More Adventures

Ken wanted some R & R today, so Chris, Shawn, Anara, and I headed out for new adventures today. We went to Quinta Mazatlan for a quick tour. There was no charge, because the house was empty, being readied for the floors to be refinished or some such. We weren’t there for any special tours or events, so we just walked around on our own, enjoying the plants and birds and statuary.

We went to Zamoras’ for lunch before heading to IMAS (International Museum of Arts and Sciences). The first thing we saw was a long series of decorated Christmas trees lining the hallway. Each had been decorated by some group or school classes, and each featured a different theme. One tree was decorated entirely with recycled items. Another preschool tree had lots of dogs and puppies. One of my favorites was the Grinch tree, and another was the “It’s not easy being green” Kermit tree.

We enjoyed several exhibits in the art building. One really unusual exhibit was based on an artist’s conception of subatomic particles. It included sculptures, paintings, and an interactive 3D display set up on two iPads.

We had parked in an unpaved lot across the street from the museum, and when I started the truck and tried to drive out of the lot, it became clear that the muddy lot was too deep and slick. The rear wheels spun, and my attempts to rock back and forth weren’t successful. Finally I decided to try 4-wheel drive. What a relief to make it out onto the street, but for the next several miles, the truck tires were throwing off large lumps of mud.

We drove only a few blocks to the McAllen Public Library. Chris is a library director, and I knew he’d enjoy this unusual library, which is housed in a repurposed Walmart store building. It has been transformed inside and out, in a spectacularly successful way. Chris and Shawn and Anara made a beeline to the Advocates of the Library bookstore.

We stopped at H.E.B. on the way home. Chris looked up the origin of the name. The store is named after Howard Edward Butts, son of the company founder. It’s easy to see why the name has been shortened.

Back at home we made chili and cornbread and ginger pears. Ken had the salads ready, so it wasn’t long before we sat down to an enjoyable dinner. Afterwards Ken decided to rest a while, and the rest of us played a couple of rounds of Ingenious. Anara won both easily.