Mad Macedonian

Alone 3: Thoughts From a "Bloomin'" Houstonian

ALONE 3: A Poem About Fannin St.

In the afternoon I  walk
Along an historic city street; myself
Looks about, and sees busy workers, tourists and the homeless,
Each alone in their own little worlds,
The sounds of a vibrant city 
All around me;
I explore and experience this scene
Seeing what is to see, and hearing what I can not; Conversations
of those I pass, with others and with themselves; and myself
With hands in my sweater pockets,
Smiles, tired, yet content, as
I make my way along Fannin St..

Dining Out With Mad 6: Boys Burgers of Santa Ana, Ca.

Over the years I have written of my dining out adventures and shared photos, from one end of SoCal to the other, and here in the Houston area.

 

In the Kitchen, and Dining Out (The Archive)

I just realized I've only written 1 dining review since moving to Houston! In Oct. 2012, for crying out loud!

I have discovered photos that show that I appear to have failed to follow through on February 2011 plans to do a write-up on a popular fast food joint on 17th, next to Santa Ana College, west of Bristol, in Santa Ana, Ca..

Boys Burgers

Family owned and operated since 1993 they are known for their 3 ft. burritos & their world famous 6 ft. burritos, as well as their burgers and fries, among other Mexican and American classics.

There may have been at least 8 of them, at one time, but now there are only 2, the other being in Long Beach.

Yes, there is an In & Out around the corner on Bristol....but the smart, discerning, person, with no time for long lines in the drive-thru and a hankering for more than just your typical burger, knew where to go, and go often.

I went often...for years, until I fled Ca. for Texas in 2012. So did a lot of cops, firefighters and paramedics, college students and teachers, and no doubt people who worked in stores in the nearby shopping center.

Living up the road, where Bristol ended, at the Orange Crush Freeways, made it easy.

Like a certain one-of-a-kind fast food joint, in Pomona, I've rapturized about on this blog, I miss the food dearly.

Re-discovering Ecotone and Reimagining Place

In 2008 I discovered a website called Ecotone, the national literary magazine of the same name from the Department of Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington and the concept of "Writing About Place".

As I wrote earlier this month:

"The first "place" related piece I wrote was actually in May 2002, my 2nd ever blog post.

"Writing about Place" can be defined not just as about a physical location but about something that occurs there, about what you did there, even about issues related to the location.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be "places".

The "place" can even be a virtual landscape such as the "Blogosphere".

In that blog post, earlier this month, I celebrated my years of writing such pieces and announced a new category archive for the topic.

Writing About Place For Almost 15 Years

This was all brought about by something I received in my email, on New Year's Eve.

That email and where it led me is what this post is about.

The original Ecotone blog was short-lived and the original website is no more. I lost track of both years ago but, unknown to me, I was still on their contact list of emails.

Their message was as follows:

"All of us at Ecotone are sending best wishes for 2017—and we'd love to share a little news with you too. We're about to relaunch our occasional newsletter, and we'd love to send it your way. We'll have subscription specials, calls for work, news from our sister imprint, Lookout Books, and more."

I signed up for the newsletter and have begun to explore their websites to see what I have been missing all these years.

Writing About Place For Almost 15 Years

As I have written before... I like sharing my travel experiences, and my thoughts on the things I see in the world we live in, because it helps my writing skills, and may spur readers to get out and explore their own surroundings.

Something I received in my email, on New Year's Eve, brought back memories and reminded me that I have been writing and thinking about "place" ever since I began blogging in 2002.

The first piece was actually in May 2002, my 2nd ever blog post.

"Writing about Place" can be defined not just as about a physical location but about something that occurs there, about what you did there, even about issues related to the location.

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner can be "places".

The "place" can even be a virtual landscape such as the "Blogosphere".

A week ago I began exploring the archives of this blog, looking for all the posts I could move into a new category I call "Writing About Place". Going back to October 2007 I was surprised at the number of pieces I found.

That got me to thinking... what about My old bike blog (2003-10) and my original blog (2002-07)? What was there that I could link to in a post that would show how this interest in "place" has been a central part of my creativity as a writer and photographer all along?

Walking, using mass transit, and/or riding my bike, I took notes on notepads, and took photos using my much missed point and shoot camera in my hands and perched atop my much missed special walking stick and my mini-tripods (on the bike handlebar and off) and shared my stories with the world and anyone who came across them.

 I spent this afternoon reviewing the archives of both blogs and this is what I came up with:

Vacation Day 6: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

On Thursday, the 6th day of my vacation I went to a place that had truly a hell of a lot to see.

 

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, made up of several buildings in the Museum District, and elsewhere in Houston, is one of the largest art museums in America.

Established in 1900, the MFAH is the largest cultural institution in the southwest.

