Drive to Houston

Over the weekend, the lovely spouse and I drove down to Houston from Colorado to try to help out with my father now that he is home following his triple bypass heart surgery. As it was a rather hurried trip down, I didn't take any pictures as I usually would on such a road trip. However, I did notice some things to get shots of during the return trip, if possible.

This was almost the trip that wasn't, as the spouse came down with a case of pneumonia in one lung, and I had to stop by the urgent care clinic in Parker on the way out of town due to a persistent cough and sinus problem. Not wanting to make my dad sick during his recovery, I wanted a professional opinion of the situation. The doc said my problem was a virus, but he said I should wear a mask when close to Dad, and be sure to wash my hands often. My father's doctor said he was in less danger around us than when in the hospital, so we drove on down, albeit at a later hour than we had hoped. It was around 10 am Saturday (11 am in Texas) by the time we got on the road.

Last year, I wrote about the speed trap cop in Estelline, Texas, so I was curious to see him. I even considered trying to get him to pose for a photo with me. As we approached Estelline just before dusk, a big 18 wheeler blew by us, so I thought I might get to see Estelline's finest in action. But much to my dismay, he was nowhere to be found.

We kept going until we got to Wichita Falls, where we shut down for the night at about 10 PM. We stayed at the Candlewood Suites at the Madeline Street exit. The hotel clerk, a very nice woman named Linda, looked for the best rate we could get. She got us in for $75. Now I must say that this hotel was very nice, very clean and very nicely appointed. It is a new facility with a kitchenette in each room, and the most comfortable beds I have ever experienced in a hotel. The room had a flat-screen, high-definition television, and was the cleanest room I have seen at any lodging facility. I highly recommend this facility if you are in need of a place to spend a night or more in Wichita Falls.

So we ended up driving about 650 miles on Saturday, and today we traversed the remaining 400 miles through Fort Worth and Dallas, and on to Houston. Along the way through the Dallas-Forth Worth Metroplex on Texas 114, we passed the Texas Motor Speedway, the north end of DFW International Airport in Grapevine, through Las Colinas and on by Texas Stadium. By about three o'clock this afternoon, we were in Houston.

Dad was released from the hospital on Saturday, so he is home for further recuperation. He is doing well, but he still has a long road ahead. I am so very glad that they found this problem before it was too late. He said he felt himself having a problem that was making him feel worse every day just before the surgery.

My mom has very limited mobility, so this is a difficult situation. It is also difficult to know what to do to help. However, I am glad to see my mom & dad. But as always when we go to a different environment, the lovely spouse's asthma acts up, and with her still getting over pneumonia, I am hoping we don't have to cut this trip short.