Stay in Houston

Stay in Houston

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It turns out that most, if not all, the libraries in Texas simply require that you be a resident of Texas to get a library card. One of the reasons I went to Dallas was so that I could shift my legal residence to Texas, a state without a state income tax, from New York, which has a state income tax. That way my investment income will not be generally be subject to state income tax, though any income I earn in a state as a non-redient will be taxed in that state as a non-resident. I just won't have to also pay New York taxes as well. Anyway, Pasadena library didn't have Ender's War (or Speaker for the Dead) by Orson Scott Card. In Dallas I read the first part of that series, Ender's Game, so I went to Baytown to get part two (of five). Inter-library loan between library systems in the Houston area is not very well automated and they don't like to do it for non-residents.
On the way back I wanted to take a route that was shown on my Houston map as a free ferry; I had gone across the river/bay via a free bridge. I found it hard to imagine that they would have a free car ferry at all, much less only five miles from the Beltway 8 Bridge, which costs two dollars. However, when I got there, there were thirteen cars queued up to go on and other cars were coming off. Amazing! The ferry held fourteen cars and I was the last one on with one car waiting. There was a guy at the front motioning us where to park our car on the ferry. Here is the view as we left.
As we crossed, there was another ferry coming back. I presume each ferry has a crew of at least two (though I guess the guy who motioned us on could also have captianed the ferry reducing the required crew to one). I still find it hard to imagine why there would be roads to free ferries. My guess is that there was once an old bridge there, probably a draw bridge. Rather than maintaining/replacing the brdige, Texas decided it would be cheaper to just run ferries. However, that is just a guess. Who is to know how such things come about? The river/bay is well travelled, though. Here is the other ferry as well as a small oil tanker.
The other ferry seemed to have a delivery truck on it as well as an-ultra long limousine. On the other side there was a queue of about fifty cars waiting to go the other way. However, as that side was a park, the San Jacinto Battlefield and monument, and it was 5PM on a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, that could explain greater than usual return traffic.
One of the reasons I like Wal-mart supercenters so much as I travel as they have the same very good selection in the same lay out where ever I find one. Also, there is no concern about finding a good price. The prices are always very low with very little variation from place to place. You also don't have to wait for sales to get a good price and then stock up as with many food stores; that does not work well when you are living in your car. Anyway, in Houston I first noticed a truck which sort of vacuums up litter in the parking lot. I have seen that elsewhere in Houston, but nowhere else. Usually there is a person with a leaf blower to blow litter from around parked cars into the section the truck can get to. At this Wal-mart, they also haven't had the ubiquitous security car/truck cruising the parking lot. As a result, some people seem to leave their cars overnight in their parking lot.
Houston has an active Syda yoga center which I went to Thursday evening, February 20. There satsang is at 7:30PM and goes until about 9PM. It was nice attend their satsang. However, it wasn't until the 23rd when I was in the neighborhood that I was able to take this picture when the sun was up.
There is also an active Mensa group in the area. My first attempt to attend on their functions was a Sunday afternoon movie matinee group. They were to meet at Central Market Cafe. I found Central Market with no problems. Here is a picture of it; it is basically a large upscale food store with a sort of warehouse feel. The floor is straight poured slab concrete, but it has been sealed with a shiny smooth paint like polyurethane. The aisles are wide but laid out in almost a maze to encourage browsing, I presume. They have a wide selection of wines, organic produce, etc.. Quite upscale.
The cafe is an extension of the main building and provides a place to eat prepared foods which the main store provides. I hadn't RSVPed with the host/hostess as I just got directions and such off the web site the evening before. I wasn't able to find the group, though, so I guess RSVPing is always wise. Oh well, it was an interesting trip.
Here is the street just across from Bally's where I normally spend the night. It is unlit (which makes for better sleeping) and seems to have been found by truckers as a place that people don't mind parked cars and trucks (behind it is an open lot that is blocked off, but the street seems OK). On Feburary 25 and 26 I went to Labor Ready at 5AM, but got no work. I guess that is problem with having a day laborer place that treats it's laborers well. They are more likely to get too many laborers than one that does not treat them well! Go figure! Anyway, I happily spent my free time on the internet and reading. In the meantime, Mark interviewed for regional manager in Atlanta on those days and got the job. On Wednesday we put up the new drapery hardware display in another Houston area Lowe's. Thursday and Friday he was doing two Lowe's in his home town, Beaumont, but there isn't any Bally's in that area and it was too long a commute for the $30 I would net. However, he offered to bring my on as a contractor for $70. That made it work and that is what we did. I will have to do my own withholding of taxes and won't get paid for a couple of weeks, but that works for me.
On Thursday evening I went to the Syda Yoga center in Houston. They had a very nice satsang, but I didn't get back to Pasadena, TX and couldn't check my e-mail (Houston Public libraries have really terrible internet access). Then on Friday evening I couldn't get e-mail either as Rice University was on spring break and their library was closed this weekend and next. My only fallback on Saturday afternoon was Pasadena libraries, but their internet connection was down. Finally on Sunday afternoon, March 3, I was able to use the San Jancinto Community College library from 1PM to 5PM. It left me with lots of free time, but I was happy reading some really good books I had gotten from local libraries by Orson Scott Card. Also, on Saturday morning I was able to meet with Annie at her condomenium (building shown here) for breakfast.
Here is a picture of Annie by her car; she was my seva supervisor for many years when I visited the ashram in NY. I mentioned her in my page about my chanting on New Year's eve and a section about my seva with her. Anyway, we had a nice breakfast and got caught up on what was going on each of our lives. The weather was rather gloomy in the morning (clowdy with a noticable chill), but then it got windy and really cold by night. It seems to have been record cold weather for Houston in March (in the 20's). I stayed warm enough in my car during the night, but reading in the morning was less enjoyable as it was still quite chilly out (though the it did get warmer when the sun came out).
Here is the restaurant where Annie and I had breakfast before she headed off to get errands done before her next 'Host Stay' guest arrives. She has a three bed room apartment and so students can sign up through the internet to stay with her as they visit Houston and improve their English. I think her next guest was arriving on Sunday and was coming from Venezuela.