The cats were oblivious to the action and thought I was bringing out another toy when the suitcase appeared. But Maggie was getting her worry face on. She knew something was up.
There was time for R and R since we weren't leaving until 4:00.
Maggie got dropped off at Patty's and we were bound for Nashville, right on schedule.
Joe and I were first to arrive at the restaurant and now that we were in vacation mode, I started in with taking selfies of our travels, first here in front of Cheddars.
The next selfie was taken at the bar where we had a drink while we waited. I enjoyed the fish tank.
Once Courtney, Dan, and Val arrived, we all enjoyed a delicious dinner together. We said goodbye to Courtney after this photo, and she headed home. We stayed the night at Dan and Valencia's.
Our flights went well, but we did have to really hustle to make a connecting flight in Atlanta. Also, on our second, two hour flight to Dallas, we were in the last row and could not recline our seats, yet the man in front of me practically had his head in my lap. We hit a fair amount of turbulence the first hour out of Atlanta, because of hurricane Michael, so our seat belt lights remained on until we were well out of the bumpy air.
Once on the road with our rental car, we went a short distance to downtown Dallas and grabbed a sandwich at the Reunion Tower. Then we hopped on the Hop On/Off Dallas Trolley Tour.
The trolley took us on a wonderful, 90 minute narrated, history filled tour of the downtown area. There were 15 stops where we could get off, but we did not have time.
I especially liked this life size statue of a cattle drive through Pioneer Plaza. The park commemorates Dallas’ beginnings, featuring a bronze re-creation of 40 longhorn steer being driven by four cowboys on horses. It was created by Texas artist Robert Summers
Up in the tower we also learned about Dallas through the interactive touch screens.
Soon we push onward to Arlington to go to Susan and Doug's house.
Gracie greets Joe.
I was so thrilled to be able to see my college roommate Susan, who is responsible for Joe and I meeting, way back in the day.
Sue's husband Doug with Buddy.
We talked quite awhile, reminiscing about the good old days and catching up with our current lives.
Once Greg got there, and having fueled up on some variety of egg McMuffin, we moved our cars to designated fair parking and walked into Fair Park. The Dallas State Fair claims to be the largest in the country, and after experiencing it, I don't doubt it. However there were way more cars and trucks on display than horses and cowboys to look at.
We went into all the different buildings, seeing all the displays and sights (video). We split up a few times. Seen below, I sat in the sun and watched tap dancers while Greg and Joe checked out the Ford exhibit.
The day had started out on the chilly side, but warmed up nicely.
Part of downtown Dallas could be seen from the fair grounds. There were many year round attractions such as an aquarium, museum, and botanical garden, but they cost extra, so we did not go into any of them.
Nestled in the middle of Fair Park sits the historic Cotton Bowl Stadium, which was locked tight and could only be observed through the outer gates.
All of the livestock barns were empty, with animals arriving later in the day to be shown over the weekend.But the birthing display (barn) was up and running, and absolutely fascinating to me. We saw baby lambs, calves, and piglets.
The first hog had delivered a week earlier. The second hog had delivered two nights (one day) earlier. There was a third hog that was due that day.
There were a few grand-champion specimen we saw including this very long horn, long horn steer.
We split up for a bit and the guys went to hog races while I went to a barn for a horse demonstration.
It was a family 'operation' with man, wife, and son each showing various aspects, breeds, and skills of the horse.
It was a cute little show. At this barn there were also about ten different breeds of horses to look at in their stalls.
Back to the birthing barn, I had the thrill of watching this 5 minute old piglet trying to nurse for the first time.
The little piglet finally found what he was looking for.
Hog number three was in labor so we waited and watched for 20 minutes but the next piglet never came. They can come quickly or take 15 - 45 minutes between births (video).
The guys were getting antsy, so we finished our tour of the fair grounds, with just the midway area left. There were tons of rides along this very lengthy and wide walkway. On our way out of the fair, we got a photo with Tex-Mex.
From the fair we drove 90 minutes to our Air B&B in Lindale. Once there we did a look through. Upon immediate inspection, we saw that we were all in one room with kitchen, two futons and the one double bed.
I felt bad for Greg not having a real bed, but he was a good sport and was willing to make the best of it.
After unloading the cars, we drove back into a near by town and finally got 'lunch' at 4:30 pm.
Then it was back to the humble cabin in the woods and time for exploring.
With little day light left, first we hit a short hiking trail that wound through the woods and split off into four different 'figure-eights.'
This 4x6 plank was wobbly so the line to hold on to for balance was necessary.
We enjoyed the swing (video) and some outdoor games before settling in at the campfire.
This cat wandered in to our circle around the campfire to investigate. He was quick to let me make friends with him.
'Dinner' (2 hours after lunch) was beer and snacks around the campfire.
Friday 10/12 - Greg and I were up early and got caffeinated while Joe slept. Eventually we were all dressed and ready for an early morning walk. We went down the lane that the Air B&B was on, as the sun was coming up.
With a little time on our hands, Greg tried his luck at the ring game. This ring, hanging from a branch on a light weight rope, is swung with the task of landing it on a hook on the tree.
