21.9.17

Houston Strong

So you may or may not remember that all Mason wanted for his birthday was a ticket to an Astros baseball game at Minute Maid Park.  So we gifted him with a trip to Houston to see the Astros play the Mets during Labor Day weekend.  We gave him the tickets on his birthday so he had to wait two months before actually going.  Needless to say, he was ready!  

Now, in case you've forgotten, Labor Day weekend was the weekend right after Hurricane Harvey flooded the city of Houston and the surrounding areas.  So, honestly, we resigned ourselves to the fact that the series was probably going to be moved, and we wouldn't be able to go to the game.  I had a conversation with Mason about this, and even though he was bummed, he understood.  I told him that we might not be able to make it to another game this season but that we would go as soon in the spring as we could.  However, the Wednesday before, they finally announced that the series would, in fact, take place in Houston.  We probably didn't thoroughly think through the decision to go ahead and make the trip, and there was a part of me at one point that thought it was the worst idea ever (you know, like when you are going through small town after small town and need gas, but the power is still out everywhere, and none of the gas stations are open so you end up having to turn around and back track until you find a gas station that's open and then have to wait in line for twenty minutes or so).  A usually four hour trip to Houston took eight hours because the interstate was still closed, as were several other main highways between here and there, so we had to take a major detour.  But we finally made it.  

We had tickets to the Saturday night game.  Our hotel was right across the street from the stadium so we didn't have far to go at all.  Honestly, we didn't leave that hotel at all the entire weekend except to eat and go to the game.  We walked everywhere we went.    

They moved the Friday night game to Saturday afternoon so there ended up being a double header.  Because of that, they didn't open the gates for the night game as early as they usually would.  There were lots of cool spaces and places to explore inside the park so we did as much of that as we could before the first pitch.

You might notice Mason has a "uniform" change at this point.  He really wanted an Alex Bregman shirt so we bought one in the gift shop, and he wanted to go ahead and wear it.

There was a really neat "How do you measure up?" interactive exhibit.  Mason managed to hit that six foot stride but just barely.  

He's not quite as tall as Correa's 6'4".

And his vertical?  Well . . .

So the thing that surprised me most about Minute Maid Park was that the retractable ceiling was closed for the game.  It was a bright and sunshiney evening outside, but it stayed closed the entire time.  So that was a first for me.  I've never watched an "indoor" baseball game.  It was . . . different.

And, of course, given the circumstances, there was a lot of Houston pride and Houston Strong.  As we were driving, we saw houses still holding several feet of water.  We saw vehicles still submerged up to their roofs in water.  We saw piles and piles of debris and trash and sheetrock and household belongings that had already been removed from homes and businesses.  We saw businesses shuttered.  We saw the sludge of water and sewer that hadn't yet dried and washed away.  It was such a stark, heart rending reminder of what our area went through last year.  

You know, if you've never witnessed a flood before or seen the aftermath of it, you really can't imagine the devastation, the mess, the smell.  And it doesn't just "go away" and "get better" the next day or the next week.  There are parts of Baton Rouge and Denham Springs that are still recovering from the flood last year.  There are parts that haven't and won't recover.  I can remember thinking I was just ready for it to be over, ready for people to be back in their homes.  I was ready for the garbage and debris to be cleaned up and picked up.  Just two weeks ago, the garbage trucks rolled again picking up the insides of gutted homes that were still laying out by the roadside.  A year later and the recovery is still ongoing here.  That's the way it will be in Houston, too.  It's a marathon, y'all.  So, please don't forget Houston and all of the surrounding areas who were devastated by Harvey.  Don't forget those in Florida who are cleaning up and rebuilding after Irma.  They will be cleaning up and rebuilding for many months to come.  

We were told that the players would come to a certain section of the field to sign autographs before warming up.  We were ready!  Mason brought his ball, and we even remembered to pack a sharpie.  We waited and waited and waited.

He also carefully chose his wardrobe.  He was so hoping for a signature from his favorite player, Alex Bregman.  Bregman played college ball at LSU so we were just certain that Mason's LSU cap would catch his attention and ensure an autograph and a picture.  But none of the players came out for autographs before this game.

Another "must have" for Mason was a footlong hot dog.  This picture just doesn't even do it justice.  That thing was huge!  And he ate every bite.

Speaking of food, they couldn't wait to get cotton candy.  I have to say I was really proud of the girls.  I mean, this obviously wasn't their "thing."  But they didn't complain at all, not even Ellie!  Of course, a lot of that had to do with that big bag of cotton candy in her hand.

We stayed the entire game, and the Astros won.  We really did have a great time, especially Mason.  My favorite part was just watching him enjoy it all.

The eight hour trip there and the eight hour trip back because of all the detours?  Well, it was totally worth it, and I'm so glad we went!

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