Hickory & Oak Smoked Barbecue in Friendswood, Texas is a great way to please lots of people who cannot agree on the perfect sauce. This is a meat lovers dream who loves that smoked flavor.

What I love about this place is that it reminds me of dinning in a friend's home who decorates with hand blown firing chandeliers, dark wood large scale tables and chairs, and couches to watch concerts on a large screen TV while you wait for you take out to be assembled.

We have gone there several times and met friends for dinner at this restaurant. We ended up talking for hours as we enjoy a beer and the barbecue. I love eating the shredded beef brisket on the potato and all the toppings. I get the six different types of barbecue sauce and decide which I like the best on my meat. Some are sweet, some are cider tasting, all are delicious.

Barbecue sauce is connected to family outings and events, so often a set of spices brings back childhood memories. That is why know one ever agrees on which sauce is best. They are all good, but you will pick the one that returns you to your favorite place in time.

They do have wonderful vegetable side dishes, but I would not bring a vegetarian to this restaurant. The menu is about the meat, whether you eat it at the restaurant or take it home to share with your family and friends.

I don't know where they get their desserts, but they passionately tango with my tongue. I just silently nibble away on them and I am rarely quite.

Friendswood has a great place to wind down from a hectic day with great food. This place does close early, around 8:00PM, so call in your order early if you want to pick it up on your way home from work.

Amazing Countryside in Sedona, Arizona.

My Husband and I decided we needed to chase vortexes in Arizona. What we found were oasis's of wildflowers with butterflies and dragonflies busily tasting their nectar. The hiking in and around Sedona, Arizona provide a broad spectrum of experiences.



The dessert Red Rock trials still provides nourishment for cactus and special oak trees. Lizards scampered about the trails. We would start in the heat of the dessert and end up in a oasis in the canyon red rock walls.

I will have more about our journey into a new environ later.

Dragonfly Country

I walk my dogs almost every day in the Forest of Friendswood. I love the well-groomed gardens on the everyone's front yards and the wild wooded trails surrounding Clear Creek and the retention ponds. As the wildflowers bloom around clear creek and the retention ponds, the dragonflies and butterflies start to appear.

The other day I rescued a female Eastern Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly from drowning in my pool. She must have hovered over the water to sip the cool water, but her wings touched the pool. The beauty of her wings spread open, yellow spotted with jewels, floating on the surface of the water like a new tattoo moved me to save her with the pool net. I gently scooped her up and set her on an oleander branch. She slowly flit her wings as the chlorinated water evaporated. I turned around and she flew off.

Today, the dogs and I walked by tens of dragonflies. Dark colored ones who were hunting for bug larvae and flowers. Their translucent wings intermittently reflected the bright sunlight. They hover over wild brush and dashed toward the weeds by the retention pond. It is the closest winged creature you can find that resemble fairies playing on a summer day. Magic surrounds you when you take the time to enjoy your surroundings.

Super Beach Day in Galveston, Texas

We have lived in the Houston area for about 7.5 years, but this is the first year we started taking advantage of the Beaches in Galveston. We use to live in New Jersey and it took us about 6 years to travel to the Jersey Shore. (Avalon, Spring Lake and Point Pleasant) The northern version has bluer water and whiter sands, but the Atlantic Ocean had colder waves pounding on the shores.

The Gulf of Mexico is warmer, but because of the silt, the water is khaki with the blue sky reflecting on its surface. Softer waves ruffle on the reverse stepped shores of Stewart Beach. Just because you stand farther away from the shore does not mean you are in deeper water. I was surprised to step up as I walked into the depths the Gulf. Jumping with the waves is a good as any spa therapy.

We drove to Stewart Beach, http://www.galveston.com/stewartbeach/, and paid the $8.00 for parking on the beach. We arrive around 10:30 AM so there was lots of parking on the beach. We brought our towels, water and chairs close to the water's edge, since high tide was about a hour previous to our arrival. My teenage daughter and her friend immediately wander off to explore the shore.

For those of you who need shade, you can rent a sturdy beach umbrella and two chairs for $25.00. Do not bother bring wimpy beach umbrellas. You will spend your time chasing them down the windy beach.

When the girls decided to return, my husband and I took a long walk by the water's edge. The wet sand is the color of wet cement, but it is very soft on the feet. We walked and talked for miles. The girls called us so they could continue their wanderings.

When we returned, the gulls were being feed by various beach people. The flock would just float above their heads. I knew this was not a could idea. It leads to bird droppings on car windshields.

Around 1:30 PM we were ready to leave. The parking lot was packed and the beach volleyball courts were starting fill up.

The girls went to the Big Beach House to shower. There is a fast food stand and a beach shop there as well. My husband bought a killer whale colored bathing at the shop. He thought we were just going to walk on the beach like last time. The gulf just was to much for him to resist. He had to body surf just like I had to jump the waves.

Even though we tried to shake the sand from our sandals, the floor of my mini-van became covered with it. I guess I will have to shake the mats out when I get home.


We were not ready to head north yet. We stopped at The Spot & Tikki Bar for lunch. It is at least three different beach dwellings tied together by walkways and decks. My husband and I shared very fresh fish and chips and a house salad in a tortilla shell. The girls had a vegetable burger and chicken fingers with a Chocolate Milk Shake. We sat on the the third story deck. We enjoyed watching the activities on the beach. My husband checked out the motorcycles parked in front.