 

It took me several hours to explore just the 2 connected buildings in the Museum District and if I had actually read all the informational displays explaining this or that item I might still be there today. :-D

 

General admission is free on Thursday and you won't regret spending the money to get in. I didn't.

 

There were several exhibitions to see and enjoy, spanning literature, photography, painting, sculpture and more and deciding what to photograph for sharing would have been difficult if I hadn't decided to focus on subjects related to my own personal interests and creative pursuits.

I focused my cell phone camera on literature, writing, photography, bicycles and felines...especially felines.

The exhibitions spanned the centuries, from several hundred years before Christ to the early 20th century, and every continent.

 

The intent of this post and one on my cat blog is to share 19 photos that give a representative example of all that I saw and was amazed at on my exploring the museum.

There were 4 Shakespeare volumes on display, from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

This one was something called "Bell's ed."

"Boydell's" from 1804.

 

A Mid-19th century volume.

The 2nd Folio, from 1632.

Vacation Day 5: Checking Out the Houston Center For Photography

The Houston Center For Photography is a Non-profit gallery that specializes in photography as an art form. It supports emerging and mid-career artists, and promotes the study of photography through exhibitions, classes and events.

After I left the Boat Tour, I took in the morning, I headed into the Museum District to check out this gallery.

If you have been following long since my first adventure you may have noticed a pattern....most of the places I have been have been in the Museum District, hee, hee!

That won't change with Day 6.

Anyway, about the gallery...

  They also publish a magazine twice a year...

Spot magazine features award-winning commentary on photography and photo-based art exhibitions in Texas, the United States, and abroad.

Their library of photography book blew me away and this photo is just one corner of the room where they have them.

 

HCP began in 1981 and claims as its mission "to increase society's understanding and appreciation of photography and its evolving role in contemporary culture.

 

HCP strives to encourage artists, build audiences, stimulate dialogue, and promote inquiry about photograph".

HCP has an international reputation and its exhibitions have included works by some of the most important photographers of the 20th and 21st centuries.

The day I visited they had 2 exhibits on display and I was particularly struck by one of them.

SIGHT LINES: Looking at Guns

As you may be aware in the United States, debates about the right to keep and bear arms, as outlined and protected by the Second Amendment, have been, um, plentiful and heated in recent years.

Here in Texas new laws have been passed related to Concealed Carry and Open Carry resulting in businesses and colleges coming to grips with whether to allow licensed gun owners inside or on campus.

Fire arms manufacturing, sales and ownership have risen in recent years.

Vacation Day 5: A 1 Hr Tour With a Mad Macedonian Brave and True

 

Day 4 of my vacation was spent going to a pair of Food Pantries and preparing photos for sharing.

Day 5 saw me return to my adventures in an entertaining way....

Interested in my earlier vacation adventures, this week? Begin here.

The other day my creative friend Amanda Socci encouraged me to try my hand at the latest writing prompt by the great Robert Lee Brewer, of  Writer's Digest and Poetic Asides Blog.

As Robert explained:

"write an ekphrastic poem. Ekphrasis sounds kind of complicated, but it’s just a fancy word for using a piece of art to inspire a poem. I’ve included a few images below, but feel free to use your own, including paintings, drawings, and sculptures."

I got to thinking about this and decided to used the first 2 photos below as  my inspiration...

Enjoy! And let me know what you think in the comments.

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Just sit right back and read this tale, a tale of a short but interesting trip,

That started from the Houston Port, aboard a small, but comfy ship.

The crew were friendly sailin' folk, the Skipper steered straight and sure.

A hundred passengers set sail that morning for a 1 hour tour, a 1 hour tour.

 

 

 

 

Getting there on time was a little tough, I almost got lost.

The gatekeepers wouldn't let me walk through, but I vowed to make it at all cost, make it at all cost.

A ride I soon found and got on the boat with a happy smile.

 

With the tour guides, the Skipper too, some old folks full of life,

Travelers from afar, students and yours truly, a creative writer man,

We left our cares behind for a little while.

 

 

 

Vacation Day 3: One Park and it's 2 Gardens

On Monday I spent the afternoon wandering around the extensive expanse that is Hermann Park, between the Texas Medical Center neighborhood of hospitals and the Museum District.

The grounds are across the street from  historic Rice University and are also home to the Houston Zoo.

As part of my November vacation I plan to visit the zoo on its free day.

As for my previous adventures, this week, start here.

America was going through a nationwide City Beautiful Movement at the beginning of the 20th century and Houston was not immune to it.

In 1910 a study was commissioned and, in 1913, a city-wide park system, the major element of which was to be a large public open space was recommended.

Most of this property apparently belonged to a Park Commissioner named George Hermann, who in 1914 announced a gift to the city of these 285 acres, for said park, insisting that it always be used for recreational purposes.