Our neighboring feline friend came to play also, and was chasing the ring as it glided to and from Greg's hands.
You can see the ring at the top of it's arc, just to the right of the hook.
Once I adjusted the rope length a smidgen, Greg successfully got the ring hooked.
Next we motored to the Texas Rose Horse Park in Tyler, which was about fifteen minutes away. We arrived about 8am, when the Hunter and Jumper classes had just gotten started.
We watched a guy warm up and work with a horse, lunging in the indoor arena.
Then we ventured over to the Hunter arena and watched some competitors show there.
In Hunt Seat the judges are looking at form (horse, rider, and the flow of the routine).
There was always action in the warm up pen, with many horses and riders working at the same time. This view from the jumping arena lets you see a small part of the park.
During some lag time waiting for a jumper to compete, we asked several questions and learned a lot about these two types of equestrian eventing.
The guys grew bored with it all before I, but they had been good sports to come let me check it out.
Next we drove to Purtis Creek State park and went for a little hike.
We saw evidence of wild boar, but only saw squirrels in and among the flora and fauna.Greg looking out from the duck blind.
We had worked up a good appetite so our next stop was Down Home Cafe for some good home cooked southern grub.
The predicted rains finally came in a more noticeable volume. We had been sprinkled on at the horse park once, and during our hike for a short and light duration. The clouds, bearing rain, looked to be staying in the area the rest of the day.
With full bellies, we made our way to Dorene's in Rockwall. I immediately noticed this wooden art work (seen left) hanging on her wall and commented on it. She said it was from Africa.
So I am assuming that this one (seen right) which I found, half buried in the woods, is also from Africa, because they are nearly identical. Except most of the paint is worn off of the one I found and some of the wooden nose had rotted away.
Golf was looking less and less likely, so we cancelled those plans and went for a tour of the Statefarm complex where Dorene works. Dinner was at a nearby, lively Mexican restaurant. We ran through the rain everywhere we went.
Again, Greg was assigned to a couch and Joe and I got the bed in the guest room. I was starting to feel guilty, but Greg assured us it was okay. None of us stayed up very late.
Saturday 10/13 - It was a leisurely morning as we watched it continue to rain. Home fix ups, naps, showers, and chatting occurred until we decided to go to a sports bar for lunch and to watch the hawks on a big screen TV. With the storm outside, we sometimes lost satellite connection.
During half time we played some pool. Once the Hawks were well ahead at the end of third quarter, we went back to Dorene's.
We moved our afternoon sailing cruise to the sunset one, because the weather was still too questionable, even though the skies were finally clearing. This gave us a few hours to help Dorene with trimming and weeding in her yard.
Next we were off to Lake Ray Hubbard, just
outside of Dallas, to do the 90 minute sailing cruise on Scott's catamaran.
outside of Dallas, to do the 90 minute sailing cruise on Scott's catamaran.
A pretty fountain on our way to the dock.
Lake Ray Hubbard was huge. Nothing like our little 'lakes' here in Fairfield Glade. With drinks and snacks in hand, we boarded the sail boat.
We motored out of the harbor and soon set sail.
Once under way, it cooled considerably so jackets were necessary. At least it wasn't raining we thought.
Yes, cell phones were out, but we were taking photos and sending pictures back home.
We sailed past and said hi to Todd Phillips. He is living on this floating barge to raise money for The Last Well project which is working to provide access to safe-drinking water for the entire nation of Liberia. He will be out here until he can make the remainder of the money needed to build the last well.
We had a lovely time on the 90 minute sail. We saw many neat things along the banks of the reservoir. Unfortunately, it was too cloudy to see a sunset.
We sailed back past the well guy Todd, and again cheered him on (video).
The fountain was lit all pretty as we walked by it on the way back to the car. The rain started back up as we drove to Dorene's for a quick change into our evening clothes.
Dinner was followed by dancing, so I had a great time. Dorene joined me most of the time and the guys even came up for a song or two.
Sunday 10/14 - With a midnight bedtime, I slept in until 6:30. Greg did more weeding outside while I tried to get some of this blog done. Soon we were out the door, driving three different cars towards Marty B's where we would meet Tim and his family. He knew Joe, Dorene, and Greg from the old NIMS and Keen days. Marty B's was a great BBQ place for lunch. We lingered there for quite awhile, until it was time to get going.
Now it was off to the AT&T Stadium for a Dallas Cowboy's game, after leaving two of the cars at the Air B&B in Pantego.
Now it was off to the AT&T Stadium for a Dallas Cowboy's game, after leaving two of the cars at the Air B&B in Pantego.
We had standing room only tickets, so it was a little hard to see, but at least my butt didn't get sore. I saw more of the game on the big screen than on the field.
All of us got a little tired in the legs and took turns walking around. As I watched the halftime show the other three found a better standing location. So at the start of third quarter we went there (seen below).
But soon a 'bouncer' came, so we left early in the third quarter. We had planned to go early anyway, because Dallas had dominated the whole game and was well ahead.
As we headed back to the Air B&B, we stopped to grab some food at a local grocery store.
The living space (kitchen, table, TV, fire, and seats) were all outside.