"The Spot" is for fast foodies, as "The Drip" is for the thirsty type. It's a great social hot spot for any who does not want to end a great beach day. Check out the fun on http://www.thespotgalveston.com/.

Banzai Wild Sushi and Such

On Sunday we treated my husband with a dinner and show celebration. Banzai provided wild treats like the Milky Way and Crunchy rolls. We ate outside. It was truly quiet at about 6:00PM. We were surprised a little earlier when three skateboards rolled around the corner. They were kind enough to pick up the boards and walk down the stairs.

I love the Sangria. Arnis drank a dark Japanese Beer. The girls really liked the Tempura Ice Cream. Some one next to us was sizzling his beef on a hot stone. I almost walked over to his table with my chopstick.

We walked to the Hobby Center to see Topol in Fiddler on the Roof. This is a quintessential Broadway show with a very experienced cast. The universal story of cultural clashes and family traditions as well as surviving in a prejudicial world still moves the heart. I also know all the songs, so that moves the soul. The teenage girls did not understand the drama, but they tolerated it.

Cafe Mezza is Amazing!

Yesterday, the girls plus one, two aunts and I decided to catch up on life at Cafe Mezza on Westheimer in Houston. Beside hearing about world travels, we were treated to Middle Eastern, Neuvo Southwest, and Wild American dishes. My fried fish taco with fresh fruit was perfectly spiced, with cilantro sauce on the side. My sister-in-law's sister-in-law had a rectangular wrapped 4 cheese sandwich that started a tasting around the table. Her sister order this spiced beef sandwich that look like two fists on a plate. It was eaten by several people at our table. My middle child had 4 cheese raviolis in a cheese sauce. She had to guard it with her fork. My youngest hovered over her falafel platter until she finished every bit. Extra orders of sweet potato fries were enjoyed by everyone.

The service is friendly. The food lets you travel the world with wonderful flavors and scents. There is a bountiful variety of foods for everyone's sense of adventure.

A Culinary Experience

On Sunday, we (my family plus one) delighted in tasting about twenty different restaurants at Bites of the Bay in the Space City Intermediate School Cafeteria. It is a fund raiser for Congregation Shaar Hashalom. Restaurants from the Bay Area included local restaurants like Colosseum Italian Restaurant, Bakkhus Teverna, Catus Grill, Star Fire Grill and Tierra Luna, catering services like Best Bites and chains like Pei Wei, Cafe Express, Freebirds, Papa Johns and Fudruckers. With about twenty restaurants all displaying some of their signature dishes and sauces, the attendants were treated to some of the best food in the area. There was also homemade treats by the sisterhood. The teen youth group helped clean up. The mens club helped bring tables to the event.

My favorites were the animal breads and truffles from the Colosseum, Cafe Express Berry Ice Tea, Catcus Grill southwest egg rolls, and Freebirds vegetarian Burrito with salsa. I just could not taste everything, but it all looked great.

Lots of friends catching up from a busy year. Conversations were lively at all the tables.

As we munched on the tasty treats, Ronnie Weiss and Ron Zaguli provided entertainment by interviewing the attendees as to what they were eating. They then transformed themselves into auctioneers in order auction off some Star Trek Paraphernalia, and Sony flat screen televisions.

We all laughed and rolled ourselves back into the car at the end of the event.

Night at the Docks in Seabrook, Texas

Last night we (husband and I) went to the Outrigger. It is under the Highway 146 bridge on on the water. What a great place to spend a Saturday night! Next time I will take a picture so you can see the beauty of the boats sailing by the docks and the Carnival lights from Kemah painting the sky. The music was Southern Rock. The people are friendly. It's family place that serves fresh seafood and beer bottles in chilled buckets. They bring you your condiments and plastic ware in an old cardboard 6-pack container. There are rolls of paper towels in case you need more wipes to clean you up from eating seafood. We sat at a bar overlooking the docks. For a while, the Yacht La Grand Dame sleek body was our main view, but we could see the lighted charter ships pass by in the channel.





Dinghies, sailboats and cigarette boats all took their turn tied to the dock of the Outrigger. The lower bar was definitely filled with sailors and their small dogs enjoying the ambiance of a perfect sea breeze as they dined on their shell fish and tuna.





We will be back with our teenage and young adult children. ( We may embarass them by singing and dancing on the docks to the great music.) Ask for Ashton, she is a great waitress.





Hope to see you there! It does get crowded. Park under the bridge and use the dock to get to the restuarant if you are arriving by land. The drive way is a bit tight. There is parking by the restuarant but it fills up quickly.

Networking in the Burbs of Houston

Every time I finish a temporary job, I am at a loss. For the first few weeks, I catch up on all the household chores that I neglected while I was working in downtown Houston. My priority is to find another professional position. Most of the time I rely on recruiters, but I seem to get the same type of position. It pays the bills, but squashes any chance of my career moving forward.

Trying to find the career that is in your heart, not just what you are suppose to do is difficult. Yet, following a dream may lead to more success in life than just working a position as a job. I have just about finished raising children, so now I must tend to my own desires of accomplishing something.

I would love to hear creative and effective ideas on how to re-evaluate a career path and starting from scratch in a new area. A success story would be great. It should show how you not only found your dream job, but also how it helped your family and community improve as well.

I love living in the Houston area because there is a diverse population and employment opportunities. I know my dream job is out there, even in the this tough economy. It takes more than wishing on a star. So thanks for your ideas.