Just a Few Pictures from Paris

 Just some random pictures from our week in Paris…

We sure had a wonderful time…

Bonjour!

 If you have been wondering where I am…well we have been traveling! We planned  this trip almost two years ago…hoping things would be better by now….

Sad that things aren’t exactly like they were before…but we decided to go anyway. Hello from Paris!

Our French Rotary exchange student from 23 yrs. ago took the train into Paris to spend the day with us.

Then all five of our daughters arrived and we rented a luxury apartment (not like us) for a whole week .

Here we were having a special dinner on the deck prepared by our chef!

more to follow…

Around Town

 When you move to a new town, it is always fun to scout out all of the restaurants and coffee shops.

Just south of downtown, which here is referred to as the near south side, I spied a coffee shop where I was just sure I could get a strong cup of coffee and maybe a croissant.

The name of the place certainly implied that.

Strange choice for a mural on the side wall though, maybe a picture of the Champs-elysees or the Eiffel Tower would have been a better choice,

but when this place opened long about 1927 it was named after the owner, a Mr. Paris…not the iconic French capitol.

This place was more like an old diner where you could get an authentic Texas breakfast. Yes, biscuits and gravy really is a common side dish,

and if you came at lunch you wouldn’t want to leave without a slice of pie. Pictured here is a coconut meringue  just like grandma use to make.

So you can imagine how sad everyone was when the most recent owner (since 1964) a Mr. Smith announced his retirement and oh no…the closing of the store…which was a couple of years ago.

Well just this week…great news! Riding in like the Lone Ranger to save the day.. was a group of young investors with a chef among them here to save the day.The coffee house/diner will reopen once it is refreshed but not destroyed and the best news is they have been able to retain the staff…some of them  have worked there for decades. You know, the type of waitress that  addresses you as “honey”.

So next time you are in Ft. Worth…you may want add to  the Paris Coffee House to your list!

Down on the Ranch

 We have some friends here in Ft. Worth that were also neighbors in the little mountain town in Colorado (where we use to spend our summers). Well, they also have a ranch west of Ft. Worth that I’ve always wanted to visit, and we finally got an invitation.

You drive about and hour and a half west of town on the freeway, but the last mile is down a gravel road,

as is the driveway up to the house.

There are two small flat top mountains on the property and the house sits at the base of one of them. They both have great hiking trails.

The little farm house was built in the 1920’s making it 100 years old,

although our friends  bought the 2, 000 spread back in1996. 

They have enlarged the kitchen, added another family room, bedroom and bath at the back of the house.

 

 

This is the original family room. Funny, I tried to level this picture, and gave up when I finally realized the old floor has slanted with age.

One of the four cute bedrooms.

 

Oh and there were several cows about.

The whole day was about being outside, enjoying each other’s company and of course eating some good Texas barbecue.Thanks for the invite Kerry and John.

Rubbing Elbows

 When we spend time with an important person or say a celebrity, we Americans use the phrase rubbing elbows with that person. Well I did just that today with award winning journalist and author Tim Madigan at a book review of his newest novel Of The First Class which is the history of our world famous Kimbell Museum. 

I posted a year or so ago about how I ended up being mentioned in the book. He was in the museum with Kay Fortson, who founded the museum and he introduced himself and her to me and my husband and stated that he was writing a book about the  Kimbell. I conveyed to them that I love love the museum and come there often. (actually we are members). He wrote about the conversation with me in the book. I reminded him today that I was that woman that he and Kay had that conversation with on that rainy afternoon when he was writing this book.

So after his talk he was nice enough to introduce me to the group!

Making me feel a bit like a celebrity.

Tim’s best selling book (I think) is about a race riot in Tulsa back in the 1920’s .

 where  a whole black community was wiped out. History that most of us would like to erase, but it happened.

His book that I want to read is about his relationship with a t.v. icon  Mr. Rogers. 

Fred Rogers had a wildly popular children’s show when my girls were growing up. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.

Here is a blurry picture of a younger Tim on Mr. Roger’s t.v. Show.

Apparently the book is about how Fred counseling a depressed Tim about his relationship with his father.

Speaking of rubbing elbows… I know you weren’t…I was .You will never guess who the beautiful young woman with me is! Meet Mattie Parker.. The new smart as a whip 38 year old Ft. Worth mayor!

Sadness

 Our family has had a shock this week.

My sister Polly lost her husband Mike to a sudden heart attack on Monday.

Some of you have read about my talented creative  sister  Polly on this page. She had an equally lovable husband who we will all miss dearly. He had a thirst for knowledge and has been busy taking courses at both TCU University and Tarrant Country Jr. College since his retirement, that is when he wasn’t spending time with his three little grandsons who called him Pappy.

Mike and  I shared love of history, so he invited me to attend a lecture with him a couple of weeks ago on the many court houses in our county. I will forever cherish that one on one time we spent together..💕

Hopefully my next post will not be about another funeral…