From Prairie Walk to Dinner With Friends
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We spent Sunday morning easing into the day with a walk at Sheldon Lake State Park, just outside the city. It was a surprisingly peaceful spot considering how close it is to Houston. The park used to be a fish hatchery back in the 1970s, and today it’s been restored to highlight the native coastal tallgrass prairie that once stretched from Texas into Louisiana.
Sheldon Lake State Park
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That landscape was largely lost after the 1800s as farming took over, and now it takes controlled burns and ongoing management to keep invasive plants in check. Early spring grass was starting to pop up across the prairie, weaving through dozens of crawdad mounds scattered across the ground. An 82-foot lookout tower offered wide views over the wetlands, lake, and prairie, and for a bit it felt far removed from traffic and city noise.
Later that evening, we headed west to meet up with my old work colleague Hassan and his family for dinner at Aga’s Restaurant & Catering, a massive Indian restaurant that can seat hundreds of people.
They were observing Ramadan, and we joined them in breaking fast right at sundown, around 7:45 p.m. The place was packed, with crowds waiting outside, but thankfully we had a reservation. The food was excellent, and what impressed me most was how perfectly everything was timed. Dishes hit the table right as fasting ended, which is no small feat for a restaurant handling that many guests at once.
Hassan had always joked that Houston was the BBQ capital of the world, a title just about every Southern city likes to fight over. I’d never fully bought into that claim… until I tried Aga’s signature goat BBQ chops. Consider me convinced.
It was a great meal and an even better experience. Huge thanks to Hassan and his family for being such wonderful hosts and for sharing the evening with us.
Monday morning, we said goodbye to Houston, but not without a little excitement. While crawling along in heavy traffic, two 18-wheelers honked at us back to back. Danny checked the rearview mirror and immediately saw the problem. One of the bikes had slipped off the rack and was dragging down the interstate.
We pulled over with cars and trucks flying past and got it secured as quickly as possible. Thankfully there was no serious damage, just a popped tire.
With that handled, we got back on the road and officially left Houston behind.
Later that evening, we headed west to meet up with my old work colleague Hassan and his family for dinner at Aga’s Restaurant & Catering, a massive Indian restaurant that can seat hundreds of people.
They were observing Ramadan, and we joined them in breaking fast right at sundown, around 7:45 p.m. The place was packed, with crowds waiting outside, but thankfully we had a reservation. The food was excellent, and what impressed me most was how perfectly everything was timed. Dishes hit the table right as fasting ended, which is no small feat for a restaurant handling that many guests at once.
Hassan had always joked that Houston was the BBQ capital of the world, a title just about every Southern city likes to fight over. I’d never fully bought into that claim… until I tried Aga’s signature goat BBQ chops. Consider me convinced.
It was a great meal and an even better experience. Huge thanks to Hassan and his family for being such wonderful hosts and for sharing the evening with us.
Monday morning, we said goodbye to Houston, but not without a little excitement. While crawling along in heavy traffic, two 18-wheelers honked at us back to back. Danny checked the rearview mirror and immediately saw the problem. One of the bikes had slipped off the rack and was dragging down the interstate.
We pulled over with cars and trucks flying past and got it secured as quickly as possible. Thankfully there was no serious damage, just a popped tire.
With that handled, we got back on the road and officially left Houston behind.