Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Texas. Show all posts

Monday, May 6, 2013

Take a Trip Along East Texas Back Roads

East Texas has the most spectacular wildflowers this time of year!

Steve and I headed over to Frisco, Texas this weekend where my daughter and her husband have just moved into their new house.  

Confession time:  If there is really a phobia about being in heavy traffic then I've got it.  I was in a car accident years ago (probably 15 years ago!) where a lady ran a stop sign onto a busy highway and I just T-boned her.  It was totally unavoidable on my part, and ever since then I've been totally phobic about riding as a passenger in heavy traffic.  It doesn't seem as bad if I'm doing the driving but I still avoid heavy traffic.

Anyway, before my daughter and her husband moved to Frisco, Steve and I had our route to their house in Garland figured out so that I didn't come too unglued.  When they moved to Frisco, we studied the maps and figured out I'd have to ride on the back floor board if we were to get there without me coming unglued! 

But lo and behold, we figured out a back-roads way to get there and I was happy as a clam.  (Are clams really happy?  Where did that expression come from?)  

We love the back roads anyway and seldom take major highways when we go on all these little day trips.  We prefer the scenery on the back roads.  



At any rate, we took I-20 to Tyler (which isn't bad and doesn't scare me once we get out of town) and then turned off on Highway 69 through Lindale, Mineola and a host of other tiny towns.  Then we took 380 west to Frisco - easy as could be!

Back to the wildflowers.  Texas is known for the bluebonnets and they are already blooming along the roadsides but I fell in love with the Huisache daisy!  They were stunning!  


Steve loved the orange Indian Paintbrushes.  


Now contrary to public opinion, it is not illegal to pick the wildflowers, but most people, out of consideration and common sense, do not.  There is a law against trespassing, of course, and against digging up clumps of flowers.

After stopping to admire the flowers alongside I-20 we made our way to Lindale.  The town's current claim to fame seems to be that it's the hometown of country star Miranda Lambert.    Miss Lambert has a store there and her wine label, Red 55, is sold in a store on the main drag through town.  We stopped in and looked around, but not being Miranda fans per se, or wine fans exactly, we were out of our element.  It is, apparently, a very popular stop though.

We were hungry so we looked for a local place with lots of cars.  We stopped at Petty's Steak and Catfish on Main Street.  


I like the kind of place that when you walk in people stop and look up from their plates to see who is coming in.  That means they're regulars, they eat there often, and they all know each other.  Locals.  That's a good sign.  

I ordered the chicken fried steak (what in the world else would you order in Texas for crying out loud!?) and it was wonderful.



Steve went for the chopped sirloin.  We both had okra and tomatoes.  Without sounding too much like Robert Irvine, let me just say that everything on the plate was fresh, not canned, and perfectly seasoned.  We met the owner's mom in the parking lot outside as she was coming in.  We visited for a few minutes and she shared some of her recipe secrets with us, especially dessert recipes!  

Petty's is a great place to eat and even if you don't go the back roads like we do, it's not far off the interstate and well worth the detour.  It's much better than the greasy hamburger chains along the way.

Not far at all from Lindale was Mineola.  Call me sheltered, but I never knew about this little east Texas treasure.  I'll definitely be back in Mineola! (Click on the photo to enlarge).



On this particular stop they were having their May Days carnival in the historic downtown area.



There was a fun house for the kids:


Carnival games:


And I almost came home with Daisy:


What a sweet, precious puppy she is!  I hope she found a good, forever home Saturday.  It broke my heart to have to leave her behind.

But the main reason I'll head back to Mineola is that there is an antique shop everywhere you turn.


We had to move quickly because we really needed to get on to Frisco, but we did run into this huge antique barn:


Inside, you could buy a nifty camera:


Or stock your vintage kitchen:


There's a little railroad museum there that I'd like to visit.  Steve had his picture made as Mr. Conductor:


But here is the museum (or part of it):


Mineola has plenty of quaint, historic buildings in the downtown area:


The Beckham Hotel is now a private residence and I'm fascinated with it.  Apparently this fellow bought it, tried to restore it and put it back into service, then abandoned the idea when he realized he was "a poor host" and that nobody wanted to stay in "an old antique hotel."  (I do!).  Read the story here.

I'd love to see the inside.

Another great building is the old Henry Hotel:


It houses a coffee house now but you can still see the advertising on the side of the building:


And the entrance:


We finally got to Frisco, found the new house, and spent the rest of the afternoon with my daughter, her husband, and our grandson who turns one year old on July 4.  I'd show you his picture but his parents are very private and would prefer he not be plastered all over the internet; I totally respect that.  Suffice to say that he's the cutest, most adorable little fella in Texas!

