Pic(s) Of The Day - 07.18.15 - Saturday In The Park

I was my mother's envoy to a wedding at St. Theresa Catholic Church which is located in Memorial Park. My cousin Roseanna's daughter was the bride. There was a small contingent from Ft. Worth that traversed to Houston, including my sister who took the family photo.

06.19.15 - Memorial Park

So...I decided to take a walk around Memorial Park. They're doing some renovations and there is a master plan that is being worked on. One of the new editions is the running center which is closer to the railroad tracks. It's been there about a year. It's nice but I think I was expecting more. At least there is additional parking.

Pic Of The Day 04.26.14

What's up Butter Cup?  I was at a stop light at Memorial Park and saw this lone Butter Cup.

Pic Of The Day - 04.04.14

I was in meeting all day on Friday.  The room didn't have any windows.  It was a beautiful day.  And because I was another side of town, I knew I wouldn't be able to let Calvin out at lunch time so doggy daycare it was!

When I picked him up I decided not to take him directly home.  Instead we went to Memorial Park for his evening stroll. 

The Calvinator

On March 31, 2004, I was in Jacksonville, FL, on a business trip.  I was flew home that night and arrived at Houston-Intercontinental Airport around 9:00PM.

From the airport, I drove to Sugar Land.  It's approximately 50 miles and something you really don't want to do when you're tired.

I went to Sugar Land to get Calvin.  His owner was giving me custody.  At that point in my life, I really hadn't planned on having a dog; my travel schedule was busy.  However, I had been offered the opportunity to have Calvin come live with me and I knew that somehow I would make it work.  And it did.

Jim's brother John was able to help me by staying at my place and keeping an eye on Calvin.  It seems that they both enjoyed the company.

Calvin has brought me more joy than heart ache.  There were times that I had questioned what I was doing with a dog but the companionship is priceless.  We've been through quite a bit together: the 27 hour drive from Houston to Fort Worth during the evacuation of Hurricane Rita; living through and dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike; going back and forth to Fort Worth in the Fall of 2011 when my dad was ill and then died.

Calvin's health was in question in the Fall of 2012 and I was sure he was going to die.  He bounced back (and my bank account took a hit) and is still full of energy even though he sleeps quite a bit more.  He is definitely a lucky dog.

Calvin was four when he came to live with me.  So he is getting up there in age.  I don't know how much longer he will be with me and I really try not to think about it.  We'll enjoy the time together.

The last thing I will say about him is that he brings quite a bit of joy and many smiles to people including people who don't know him.  I remember one day at Memorial Park a guy with a thick Scottish accent said something to us.  I asked him to repeat it and he said, "That is one happy dog."

So, in honor of the day that Calvin came to live with me, Calvin and I had cupcakes from Sprinkles.  Let's hope their are many more cupcakes in our future!

Pic(s) Of The Day - 03.30.14

I didn't mean for it to be aTexan kind of day but it was.  I drove through Memorial Park and 
stumbled across a relay ruin. I think it's called the Texas Relay and it starts at Goliad and ends at the San Jacinto Monument or maybe it doesn't and I made that up?  I think I'm 50% correct. 

So... one of the pit stops hand-off stations one in the park.  There was a slight breeze so the flags were flying. 

As I was leaving the park area, I noticed some beds of Bluebonnets.  It is that time of the year!

Photo Journal: January 27, 2010

Recently, a new pedestrian bridge was opened at Memorial Park. This is a pic that I snapped of the cars traveling west on Memorial Drive.

Photo Journal: January 12, 2010

Trying to play catch up here. And yes, I have been taking at least one photo a day.

I met runnerOne at Memorial Park at 5:45A.M....yes, as in the wee hours of the morning...as in before the sun comes up. The running trail at the park is lit and this it what it looks like early in the morning...because I know most Houstonians have no clue what it looks like.

