TRAVEL HERE/TRAVEL THERE: DALLAS TRAVEL & ADVENTURE SHOW

OK! If you love travel and live in Dallas (or anywhere nearby) take out your calendar NOW and clear this weekend. It’s time for the Travel & Adventure Show.  You heard me.  Do it!

Why You Should Go to the Show

Yeah, I know.  You can sit there at your computer and find out anything you want to know on the internet, right?  Besides, you’ve got the Travel Channel, right?  You don’t need to drive downtown, pay for parking and buy a ticket.

Are you kidding?

Travel isn’t about the information; it’s about the experience.  Experiences don’t happen when your derriere is glued to your desk chair or ensconced on your sofa.  You have to get out there.  Your next travel experience could be waiting for you and you’ll miss it if you stay home.

I inherited my travel bug from my mom.  She grew up as poor as everyone else in McKinney, Texas during the Depression. Vacations weren’t an option.  For her honeymoon she went to Arkansas.  Arkansas?  Really?

For the first eleven years of my life, Mom’s vacation planning skills only required that she get us to Texas from wherever my Dad’s job happened to be at any given time, but after he got transferred to back to the DFW Metorplex, she introduced us to VACATIONS.  At first, she was limited to research in the library and letters to Chambers of Commerce.  Then she discovered Mobil Guides and AAA Trip Tiks.  Then, after my initial stab at college,  I was a poor working girl who couldn’t afford a road trip to Galveston, but my Mom had finally earned her empty nest  and she was ready to fly.  Instead of her paycheck going to new shoes and tuition for the girls, she was going, going and gone.

That’s when she introduced me to travel shows.  Her real goal was to get there herself without having to drive.  She’s pretty timid behind the wheel, has no sense of direction and in those days consumers had no access to GPS’s, yet.  Lunch was usually included, so I figured I couldn’t lose.  The travel shows stirred up the travel bug she’d infected me with back on all those family vacations facilitated with Mobil Guide, Trip Tiks and Chamber of Commerce brochures.  I was hooked.

For me a travel show is like Virtual Search.  I type “what’s out there” into my virtual search engine and instead of avoiding pop-ups or having to wait for sites to download, I’m there.  No online chat, but real human beings without a script.  No need to enlarge the image.  It’s already life sized!

Last year, I saw Samantha Brown, in person.  This year I plan to get over my giddy bashfulness and actually meet her.  Either way, I still plan to become her when I grow up – well, if I ever grow up.

But my own giddy bashfulness was not the only problem I encountered last year at the travel show.  I love my husband and he’s my favorite companion, but he has not been infected by the travel bug.  When he’s traveling, he thinks it’s actually acceptable to waste calories eating fast food or waste time shopping at stores with locations in the strip centers closest to our house, going to movies and taking naps.  He barely even qualifies as a tourist, much less a traveler.  To make matters worse, we had some house guests with us.  I should have known better.  Their favorite attractions in any town are WalMart and the Dollar Store.

But I learned my lesson.  This year I’m taking my best friend who, like me, thinks a perpetual cruise might be a reasonable retirement option.   We’ll try all the Hands On Adventure Activities, deliver our palates to the Culinary Stage, tap our toe to the Global Beats and soak in lectures from Pauline Frommer, Richard Wiese and of course, Samantha Brown.

So will I see you there or not?  Either way, I need to go now.  I’ve got to clear out the box where I was storing all the brochures I got last year, so I’ll have room for those I pick up this year, and I haven’t finished reading about The Best Beds in Botswana yet.

TRAVEL HERE: PECAN GROVE CEMETERY IN MCKINNEY TX

Funerals are bittersweet:  an opportunity to spend time with dear friends and family, a recitation of your best memories, gorgeous floral tributes and touching cards, phone calls, emails and messages.  But the price of admission is the loss of someone you love and in the end you must deliver your beloved to a cemetery.  Recently, I lost my dad.

Tending the Family Plot

Dad’s final resting place is Pecan Grove Cemetery in McKinney, Texas and some day I’ll be buried nearby.  Many years ago one of my aunts purchased 12 plots for $300 for her father and his descendants.  I’m so glad they did.

I make frequent visits to Pecan Grove.  One of my jobs in the family is to be sure the silk flowers on the graves are fresh and appropriate to the season.  It’s a task I enjoy.  I load the car with tools and cleaning materials, stop by Garden Ridge or Hobby Lobby to pick up new arrangements and drive up to McKinney.

Usually, I avoid the traffic hassles of Central Expressway and drive up Highway 5, cataloging all the changes to the landscape since the days we made the trip weekly to visit my grandmother.  The story of my family is woven into that thoroughfare.

I always smile crossing the point where the old railway trestle used to be.  In the days before cellphones, an uncle was late arriving home from his job in Dallas.  My aunt panicked and recruited my father to look for him.  Certain Uncle Glenn had come to some harm, Dad and Aunt Tommie started driving to Dallas in my dad’s grey Studebaker convertible.  About the time they got to the trestle, Dad spotted Uncle Glenn innocently driving home.  He was a car salesman and had closed a deal late in the day.  Usually he alerted his wife when he’d be late, but had forgotten that time.

