What part of Houston are you in crowellli? Daughter #2 graduated from Rice in 2004, and we were down there a lot.
Keeping the fire going till springtime, pull up a chair...
I'm on the west side, just off Beltway 8 and Westheimer. We've been in this location 5 years. The first 4 were spent working on remodelling the inside. The last couple of years we have been working on the garden. Our home is almost 40 years old, so it was time for some TLC, both inside and out. I'm slowly but surely getting there.
I went to Baylor with someone who lived in Hunters Creek Village (I think that's the name,) off of Voss. It was a beautiful area.
Hunter's Creek is an absolutely gorgeous neighborhood. I love that area because of all the mature trees and woodland type gardens.
Is that close to "Southside"?
Is Southside a development? I'm not familiar with that name, so I'm no help on that one.
It is one of the many incorporated areas within Houston City Limits. Bounded by West University (Rice) and near Bel Aire. Could be South Side. Elmora Street.
She had a gorgeous home but when the family sold it as part of her estate, they tore it down and built one of those lot line-to-lot line. Ruined a tremendous neighborhood.
They've done that all over that area. All of the charming little cottages that were in Bellaire have been torn down for McMansions. I have friends I used to work with that bought one of those huge houses over there. Single couple with no kids, both husband and wife worked full time. They had this humongous house and almost no furniture in it. A couch, T.V., bed and night stands. That's all. In the whole house. The house had to be worth a fortune, but I think I'd rather have a cheaper house and make it pleasant to live in rather than just an impressive exterior for strangers to ogle. Of course, I guess if you could have both that would be nice. I'm just not that into conspicious This lady never, ever cooked. She used the oven to store cook books in. If it wasn't frozen and couldn't be microwaved, they didn't want to eat it. consumption. I never figured out why she had so many cookbooks......in the oven yet????
That's funny! DH bought me a new cookbook a while back and I told him absolutely no more. At my age, it's unlikely I'm going to go into this huge cooking binge where I'll feel the need to try a lot of new recipes..NOT! And he doesn't even boil an egg these days. He does brew his own coffee...guess that's better than nothing. Anyway, I'd rather be in the garden any time over slaving away in the kitchen all day. But I think Bellaire is what they call the area my daughter lives. They bought an old house that's not in great shape and the plan was that they would later tear it down and have a new one built. Hopefully not a McMansion...but what do I know!
Lou--that's refered to as "the village" now.
LOL ~ on the cookbooks. I have passed all but a few most favorite cookbooks to DD and made room for plant books instead. I am at a point in my life that I want two porches for whiling away the days, one bedroom (no room for company) two baths (no waiting) and no kitchen... although I shouldn't say that, I really dislike eating out. What status is there in a McMansion ~ duh!
Well, come to think about it, I guess that is what Aunt Toni did in 1961. They purchased a lot in the middle of what was already an old established neighborhood of the gentry. However, the single storey, 2800 sq ft house was built in the utmost taste and did not disagree with it's surroundings. She did not personally garden but she always made sure she had someone working for her that knew what went where. The most gorgeous azaleas I have ever seen. The ones next door to her went over the roof. It was always maintained and had the best of the best to begin with. When I heard it had been torn down it took me to my knees. Her home was French Country and furnished with every detail. I remember "the village". We always went to the drug store for lunch....pimiento cheese sandwiches and fountain Coke. I was all of 20 years old and newly wed to her nephew and she showed me the town. What a lady!!!
Christi
She had an affinity for "Tell City" furniture and elegant drapes and dishes.
Her husband was part owner of Blue Ribbon Packing Co. Think we didn't eat good?
I'm trying to remember where and what the "village" is or was. Don't recall Southside either. I graduated from Bellaire high school in '72, left for college and never really moved back. Spent only summers there after that. I kinda remember West University Place, Sharpstown, Galleria area, Rice University.
We lived on Palmetto in one of those houses that was built in a hurry after WW11. Our lot was huge and the four lots between us and Rice were also huge. Nobody had fences at the time, so all the kids in the neighborhood would gather at our house and play kickball, baseball and whatever else. Sometimes we used crawdad mounds for bases.:) In '99 my Dad finally sold the house and the buyer bulldozed the house and built one of those "McMansions". I haven't seen it, but my cousin told me there's a little ribbon of grass on both sides of the house and little bit in front. I don't need to see what they did. My memories are much better.
