Lucy in the Display Case with Armed Guards

...the 21st century version of a Beatles classic.

Day 2 of our adventure in Houston began with a stroll through the rose garden at Herman Park. Not the best time of year for roses in Houston, however there certainly was some color and fragrance to enjoy.

Our next stop was the Houston Museum of Natural Science. There, we were greeted at the front door by a good friend and fabulous tour guide, Barbara Hawthorn. She was a gracious host, carving time out of her day to share the tenuous journey of Lucy, the 3.2 million year old fossil currently on exhibit. I'm still trying to wrap my head around the age of this fossil and how I am she and she are we and we are she and we are all together...if'n you know what I mean.

I would have loved to have taken a picture, but alas, the armed and alert HPD officer at Lucy's elbow was not to be challenged. Suffice it to say, if you are in Houston, don't miss this world premiere exhibit.

Next, we entered the Cockrell Butterly Center where heat, humidity, sunshine and butterflies were in abundance. Here are some photos...we spent much of the time in the following dialogue:

"Look!" "Look at that one!" "Oh, look over there!" "I've never seen that kind before!"

This would be one of the times when I am dumbstruck by the beauty of nature.

From there we dropped in at the home of my Houston faith community, Covenant Church at 4949 Caroline (go ahead, say the address aloud with a Southern accent...it's like velvet) where we spent a few precious moments with Jeremy Rutledge, saw pictures of second son, Ian and beautiful mom, Sarah and sat in the sanctuary, soaking in the light, love and sacred presence that is so prevalent at Covenant.

No tour of "my" Houston would be complete without lunch at Hobbit Cafe and a stroll through Lucia's Garden. These are two of my favorite spots to dine and shop and they are on the same street! Added bonus was being joined by Holly...dear and wonderful friend and a member of my chosen family.

After lunch, we returned to the Museum and saw the Shang Hai Paleontology exhibits. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see everything, so will have to visit again the next time we are in Houston.

The evening was topped off splendidly with dinner at Little Pappasitos with Holly and Leanne and CAKE! Yes, Holly and I celebrated our birthdays with a mound of Mexican food and CAKE from the Acadian Bakers. We even convinced the waitress to have a piece, which did not take much effort on our part. The CAKE pretty much sold itself.

We returned to Larry and John's full, tired and quickly fell into dreams filled with dinosaurs and fossils.