Feeling guilty about not swimming yesterday I got up at 6am and went straight to the gym. I was one of 15 cars maximum in the enormous multi-storey car park. It is hard to understand why they keep the gym open 24 hours 7-days a week. So I had a love peaceful swim, before making it back to the apartment for 8am to speak to Sam and Stu on skype.As I mentioned yesterday I had agreed to drive to Laura's house to pick her up for the picnic in Memorial Park. I set off and although a little nervous of the freeway by myself I knew I had to just get on with it. I was lucky that on a Saturday it was quieter than a week day, so I had it easy and I managed to follow Laura's directions perfectly arriving 5 minutes early at hers with no wrong turns - a first for me. Her house is lovely. To me a very traditional American home with sort of tiling on the outside walls, and the whole house is raised up off the ground (sensibly due to flooding!). Laura is doing work to at the moment, including in the granny flat above the double garage that she also owns. In her garden she has a veg patch with tomatoes, onions, yellow courgettes (or as they refer to them as yellow squashes), peppers, peas etc. I will have to try at least some veg as it is amazing to see half of this stuff grown outdoors. Apparently, the tomato plants were over a year old and lasted through the winter.
We headed off to the picnic, which was held in the middle of Memorial Park. Apparently it used to be an army barr
acks, called Camp Logan during WW1. It is huge, one of the largest urban parks in the US according to Wiki! The picnic was hosted by a group called the 'Neo-Geos', who remit is really geologists and geophysicists less than 30 - hmm I am just about included, and they are part of the Houston Geological Society, that I have joined. It was quite a traditional picnic, but it was fun with burgers served and some home brew made by one of the guys attending. You can see a picture of Laura tucking in to one of the home brews. The first one she tried, I really didn't like, and unfortunately the guy who made beer was watching my face as a took a sip! Luckily his wife she didnt like it either, and I could say I really liked the one called 'Triceratops'! (typical geologist find sch small things funny). He gave me a card for the only place in Houston that you by home brewing equipment - so there you go Stu something else to try and drink at our pool parties! It was 
nice in the park as they was dappled sunlight through the trees, so even though it was hot and blues skies you could stay out of the direct sun. There were some hula-hoops - but they were kids size. So my attempts a showing off my hula-hooping skills were embarrassingly hopeless. Not to mention I appear to pull very funny photos whilst hula-hooping! We did not leave the park until nearly 1630 - much later than we had attended, really because everyone was very friendly and we all managed, Laura, Malene and myself, to talk to people from different companies.
We headed off to the picnic, which was held in the middle of Memorial Park. Apparently it used to be an army barr
acks, called Camp Logan during WW1. It is huge, one of the largest urban parks in the US according to Wiki! The picnic was hosted by a group called the 'Neo-Geos', who remit is really geologists and geophysicists less than 30 - hmm I am just about included, and they are part of the Houston Geological Society, that I have joined. It was quite a traditional picnic, but it was fun with burgers served and some home brew made by one of the guys attending. You can see a picture of Laura tucking in to one of the home brews. The first one she tried, I really didn't like, and unfortunately the guy who made beer was watching my face as a took a sip! Luckily his wife she didnt like it either, and I could say I really liked the one called 'Triceratops'! (typical geologist find sch small things funny). He gave me a card for the only place in Houston that you by home brewing equipment - so there you go Stu something else to try and drink at our pool parties! It was 
nice in the park as they was dappled sunlight through the trees, so even though it was hot and blues skies you could stay out of the direct sun. There were some hula-hoops - but they were kids size. So my attempts a showing off my hula-hooping skills were embarrassingly hopeless. Not to mention I appear to pull very funny photos whilst hula-hooping! We did not leave the park until nearly 1630 - much later than we had attended, really because everyone was very friendly and we all managed, Laura, Malene and myself, to talk to people from different companies.Malene bravely cycled to the park, so Laura and I left her to cycle home while we went to Ikea to check out furniture, in particular sofas for me. I didn't buy anything, although Laura did! I dropped Laura home and met Chris her man, who had just bought stacks of 
things for her garden. I disappeared off back to go to see Malene and get a tour of her flat - my new temporary home after the 19th. It is very smart flats, actually nicer than any I saw at the time we were looking at flats. She is away on holiday from tomorrow so I will be easily able to move in while she is away. It also means I will be very close the Galleria shopping mall - I will have to restrict my spending :) We went for dinner at the Grand Lux, a place Stuart and I went on our first night in Houston. It is very good and I had a piece of salmon cooked on a cedar plank - it was good.
things for her garden. I disappeared off back to go to see Malene and get a tour of her flat - my new temporary home after the 19th. It is very smart flats, actually nicer than any I saw at the time we were looking at flats. She is away on holiday from tomorrow so I will be easily able to move in while she is away. It also means I will be very close the Galleria shopping mall - I will have to restrict my spending :) We went for dinner at the Grand Lux, a place Stuart and I went on our first night in Houston. It is very good and I had a piece of salmon cooked on a cedar plank - it was good.All in all a busy day not to mention once more that I accomplished I10, 45, 610 and 59 south (all different freeways!)
Good night
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