Bill and the Houston Ship Channel

Today, I decided to take Bill to LaPorte and watch the ships go by. When I got to the VA, they had him all ready to go - no problems with his Rx. So off we went on our adventures.

 First, we went to Sylvan Beach Park. Unfortunately, with his vision, he couldn't see the ships from the parking lot. So, I continued to drive up along the waterways and landed at the Monument Inn Restaurant on the Houston Ship Channel. The restaurant was listed as handicapped accessible, so I thought, "Perfect, let's grab a bite to eat here."

I soon discovered, however, that the restaurant is on the 2nd floor, and there was NO elevator in sight. Instead, I spotted a broken-down "chair lift" running up to the 2nd floor. Even if it were fixed, it wouldn't work for Bill. So, I left Bill in the foyer and went upstairs to ask how I was supposed to get him up to the 2nd floor. The staff replied, "Oh, we'll bring you up in the freight elevator."

Let me tell you - the freight elevator is an experience I do not want to repeat! We were directed through several downstairs hallways, past a scaffold where a construction crew was busy repairing the ceiling, and then into a huge, metal box. As it clanked and rattled its way up, we got a lovely view of concrete walls, wires, and metal gates.

Once upstairs, I had to push Bill through the worst part of the kitchen area on narrow, thin, blue carpets that were thrown helter-skelter over bumps, puddles, and kitchen chaos. The server that directed us, John, helped me push my husband over a 2" high obstacle that I would not have been able to navigate by myself. This so-called "path" eventually led us to the restaurant itself, where it finally became worth the effort.

First, the view was fantastic. Huge picture windows gave us a front-row seat to ships of all shapes and sizes gliding back and forth along the channel right in front of us.

Next, our server brought us a huge plate of rolls - both yeast rolls and sweet breakfast buns! I almost filled up on the bread! We both ordered seafood - a combo of fried and grilled fish, salads, onion rings and ff. The food was delicious, even though there was too much fried food for me. I enjoyed the salad, a couple onion rings and the stuffed crab.

We did meet another obstacle at bathroom time - the doors and stalls are too small for wheelchairs. With no room to navigate, we had to skip the bathroom break. Thankfully, we made the whole day without accidents. (Note to self: this place is NOT handicapped accessible even though it is advertised as such.)

The best part of the day was how happy Bill was. He couldn't stop smiling and saying what a great day it was. He laughed, talked about the 70's and 80's (currently where his mind is), and watched the ships go by. We discussed his family, the pets we've owned, our kids, his college campus, and his fraternity friends. I'm amazed at how he has no concept of time, no memories of the past 30-40 years, yet still remembers his old friends and his college town. Thankfully, we've been married since 1970, so he still remembers me!

Afterwards, we took a brief ride around the San Jacinto monument and then back to the VA.

All in all it was a successful day. But, no, I won't be taking him for a repeat visit . . . I refuse to experience the "FRIGHT elevator" ever again!