Sunday In The Park With Calvin

Things have been a bit crazy-busy since the Christmas holidays. Preparing for the high holy season of Mardi Gras always takes a toll on the house getting cleaned, laundry washed-dried-folded, blogging and keeping in touch with friends.

Additionally, quality time with Calvin is almost non-existent. He loves going to Memorial Park so today (before his least favorite past-time of taking a bath) we went to the park.

It has been windy here in the Bayou City and the temperature dropped to the 30s last night. However, it was sunny today and even though there was a nip in the air, we went to the park.

Calvin loves to have the wind blow through his hair fur. In one photo, you will see that he plopped himself down and acted like he was auditioning for The Lion King.

I've also included photos of a few azaleas from Attyhou's yard. They were taken on Saturday before the cold snap happened. Not sure how they fared overnight.

Friday In The Park With Calvin

You talkin' to me?

I'm not just sayin' this because he is mine but I swear Calvin is part human. He is tempermental. He is moody. He is funny. He is an escape artist. He is a dog that attracts quite a bit of attention. Calvin wags his tail to the beat of his own drummer.

Many times at Memorial Park people will stop and ask me about him. After our walks we usually cool off and rest in the jungle gym area. People will walk up, ask his name and then ask if they can pet him. He obliges them. Men and women love to hug on The Calvinator.

Today at Memorial Park Calvin proved that he isn't just any other dog struttin' his stuff.

SIDEBAR: Calvin does strut. He wags his butt with the confidence of a bodybuilder.

We were chillin' out in the jungle gym area and there was a kid sitting near us. The kid would hit his hand on the bench to try and get Calvin's attention. He did this several times and Calvin refused to look in his direction. So then the kid said, "Hey dog. Hey. Dog." Calvin wouldn't even turn around.

I politely tell the kid that his name is Calvin. So the kid says, "Hey Calvin." Calvin got up and walked over to the kid and gave the kid some sugar and let the kid pet him.

A few minutes later when we were leaving there was a guy who had just finished running asked me about Calvin's breed. Calvin was ignoring the guy as we talked until the guy asked me his name. When he said Calvin's name he turned around. The guy leaned over and Calvin was licking all over his face. The guy thought it was sweet but I knew it was the salt in his sweat that Calvin was going after.

Speaking of dogs...

While we were at the park, we saw Midtown/Montrose David, Neighbor Nina and Upper Kirby Steven. While I was talking with Upper Kirby Steven some dogs were approaching that were out of Calvin's line of vision. All of a sudden he jumps up and starts his whimpering and whining which lead to this topic of discussion...

Do dogs have dogdar? You know, like radar or gaydar? Just askin'.

P P Wednesday

pet peeve

Function: noun
Date: circa 1919
: a frequent subject of complaint

1. People at Memorial Park who walk or run left when they should be walking or running right.

2. People who stop in the middle of the running trail at Memorial Park and decide to have a chat.
3. People who don't clean their table at Starbucks on Memorial Drive.

4. People who plan a first time event and deem it 1st Annual. OK. It's not a 1st annual event. It is an inaugural event.

5. People at FIT who will sit in the parking lot waiting for a parking spot near the door. Uh...you're going to the gym to exercise. Will it hurt you to walk across the parking lot?

6. People who read their Blackberry during Mass.

T 'n T (This and That for June 8, 2008)

UPDATE: OK. A few days ago, I posted this. I probably won't know anything until sometime this week. I don't want to tell you what is going on (it's not a health issue so don't fret) because I am so afraid of jinxing myself. I even picked up a penny tonight in the church parking lot. Just keep good vibes coming my way. Thanx.

Heights Fun Run: Yesterday was an anniversary of sorts. AttyHou and I did The Heights Fun Run. I told the story a few months ago about what we did 11 years ago prior to the run.

As expected, it was hot and humid. I did OK. My PR for a 5K is 23:58 and I did that back in 2000 or 2001. Trust me. I wasn't near 23:58 yesterday. I'm not as young and thin as I was back in 2000 & 2001.