Some people call it Rice Village, but if you just say the Village in Houston, people know what you are talking about.
A lot of the people rebuilt the homes over there in the village because they were built in the 40-50's and weren't "cottages" like the Victorian part of the Heights which was a much older and historical significant part of town. They really were pre-ranch style suburban houses that weren't archetecturally significant like "ticky-tack" houses in San Francisco. Few, if any, were on the historical building registrary. They were also full of asbestos, many had lead paint and pipes, and were impossible to retro-fit (for what they were worth, anyway) for energy efficiency, safety, etc. It's the land down there that is worth so much and it's proximity to Rice and the Medical Center.
Palmetto Street is actually located in Meyerland--at least I'm assuming you are not talking about the two on the map to the east. That's definitely a part of town you don't want to be in. I worked on Bellaire Blvd near the loop 610 for 12 years and have lived in Houston for 25 years.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps?city=Houston&state=TX&address=Palmetto+Street
Debbie
edited to add--Sharpstown went down bad in the 82-84 bust and all those apartments on the North side of Bellaire became vacant. MS-13 moved in a took over; its now referred to as "The Gulfton Ghetto" and is probably the highest crime area of Houston. It just doesn't hit mainstream media too much because its mostly immigrant on immigrant crime. And it abuts right up to Bellaire city limits now. Meyerland has held its value fairly well--they started some extensive community planning and rebuilt Meyerland Plaza Shopping Center about 10 years ago. A lot of Bellaire proper is still the original homes. I used to teach at what was once probably the Junior High you used attend. Actually, I worked there twice (from 1989-1997 and 2005-2007) and worked in the Historical part of the Heights from 2002-2005.
This message was edited Feb 16, 2009 11:12 PM
Yea, the houses on Palmetto were definitely not what I would call historical, except one maybe. It looked like it may have been built before WW1. It was a much older style. We lived between Rice and 610. By the time my Dad sold the house the foundation had been jacked up so many times it just wasn't worth it to do it again. Walls were cracked, and the plumbing didn't work. But Daddy so wanted that house to last longer than he did. He wanted to die there, because that's where Mom died and it was home. It was really gut-wrenching for him to have to move. Everybody else in the family breathed a sigh of relief though when he finally left.
read my edit---a lot of Meyerland is still quite nice
You remember Jane Long?
This message was edited Feb 16, 2009 11:14 PM
Sorry to jump in on the Houston chat. I saw silverfluter, that you live in Fredericksburg. My hubby and I are thinking of taking a trip there and camping at Lady Byrd Johnson Municipal Park. Do you know if that is a nice park to camp? We'd love to visit Fredericksburg and camp. The other two camp parks are a little further away.
I know what you mean about your memories of a place being better. My brother, mother, and I went back to my hometown, Amarillo, after being away for 41 yrs. We went to our old house. I just cried. It's better to just keep your memories. Mom, who is 86, hasn't been the same since going. She got depressed at seeing her town so changed, she didn't recognize anything. The AFB closed in 67 and that's why we left. It's nothing now and that saddened her as daddy and she both worked there. I liked Amarillo, but it no longer felt like home. That's why I won't go back to Pa. to the family homestead that's pre- civil war. I couldn't take those happy memories of grandma's house being any other way than how I remember it.
Ok, back to Houston. Thanks for letting me interrupt. My B-I-L lives in Tomball and commutes to Houston. That city is just a little to big for me. But it does have it's beautiful areas.
I was reading in the paper the other day that Houston covers 600 miles! I was born here and where I live now was way out in the country - way, way, out. No malls or anything like that and we all shopped downtown in Houston. Took a bus from near Hobby airport when I was a teenager. Went to movies on Saturdays about once a month at Metropolitan, Majestic or Loew's Theaters after lunch. Rice Institute (now University) was on the edge of the city along w/Hermann Park and the Zoo. No Medical Center. I just stay in my neck of the woods now and that's a big neck. Most people tend to do that in Houston. This article also said that Houston is not a place you choose to retire to but rather the place where you work. Houston is too big for me but we live in a beautiful area with big old trees, nice houses built between '78 and '81 for the most part, paved streets w/curbs and gutters but no sidewalks! People tend not to walk on the sidewalks, anyway. Older people here so no little children running around. Big dogs that people walk - I think - for show - like a few Great Danes and and a few fat, fat hounds and the like. We tried moving away when Jim retired in '90 but moved back because we wanted to enjoy our kids who are now our friends not kids and the grands of which there are 10. Most of the women here are stay-at-home. Don't know what they do but they don't seem to garden unless they are hiding in the back yard but you at least recognize them when you see them because they aren't going to work all the time. Thank goodness for the lovely areas in and around Houston. Jim made our living here and luckily we found a place to retire to, here.
