Art in the Darndest Places

We took a tour over the weekend, and found some incredible art in the process. My camera was clickity-clacking, and I was inspired. That means I have to share them with you!

This stool really caught my eye. The modern design, the apple green color - it just POPPED!

I loved these silver wire balls. I think a smaller version would look GREAT in our bedroom. Maybe hanging over the bay window area/seat.

These light fixtures are so cool - looks like a cotton ball, right??

I loved this mirror and the tile behind it!

And this classic chandelier (love the juxtaposition between the concrete and the crystal!)

And this super mod chandelier

And I love this piece - "Win!" by Mel Boucher

And these helmets

And this lighting installation that looks like laces on a football

What? what's that you say my super astute readers? You sense a theme here? Vaguely sports related?

Can't get nothing by you!!! smarty pants.

Yes, this is a tour of the (still new) Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas. They are very proud of their art installations, and for good reasons. Check out the rest of it on their website: Cowboys Stadium Art

Now, I cannot and will not ever claim to be a Cowgirls fan. Or a Jerry Jones fan. But I'm a huge fan of the stadium. It's an incredible venue!!

Here are a few more pics:

Star in Miller Lite Club (where the Cowgirls take the field)

On the field

The ginormous end zone doors - these slide open for nice weather days

And the roof - the lighter part is what opens

and you *might* have heard about their video screen. the one that stretches from 20 yard line to 20 yard line? yeah. that one.

Yeah! DCC (Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders) in the house!!! They were hosting a big cheer competition. I was excited to see them. Yes, I like DCC.

Ready to try out??

Here's a great shot of the Ballpark in Arlington (where the Texas Rangers play)

I'll leave you with my favorite shot of the day - the Tom Landry statue

If you are in the DFW area, take the tour of the stadium. It's about an hour and a half walk, and you get to see a LOT of the stadium, including both the Cowgirls and the DCC locker room (we didn't get to see the DCC locker room this time, b/c they were there), field level suites, luxury suites, and so much more.

Enjoy your new day!!

Neighbors

Work has been extra-stressful lately. Pure miserable.

Today we finished a marathon conference call with a client, and I needed to just get out for a while and relax. I decided to take a quick walk up and down my street.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous - low 60's, bright and sunny - perfect for January (hey - don't hate. I'm not a cold weather/winter sort of girl!)

Low and behold a neighbor popped out of her house to say hello. No, not a new neighbor. She bought her house a year before I bought mine. We've just never met. Our neighborhood pretty much stays inside you see - and we keep to ourselves.

That got me to thinking about what "neighborhood" used to mean. When everyone knew everyone else, trick or treating on Halloween was perfectly safe (no concerns about bad food, or razor blades in the chocolate - y'all remember that scare, right??). When the elderly lady down the street would invite you in for a cookie, or lemonaide. When we had free reign to ride our bikes 2.5 miles through the subdivision, and noone worried. If someone passed, or had a baby, or was sick, everyone brought food. And there were always holiday goodies at Christmas.

You remember those days, don't you??

Yeah, our neighborhood isn't really like that. I sort of wish it was. So it was really nice that my neighbor popped out to say hello.

Turns out she's close to my age, works from home, likes dogs, and she and her husband are doing a bunch of home improvement projects. Yeah, that's what I said - sounds familiar!!!!

Huh. Lookee there. I have a new neighbor.

What are your neighborhoods like? Close and friendly? Distant, but polite? Somewhere in between?

Enjoy your new day!

This Thing is Legendary!!

It's that time of the year here in North Texas - the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo runs from January 14th - February 5th.

My favorite event of the Rodeo's run is the Ranch Rodeo, which is always held opening weekend.

What is a "Ranch Rodeo" you ask? And how does it differ from any other "rodeo"?
Here's how the Rodeo's website describes it:
"Authentic ranch cowboys will compete in events that have aspects of traditional ranch work. Ranch Vet, Double Mugging, Stock Sorting, Bronc Riding and Wild Cow Milking are all in a days work for these cowboys."

