Last Friday we took mom out to eat and then headed for "Big 'D'".

It was overcast and threatening rain when Denise and I headed over to Temple. By the time we got there it had rained a little and Mom's garden was lookin' great. Here are a few shots of the back yard so you can appreciate it.

We've come up with a scenario now where each week one of us gets to pick the place we go to eat. The one who picks has to pay. It took some doin' to get mom to go along with that last bit (She always feels like she should pay), but both Denise and I insisted. This was Denise's turn to pick, so we went to BJs, just off I-35.



As usual we started out with drinks and appetizers. Mom always gets a top shelf margarita, Denise had a Shandy (Beer and soda mixed), while I tried one of the many beers they brew specially here at BJs. I think this one was an Irish Red Ale. The appetizers were Crisp Tater Skins and Santa Fe Spring Rolls. Those spring rolls (front) have become my favorite thing out there. They're even better if you ask for honey mustard to dip them in. Enjoy.



The menu there is large and so far, nothing we've tried has been too disappointing. The last time we went I had the shrimp and pasta, so this time I was gonna go for another burger. That ended up sounding good to all of us so we all ended up goin' there.



Mom and Denise both ordered a Cuban Burger, which is a slab of beef and ham with mayo and mustard on a bun.



I ordered an Open Faced Chili Cheeseburger. As you see, it was a bit of a mess, with the Angus burger opened flat on the plate, covered in good chili made with their own Piranha Pale Ale and then fried onion strips sprinkled on it all. It was impossible to eat it as a burger. I just used my knife and fork to kill it off, very slowly. It was good, but I don't know if I'd order it again any time soon.



It turned out their Cubans looked a little better than my chili mess. I was wishin' I'd made it a threesome. I ended up helping Denise finish about half of hers Saturday morning for breakfast, so I got the best of both worlds.

By the time we finished eating the sky had opened up and a storm had rolled in and it was pouring down rain and small hail. We stood around a bit and then, not wanting to spend the rest of the night in the restaurant, I cowboyed up and went out into the shit to get the car. I grabbed one of my rain hats from the back seat and got Dad's old golf umbrella from the trunk and used it to get Mom and Denise to the car one by one. By the time we got back to mom's we were drenched.



Denise and I took off our clothes and put them in the dryer for a tumble. Mom got me her robe to put on, and Denise had to have a picture. The good camera was in the car so all you get this time is the phone camera shot. Ain't I purdy?



Once we dried off we headed to Dallas, getting there at about 11:30 PM. We checked in to our room, over in the quieter wing of the hotel, and found the next morning that we had sliding door that led out onto a cool terrace. The terrace turned out to be the roof of the parking garage. No matter, it was neat to wander around up there and take pictures.

Early Saturday afternoon we drug ourselves out of bed and headed up to D/FW airport to pick up my old college buddy Russell. He and I met in Grad school at UTA back in the mid-to-late 1980s. We come from very different backgrounds and have many different attitudes about politics and stuff but we also share many ideas and feelings about many more things, so we get along famously. He moved to England from Dallas back about 8 years ago and now lives in Wales.

He'd flown home to Tennessee to visit his folks and decided to make a short trip to Dallas to see friends before heading back to England. Denise and I picked him up at the airport and then we drove around Dallas, showing Denise around and letting her see some of the things she hadn't seen before. Russ still knows much more about the city than I do and was a great guide.

These longhorns are part of a set of sculptures laid out near the Dallas County Convention Center at a place called Pioneer Plaza, and it's cool as hell. The artsy fartsy types in Big "D" hate them and think they're crude, but the public loves 'em. They're very cool, and you can see more shots of them over at FlickR.

After walkin' around the cows we took Denise to see the wonderful art deco architecture over at Fair park. It's the site of the Texas State Fair each year and was built to commemorate the centennial of the Texas revolution in 1936. Built when it was it's a testament to the art deco styles of that time.

Here's a closeup of the archer from the portico of the Hall of State. This is where FDR stood (OK, leaned) when he opened the centennial in 1936. It's a beautiful place.

After walking around the park we went back to the hotel to freshen up. Then we went to meet up with another friend named Jim and eat Mexican food at a place called Ozona, on Greenville avenue. Russell can't get good Mexican food in England so he was ready to chow down. Denise and I both agreed when we got our enchiladas that maybe you can't get good Mexican food at Ozona ether. It was good but we're spoiled, used to goin' down to Pappasito's in Austin and doin' it up right. Everyone had a great time.

After that we all went over to the Hyatt and sat at the bar. We wanted to head out on the town, but Jim had his 12 or 13 year old daughter in tow, so there was a limit to where we could go. We drank some more and talked there at the hotel, and then they all drove down to Jim's place in Duncanville and Denise and I went to up to bed.

Sunday, we slept in again and then drove down to Jim's house and then went to eat MORE Mexican food for lunch. This time we went to Veracruz, in Duncanville. It was good. After that we decided to go up to the east side of town and walk through a gun show in Big Town mall. It was OK, but not worth goin' all that way to see again.

After that we parted the ways and headed to Ft. Worth to visit some other close friends. We didn't get home till 11:30 or Midnight. It was a long weekend, but a fun one.

We've got another fun one coming up, but I'll tell you about that tomorrow. Here's a hint... Lots of loud music, both Saturday and Sunday. It's gonna be fun. We'll talk. Cheers.