He died later in the year.

 

It took me 2 buses to reach the park and I began my exploration with a visit to the Japanese Garden.

 

This small corner of the park is 25 years old and is a quiet place to walk and sit for a while.

 

 

The ponds have a number of very larger Koi fish.

I used to think..."Damn, but them Gold Fish are HUGE!" But they ain't Gold Fish!

Nishikigoi, are apparently ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp!

People keep them for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens.

 

I wish I could have got a better picture of the Sam Houston Monument, but the combo of a cell phone camera and shadows conspired against it.

The monument was erected in 1925 in honor of the great general and first president of the Republic of Texas.

It depicts him, sitting atop his horse, Saracen.

There is just so much to see and so much ground to cover that I decided to stick to the area between the monument and the zoo and not try to wander farther afield.

 

 

 

 

 

I soon found myself outside the McGovern Centennial Gardens.

Vacation Day 2: Willow Waterhole Park, A Dog and Her Musician Companions

  On late Sunday afternoon and evening I hopped on my bike and rode 8 miles to the Willow Waterhole Greenspace Preserve off Gasmer, Willow and Post Oak, in Houston.

It is a large greenway that provides a series of 6 ponds of differing sizes, walking trails, both paved and gravel/dirt & gazebos, as well as diverse wildlife views, especially of birds.

I pedaled around 2 miles exploring the area. I include this post in my Take a Hike archive because of what it offers and it's potential in the future.

 

The series begins here.

 

  Willow Waterhole Park is a 291 acre work in progress that offers passive recreational activities in an environment focused on wildlife conservation, the nurturing of native plant growth and relief from flooding concerns.

Looking around at what this has developed into in just 16 yrs. it is shocking to think that it once contained contaminated brownfields & abandoned buildings due to yrs. of flood damage.

 

 The Conservancy & this project are part of Harris County Flood Control & US Army Corps of Engineers' Project Brays. The project is a combination of major flood control, a $70M series of wet-bottom detention lakes, & greenspace in  SW Houston.

 

  The park is still in development as I found paved trails at only 2 of the ponds, with one having unpaved trails and a couple bridges to an island.

One pond had a partly overgrown dirt trail around it, but you wouldn't know the trail was walkable, or bikeable, unless you took a closer look as I did, getting an early sunset photo in the process.

 

  The goal is to eventually join the ranks of Memorial and Hermann Parks as major outdoor recreational destinations for Houstonians.

A great place for cycling and urban hiking and walking.

 

 

 

There is so much potential here to build trails and provide places for people to rest and picnic.

In the decade since the Conservancy began the park has become a top birding site and they are restoring Coastal Prairie.

 

Vacation Day 1: It's All Greek To Me!

  Yesterday was the first day of my 7 day vacation.

I spent the week looking into things I could do for free and found a number of things, but decided to spend $5 attending  day 3 of the 50th anniversary of Houston's Original Greek Festival, held on the grounds of historic Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral and school.

 

  In 1917, a bunch of Greek immigrants formed what is today one of the largest Greek Orthodox communities in America on the grounds of what is now Tranquility Park in downtown Houston.

The current Cathedral was built in 1952 and is beautiful, inside and out.

So, I, the Mad Macedonian, took 2 buses to reach the location, just off Montrose Blvd., between Westheimer & Alabama, arriving about 1pm.

Looking around I decided it was too depressing to begin by looking at all the Greek food I couldn't afford to sample and went inside the Cathedral instead.

 

Nothing like a good, old-fashioned Byzantine Chant, or 4, to take one's mind off such matters, hee, hee!

  Just inside the entrance I decided to do something to honor the memory of my father; I lit a candle, said a brief prayer of hope for a better personal and creative future.

This room is "The Narthex"; where the faithful light a candle to the Lord.

My father was a native Macedonian, born in Gevgelija, in what used to be part of the country of Yugoslavia, now the Republic of Macedonia, bordering Greece.

I then went into "The Nave"; The main chamber, where the laity sit or stand and take part in the Worship services.

Orthodox Christianity is the oldest church in Christendom...What became Roman Catholicism broke off from them, in the 11th century, to form the Western Church of the Christian Faith and the rest is history as Western Civilization evolved from this split.

The Orthodox Church has it's own divisions,  as evidenced Greek and Eastern Orthodoxy, among others, but according to the literature passed out at Annunciation...

The Orthodox  Christian Church "maintains the Apostolic Faith of Ancient Christianity" and "does not change dogmas and teachings" as the evolution of Western Christianity has done.

I settled down in a pew and listened to a priest talk about the church and then lead a small group in an short "concert" of a collection of Byzantine Chants, one of which you can listen to, on my Facebook.