Then there’s the Heard Museum.  My grandmother had a huge pencil tree cactus and when she passed away no one had enough room in their home to accommodate it.  We donated it to the Heard.  Memorabilia from our granddad’s Spanish American War experience went to a local history museum.  I could go on, but you get the idea.  McKinney is home, wherever I happen to live.

Visiting the Cemetery

Arriving from the south, I first see the huge pecan trees which give the cemetery its name.  Turning right into the entrance  on Settler’s Trail, my blood pressure lowers and I roll down the window to smell the familiar woodsy fragrance.  On the left is a beautiful historical chapel rebuilt in recent years.  I remember the days when the office of the cemetery used to be here.  Like many older cemeteries, Pecan Grove went through a period of neglect and I remember when my mom used to stop by and complain about the lack of edging around the tombstones or the need to cut back the trees in a certain area.  Nowadays, the cemetery is well-kept, thanks to a perpetual care fund put in place, but it wasn’t always that way.

Something I love about Pecan Grove is the feeling of history surrounding you under the ancient trees.  I can appreciate

the intent of those pristine burial grounds with identical gravestones, but I wouldn’t feel at home there.  Pecan Grove is one of the oldest cemeteries in North Texas and as you drive down the shaded lanes you know it.  Towering marble obelisks, granite vases covered in granite veils, grand columns and sweet cherubs from an earlier time dominate the scene.

Then I turn right on Rhea and on the left corner after crossing Pecos Trail, I come to L3.  That’s where the Mobleys are.  Until a few weeks ago, a tree marked the lot.  My Great-Aunt Bird planted it there after my grandfather was buried.  Grandmother really didn’t want the tree, but wouldn’t let anyone remove it because she didn’t want to upset her sister.  However, years later they got in a squabble and Aunt Bird went to the cemetery to chop down the tree.  So, of course, my grandmother went to great lengths to save the tree she had previously not even wanted.  We are Irish after all.  A temper and stubbornness are part of my heritage.

I didn’t know the story of the tree until I called about my dad’s burial.  The caretaker told me the tree was too close to the headstone and would eventually cause damage to it.  So I talked to Mom and she was relived for a reason to get rid of it.  By removing the tree, Mom’s final resting place will be between her dad and her husband, something the tree would have prevented.

A day or so before the funeral I loaded my cemetery gear into the car.  My husband wondered what in the world I was doing.  “I’m going to clean off the gravestones.”  He looked at me like I was nuts, but he climbed in the car with me.  I do have a wonderful husband.  Even though I’d put the fall arrangements into the vases just a few weeks before, I wanted to be sure everything was tidy.  We spent about a half an hour scrubbing down gravestones, trimming errant weeds and fussing with the silk flowers.

The employees of the cemetery gravitated towards us, one on a tractor and the other in a pickup.  They wondered how George Weldon Cave was kin to T.B. Mobley and who I was.  Bill used the opportunity to assure himself that when the Sadeks needed burial we’d have no problem claiming our plots.  Then he wondered how much the plots cost now.  That $300 investment my aunt made for us?  Today it would cost $24,000.  Thank you Aunt Edie.

When I was satisfied with the appearance of my family, I picked up my stuff and loaded the car.  As we wound through the cemetery, I pointed out to Bill where other people I love are buried – like Aunt Bird, for instance.  We passed by the older part of the cemetery where slaves and settlers were buried without markers for their graves.  I’m glad that one day I’ll be a part of this historical place.

So go to Pecan Grove Cemetery, especially if you love history.  If you know Collin County, you’ll see familiar names on many of the headstones.  The website brags of “governors and gunslingers” buried there.  But I go for the woodsy fragrance under the pecan trees and to remember my family.

TRAVEL HERE: FIRE CLAIMS BIG TEX

The State Fair of Texas is always big news for me, but it’s not usually on World News with Diane Sawyer.  In case you didn’t know, the State Fair’s iconic mascot, Big Tex, burned down to his frame on Friday.  Though the event is certainly not on the scale of other tragedies in our nation, over the last few days when a Dallasite asked, “Where were you when you found out,” I knew what they were talking about.

Big Tex & Me

I met Big Tex for the first time in 1966.  My family had just moved back to Texas after following Dad’s job throughout the South for my first 11 years.  Going to the State Fair of Texas was the most exciting thing I’d ever done in my young life.  A Fletcher’s Corny Dog was the second best thing I’d ever put in my mouth.  I say second, because 1966 is also the year I first tried Tex-Mex.  That maiden visit to the Fair is also when I saw and fell in love with my first Jaguar, but I’ll leave that unrequited passion for another day.

I loved the State Fair as a kid and when I got old enough to visit without my parents, I loved it even more.  (Sorry Mom

and Dad!)  Frugality and moderation were of great importance in my family.  Our superiority was measured by the fact that we didn’t waste money on frivolous stuff.  Unleashed from parental control, I adored strolling through the Midway with a corny dog in one hand and a beer in the other.  I enjoyed it so much I repeated it frequently throughout the day.  I loved riding the rides and buying incense burners and brass whatnots in the International Bazaar.  (There is no longer an International Bazaar, but there are still opportunities to waste a little cash on something you’ll throw away in a week or two.)  I was never big on Midway games, but I didn’t need to pay anyone money to prove that I was clumsy and uncoordinated.  I was well aware of that paradigm.

