Houston, Friday 5-April

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After everyone got up and had breakfast, we went to Hermann Park to view the Japanese Garden, the Centennial Garden, and other parts of the grounds. After stopping by the Rothko Chapel, we went back for lunch and hung out. Lindsay and her family spent some of the afternoon and dinnertime with us, where we celebrated her and her baby's birthdays.

None of us seemed to sleep in very late, as if we had already adjusted ourselves to the two-hour time difference. Fortunately, breakfast was a leisurely affair; even though there were only four chairs, we ended up eating in shifts, so that worked out just fine.

Hermann Park

We had originally planned to go to Buffalo Bayou Park but ended up going to Hermann Park instead. We figured there was enough to do in both places, so that worked out fine. The parking lot wasn't very full, so after parking, we took a look at what was available, and decided to head towards the Japanese garden. On the way, we passed the McGovern Centennial Garden and put that on the list of things to do on the walk back. We then saw several kids on field trips to the science museum, which was also on our list, but knew we didn't have time for that.

Continuing towards the Japanese garden, we saw a reflecting pool and made mental notes to look at that, too. We found the garden and noticed that we needed to cross train tracks to get to the entrance. By the time we reached the torii, we saw the train that goes around the park, so we gave it a wave.

Unlike most times when we go through a garden, we didn't plan out a path to take. What we ended up doing is, if we saw a bridge, we found a way to cross over it, then looked for the next bridge. Along the way, we saw several koi and ducks. After running out of bridges, we wandered around a bit, then exited the garden, making our way to the reflecting pool.

Once we got to the pool, we saw that water was flowing in from our side, and lots of birds were hanging out on the various water terraces. We got to the end of the pool and took a look at the obelisk which honors the pioneer men and women of Houston. After that was a pond with a solitary fountain that was shooting high into the air. Since the wind was shifting, we saw the water fall in different directions.

Next on the list was the McGovern Centennial Garden. One of the first things we saw when we entered was a huge mound with a path spiraling to the top, so we went up to take a look. Mostly we didn't see very far beyond the Centennial Garden. After going back down the spiral path, we wandered through the rose garden, walked through the pavilion, and made our way back to the car.

Rothko Chapel

We still had a little time, so we went to the Rothko Chapel, which was designed by Mark Rothko.

Outside the chapel entrance is a small reflecting pool with one of four installations of Broken Obelisk by Barnett Newman. Another Broken Obelisk is at the University of Washington so we are quite familiar with the work. We have also seen the other two installations, at the New York Museum of Modern Art and at Storm King, also in New York.

On the outside, the chapel is a brick building that isn’t large but still seems imposing. After going through multiple sets of doors, you’re in the chapel. Rothko is known for works that have large blocks of color, sometimes looking like a large canvas split in two. In the chapel, the colors he used were very dark with low contrast. Some seemed to be of one color for the whole panel, others with a thin border of a slightly different color. Natural light came from the glass at the top of the room.

Since this was a chapel, they requested that you be quiet and use no electronics, so I don’t have any photos of the inside. It was a relatively quick stop but was interesting to see.

After that, it was back to our home to finish up leftovers from the night before. After we returned, the hosts dropped off more silverware, which was greatly appreciated. As soon as their son Noah finished his nap, Lindsay and her husband Joe came over.

Dinner

While Tynor had been with Lindsay, Joe, and Noah several months ago, this was the first time for Joe and Noah to meet the rest of us, and for Mallory to meet Lindsay. Noah is about 11 months old and seemed very happy to be among us. We all lounged in the living room, chatting about what's been going on in all of our lives.

Melody and I headed out to pick up dinner, and on our way out the door, Lindsay jokingly made sure that the kids would be fine by themselves. We set up a buffet line in the kitchen and sat/stood around the table to have dinner.

When Lindsay lived in Seattle, I would always make some sort of ice cream cake for her birthday. I knew I needed to do that this time, so I ordered one and picked it up earlier in the day. She wasn't surprised at all but seemed happy to have ice cream cake again. We sang happy birthday to her and Noah and then dug in.

It was eventually time for them to head home, but we made loose plans to get together for the next day.

Later in the evening, the conversation somehow turned towards a time when we watched all the Buster Keaton silent movies when Kellen and Tynor were quite young. We decided to watch The General so Noël and Mallory could see it too. After several attempts, we did find a copy to stream. Even though it was colorized, had sound effects added, and was peppered with ads, we still had a good time.