BILL: Travis Street Grille Revisited

A couple of months ago, when we still lived in Texoma, Melissa and I decided to go out to eat. We left out of Whitesboro, east on Highway 56. On the way, we passed the famous farm with hundreds of miniature horses on overgrazed, almost barren land. A couple of cows in a pen smaller than a one bedroom house with no grass, buried up to their knees in muck right outside a local business. The sides of the road are papered with plastic and litter from the many trash trucks which deliver their loads to the new dump just outside of Whitesboro. No one cares about the litter all over the road, or the trucks that spill their loads on the way. No one cares about the animals with no food. The sides of the highway are lined with trees hacked to the point which they looks as though they belong on an alien landscape. I guess this matches the trash along the road. It truly gives Texoma the alien image I have come to expect.


We finally make it into town and make it downtown to our restaurant of choice. Again entering into this interesting piece of Sherman history. Like I have said before the building itself is interesting to walk through. Player piano fills the atrium with music as the day just gains a lazy haze inside. There is no rush, no stress here. Kelly Restaurant upstairs does decent business. Clothing stores and knick knack shops line the lower level. The shoe shine boy waits patiently in his corner. But right inside the door is where we stop.


Home of the Travis Street Grille. The lobby displays the history of Sherman. From the now defunct baseball team to the shots of downtown before it was what it is today. But we are not here for the ambiance, so we quickly get into line. Our great friend Clarence comes out from behind the counter and greets each of us with a smile and a hug. The type of service one can get from a friendly place like this.

Everytime I walk in through the door, I am always hypnotized by the massive, juicy burgers served here. I get lost in the long list of different burgers offered. But today, I had a mission. A mission I wasn't going to fail. And that was to check out the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich. We placed our order and took our seat. It takes a little longer than it would running into a McDonald's or Jack In The Box, but believe me, it is worth the wait. During our wait, we got to spend quality time with Clarence and his family, looking at pictures of Clarence's younger days, and watching the crowd go by.

Our order arrived, Lissa's huge cheeseburger fixed exactly the way she likes. When you order extra mustard and pickles at most places, you get three to five pickles instead of the two to three which normally comes with the burger. Here, extra pickles got a layer which rivaled the burger itself. Mustard came where it was dripping off the burger. Exactly the way Lissa wishes other places would do. We got our huge basket of onion rings, and another huge basket of fried pickles. Like I said before, I hate pickles, but there is something almost addictive about the fried pickles sold at Travis Street Grille.


Over the many times I have entered this place, I have always gotten the burgers. Super-sized, juicy burgers with fresh trimmings, beautifully cooked. I have always been afraid of the sandwiches, because most places serve you a small sandwich, and I usually end up leaving the restaurant hungry. But I heard so many rave reviews of the Travis Street Grille's Philly Cheesesteak, I decided to try it out. I was completely surprised when the sandwich arrived. The bread was barely visible over the meat, onions, peppers, and mushrooms piled on top of the bun. The sandwich was almost impossible to pick up, but I managed a way. Every bite almost melting in my mouth. For the first time, a sandwich filled me up, and I was able to take home leftovers.


It has always been a great enjoyment to eat at the Travis Street Grille. I have never found anything that was half way done. There is nothing on the menu that isn't made with a lot of heart and passion. The family who runs this place really knows the best flavor combinations, and are willing to try anything. Daily specials prove this. It has always been a pleasure to go here to eat.


I think back to my last couple of trips to Galveston. Melissa and I took her parents down to Galveston to spend the day. Checking out the grounds and the Titanic exhibit at Moody Gardens. We went down the Seawall, which was crowded with swimmers and surfers. We tried to go eat at The Spot, which is another place known for it's burgers. The place was packed. No where to park in the surrounding three blocks. No where to sit. People hanging out over the railing.


