Trip to Texas - December 12 - 21, 2003

As December 12 approached, Rocke and I were getting excited about our trip to Texas. We had not seen Ricky since we had gotten married in June of 2002. We decided this trip to visit Ricky would make a perfect Christmas gift for the both of us.

We departed from the Portland airport early Friday morning, December 12, for Dallas, Texas. It was cold and rainy. We arrived at Fort Worth/Dallas airport that evening around 4:45 pm, where it was also cold and rainy. Rocke and I got our rental car and headed out to Theresa's house to meet Ricky and have dinner. Rocke and I accepted an invitation from Theresa, Ricky's friend, to stay at her home while we were in Texas. Ricky has a one bedroom apartment and both Ricky and Theresa thought we'd like staying at Theresa's, where we'd have more room.

After picking up our rental car, Rocke got his GPS system set up so we could find our way around the Fort Worth/Dallas area. It was dark and rainy and we did not know our way around the area at all, so before leaving the airport area, we were already lost. Rocke pulled into a gas station so we could check out the map on the GPS and see where we were and how to get where we were going. Whew, we were finally on the way to Theresa's. Not only were we in an unfamiliar place, it was dark, rainy and the highway was bumper to bumper with cars leaving work and trying to get home. So we inched our way down the road.

We finally make it to Theresa's and there waiting for us were Ricky and Theresa. They came out and asked why it took us so long to get to Theresa's. They were "just kidding"--knowing the area, they knew what a traffic jam we'd run into. We hugged and finally got our luggage inside and met Theresa's son, Doug, and his girlfriend, Angela. After having a drink and visiting, we all went out to dinner at Abuelo's Mexican Restaurant.

Saturday, the 13th, we decided after a long day of traveling on Friday, it would be nice to relax around Theresa's house. Her son, Bryan was bringing Theresa's granddaughter, Jensen, in from College Station for a visit. We hung around the house and visited with Ricky, Theresa, Doug and Angela until Bryan showed up with Jensen. After Bryan showed up, he and Ricky went shopping for the grocery items that Theresa needed to make dinner that evening. She fixed a delicious Sausage Stew with cornbread. After dinner, we played with Jensen and visited with the rest of the family until time for bed. Jensen sure is a cute little girl, and so much fun to play with. Rocke and I loved watching her make up her own games and play them. So cute!

Sunday morning, the 14th, after Ricky arrived, Theresa fixed us all a big breakfast. After breakfast and visiting, it was time for Bryan and Jensen to go back home to College Station. Ricky got out his motorcycle, checked it out and warmed it up so Rocke could take a ride. This was the first time Rocke had been on a motorcycle in years. He looked mighty good taking off on the motorcycle, but I will have to admit I was a little worried since it had been so long since he had ridden. It was a relief to see him come riding back to the house. He enjoyed being on a motorcyle again after years of not having ridden one.

I had never been on a motorcylce before and was anxious to someone to take me for a ride. Ricky was elected to take me for a ride. Theresa went and got her black leather jacket and gloves for me so that I could stay warm while out riding on the motorycle. Ricky explained to me all the safety rules and what I was suppose to do and not do. He took me around the block and asked me if I was comfortable with the ride and wanted to take a longer ride. Wow, what fun!! Of course I said. "Yes" and was ready to go. Ricky took me down the road and to some back roads with lots of curves so I could get the feel of riding on a motorcyle. How I hated to head back home but we still had a lot more fun things to do while in Texas.

After the motorcycle ride, Ricky, Theresa, Doug, Angela, Rocke and I went to downtown Fort Worth to see the water garden and walk around in some of the downtown historic district. We then went out to dinner at "The Buck" which is located by a big Bass Shop. Before going to dinner, we roamed around in the Bass Shop. What a awesome store that was. So big, and lots of things to look at. They even had a big aquairam in the store filled with all kinds of fish.

On Monday, the 15th, Rocke and I drove down to Waxahachie to visit with a family friend, Karen Anderson-Blevins. We surprised her with a visit and were surprised ourselves. She lives way out in the country and when we got to her driveway there was a locked gate. Rocke had to call her and let her know that we were dropping by for a visit. She wanted to know when and Rocke told her that were were sitting out at her gate. We weren't able to make the gate open with the code Karen had given us over the phone, so Karen had to come down and let us in. We had a very nice visit with her. After our visit with Karen, Rocke and I returned back to Fort Worth and met Ricky for dinner.

On Tuesday, the 16th, Rocke and I left Fort Worth early to make the trip down to Lufkin, Texas, where I used to live, and to visit with some of my friends and for them to meet Rocke. After arriving in Lufkin, our first stop was to see Bob Flournoy at his office. I met Bob and his wife, Jeanne at the church I attended in Lufkin and we became good friends. We were spending the night in Lufkin, so after our visit with Bob, we found a motel and checked in. We had a little time before meeting Tommy and Brenda Wilson for dinner. With all of the traveling and keeping busy, we took advantage of the spare time and took a nap. We then met Tommy and Brenda at one of my "favorite" places for BBQ. Tommy and Brenda are related to me by way of marriage. They are my daughter-in-law's sister and brother-in-law. We enjoyed a delicious meal and had a wonderful visit with Tommy and Brenda.

