Wildflowers and the Wild West…

We have had a very busy, informative and fun time this week in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex.

In 1841, John Neely Bryan laid claim to a stretch of land along the Trinity River and built a single log cabin. He envisioned a commerce center that capitalized on the expanse of land and its river. In 1849 Brevet Major Ripley Arnold set up Camp Worth, also on the banks of the Trinity River, at the confluence of the West and Clear forks. With the arrival of the railroad, the steady influx of immigrants, the development of the largest livestock marketing area in the southwest, the discovery of oil, a strong entrepreneurial can-do spirit and an avid pursuit of art and culture, the Metroplex has grown into one of the most diverse, and progressive metropolitan areas in the United States.

After leaving Austin last Monday we stopped in Waco to visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum. Waco is also home to the Dr. Pepper Museum. Dr. Pepper is the oldest soft drink in the world, having been developed at “The Old Corner Drugstore” in Waco in the early 1880s.

On Tuesday we went to the Fort Worth Stockyards where we enjoyed the longhorn cattle drive through town as well as visits to the Livestock Exchange where we learned that livestock is no longer brought here to be sold but rather all transactions are now done through the internet and audio/video auctions. A crew goes out to a ranch and films the stock. That footage is broadcast to prospective buyers. The entire auction is done via an internet video feed and bids are tendered either online or over the phone. Once a lot is sold then the buyer sends a stock truck to the seller’s ranch and retrieves the stock to be returned back to their ranch. We actually sat and listened to a “live” auction in progress. All this “high tech” stuff kind of takes all the glamour out of the old west, don’t you think? No more cowboys driving herds of cattle up the old Chisholm Trail. Just a bunch of computer and A/V wonks taking pictures and doing internet feeds! We also went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Billy Bob’s which is the world’s largest honky-tonk with a 4,800 square foot rodeo area, 600 feet of bar rails and a 1,650 square foot stage. ALL of the country/western stars (and wanna-bes) have performed at Billy Bob’s. Many people know Billy Bob's as the Host of Country Music's biggest stars, but it has also played host to Rock 'n' Roll & Pop Music stars. Artists such as Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine, Ringo Starr, .38 Special, Men At Work, The Go-Go's, Steppenwolf, ZZ Top, and even Bob Hope have performed onstage at Billy Bob's. Billy Bob’s opened April 1, 1981 to national attention with Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers as the first performers. Other artists who appeared that first week were Waylon Jennings, Janie Fricke & Willie Nelson.

On Wednesday we drove to Las Colinas which is midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. When Pat was working, one of her offices was in Las Colinas so she wanted to show Judy some of the sights in the area. The Mustangs of Las Colinas is the world’s largest equestrian sculpture. It is a breathtakingly realistic bronze rendering of nine larger-than-life wild mustangs galloping across a granite stream. It was created by Robert Glen, an internationally recognized wildlife sculptor, who took eight years to complete this amazing piece of art which is truly a memorial to the heritage of Texas. There are other beautiful things to see in the area including a very large flower clock and various other sculpture and art exhibits.
While in the Metroplex this week we have also had the opportunity to have dinner a couple evenings with guys that Pat worked with in the area. It’s been fun to catch up and laugh about old times. It’s also GREAT to be retired ;)) they are still putting in time with IBM…

On Thursday we took our last wildflower drive. This was to Ennis, Texas, home of the Bluebonnet Festival. We once again saw miles and miles of gorgeous wildflowers and have taken MANY more photographs. We also visited Waxahatchie, home to the Ennis County Courthouse, an elaborate structure of red sandstone and granite, built in 1895 for a then-lavish cost of $150,000. Italian artisans were imported for exterior stone carving. Interestingly, there is a recurring face of a local lady-about-town, Mabel Frame, the local telegraph operator, with whom, it is rumored, the lead sculptor became enamored.

On Friday we spent the morning at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame which is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring and documenting the distinguished women of the American West including Georgia O’Keeffe, Dale Evans, Patsy Cline, Sacajawea, Willa Cather, Annie Oakley and many more. By itself this was a great exhibit but it was doubly exciting because they were showing a special exhibit entitled Georgia O'Keeffe and the Faraway. This included several of O'Keeffe's paintings on loan from museums and private collectors from around the country. Also included was her camping gear, which has never before been displayed to the public; numerous sketches made by the artist while camping and hiking in northern New Mexico; a few key pieces of her clothing and multiple photographs taken of her while camping as well as others that document her affinity with the West. We found this exhibit, as I’m sure you can imagine, to be most apropos. Next we spent the afternoon at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History which contains the Noble Planetarium where we saw a presentation on the Texas Sky, The Cattle Raisers Museum and several other interesting and interactive exhibits. Fort Worth is known as the “Museum Capital of the Southwest” and it has certainly lived up to that moniker. In the evening we attended the Stockyards Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum. Professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in this rodeo, which is the longest continuous rodeo, having been in existence since 1918.

Saturday we spent in Dallas where we toured the Old Red Courthouse, the John Neely Bryan log cabin, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial, Cenotaph and Memorial Park and the Dallas Farmer’s Market where we got some GREAT produce. However, the highlight of the day was, without a doubt, the Sixth Floor Museum. It is a permanent, educational exhibition on the life, death and legacy of our 35th President of the United States, housed in the former Texas School Book Depository. The museum afforded the most comprehensive presentation on Kennedy and the events of that fateful day of November 22, 1963 delivered through photographs, artifacts, a 2-hour audio tour and six films. The finite timeline and attention to the minutest detail really contributed to a very informative experience. We both immensely enjoyed the museum although it still – 47 years later – conjures up feelings of sadness.

Sunday was spent just relaxing and getting caught up on things around the RV as we have been really busy of late.
Today, Monday we went to the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing where we saw, literally, BILLIONS of dollars in currency. This is one of two places where the US prints notes (the other is in Washington, DC) and since this is the larger of the two facilities, there is more produced here. The tour was fantastic. Obviously Judy, the banker and money-person, REALLY enjoyed it. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and produce a staggering amount of money. Currently they are running full-bore printing the new 100 dollar bills that will be released into circulation the first of the year. The tour was quite informative; however, very strict security precluded us from taking any photographs. We were also somewhat disappointed in that there were no samples. Every other time we do a factory tour we get samples at the conclusion; e.g. Blue Bell Ice Cream, Hershey Chocolates, etc. But, NO, nothing here!! Those pallets of many “bricks” of hundreds, each containing several million dollars in value, certainly looked enticing.

Tomorrow we are going to the Amon Carter Museum which houses one of the largest collections of Western and American art along with other extensive exhibits. There are more than 400 paintings, drawings and works of sculpture by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell as well as a sizeable display of works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Brady and many more.
Well, as you can see, we have been VERY, VERY busy. From here we are heading to Oklahoma. We have just about concluded the wildflower portion of this trip and now we’ll spend the next few weeks concentrating on the West and American Indian culture.

As usual, we have included a link to some photos, so please enjoy and drop us an email or post a comment on this blog.

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Until next time…
Stay safe and take care,
Pat and Judy