In my last post , the first of my musings on being a Texas Newbie, I rambled on about my experiences with driving in the greater Houston area. So now I want my readers to know that everyplace here is not crazy-making. Once I’m heading west of I-45 on Cypresswood, I start enjoying the scenery. And when I turn into my neighborhood, I begin to relax. We live in a lovely older subdivision. Each street is lined by beautiful mature trees in front of older homes adorned with landscaped yards. There is an abundance of flowering Crepe Myrtles; trees and bushes, alongside majestic Loblolly Pines – a native to the Houston area – a sprinkling of majestic sprawling Live Oaks and numerous other deciduous trees. Me and Little Girl, our four-legged family member, love our morning and evening walks, trying different routes through the lovely shaded lanes. We usually pass several cats, who get LG barking. One of my neighbors said the cats were strays. I notice feeding/water stations along the way that residents have set up to sustain the felines, who, by the way, are not afraid of my dog. Nor do they look like the scraggly sketchy alley cats who slinked around our street when I was a kid.
Most mornings are peaceful, but on a recent walk we came upon a flock of Texas Vultures (not the Turkey Buzzards of my native Kentucky) investigating someone’s yard. These lurking creepy birds, who were taller than LG, sent her into a frenzy. Her hair was up in a strip down her back, and she started barking like a maniac Chiwawa, having no fear, on the end of her leash.
As for our slice of heaven, it is not the exception. There are many residential areas like this all along the outer beltways of Houston, and further out. We found the same scenic streets and roads in Conroe, Tomball and Humble, during several of our reconnaissance trips, looking for our forever-Texas-home.
I am also happy to report that I am learning my way around my home turf, the Spring–Klein area. I can run errands and find my go-to-stops without the help of Siri. But one thing that still messes me up, the thing I cannot seem to get my brain around, is all the Cypresses, not trees but signs. I cannot keep them separate. There is Cypresswood Drive and Cypress Spring Drive – not to be confused with Spring Cypress Road. And when you are traveling east on Cypress Creek Pkwy, also known as FM 1960.(another Texas thing. Farm to Market roads), do not try to spot the actual creek, the road’s namesake. It is a little further north and is part of the Cypress Creek Greenway Park. To add to the confusion, there are lots of lesser Cypresses: Big Cypress Drive, Cypressdale Court and Cypresswood Forest Court, where we live. And of course there is Cypress, Texas an unincorporated community about 40 minutes north-west of us, just inside the outer-most Houston Beltway.
One last gripe before I close. We are just minutes away from a major throughway named Kuykendahl Road, where we go to Kroger, Lowes, the bank and one of our favorite Mexican restaurants. Phonetically speaking, I called it KOO-ken-dahl. But I have been corrected. Here in Houston it is pronounced KER-ken-dahl. Why?
Enough for now. Be sure to watch for my next Texas Newbie post.
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