Oh, What a Beautiful Weekend!

Last weekend, I enjoyed two magical days of splendor post-Internal Medicine and pre-neurology. I took advantage of Museum District Day by stopping by the Rice Gallery in the morning to see Sarah Oppenheimer's installation D-17, which involved a plane (the shape, but also like a jet wing) dramatically cutting through two panes of glass. It was a nice stop at one of my favorite Houston/Rice places, though truth be told, the gallery has seen better installations.I spent the afternoon at Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens with friend Sarah. After stepping foot into the cozy, secret-garden-like grounds, I was at peace! I could not believe that I had never visited this lush little oasis in my 7+ years in Houston. I crossed the swaying wooden bridge over the bayou to get to the manicured gardens and sloping lawn and was positively enchanted. Sarah and I toured the former home of Miss Ima Hogg (true name) and observed the impressive assemblage of American decorative arts dating from 1620 through 1870. Then we learned a bit about the history of the Hogg family at the new education center. Much to my surprise, Harry C. Hanszen married Mike Hogg's widow (and sister-in-law of Ima Hogg) Alice. Alice was an important Houston socialite and even donated a Monet Water Lilies painting to the MFAH. Mr. Hanszen, of course, left his legacy at Rice in the form of my residential college.That evening I joined up with a group of Baylor med students for Matthew Carter Service Day. We volunteered at Covenant House, a home for kids in crisis and Houston's homeless children. We played bingo, which was a big hit. I was able to unload a large portion of my toiletries stash (built up from all that couponing), which went into the prize pile with other contributions like toothbrushes and socks.