Day 1
The other airline looms. I’m nervous. The terminal I’m flying out from this afternoon is under construction, as is literally everything else in Houston. The other airline uses the terminal you cannot be dropped off at. Basically, you can’t get there from here. You have to go somewhere else, then walk a marathon to a train, then walk another marathon through a rabbit warren to get to THE terminal. THEN, you have to walk another marathon to another infinite hallway without restrooms, a water fountain, or, it seems, air conditioning. All of this while carrying all my bags because, one, I don’t use the other airline enough to get any perks like a checked bag and, two, I refuse to pay for a checked bag. They’ll gate check it, I’m almost certain.
The other airline doesn’t notify me that we’re boarding but I’m lucky enough to have been paying attention to the big board. I almost fit in my seat. I didn’t get any ginger ale. Do they want me to crank the prop for them? Goodness. I’m just cranky because I can’t bring my pocketknife with me. Who knows what I’ll need to cut while I’m in South Texas? What danger awaits me without my knife? Hic sunt dracones. There be dragons. It applies in life, just like it does in mobility. Yikes.
Photo description: Hector stands in the shade of a statue to Medal of Honor recipient Jose M. Lopez. Hector wears a light blue shirt, gray pants, and sunglasses.
Day 2
I’m in Brownsville, Texas to see Hector. Hector has been to Leader Dog’s campus in Michigan for orientation and mobility instruction. He had Hannah as an instructor, so I know I won’t be teaching him any skills. That’s the benefit of working with someone who’s had instruction with the pros from Dover, our crack team of certified orientation and mobility specialists on campus; you get a really solid set of skills in the five days you spend with them, as well as a bucket-full of confidence in those skills. Then, if I’m blessed enough to get to follow up, I get to get right to the problem areas that keep folks from getting out. There’s usually that one big, nasty intersection, or a route that’s giving them trouble. Hic sunt dracones.
Hector has several, but not anything that’s keeping him from traveling. He just wants to feel more confident in doing what he usually does: walk around the neighborhood for exercise, walk at the park next to the library, or at the museum/zoo complex. Hector is a retired environmental engineer who’s traveled the world in a few different jobs. Originally from Mexico City, he’s lived in Brownsville now for quite a while. He started losing his vision due to complications with his diabetes, and he’s been working the problem ever since.
We take a spin around his neighborhood, which isn’t easy, but it does make an actual loop, so there’s that. There are no sidewalks, but that’s OK. If your area doesn’t have sidewalks, walk on the left side, facing oncoming traffic. This allows the oncoming traffic the ability to see your long cane from further away and, hopefully, give you a little more space. Hector suggested a local restaurant, where we both had breakfast for lunch. Hector is my kinda guy, liking breakfast at any time of day. He had machacado, which is basically dried, shredded beef scrambled into your eggs. I was jealous of his meal, even though mine was good, too. Machacado is a source of contention between lots of the cities in south Texas and northern Mexico, as to who makes it the best. Hector says he’ll get me some from Matamoros before I leave the Valley.
After lunch, we went to the library where we walked another favorite loop of his. We also learned of a World War II Medal of Honor winner from Brownsville, Sergeant Jose M. Lopez. We read his Medal of Honor citation on the plaque affixed to his statue. This goes without saying, but you don’t get the Medal of Honor for doing nothing. During the Battle of the Bulge in Belgium in 1944, this man did things in order to save his company that you’d think a normal human being couldn’t do. Hic sunt dracones, but in this case, HE was the dragon to his enemies. Wow.
Photo description: A large, black building centered with a beautiful blue sky. The Space X symbol is seen at the top right of the building.