You might think that someone this enamored of a local fair just hadn’t been anywhere else, but you’d be wrong.  I’ve been around the world, and I still love to travel, but if it’s October, I’d rather stick close to Dallas so I can hang out at the Fair.

I am very sorry my beloved city has lost it’s mascot, but the mayor and fair officials were quick to assure us of the return of Big Tex.  But therein lies a problem.  We’ve been promised that Big Tex is going to be bigger and better.  Big Tex was big enough for me and I’m not sure how they plan to improve him.  I’ve been to Disney World and other attractions utilizing animatronics.  Sure , it’s cool to ride through It’s a Small World and see Lincoln come alive, but part of Big Tex’s attraction was his kitsch.  He was like one of those long forgotten dinosaurs standing alone next to a defunct roadside attraction, except that Big Tex still had a gig.   I’m not sure bigger and better are what I want for Big Tex.

How about you?  Do you want bigger and better or more of the same?  What do you think the new Big Tex will have over the old Big Tex?

TRAVEL HERE: THE ME TOO MALL IN GRAND PRAIRIE

You’re kidnapped, blindfolded and drugged. When you come to, you find yourself at an outlet mall, but there’s no way for you to tell which one, because all outlet malls look the same. I actually have this nightmare from time to time. Sometimes it’s the outlet mall, another time a grocery store and then again a restaurant.

The Comfort of Immediate Orientation

I’m sure somebody somewhere has done a survey and discovered the comfort of immediate orientation from location to location is viewed as a plus by most people.  I’m obviously not one of those people.  I’m also sure there is some economy of scale if, no matter where you build it, you build the same mall – but I really don’t care.  I find it a little spooky.

A few weekends ago, on the Texas Tax-free Weekend, I avoided the opening of the new Paragon Outlet Mall in Grand Prairie.  I dig outlet shopping, but the local news was overrun with reports of how impossible parking would be on opening weekend.  I waited a week or two and then made a Thursday morning visit.

Grand Prairie’s New Outlet Mall

First I want to tell you the good stuff.  Without a doubt, the people working at this outlet mall are the nicest, most helpful group of people I’ve run into in a very, very long time.  So long, that to tell the truth, I’d be tempted to say I’ve never experienced a nicer group of retail people.  So, if I based my shopping decisions solely on the level of service I received, I’d never shop anywhere except the Grand Prairie Paragon Outlet Mall.

More good stuff.  There’s a great selection of stores.  I was only there for a couple of hours and only went down one walkway, from the Food Court to Bloomies, but I found plenty of places to shop.  Someday when it’s cooler I’ll go back and visit more stores, but it was hot summer time on the day I chose.  I think it’s safe to go now.

And that brings me to the problems.  Yes, I’d seen this design for an outlet mall before.  I believe the first one was in Myrtle Beach. SC. I’ve also been to one down Round Rock, TX way.  I’m sure they’re spread from sea to shining sea, but somebody somewhere is not thinking.  All the stores face a central circular walkway.  When you enter the parking lot and drive around, all you can see is brick wall.  Access to the walkways connecting the stores is limited.

There are three types of malls:  the enclosed mall, where it can be challenging to park close to the place you want to shop, but you get air conditioning; the strip center, where with a little luck you can park very close to your destination, but you’re subject to the elements; and the other kind, where you can’t park near anything and you’re stuck out in the weather whatever it may be.  The Grand Prairie Paragon Outlet Mall is the other kind of mall.

Now I’ve lived out in California and I know that there are places where the other kind of mall is really no problem.  It never rains in Southern California and the temperature over much of the state is always seventy-two degrees.  The guys who design these malls must live in Southern California.  Someone should take them on a field trip!  If you’re not in Southern California, this is not a good thing.  In Texas we have two seasons: Damned Hot and Damned Cold.  There’s about ten perfect days during the rest of the year that make living here worth it, but the rest are uncomfortable.  If it should be something other than a hot or cold day, we’ve also got rain, wind, sleet – not to mention tornado.  Shopping outside is not optimal.  If you let me park right in front of the store I want to shop at, I can forgive you for some inconvenience, but I can’t do that in Grand Prairie.

I’m a healthy, active, fit person, so all these little details are just a bit of a hindrance.  My eight-three year old mother is a different story.  Needless to say, she won’t be going back.

Obviously, developers have been successfully building this mall design for a number of years.  I know I haven’t been to Myrtle Beach since 2007, so who am I to knock success, but I can tell you this, if I tell you I’m going outlet shopping, look for me at Allen Premium Outlets.  They’ve got a lot of the same stores and if I don’t wait for the weekend, I can just drive right up and park right outside the stores I want to visit – especially CAbi, which is my very favorite outlet store in the world and Paragon doesn’t have one.

What about you?  What kind of malls do you like best?  What outlet store is your outlet store?  Have you been to the new outlet mall in Grand Prairie?  Where do you usually do your outlet shopping?

TRAVEL HERE: A CHILLY COTTONWOOD CONSTITUTIONAL

They say the familiarity breeds contempt and that’s a little harsh, but easy availability can give rise to complacency.  The Cottonwood Arts Festival has been around for decades, it’s free and it’s close.  Yet it’s been years since I bothered to go.  My loss, completely, my loss.  So when my friend Deborah called and suggested a visit on Saturday morning I was quick on the uptake.  I just didn’t realize that I was going to freeze to death.

