As I quickly prepared for a recent trip my hair brush hit the bathroom light globe and broke it. It was a gross miscalculation as I swung this item into the wicker basket on top of the toilet tank. Angry at my misadventure I have been looking at this debacle for several weeks not knowing what to do. For some reason my usual prompt response for these things has lagged.
It is not that I haven’t tried to fix this dam thing, believe me I have. At one point I even gave myself a strong shock in the process. However, today I have decided I must get this done.
Locating Ron, the condo maintenance man, he easily removed the globe and even took a gander at my computer which I discussed yesterday. After Ron’s assist I took the globe to the big box store and purchased new matching globes. Given directions from the friendly big box store guy I have shut off the breaker and attached two new globes without electrocution.
New Globe
Think I’ll go with messy hair for my next flights.
Chasten is the word of the day. Everyday I look forward to these new words. I love to learn and vocabulary improvement has been on my list for my senior years.
While I know the meaning of chaste it sheds new light on my repetoire. Chasten is to correct by persistent suffering or discipline, to purify, to be humbled.
I chasten equivocally to scrutinize this oneirific feat as I attempt to enhance my volcabulary.
I wonder if there is a daily computer knowledge tip out there. Does anyone know? I could use this as well.
After arriving home I decided it was time to catch up on my financials. Pulling out the folder of receipts I booted up the laptop and inserted Mr. D., my external hard drive.
Once inserted no folders appeared in view. Concerned regarding this finding I shut down the computer and rebooted with the drive inserted. Still no luck. After an hour or so doing several permutations of the like I realized Mr. D. had died.
While I like to say RIP, (rest in peace), I knew my fate and this was not peaceful. Only two years ago I was in the same pickle and knew his demise would mean a trip to the office supply box store and a $400 fee. The last visit I was assured in my upgrade from thumb drive to Mr. D., this situation was resolved.
Don’t you just hate it when computers let you down? I think I’m returning to paper.
While at the San Antonio Museum my daughter heard from several folks regarding my visit and how it was going. Each of them said the same thing, “Take her to Buc-ees.” Unsure what this was about I volunteered to visit the place.
Buc-ees is a mega pit stop area along the highways of Texas and seems to be branching out throughout the South. Outside the store it has 100 or more gas pumps and pet walking areas. The actual store is probably the size of 2 football fields and stocks everything from hunting apparel to baby clothes, fudge to brisket and a wall full of coffee and soda dispensers. Food is ordered on line with computer terminals and they even pay their staff a good wage.
But the best is the bathrooms. There must be 50 stalls on each side that are clean, well equipped and affords enough space for a wheelchair.
So..even if you aren’t hungry, don’t need gas or have to pee, stop in for a look. You won’t believe it. Let’s hope they branch out nationally.
By 3 pm heavy downpours of rain had begun so my daughter and I went into the city to visit the San Antonio Museum of Art. Since HEB, (the famous supermarket), had sponsored a free visit from 4-9 we grabbed an adult beverage at the Emma Hotel.
The Emma Hotel was once a 19th century brewhouse and has been renovated to maintain that atmosphere. The man who owned the brewhouse was murdered by one of his girlfriends and his wife successfully continued the business through prohibition and beyond. San Antonio also has an amazing river walk with many quaint spots, however the rain precluded our outside visits.
At 4 pm we made our way to the museum and what an amazing place that was! As a former New Yorker who is a museum and arts hound I was extremely impressed. Oil money well donated and at work here. There was even a wing donated by Nelson Rockefeller, a descendant of Standard Oil fame, as well as a prominent New York State governor, and our 41st Vice President.
The Museum was formerly the home of Lone Star Brewery and while I enjoyed the Egyptian, Chinese, Greek, European and Latin American art I would have enjoyed a movie on how the building was renovated. It must have been quite a feat.
While I could rattle on about the glories of the Museum a picture is worth a thousand words so will close with these shots. It is a must see…
Thanks, HEB for your generosity. Local folks bring your children here on Tuesday nights 4-9.
Don’t miss the Dale Chihuly ceiling as you leave the museum. It’s breathtaking. One of his finest.
Woke early to do my usual routines and the cleaning of the oven. Since I sprayed it the night before, removal of the grime was an “Easy Off.” The importance of a clean oven is prime for Feng Shui energy and I was pleased to contribute my talents.
After the oven cleaning I took out the trash, walked the dog, and said hello to some of the neighbors. I then got the blender going to make my watermelon juice. Now awake my daughter let me know our plans for the day – San Antonio. What fun!
We started at the hair salon as my daughter needed her roots done. The Mint was an adorable salon with much personality and I viewed many great hair dos as customers departed.
I decided to explore the Southside neighborhood of San Antonio surrounding the salon. What a quaint place filled with brightly colored, well maintained older cottages. My daughter requested iced coffee and she was pleased I found a place for this.
Another interesting neighborhood structure..
