I headed out of Dallas early this morning for one of my regular drives down to Houston. My mother lives in Houston and I get down there a couple times a month.

Normally, I take my cat, Spot, but this time she is not with me. That is because on the last trip, she stayed in Houston to keep mother company for a while. Mother and I share joint custody.

I enjoy these drives. I get a chance to listen to NPR for a couple hours till it fades out.

(Dallas’ public radio, which operates independently, airs NPR and PRI around the clock. Houston’s public radio, which is affiliated with the University of Houston, only airs NPR for a couple hours in the morning and a couple hours in the evening and broadcasts classical music the rest of the time.)

Today, the Texas Highway Patrol was out in force checking on the traffic. I had a chance to check out a couple sports cars twice! … Once as they sped past me, and a second time a couple miles down the road as I cruised by them while they conversed with the polite officer.

Except for the occasional maniac (and the Houston traffic), the drive provides a quiet time to think while looking out at some green space. It is a pleasant contrast to the hubub of everyday.