The Cottonwood Arts Festival

Cottonwood Park, home of the festival, is on Beltline in Richardson, right across from a high school with a football stadium.  We parked at the high school and a shuttle dropped us off at the entrance to the park.  As cool as it was, I was surprised at the bustling crowd.  On a warmer day we might have been faced with quite a trek.

What I noticed right away was the crisp, professional look of the event grounds. The white booths are lined up with military precision on aisles marked with large nylon banners sporting the names of famous artist’s like O’Keefe and Matisse.   No cheap camping awnings of blue plastic with rickety card tables and cigar box cash boxes for Cottonwood.  It’s a juried show, not a place for those riding in their first rodeo.

The next couple of hours were given over to pure enjoyment.  The painting, sculpture and decorative arts  were nice, but I’ll admit I lingered longer at the jewelry counters.  Innovative designs, unusual materials, excellent craftsmanship and the-sky’s-the-limit creativity were evident throughout the festival, whether the medium was exotic woods, diamonds, glass or clay.

More than just a feast for the eyes, Cottonwood offers up musical entertainment, as well as food.  A Beatles cover band was playing old favorites  as I sniffed the air for favorite scents.  I had a delicious pretzel and some marvelous candied pecans, but there was everything from fried Oreos to fruit smoothies – a little something for everyone.

I’ve got to tell you though, Cottonwood’s not for the faint of pocketbook.  Admiring one sculpture, I spied a $6,900 price tag.  A gold ring showcasing a rare type of quartz was about $1000 less.  Even a bowl made from exotic woods cost $378.  I’ll give you that it was pretty, but Home Goods has similar stuff for more like $78.  I’m sure the wood is less exotic and it’s machine made, rather than hand-crafted, but I couldn’t help wondering who bought this stuff.  Do people really leave home on a chilly Saturday morning and come home with a $6,900 sculpture for the table in the entry hall.

People were making purchases, though.  No one whipped out their debit card for the $6,900 sculpture while I was there, but I did see people with all manner of odd-shaped packages, suggesting they’d fallen in love with something they couldn’t leave behind.  Maybe I’m just a tightwad.

I did make one purchase that I didn’t eat.  October is Deborah’s birthday month, so I told her to keep her eyes open for something she loved.  The hand-painted silk shawl she chose was thankfully in my price range.  Good friends don’t expect good friends to go broke.

How about you?  Would you go to an art festival and drop seven large for your foyer?  Whether you would or you wouldn’t, you’d enjoy strolling through the park and seeing all the beautiful pieces of handi-craft.  So watch for it when the bi-annual show comes back in the spring.  You’ll be warmer then.

TRAVEL HERE: THE STATE FAIR OF TEXAS 2012

My post about the fair last year is getting a lot of hits lately, so I knew I’d be visiting Big Tex soon.  I just got home from a marvelous day there, so if there are more typos than usual please forgive me.  I wanted to fill you in as soon as I could.

Our 2012 Visit

The rainy Sunday morning scared away the throngs and the cooler weather made it even more enjoyable.  In spite of the dreary weather, great luck accompanied us  all day long.  First luck was asking some policemen about the price of parking.  They pointed out a free place

and said they’d be there watching the car.  It seemed too good to be true, but the car was still there when came back.

As soon as we entered the fairgrounds, we walked by a pavilion where they were giving away samples of Sensodyne Toothpaste.  That’s Bill’s toothpaste of choice, but he hates that he has to use it because it

costs more than other toothpastes.  We loaded up on samples and coupons – and then Bill visited them again on the way out.

Cross-referencing our entrance gate with my list of free shows sent us towards the Greenhouse on the Midway where the Tree Man Stilt Walker was the next show in proximity .  We located it with time to spare, so I hurried to the nearest Fletcher’s to get our first corny dog of the day.  Very happy mouth and tummy!

You’ll want to go to the Greenhouse.  You’ll love the garden inside with it’s miniature trains wandering among miniature Texas landmarks.  There’s a pumpkin carver creating autumn delights from HUGE pumpkins in one corner and Southern Living celebrities giving lectures in the other.  However, don’t worry about getting there for the Tree Man Stilt Walker.  It’s just a guy dressed like an Ent posing for pictures.  I’m sure he’s a very nice Ent, but no need plan your day around him.

Next we went over to the Thrillway to catch the BMX Bike Show – a much better use of time.  What these guys can do

with two wheels is amazing; so go!  From high flying bikes we segued to high flying birds at the Kroger Birds of the World in the Band Shell.  This show has been coming to the fair for many years and there’s really nothing new.  If you have kids or are just crazy about birds, then you’ll enjoy it, but I wished that I’d used my time otherwise.

On the way to the Cotton Bowl Plaza for our second corny dog, we passed the Chinese Lantern Exhibit at the Lagoon.  We were able to peek over at it from the Band Shell and at the end of the plaza they have a gate where you can peep at a snippet of what’s there.  We would have loved to see it all, but it’s nigh onto $20 each and that just didn’t make any sense with all the other expenses of the day.  So you rich guys go and tell me how it is.

