Houston Reunion

This past weekend hubby and I drove down to Houston for Rice's Centennial Homecoming Celebration.  Many of our friends from near and far were planning on attending, and we thought it would be a great opportunity to see them and reminisce.  I hadn't been back to Houston in over two years and was excited to see all the positive changes going on there.  Many new buildings and shops and restaurants have popped up in the city we used to call home.

 While in Houston we visited some of our old favorite places... some of which had been renovated or moved to newer and bigger locations.  One of these places was Buffalo Grille, a restaurant known for its breakfast in Houston.  We were glad to see it in its new location because seating at the old location was always a problem.  Hubby and I decided to get an egg dish and a sweet dish and share... that way we got the best of both worlds.  I ordered scrambled eggs with bacon, hashbrowns, and biscuits, while hubby had banana pecan pancakes.  The eggs were nothing to write home about, but the biscuits and pancakes were top notch.  I almost wrapped up the extra biscuit to take with us for the day... then thought it was better to leave the day open to other food possibilities.

 The new space at Buffalo Grille was open and welcoming... and easy to find a seat.

Their cinnamon spice coffee put a smile on hubby's face.

 

 The eggs were ok, and the hashbrowns could have used more flavor... but the biscuits more than made up for whatever the meal lacked.

 Hubby got two very large pancakes that delighted with sweet banana bites.

The pancakes were so good, we nearly licked the plate clean.

After breakfast, we were off for a day of tailgating and reliving our college days.  Like the ever changing restaurant scene in Houston, Rice had also seen a lot of changes since hubby and I were at school there.  Where there once were trees or open fields, buildings have been put up... new residential colleges, a recreation center, and art installations.  Although hubby was happy about the changes, I was a little sad that the school I had graduated from only five years ago had undergone so much.  Even though I may not have been a fan, I understand the need to make changes and spruce things up in honor of the centennial and all the visitors it brings to campus... oh, yes, and making it look new and pretty attracts more students too.

 Banners announcing the centennial were everywhere... the stadium...

 ... shuttle buses on campus...

 ... even VW Beetles, though I'm not sure what they are used for.

 The new residential colleges looked beautiful and blended with the school architecture while still standing out.

Some parts hadn't changed, and it was nice to walk down a literal memory lane.

This art installation was very bizarre to us.  It was put in special for the centennial.

We spent the day tailgating with friends for the football game.  Then hubby and I went our separate ways to visit our residential colleges and see how they have changed.  After the residential college gatherings, there was a centennial finale, which was a great way to end the day.  There was an incredible spread of food with music (and eventual dancing) and, of course, the spectacle.  I don't know how to put a video in here, but if you follow this link, you can see the light show that was put on in the middle of our academic quad.  It was a very interesting and unique display... it definitely beats fireworks.

Sunday, we woke up leisurely and had a kolache from Kolache Factory and lunch at Barnaby's before heading home to Fort Worth.  On our drive back, we made a pit stop at Buc-ee's.  If you've ever been to Texas, you've probably seen a sign for Buc-ee's, which is a convenient store.  There aren't actually that many Buc-ee's considering the size of Texas, but everyone seems to know about them.  In my seven years in Texas, I had never been and felt like this was as good a time as any for my first Buc-ee's experience.  I was in awe.  It was the coolest gas station stop I've ever had.  The Buc-ee's in Madisonville, TX was bigger than a regular gas station quickie mart, which gives it the opportunity to sell tons of stuff.  There was art and Texas gear, like leather belts.  There is private label jerky and snacks.  There are Buc-ee's souveniers and a market and so much more.  The place was packed with visitors and locals alike.  There are no words to describe how cool it is... for a convenient store.

 You could see the large establishment easily from the highway.

There was so much in the store.  A quick stop wasn't enough to take it all in.

We picked up some snacks for the road... this is a whole row of private label popcorns and nut mixes.