I saw but didn't have a chance to speak to Running For Gold. I've never met him but I keep up with his running prowess. He was probably cooled off and in his car on his way home by the time I crossed the finish line all hot and sweaty.

I know it sounds like I was miserable but it was fun. It did make for a long day though. You see...
I had to get up early to take The Calvinator for his morning stroll prior to the run. After the run, I did a weight workout then it was time for Calvin's mid-day stroll at the park, then I went to AttyHou and Everyday Italian's to sit out by the pool. Then we went to a wonderful soiree at Joel & Arnold's in the 009.

I guess I got home around 1130p and then passed out on the couch. I woke up around 330a and went to bed.

Don't Get Around Much Anymore: Last night at the soiree, I spoke with several people that I haven't seen in a long time. There was a period of time in my life when I was out and about Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Sometimes, I'd throw in a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday just for good measure. Don't forget those Sunday brunches at La Strada!

I'm not sure what happened. I know cigarette smoke started bothering me. I really didn't like coming home from being out and smelling like I had been in a bar even though I had been in a bar. Also, I started getting more involved in organizations and associations. Plus, there was a period when I was doing quite a bit of business travel so when I was in Houston, I wanted to just stay home.

During the period of me being out and about I did meet quite a few nice people and last night I saw several who said the same thing, "I don't go out much anymore." What none of us said: "We're old, bitter, jaded, cynical and alcohol sodden." LOL It was good to see some old familiar faces.

Show Dog (not Showgirls): Last week I took The Calvinator for his summer cut. He looks really cute with his lion coiffure. Well ever since then, people keep wanting to pet him or they smile at him ('cause I know it ain't me they're smiling at), etc.

Today we went for a 27 minute walk at Memorial Park and we were sitting in the jungle gym area cooling off. (The Tim-o-meter guesses it was in the low 90s.) One guy comes over and wants to pet Calvin. Then another guy comes over and asks, "What is his breed?" I replied, "He is a mix of Wheaten Terrier and something else." He says, "He looks like a show dog."

No one has ever given him THAT kind of compliment. It made my day. The comment was lost on Calvin.

Tagged: Idle Random Thoughts has tagged me. At least she didn't tag me for HNT (Half Naked Thursday) or Nude Vlog like some bloggers have done to each other! So here are my answers:

4 Jobs I've Held:
Waiter
Shoe salesperson
Bank teller
University Director of Admission

4 Movies I Could Watch Over and Over:
Young Frankenstein
Dick
Camp
Unzipped

4 Places I Have Lived:
Haltom City, TX
Fort Worth, TX
San Antonio, TX
Houston, TX

4 TV Shows I Like:
Top Chef
Amazing Race
Ugly Betty
Today Show

4 Things I Do Everyday:
Shower (usually more than once)
Walk Calvin
Go to Starbucks
Read blogs

4 Favorite Foods:
Mexican (from just about anywhere)
Annie Marie's homemade rum cake that my parents ship to me from Ft. Worth
cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, swiss, smoked gouda...just to name a few)
Jambalaya (made by me)

4 Places I'd Rather Be:
San Diego
Sydney
New Orleans
in a big house (not the big house) on a beach surrounded by friends and Calvin

Hello

OK. Yes. I know. I've been a bit quiet. Not much to say about anything.

It's getting hotter here in H-town. It's so hot (how hot is it?), The Calvinator is cutting his walks short. Seriously. When he has had enough and is ready to turn around he just stops and digs in and won't move. It's sort of like trying to get a mule to budge.

I went running this morning a bit before 800a.m. and it was already in the low 80s. In fact, when we went for our morning stroll at 630a.m. it was already 83 degrees and the humidity was high. I'm one of those people who sweats like a whore in church (no comments please) and I just can't understand those lizard people who don't sweat.

This morning as I was finishing up my 5 mile jaunt at Memorial Park, I saw a familiar face...well, familiar from his blog. It was Active Runner. I had about 1/2 a mile to go and REALLY wanted to finish so I didn't stop to chat him up. I think I surprised him though.