Near the Lagoon we passed the Tree House Maestro.  It’s a guy singing in a treehouse.  If you take a food break at the plaza I recommend carrying your meal around the corner and enjoying his music.  If you eat your meal in the plaza you might be there when the Midway Barker is doing his act and that’s well worth missing.

As we strolled by Big Tex, four o’clock was drawing nigh, which meant that we had some choices to make.  Most of the

free entertainment have last shows between four and six, so we had to decide which to make an effort to see.  We chose the USMC Drum & Bugle Corp.  They were great, but we also wanted to see the African Acrobats, so after a few numbers we sneaked  away and got in on the last part of the acrobats.  We should have stayed with the Marines.

Since we were next to the automobile building, Bill made a detour through it.  Favorites?  The Dodge Challenger and the Chevrolet Camaro.  The Ford Fusion had great exterior styling, but on the inside it looked like a Ford.  The Impala was pretty amazing and we’d be happy with any of the Cadillacs.

Exiting the automobile building, Bill heard Arabic music and made a beeline to the steps in front of the Hall of State.  His reward was scantily clad women gyrating with scarfs, swords and other paraphernalia.  He was one happy guy.  There was folk dancing of all types being preformed there throughout the day and if I had it to do all over again, I think I might have camped out there and enjoyed it.  We would have missed out on a lot of exercise, but I think it would have been entertaining.

Poor Bill was worn out from all the walking I’d made him do, but being the champion he is, he followed along as I tried to find two more shows.  I found the stage for the Chinese Acrobats, but I’d been mistaken about the time, so we missed that show.  We found the Tropical Music Man in the Coliseum.  He was a really nice guy, playing some great tunes, but he wasn’t Elvis and there were these wild kids creating havoc.  We got out of there and found The Kildares on the Backdoor Stage.  Now these guys are worth a little effort.  They’re a Celtic rock

group and they perform on a revolving round stage.  I hadn’t planned on seeing them, but was glad we didn’t miss them.

When The Kildares were through, it was a little early to catch that last Chinese Acrobat show and Bill was hungry again.  He’s been on the South Beach Diet and even though he’d shared a couple of corny dogs with me, he didn’t want to stray too far from his regimen.  He found some grilled shrimp (he doesn’t recommend it) and we moseyed over to the Texas Wine Garden to eat it.

The Wine Garden is a pleasant shaded area and most of the tables were inhabited.  On my own, I would have looked around and been disappointed no empty tables were available.  Bill talked me into inviting ourselves to a table where a couple of girls were sharing a bottle of wine.  We discovered we’d invited ourselves into one of the best parts of the day.    These fun girls not only shared their table with us, but they let us taste their wine.  The pair were cousins from Flower Mound and worked at a restaurant called Decanter Restaurant and Wine Bar.  They told us about the extensive wine training the restaurant gives their employees, so we’re going to make the trip over there sometime soon.

After sharing corny dog number three, we said good-bye to our Flower Mound buddies.  When Bill is surrounded with pretty women he loses all track of the time, so he thought we still had time to see the Chinese Acrobats.  The Acrobats were over, but there was still a lot more fair.

We crossed over to the Creative Arts Building and perused the ribbon winners, amused ourselves with the Embarcadero salespeople and breezed through the Food and Fiber Building (where we were too late for samples).  As we headed to the Centennial Building to see the imported cars we heard Uncle Cracker, at the Chevrolet Main Stage, pouring out some toe-tapping tunes.  We didn’t stop to cut a rug, but we did cut through the Craft Pavilion where we saw some amazing wooden airplane models, but our billfolds stayed safely tucked away.  Inside the Centennial Building Bill lingered lovingly in the Lexus area and I drooled a little bit over the Volkswagon CC.

Our day was winding down, but the fun wasn’t over yet.  Bill caught the tail end of the second appearance of the belly dance ensemble, which put us in exactly the right spot for the Parade.  It was a nice little parade, but I think I’m ruined for parades the rest of my life.  After seeing The Grand Floral Parade in Portland this year it will take some kind of parade to make an impression.

We had a few more food coupons left and the Tower Building was nearby, so we found a way to spend them.  The Diet Dr. Pepper was refreshing, but the gyro was below par.

Illumination Sensation at the Esplanade was a spectacular end to our evening.  I’d try to explain it, but words aren’t adequate, so be sure not to go home until you’ve experienced it.  Bill held my hand on the way back to the car and I decided it had been one of the best visits I’d ever made to the fair.

I hope you’ll make it to the fair this year.  Let me know how you like it!

TRAVEL THERE:PRECIOUS MOMENTS ROAD TRIP

This post has been on the back burner for a while, because I made a visit to the Precious Moments Chapel this spring, but hadn’t shared it with you.  At first it was because the pictures were on my friend’s camera, then I just got busy with other stuff.

Not On My Travel Radar

The Precious Moments Chapel wasn’t on my travel radar.  All of my energy was focused on Oregon, but life is what happens when you’re out making other plans.  A friend had a family situation come up and I rode out to Missouri to help her with it.  Her chore wasn’t a pleasant one, so I was determined to bring as much joy with me as I could.