Ann
Your talking about taking the bus to shop downtown in Houston reminds me of my high school years in Garland. One of our parents would take us to the bus stop and we would ride to downtown Dallas. A few times we ate at Ports O' Call in what used to be the Southland Life building, (we thought we were so cool) and then we'd watch a movie at the Majestic, or go shopping at the flagship Neiman-Marcus, or Titche's or Sanger-Harris before taking the bus home. Showing my age . . .
Lynn
Received my engagement ring at Ports O'Call when I was all of 19. When I was only 10 it was safe for a friend and me to ride the bus to "DOWNTOWN". Now I hardly go past my street without an escort.
Christi
Boy, are you guys bringing back memories. It used to be safe for kids to ride the bus. My lil sis and I used to love to go downtown Houston to the movies or to shop or to Grandma's house.
We moved around a lot when I was a child, but always soon learned the bus routes. In Fl I used to get permission to leave class everyday when sis got out to see her safely on the city bus. She had a note pinned to her in case she got off at the wrong stop. She would stay at work with mom until I arrived and she and I would go home together. On Saturdays we went to the Sat morn matinee at the movies. Those were great times.
Back to Houston, my old pediatrician was close to Rice University. My home was near Meyerland and the area was a great place to live at the time. The first place I learned to drive to on my own was to Sears and of course the pediatrician.
My house had a huge back yard. Now adays they would build three houses where my one was. The next door neighbor and I were best friend's until she passed away a few years ago. We used to pull grass along the fence down our fence line together (before there were weedeaters). One day we even had a water fight over the fence. I bet that looked funny with both of us being grown with kids. Lord, I miss her!
That neighborhood is what I call a duck or get shot place now. It breaks my heart to see it.
My sister lives in Tomball. That seems like a much better choice than Houston. For my part the only really great thing about Houston is the medical center when you need it. As far as shopping, if I need something that I can't get around here, I get it online. On rare occassions, I will visit my sis and we will shop in the dreaded Houston.
I just got cuttings from a lady in Bellaire. Bellaire, still seemed safe enough last time I was there.
Charlene
Strange thing about us talking about Bellaire--a friend emailed me this article about a new drought tax in Australia based on one that's already supposedly in effect in Bellaire, Texas. Scroll thru the article and you will see how they are basing their program on an ongoing program already in effect. Talk about your small world. Has any one ever heard of this in Texas?
http://www.news.com.au/perthnow/story/0,21598,24659589-5005369,00.html
I spent most of the day at the doctor's office--no fun. It was the first time I'd ever been out to that new Memorial Herman Hospital and Medical Center at Grand Parkway and I10, it's really a nice place. Made a rather depressing experience a bit better.
My Mother sent me and my sister alone on a train from Fort Worth to East TX to visit relatives, we were 5 & 15yrs old. I can remember staying with my Aunt's on Main street in Atlanta (that is NE Texas not GA). We had a screen door and rarely hooked the latch. Didn't lock the door when we went to school or work either. I am sure there was a lot of meaness going on somewhere, but we never heard about it happening in our town at that time in my life. That was back when you could trust your neighbors and help strangers.
On the water/sewer tax, not specifically metering sewage but even our small rural town bases our sewage bill on our water consumption which in theory is logical. Unfortunate for the gardeners of course. The local school district was having issues with their exorbitant sewage bill as they were using so much water to keep the sports fields green by watering. The solution was a well for that application.
What doesn't make sense was their (Australia) current system of basing sewage charges on the homes' value rather than its' waste water output.
I agree--I just assumed water and sewage were included in one bill (in Bellaire) as they are in Houston and all the outlying mud districts. We get a bill based on water usage and sewer/garbage collection is just included every month (pretty much a baseline bill unless you use a lot in the summer). And then we are taxed once a year by the individual mud districts--that is based on home value. But I believe most of that is used for expansion projects (like laying the lines to new houses and new water towers).