My daughter and I headed into Dallas to see Wicked, which I'd never seen.  I was blown away; I totally loved it!  One of my favorite songs from the production is here (no embed!).  I bought a Wicked t-shirt!  Love it!  We had wicked good seats, too!


It was a grand affair, to be sure!  After breakfast and more visiting Sunday morning, we left a little early because the happy homeowners still had plenty of unpacking and settling in to do.  They'll be working at that for a while!

On our way home on Sunday Steve and I stopped in Mineola and ate at the East Texas Burger Company downtown.  


It was very good.  Next time I'm going to try one of the fried pies!

We also stopped at a roadside plant and vegetable stand right outside of Alba, Texas:  Pickett's Plants and Produce. 


We met a real friendly proprietor and his grandson and bought some flowers and veggies.



The flowers were gorgeous and I bought some pretty yellow perennials:



We finally made our way back to Shreveport, unloaded the car, and put one more road trip in the books.

I'm thrilled with my back roads route to Frisco, and look forward to doing it again soon.  We have yet another route we've yet to try as well, so who knows, maybe next time we will try that one!

East Texas is just lovely and I'm a pure sucker for quaint little towns.  We did not meet one, single unfriendly soul all along the way.  People stopped to talk to you, to visit like you were an old, long lost friend.  

And you know what everyone is talking about?


I'm not kidding.  When they find out you're from Louisiana, they want to know if you know "the Duck Dynasty people."  

Maybe we need to take a road trip to West Monroe next time!

The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to the Fourth Annual Barksdale AFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to the Third Annual BAFB Oktoberfest 
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Oktoberfest at BAFB
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Sunday, September 16, 2012

Take a Dinner Ride Through East Texas

Steve and I went on a new adventure yesterday:  we hooked up with some friends who were taking their motorcycles on a dinner ride into East Texas.  The threat of rain pushed a few of them into their cars, but a few brave riders stuck with their bikes.  We followed along in the Jeep.

We all met up at "the old Kelley's truck stop" which is now a TA Travel Center.  While we were waiting on everyone to gather I perused the aisles in the truck stop.  Truck stops are interesting places.  Much more than a convenience store, you can buy CB radios, little dog bowls for your traveling companion, audio books, road maps and atlases, mileage log books, a wide assortment of bar mix, beef jerky, popcorn, nuts, dried fruits, and other travel food, as well as standard trade paperbacks and postcards.  You could even get a "real" gator tooth necklace and some Texas shot glasses.

I bought three post cards and a coke.

Everyone was in place around 4:15 so we headed west into East Texas.  We took Highway 80 through Waskom (and I found an antique store I want to go back and check out).   The main drag through Waskom was pretty neat and I'd have taken some pictures but we didn't want to fall out of line with the riders and get behind.  I love quaint old downtown districts.

From there we turned north on FM9 and took a succession of scenic Farm Market roads that led us eventually into Karnak where we found our dinner destination, Big Pines Lodge.  Here we are!




I guess most people in East Texas have heard of Big Pines Lodge, but it was new to me.  What a colorful history it has!  You can read about it here.  The restaurant is situated right next to Big Cypress Bayou which feeds right into beautiful Caddo Lake.    There is no cell phone service there (if you're with AT&T, at least).

The restaurant began in the 1930s as a fishing camp and didn't serve food originally.  Through the years there have been cabins to stay in, an armed robbery, at least one flood, one devastating fire, nights of dancing on a paddle boat, and many, many satisfied customers.  What you see there now is the new and renovated Big Pines Lodge after a fire destroyed the building in 2009.  I loved the outdoor dining area:





Check out the great photos and videos on the website; there is one video about the carving of this tree:


Here's a closer look:


After we ordered our food I went outside and took a few pictures and explored.  You can buy fish food for a quarter and feed the fish that come up to the dock:


View from the dock:


Looking down the bayou:


I secretly covet this house right next door to the restaurant:


Loved the trees dripping with Spanish moss:


A view of the bayou from the upper patio:


I liked the alligators in the cement, and note the tree-columns:


Most everyone ordered the catfish for dinner but a couple of us ordered steak.  The waitresses brought cole slaw and hush puppies (both regular and jalapeno) to the table when we sat down.  Steve ordered catfish:



...and I ordered steak:


The food was all great.  We had a fried alligator appetizer, too.

Steve appreciated the decorator's sense of humor:



And I liked the old jukebox loaded with actual 45s:


After dinner we all went our separate ways.  Steve and I headed on over to Marshall, TX because we knew Soulfish was playing over there and it was still early.

Marshall is one of the stops on the Holiday Trail of Lights and the town is known for their Christmas light display on the former courthouse.  The old courthouse is Renaissance revival in style and is now, I think, the home to the Harrison County Historical Museum.



It's a pretty neat building:



One day we'll go investigate further and see what's inside.  It's got to be pretty cool.