En route we began to see signs advertising the Precious Moments Chapel.  You know Precious Moments.  Theyre those darling pastel colored statuettes in Hallmark stores that feature big-eyed waifs doing all kinds of grown up things, like getting married or having babies or participating in other important life events.  Though they’ve waned somewhat in their popularity, not so long ago they were all the rage.  I’ve never been into collectibles, but even I couldn’t miss them.

We were able to finish up my friend’s task a little earlier than we anticipated, so I joked that we should visit the chapel on the way home.  What started as a joke, turned into a plan and when we hit the road on the way back to Dallas, we looked for the signs, hoping they were as interested in western bound visitors as they had been eastern bound.  Lo and behold, we found the signs.

Have you heard of “roadside” attractions that say”turn here” and then take you on a wild goose chase.  As we followed the signs to the chapel I began to fear we’d been drawn into one.  The next turn was always just a little bit down the road, but the Precious Moments Chapel was not what I would call a roadside attraction.  It was something that I can only describe as absolutely darling, but at the same time a little spooky.

I’ve known people who visited the chapel on bus trips to Branson, but it’s been a while since anyone I knew said they

were making a visit.  What’s spooky about the facility is that it’s virtually empty.  Apparently, at one time lots of bus trips were stopping by, but on this day, there were only a small handful of cars on the parking lot and I think most of them belonged to employees.  I found that very sad.  If I had any real influence, I’d do what I could to direct traffic back to this pleasant little tourist attraction.  Once you get over the ghost town aspect of everything, the absolutely darling part is well worth your time.

The first thing you enter is a visitor’s center with restrooms, a gift shop and a snack bar.  There’s not a ticket kiosk, because it’s free.  There was even some entertainment on the hour, but it was a little juvenile for our tastes.  I wished for the kids in my life, a grandniece and a friend’s daughter.  Hannah and Daniella would have been besides themselves with glee.

In the visitor’s center a new series of signs began.  Because of the challenge of getting to the property, we couldn’t help but get tickled about where the signs at the attraction might lead us and how far we’d actually have to go to get to the chapel.  Instead of the long hike we feared, we made a nice stroll through a lovely park.  Attractive landscaping, charming statuary of the Precious Moments kids and well-maintained walkways led to the chapel.

The exterior of the chapel is well appointed with lovely proportions, but very simple.  Inside “It’s a Small World After All” goes to church.  Abandoning the sweet pastels of the popular figurines, the scenes in the chapel sport festive jewel tones.  The mind goes through a paradigm shift.  You know you are looking at Biblical scenes.  There’s Noah’s Ark, the Creation, Ruth and Naomi, Moses, Jacob, Esther, Samuel, the life of Christ and more, yet all the scenes are filled with children.  “Suffer the little children to come unto me,” clanged around inside my head.  What child would not be fascinated with these carved doors, stained glass windows and gorgeous murals?

On the way out I stopped at the gift shop.  I wanted to share the experience with Hannah and Daniella.  I bought a Precious Memories DVD about Joseph in Egypt for my niece and a doll for my friends daughter.  For me, I bought a Keepsake Memory Book.  I wanted to remember my visit.

The Precious Moments Chapel brightened a trip that could have become nothing but a dark memory.  Now my friend and I can reminisce about a pint-sized Daniel among sanguine lions and laugh about roadside attractions.  I hope I’ve told you enough to spark an interest in the chapel, because it would be a shame for it to disappear from lack of interest.  If you’re ever near Carthage, Missouri, you should stop, too.

Most of the pictures here were taken by my good friend since I was camera-less on this trip.  I’ll share I few more to give you a flavor of the chapel’s features.

TRAVEL HERE: PORKING OUT – JASPER’S STLYE

So my cool nephew was coming to town – the investment banker who lives on the Left Coast. He and his new wife were returning to Dallas for a visit, the first one since their amazing wedding at the DMA. We were taking them out to dinner and it couldn’t be just any old restaurant. Hubby asks me where we should go and my easy answer was Jasper’s Gourmet Backyard Cuisine at the Shops at Legacy in Plano.

Choosing Jasper’s

Back in March, my best friend and nearly sister took me there for my birthday.  We loved the chic interior and the delicious food.  My nephew has one of those lifestyles that would look good on a character in a romance novel, so I’d never be able to impress him.  I just don’t want to disappoint him.  Hubby agreed Jasper’s sounded like the right choice.

It was a Sunday night, so we didn’t make reservations, but we were surprised by how very busy Jasper’s was on what should have been an off night.  (Note to self:  Next time, reservations.)  When you enter the restaurant there’s a slick-looking bar to the right and dining to the left.  Lights are dim and the feeling is both modern and warm – lots of wood, dark neutrals and luscious upholstery.  I’m particularly fond of their light fixtures.  My favorites are large, round, black and metal.  A compliment to the waiter revealed the materials used are not what the sleek appearance suggests, but chicken wire and Austin stone.

So far, so good, but then there’s the wine.  My husband and I like a good wine as much as the next guy, but our trope is finding spectacularly good wines at minuscule pricing.  The nephew plans his honeymoon around wine tastings in a South American country.  Would the wine list hold up to his very sophisticated tastes?  Absolutely!  We tried two different bottles of Napa wines, both favorites of the nephew and both delicious.

