Houston trip

While there was no rodeo and no riding of mechanical bulls, Sam and I had a great time visiting our pal in Houston.

Here is a picture of Sam and me at the airport:



Friday night, after getting into Houston, Nic took us to a Mexican place for some guac and chips. Sam and I were fading fast though, so we headed to her home to greet her husband and the two dogs, Lily and Wickman.

Saturday morning, Nic took us for a run along the Bayou walk. Sam had 2 hours on the schedule and I had 1:10, so we took off separately. It was a great trail that went under a bat colony (didn't see any bats, but did smell them) and by the bayou (where alligators live - didn't see any of them either). Both of us got a little lost and ended up running through downtown Houston, but there were plenty of cool sights and we both made it back okay. Here are some pics of Nic with Wickman and Sam with Wickman.





We went back to their house and Kevin made breakfast - I haven't eaten that much bacon in years, but it was soooo good!

Wanting to show us around, they took us to Galveston to the beach. Unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate, so we were quite cold (never got much above 50), but the beach was cool and we had a good time catching up in the car (you could drive right on the beach).







After the beach, we headed to a town called Kemah that had a cool boardwalk with lots of shops, including Starbucks which helped warm up the bones.

That night, we went to a Mexican restaurant and I got the burrito I had been wishing for and it was yummy!

Sunday, Nic took us to a different spot to run that had a 3-mile dirt-trail loop. There were tons of people out running/walking, all dressed like it was 20 degrees out - thin blood. I reveled in being able to run in shorts and it was great to run with Nic again - she is the reason I do this crazy running thing.

Here is a picture of the gals after grabbing some bagels:




Then, it was back to Cleveland. The visit was short, but sweet. I miss my buddy and hope she moves back to Cleveland some day, but was glad for the time we got to spend together. Thanks also to Sam for making the trip with me although she loathes flying too.

Now, we are in a blizzard in Cleveland and I'm grateful for the two days I got to run in shorts in February. I'm off to the treadmill now. Ah, good times...NOT! : )