Texas Trip -- a first telling

Dragon Mood? -- introspective

I want to post about my trip to Texas before too much more time goes by.

It was a far better trip than I had ever imagined. I actually had some misgivings about the trip because 1) I'm not out to my aunt and uncle, 2) I don't share their profound embracing of Christian "values" (whatever the hell that means these days), in general, and the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, in particular, and 3) I didn't know how much they may have aged or their house smell like "old people" since the last time I visited. I was a little nervous.

I got to the airport with time to spare. Ruth had to literally run from her Virginia flight in order to catch our flight to Houston. Whew! That was a little too close for comfort!

We drove into Port Arthur, following Mapquest, and eventually got lost. Actually, we just didn't go far enough on Jefferson/Stadium Road. We were driving through a neighborhood that looked rundown and filled with hand-painted signs that said "Mercado" or "Farmacia." We thought we were lost. Actually, it was an indication of how things have changed in Port Arthur, including my aunt and uncle's neighborhood . . . and also a forerunner of some events of the weekend.

Aunt Doris had to literally "talk us in" to their driveway. She welcomed us with outstretched arms, lots of hugs and an invitation to "come on in, are ya'll thirsty?"
We sat out on their porch, a large, rambling kind of a room with mismatched furniture, a very informal "outdoor" kitchen (Uncle Hemie's kitchen) and we talked. And we talked. We talked about recent events in the family, and not-so-recent events, stretching back for a number of years. We settled in for another drink and more talking.

They fixed Ruth and I a yummy dinner of grilled ribeye steaks, (handshelled) creamed peas (not at all like the canned ones), sweet corn from the farm, scrumptious pickles (also from the farm), a tossed salad with fresh avocado and fried apples. That didn't include dessert which, as I recall, we put off until Sunday afternoon! I was stuffed!

Ruth and I settled into their guest bedroom, replete with a four-poster bed (cannonball style), the circa-50s white cotton bedspread and four thoroughly broken-in pillows. We laid in bed, just like we were ten and twelve again, and talked for at least an hour after Doris and Hemie had gone to bed. That felt great!