Hey Y'all! We've Been Here...Wow, Only One Day?

Wanna see a herd o' ornery critters get rustled and driven to where they need to be? Come watch our kids on vacation. It's like herding cattle, except with more yelling. At least they don't smell as bad. Usually.



So for Day 1 in DFW, we headed over to Fort Worth to see the Stockyards in Cowtown and the Sunday morning cattle drive. We checked out the local exchange area while we did a little shopping. The boys were deputized just moments before the steers came shuffling down the road.









The Fort Worth Stockyards are a pretty significant part of the area's history, and they do a pretty good job of trying to keep the area's history alive. Like a lot of areas whose heyday has passed, it's occasionally a little sad to think of how much grandeur and splendor there might have been in years past, when the area was thriving and doing what it was built to do, as opposed to the small, preserved portion it has dwindled to today. The sight of a handful of people walking down the street in period clothing, or a couple of cowboys sitting ahorse on the side of the cobblestone road are a tiny glimpse into America's past. I would like to have seen it in its prime.



To cap off the afternoon, Jill arranged for us to take the Grapevine Vintage railway out into the Fort Worth surroundings in an open-air railway car. Once we finally got moving, we had a great time wending our way along the rails in the area. We were entertained for quite a bit of the trip by Bob the Conductor, who had a wonderfully practiced rapport with the passengers as he strolled along the aisle. He knew a little bit about where everyone was from, and kept the delays from being a hassle by quizzing us on odd US trivia. Can you name the states with only four unique letters in their name? How about the oldest US city that's still serving as a state capitol? He had dozens.



Logan's hat-hunting efforts finally paid off, and he made the train trip in style sporting his new 1/2-gallon cowboy hat. Liam picked up an even snazzier gambler hat after the ride, but I haven't gotten any shots of him in it yet.



After the train we headed off to dinner at Joe T. Garcia's, a huge, sprawling Mexican restaurant a few blocks from the Stockyards. Dinner consists of either enchiladas or fajitas, plus a whole heaping helping of sides - tacos, guacamole, fresh corn tortillas, tostadas, chips and salsa, rice, and beans. It had been a long day but some great food and a couple of frozen margaritas were just what we (or at least I) needed.

Tomorrow - breakfast out, the Zoo, and hopefully far less driving.