IFest Houston 2008

Fun at the Houston International Festival

By Rochelle Rucker
This past weekend I traveled to downtown Houston for some fun, food and relaxation at the Houston International Festival. For those of you who are not familiar with IFest, it fosters good will relations with other countries in an effort to stimulate culture and international trade. Each year, IFest offers a twist to the honored country theme. For me, it's a chance to eat various foods and purchase goods from vendors all across the world. From fragrance oils to ethnic art, it's all there at IFest. "Out of Africa: the Three Journeys," was this year's theme celebrating the rich history, achievements, contributions and triumphs of African people in Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the United States and the rest of world. The highlight of this weekend excursion was visiting the Transatlantic Slave Trade Exhibit and the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum Exhibit. While strolling through the slave trade exhibit with my niece Audra and sister Thelma, we were quite surprised and excited to see Dr. Evelyn Bethune, the granddaughter of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, who was an extraordinary educator, civil rights leader, and government official who founded the National Council of Negro Women and Bethune-Cookman College. Dr. Bethune shared her story with us and said she will be back in Houston soon to do a book signing of her book "Mary's Grandbabies: From The Darkness of Slavery Into The Light of Freedom. IFest closed out in fine steppin style--two-steppin zydeco style that is! Step Rideau & The Zydeco Outlaws took us home at the Louisiana Stage with their two-steppin, toe-tappin Creole folk songs to classic rhythm and blues. Take a look at the video I uploaded at YouTube. You may see yourself groovin to the driving rhythms, funky beats and accordion riffs.

Tiger's knee update & other golf news

Wachovia Championship tournament director Kym Hougham said Wednesday he is saddened by the news on Tiger Woods’ knee. But, he added when asked about the financial impact of Woods absence, his event is “insulated” in the sense that its corporate buys and ticket sales have been sold out for two months.

This was in response to the announcement Tuesday that Woods underwent arthroscopic on his left knee and will miss six to eight weeks of tournament golf.

Hougham also said he detected Woods struggling to get in and out of bunkers at the Masters last week and didn't think about it until Tiger's agent, Mark Steinberg, called him Tuesday night to tell him Woods wouldn't be defending at Wachovia.

Yes, Steinberg told Hougham when Hougham said he had noticed Tiger's discomfort at Augusta, that was what was going on.

Meanwhile, Woods swing coach Hank Haney informed GOLF CHANNEL late Tuesday that caddie Steve Williams had told him it was the best ball-striking Masters he had seen by Woods in his 10 years on Tiger's bag.

The big question now will be Tiger's fitness for The Memorial in six weeks. Haney said Tiger's availability for the U.S. Open in two months should be “no problem.” MORE

Tiger Woods Masters 2008 - Approach Shot On #8 Augusta

A little post Tiger Woods action from the Masters in Augusta, GA.

Testing out my new camcorder

Just purchased a new Canon PowerShot A560 camcorder trying to see what the video quality is like.

How I spent my spring vacation

By Rochelle Rucker
I'm back from enjoying the blue waters of the Western Caribbean and I am happy to say I survived my first cruise. I almost didn't though, because the day me, my niece Audra, and my cousin Stephanie from Ontario, Calif., embarked from Galveston making our way through the rough waters of the Gulf of Mexico, I got sea sick. But a few Meclizine's (sea sick pills) later, I was good as new and was ready to enjoy all the Carnival Ecstasy ship had to offer.

Swimming and whirl pools, shops, lounges, disco, bingo, golf, hairy chest contest, karaoke, elaborate song-and-dance shows in the theater, and comedians were just a few of the attractions offering plenty of things to do on this ship.

Visiting ancient Mayan ruins, shopping, beautiful beaches and water sports were all part of the fun on this five-day Western Caribbean cruise.

There were also plenty of excursions to take once we visited each port. Our first stop was Progresso, Yucatan, Mexico, where we explored the highlights of the spectacular Mayan City of Merida. Next it was on to beautiful Cozumel for the Segway Adventure and Snorkel Tour. This was our opportunity to ride the most exciting human transport vehicle around today--the Segway.

After an orientation with operating instructions, a safety briefing by our tour guide and a practice session with the Segway, we followed the tour guide on a scenic bike trek that paralleled the native jungle to the natural Cenote called “Aerolito.”

There our tour guide explained all about the underground rivers and how it was formed. Then we headed to the butterfly sanctuary of Dzul-Ha.

Upon arrival, the tour guide provided an orientation to this relaxing spot where some of us snorkeled and the rest stayed and enjoyed the swimming pool and Jacuzzi.

Once back on board we relaxed and prepared for "Fun" Day At Sea. Have I been bitten by the cruise bug? Oh yeah! We're already set to cruise next year to the Eastern Caribbean. Bon voyage!

Brotherhood Golf Association Tournament

By Rochelle Rucker

Here are a few pics from a recent Brotherhood Golf Association Tournament at Houston National Golf Club. Yours truly walked away with the Longest Drive For Women award. This is a great group of golfers who play often at various courses throughout Houston. The group is planning a trip to Alabama to play at a Robert Trent Jones course in May. If you're interested contact James Perry Jr. at jperry3@citgo.com