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Yesterday after leaving the Main Street Drag we did some non-art-car things. Here's a quick rundown:

First, lunch at Lankford Grocery. Great place. I read on Roadfood.com that decades ago it was a grocery with a lunch counter. Eventually the grocery disappeared but the lunch counter remained. The burgers were a bit messy, but excellent. Definitely worth the trip.

After lunch we decided to be safe drivers and go to Discount Tire, as recommended by Russ. He was right, too: the tire guy said that 3 of my tires were bad enough to need immediate replacement, and the 4th was iffy. Separation had begun on one tire, and the return trip would not have been safe. He asked me if I had noticed any shaking, and what do you know, I sure had! One hour later and $300 lighter, and I have four spanking new tires on my car. They sold me a tire warranty, and considerately checked the computer to make sure there were stores in Durham. Actually there aren't, but they have 2 stores scheduled to open within the next couple of months. So I figured the warranty was worth it. I have to say I was pleased with Discount Tire. It was a lot faster than Merchant's even though we walked in with no appointment.

Speaking of tires, I have to say something positive about driving in Houston. (possibly the only time this will ever happen!) The roads are psychotic, but the drivers seem pretty cool. When leaving the tire place, I had to get on the highway and immediately cross five lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic at rush hour, to make a left exit. And I did it without any problem because people were so nice about letting me in. I don't know if it was because they dug the art car, or because they saw that I was from out of state and took pity on me, or if they're just all cool about that kind of thing because they're all in the same boat.

For dinner yesterday we went to the famous Goode Company for famous brisket. Dang, that was some fine brisket. The smoky smell hit us as soon as we got out of our car. The place is tiny and crowded, but the tables turn over fairly quickly so we didn't have trouble finding a place to sit. Excellent iced tea, too. I must say, I understand better now how much the Q Shack is based on Texas barbecue places. My only disappointment with Goode Company is that we didn't get a slice of pecan pie. Roadfood had mentioned it as a highlight of the restaurant, but we were too full after all that brisket. Then today we saw a show on Food Network about America's best pies that mentioned Goode Company's pecan pie! I think we may go back tonight for a crack at that pie. And more brisket, of course.

Soon we'll head out for dinner and the illuminated cruise, and then tonight I'll post today's photos and write up the parade.