We start our trip late today hoping to miss morning traffic on our way to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. We plan to visit the Cockrell Butterfly Center there but we get sidetracked into buying the all day ticket for the permanent exhibits instead. If you like Egyptian mummies, dinosaurs, fossils and stuffed wildlife displays then you will like this place. Because we have already seen a LOT of dinosaurs and fossils in Colorado and we have most of the Texas wildlife displayed here live right where we are camping and working, we breeze through the museum until we get to the gem and rare seashell collection.
Wow – I have never seen the stunning gems, minerals and shells exhibited here. I did not even realize that collecting rare seashells was a thing, but after seeing this amazing collection I understand why it is. Unfortunately as we near the end of the gemstones I get so hungry that each item reminds me of food. Tired of me looking at rare crystals and exclaiming, “that looks just like a cupcake” or “yummy, squash and carrots,” Storm escorts me out of the museum to a nearby diner.
After lunch we take a walk across the street from the museum to the Japanese Gardens where a sign warns that professional photographers must secure a permit to enter. Because I can still skillfully revert to amateur mode (okay so I never really leave that mode), I was able to get a couple of shots here without any serious repercussions in spite of the glaring sun. We leave just in time to hit Houston’s home bound rush hour traffic – what a treat!
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