Day 3
Hector has physical therapy this morning and I encouraged him to keep that appointment. You’ve heard me preach in this blog about how difficult transportation is for people with visual impairments. He already had transportation set up, and physical therapy is important. So, I had a little “free” time this morning, which I used to make the short drive out to Boca Chica, Texas, which is the southernmost point in Texas. It’s also the home of Starbase, or Space X, Elon Musk’s space exploration company that has set up shop down here. It’s a pretty impressive looking set up, for sure, but, because of all the construction going on, there’s nowhere to park. So, I did a drive by, took some pictures from the rental, then headed over to South Padre Island for some pictures to make my colleagues in Michigan jealous. It worked.
I got to Hector’s home, and we headed out to the museum, which is connected to the zoo by a really nice walking path. As Hector practiced his skills, we located a statue to Mr. Charro, a symbolic figure, “the handsome, gentleman cowboy”, who is celebrated every year with the Sombrero Festival, also known as the Charro Days festival. The festival celebrates the deep connection between Brownsville and Matamoros, the city just across the Rio Grande in Mexico. They’ve been doing this since 1937, and since 1964, they’ve elected a Mr. or Ms. Amigo, usually a celebrity or politician. As we walked by each plaque denoting each year’s winner, Hector told me who they were and what they were famous for. He knew every one of them. He even went to high school in Mexico City with a famous singer, whose name I’ve already forgotten. I guarantee you, Hector remembers.
After Linear Park, Hector took me on a tour of downtown Brownsville. Elizabeth Street runs right into one of the bridges between Brownsville and Matamoros where you can see the bustling Customs complex. We went from there to the campus of Texas Southmost College (now called UT Brownsville, which is MUCH LESS romantic) and practiced some more cane skills on the beautiful campus. The campus is the original site of Fort Brown, which was set up to protect settlers on the border, and one of the first deployments of African American troops, later to be called Buffalo Soldiers.
Hector has suggested another traditional Mexican restaurant, and I’m looking forward to settling in there before I get to the hotel. It was so good. I had puntas, which is beef tips in a red sauce, sauteed with spices and peppers, with the traditional rice and beans, and corn tortillas. Lovely. Just lovely.
Photo description: Wearing a dark track suit and blue shirt, Hector uses his cane to trail the curb on the left side of the street.
Day 4
Hector had a wonderful idea about his own training this morning. One of his favorite restaurants is within walking distance of his home, and he wants to see if he can walk there. This is why the at-home orientation and mobility program option works so well. Hector was able to build a wonderful foundation of skills while he was on campus at Leader Dog, but today, he used those skills to walk to Lola’s. Along the way, we used all the skills Hannah taught him AND we used new skills like crossing the street at a stop-sign controlled intersection — and how to keep his direction when crossing an open space. Open spaces are VERY difficult to cross and keep your direction. We trailed the curb (guarnición), we crossed the streets (calle) and alleys (pasillo) and went across the ponds (resaca) and walked down the sidewalks (banquetta). If you didn’t notice, Hector has been teaching me Spanish. I know just enough now to really confuse him when I use the wrong word or pronounce it incorrectly. Luckily for me, Hector is very patient, and extremely calm.
As luck would have it, we get to Lola’s right around lunch time. How fortuitous! Hector has a very American breakfast (eggs, bacon, & toast) while I have a very traditional meal of empalmes con crema verde, which is shredded beef layered between corn tortillas, topped with fried eggs, and surrounded by a lovely green cream sauce. I sent a picture to my friend Andy at Leader Dog. Andy is the client experience coordinator and lived and worked in Brownsville for quite a while before gracing Leader Dog with her expertise. Lola’s was one of her favorite restaurants as well. She asked me to say “Hola” to Don Hector. Not knowing his name was Don, I had to ask. Apparently, “Don” is a sign of respect similar to me saying “ma’am” or “sir”—makes me think of Don Corleone from The Godfather, and now it makes a lot of sense. Hector isn’t a fan of being called Don because he doesn’t feel he’s earned the respect, but I tell him it’s not his opinion, but Andy’s. I tell people all the time, mostly above the Mason-Dixon line, that “ma’am” and “sir” have nothing to do with age, but everything to do with respect. That’s a hill on which I’m willing to fight.
