The Runaround

Good morning, my friends! It was a busy day yesterday with more harrowing driving on these Dallas-Fort Worth highways. We had some errands to run and then dinner with a friend as our plan for the day. With much to accomplish in the morning, we were on the road early. It was raining, of course. The weather was pretty awful for most of the day, eventually culminating in a big wind storm. Today...blue skies and sunshine.

But let's get back to our day of errands. Heading out, Fort Worth loomed ahead.

Before we country mice headed into the city, however, we stopped at a fabric store. This place was recommended by my friend, Lenelda, and she wasn't wrong. It's a great shop. I'll tell you about it in a separate post.

But we couldn't put off that drive into the city forever. Take a look at the interchange in the image below. Yikes. Cars and roads going every which way, made even more difficult because we were avoiding driving on the tolled express lanes. We're nothing if not cheapskates.

Our route took us into the downtown Fort Worth area where we saw yet another courthouse. I'll admit to having an affinity for clock towers. Usually, I don't see so many, but a lot of the courthouses we've seen are topped with one.

Here's a little better picture of the whole structure.

And how "Texas" is this place below?

After Mike got the RV part he was after, we did our grocery shopping. And, you know, there isn't usually much to say about grocery shopping. As I stood waiting for the butcher to wrap up my selections, I noticed this:

Probably, I'll never in my life eat frog legs, but I've also never seen them at a butcher counter. Ewww.

Okay, so that was one of our more adventurous trips to the grocery store. When we got back to the RV, we saw Sadie just settling in for her afternoon nap.

And she's had enough of this pawpawrazzi snapping pictures all the time. What's a cat to do? Well...Sadie took refuge under this quilt.

But she couldn't get any peace there either. I'm telling you, the insults never stop here at the Three Cats Ranch.

There was time for lunch and naps, and then we met up with my friend Paul, who drove us into Dallas for the evening. (We were very grateful he did the driving.) Our first stop was Dealey Plaza where President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. Here's the accompanying sign.

This is a map of the area, explaining the sequence and location of events.

Looking out, there is an "X" in the road where Kennedy's car was at the time of the shooting. That's the "grassy knoll" across the way. It's crazy to think presidents rode around in open-top limousines back in those days. Not any more.

This is the Texas School Book Depository where Oswald fired the shots that killed Kennedy. He was shooting from the near-corner at the top of the building. In 1963, the oak trees were not there.

This is the historical marker posted beside the building.

Looking across from where we stood, there is a memorial to Kennedy and another clock tower looming overhead.

Dallas and Fort Worth have some interesting architecture. Take these two buildings, for example, located to the right of where we were standing.

Dealey Plaza is one of those places where you have a look around, and then get back in the car. It's a small area. There is a museum in the book depository, but it was sold out for the day.

From there, Paul took us to a place he likes for Texas Barbecue. We were at Pecan Lodge. The barbecue was delicious, and more than I could eat. I gave Paul the one rib I left behind and he took the leftovers home with him.

And this is my friend Paul. It's been at least 50 years since we've seen one another. We were in the band together. Paul played the trombone. I played alto clarinet.

It was a lovely evening, made more enjoyable with Paul's many stories. Afterward, the sky finally cleared, and we were treated to a beautiful sunset.

Day is done. 

And now a few leftovers from yesterday's post. Remember this photo I took as we drove into town? I wondered about this guy.

My sharp-eyed friend "abelian" found the answer to my questions. It turns out, it's a "watchman." You can read an article about him right here. In a nutshell, the night watchmen patrolled Grapevine for nearly 50 years before the city founded its police department in 1956. He's there atop the city hall building. 

Oh yes, and I'd be remiss if I didn't paws to wish this handsome fellow a very happy 12th birthday.

Extra treats for you today, Bud. And maybe a hit of catnip too.

So that's all I have for you for the time being. With such beautiful weather, I'm planning to get out for a walk around the park today. It's a very nice park managed by the City of Grapevine Parks & Recreation Department. Annoyingly, Mike has to make another repair to the RV. I'm hoping it won't take the whole day and we'll get some time to walk around in the "Historical District" of Grapevine. 

Right now, I need to make some breakfast. I'll check in a little later to tell you about the quilt shop.