10 Jun 2009
Grand Prairie, Texas
Late entry put in at the beginning: Glub...glub...glub... and we thought Indiana had rain... 5 to 6 inches in the past 24 hours... 3,000+ lightning strikes in the same time... we're glad we're on a concrete parking pad!!! The internet satellite dish is working spottily, so photos may have to be added later, btw.
We are happily ensconced in a less-than-resort-quality RV park smack dab between Dallas and Fort Worth. It's an okay place, just nothing to write home about. It is very, very convenient if you are interested in meandering through the "Largest Texas Weekend Market" - chock-a-bloc full of all the 'marifas' you never wanted, nor needed, nor would ever purchase. But there are lots of them!!!
We've been touristing - as long as we're in the Big City, let's see the sites: visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards and its marvelous longhorn cattle; wandering through the really terrific and well laid-out Fort Worth zoo; going to a Texas Rangers' ballgame... still on the calendar is a visit to the Bureau of Printing & Engraving (visiting some of our tax dollars under construction.)
Real longhorns!
Trying to eat. (click on the photos for larger views, of course)
Every day (at 11 and 4) they "herd" these longhorns down Main Street in the old stockyards area. We missed the spectacle because we were having too much fun at the zoo, but we found the horns... Can you imagine trying to fit those into that feeding station? and not get caught?
Fort Worth Zoo - Chris
What is this again?
Flamingos!
snack shack
This is a really terrific zoo - not exactly the old concrete and iron bar cage image! We'd probably have stayed longer, but it was 94 degrees (and at least 80% humidity! I didn't sweat, I dripped!) - the sno-cone from the Penguin shack saved my life. The flamingos were marvelous.
I let him ride...
(tomato frog)
I made Chris pose... we liked the 'tomato frog'... the landscaping was luscious...
We arrived at the Ranger's ball park in time (according to their website) to take the tour of the back rooms and the museum. Well, not exactly... The tours ended at 2 pm; the museum was closed for a "private" party. We looked at each other and entered at the same time as another couple that had been invited. After all, we're very private. I'm glad we didn't pay the entry fee - it was okay, but not spectacular. And we didn't take the free drinks - we do have standards, after all.
Field prep
CP in our seats
So then we were in time to watch the pre-game warm ups, the bases get set, the field markings take shape. You have to believe they don't have too many fans, even on "Wednesday - all hot dogs $1" night. We got walk-up tickets for seats on the 3rd base line, 4th row. And the hot dogs may have been a dollar (limit 5 per customer) but the Coke and beer prices were astounding!
Rangers Stadium
Announcing the Advancing Torrent
Let's roll out the cover
Good groundskeepers!
Downpour
So then we were in time for the rolling out of the field cover... the staking down of the cover... the parking of tractors on all four corners of the cover to keep it from flying away... and the Downpour, accompanied by the Wind! Wow. After an hour or two, we all went home... Maybe we'll try to use our rain check on Friday, when the Dodgers are in town.
Quotes for the day:
Sometimes I lie awake at night, and I ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night." - Charles M. Schulz
You call it slacking. I call it "Dedicated Inactivity." - T-shirt at Caitlin's party
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