lego houses

We have figured out how they build the houses so fast here.  Besides the fact that there are no basements... the parts boards etc arrive all put together.  They just have to assemble them.  It is like they are building big lego houses.  I took pictures of the piles that arrive that within a day get put together to frame the house.  I don't know if that is what they do in Canada but around here it is common in this neighbourhood

Cactus

Didn't do much over the weekend so no post then.  We borrowed a shovel and went out in the area where they are expanding the subdivision and dug up some little cactus.  They are ploughing them over to build houses so we saved a few of the little ones.  They look like mickey mouses.  We are going back tomorrow and hopefully will bring back some of the wild flowers from back there.  Our grass in the one corner under the trees is totally dead so we may as well put plants there.  I want to get an orange tree in the spring so then we will be set.  I never thought that I would live in a house with a cactus and an orange tree

Have to admit it looks like Mickey Mouse

Labour Day sales still on this weekend

As they spell it down here - Labor Day sales are continuing this weekend and there are thunderstorms in Corpus so no beach today so went shopping.  Got James a bed and put it up in one of the bedrooms.  Got a Queen size since that is the bedding that I have down here.  Now he won't have to sleep on the floor any more when he comes to visit.  We still have the air mattress if too many people come at the same time.  We can set it up in the other bedroom.  Really hot here but nice and cool in the morning so got my steps in early walking with Sparky at 7 this morning.  We have a Route 66 challenge going on at work.  Winners each week win a fit bit if your name is drawn.  I already have a Polar but could use a fit bit for Jim or James.  I also get $50 deposited into my health benefit account if I average 7250 steps per day.  I am way over that so far since they give a lot of steps for curling and I went to Zumba which also earns a lot of steps.  Friday afternoon was Fit Friday so the whole corp office went for a mile walk together and got a fruit cup and water bottle at the end.  I am on Nutrisystem again so together with the extra walking should be good for me.  I still do not have my car back so I walk to the malls etc at lunch which gives me lots of steps.  The VW dealer called today and said that they had a free loaner car for me because they are taking so long.  It will be ready on Monday but not sure if I will take it or not.  Nice to have a chauffeur but then again I have a dentist apt on Tues which would be nice to have the second car for so that Jim could golf.  No other news down here.... just golf, work, walk, fitness.  Have to start Pilates again and then I should be back to normal.  Looking forward to seeing everyone at Thanksgiving.

Still have to get more pillows but a bed is a big start.   We put it in the middle bedroom which only has 1 window since James always complains of too much light in his room.  This bedroom we also think is a foot or so longer than the other one at the front of the house.  We just stepped it out so not too technical on the measurements.

Great Bonspiel in Houston

Went in a Bonspiel in Houston this weekend.  They have much better ice than Austin so it was great to be curling again.  I drove down by myself and Jim stayed at home to take care of Sparky.  It was my first time driving since the EOS broke down so I was pretty nervous driving.  I left at 6 am to avoid driving in Houston traffic much so got to the arena for 9;30.  Hardly any traffic since the highway going into Houston is the biggest freeway in the US.  At one point it is 26 lanes wide and yes I drove on that section.  You just have to anticipate where to go ahead of time and stay out of the toll lanes and the HOV lanes.  I made it Yeah.
Got to the rink - yes they play on arena ice.  The first game was 11:30 so I figured I could watch hockey or figure skating while I waited... no I read a book because it was EMPTY.  Curling booked the arena for all day Sat and Sun.  AMAZING...
These guys keep their rocks in 4 freezers when they are not using them so that they stay cold... helps to make them run normally fast down the sheet.  They pebble it normal and then drag the rocks over the sheets to smooth the pebble.  There was one rut from a zambonie that we had to deal with but I didn't have to throw as hard as possible not to hog it which was nice.  There was a team there from Oklahoma City, one team from Dallas, one girl from Denver, one from Boston, one guy from Hollywood and the rest were all from the Houston Club.  There are 45 members in their club.  In Canada, wouldn't even fill a league.  There were 8 teams and they have 4 sheets so we were broke into 2 groups and played round robin and then play offs on Sunday.  Yes I played 3 games on Sat.  Boy am I sore.  Our team won 2 and lost 2 so not too bad.  On Sunday for the playoffs it was cool... They had bagpipes playing on the intercom and we all walked in with our teams to the blue line and across.  They then gave us all shot glasses full of water or whisky and we toasted the spiel.  Really neat.... just something fun to do.  Hopefully someone sends be pictures of it.  There were the normal prizes that you bought tickets on.  I did my normal thing and put all my tickets on two items and... won both of them.  I won 3 stuffed squeaky toys for Sparky.  Base ball hat, deck of cards, key chains Houston Astro drink covers to keep drink cool, 6 pack of weird beer, huge bottle of Galveston brewed beer, 1.7L of Texas Vodka, Jar opener, light for key chain, flower vase, Not too shabby for coming 7th out of 8 teams.
The meals were great too.  The big meal Sat night was of course Brisket and Sausage with all of the trimmings.  When they say that you are going to have a BBQ in Texas... be ready for a treat.  Had Kolaches for Breakfast there at the rink which apparently is really common here.  I am learning lots.

