Texas Travelogue

Time for me to get back to posting some entries. I just returned from Ft. Worth visiting my son, Jeff and celebrating his birthday. Got to visit friends--some old, some sort of new, feasted my eyes on the Ft. Worth Botanical Gardens, listened to lots of classical music on the radio and got to see Jeff pretty much finish his kitchen. As for my own personal endeavors, I finished writing the first draft of Deborah the Judge and got well into the story of Debra Haskins.

Jeff’s birthday gift was initially going to be a half load of gravel or mulch on his front yard but when he discovered a day’s rental of a roto-tiller with delivery and return was going to cost almost as much as purchasing one, he went to Plan B which still had to do with curb appeal but dealt more with moving rocks. To help with that, I bought him a wagon—a little black one, not a little red one  

And it even dumps!

Jeff and a partially filled rock column

Partial rock wall Jeff built at back steps

Ate lunch in Dallas on Sunday with some of Jeff’s friends at the Bop, a Korean restaurant. 

After ice cream at the Truckyard (unfortunately I didn’t get pix so no one will believe a description of this place:) 

Children's Tiny House Playhouse--Jeff standing on porch to give perspective

Made a trip to the Botanical Gardens and despite a dearth of roses due to some disease/fungus, saw many beautiful flowers AND a real Tiny House—a playhouse with a loft for children to play in located in a real vegetable garden.

Spider lilies--Botanical Gardens

Jeff had to work on his birthday but he had a piece of his favorite birthday cake we’d bought at a bakery the evening before and I, of course, fixed dinner complete with home-made biscuits.

Doing finish work on the kitchen was on the top of the list, so Jeff found the pieces of crown molding he’d saved from the kitchen demolition and set me up for sanding and painting. When the time came for him to put up the pieces which had to be fitted carefully like jigsaw puzzle pieces because part of the kitchen had been re-configured, he was sure he needed, and had, more pieces. But they were not to be found.  

Choosing to persevere, he decided to put up what pieces he had. In so doing, we got to experience a “Loaves and Fishes” miracle. When he finished, he actually had a 12- inch piece of crown molding left over! Talk about  a practical example of supernatural multiplication!

Face plates on outlets and several items checked off to-do list

When you travel somewhere, at least on this planet, you generally have to come back. So on my return trip, Brian picked me up at the Salt Lake City airport and then we started to visit Animal Shelters. On our second stop, we found Gidget – and that finishes the story. We both feel she is a perfect ending.