So I showered and went and did some weights and worked up another sweat. And showered again.

Then later on I went to AttyHou and Everyday Italian's pool and was joined by Neighbor Michael. At this point the temperature was in the 90s. OY! I didn't last long because I was sweating like a whore at The Vatican. So yes, I showered...again.

I must ask. Is it normal to take three showers in one day? Am I bordering on OCD or am I OCD?

So that's what's on my mind tonight...well that and whole bunch of other stuff that you may or not may not be interested in, like:

1) I can't figure why gas is so high in Houston when the f_cking refineries are right down the road in Texas City, La Porte and Deer Park? I'm just saying.

2) Is it normal to have a job interview at 800a on Memorial Day? Is this some kind of test?

3) I finally had to look up the words to 4 Minutes and I still don't understand part of it and I'm laughing at myself for not incorrectly singing some of the lyrics. (Lyrics I don't understand: "Keep it up, keep it up, don't be a pri..")

4) I'm wondering if Candy Shop will be remixed?

5) I don't think Betty Suarez went to Tuscon (with Henry) or Rome (with Gio). If she was going to marry Henry, that would mean she has to leave Mode and there goes the whole show. Plus, she would want her family at the wedding. I think she is afraid of Gio because she knows she belongs with him. I think she went on a trip to Mexico to visit family and get her head together.

And while I'm on the subject of Ugly Betty, did anyone else LOL when Naomi Campbell pulled out her cell phone and everybody took cover? And poor Hilda. She gets a hunkalicious love interest only to find out he is still married.

6) Did anyone watch The Bachelorette? Deanna was in her own Candy Shop. My assumption is that they don't let the guys eat any food and then do a vodka drip so the alcohol can go directly into their bloodstream. And the guy who didn't get picked and was howling at the moon? Uh...LOL

I hope everyone is having a safe and fun holiday weekend!

Ramblings of a Stuffy Nose, Coughing Throat & Caffeinated Mind 10.1

Blogger Meets Blogger

I haven't been running or working out. I haven't been feeling too perky. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood so I decided to stroll over to the Tennis Center at Memorial Park and get some type of physical exercise today. I thought it was 1.5 miles but that is just to the edge of the park. According to Map My Run it's about 2.2.

Anywho, I found out that Brettcajun was in H-town this weekend playing tennis. It's always cool to meet a fellow blogger.

Had some difficulty getting to him because there were tennis balls flying everywhere and gates and fences. Finally made the connection.

He had commented in his blog that he likes Texas. It got me to thinking how much I like Louisiana and the folks that live there. I seem to relate better to the people of southern Louisiana...nothing against the northern folks, OK? Maybe it is the Gulf Coast connection or the I-10 connection or just the laid back attitude and overall friendliness of the people.

So here we are outside of the Tennis Center. He looks good. I have crows feet and I look like I don't have a chin or a neck. I really do! I really, really do!

Flowers

Here are flowers that are blooming in NoRO. Kinda pretty.

Things that make you go hmmm

So the other day I was out walking The Calvinator and I thought I saw a tumbleweed. We don't get tumbleweeds in NoRO.

Upon further inspection and before Calvin peed on it, I realized it is a Christmas tree. Someone has been storing this in their house since November/December and they're JUST tossing it out? So they just threw it in the street. Hmmm

Ramblings Of A Caffeinated Mind 9.6

Last Night
I went to a party last night for supporters of Equality Texas. It was at a hacienda in River Oaks and it was a very nice evening. This event was competing with a Hillary rally but it was still a good turnout.

Many familiar faces and friends in the crowd including Str8 Up With A Twist readers: Kenny In Montrose, AttyFrank, Steve In Montrose, & Timbergrove Shane. The Mesteller-Reeves entourage was en masse which is always fun. Fellow Legacy Board members were there as well as a couple of politicos (Ellen Cohen & Garnet Coleman). And of course The Most Handsome Man In Houston was there (a title that was bestowed upon him by me and AttyHou a few years ago).