On the way home I stopped at a restaurant in Katy and got some real Brazilian Food.  The restaurant is owned by a friend of Lu's so she told me what to order...Fejoada, Dudim de leite and mousse do Maracuja... two desserts... it was take out so I got both.  It was really good.  Unfortunately her friend wasn't there for me to say hi for her.  It was really good.

Note the caption on the wall of the arena Adult then Youth

Curling then Figure Skating - not bad order

Looks Normal Just on arena ice

Lots of good fun

Met lots of great people

Big disadvantage not having the centre line to figure out if itis curling when you are sweeping.

lines everywhere on the ice so you have to figure out which ones are for Curling

Empty Arena 9:30 on a Sat morning

Nobody on the ice that early in the morning

Nobody in the stands either waiting for action.

Kolaches - Ham or sausage with or without cheese wrapped in dough.. Really good.

Brazilian drink so they told me which tasted great.

This is the food that I ordered.  The main was a lot of pork with beans in a stew like texture.

Alegria Brazilian Grill in Katy Texas - really different food but very good.

Found a home for the Needlepoint and VW Saga

It looks a little lonely on the big wall but it still looks ok I think - of course I am a little biased.  Three more neighbours moved in this weekend so the street is starting to look lived in.  Stuck around the house watering the grass and trees and Jim washed the truck.  He is driving me to work these days since the EOS died on me the other day.  I switched lanes on the freeway and stalled it and it hasn't started since.  The VW dealership still hasn't figured out what is wrong with it.  I was SOOooo scared.  Try sitting in a convertible in the middle lane in a freeway with people yelling at you going 70 MPH by you.  I kept trying to start it and didn't have the emergency brake on so rolled back into the car behind me.  Not much damage... just a pain.  The policeman had rubber push bumpers on the front of his car so pushed me over the next lane and onto the shoulder.  Not sure how much if any damage that did to my trunk... why is it every time I get hit in the back my roof is in the trunk.  I could get the roof up but didn't try the trunk.. priority is to get it started.  Tow truck came that the police called... because it was on the freeway had to be a certain one.  He said he could only take it to a body shop but I needed mechanical not body work so I had to pay him extra to take it to the dealership.  We got to the dealership and the car was nowhere to be found.  I didn't have his number or anything so I thought I had lost the car.  About 5 minutes later Jim sees him coming out of the volvo dealership next door to the VW... just one more thing to get me frazzled.  The car was just at VW last week for a new battery which had to be replaced by the dealer as well.  So much for getting a fancy car but they know us there now... had to get lights changed there too.  Hopefully the dealer can figure out what is wrong with it.  I had to rev the motor a lot to change lanes.. you get stuck with lanes going off to another freeway so you go down to 40 MPH then you have to gun it to merge to the next lane where they are going 70 mph.  I am scared doing it each day so I guess this time I gunned it too much... stalled it and burnt something out because smoke came out from under the hood.  In the meantime I get chauffeured to work then Jim golfs and then picks me up after work.  Not much else new here.  Hope all is well with everyone else.

Ball Game Etc

Last Friday night we went to watch the Missions AA ball team play for something to do. On Sunday we went to the beach of course.  It was so nice to sleep in and still get to the beach in the morning.  Living a lot closer is great.  Tonight Sparky went outside and didn't want to come in so we found him playing with a grasshopper.  Earlier I put up a picture of a Texas size snail... wait til you see the size of this grasshopper.  Yes everything is bigger in Texas.  Still haven't figured out where to put my needlepoint up - got it professionally framed and it looks great.  The roses from before look alot better now with the new green matt too.  I got the fruit and veggies stretched and a spacer put between them and the glass so they will last forever as well.  Jim works hard watering the grass, plants and trees.  Hopefully the grass will all come back.  They just laid the grass next door so those neighbours should move in this week.  Jim's grass is greener than the new sod that they are laying so Jim is doing well.

Brandice is back at work now so we are having a baby shower for her this week so I knit her another outfit.  The booties are huge but they were only 3 months and they are the same size as the hat.  They will fit him eventually.  They do not get much maternity leave here and her baby is still in the hospital until the end of September so Brandice came back to work to save her time off for when the baby comes home.  Different but thats how it works down here.

Ball field before dark

Ball field after Dark

Put  the fruit and veggies on the wall in the kitchen 

BIG Grasshopper

grasshopper next to tap so you can see how big it is

New Green Matt on Rose picture on wall

Framed picture looking for a place to hang it

Back deck on Saturday IN THE SHADE!!!

Jim with his new mower

Jim is happy now with things to do around the house.  Some of the lawn is green...