| |
Turning
77 on 288
or
"We just left where we thought
we were headed."by
Ken Rudine |
| Instead
of going to Matagorda
for my 77th birthday my wife Yvonne and I decided to go to Lake
Jackson to find the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory on Buffalo Camp Bayou. We
left Houston on 288 South headed toward
a bird banding event was scheduled but they were out of birds to band so we only
took a few pictures and left. While hunting for our second stop we made what we
now recognize was an illegal U-turn. Immediately a motorcycle officer stopped
us. He asked for our driving credentials and called in to headquarters. |
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Like we have discovered
previously, we are never as invisible as we would like to think. This officer
had nailed us “dead to rights” and we were in line for a warning ticket. We gave
him our Texas Escapes "Press" card and explained
we were celebrating my birthday. While waiting to hear back from headquarters,
he mentioned several nationally famous people were residents here and how hard
the city tries in keeping a beautiful "serene and clean" image. “If pot-holes
are reported this week – they aren’t here next week.”
As we talked, I showed
him our printed information and destination map. He said we had just left where
we thought we were headed. That meant we had completed our planned trip, so Yvonne
mentioned we were looking for a good place to eat. The officer suggested many
restaurants but we settled on seafood in Surfside. On the way there we saw a sign
reminding us we could cross the toll bridge at San Luis Pass and eat at Gaido’s
where we really love to eat.
This was probably not the best way, but as
experience has taught us, talking with local people makes both of you feel great
and have a sense of pride in the encounter. A couple of blocks after the officer
and we had parted, he came alongside us again at a traffic signal. He said, “I
admire your car and I forgot to wish you a happy birthday."
Lake
Jackson is a great place to visit but we don’t recommend any U-turns. Our
best photo excursions somehow always seem to include the police and a bit of chocolate.*
*The Texarkana
McCartney Hotel Fiasco of 2005 |
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| Photographer's
Note: We came into Houston
from Rockport on Highway
59 and went out on 288S. The accompanying photos are in order: The Houston skyline,
the presidents (Artist David Adickes) near the Brazoria County line. At Hwy 35
& 288 west of Angleton
the Stephen F. Austin statue stands and finally the Buffalo Camp area and Bayou.
- Ken “Mr.
Third Coast” Rudine, July 22, 2008 |
Statues
of presidents by Artist David Adickes
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine | |
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