The wine flowed freely and the more freely it poured the more lively the conversations. At some point, most of my (scott) Mesteller conversations get around to Pet Shop Boys (PSB)...and it happened again last night. It had actually started in the car with Upper Kirby Steven when we were listening to Losing My Mind and once again I brought up the Liza version. We agreed it is a bit creepy.

So as I'm reliving the pre-defensive driving Screwdriver cocktails story with (scott) Mesteller it turns out that Upper Kirby Steven is a big PSB fan too! We're everywhere I tell ya. I'm willing to bet we're 10% of the population. It was a very fun evening.

February 29
from Time and Date
A leap year is a year in which one extra day has been inserted, or intercalated, at the end of February. A leap year consists of 366 days, whereas other years, called common years, have 365 days.

Trail Rides
Today, my little corner of NoRO will have horses and chuck wagons coming through it. I'm not kidding ya folks. It will start around 12 noon.

Of the 12 trail rides, 3 will almost be at my doorstep and as much as I enjoy seeing the contrast of the Old West to Modern Houston, it messes up traffic. At least I'll be prepared for it this year and won't try to be out and about.

The Calvinator doesn't like horses so I won't be taking him to watch. Listed below is information about the history of the trail rides. The three in blue are the three that will almost be at my doorstep. And when you look at the distance that some of these people have traveled, well, I'm just thinking sore butts.

And then tomorrow morning, all of them will leave Memorial Park and go to downtown for the parade. We're talking LOTS of horses.

from Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo
Nothing brings to mind the Old West like a modern-day trail ride. Pioneers created trails as they moved west in search of a dream and cowboys created trails to take cattle to major market centers. While these routes are no longer a necessity in daily life, more than 4,000 riders saddle up each February to relive the Old West as part of 13 trail rides leading to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo™.

In January of 1952, several men formed the very first trail ride as a way to increase awareness of the Show. Though only four men made the first journey from Brenham, Texas, the attention they raised attracted more publicity than ever expected, as more than 80 men signed up the next year. The trail rides are a signature tradition of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo today.

Today’s riders hit the trail in an attempt to recreate the Old West, and in doing so, find a common ground that links us all to the Show. A sense of history and pride resides in each rider; igniting envy and intrigue in each child as they watch the trail riders and hope to one day join them.

• Los Vaqueros Rio Grande from Reynosa, Mexico (386 miles)


• The Mission Trail from San Antonio (235)


• Northeastern from Beaumont (108 miles)


• Old Spanish Trail from Logans Port, Louisiana (216 miles)


• Prairie View from Sunnyside (107 miles)


• Salt Grass from Cat Springs (90 miles)


• Sam Houston from Montgomery (70 miles)


• Southwest from Sargent (102 miles)


• Spanish Trail from Coldsprings (126 miles)


• Texas Cattlemans from Anderson (85 miles)


• Texas Independence from Brazoria (98 miles)


• Valley Lodge from Brookshire (71 miles)

What A Day

Here it is only 10:30 and I'm worn out. Not so much physically and not so much emotionally...maybe mentally?

I slept later than planned this morning. I kept hitting the snooze alarm. Finally got out of bed and realized it was going to be a beautiful day.

So I'm out walking The Calvinator, enjoying the chill in the air. As we're heading back toward the house, I see one of my neighbors out walking his dog. Hadn't seen him in awhile and it is always good to talk to him so this is a nice surprise to see him.

We're talking and he says that he is glad he ran into me. He has something to tell me...and he wasn't smiling. In a split second my mind goes racing in a hundred different directions. He then tells me that he is moving to another part of town but his wife is staying in the house. They're splitting up. This is another case of I never would have guessed. He is taking the dog with him.

It wasn't appropriate to ask questions so all I could say was that I was sorry to hear that and that on many different levels I'm sorry to see him leave the neighborhood.