Having filled our bellies, we set off on the trip back, a trip that Don Hector nailed. I think this had a lot to do with the crispy bacon he ordered. Sure didn’t hurt… and that was our day. We walked to lunch and walked home. Now, it was a long walk, and we worked on a ton of skills. But honestly, how great is that? Hector now knows that he can walk to Lola’s when he feels like it. Hic sunt Dracones. Not on this route. Not anymore! Boom.
Day 5
While Hector was at physical therapy this morning, I tried a bakery that Hector suggested, (Hector is, I think, secretly trying to make me gain weight!) Then afterward, I took myself to the zoo. Zoos are fickle beasts. (See what I did there? It’s funny because it’s ironic). The animals are not really happy to be there, are they? I suppose the endangered ones are appreciative of not becoming extinct, but nobody’s really excited by having people pay to watch you take a nap. If you pay attention, the animals that nap at the zoo mostly do it where people can’t see them. The lion was napping behind a big rock. The tiger was napping right up against the glass with his back turned. The chimpanzees all were napping on their respective climbing platforms, but with their butts facing the viewing area. I gotta believe that was totally on purpose. It seemed like a very chimpanzee-like thing to do. Now, there was a three-legged gibbon that wasn’t napping, nor was he hampered by the lack of one leg. I can’t remember if the gibbon is on the endangered species list, but he seemed happy to be there. The gorillas were very happy when I got around to them. Happy, I suppose, because they’d just been fed. It appeared to be celery, but that can’t be. Who’s happy eating celery? Anyway, they were happy and active, and that’s where I decided to end my trip.
Hector and I went to Lincoln Park to walk, but the sidewalks there were in pretty bad condition. I’m certain the Lincolns wouldn’t be happy with the sidewalks in their namesake park. We switched gears and switched parks and struck gold. Brownsville is doing a great job of putting together some nice walking trails throughout the city, and this one is no different. Nice, wide, smooth sidewalks, that are lit at night. Very nice. This is a place where Hector can get out and just go. There are some street and alley crossings, but they’re all very well marked and lighted as well. Nice job, Brownsville. I know a three-legged gibbon who’d like to say thanks, as well. Not that he’s enjoying the trails, just to say “nice job” to the city. Anyway…
Photo description: Wearing a light blue shirt, gray pants, and sunglasses, Hector uses his white cane to travel on the sidewalk at Veterans Park. Flags from each branch of the U.S. Military are in the background against a beautiful, blue sky.
Day 6
Once again, Don Hector had a great idea. We walked around his neighborhood loop the first day, and he wanted to see how he would do today in comparison. He killed it. I say this a lot, but when someone gains confidence, it is most often noticed in their pace. They pick up their heads, they stride out a little longer, and they quicken their pace. Not because they’re trying to run a race, but because they feel confident. Don Hector’s confidence was on display this morning because he flat out cruised through his neighborhood. He looked so confident. It was really fun to watch.
We went from there to the Children’s Museum, another area in which Hector likes to walk. More of the same, but adults get the idea of practice. Repetition, it works. Keep practicing your routes and your skills. It gets better. Not easier, but better. More efficient.
After a seafood lunch, Don Hector and I went to the stadium near his home so we could scope out walking around the track. We got there to find out that they’d renovated the stadium last year and took out the track. There’s still a track for the Brownsville School District, but it’s across town and not really accessible for Hector. Now we know. We got a lot of work done this week, and Hector reports feeling more confident. I know he is because I can see it in how he travels. If you know someone who could use some more confidence in their travel skills, please encourage them to apply for our free programs. Either on campus or Home Delivery, this program really works. Don Hector says it does, and he’s living proof. Don Hector also gifted me with an enormous stack of corn tortillas and two bags full of machacado, both from Matamoros! I took them home and have had machacado tacos every day for breakfast since. I now can enter the argument for who makes it better, and I think mine is the best, even though I just learned what it is.
Written by Barry Staford, certified orientation and mobility specialist (COMS)