OK, so this is the shocking thing I did on my first day of vacation:

I did not eat any food other than peanuts at a biker bar until 6:00 pm tonight. I know my co-workers will be shocked. I know I was. I was about to keel over from lack of food. I think I would have eaten that damn chop chop salad again -- I was that hungry.

I went out to visit with an old friend and her new boyfriend. This is their motto:




Charlotte was a very dear friend when I really needed one. I had a lot of dear friends but she was the one who was literally "there" for me. We shared a lot of painful tears and a ton of happy tears as well.


I would like to think that I was there for her in her time of need, too. She went through a horrible time with an asshole husband. But she is now the picture of happiness and her real self has come back out of its shell. She is so happy with her motorcycle man and I think she has become a motorcycle mama.

Patrick and Charlotte took me to a biker bar and I'm sorry I forgot to take pictures -- I was so busy taking everything in. I saw enough skin art to last me a lifetime. Actually, I think I saw enough skin to last me a lifetime -- and not very much of it was pretty. These people have never met a bottle of sunscreen. I wonder what the skin cancer rate is for bikers? Hmmm.

I should clarify that while they did take me to a biker bar, I took my own transportation. Four wheels for this gal, TYVM. I can't drink alcohol, so I sipped Coca-Cola all afternoon, while Patrick and Charlotte had rum and coke, I think. There were promises of bar-bq, but the cooker never showed up. The bike wash and wet t-shirt contest appeared to be a bust, too. Sorry no pics.

We decided to head on over to another bar, but when we got there, the place didn't look too happening and I was about to keel over from lack of food, so I said, I'd buy, if we could just please eat.

After several attempts to find a restaurant that was actually open, we ended up at Goodson's Cafe in Tomball, Texas. The chicken fried steak was passable, but truly not a real chicken fried steak. The meat was pounded way too thin and the batter was... well, just not right.

Chicken fried steak is really something best left to the professionals -- MOM! Mom's do the best chicken fried anything. You really need a good cast iron skillet and the oil has to be just so. The cream gravy is best made in the same skillet as the steak. All the little bits in the bottom of the pan are terrific for flavoring the gravy. Most restaurants use some sort of white sauce that masquerades as gravy. Don't get me wrong, a good white sauce on a chicken fried steak can be a good thing, but the steak need to have a crispy, slightly salty (with plenty of black pepper) batter to counteract the sweetness in white sauce. I prefer cream gravy made with drippings.

Along with the chicken fried steak, Goodson's gave me some fried okra. Nothing special there. This was the same product I can buy in my grocer's freezer aisle. Again, I prefer homemade.

The food wasn't that good, OK. But thank goodness the company was. Charlotte and I relived old times and she and Patrick shared stories of their adventures. All in all, a good start to the vacation.

Tomorrow, it's home again.