Maine State Law

As I weeded my way through traffic at the crosswalk at Walmart today I was reminded of something I learned while in Maine. The state has established a strictly adhered to law which states all traffic is to yield to pedestrians in all cross-walks. Rich's son had been stationed for a while in Brunswick and had told his dad about the law but I don't think it really sunk in until we experienced it for ourselves.

The rule for the pedestrian is simple. It's the 3 W's. Wait, Walk, Wave...
Wait: make sure the driver has seen you and understands the law (unless they're new to town, say like from Texas and hasn't read ALL the warning signs). Walk: make your way across the street. Wave: acknowledge the driver who has obeyed the law and has allowed you to walk across the street.

Once we got the hang of it, Rich and I decided we really liked this law. It seemed to establish a mindset of courtesy for all concerned. It made us more aware of our surroundings (not like we weren't, for heaven's sake...we were in the beautiful state of Maine!), made us more conscientious of people walking, and more so when we were the one's walking and people stopped to let us cross.

I realize this sort of law would not be feasible for say, a city the size of Houston, but wouldn't it be nice. Nice to not only understand and acknowledge cross-walks are supposed to be safe places for people to walk, but to have drivers to stop at cross-walks instead of barreling through them (either unaware or don't care) as some do. And finally the wave. A simple gesture that says "hey, I appreciate it."

Maine

Flew into Portland, Maine Saturday afternoon. Rented a car and headed north on Highway 1. Ended up in Belfast, a small coastal town between Brunswick & Bar Harbor (were told it's pronounced "bah-hahba"). Stopped at a Lobster Stand in Freeport for lunch. Paid $19.99 for a jumbo, extra-large lobster roll. Guess things are bigger in Texas. Was more comparable to a regular po-boy you could get anywhere in Galveston. Was good though, just a bit pricey.

Stayed Satuday night at the Belfast Manor Inn, with an Atlantic Ocean-view room. These small privately owned inns have a quaint, cozy feel that I don't usually feel at a chain (Comfort Inn, Holiday Inn, Motel 6, etc.). The inn-keeper was wearing a warm pull-over sweater and khaki slacks (not a uniform), leaned forward with his elbows on the counter top to talk about what was in the immediate area as far as grocery/liquor stores or restaurants.

It's chilly here. The low Saturday night was 31 degrees, hence the sweater-wearing inn-keeper. Big shock to my internal thermostat after leaving Houston which boasted a high of 86 yesterday with humidity to match. If it wasn't for this trip, I wouldn't even realize it was fall. Fall in Houston is usually identified by fewer times the yard has to be mowed and not completely drenching in sweat from taking the trash out or feeding the dog.

It's nice to be reminded there are actual places in this country that have true seasons. When I saw pumpkins in yards and fields up here (and there were a lot), they seemed to "fit" in with the back-drop of yellows, oranges and rusts of the turning trees. The majority of Halloween decorations I've seen are tons of scare-crows propped up among a slew of uncarved and carved pumpkins.

Maine to me means lobster. And a lot of it. Saturday evening we drove 7 miles up the road to Searsport to The Anglers Restaurant (recommended by the inn-keeper). Rich went straight for the 1 1/2 lb. boiled lobster. I chose the native Maine fried shrimp which was ear-marked as an "Angler Specialty Choice" on the menu.

Now, I'm a native Houstonian and am no stranger to shrimp. I grew up on eating shrimp. I fry, boil, sautee, grill shrimp every chance I get. What I am used to is Gulf shrimp, which are awesome.

Saturday was my first experience with native Maine shrimp. I ordered the 1/2 lb. size which was $11.99 and came with a salad and a baked potato (salad was actually a true mix of healthy greens, not the typical chopped iceberg). When my platter was place in front of me, I should have counted the number of shrimp before I dug in. I didn't. But if I had to guess, I'd say I had 20-25 shrimp on my plate. Native Maine shrimp are smaller than Gulf shrimp and larger than what we in the South know as popcorn shrimp. These native Maine beauties don't come pre-battered like most orders of popcorn shrimp I've seen in the Houston area. These little jewels were lightly battered and fried to golden perfection. They were tender and had a shrimp "sweetness," if there is such a thing. I was hooked. Turned out the shrimp was much better than the 1 1/2 lb. boiled lobster, which honestly didn't have that much taste. I suggested to Rich a sprinkling of salt to possibly bring out some flavor in the lobster.

I'll comment later on more eating adventures while in Maine but wanted to get this out. It's another deviation from "Texas" Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives. I know Maine is not a place people from my part of the country might just happen to drive or drop-in on...however, you never know. I wouldn't have ever probably been able to come to Maine if Rich wasn't attending a conference here. Thank goodness for those conferences. I'm knocking items off my bucket list right and left. Last year I was able to visit Portland, OR and the Pacific NW, the year before I payed my first visit to Washington D.C.

