us, we just have to take the time to see it! I had an awesome day yesterday, just incredible.
It all started with a Patriot Guard mission to escort Spc. Eric Salinas from the airport to the funeral home. I didn’t exactly prepare well and left the trailer too late to get there on time. So I was, shall we say, going a little bit above the speed limit in my attempt to arrive on time. Well, guess what happened? Yep, I had to say hello to one of Houston’s finest.
He walks up to me and asks me why I’m in such a hurry. I start to get out my license and insurance, telling him what I was doing. I guess he noticed the flag and thought it was legitimate because he told me, sir, next time you should leave a little earlier so that you don’t have to speed. Now follow me and we’ll get you there. And off he went, with me behind him, escorting me to the escort of Spc. Salinas. He turned off at the airport, didn’t catch his name. Thanks.
The mission took a little longer than I anticipated and it was around noon before I finished. And I was all the way on the other side of the world, about an hour and a half from the plantation. So, instead of wasting the time to get back there, knowing that it was a slow day, I decided to go all the way home without getting on a freeway or highway.
Had a blast. Went through neighborhoods that I haven’t been through in years. Drove around Irviington Village, once one of the worst projects in town. Wow, have they remade that place. It looks very clean, even on the back side. The neighborhood looks to be transitioning to Hispanic from black, little shops abound. There are also a lot of people selling used clothes from their fences and porches.
I also found this little sitting area.
And I can’t remember if this place on North Main used to be one of the Princes Burger places or a Poppa Burger, but we used to go there once in a while as kids.
Traveling on, I found this old house that had been converted to a store and washateria.
Then I realized I didn’t have a picture of Minute Maid park, so I corrected that.
As I was driving around waiting for a train to pass off Harrisburg, I rode over to Canal St. and saw this mural. We used to go as a family into this neighborhood to get treats at the Mexican bakeries when I was a kid. This mural always fascinated me.
After the mural, I saw this dress outside a dressmaker’s shop.
Finally, the heat got to me and I stopped for lunch. Where else when you are on a trip down memory lane but the Dinner Bell, corner of Lawndale and Wayside. Been going there for years and years, Pop went there long before I was a twinkle in his eye. And I think this lady has been there that long as well. She no longer works on Sunday’s, so I thought she must have retired.
From Dinner Bell, took Lawndale all the way into North Pasadena. I think I rode through sewage under a train trestle, yuk. As I turned onto Richey, I remembered an old cemetery that we used to go to late at night to try to scare ourselves. Turns out that Crown Hill Cemetary was first established in 1906 and the first person to be buried there was E.P. Pomeroy, who died on October 24, 1906. That little Panasonic DMC-TZ1 is awesome.
And as I rode away from the cemetery, I glanced over Little Vince Bayou.
Like I said, beauty is everywhere! Look around and enjoy life. I am.
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