Appetizers were the next hurdle.  My nephew’s job puts him in all the best eateries.  Some are his clients, others he takes his clients to, and if I were a name dropper you’d recognize a few.  So would Jasper’s have anything my nephew would like?  I’d tried the crab cakes when I’d been there before, and they were so good, my friend and I joked about continuing to order them until we were too full to walk out of the restaurant.  Nephew chose Maytag Blue Cheese Potato Chips – and we’re not talking Lay’s here.  Sliced thin, but not too thin, then deep fried, the potatoes were drizzled with a creamy sauce and chunks of blue cheese.  We didn’t clean out the basket, because if we had, that would have been the end of the meal.  Very good,  but also very filling.

For our main course, I returned to the Texas Peach Barbecued Pork Tenderloin with Bourbon Creamed Sweet Corn I’d had before.  Not because the rest of the menu is not delicious sounding, but because once is just not enough for this entree.  I split it with Hubby and he agreed it was a stunning treat for his mouth.  Nephew and wife shared the filet and made moaning noises similar to ours, so I can only assume it was delicious.  As sides we tried the mac-and-cheese and some spinach.

To top off the night, we ordered dessert, a “Mini-Trio” with Dark Chocolate Torte, Butterfinger Crème Brulee and Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwich.  Back in March, my friend and I had gotten pretty much the same dessert, except that we’d had  Strawberry-Rhubarb Buckle instead of the Ice Cream Sandwich.  Bad choice.  Go for the Ice Cream Sandwich.  Not that there is anything wrong with the Buckle, it’s scrumptious.  It’s just that the Ice Cream Sandwich could possibly be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth and I’m not particularly fond of ice cream.

After the meal we took a stroll around the small lake that graces The Shops at Legacy.  It was still a little warm for my West Coast nephew to thoroughly enjoy the exercise, but he did like the banjo players at the far end of the lake.  We were tickled to see that the trash can on the north side was filled up with Cold Stone cups, just like it had been on a visit earlier in the summer.  Good ice cream, but not as good as the Rocky Road Ice Cream Sandwiches we’d just inhaled.

So do go to Jasper’s.  Chic enough for a special  night out, but the meal won’t necessarily clean out your child’s college fund, unless you just made the first deposit.  People were wearing everything from the ever-ubiquitous blue denim to frothy sundresses that said ‘big date night.’  I’m sure we’ll be back, even if it’s just to share a bottle of wine over some of those Maytag Blue Cheese Potato Chips.  What about you?  Have you been to Jasper’s yet?

TRAVEL HERE:  WELCOME TO THE DALLAS GROCERY WARS TRADER’S JOE’S

When you live in Dallas, no matter what it is you want to buy, you’ve got choices – especially groceries.  Dallasites newest grocery choice is Trader Joe’s.  Six years of California living made me a big fan of Trader Joe’s, so I’m glad one opened up last weekend.  It’s just up the road from me at Preston and Park in West Plano, but it’s got some tough competition, right at the same intersection.  You might say Trader Joe’s moved into Grocery Store Central.

Meeting Trader Joe

On the Central Coast of California, Trader Joe’s was the place to go for good cheap wine and while you were there, you could pick up a variety of interesting things.  As a part of the Aldi chain (which we’ve also got in Dallas), Trader Joe’s was known for having brands you’ve never heard of which would probably be better than the brands you had.  At Aldi, this means they’ll be cheaper.  At Trader Joe’s it might be cheaper, but it was also greener, healthier and always funkier.

Of course, on the Central Coast, there wasn’t much in the way of competition.  Ralph’s, part of a big chain, was your usual major supermarket.  No surprises, but not much in the way of excitement either.  The only other choice was Scolari’s, a smaller, more local chain.  It was a little more off-beat, but not quite unique.  Trader Joe’s offered a refreshing change from name brands and familiar packaging.  I hope it does well here in Dallas.  I know I’ll be shopping there frequently.  They really do a great job in the wine and beer department.  They also have outstanding frozen entrees.

Grocery Store Wars

But I’m still worried.  How does a new kid like Trader Joe’s face down the big guns?  Right there, on the other side of Preston, is the mother of all funky grocery stores, Whole Foods Market.  Until recently, my husband’s primary criteria for groceries was price, so he would have had a conniption fit if he saw me unloading bags of pricey groceries from Whole Foods Market.  That was until he started having high blood pressure.  Now he’s Whole Foods newest fan and I’m having to learn to shop in a whole new way.  Still, we only go there for very specific items, that we can’t get anyplace else.

I’m not exactly a health nut and I’m not the greenest of consumers, but I’m a big fan of service.  That’s why you’re most likely to find me grocery shopping at Market Street.  It’s on the same intersection, catty corner to Trader Joe’s.  Market Street has more pizzazz than your basic supermarket chain, but still has all those supermarket things you want to pick up while you’re out getting food – at a price which doesn’t feel like you’re being punished for abandoning Walmart.  It gives Whole Foods a hard run on the healthy and green stuff, too.  But it’s the service that keeps me coming back week after week after week.  I’ve never been to a grocery store that was friendlier or more helpful.  I don’t feel like I’m just going to grocery shop.  I feel like I’m going to visit some friends and they’re just dying for me to get there because they live to serve and I’m their favorite person in the world.  (Just so you know, I realize I’m not their favorite person in the world, but they sure know how to make me feel like it.)