The next morning, we visited with some more friends, Roy and Caroline Carroway. After we left their place, I gave my best friend Linda Snider a phone call. She lives out in the country, so I wanted to say hello to her while in town. To my surprise, Linda and her husband, Gerald, were in Lufkin doing some shopping, so I called her on her pager. She was very surprised to hear my voice and to find out I was in Lufkin, Texas. Rocke and I met Linda and Gerald for lunch and had a great time visiting and catching up on all the news. I sure do miss Linda!! After lunch we drove out to a place I call "The Land". I lived out on the land when I lived in Lufkin. It was nice seeing the ole homestead again and seeing how much it had changed. Actually, the only change was that it was over-grown, as no one lives out there now to take care of the place. Rocke and I then drove back to Fort Worth.

Thursday, Rocke and I relaxed and waited for Ricky to come over to visit. He had worked that morning and took the afternoon off, so we could have some time together. Rocke and I were out taking a walk in the neighborhood when Ricky arrived. As soon as he parked his truck, he took his unicycle out of the back of his truck and showed us how good he was at riding it. After riding the unicycle, he got a package out of his truck. He had just gotten another toy, a Pentax 35 mm camera, in the mail and had it with him. We went into the house so Ricky could check out the camera and read some of the instructions.

We waited for Ricky's friend, Roy, to come over after work, so we could all go out for a spicy Thai dinner. Roy arrived at Theresa's house and we had a glass of wine and visited while waiting for Theresa to get home from work. Doug and Angela would be going with us, as well. Finally, everyone was ready and we went to Roy's favorite Thai restaurant for dinner. We all had a wonderful time and the food was delicious.

On Friday, the 19th, Ricky took the day off from work so we could go to Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. This site, designated a National Historic Landmark District, is the location of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The museum is located on the sixth floor of the Dallas County Administration Building (formerly the Texas School Book Depository). The museum contains a permanent historical exhibition dealing with the life, times, death, and legacy of John F. Kennedy with a focus on the impact of his death on the nation and the world. We all enjoyed the museum as there was so much to see and read on the assassination of JFK and his life.

After tourning the museum, we returned to Fort Worth so Rocke and I could return our rental car. Ricky picked us up at the rental car place and we then went shopping for a wok, so Rocke could fix a stir fry dinner for us. We couldn't decide on which stir fry dinner to fix, so we settled on two dishes, Sweet and Sour Pork and a super-spicy Cashew Chicken. The Cashew Chicken meal was a "very" spicy meal. After buying the wok, we went shopping for the ingredients we needed for dinner. Ricky, Theresa, Doug, Angela, Justin, Rocke and I enjoyed every bite. We thought there would be some left over but it all was eaten. The challenge was to see who could eat Rocke's "very" spicy Chicken Cashew dish. On a rating from one to ten, Doug gave the dish an 8 rating and most of us ate it.

Saturday morning, Ricky, Theresa, Rocke and I went to the Fort Worth Stock Yards. The Historic Fort Worth Stockyards embraces it's Western past while celebrating the present. The Stock Yards are an area of Fort Worth which was at one time a center for the cattle industry. Today the Stock Yards stand as a center of tourism for Fort Worth and the North Texas Area. Not only do visitors flock from all over the country to see this historic site, but from all over the world. The area was designated as an historical landmark in 1976, and is considered one of Texas’ most popular tourist attractions.

The area is filled with several shops, bars and restaurants and is very close to the world famous Billy Bob's Texas. Frequently, annual events also take place at the Stockyards. Other attractions include: the Tarantula Train, the Stockyards Championship Rodeo, Live Music on the Weekends, and the daily move of the famous Fort Worth Longhorn herd at 4:00. At the Stockyards, the old west is alive and well. A "must see" if you are ever in Fort Worth, Texas.

After touring the Stockyards, we had lunch, then met Doug and Angela to take the train to the Historic West End of Dallas to tour and have dinner. The West End, Dallas' true historical district, sets the stage for the story of Dallas when it was first settled in the mid-1800s.

What makes the West End unlike any other area of Dallas is that it offers visitors a window into the past with beautifully preserved and masterfully renovated historical buildings. The West End also provides a host of recreational opportunities such as retail attractions, fascinating museums, exciting nightlife, and a variety of cultural events. It seems like there is something for everyone along the tree-lined streets and brick sidewalks.

On our last day in Texas, we went to the "The Big Texas Toy Run" in Fort Worth. The Toy Run benefits MHMR of Tarrant County and other children's charities in the Metroplex, where the toys are distributed to hundreds of underprivileged and challenged children all over the Metroplex. All monies collected are earmarked for educational needs and recreational use only. A group of motorcycle riders gets together in Dallas and another group gets together in Fort Worth. They all have some toys tied to their motorcycles and ready for the ride. The two groups meet up at the Arlington, Texas Convention Center and pile up all the toys. We were told there will be "mountains" of toys piled up at the Convention Center.

We went early to downtown Fort Worth before the ride began so we could look at some of the motorcyles. We then left before the ride began to find a spot along the route so we could see the parade of motorcycles. It took about an hour from start to finish from where were were for all the motorcycles to pass through. What an awesome site to see thousands of motorcycle and riders get together for such an event.

After leaving the motorcycle toy run we went back to Theresa's place so we could get in a nap before dinner. After dinner, we picked up our luggage and Ricky and Theresa took us to the airport for our return home. Rocke and I both had a wonderful time and look forward to going back for a visit. We are looking forward to Ricky's visit out sometime in the next year so we can return the favor by showing him a wonderful time in Oregon.