There is a confederate soldier out front:



And a canon in the parking lot:


There was some sort of little festival going on downtown and as we walked around looking at buildings, killing time until Soulfish started, we could hear the band playing 80s hits.  There were a lot of people down there, and we discovered a new restaurant we want to try:  The Blue Frog Grill.

I thought this fountain was cute: water for you and water for your four legged friend:



Eventually we made our way to PJ's - an old hotel bar by the interstate.

We spent a couple of hours listing to the sweet blues of Soulfish Blues Band before heading back down the interstate toward home.


The only thing wrong with last night's adventure is that we weren't able to take the top down on the Jeep.

Good times!


The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
Take a Trip to Jefferson, Texas
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Friday, July 6, 2012

Take a Trip to Dallas, Texas and the West End

It's official:  we are grandparents!

It's amazing how quickly a little guy can get into your heart.  Steve and I left Benjamin and his parents in Dallas today and it was hard saying goodbye!  Happily for them, they were preparing to leave the hospital and head home to settle into new routines and a new life with their precious baby boy.

I posted a picture of him when he was born and will post one or two on this post but as Ben's parents are very private and don't want to run a play by play of his life on the internet we are certainly going to respect that choice.  But he's probably the cutest little boy ever!

We took advantage of this trip to do a couple of side adventures that have been on our list for a while.

Our hotel was near the DART so we took advantage of that as much as possible.  It just seemed silly to get in the Jeep and battle Central Expressway over to the hospital two or three times a day, so we took the DART.  We got on right by the hotel and got off right at the hospital.  Could not have been easier.


I like riding the DART and it all reminds Steve of the trains in Europe.


I'm a people watcher and I like to watch the people on the train.  Most are plugged into iPods, a few are reading, some doze, others stare tiredly out the windows.  I'm sure we look like the rubes we are as we gaze and point out the windows.  "Look at that building!"  "Oh, there's Taco Cabana!"

As we drove to Dallas after getting "the call," I stayed in constant contact via text with Ben's daddy and kept up with labor progress.  Ben waited for us to arrive; as we drove into the parking lot I got a text that said, "I see his head!"  Perfect timing!

We spent Wednesday afternoon at the hospital waiting and visiting.  Once baby and mother were settled into their room we left to check into the hotel and find dinner.

One of our favorite places to eat in Dallas is The Twisted Root.  As it happens, a famous Texan likes Twisted Root, too:


There are several locations and the restaurant was even featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives!  We love the sweet potato chips/fries and the spicy pickle chips.


That is a bacon cheeseburger and sweet potato fries.  Fabulous!

We ran a couple of errands after we ate then went to the hospital to see the baby one more time before calling it a day.

Thursday we decided to jump on the DART and check out Dealey Plaza.  We've never been to the museum there and have always wanted to, so we did.  We, of course, stopped to see Ben who was sleeping:


His parents looked a lot more rested than the last time we'd seen them so we left them to spend time with their baby and head out to the West End.

First stop was Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse.  We didn't have a lunch destination when we set out but it smelled so good the choice was easy.

The West End is that part of Dallas "where it all began," where the city was born.  It is now a historic district comprised of some 20 blocks and is filled with shopping, dining, offices and historic landmarks.  Many of the restaurants have patios or terrace dining and even on a hot day there's a breeze blowing through keeping things comfortable outside.


At Sonny Bryan's we both had BBQ plates: mine was a beef sandwich and Steve had the jalapeno sausage sandwich.  I got mac 'n cheese and he got potato salad and we both had the baked beans.  That Corona bottle is filled with BBQ sauce:


The atmosphere at Sonny Bryan's was as you'd expect, raw brick and wood floors, neon signs and a busy lunch crowd.  The service was fast and friendly!


Once we'd stuffed ourselves we walked a couple of blocks over to Dealey Plaza.  We explored outside before going into the museum.  This is the old Textbook Depository from where Lee Harvey Oswald fired at President John F. Kennedy from the sixth floor corner window.  President Kennedy's motorcade was moving down this street, away from the building, when the shots were fired.


If you look carefully you can see one of the two "x" marks in the street.  Incredibly, people run out there and stand on the X to have their picture made.


This strikes me as very dangerous and more than a little bit creepy, but whatever rocks your boat, I guess.  This isn't exactly a low traffic location and that's three lanes of traffic coming at you.

The grassy knoll:


This shot looks toward the triple underpass through which President Kennedy's motorcade was about to pass:


This is Houston Street and the reflecting pool; the motorcade drove north on this street, toward the Depository, then turned west onto Elm, passing in front of the Depository, where the president and Governor John Connally were hit.


Today, the entire plaza area is, as I said, an historic district and preserves as much of the scene as possible as it was the day of the assassination.