I knew in moving here, we gained many new places to eat, but they do not come close to the bond we have with Clarence and the Travis Street Grille. They will always be the one thing I miss about Texoma, and the only thing I miss. I wish they could go along with us. I know they could turn that hungry crowd at the beach looking for places to eat into a small wonderland. Spread their happiness to the millions who cross the Seawall each year. "Seawall Boulevard Grille and Tiki Bar." I smell a small fortune, Clarence. There is a restaurant on the Seawall for sale.


I am sorry you are not going with us, Clarence, but you will be there in heart. And we wish you all the best. Keep the restaurant going strong. With food that good, you cannot fail anywhere. You and the Grille will be missed. You are a true friend.

Moondog’s response to the one-legged parachute jumper.

Moondog strikes again! This time I sent out the story about a guy from New York who lost his prosthetic leg while sky diving. The story is as follows:

NY man loses prosthetic leg while skydiving

POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. - An upstate New York man says he's still upbeat despite losing the same leg twice. Scott Listemann told the Poughkeepsie Journal that he laughs about losing his foot and lower leg "both the first time and the second time."

The Poughkeepsie man lost his leg below the knee in a November, 2007 accident. Listemann, 47, lost his prosthetic leg last month while skydiving in upstate New York.

The lower leg below the knee, with a foot clad in a running shoe, flew off after he jumped from the plane but before the parachute opened. Listemann says he's sure "it will show up eventually."

Listemann has distributed flyers throughout upstate Gardiner and hopes someone will find his prosthetic leg and call him.

...So this is the response I get back from Moondog:

"oh shit lopsided landing,,,

"Poukipsee tower ,, we are having trouble lowering both landing gear,,, have an ambulance standing by thank you.."



20 miles north of pouhkipsee,, today a man was kicked in the head by a bodiless leg,, the leg was wearing a running shoe,, but did not run after kicking the man in the head,,,, no ID was found on the leg,, but it is being held for assault....

While skydiving Saturday afternoon,,, Lefty Liftowitz, had his artificial eye fly out of his head,, In an interelated story, a panhandler in the Bronx while looking up to the sky to ask God, why he had to lose his eye, was hit in the head and when he became conscious he had a new artificial eye...

go figure,, that is todays news,, have a jolly good evening"

LISSA’S: Wal-Mart’s Wages Increase in China, Rollback in US

Wal-Mart is raising wages for its employees -- in China, that is. Yes, the labor union representing Wal-Mart's Chinese workforce won yet another fight against Wal-Mart, successfully negotiating for an 8 percent raise for 2008 and 2009 as well as setting terms for paid vacation, social security, and overtime. This comes at a time when China's economy is booming, and demands for higher wages and better benefits are being pushed by none other than the Chinese government. Meanwhile, as the U.S. economy falters and Wal-Mart benefits, Wal-Mart's U.S. hourly workers are experiencing nothing short of a wage "rollback."

Sadly, wages for the average hourly U.S. Wal-Mart employee have actually fallen when adjusted for inflation. In 2004, Wal-Mart reported an average (Wal-Mart refuses to disclose a median wage which would provide a more accurate picture of wages at the company) hourly wage of $9.68. In 2008, the reported wage is $10.86. But in 2004 dollars, the average hourly wage is $9.55, which means workers are worse off today than they were four years ago. So, while the price of gas, food and health care are rising, Wal-Mart employees' wages are falling.

Even when not accounting for inflation, Wal-Mart's "average" disclosed hourly wage puts a family of four below the federal poverty line. In light of the fact that "full-time" work for Wal-Mart employees is often 34 hours a week, this means the "average" hourly worker earns only about $19,200 annually. Plus, starting wages at the company's stores are often much lower than the "average hourly wage."

So, it is no wonder that Wal-Mart employees top the public assistance rolls for Medicaid, SCHIP and other programs. But instead of actually raising wages to help employees lift themselves out of poverty, Wal-Mart chooses to get credit for telling them about how to get more government assistance. Case in point, just a few weeks ago, Wal-Mart came out in support of legislation that would require large employers to notify their employees about the availability of the Earned Income Tax Credit. Wal-Mart would never disclose how many of its employees likely qualify for this poverty-alleviating tax option, but given Wal-Mart's low wages, it is likely to be a sizeable number.

