I'm Back, But the Saga Continues

I've returned home for the moment, at least to drop off all the extra stuff I had with me for Christmas, before going down to get the car either tomorrow or Friday. I had an "Oh, no--not again!" moment right before I was going to come back, when my dad discovered that one of the tires on the rental car was nearly flat. Thankfully, the rental company has a contract with one of the major tire dealers, so all I had to do was take it by one of their stores and get it fixed on the company's dime.

That did delay my departure by a few hours, but I still made time to stop by the old neighborhood; I've taken to doing that every Christmas now, just to see how things are and have a brief reconnection with my past. I drove by the old house (picture here) as well as my alma mater, Stratford High School (pictures in the same link). I also made time to grab a hot dog at one of my favorite in-Houston-but-not-Dallas places, James Coney Island in Town & Country Village, before I left town.

I was quite surprised to see that there was hardly any traffic at all tonight; I guess that people either came back already so they could resume work today, or their vacation goes quite a bit past the four-day weekend that we just had. Either way, no complaints from here, and I was quite happy to see that the long-awaited bridges over the San Jacinto River just south of Conroe on I-45 are finally done.

(While I'm on the subject of the I-45 trip, I have to toss out some kudos to whomever owns the farm or ranch just north of Madisonville and decorates all the way from the front fence to the house along a rather substantial driveway. It's a beautiful thing to see every year, tucked away all by itself as it is.)

Some people have wondered why in the world I'd drive back when I have to head two hours south again to get the car, but it was nice to relieve myself of all the extra things I'd taken down for Christmas (tenor, dress clothes, etc.), not to mention getting to sleep in my own bed tonight. Tomorrow, I'll find out how soon I can go get the Kevmobile.

So how was your Christmas? I forgot to ask yesterday. Comment away...