Sad News and Many Farewells
Today was the day that most people were heading back home. Vince and Jody and Domenica and Brenda all left early to head back to the airport. JoAnn and I planned to explore some of the property around the cabin before heading over to the ranch. Before we had left the cabin, JoAnn received a call from her cat sitter. Abbey was very sick. JoAnn instructed her cat sitter to take Abbey to the vet. We found out later that Abbey died in the car on the way to the vet. It was devastating news and I really felt for JoAnn who was understandably distraught.
After a while, and to help get her mind off things, JoAnn and I did take a drive to visit some other sights we'd heard about. JoAnn had to drive on some rather rough roads, some gravel, some sand and it was a bit scary but she handled it like a pro. We saw a big crater where it is believed a meteorite had landed eons ago. The crater was all overgrown with vegetation so it was really hard to actually view it as a crater. From there we found our way to Dream Lake, a pretty setting with some horse stables nearby and old-timey wagons on display. There were a couple of people fishing on the lake. We went out on the fishing pier where there was bird food available for feeding the wild fowl. It was comical to see how the ducks and geese from across the lake scampered over to receive some snacks.
We then made our way back to the ranch. The Graffunder family was in the middle of a Christmas card photo shoot. They all looked handsome in white shirts and blue jeans. Later Mary Lou and Ed took us for a tour of the rest of the ranch. This was a driving tour, not a walking tour. We saw lots of outbuildings, a barn with bulls in it, the original ranch house, and a couple other ponds. According to Bing, there are no natural lakes in Texas. All the lakes are man made. Amazing. I keep wondering where they got all the water to fill the lakes! I saw a few more birds during our tour. The most amazing and distintive bird was the scissortailed flycatcher. Others I can add to my list are: Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, gray catbird, cardinal, red-winged blackbird, boat-tailed grackle, barn swallow, purple martin. I got a really good look at another bird near the cabiin and I haven't been able to positively identify it but I think it might have been a cedar waxwing.
After a lunch of barbecued burgers and hot dogs JoAnn and I said our farewells. We'd decided to stay the night in Dallas so we would have a short ride to the airport the next morning. Bing found us a great place to stay and helped us print out directions off his computer. JoAnn and I were both a bit nervous about driving into downtown Dallas but the directions were spot on and the traffic wasn't too bad. We'd passed a shopping gallery on the way to the room and wandered back there on foot in search of dinner. The shopping center was centered on some stores named Stanley Korschak. We had a bite to eat at a bar/restaurant called Palomino's. We split two bar snacks: grilled tiger prawns and a wild mushroom salad. They were delicious and generous enough to be dinner for the both us. JoAnn had a coke but I opted for a Scratch Margarita (delicious!). Plus, eveything was half-price for happy hour. JoAnn was worn out and just wanted to hang out at the room. I decided to take a walk in the neighborhood to see if I could find a place for breakfast the next day. I was unsuccessful in my search for a breakfast joint and nearly got run over for my troubles. It was still rather hot out and after having had that margarita I was feeling worn out myself so I headed back to the room. We watched TV for awhile and I read a bit before going to bed.
After a while, and to help get her mind off things, JoAnn and I did take a drive to visit some other sights we'd heard about. JoAnn had to drive on some rather rough roads, some gravel, some sand and it was a bit scary but she handled it like a pro. We saw a big crater where it is believed a meteorite had landed eons ago. The crater was all overgrown with vegetation so it was really hard to actually view it as a crater. From there we found our way to Dream Lake, a pretty setting with some horse stables nearby and old-timey wagons on display. There were a couple of people fishing on the lake. We went out on the fishing pier where there was bird food available for feeding the wild fowl. It was comical to see how the ducks and geese from across the lake scampered over to receive some snacks.
We then made our way back to the ranch. The Graffunder family was in the middle of a Christmas card photo shoot. They all looked handsome in white shirts and blue jeans. Later Mary Lou and Ed took us for a tour of the rest of the ranch. This was a driving tour, not a walking tour. We saw lots of outbuildings, a barn with bulls in it, the original ranch house, and a couple other ponds. According to Bing, there are no natural lakes in Texas. All the lakes are man made. Amazing. I keep wondering where they got all the water to fill the lakes! I saw a few more birds during our tour. The most amazing and distintive bird was the scissortailed flycatcher. Others I can add to my list are: Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, gray catbird, cardinal, red-winged blackbird, boat-tailed grackle, barn swallow, purple martin. I got a really good look at another bird near the cabiin and I haven't been able to positively identify it but I think it might have been a cedar waxwing.
After a lunch of barbecued burgers and hot dogs JoAnn and I said our farewells. We'd decided to stay the night in Dallas so we would have a short ride to the airport the next morning. Bing found us a great place to stay and helped us print out directions off his computer. JoAnn and I were both a bit nervous about driving into downtown Dallas but the directions were spot on and the traffic wasn't too bad. We'd passed a shopping gallery on the way to the room and wandered back there on foot in search of dinner. The shopping center was centered on some stores named Stanley Korschak. We had a bite to eat at a bar/restaurant called Palomino's. We split two bar snacks: grilled tiger prawns and a wild mushroom salad. They were delicious and generous enough to be dinner for the both us. JoAnn had a coke but I opted for a Scratch Margarita (delicious!). Plus, eveything was half-price for happy hour. JoAnn was worn out and just wanted to hang out at the room. I decided to take a walk in the neighborhood to see if I could find a place for breakfast the next day. I was unsuccessful in my search for a breakfast joint and nearly got run over for my troubles. It was still rather hot out and after having had that margarita I was feeling worn out myself so I headed back to the room. We watched TV for awhile and I read a bit before going to bed.
posted by lenora at 4:43 PM
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