Several ranches from the Southwest (Texas, NM and OK) are invited to "put up or shut up". Their cowboys (and cowgirls) compete in the events above, which are slightly different from regular rodeo where professional cowboys compete for money. The ranch rodeo cowboys are competing for the fun of it.

And boy howdy, is it FUN!

The events are held at Will Rogers Coliseum here in town.

The rodeo kicks off with a grand entry parade and then the presentation of the 6 flags that have flown over the state of Texas (Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederacy and the USA) by cowgirls on Palomino horses:

Cowboys waiting for their instructions to sort cattle (called "cutting" - cutting a certain heifer out of the herd below).

and the cowboy rides in (the white on the cows are numbers - the cowboy has to cut the numbered cow that they are assigned, without the others getting away too).

Mr Tom Saunders is the stock contractor (isn't his mustache handsome?!).

I love this paint pony!



Rope 'er cowboy!!



Mutton bustin' is another favorite event: kids ages 4-6 try to hang on to a sheep as she goes galloping towards her herd mates.


















And then there's this:
saddle bronc riding



yeah. ouch. I love all the guys on the chutes in the background.

this one ended up being my favorite picture of the night. 

look at the strength of that bronc! 






















last, but certainly not least is the Wild Cow Milking.

hi-lar-i-ous!

the formula goes something like this:
4 cowboys on horseback
+ 1 big unhappy momma cow
+ 1 beer bottle (to hold the milk)
= hilarity

1 cowboy ropes her, and he stays on his horse to try to hold her steady.
2 cowboys try to hold her steady - one at the head and one at the tail (doncha feel sorry for the guy who pulled the short straw and has to grab her tail?!?)
the 4th cowboy (whom you can barely see in this photo) tries to squeeze a couple of drops of milk out of her udders into the beer bottle.

I'll tell you that I have no intentions of milking ANY cows anytime soon, much less a wild one. Kudos to these cowboys for their can-do attitude!

a couple of cowboys from the winning ranch:

I just like these guys. Well, these two, plus all the other cowboys and cowgirls who participated. When it was all over, they all congratulated each other on horseback, and probably headed out to have a cold one on the town. It was Saturday night after all!

If you have the chance to attend a rodeo - ranch, professional, exhibition, amateur or otherwise - take it. Unless you're allergic to animals, you won't regret it!

Enjoy your new day!!

Triple-D, Cowtown Style!

No, I'm not talking bra size. Pervs!! 

My honey and I went out for drinks last night in the West 7th area of Fort Worth, and ended up chatting with a really nice couple about local eateries. They asked us if we'd ever been to Fred's.

When we said no, they began RAVING about the burgers. And said we absolutely HAD to go. They said a lot more, and convinced us to give it a try.

My honey suggested we try Fred's for lunch today, and so we did.

Isn't my honey a cutie-patootie? (except for the Skankees hat - nobody is perfect!)

PS - don't tell him I called him a cutie-patootie. He'll roll his eyes at me.
Again.

And me. Yes - those are stacks of buns we're sitting next to. 

Now, Fred's isn't a fancy place.
In fact, one might call it a dive. 

This picture illustrates one of my favorite things about Fort Worth - the diverse population. From the guy with the cowboy hat on the left, to the lovely ladies in the center, to the single guys over there in the booth. Many cowboys walked in while we were there as well - boots, hats, and spurs. 

My honey just chuckled...(he's such a city boy!)

When the food is good..the crowd will mix and mingle. They also had a band playing out on the patio - I could hear the fiddle and the bass outside.

This is the part of the story where I have to make a confession.

I sinned.
Big time.
In a humongous way.
In a hamburger and cheese fries way.

And OMG it was worth it.
I'll go to the gym again tomorrow. I promise.

Here, see for yourself

1/4 pound burger
handcut fries
fresh cheese
and yes, that's a cup of ranch in the background.

take another look. 

feel free to drool a little. 

My honey had a cheeseburger and fries (see the theme here???)

This place was seriously good!

Oh, remember when I said it was a dive?

Guy Fieri featured it on Diners, Drive-in's and Dives a while back.
So you know it's good!



Fred's Texas Cafe
915 Currie St.
Fort Worth, TX 76107

Four thumbs up from us!

It's a new day!