However, the inside sleeping arrangements were not adequate. We were told it slept three, but you walked through a large open bathroom to get to a tiny room that was just about wall to wall with a double bed. The single bed mattress was leaning against the wall by the bed. I asked the lady where it was to go, and she said in the bathroom. What??? Greg and I looked at each other and shook our heads. If I had to get up to use the restroom during the night, Greg would be in bed, right at my feet. He quickly volunteered to sleep out by the fire which seemed appealing at first.
Once the sun we
nt down, it got even colder. We enjoyed dinner and libations by the fire.
By 8:00 a storm hit. It was short lived, but brought lots of wind and rain and dropped the temperature drastically. Dorene had gone before the storm hit. The three guys lit up their cigars and were happy watching football on the TV.
With the heat blasting and the windows fogging up, we made our way for two hours, back to Tyler where our next visit was. We arrived at Pierce Equestrian Center to see Amanda, Courtney's childhood girlfriend who lived down the street when we were on Heritage road.
And Amanda's two year old daughter (Mary Elizabeth) was eager to show us around the barn.
nt down, it got even colder. We enjoyed dinner and libations by the fire. By 8:00 a storm hit. It was short lived, but brought lots of wind and rain and dropped the temperature drastically. Dorene had gone before the storm hit. The three guys lit up their cigars and were happy watching football on the TV.
By far my favorite feature of this place was Elvis, the four month old miniature donkey.
He had broke loose from his tether with the first thunder clap and came running into the pool and cabana yard where we were, just like a frightened dog.
There was a roof overhead, but the wind was bringing the water into half of the sitting space. During half time, Joe got in the hot tub, which he said was wonderful, but he nearly froze when he got out.
When I crawled into bed shortly after 9:00, the three guys were going strong. They were having fun and thought it hilarious that Elvis would probably be trying to bunk up with Greg. I was feeling bad for both Greg and Elvis.
Monday 10/15 - I had taken a sleeping pill, so when I woke during the night several times, and worried about Greg, I soon fell back to sleep. At one point, when the storm sounded nasty with thunder near by, I considered getting up to tell Greg to come inside, but hoped he had come in already. Finally at 6am, I rolled out of the hay, half expecting to see Greg on the mattress in the bathroom, but nope, I could pee in privacy. I then ventured outside and it was freezing. The 40 degree temperature was worsened by the strong wind and heavy rain. The mattress lay in front of the fireplace, but the gas was off and Greg was gone. I felt terrible for him and then for Elvis, who came over looking wet and cold.
As it turns out, Greg left at 4:00, to get an early start on his two day drive back to Illinois. I heated up tea in the microwave and then took a chair from outside, into the bathroom, to sit where it wasn't so cold. But I couldn't get on the internet, so I just organized photos and made some notes for this blog that I hadn't hardly gotten started. I finally woke Joe up at 8:30 because I was ready to van-moosel. Elvis had been fed.
Getting to the car with all our stuff was a challenge because the yard was now a lake and the rain was still coming down at a good rate. We had to balance across this 4X6, 12 foot plank, to get to our car during the pelting rain. As we were jumping into the car, I could hear Donkey's mournful bray.
With the heat blasting and the windows fogging up, we made our way for two hours, back to Tyler where our next visit was. We arrived at Pierce Equestrian Center to see Amanda, Courtney's childhood girlfriend who lived down the street when we were on Heritage road.
We were greeted by several of the nine dogs that live on the property.
Amanda had planned to take me for a little trail ride, but it was way too cold, wet, and threatening to rain. So we 'mounted' the four wheel buggy and went for a tour with the help of Mary Elizabeth and one of the nine dogs. They showed us all around the property (video). The training arena (seen left) would be a fun place to play, even though Amiga doesn't do jumps.
I am so proud of Amanda and all her accomplishments. It was her dream to be a horse trainer. She and her husband own and run this 75 acre ranch that has a 20 stall barn, and I believe as many horses.
It had rained all day except while we were at Amanda’s so we were able to tour her beautiful ranch. It was quite cold out so we didn't hang around too long, and as we left the rains returned. We took Amanda to lunch at a lovely Italian restaurant. It was good catching up with her and her life as a horse (and person) trainer.
We would end our stay in Texas where we started it, at Susan's house. She was gone, so we brought dinner from Subway to share with Doug. We didn't stay up much longer after Sue got home at 9:30.
Tuesday 10/16 - We were out the door right about 7am, in a pouring rain. On the way to the airport, we got a notice that our flight was delayed.
As expected, we missed our connecting flight, so we were re-booked on a later flight out of Atlanta. This contributed to a very long day of travel including long waits in both airports.
I tried to work on this blog while still in Dallas and again for the two hours in Atlanta.
Since we were running so late, Patty fed Maggie dinner and took her to our house and fed the cats. We were greeted by more rain in Tennessee. Home a little after 7pm, I kept thinking, there's no place like home. Home sweet home... what could be a better place to be, especially on a cold rainy night?
Nice job on your blog, will share it with my family so they know I really did met up with you guys in Texas. And thanks again to Dorene, it was neat sharing a weekend with her.
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