I'm gonna have to start a new bucket list...

Gone But Not Forgotten - DePaul's Italian Restaurant

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine from high school was kind enough to go back through my blog (back to the very beginning), found one of the original topics (Gone But Not Forgotten) and even left a comment.

I'm not blog-savvy enough to understand why this post did not show up as a "new" comment. Instead, I found it buried back in the August, 2009 archives.

It's an interesting post and bears posting again. So Frankie, I'm putting it at the top. Thanks for hanging in there with me.

Frankie Grizzaffi said... did anyone ever eat at DePauls Italian Restaurant on Shepherd Dr. & 16st St.?

Debbie & I spent every weekend eating there at least one night for years (69-?). Great Italian food and pizza. Family owned by the DePaul family. They had a lot of family photos on the walls. Mr. DePaul was a very tall/robust man, Mrs. DePaul was a short, little lady who gave him plenty of hell. They were very miss-matched in size.

The family lived in the large house behind the restaurant. These folks were really great cooks and sometimes their kids would be there working. Their lasagna was the best I have ever eaten. Debbie loved their manicotti. We even got my parents eating there. Daddy loved their spaghetti & meatballs.

The DePauls & Grizzaffi's became very good friends for years even after they closed the business. The building is no longer there. Now it is a used car lot. What a shame.

Waller - Rocky's BBQ

If you find yourself on Hwy. 290 heading out to Hempstead, Brenham, College Station, Austin, etc., you might want to stop at the new Chevron Station/convenient store/BBQ place we found. Rocky's is located on the south side of Hwy. 290 at Field Store Rd. The place is brand new (signs are still being put up) and a hell of long way from Sugar Land (where I live), but I'd certainly stop in again should I find myself in that neck of the woods.

The owner, Ronn Batt (I've known Ronny since high school, and yes I still call him Ronny) is the owner and used to own the Waller Co. Line BBQ/Shell Station nearby. We reconnected at our reunion about 3 weeks ago, that's how I found out about Rocky's. He wasn't there at the time of our visit (darn, should have called first), but we still stopped for lunch. As Rich said, "we've driven out this far, I want some food." So we ate.

Although Rocky's is a BBQ place, I ordered the old-fashioned cheeseburger (which I've been known to do) and Rich ordered the sliced brisket sandwich (which he's known to do). And as everyone is quite aware by now, I like cheeseburgers. This delight took 2 hands to hold and was one of the best so far. A good old-fashioned cheeseburger with a generous, juicy hamburger patty and lots of fresh condiments. I loved it. It was huge and I could have eaten it all except I would have been miserable. Rich said the brisket was really good, had tons of meat on it, but he would have wanted the brisket sliced a bit thinner. Besides that, he called it a winner.

Nice, new, clean, and good food. Stop by sometime and if you see a guy there with a big smile on his face and answers to the name Ronn, tell him Terry Lee said hi...

Texas Triple D Takes a Turn

I've just returned from watching the movie Eat, Pray, Love. I had read the book by Elizabeth Gilbert several years ago and as I sat there alone in the theater (yes, I usually see movies alone & will explain later) remembered for the umpteenth time that I am a visual learner. I need pictures, just like in kindergarten. I need pictures, lots of them, to help with my learning process. I'm not stupid, I say kiddingly, just a slow learner. And by this I mean I keep forgetting that visualization is my greatest teacher.

I NEED PICTURES. I am going to write this message on a colorful piece of paper and post it in obvious places in my life to remind myself I AM A VISUAL LEARNER. The book meant so much more to me after seeing the movie. I don't often feel that way after seeing a movie based on a book I have read. But the story holds a much deeper meaning to me now. I want to buy another copy (can't find my original one) and just hold it to my heart and smile.

Liz (Elizabeth Gilbert, aka Julie Roberts) was asked to come up with "her" word. A word that describes her. For example, when she was asked for a word to describe New York, she came up with "ambition." I don't know what my word is yet but I want to find it.

I sat in a dark theater and made notes on the back of a receipt, using a tiny LED light attached to my key chain. This is a sampling of what I wrote:

We (Americans) understand entertainment but not pleasure
Ocean of regret
When you think of someone, send them love and light. Then drop it.
God dwells in me/within me
Where is Bali? Find it on a map
Sit in silence and smile...in your mind, on your face and in your liver
Forgive myself for mistakes and bad choices I've made
Come a little bit closer to hear what I have to say (song from the movie)
Thank you for letting me be myself again (another song)

As the credits began to roll, I sat. Not wanting to particularly stay in the theater but not quite ready to step back into the world, so to speak. Fight the heat, go to Border's, Walgreens, stop by the grocery store...all the things on my "to do" list for after the movie. I didn't want to lose what I was feeling at the moment. It seems so easy these days to have an "a-ha" brief moment and then it's gone. Gone to that place where all good things inside of us reside and are kept neatly filed. Only I rarely remember where I keep the damn file.

