd and Bill also donate a ton of furniture from her mom's house to sell (loved those lime green parlor chairs from the 70's!!!). I must admit I was never a big garage seller before. I've done a couple of them now, and it is absolutely amazing that other people will buy my junk!! But I must say our junk was WAY nicer than the other garage sale's around. I mean seriously when 4 gay men get rid of their stuff it's usually good stuff, and nice clothes. We did pretty well and sold ALOT of our stuff. I did have a good laugh when one of the first things to sell was Todd's Dorothy and Wizard of Oz metal luchbox. This gay couple freaked out when they saw it, and snatched that bad boy off the table before the spanish ladies got to it. I have to admit it is fun to interact with all the different people who stop by to look at stuff. We had a ex-cop stop by on his Harley and tell us stories. We tried to get these 2 funny african american ladies (with fake orange hair extensions) to buy stuff and they kept saying their husbands would kill them if they bought any more. There was a darling Mexican Mom and girls all dressed up in dresses. Of course Terry was showing all three wide eyed little girls how to play the slot machine that was for sale. I think the mom was so thrilled that her little girls learned to run the slots at a garage sale. Anyhow it was fun and we did okay (we lost the price battle for a fabulous complete wicker living room furniture set, darn man and his 50 bucks!!!!!).

garage sale in full swing (can't get the kids off the slot machine!!!)

Priscilla, Karen, Todd and Bill chatting it up.

Bill and I doing some SERIOUS supervision

Todd's son Ryan and Terry doing first aid on the Jeep that got "bit" by a pole.

You might be a redneck if you fix your car right next to your garage sale.

Cleaning up the stuff left ( orange lamps anyone???)

On a side note:

Our super fun friend JP from Bountiful came by Dallas and spent a day with us. We had tons of fun giving him the whirlwind tour of Dallas. Of course JP was breaking hearts all over the city of Dallas.

JP and Terry