The machines were amazing- there was a lid lifter to grab the heavy face of the lid and force the lips of the tops to face the same direction. When filling the 1/2 gallon containers, the containers would be spinned to get an even distribution of the frozen concoction. After the lids were placed on, the containers were turned upside down to obtain a good seal. I am still fascinated with the sandwich making machines- how machines can efficiently perform monotonous tasks with such efficiency is really impressive.
After the tour we got a cup of ice cream- I got birthday cake (a bit of a chocolate rush) with Dad, Mark and Mom got vanilla- cool refreshing treats in the TX heat. Heading further south we landed at my aunt and uncle's in the outskirts of Houston. We arrived just in time for grilled hamburgers by Roger Westoff and got a tour of the apartment above the garage that Roger has been working on over the years. That evening we had some fun playing games with my cousins Katy and Mathew. First was Modern Art (a bidding game) with Mark, me, Mom and Katy- we all did quite well. Next Mathew brought out Clue and we had a round. Finally we finished up with a Modern Art finally and were all impressed when my younger cousin Mathew won!
On the 28th, Mark, Mom, Dad and I headed out to visit down town Houston and see the botanical gardens. They were rather small but had an impressive collection of roses in full bloom. I went rather picture happy! Walking across the street we visited the Japanese gardens and saw some beautiful blue herons eying the fish. Next we drove a couple of blocks to visit the Museum of printing history. It was shockingly empty for a Saturday. Once inside we found out it was much larger than we imagined. Starting with the history of writing, Rosetta stone, we got a page of the Guttenberg bible printed from a working printing press while we watched. There were many old printing presses (much tinier than I thought they would be)- did you know that some presses could create a whole page in lead (which can be melted and used again) so you don't have to fuss with individual letters. There were also accounts of famous events printed in various papers from the very start of printing in the states.
We also got to see a very interesting video about the importance of keeping written history- starting with the Egyptians using papyrus, Greeks and Romans with their amazing libraries (unfortunately ruined). There was also an interesting discussion about the "dark ages" where lack of education and written word had a large impact on the people's quality of life.
After such an exciting morning, we headed back to the gardens and had a delicious picnic lunch at the reflecting pool where Mark and I fed more pigeons than we could count. We also saw a handsome woodpecker on a nearby tree and learned about the intelligence of the blackbirds (they break up large pieces of bread with their beaks or by soaking them in water where the "not so smart" pigeons would ignore them after they couldn't get a beak full).
Around 5 we headed to the Hofbrau- Katy's favorite restaurant (she's graduating from high school tonight). She got one of my favorites- chicken fried steak. I split a slightly more healthy (I like to think so at least) chicken fried chicken with my Mom- the creamy white gravy was heavenly. After a quick change, we headed over to the Graduation Ceremony. Katy graduated head of her class and gave a very nice speech!
After saying a quick hello to my uncle Norman, aunt Ann, Grandma and Grandpa, Katy headed off to her graduation party and we headed over to have milk shakes at a nearby Waterburger. I really enjoyed the vanilla shake- I will have to get it more often! Whew, what a day!