Dmj, we cross posted. I remember seeing the Gulfton Ghetto when we went back to see my family. DH grew up in New Braunfels and Fredericksburg and used to get depressed when we would go to Houston. I think the smog gave him headaches so we never stayed very long. I'm glad Meyerland is still nice. We drove through there I guess about 5 years ago. And yes, I did go to Jane Long Jr high. I don't remember when that school was built, but I remember when they built Sharpstown Mall. I was really very upset about that because it destroyed my berry pickin' patch.lol When my parents bought our house Houston was a loooooong way off. My oldest brother who is 10 years older than I used to go hunting in our back yard. There were very few houses in Bellaire of course at the time. He was forever coming home with squirrels and rabbits and one time brought home a litter of possums. The mother had been run over and he (my brother) was a teenager and it just never occurred to him that Mom wouldn't welcome a litter of possums the same as a litter of kittens. Our cat, Kisty, had just given birth to a litter of kittens who were all born dead, so the possums nursed instead. Kisty seemed just as proud of her possum litter as she would have been of her feline kittens. The newspaper even came out and took pictures.
Texasgrower, I'm not sure what to tell you about Lady Bird park because I've never camped there. I've been there for various things. There is a pool and a creek with fishing areas, and golf course. There's also LBJ park with camping areas. When you do decide to come I'd like to meet you. Maybe we could even trade plants.:)
My Mom told me about when she and her family lived in San Antonio when she was a teenager and her sisters were probably about 5 and 7. My grandfather was a telegraph operator for Southern Pacific and they lived in a area called Southside. The three of them would either take the bus or just walk to downtown to do errands or whatever. We were in San Antonio today driving around that same area and it's difficult to imagine my mom with 2 little kids in tow leisurely walking down those streets. I always try to imagine that area the way it must have looked when it was a safe place for taking a leisurely stroll.
dmj, glad you finally discovered Katy Hermann Memorial. Since we moved back to Harris County I have had 2 stays there. The place is first class. I was in ICU for a long time in '07 and then in '08 had a hip replacement. Hospitals are not what you really look for but w/this one I'm glad it's so close to us - about 10 min. away (TX mileage measurement LOL).
I graduated from Austin Hi a long time ago and had to be bussed in from Garden Villas near Hobby Airport so I didn't know the neighborhood. That school has certainly changed, ethnically speaking. At the time I graduated there were 7 hi schools, 2 Catholic Highs and U of H was kiddingly called Cougar Kiddy College as it was just getting started and the only building was in real downtown Houston. Then I went to college down in Kingsville and I can't even remember its name at that time but today is part of A&M. Then I transferred to Denton and don't remember the name of the college there, either (do know that it wasn't the girls' school but the other one) and it is now part of UT. When I first started public school there were only 10 grades and while I was there they changed the school to 12 grades. I started in January (mid term) and went to school for 11- 1/2 years, graduating 1/2 year early so that I wouldn't have to graduate at mid-term but could walk the stage in June. There was a course in Hi school called "study lab" which I never took as it was designed as a place to do your homework and you didn't get credit for it but you had to take it if your grades were below B's and mine weren't. Instead I took extra English courses and music courses so I could get the credits I needed to graduate. Best move I ever made.
Ann
small world--Austin High was the first school I taught at from 86-87. Actually that's a good high school again, since they built Chavez high and redrew the boundary. The university in Denton is University of North Texas (not part of the UT system).
Debbie
Thanks, Debbie. I was just told about the school in north TX. THEY messed me up, darn it.
Ann
It does have an excellent master's program in geophysics--I know people that went there (I have a BS in Geology and Petroleum Engineering and an ms in Geology). I just ended up going to UT San Antonio for the ms because I got a full scholarship in 1986 when they started their graduate program in GeoSciences. They would also let me commute and work full time too; but at the time, my dad also lived over there in that huge retired air force officer's community south of SA--so I stayed with him a lot too.
Silverfluter, as long as Lady Bird is a well kept park, it will be ok. If we come your way we can get together and swap and talk plants if you like.
Great Texasgrower. Just let me know when.
you betcha.
Hey Texasgrower, I am dying to go to Fredericksburg to the wildflower farm there. Maybe we could get a trip together this spring and take a carload. I have looked at the place online and I think we would all enjoy it.
Charlene
There's a $5 admission charge, a bit less for seniors and small children.
What constitutes a senior? I might qualify.
I think it is 50 and up although at some places it is 60.
well hot diggity dog, I qualify at 54.