No photography is allowed inside the museum.  No cameras, no cell phones.  Security guards patrol the exhibit and keep an eye on things.



The museum consists of large photographic panel displays with textual information, artifacts and video.  You wind your way through and listen to a guide through headphones.  Periodically you are prompted to stop the audio tour and watch one of the short videos which might be of one of Kennedy's speeches, a press conference, or Walter Cronkite's coverage of the assassination.

The exhibit takes you chronologically though Kennedy's election, his presidency, the Bay of Pigs, the space program, the "Camelot" family life, and on through the assassination, the investigation, and the conspiracy theories.

The actual site where Oswald sat is preserved behind plexiglass.  Boxes of books are preserved behind this plexiglass cube and you can see how he arranged boxes upon which to rest the rifle he aimed out the window as he lined up his shots.  You can't actually get to the window  yourself, but on the seventh floor, which is gallery space, you are allowed to take pictures.  This is taken from the seventh floor just above the sixth floor window:


We enjoyed the tour and seeing the whole scene really gives you a better sense of perspective than just looking at pictures.

From there we took a quick trip into the Holocaust museum; it was right around the corner and I'd been wanting to go see it.  The museum is growing and will be moving to a larger facility in the near future.

The main exhibit takes you through a day in the Holocaust through several different perspectives.  This is a self-guided audio tour but there are often guides taking groups of school children through and we tagged on to one of those.


There are lots of photographs that are synced with the audio tour:


There are also plenty of artifacts:


And displays:


We were lucky enough to meet a survivor, Max Glauben, who was a child in Poland who smuggled food and weapons to the Jewish resistance in the Warsaw Ghetto.  He was sent to five different concentration camps.  Now he tells his story and hopes to teach young people about intolerance as a cautionary tale in the hopes that genocide and hate will not prevail.


Mr. Glauben is a charming fellow who has cheated death several times (he's also a Korean War veteran and a cancer survivor).  Read Mr. Glauben's story here.  I purchased a copy of his DVD, "Plagues of the Soul" which he autographed for me.  I'll treasure it!

Exhausted from our day, we head back to the DART and the hospital to check on our little grandbaby!

I hope little Ben's mother will forgive me but I have to share this picture; I just thought it was so sweet.


They're going to be wonderful parents and I can't wait to watch this little guy grow!

After a rest at the hotel we climbed into the Jeep and drove over to get some dinner at the Texas Land and Cattle Steak House.  It was close to the hotel and a good rare steak sounded just fine to me so off we went.


I highly recommend this place if you go to Dallas.  (They have other locations, too; check the site). I can't remember a time that I've had better, friendlier service.  Our server was friendly and helpful; when he learned it was our first visit he told his manager who came by to speak to us and gave us a card for a free appetizer on our next visit.  The food was perfectly prepared, the atmosphere was lovely, and the beer cold!


Fabulous!

We had to go back to the hotel pool after that and swim off some of those calories.  I did slow, lazy laps, but I felt better when I was done.

This morning?  Back to see Baby Ben; the happy family was packing and getting ready to head home.

I guess it seems like we eat all the time, but people eat, you know.  So we grabbed lunch at Henk's European Bakery and Deli.


Steve is a big fan of German food, and I'm a big fan of German beer so it works out perfectly.


We both ate brats, red cabbage, and hot German potato salad.  I picked up a piece of chocolate raspberry cake to bring home and Steve bought a couple of rounds of crusty German bread.

Two hundred pounds later, I crawled back into the Jeep and we made our way back to Shreveport and our dogs.

We already miss our little grandson and can't wait to go back and see how much he's grown!  We're already planning our next trip.




The SIGIS Take a Trip Series:
Take a Trip to the 2012 Defenders of Liberty Air Show at BAFB
Take a Springtime Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden, LA
Take a Trip to Logansport, Louisiana
Take a Trip to the Lock and Dam on Red River
Take a Trip to the 2012 Barkus and Meoux Parade
Take a Christmas Shopping Trip to Second Hand Rose in Minden
Take a Trip to Grand Cane's Fifth Annual Pioneer Trade Day
Take a Trip to the 2011 Highland Jazz & Blues Festival
Take an Autumn Trip to Jefferson, Texas
Take a Fall Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to the 8th Air Force Museum at Barksdale Air Force Base
Take a Summertime Trip to Grand Cane
Take a Trip to Desoto Parish
Take a Summer Trip to Second Hand Rose Antiques in Minden
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Melrose Plantation 
Take a Trip to Ed Lester Farms and a Random Antique Stop
Take a Trip to the Norton Art Gallery and the Masters of Cuban Art Exhibit
Take a Trip to Natchitoches to See the Christmas Lights
Take a Trip to Natchitoches and Oakland Plantation
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