This is my pictorial account of our weekend in Houston, etc.
Friday morning, Skip and I met JoAnn at the Pet Hospital and Kennel where we boarded the dogs for the weekend. Because we could not get them until Monday, we decided to stay an extra day in south Texas and come back on Sunday.
We went to JoAnn and Jennie's house, picked them up and were on our way. We did have rain on and off for the first part of our trip.
Approaching Houston, we had pouring down rain, but as we entered the downtown area, it stopped, and we were lucky that we had no rain for the rest of our weekend, just a few sprinkles.
When we walked in the Hyatt, we saw Dudley/Linda and Bozena. Bozena said she recognized my husband from pictures I had posted.
We checked in and got our rooms. Frankie called and when she and Amy and Betty checked in, they got the room next to Skip and me. JoAnn and Jennie were on the other side. We were on the 28th floor; almost the top of the Hyatt.
(Pictures are clickable.)
Hyatt:
Lobby View from the 28th floor hallway looking down on the lobby!! That's JoAnn in
the green shirt; Jennie next to her. (Picture by Skip; too high for me!!!)
Gathering in the lobby of the Hyatt
Standing: Frankie & Dudley/Linda
Seated: JoAnn, Jennie, Prissy,
Bozena & Dale (from Florida) Frankie, Kris, Krista, Prissy
At 4:00 we drove to Birropiretti's Italian Restaurant for the Pre-Party. They had a buffet of salad, different kinds of Pizza, and soft drinks or tea/coffee. I recognized some from the Texas pre-party there. Near the end of the party, there was a drawing for prizes. Of our Claymaniacs group, I think that Frankie and Amy were the only winners; 3 prizes.
Preparty:
Meesa & LeeAnn Dudley, Bozena, Marilyn Jennie & JoAnn
More preparty pictures:
Frankie, Betty, JoAnn, Prissy Amy & Frankie Mother/Daughter Clay Fans
After the preparty, we walked only a block and across the street to Jones Hall for the concert!
JoAnn, Jennie, Prissy and the
Marquee with Clay Aiken!!
The concert was just marvelous. So different from Frisco; much better venue, and easier to see Clay. I don't think there is a bad seat in Jones Hall. Skip and I sat together and had great seats on Row M, 12th row. JoAnn and Jennie were also on Row M, more in the center.
Clay is not only a great singer, but such an entertainer! He is so funny. I think, by now, you know what he sang and most of what he said. It was a wonderful concert that we really enjoyed. Skip and I did not think the sound system was that good because a lot of what Clay said, we had trouble hearing; not because it wasn't loud enough, just muffled sounding, and of course, Clay talks so fast!!
But we thoroughly enjoyed it. I especially liked the medley of TV theme songs and seeing him "dance." (Simon, Clay can dance!!!)
After the concert, we met back at the hotel to visit more. Had we known Clay would come out and touch hands, we would have stayed!!
Hotel restaurant:
Saturday morning, we went down to the lobby, saw Elaine from KC, and Krista was down there, too. Frankie, Amy, and Betty joined us there, and we all were ready to check out. We had Amy's Cowboy Clay picture that she won and Frankie had a pink banana plant for Skip and me.
Ready to check out and Skip's picture of the "expensive" bottle of water in our hotel room!!
We had the valet bring up our vehicles and we exchanged picture for plant!!
We got in the van and were about to leave when we saw Bozena and Dudley/Linda at the revolving door waiting for Linda's car. We all got out to give them a hug and say goodbye. JoAnn and I had Texas pins to give both of them, too.
We piled back in the van again, and drove around downtown Houston for a while. There were some interesting "music" statues in the arts district and I got my picture of Clay Street, too!
We then headed south on I-45 for Nassau Bay where my niece Kristy, her husband Glen, and their baby, Taylor Lenae live. We had a wonderful visit with them, and got to see Taylor take her first steps!!!
We were only about a half hour from Galveston, so we continued on to the coast, and drove along the beach and saw the historic downtown area of Galveston.
On the way to my niece's house, we passed a tropical plant nursery, and Jennie and Skip wanted to get a "few" plants, so we stopped back by the nursery after we left Galveston. JoAnn and I had to check that Skip didn't take out our suitcases to make room for more plants!!
Saturday evening, we checked in to a La Quinta in The Woodlands, an area north of Houston. We had delicious steak dinners at The Outback and then went back to our rooms and played Skip Bo for a little while. The next morning (Sunday) we had breakfast at the La Quinta; quite a variety of food including Texas shaped waffles. ( We really love the shape of our state!!)
We started on our way home, but stopped in Huntsville to see the huge statue of Sam Houston. It is 67 feet tall and the world's tallest statue of an American Hero. Sam Houston was twice President of Texas, a U.S. Senator for Texas, and helped to make Texas a state.
We arrived home at about 3:30 pm. Another wonderful trip with JoAnn and Jennie. And we're looking forward to Knoxville!! Of course, we will stop in Nashville on the way and Memphis on the way back!!
Prissy
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