Also on the same intersection is Tom Thumb.  For years and years Tom Thumb was my grocery store, but then one of the big chains bought it and now it’s just another supermarket.  (yawn)  The merger happened while I was out in California, so I felt like I’d come home to discover a good friend died while I was away.  I used to buy bakery goods and other prepared foods there for potlucks and spreads.  When asked for a recipe, I’d say my Uncle Thomas made it for me, because I didn’t have time.  You have no idea how many times I actually got away with it.  Though it’s no longer my grocery store, they still get some of my business by proximity.  Even though the intersection of Park and Central is only a couple of miles down the road from me, there’s actually another Tom Thumb even closer, so I run there for emergency supplies.

You can’t talk Grocery Store Wars in Dallas without mentioning Central Market and there’s one three and a half miles away from Grocery Store Central.  Shopping at Central Market is an event.  Their produce section is almost larger than the entire new Trader Joe’s.  There’s a long aisle behind produce where gourmet meats stare down gourmet seafood.  The wine and beer choices are prodigious (but I bet the Trader Joe choices are more interesting and more likely cheaper).  The bakery is a wonder of gorgeous, delicious things to eat.  More cheese choices than you can shake a stick at.  A huge prepared food area with marvelous things to take home and enjoy or just take to the nearby seating area.  I love Central Market, but I wouldn’t go there to get a loaf of bread and a carton of milk.  It would just be too much of a hassle.

Of course, we have Kroger, Target, Sam’s, Costco, Aldi and Walmart – all very close to my house – as well as lesser known chains like Sprouts or Fiesta.  I go to another Kroger’s with Mom every week, but it’s about the pharmacy, not the groceries.  I have the Target Red Card, so I get 5% off everything I buy there.  When all I’m looking for is non-food name brand stuff, like cosmetics and cleaning supplies, I’ll go to Target, but their food buyers haven’t pegged me yet.  With only two of us in the household, buying in bulk from Sam’s or Costco doesn’t make sense.  There’s an Aldi on the way home from my parents’ place with an easy in and out, so I’ve been known to drop by and pick up something there, but I don’t get the whole bagless and rent-your-cart thing.  Then I hate Walmart, but that’s another story for another day.

So which grocery store is your grocery store and why?  Do you make pilgrimages to certain stores to pick up hard-to-find or one-of-a-kind items?  Are green, biodegradable and healthy important in your decision making or is cost the primary factor?  What about brand manes?  What’s your role in the Grocery Wars?

TRAVEL HERE: MESOAMERICANS WERE CUBISTS BEFORE CUBISM WAS COOL

 Today let’s go to the newest exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art, The Legacy of the Plumed Serpent in Ancient Mexico.

Mesoamerican Party Time

My first look at the exhibit was on a Friday night at a  Sustainers/Friends/Advocates Party – and party we did.  Delicious snacks with a South of the Border flavor, cash bar and costumed dancers.  I’m talking stuffed avocado halves, flautas, chips with a salsa bar.  YUM!  And the dancers?  The were so intense Bill found them a little spooky.  I’m telling you, you need to join the DMA.  They know how to throw a bash.

I walked into the party, whipped through the exhibit and focused on the avocado halves, but we did make it down to the lecture.  This was not my first Ancient Mesoamerican exhibit, so the plumed serpent, golden artifacts and human sacrifices were not new, but I was reminded of the extensive trading routes Aztec merchants traveled.  Decades ago I’d read Gary Jennings’ Aztec, which I thoroughly enjoyed.  (It was a little heavy in the sex scenes for me, but it was a great story which had been carefully researched.)  The main character was an Aztec trader, so it was fun to be reminded of an old favorite.

After the lecture the dancers took over.  They wore huge feathered headdresses, shell rattles around their ankles and lots of paint.  The pounding feet and the angular body movements reminded me of some of the modern dance I’ve seen over the years.  Bill and I took another glance at a few items that were mentioned in the lecture and headed home.

How I Arrived at Cubism

When I’m at a new exhibition, in the back of mind, I’m thinking about how I will present it in my blog.  What’s most important?  Can I honestly recommend that you take time to see it?  Sometimes, I know how I will approach it immediately.  At other times it takes a little longer to wrap my mind around it.

The morning after the party I woke up thinking about one of the slides they’d shown in the lecture.  At first glance, it looked like a square tube with some lines carved into it, but on further examination it’s a plumed serpent, captured minimally in a series of squares and rectangles.  When you know what you’re looking at, the squares and rectangles are actually a form of writing.  How cool is that?  I shook that well with the expressive native dancing and it took me immediately to modern day art forms.

“Hey,” I thought, “the Mesoamericans beat Picasso to Cubism.”  But then I thought maybe I was just getting desperate for something to write about, so I asked Bill.  He saw the connection immediately.  We chased the idea through other items in the exhibit and were more firmly convinced of our discovery.

So, I want you to go to the exhibit soon.  There’s gorgeous jewelry, impressive pottery and even some amazing maps the Mesoamericans drew for the Conquistadors.  You’ll enjoy the exhibit.  But while you’re there, see if you can see the Cubist connection and get back to me.