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Horseshoes, hand grenades, and...
Aug. 24th, 2003 02:04 am...going to the beach. Three things that I associate with the word "close."
Saturday, after my shift, I decided to (finally) go to the beach. Being the kind, considerate father than I am, I cordially invited Natalie to go along with me. But as it turned out, we needed to stop by the Houston Community College in Sugarland by 1 pm to put a down payment on Natalie's registration for the fall semester. No problem, thought I.
Hah!
By the time that little chore was finished, it was too late to go to the beach. While it was fortunate that the decision to pay the bill first was the wise choice, I didn't want to simply drive back home afterward. So instead, we turned toward Highway 59, on our way to downtown Houston.
You see, while driving to Sugarland, we heard a segment on KRTS-FM featuring an exchange between one of the station's talking heads and a rep from a California vinyard who was going to be at the main store of a local liquor store chain, called Spec's, later in the day (the segment was basically an extended commercial spot for Spec's, as far as I could see). I'd been to the Spec's in Clear Lake, and while it is a superior liquor store (both in terms of price and selection), it was reputed to be not as large as the main downtown store, which is mercilessly flogged during the usual KRTS advertising moments.
It took us just a little time to find the store, as we came into town via Louisiana Street from 59 (Spec's is on Smith Street, which is - duh - the next street over, except neither of us knew that). On our (circuitous) way, we passed by some kind of media shoot (camera on boom, lots of people standing around, cops on 16-inch centers along the periphery, and a fire hydrant shooting water 30 feet into the air in the middle of it all... it's obvious, ain't it?). No action, though, but I digress... We finally found the place, a few blocks to the west of where I-45 wheezes through downtown.
The main store is impressive, and besides all the wine and liquor, they've got a pretty wide selection of various cheeses and specialty foods in a separate section in the back. Natalie and I had lunch there (I had a Reuben; she had a chicken salad sandwich, yuppie style.)
The vinyard guy from the radio was there, and the wines he was allowing people to sample was actually pretty good, albeit a bit too expensive for my wallet (the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon was $51 a bottle, and another selection was about twice that). Interestingly enough, although I am generally impervious to various aromas, I was able to discern cherries very subtly in the merlot the fellow was pouring.
This is beginning to sound like something of an ad itself, nie? Anyway, I'm not sure I'm going to go out of my way to get back there any time soon, but it was a nice way to fill in the time before heading home.
We'll try the beach again tomorrow. The anticipation is killing me.
Cheers...
Saturday, after my shift, I decided to (finally) go to the beach. Being the kind, considerate father than I am, I cordially invited Natalie to go along with me. But as it turned out, we needed to stop by the Houston Community College in Sugarland by 1 pm to put a down payment on Natalie's registration for the fall semester. No problem, thought I.
Hah!
By the time that little chore was finished, it was too late to go to the beach. While it was fortunate that the decision to pay the bill first was the wise choice, I didn't want to simply drive back home afterward. So instead, we turned toward Highway 59, on our way to downtown Houston.
You see, while driving to Sugarland, we heard a segment on KRTS-FM featuring an exchange between one of the station's talking heads and a rep from a California vinyard who was going to be at the main store of a local liquor store chain, called Spec's, later in the day (the segment was basically an extended commercial spot for Spec's, as far as I could see). I'd been to the Spec's in Clear Lake, and while it is a superior liquor store (both in terms of price and selection), it was reputed to be not as large as the main downtown store, which is mercilessly flogged during the usual KRTS advertising moments.
It took us just a little time to find the store, as we came into town via Louisiana Street from 59 (Spec's is on Smith Street, which is - duh - the next street over, except neither of us knew that). On our (circuitous) way, we passed by some kind of media shoot (camera on boom, lots of people standing around, cops on 16-inch centers along the periphery, and a fire hydrant shooting water 30 feet into the air in the middle of it all... it's obvious, ain't it?). No action, though, but I digress... We finally found the place, a few blocks to the west of where I-45 wheezes through downtown.
The main store is impressive, and besides all the wine and liquor, they've got a pretty wide selection of various cheeses and specialty foods in a separate section in the back. Natalie and I had lunch there (I had a Reuben; she had a chicken salad sandwich, yuppie style.)
The vinyard guy from the radio was there, and the wines he was allowing people to sample was actually pretty good, albeit a bit too expensive for my wallet (the 1999 Cabernet Sauvignon was $51 a bottle, and another selection was about twice that). Interestingly enough, although I am generally impervious to various aromas, I was able to discern cherries very subtly in the merlot the fellow was pouring.
This is beginning to sound like something of an ad itself, nie? Anyway, I'm not sure I'm going to go out of my way to get back there any time soon, but it was a nice way to fill in the time before heading home.
We'll try the beach again tomorrow. The anticipation is killing me.
Cheers...
