Dallas was another fun weekend, not unlike that spent in Alabama. I was staying with David and John, the brother of Laurie, and just as with his sister there was no need for a period of awkward pleasantries and polite conversation, we got straight on with the business of getting to know one another and enjoying each other's company. After a shower and a cold beer on the deck we went for dinner at a Turkish restaurant and talked travel. The temperature was still, to my mind and English flesh, high when we got back and the ice cold night cap with John was more than welcome.
The true house owners are Bubba, Igor, Black Cat, Tucker and Lucky (I hope that's right). All are rescue cats and 3 legged Tucker is the elder statesman of the group, Lucky the energetic kitten is fondly referred to as squirt and its impossible not to fall in love with them all. A family of raccoons would join us on the decking each night and even go in the house to steal the cat food and water. This was a real novelty to me and I kept expecting David Attenborough to appear at any moment!
On Friday David drove me to Fort Worth, we ate Cajun food at one of those restaurants where the décor is as loud as the music and all the waitresses are 17 years old, blonde and called Cindy or Lacey ! David left for work and I made my way to the Stockyards for a real cowboy experience. It's just as you'd imagine, general stores, wooden decks outside shops selling cowboy boots and saddles. It has a little of the Disney feel to it but it was fun. I was there for the cattle drive, where longhorns were led through the street to auction by horse riding cowboys. That evening John took me to Gloria's an El Salvadorian restaurant and then onto Tillman's Corner, their 'local' where all the staff know them both and asked after David. They were a fun crowd and John was, as always, great company.
Saturday started at a farmers market, artistically displayed fruit and veg, furniture brought from Mexico, plants, all had the backdrop of the Dallas skyline. We were offered watermelons, mangos, strawberries etc in an attempt to get us to part with our cash. I willingly accepted their food - a fruit salad breakfast on the go ! The array of plants seemed to stretch for miles, I loved walking through the shade of the displays with the water sprinklers keeping my feet cool. John then took me to downtown Dallas (past the grassy knoll where JFK was shot) to a wonderful fountain. In a shaded area by an office block, columns of water danced in hundreds of formations, the choreography was different every time, I certainly couldn't identify any that were repeated. A few small children took the chance to cool off and ran through the spray, sometimes attempting to dodge the water as it shot through the holes in the ground, sometimes purposefully charging through the densest part of the water. It reminded me of the classic photos of children playing in water from fire hydrants. We sat there for over an hour, laughing at and with the kids, simply relaxing. We collected David and ate lunch at Veracruz café, visited Ifs and Butts that had the most remarkable selection of soda drinks I have ever seen. From there to the air conditioned cool of a cinema to see the latest Star Wars movie. There was no stopping us and after a quick trip home to shower and change we went to El Ranchito for Mexican food. It's a lively, family friendly and extremely popular restaurant. Tables are squeezed into every available space and 2 Mariachi bands compete for attention. It has to be experienced for the barrage of sounds if nothing else. On to Tillman's Corner where I was treated like just as much of a regular as John and David. It was wonderful to hear David chatting away in fluent Spanish. However it also puts me to shame, as despite spending 6 years of my school life learning German I am now barely capable of asking for directions ! That has to change. Next stop Brooklyns for live Jazz. It had been a full, tiring, but extremely enjoyable day. My 2 hosts, who are both capable of taking generosity to a new level, have treated me like royalty. Already we are talking of travelling together, an opportunity that I would welcome with open arms.
Sunday we took relaxation to extremes. The temperature had gone through the roof and we lounged around on the deck talking, reading and fussing over the cats. We returned to Gloria's for lunch but then made our way straight back to the hammock at the house. The day was rounded off with the grill (although no flame throwing this time) and talk of the possibility of meeting up again before I leave the US. Then it was time to leave for my 11.30pm bus to Santa Fe. I hate goodbyes and they never get easier, so I tend to keep them as short as possible. At least this time there is a realistic chance of meeting up with David and John again. I really hope so.
posted by KP @ 12:13 AM
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