It really caught me off-guard. Maybe if I had already had my daily dose of my addiction it wouldn't have hit me as hard.

So, now I'm really late for my next venture. I had received an email that Bill Clinton (the former President) was going to be making some stops in Houston and the first one was at 800a. Having some first hand knowledge of how a day of campaigning can go, I wanted to be at the first stop because once you're late it sets the rest of the schedule behind.

I'll be posting a commentary later about the rally (with pics). I walked away from there feeling happy again and feeling hopeful.

Change seems to be the word of day and all I'm saying is that I'm ready.

And I finally got my coffee!

EDIT @ 1:30P: I went running at Memorial Park at noon. Just had to get out and enjoy the beautiful weather. I have a meeting this evening so I won't be able to enjoy this evening. I'm doing post-run stretching in the jungle gym area and out of nowhere Viv comes up and says hello! Wow! What a nice treat! We were chatting and I said something about Ethel Kennedy being at Obama's HQ at 11a but I didn't want to go to his HQ to see her and she says, "What time is it?" I said, "12:40." She says, "twelve four zero?" And I say, "yes." Next thing I know I see a streak of lavendar go running away from me. LOL Viv...hope you made it to your destination on time...and safely.

See you lattte!

support my efforts to raise funds for
AIDS Walk Houston 2008

Ramblings of A Caffeinated Mind 9.3

Overheard

"I like Hillary but you know what they say, 'Once you've had Barack you never go bawk!'"

Maybe if I type this I'll get it off of my mind

Last night, right before the movie started (see below), I check email from my phone. There was a reply to an inquiry that I had made about something. I need to remember that "No" is also an answer. However, it's not the answer that I was hoping for.

Running Rant

Two things happened this week while I was running. One day, a group of four people were running at Memorial Park and they were running four abreast. The running trail is just barely wide enough in most spots for that many people. So I'm running counter-clockwise and they're coming at me clockwise. I'm running right.

Just as we're approaching each other, the path gets more narrow because of a light pole. These are my options:

1.) Stop and curse at them

2.) Jump on to Memorial Drive into the traffic and get hit

3.) Take out one the girls' left breast with my elbow

4.) Take out my right testicle, right arm and right leg by running into the pole

5.) Keep running and see what happens

See below for what happened.

In another incident, I started my run and about 1/10 of a mile into it I pass a guy who is standing there and stretching. About 1/2 mile into the run, he passes me. No big deal. He gets a good lead on me.

Around 2 miles, he stops running and starts to walk. When I reach 2 miles, I stop and get some water; he is still ahead of me walking. However, he keeps looking back at me.

I start my run again and when he sees me running he starts running. OK. That may have been a coincidence but I don't think so. So...I start running hard. Around 2 1/2 miles I'm shoulder to shoulder with him and he starts running faster so I start running faster and he has to eat my dust. He wasn't able to keep up with me. For some reason that made me feel good.

Spirit of the Marathon

Last night I took myself out on a movie date. Dinner consisted of the Combo #1 at Chik-fil-a. I went to see an encore showing of Spirit of the Marathon. The movie follows 6 people as they prepare for the Chicago Marathon 2005.

There was one runner that I could relate to even though there were aspects of the other runners (with the exception of the elites) that were very familiar. Lori is the runner that I am referring to. She is the one who trained by herself and raised money.

I think I laughed the loudest when Rona told her dad that he is a professional talker who runs marathons (instead of a professional marathoner who talks while he runs). Some of you know that I hate to talk when I run.

Deena Kastor is amazing. She suffered an injury and doesn't run for 6 weeks and then wins Chicago 2005.
Then there is Ryan who is bound and determined to qualify for Boston and ends up being injured.
And Daniel runs with the grace of gazelle. He is bound and determined to be the bride and not the bridesmaid as he makes another attempt to win Chicago.