This is all happening in the context of an American economy that continues to decline while Wal-Mart's revenue continues to rise higher than ever. The company was again crowned the largest company in the world by Forbes, and has continued to outperform its retail competitors as shoppers trade down. The Walton family -- who control 43% of Wal-Mart stock through the Helen Walton Family Group -- earned close to $29 billion just on the increase in Wal-Mart stock prices during the previous seven months (November 2007 to June 2008) alone. The relationship between the Walton family and Wal-Mart workers is a stark example of the old adage that while the rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

We don't begrudge Wal-Mart raising wages at its stores in China (the employees there certainly need it) and it's also appropriate for the company to inform its employees about issues such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. But the company's U.S. employees need higher wages now more than ever.

Instead of perpetuating a cycle of poverty among its workers with a low wage, poor benefit business model, it is time Wal-Mart consider a meaningful wage increase for its hourly U.S. employees who are struggling just to make ends meet for their families. Wal-Mart can and should do better for its 1.4 million U.S. workers.

source: The Huffington Post

LISSA’S: New and Awesome Wal-Mart Logos

LISSA’S: Catching you up!

This is for our friends that actually care... LOL!

YES! We're finally here and settled in.. snug as a bug in a rug! We have our tiny little one bedroom apartment on NASA Pkwy in Webster now, and I'm so high on life! Life, it's so wonderful.. I never knew it could be so worth living. In fact, we hardly ever stay home anymore. I've had people in the past say they don't watch much tv, and I never understood that, seeing how that's all I had to do in Texoma. Now that I have a million and one things to do all around me, I can't even find time to watch our regular programs recorded on our DVR anymore. It constantly stays 90 to 98% full.

I've done so much, and there's plenty more to do and see. My FAVORITE hobby is now clubbing! There is an awesome club just a block away from home called Eden... (they are in the top of my friends' list if you wanna check it out.) There is only one thing I don't really like there... the smoking. Everyone smokes inside, and me being a non-smoker, it's really hard to breathe. Other than that, it's really great! They have what's called Friday night "suds", where the dance floor is covered (floor to almost ceiling) in sud bubbles. I've never seen anything like it.. so clever. I've only got to go to this club once, but I am DYING to go back!!

Another club that is friggin' awesome is called South Beach (again, you can find it in my top friends' list). It's located downtown. Luckily it's a non-smoking club, so it's so much easier to breathe. On their dancefloor, there is a strong fog machine that blows out so much COLD fog, the temperature drops at least 20 (or more) degrees and you cannot see anything! Not even your hand in front of your face! The music is so awesome and loud!

Another thing that I am so thankful for down here is my in-laws. I never thought I could be so close to them. Mom and Dad Hill have really opened up to us, and my sis-in-law Jenny has really included me into her life and family.. like I was a real blood sister. I couldn't ask for anything more. Her husband Ray is a whole other story... GOOD story. He has really helped me open up and not be so afraid of life. He introduced us to the clubs and entertainment around here and Houston. He is so playful, sweet and caring. I've adopted him as my "real" brother.. not bro-in-law. Sadly, his work calls him off to Egypt for about 5 weeks at a time, so I don't get to see him as often.

For those of you that know my phobia... I've forced myself to drive around this CROWDED place. I think I do pretty damn good for someone that has that phobia! LOL!!!!

The apartments that we live in are pretty decent. Yeah, you got some people that are kinda questionable, but overall they leave you alone. It's kinda sad though... I wish we could get together more often with our direct neighbors, Mirissa and Petrina. We did find their MySpace page and added them! YAY! Sadly we've only said 'hi' in passing with everyone's busy lives. They are moving next month and I hate that we could never get together to know each other better. If Mirissa or Petrina is reading this, maybe we could all 4 get together and hang out sometime at South Beach or Eden?

That's about it... you can check out all the pictures in our "Hangin' Out At Home" album on MySpace. (Nice) comments welcomed!