G is for Granbury

My second ABC adventure is to Granbury, Texas.  Granbury is a rural town of about 10,000,  40ish miles southwest of Fort Worth.  It can easily be a day trip, but when you do your research, you discover there's so much to do and there's the cutest boutique hotel ever, you really have to make it a weekend trip.  Thanks to my friend Hannah for suggesting it as an adventure and going along for the ride.

Hotel Lucy is across the street from the Granbury City Beach and it is so precious.  The owners have paid great attention to every detail, down to the bath salts they leave in your room for a relaxing soak in a gorgeous clawfoot tub.  In addition to the unique & beautiful decor, the staff is incredibly attentive.  I received a couple of texts leading up to our reservation, checking in to see if there was anything  needed before our arrival or during our stay.  I really cannot say enough about this hotel.  More expensive than my typical hotel stay, the experience was worth every penny.

Hannah and I signed up for the Granbury Wine Tour.  We visited three wineries that all had something unique about them.  The tour took us to Bluff Dale Vineyards (Bluff Dale), Bar Ditch Winery (Stephenville), and Barking Rocks Winery (Granbury).  It's hard to pick a favorite after hearing all of the stories, but they are all worth visiting.

Bar Ditch Winery

 

Barking Rocks Winery 

     

Bluff Dale Vineyards

 

In addition to the wineries, we spent a lot of time on the Granbury Square.  So many boutiques and fun restaurants.  Who would have thought that Granbury had such an amazing food scene?!?  (I forgot to take pics at Paradise Bistro & Coffee Co., but their pancakes were fabulous!)

French Toast at Square Cafe

Shrimp & Grits at Christina's

Not on the square, but definitely worth going to is Stumpy's Lakeside Grill.  Do yourself a favor and get the catfish and shrimp basket.  A great price for a ton of delicious food.  And if you need something sweet afterwards, you can pop into their sweet shop.

A visit to Granbury isn't complete without a stop at the Silver Saddle Saloon, the local ice cream hang out.  These may or may not be adult shakes.

There's a reason Granbury wins a lot of awards, including best historic small town in America.  The town has so many fun things to offer, whether you're looking for a girls' weekend or a family vacation.  I hope you'll add it to your list of places to visit.

  

  

Until next time . . .

New Adventures

When I finished up my #50by50 challenge, people would ask, what's next?  I've got a few things I want to accomplish over the next few years and one that I was able to start lickety split was the ABCs of Texas.  One of my goals is to visit at least one new town or city in Texas for each letter of the alphabet.  I definitely had a few places already on my list, but I was stuck on a few letters, so naturally I turned to social media for some suggestions.  This will take a few years and it's possible my list will change, but here's the first draft.  Still looking for X & Z.

A - Amarillo, Archer City

B - Bonham, Balmorhea

C - Canyon, Castroville

D - Dublin

E - Electra, Eastland, Ennis

F - Floresville, Ft. Stockton

G - Greenville, Granbury

H - Happy

I - Inez

J - Jefferson

K - Kilgore

L - La Grange, Lindale, Luling

M - Mineral Wells, Mineola

N - Nacogdoches

O - Odessa, Ozona

P - Paris

Q - Quanah

R - Rainbow, Rockport

S - Shiner, Smiley, Sunset, Stephenville, Sulphur Springs

T - Tom Bean

U - Uncertain, Utopia

V - Victoria

W - Waxahachie

X - 

Y - Yoakum

Z

People have asked, will you go in ABC order?  The answer to that is no, Texas is too big and spread out.  My plan is to do it by region so I can do a few at a time.  Luckily, a lot of the possibilities are perfect day trips from Fort Worth, so I won't necessarily have to wait for time off.

#48 Learning How to Crochet

When I think of the women in my family who came before me, I get all sorts of warm, fuzzy feelings.  They all fit that image of the grandma who could do all the things.  Between them all, they cross-stitched, baked, knitted, crocheted, quilted, canned and more.  Some of my favorite memories and most treasured possessions are their works of art.  I did try cross-stitch years ago; while I did finish my project, I didn't feel the need to frame it.  But as I thought about my 50 by 50, I kept thinking about those other talents of grandmas and great grandmas.  I did a little bit of research on knitting and crocheting and out of the two, crocheting seemed a little less daunting.  I found a place in Fort Worth, West 7th Wool, where I could sign up to take a class.  So that is exactly how I spent a September Saturday morning.  It was probably the longest and shortest hour of my life.  I was definitely challenged and pushed outside of my comfort zone.  As a I struggled, when I had the urge to cuss, instead I thought to myself, "Have a growth mindset, Audra.  This is the struggle we want our students to experience so they can grow.  It's only right you experience a little challenge, too."  Even though there were times I wanted to walk out, I'm going to stick with it.  Like my Spanish, it's something I think I will continue to practice and work on.  For now, I'm working on the chain stitch for 10 or 15 minutes a night. Once I feel good about that, I'll move on to the next step.  Who knows one day I may make a scarf or a blanket, but for now, I'm just practicing a new skill and working on my synapses firing.

