Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Wednesday Night Photo Post: Super Chicken


It was overcast and yet the sun was in front of me. Made for a less-than-ideal photo op, but this is the shot. I love the chicken and was happy to see it on a random drive.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Rolling With Sig: Driving "Old" Houston

One of my latest ventures has been reading the columns of Houston Press writer Sigman Byrd. Over fifty years ago, he was walking parts of the city that many would avoid if they could. He made a point of getting to know the people and places that would never make history but made for interesting tales. It was in "The Stroller" that he would recount the misfortunes and good news, the sadness and small victories of people that had the deck stacked against them.

With a map of some of the places mentioned in his columns, I drove parts of the city that I never have need to visit. And it was great. A combination of lovely evening weather, only slightly rude drivers and new neighborhoods put me in a great mood.

One thing I felt closer to was why Sig wrote about a city that was so hard on so many people. I drove unfamiliar roads, and would get to a big intersection and see the towers of Downtown. The skyline was a familiar landmark that would appear in the wide streets only to be hidden by passing trees, run down cottages, abandoned storefronts, taco trucks, churches, factories, etc. Around 7pm, the golden hour took hold, and gave the city some extra warmth. I took the one good picture of the evening, and that was good enough for me. It was the cycle of getting lost and finding a familiar and comforting sight that put me a positive spin on my often terrible sense of direction. While I won't be going through a pair of shoes every couple of months, I hope to put some miles on the car getting acquainted with neighborhoods Sig strolled.







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Also see: Facebook | Sig Byrd's Houston

Friday, May 14, 2010

Cult Cuisine in West Houston

Found on Metafilter, this Houston Press post about dining in a cult-owned restaurant had me smile at the oddness of modern life in general and my city in particular.  It also made me hungry.

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

Houston, Home to Museums of the Odd

I do like this city, it fosters strangeness. And has for sometime. There was the
Hyde Park Miniature Museum, which was in the news in 1947 (St. Petersburg Times), 1974 (Texas Monthly), and 2002 (New York Times). David David (yup, twice) Smiley had a lovely collection of small things and put them on display in his house. NarrowLarry has a nice collection of pix, and his Facebook post was the catalyst for this blog entry.

I've been thinking about some lesser -known museums in Houston, like the Houston Maritime Museum, the newly relocated Police Museum, and the Gulf Coast Museum of Electronics. But the long-gone Hyde Park Miniature Museum definitely looks like a place I would have truly appreciated.