Becoming the great Texas explorer

My original doctor appointments in Houston that were supposed to be this week were rescheduled for early December. Since I already had the trip planned and had some other business in Houston to take care of, I figured I'd come anyway. It was great to spend some time with Lois without having to sit all day at MD Anderson. We get up early, take long walks, and take it easy. It's good for my blood sugar levels. 

Today I was alone but got up early and walked anyway. I went through the village, over to Hermann Park, around the entire park past the zoo, around the golf course, by the Museum of Natural History, and back the way I came. My phone says it was 9 miles, Google maps says 8.5 miles- I'm not sure why these two values differ. Anyway, this walk was certainly for my health but also part exploration, which led to plenty of new and interesting (to me) information about this area of Houston. Here are the lessons learned from this morning's 2 hour walk:

1. Even in neighborhoods, drivers break rules and other drivers honk at them more than seems necessary, which is startling to walkers. It's not like the rule breakers are being dangerous. The honkers are sort of aggressive about it too. They don't honk in a "please be careful" kind of way or even a "I think I might hit you" kind of way. It's a flat out aggressive "shame on you, jerk" kind of way. Note to self: road rage exists even in neighborhoods.

2. People in Houston are better than people in Lubbock about picking up after their dogs. They are certainly not perfect, but the sidewalks are noticeably cleaner here. Come on, Lubbock! It's poop!

3.  The walking trail around Hermann Park is a very. long. way. That's for those of you who may think the park looks small on the map. 

4. People who play golf in Hermann Park are very well dressed. It must be expensive to golf there.

5. If you don't bring enough water to make it the entire walk, don't fret. There's a concession stand at the golf course entrance. Thank goodness for thirsty golfers!

6. Although I didn't take a tally, there are noticeable demographic differences along the park trail. Runners on the trail are primarily Asian women and Black men. Walkers tend to be more diverse, although most are older and/or walking a dog. I don't know if this observation fits some kind of stereotype, but next time I'm going to count walkers vs. runners along my observed demographics. It just struck me as odd. As I noticed that runners were primarily black men and Asian women, I started to wonder if the representative demographics meant they know something the rest of us don't. They certainly didn't seem to be running AWAY from anything. Given the recent election outcomes, I started to look for ICE agents or police officers in the bushes, but didn't spot either. Maybe it's just a demographic difference in health behaviors within Houston?

7. Hermann Park is a popular destination for bus loads of school children. It's important to note that they all tend to wear the same bright color of shirts so that teachers will be able to identify them. They also tend to be peace destroyers.

8.  There is an obelisk in the park next to a reflection pool that reminds me of the Washington Memorial by the reflection pool in Washington, D.C. but on a much, much smaller scale. The entire view was ruined for me, however, when I realized there was no Lincoln Memorial at the other end. A statue of Sam Houston just didn't have the same effect. Sorry, Texas.