The one that touched me the most was Leah. You can tell that she wanted to quit during the run but she didn't. Her tears at the end of the run were based on many emotions. I can relate to that except I waited until the day after my first marathon to burst into tears...and I was in line at Burger King; not one of my finest moments. (I have metioned this before but still haven't given the details about what triggered the tears...and yes, they let me have it my way.)
The movie was more than just covering the 6 runners. It gave some history about the marathon. The director also interviewed some of running's greatest athletes. I was very intrigued with Katherine Switzer's story about almost being pulled off the course of the Boston Marathon because she is a woman.

photo credit: AP/Worldwide Photo

Here are some additional comments about the movie:

• Based upon the Italian guy who almost died after running a marathon in London(?), people started to take notice of the event more out of morbid curiousity rather than to support the athletes.
• It was long believed that women were not built to be long distance runners because their uterus might fall out.
• I'm not so sure about Deena Kastor's avocado enchiladas.
• I thought the footage of Chicago was awesome. I love that city.
• There were a few chuckles in the crowd everytime they showed Carey Pinkowski who is the race director. If you don't know, Chicago 2007 was a disaster.
• John "The Penguin" Bingham makes a good point. Every marathon participant pays the same entry fee. So if you follow his line of thinking and if you finish the course in 2 1/2 hours and the course is open for 6 hours you're not getting your money's worth. The longer you're on the course the more value you're getting for your dollar.
• The footage of Daniel saying that it was dangerous waiting for the hippopotamus was funny. He kept saying it was dangerous but yet he wouldn't leave!

The movie reminded me that the human spirit is amazing. And its the reminder that I needed after reading that email. (see above)

Answer
I decided that I wasn't going to change my stride just to make room for the four of them. So as we squeezed through that narrow part of the path she realized she was about to get body slammed. None of the other three made any effort to downsize so she had to run sideways for 5 of us to make it through that part of the path.

Have a good weekend everyone! See you latte!

********************

support my efforts to raise funds for

AIDS Walk Houston 2008 (click on the link)

Memorial Park Capital Campaign

The t-shirt says,

The running world changes

Memorial Park

2-19-08

Str8 Up With A Twist was there to check it out.

Today at 1030a there was a Mayoral Press Conference on the south side of Memorial Drive by the railroad tracks. Today was the kickoff for the $10 million capital campaign. Representatives from Memorial Park Conservancy were there to show plans that will improve the park.

They have already raised $1.1 million. The mayor and his wife have made a personal contribution. The City will be contributing $3 million to the effort.

Some of the changes that runners can expect:

• a bridge from the south side of Memorial Drive to the north side of Memorial Drive by the railroad tracks
• a new running trail that will run parallel to the current trail and go out a bit further thus increasing from a 2.9 mile loop to a 4 mile loop
• a running center on the south side of Memorial Drive with additional parking
• easy access to get around/under the railroad tracks

As money is raised, the improvements will be made in phases. Knowing how much Houstonians love the park I'm sure they will not have any difficulty raising the funds.

Memorial Park is a 1500 acre park located about 3 miles from downtown. People can play golf, tennis, sand pit volleyball, or croquet. They can run, cycle, swim, hike or workout. Approximately 4 million people use the park on a yearly basis.

I went to Memorial Park yesterday morning for a jaunt. I knew that I could do 6 miles but I could I do 7 miles? Did I want to do 7 miles? The humidity was high and the temp was in the low 70s so rather than do a sucky-seven I decided to do a sensational-six. It was a good run.

I noticed that there was man and a lady by the jungle gym/stretching area who were giving away free t-shirts of some sort. I'm always skeptical of people giving away free stuff at the park; they usually want something from you.

I let my guard down and went to see what it was all about and not only did I walk away with a free t-shirt, I also walked away confused.

There is a news conference on 02-19-08 @ 1030a CST @ Memorial Park to explain what is going on. Str8 Up With A Twist will be there to cover the news conference so check back on Tuesday afternoon for details.