Colorado trips - then and now

I was telling my friend George (60 years young) that I was going to Colorado on vacation.  He recalled his first trip, back in the 70s.

He was at a debutante party (remember those?) in Galveston TX his hometown.  Imagine him, 19 or 20 years old, Christmas vacation,  in a tuxedo, feeling no pain.    His friends tell him that they are going skiing but that one of the members has backed out, therefore increasing their share of the cost.  Would George go?  He calculated the cost, decided to go.

The next day he drove his father's Chevy Caprice to Austin to get enough things to pack and back the same day.  A day later, he flew Southwest Air for $19 from Houston to Dallas where he caught up with his friends.

The 4 of them drove all night to Colorado. George had never skied before.  But since he was so athletic, by the end of day 1 he was keeping up.  By the end of Day 2 he was better than 2 of the 3.  I'm sure they ate very cheap food and drank very cheap beer, and drove all night to get home.

Did you sleep on the couch, I asked?  Why yes, I think I remember a fold-out couch.

When I went to Colorado the last time, age 17, 1982 it was, I went on a Young Life trip.  We had to ride the bus from Austin all night, and when we got there, they got us up early and kept us up late, keeping the teenagers our of trouble.  I got back and my sister picked me up:  I was tired and dirty and strung out.

I vowed that when I went back as an adult, I was going to do it MY WAY.



I'm pleased to say that I'm going back on August 24.  There will be no all night drive, but rather a direct flight with a rental car waiting.  Instead of the couch, there will be a nice hotel room at a resort.  Eating and drinking, whatever I want, whenever I want.

 I feel like I've earned this trip over 50 years,  and plan to do it right!

Swim + Golf today

A swim and golf today.   Both inside.  Only one involved me.

Workout swimming done at Bannworth pool, which is a nice indoor lap pool by Sharyland H.S.  We're lucky to have a state of the art pool like that.  Great value for $1.50.  Ladder down of 500m, 300m, 100m.  It got easier as I went along.  Felt good in the upper body.

Golf involves watch Jason Day and Jordan Speith at the PGA Championship.  Course of Whistling Straits looks great.  But since it costs $500 and it is an hour north of Milwaukee, I don't think I'll be there anytime soon.

Still have to finish my 2015 12 course resolution.  Next on the list:  CommonGround in Denver.

107 Cafe, Edinburg TX

One of my favorite things about bike riding is the Taqueria Route.  That's an early start for a bike ride on Saturday.  After you ride an hour or so, you stop for breakfast at whatever taqueria you happen to be close to.

Today's Taqueria Route featured the 107 Cafe in Edinburg, located right on Highway 107 where McAllen turns into Edinburg.  It's a large place, so easy to get a table even on Saturday morning.  We start with a tostada, a baked torilla, with some hot salsa.  Service is rapid.  Gil ordered a Valley favorite, the $1.99  breakfast with eggs, potatoes, beans and toast.  I had the barcacoa.  Tortilla of maiz/corn were freshly made in the back.    

Barbacoa, traditionally made from beef cheeks, can be a little greasy but this was not.  It's a traditional hangover food for the weekend.  Served with onions, cilantro and potatoes, it was a strong breakfast.  No need for much lunch thereafter.

University of Houston

I went to the New Student send-off party last night for the University of Houston.  Being in the RGV, I'm extra proud of the students that go off to U of H.  They're make a good step up.

Our local alumni Alonzo is a great UH supporter and threw open his house (again) for the event.  Always special to go to an event there.

I was thinking that I needed a new U of H shirt.  Lo and behold my new friend Papito brought me a UH Golf shirt today.  It is awesome!  Can't buy that.  UH Golf has a great tradition, winning several NCAA championships in golf, 16 overall.  They're the historical powerhouse with many alums on the PGA tour.  Proud to be a small part through a McAllen Memorial golfer.

Another Interesting Man

Must be something I bring when I threaten to sue someone.  I've already met one interesting man that way.  Now, another threatened suit, another pleasant meeting.

Dr. Jose , after we had a meeting where I desired to put some fear of getting sued into him, instead, invited me back for happy hour Friday after 5.  The case resolved (as he said it should) and I did go to that happy hour.

I learned a lot.  First I heard how he and his family escaped from Cuba as political refugees when he was only 6 years old.  They sought sanctuary in Mexico, and had to literally outrun the Mexican police to get to the US Embassy.

When he arrived in Cape Canaveral, Florida, the teachers didn't know what to do with this Spanish speaker and put him with the mentally challenged kids.  In keeping with the American Dream, he made it into the regular school and became captain of the football team, and married his high school sweetheart, the cheerleader.  He and Debbie have now been married nearly 40 years.

Off he went on a football scholarship to a place on the rise, the University of Miami.  At that time, the coach was Lou Saban, uncle of Nick.   During that time, Jose was the suitemate of Jim Kelly, who is now in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.  The "U" won the first of 4 national championship thereafter under coach Howard Snellenberger, who was coach his senior year.

On to medical school, where his first son was born in Puerto Rico in dramatic fashion.   (see his book about the experience The Miraculous Infant).  Yes, he's an author also.

Then during his fellowship in Texas, he meets another young doctor who encourages him to come to his hometown of McAllen, TX where there were only 3 gastroenterologists.  A sleepy border town then.  But change was coming to the area, and 2 surgery centers were built.

Back then you had to be a proceduralist to be an investor.  He and his friend were shut out of the existing investors, so they decided to do their own.  With a 10 acre tract of land, they built their own surgery center  in 1997.

As time went by, it combined with the surrounding 20 acre tract to be a start-up hospital which is now Doctors Hospital at Renaissance, employing 3,000 people.

Now, he trains young athletes to get Division 1 sports scholarships,  continues as a full-time doctor, an author, and is part of 14 different businesses.  Quite a journey for a child refugee running for his life toward the door of the US Embassy in Mexico.

I'll tell more about the other interesting man, The Skipper later.   They call him Skipper for his military service in the Vietnam War where he won 2 Purple Hearts.   Right now, Skipper is at his chateau in France for the summer.  You can't make these people up!