The day started with crochet, but I also visited a fabulous independently owned bookstore next to West 7th Wool.  Please check out Monkey & Dog for your book needs.  Super cute and friendly staff with a great selection of books to choose from.  For lunch I headed over to Roy Pope Grocery & Deli.  Although it's been updated and modernized, Roy Pope has been a Fort Worth institution since 1943.  On may way home, I just had to swing by my favorite new bakery, Blue Bonnet for some butter cookies and a petite four.

Only two more adventures to go!  

   

 

#37 Southern Eats

One of my favorite things about Winter Break is having extra time to spend with friends from different parts of life.  The first week of the my break was meeting up with some friends at new to me restaurants, both of which feature Southern cuisine, one of my favorites.

My first adventure in Southern eats was Tupelo Honey at The Star in Frisco, celebrating Christmas with Anita & Mitzi.  

We started with appetizers: fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, and biscuits with blueberry jam.  Yes, they were all amazing!  The tomatoes were some of the best I've ever had; definitely the thickest.  And the blueberry jam on the biscuits . . . I would have ordered it a second time for dessert if I hadn't been distracted by the banana pudding.  

For my meal, I went with one of my all-time favorites . . .  chicken and waffles, but with a twist.  Mac and cheese was baked into the waffles.  Yes, you read that correctly - mac and cheese waffles, and yes, you are right, it was delicious.  And it made for a fantastic lunch the next day.

I couldn't leave without trying the banana pudding; luckily they serve these mini versions of their desserts which is all I needed.

A couple of days later, I found myself at Roots Southern Table in my hometown of Farmers Branch, with two of my oldest friends, Kim and Becky.  If the name of this restaurant sounds familiar, that's no surprise.  It's been featured in D Magazine, Texas Monthly, the Dallas Observer, and oh, yeah, the New York Times as one of their top restaurants in 2021 . . . in America!  And yes, it is all that and more.  It's a different Southern eating experience than Tupelo Honey and just as yummy!  We skipped the appetizers and went straight for their signature dish - Duck-Fat Fried Chicken served family style with biscuits.  If you're wondering if Duck-Fat Fried Chicken is any good, the answer is a resounding yes.  It was unbelievably delicious.  And even more delicious the next day for breakfast. The meat was cooked to juicy perfection and the skin was crisp and full of flavor.  Since it felt weird to get a platter of chicken without any sides, we decided to try the Gruyere Potatoes as well.

We ended dinner with the Orange Juice Cake, the perfect size for three people to share.  Our server said it was the most popular dessert and I believe it.  Had it been acceptable behavior, I probably would have picked up the bowl and drank the orange sauce that the warm warm butter cake was doused in.

If you're a fan of Southern eats, then I can't recommend either of these establishments enough.  The food is fabulous and the service was amazing at both places.  If you're going to try Roots, you definitely need a reservation and it wouldn't hurt to have one for Tupelo Honey either.

Cheers to good food and even better times with amazing friends!

It's That Time of Year

It is that time of year where we get together with friends and family, some of whom we don't see but a few times a year. It's also the time of year that many of us reflect on the previous twelve months and think about the upcoming year. We think about personal, spiritual, and professional goals, as well as big events that are in the near future(I turn 40 in just a couple of months!)I don't always write my goals down, but I always have them in mind. Of course, I have the typical resolutions: lose weight, be healthy, save better, spend less, etc. But after tonight, I'm adding another to my list and I encourage everyone else to think about doing the same. I think the most important thing we can all do is spend time with those we love. In a time of Facebook, Pinterest, Words with Friends, and countless other time wasters, it's easy to fill up what free time we have with things that really aren't that important. It's true social media and gaming do have their places, but it's friends and family, old and new that should receive our undivided attention.

Tonight, I attended the viewing of a dear, old family friend, Bob. And when I say old, I mean he and his family lived in the house behind ours when my parents moved to Farmers Branch in 1971. Both he and his wife, Barbara were like second parents to me and my brothers. Their kids babysit us when we were little. And even when they moved to a different neighborhood a few years later, Bob and Barbara remained a constant part of our lives. We attended the same church, they played bridge with my parents, and they were always there for us when we needed them. Even after my parents moved to Tyler when I was in college, I always had a place to lay my head when I came back to Dallas.

Over the course of time, as it happens to most of us, we simply lost touch. The annual Christmas card was sent and we might see each other at occasional events, but it just got harder and harder to "find the time" (Really? Have you seen the amount of time I spend on Facebook and Pinterest?). The last time I saw Bob & Barbara was three years ago as they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. (Yes, you read that correctly...53 years of marriage after dating only one week.) So to receive that call on Christmas Eve was a bit jarring. And after attending the viewing tonight (Bob's 80th birthday, btw) and seeing so many important people from my childhood, it's reminded me that I need to be smarter with my time. When I have five extra minutes, instead of playing WWF, why not pick up the phone and call a long lost friend? Even better, I need to be intentional and proactive about my time. So, my New Year's resolution this year, is to carve out time to spend time with those who are dear to me. It might be a Sunday afternoon visit, or a 30 minute phone call. I might be a little old fashioned and write a letter. No matter how it occurs, my goal is to spend time with the people who are important to me.

Our time here is limited. Perhaps we should use it a bit more wisely.

Happy 2012!