Day 27, Mile 4175. Tomball TX
Despite its origins in the early 1800’s and its boom and bust cycles surrounding its role as a railroad town and an oil producer until 1933, today Tomball might be considered a suburb of Houston. About 9000 people live within its city limits and 135,000 live in the area immediately around it. Over 80% of the buildings have been built since 1970.
Cousin Sammie and his lovely wife Leslie live in an immaculate brick home in a neighborhood of lovely homes, all with immaculate lawns. Now in mid-June, temperatures daily rise to near 100. Fortunately, at least this year, rainfall has been adequate. The preceding year or two featured severe droughts and water restrictions were in place.
To celebrate Jo Ann's birthday, the Gertsons took us out to a fabulous South African restaurant which featured some unusual fare. One distinctive feature of the restaurant was its use of a small, sweet and slightly hot pepper, the peli-peli. The house red wine was a delicious South African Merlot-Cab blend. I had delicious sirloin tips with spinach and Jo Ann had shrimp scampi with mango coleslaw and a combination of mashed carrots and sweet potato, reminiscent of a Jewish dish called Tsimmis.
Sam took us to the center of Tomball, where the railroad station once was the central part of town. He also took us to nearby Old Spring Town, with a trendy shopping district of specialty shops in a Shab Row district. There was, among other fun shops, a pet bakery in a section self-designated as “artsy-phartsy.” You can buy an instant heart attack there, via fried anything—fried Oreos, fried Reeses Peanutbutter cups, Fried Twinkies.
We also passed Sam’s Reformed Temple, a lovely structure surrounded by trees. It has a huge parking lot, so I would guess that it is well-attended.
Sam, Leslie, and their dog Ollie extended us a warm greeting and were very hospitable. Their home was exquisite—immaculate, warm, and creative.
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