“The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” ― L.P. Hartley, Author (1895-1972)

Pennzoil Place

I think I have regained my sea legs and should be a little more steady for our visit today which falls on Tuesday, September 23, 2014. I caught a glimpse of a very familiar place as it was featured in the news the other day. It's the place I called my second home, (my wife might argue it to be my first home), from 1975 to 1993. They will soon be demolishing another place I spent a lot of time, the Houston Club Building, and because of that work, Pennzoil Place was inspected from top to bottom with any little blemishes marked with bright yellow stickers. That way they will be able to gauge any new damage from the implosion of the nearby building. My office was in the South Tower on the 22nd Floor. I burned a whole lot of hours in that place. I even rode out a couple of hurricanes there. I was privileged to work with and to have on my staff a huge number of folks during my time there. It does bring back memories. Kids that I hired out of college now have grandchildren of their own. It, by the way, no longer represents the Company I worked for. The brand remains but the Company itself no longer exists. Fortunately, a much larger oil concern bought up the remaining pieces and they also took responsibility for my pension. That has been a good thing. You never forget places that were such a vital part of your life. I wish I could enjoy my favorite lunch at the Houston Club. It was their version of seafood gumbo and I've tried gumbo in many places over the years but theirs was the best I've ever had. I can't even guess how many bowls of that stuff I consumed during the five or six years I was a member of the club. Some of the memories from my job I would just as well forget, but the gumbo, that's one I will hold on to. Yum yum!

The picture is not really us. Just an illustration.

When the wife and I travel you can sure tell our differences. I'm always friendly and courteous to other folks, up to a point. She, on the other hand, will strike up a conversation and before you know it, she will be either taking pictures or even showing someone how to take them on their brand new I-Phone. I'm not saying she's not technical in her operating ability on devices like a computer or smartphone, but, the thought of the blind leading the blind did come to mind. She is an extrovert and a natural born people loving servant. In contrast, I typically can be whatever it is that is required of me. We know these things from some testing we did many years ago. She came out the highest in nurturing represented by the color blue. This high score was explained by a professor as being like his wife. He said she would lay down in the snow to give someone traction if they happened to be stuck. Mine was scored as a blended hue. This means I more or less move in and out of the spectrum depending on the needs of the circumstance. The folks doing the analysis said the idea is to understand your personality so that you can maximize your ability to function among the many people you deal with in your life. She grabbed that phone and showed the lady. I was thinking what it would cost if she dropped it. See what I mean? I do know that I can always do better. How about you?

While we enjoyed our very brief time away, I can tell you that I was more than happy when we pulled in that driveway to our home. It was time for some John Denver: "Ain't it good to be back home again." Maybe you prefer the famous old tune from 1823, 'There's No Place Like Home': "Home! Home! Sweet, sweet home! There's no place like home There's no place like home!" We've been blessed to live in the same house since 1984 and I think much of my attachment to home is all that it represents: our life together, our family, and the many memories experienced in this space. We certainly had excellent accommodations in our little excursion, but, when it comes down to it, our bed sleeps better than any other. I realize it takes more than rooms to turn a house into a home, and I'm thankful that we've been able to somehow have this as the welcome mat in our modest abode for these many years. From a kid and going forward I've always dabbled in traveling places wide and far in my dreams and they are typically peppered with some vivid instances of time travel thrown in for good measure. Maybe that's a good thing for me because when I wake up I've finished my journey and I'm back home again. And for me, well, that's not bad folks. Not bad at all. Take care, enjoy your day, and may God bless each one. Amen.  ....More later.