Okay, we just got back from our cooking class at Sur La Table in Austin (excellent! Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce). And fear not, it will be the subject of an M&M Chronicle soon.
But, in the meantime, back to Fort Worth…
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After watching the mastodons…I mean, the longhorns…have their little parade, we walked along the street toward North Main, duplicating the animals’ pace, if not their massiveness. We visited various shops and looked into the assorted malls.
There were things we didn’t do. We did not, for instance, visit “John Wayne: An American Experience,” which is a museum devoted to…surprise, surprise…the late John Wayne.
Mr. Wayne has never actually appealed to me very much. First, as a good Eastern Effete Libt*rd, I didn’t much care for his politics. And, second, I didn’t much like him as an actor. He was always just …well…John. He was never anybody but John Wayne. He played the same role over, and Over, and OVER again.
But that’s only me. They love him here in Texas. I can’t think of the number of times I’ve gone into a waiting room with TVs and been confronted with either a John Wayne movie or Fox News. Or both. Doesn’t result in a lot of repeat business from me. But that’s another story.
The other thing we didn’t go to was Billy Bob’s Texas, “The World's Largest Honky Tonk” (https://billybobstexas.com/). This is an enormous…and I mean VAST…nightclub and entertainment venue. It is a great, cavernous building filled with bars, restaurants, and stages where famous country and western acts frequently play.
She can hardly wait...
We did go to Billy Bob’s the last time we were in Fort Worth, and I’ll post a few pictures from that trip sometime later. Frankly, it just wasn’t our scene. We found it dark and confusing, and expensive (you pay just to get in, even if there isn’t a performance underway), and we never quite got the lay of the land. I mean, we were always lost. We were also hungry, and there is supposed to be an impressive restaurant in the place. But, well, we couldn’t find it. We did find a place that was like a snack bar, but it was so crowded that we never got anything to eat. We ended up just leaving and eating someplace else, even though it meant sacrificing our entrance fee.
Of course, don’t get me wrong. For a lot of folks, Billy Bob’s a terrific spot. And, maybe one of these days, when we are staying in the city and have more time…and maybe a friend who can guide us around the place…we’ll try it again. They do, after all, have terrific music.
What we *did* do, though, was cross North Main and visit a shop that Martha had found the first time we visited Fort Worth, and of which she is rather fond. In fact, if you noticed the pictures I posted where she is wearing a large, coral hat…well, that’s the shop where she bought the hat.
This time, we weren’t so lucky. No purchases, I mean. But that was fine.
We had hoped to make it to a coffee shop nearby that we had visited before, again, on our trip some years ago. Unfortunately, we were running out of steam by then, and so just couldn’t make it. Still, if you’re in town, be sure to drop by The Rail Car at 112 W. Exchange Ave. (https://www.therailcar.com/) Say Hi for us.
From there, we made our way to the Stockyards Hotel, which is located in a gorgeous old building that is over a hundred years old. We have never stayed there. But, someday, maybe we will, just for the Cowboy grandeur of it.
We do eat there, however. Attached to the hotel are the H3 Ranch restaurant and the Booger Red’s Saloon (no, I’m not making that name up). The Saloon is funny in that it has some bar stools that support saddles. In other words, you sit on them as if you were riding a horse. I’ve never actually seen anyone at the bar sit on one of the saddle-stools. Wait. I take that back. I did once see a child sitting on one while a cooing parent took a photo. But, I’ve never seen an adult on one. Adults pick tables or the regular stools.
We ate lunch at the H3. Martha had brisket and I had chicken. The chicken came with a huge ear of corn, with the leaves still attached. It was kind of like trying to eat something with a large, long, and energetic tail, always ready to sweep something off the table. Kinda challenging, really.
Then, Martha and I calculated. How much energy did we have? How tired were we? Was Martha aching anyplace? After a bit more discussion we decided it was time to leave. We’d had fun, but if we stayed later, we’d exhaust ourselves.
So, we made our way back to the car, folded up Martha’s walker, and headed off. Two and a half hours later, we were home.
And that was our trip to Fort Worth.
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Actually, I’m rather proud of us. We managed not to over-do, but we got out, and we enjoyed ourselves. We had our first real adventure since Martha’s fall. And, most of all, we’ve begun our program of Not Being Bored.
And…we’ve got more coming. We’ve got a date night and cooking class coming up in Austin next month. Then, in June, we’ll be headed off to visit friends in Durham. After that, there’s an Amos Lee concert in San Antonio.
So, more to come.
Stay tuned. And wish us luck.
I think we’re bouncing back from all our misadventures of late.
I just hope we don’t hit any walls in the process of bouncing..
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About the picture: this is actually from the last time we visited the Stockyards District, back in 2021. As you can see, Martha is just thrilled with the idea of our visiting Billy Bob's.
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