Winter Texan Report

This past Friday, it was a month ago since we left for Reading Week break in Texas. I managed to post an album on Facebook, which sounds pretentious--it was only a handful of pictures--except that my point is I didn't totally blow off reporting responsibilities.

Friday, Feb 13th

• We had breakfast at Ottawa Int'l Airport after clearing customs. We confirmed, once again, that airport restaurants serve food that is expensive and substandard in taste, accompanied by tableware and utensils that we're pretty certain is not recyclable. They should pursue the potato starch-based options, like the UofM.
  
• Flew Ottawa to Philadelphia. Our flight from Philly to Houston was to depart around 12:30pm; however, the plane coming from Houston suffered a setback, so our flight was delayed for 2 hours. Consequently, we had to reschedule our Houston to McAllen flight. We were confirmed for flights at 9:30pm, but put on standby for 7:30pm.
  
• Spent the extra hours in Philadelphia Airport having lunch, purchasing and working on a book of Sudoku puzzles, people-watching, and pretending to read.
  
• Flight finally left for Houston around 3pm. Fortunately for us, some people didn't make it to the gate, so we got on the earlier flight and were in McAllen by 8:45pm. From there it was only a half-hour drive to Weslaco.

home, home on the range...minus deer & antelope...plus Shih Tzu

Saturday, Feb 14th

• Dad C. prepared a gourmet breakfast on the outdoor grill. Then Mom C. took James and me to the outlet mall in Mercedes. Over a buffet lunch at Lin's, we decided to drive across the border to Nuevo Progresso.
  
• Progresso: Unlike Dec 2004, this time I wasn't battling a cold virus, so the smells of vanilla, cinnamon, and chocolate mingling with those of refried beans and jalapeño peppers didn't overwhelm me; in fact, they made hardly an impression at all. Didn't see any mangy dog this time, either. The street vendors are very persuasive: "Dentist? Manicure? Pedicure? Botox?" Hmm, guess I am beginning to look my age. Not sure I'd feel comfortable undergoing medical procedures there, but that doesn't deter a number of individuals (presumably because they don't enjoy health care coverage in their own native land). It was still just as heart-breaking to hear the kids calling out for "pesos, pesos," and see their hands thrust through openings on the side of the bridge.
  

Sunday, Feb 15th

• I finally learned firsthand what IHOP stands for (International House of Pancakes). The pancakes there were even better than the frozen Eggo kind. In the afternoon, James and his dad played a round of 9-hole golf. I tagged along to enjoy the pleasant, if windy and overcast, outdoors. We returned for a delicious supper of chicken cacciatore, rice, veggies, and salad.

Monday, Feb 16th

• In the morning, the parents C. took us to old McAllen for some browsing. Lunch at the Olive Garden was splendid. We made a run to Wal-Mart in the afternoon. A leisurely paced day that ended out on the patio with fistfuls of popcorn in front of the chiminea.

Tuesday, Feb 17th

• Dad C. MC'd the opening ceremonies of the shuffle tournament. Then he and James humored me by stopping at the Weslaco Post Office to allow me to send off a few postcards and buy more U.S. stamps. Then the three of us trucked off to South Padre Island. This was the first of only two really sunny days that we experienced.
• Lunch at Dirty Al's was a one-of-a-kind experience. (The reviews on TripAdvisor run the gamut.) It's very popular with snowbirds; however, with the money he's theoretically pulling in, Dirty Al might want to consider upgrading his décor (the tables are the plastic kind you'd get from Superstore for extra seating at Christmas) and adding more washrooms (the line to use the women's facilities was longer than the line waiting to be seated in the mess hall).
• Bay fishing was next on the agenda. One couple in the party brought the youngest puppy in the county with them; it looked as though its eyes could have opened just that morning. I was so glad when they went to sit inside (what's the equivalent of an airplane's cockpit on a boat?); it was really windy, and I was beginning to think the little critter might die of hypothermia. The men fished; I observed. I sat on the top deck with two other wives of fishermen, and got some sun. I looked ridiculous in my EarthTech baseball cap, but it was a necessary evil, since pelicans and seagulls were hovering over us, making the most of every opportunity to swoop down and snatch shrimp out of the boat's bait trays. We caught glimpses of dolphins in the distance, but they eluded my itchy camera finger.

The Indiana Jones & Son of Dolphin Docks' Bay Fishing

Wednesday, Feb 18th

• Happy Birthday to my husband! On our second day of sunshine, the two of us returned to Port Isabel and South Padre Island. We toured the lighthouse and two museums at the Port, and then went to Blackbeard's for lunch. We spent a few hours on the beach at Isla Blanca Park on the south end, then drove up to where the highway ends on the north end. We returned to our home away from home to find that Mom C. had baked her "baby" a chocolate cake. Mmm, chocolate.

Port Isabel lighthouse

The Queen Isabella Memorial Causeway, built in 1974. The "Memorial" part of the name was added after a barge hit the causeway in 2001, resulting in the loss of 8 lives due to the collapse of a section of the bridge.
(photo taken from top of lighthouse)

South Padre shoreline

Thursday, Feb 19th

• Slow day. James did a disappearing act. (Technically, he was playing the good son and restoring his parents laptop to functioning order.) Mom C. and I walked over to the shuffle courts to watch some of the action. Bought groceries at Wal-Mart (one of those huge, Texas super-sized Wal-Marts). Indulged in enchiladas and burritos for supper. (They were not authentic, but who cares? they were good.)

Friday, Feb 20th

• Mom C.'s birthday! James & I squeezed in a second breakfast at the IHOP before making a last-ditch effort to hunt down some souvenirs. Returned to Wal-Mart for more groceries for the BBQ party Mom C. had organized for about 40 people. The BBQ was a success; good food, good company.

Saturday, Feb 21st

• Back to the airport. We were supposed to fly McAllen → Houston → Washington → Ottawa. We got to McAllen by 7:45am, and made it to Houston just fine. However, in light of a delay in Houston, our plans changed. Thanks not to the woman behind the counter, but the man whose name I vowed I would remember to my dying day and promptly forgot, we--and our luggage, no less!--were re-routed to Chicago → Ottawa. The moving sidewalks in the O'Hare airport are the coolest things. We arrived in Ottawa a little after midnight.

Other than a few too many close encounters with airports, it was all good. Even if the sun didn't shine brightly, it was still a week of shorts weather.