Mission Church of San Jose
Roots done we lunched at a neighborhood Mexican restaurant then were off to the Mission of San Jose. This Catholic mission was started by the Spanish who brought these indigenous people into the walled community. At its height in 1750 it held 350 Indians who farmed and herded cattle. While a Spanish territory it was managed by the Franciscans and known as the “Queen of the Missions.”
This magnificent church holds the finest example of baroque architecture in North America, the Rose Window. While on National Park lands the Church remains under the ownership of the local diocese and is an active parish.
Rangers give tours and there is a museum on the grounds.
There are several other mission churches in San Antonio, each with their own style and well worth the visit.
Being told by hotel staff that Houston traffic calms after 9 a.m. I began the last leg of my journey at this time. Katy Freeway is a 7 lane toll road, however, I am still unsure if I have a toll to pay. I caught a glimpse of a sign with the road website and called them. Friendly customer service folks told me to call again in 2 weeks. Huh?
Back to the journey.. And the award for best GPS travel navigator AP extraordinaire is Waze. She brought me directly to my daughter’s home. Thank you, Waze.
Upon arrival and after hugs, kisses and luggage duty we left for Elton John’s Rocketman at a local movie theater. I had brought a turkey and this was placed in the oven before we left for the movie. Elton’s movie was operatic with his songs explaining his life. Different.
Since my daughter is doing bathroom renovations we stopped at a big box store and Habitat for Humanity to check prices after the movie. In discussing the condo upgrades she mentioned the dials on her stove were backwards. Unaware I had placed a turkey in the oven on broil rather than 325 we rushed back to her home where we were met by clouds of black smoke as we opened the door.
Deer along the road
With dinner now blackened and her condo relieved of smoke we headed for a Lockhart barbeque restaurant in Hill Country, Texas. This area of Texas is green and lush with many winery signs dotting the roads we traveled. Dinner was ribs and once completed we explored further finding “Wizard College.” This appeared to be a place where urban professionals train, however, we encountered a couple marrying at their chapel overlooking the hills. Interesting combination.
Ending our day we visited a guy friend of my daughter’s to pick up Mo, the dog. She and her guy friend dog share. Oh, relationships, will we ever understand them?
Our final stop was HEB, the most amazing and probably only supermarket in Texas. With HEB you only need one as they sell just about everything. First on my list, oven cleaner, as repentance for my sins.
After leaving Beauvoir, (French for beautiful view, sorry forgot to mention that), I continued the endless journey. Having a diet coke ice cream float at a fast food place gave me the sugar rush to continue. With Alabama completed and one third of Mississippi down Louisiana would be a breeze or so I thought.
Since it is the summer road construction was vast in every state on route 10. While I’d like to say this hindered my trip it did not. Everyone merrily passed me even in construction zones. Though not a fan of speeding in construction zones I picked up my pace for fear of being trampled. Those Ford trucks sure can move.
Once through Mississippi I was traversing the sole of the Louisiana boot. Route 10/12 was often a bridge over a bayou and I passed through parishes. Since this was a Sunday I wondered where were all these folks going? Maybe to parishes? Bad joke..
With Louisiana bidding me farewell I finally arrived in Texas. Thinking I was near my destination I checked with Auntie Google. Could that be possible another 4 hours to Austin??
Anticipating an 1100 mile journey to Austin for a visit to my daughter I decided to learn how to use the car radio.
I began by attempting to turn the radio on. While it starts arbitrarily as I drive today it did not. I simply could not find “the spot.”
Continuing to fiddle with the radio buttons Sirus radio began to play. Though I had requested this be removed, it wasn’t, so I checked it out. There were various stations offered anywhere from the Beatles to Joel Osteen. Such diversity! No wonder why Howard Stern is worth 70 million dollars.
Eventually I was able to shut Sirus off and locate a “normal” radio station. This was a challenge and don’t ask me how, but I did. Will I ever be able to access the normal radio station again? Who knows, but, I’m sure I’ll be receiving a monthly bill from Sirus until I have 2 hours to figure out how to stop their service.
I think I’ll stick to prayer as I drive. It’s certainly cheaper and definitely has results.
Home today recouping from a root canal. This was a perfect time to take on travel claims as the 800 mg. of Motrin every 6 hours certainly dulled the two pains – one in the mouth and the other in the a–. 🙂
I started with the travel insurance company and found their process a simple, on-line approach. One customer support call was all that was needed as the gal stayed on the line while I traversed their web site.
The next call was to my favorite travel company of which I am a gold member. When I placed my rental car order for my Arizona trip the pick up address was an Air Force Base. Never thinking the office was on base I completed the order. Well, the office was on base and since I lacked military clearance I could not enter the base.
Incurring $38 in Uber fees traveling back and forth from airport to base and back again, I wanted reimbursement for their error. But more than this I asked they amend the site to reflect this information. Others should not have to go through this angst, however, I had forgotten – no good deed goes unpunished.
On this, the fifth call, I totally lost my cool and was an ugly American. By the end of our conversation I had received a $200 credit, a migraine headache and was thankful it was time for more Motrin.
Moral of the story: Get the rental car at the airport.
Young Retiree Needs a Life 