There are 3 basic things I immediately took away from the movie (and about a dozen or more to expand on at a later date).

1. I want to go to Rome and learn Italian
2. I want to sit in silence and get back in touch with the God that resides within me
3. I want to unleash passion in my life. Whether it's the love I feel for my husband, my kids and grandkids, myself or my writing.

I had visions of coming home and clearing the table or desk of everything so I could write this. I didn't want to lose my train of thought or the feelings I had. I was able to get to the computer without having to do much except put a bottle of wine in the freezer, setting the timer for 30 minutes (didn't want the wine to freeze..hate when that happens), and let the dog out so her bladder wouldn't burst.

I want to judge less, critique less, accept more and smile more. How that fits into Texas Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, I haven't a clue. But right now I'm going to sign off and go spend some time with my 2 adorable grandsons. Then I'm going to write my message to myself (I AM A VISUAL LEARNER). And later I will begin my search for the word that describes me.

Note: I enjoy going to movies alone. Some have a problem with it, I don't. I'm sitting in silence for about 2 hrs. and have never felt the need for someone to sit in silence next to me.

Checking In

I know, I know...I've been away from the blogging desk. I've been working on gathering emails for my high school class roster because our 40th (yes, 40th) reunion is coming up this July. And as I've mentioned before, I have just enough OCD to keep me going in that direction.

Summer has finally hit here in Houston. It's May 7th and the temperature outside is 91. That means we had approximately 4 weeks where eating outside was a possibility. With the heat comes the humidity, the flies and the mosquitoes. And it'll probably be in the 90's now until about late September or early October but the flies and mosquitoes won't die off until the first good freeze. The 90's also mean the A/C will be cranking pretty much 24/7 and we can all say good-bye to lower electric bills.

Okay, back to eating. Since I've been "away" I've visited the following:

-Beck's Prime (we went to the Sugar Land location)
-Dry Creek Cafe (Yale St. in the Heights, Houston)
-Lankford Grocery & Market (near downtown Houston)
-Lola's (Yale & 11th Street in the Heights)
-Branch Water Tavern (Montrose/South Shepherd area in Houston)
-Bob's Taco Station (Rosenberg, TX)
-Otto's
-Roznovsky's (near 610 Loop in Houston & my old stomping grounds)
-Barry's Pizza (Sugar Land location)
-Live Oak Grill (Sugar Land)

Have also been to Five Guys (a chain but a darn good burger), BJ's Brewhouse a couple of times (originated in California), Panera's, NY Pizzeria...and I'm sure there's more, much more.

Man, I'm so behind...look at that list! Adios for now. Gotta rest my fingers up.

Kemah - T-Bone Tom's

My bad. Another unpublished post...

Actually saw this on Guy Fieri's Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives back in December. We headed down to Kemah on a Monday, right after the first of the year. Nice homey place with friendly wait-staff and lots of people waiting for a table. They even have a long narrow additional room for waiting. We were told the wait would probably be about 20-30 minutes but 5 minutes later we were seated at the counter, looking over the menu.

When I go back (not if) I want to order the Armadillo eggs which are jalapenos stuffed with chopped brisket and deep fried. They turn out to be about the size of jumbo eggs. A sign at T-Bone Tom's reads "No armadillos were harmed making our armadillo eggs."

The Monday special was chicken-friend steak (Rich's choice), but I was anxious to try one of the rib-eyes I had seen on Triple D, which are marinated for 24 hrs. All steaks are hand-cut (we actually watched a guy trim and cut a piece of beef that probably weighed at least 20-30 lbs. I thought the rib-eye was a little pricey for a lunch menu ($24.99 I believe), but it was good. Although I took part of it home, I wished it had been a bit thicker for the price.

The chicken-fried steak was excellent as was the cream gravy. (I realize what a good old Southern girl I must sound like with my repetitious mentions of cream gravy and chicken-fried steaks...what can I say?). Each plate was served with to die-for home-made biscuits and 2 sides.

T-Bone Tom's started out as a local country meat market back in the 60's and still prides themselves in their long-standing tradition of making their own smoked sausage and serving good old comfort food.

Live entertainment Friday & Saturday nites. T-Bone Tom's can be found on Facebook. Their website also has a You-Tube clip of Guy Fieri making his stop there.

707 Hwy. 146
Kemah, TX 77565
281-334-2133
www.tbonetoms.com