Parking lots

Let’s talk parking lots. Houston must be the main capital of parking lots. They are just everywhere. You can’t drive for a mile without passing at least two parking lots! Picture this. Black-grayish asphalt. Hundreds of feet up north, and even more the other way down. Every little shop and every little restaurant comes with its own gigantic parking lot, nicely decorated with yellow lines drawing rectangular blocks on the ground, marking the places to park. Since most people here drive vehicles that would better fit the term ‘tank’ than what we in Europe would call a car, I guess this probably is the perfect cure. However, at the same time oil prices are kicking in here as well and GM is already thinking loudly getting rid of their heroic Hummer brand. What would that mean to the Houston parking lots? Must we not preserve these historic landscapes for the generations to come?
Let me use this opportunity to express one of my irritations as well. Every ride again, every parking lot we enter, my toes are curling in my shoes, as I see how little respect our driver shows towards these holy grounds. He blindly rushes into the spot, stopping the car completely off the middle and barely between the lines (quite an accomplishment if you would think of it actually, since the spots are tank-size proof, and we really only drive a very modest Japanese car). But still, how could someone so viciously violate the beautiful art of perfect parking?

It is at such trips that you really get to know people a little better. Till now it’s just great fun with Paul and Hajo. We laugh a lot and try to undertake as much as possible. Like yesterday’s bookshop Paul took us to. Great experience. I actually was allowed to have a look inside the books! – I had the opportunity to see whether I would like them before buying. How different from Holland, where the employees sharply keep an eye on every customer. Quietly from their desk, they observe their prey. Haunting you with their eyes. Ready to move in fast and unexpected, at all times. It’s a bit like playing chess. Touching a piece, means you need to move the piece. Touching a book, is buying the book! And here, it felt like a library. They even had relaxing seats and nice corners inviting us to quietly enjoy this inspirational knowledge environment. When I showed one of the books to Hajo and in my great enthusiasm spoke up a little, someone even sssshhsst me! It made me wonder, why are we that protective and what do we gain with it over this open attitude?

I am looking forward to tomorrow’s baseball game and the alligator park we will be visiting on Sunday. Let me share two rules of the ‘alligator etiquette’:

3. Keep a safe distance of 30 feet at all times. Do not assume the alligators are slow and sluggish. Remember
they can move at speeds up to 30 mph for the first 30 feet.

7. When an alligator stands its ground and hisses, you have come too close. This is a warning! You need to
slowly back away until the alligator no longer demonstrates this behavior.

Hopefully until next time ;o)

Tom