Dallas-Fort Worth Texas Daily Photo

Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T19:15:00.000-05:00

Celebrating Mother’s Day this year with this sumptuous Chicken Saltimbocca - chicken breasts lightly breaded and topped with fresh sage, prosciutto and Provolone cheese, served in a garlic white wine sauce with caramelized onions. Only at Maggiano’s Little Italy, this time at the restaurant’s trendy Shops at Willowbend Mall location in the city of Plano. Wishing all moms had a wonderful day today!

Rustic...

2010-04-11T00:07:00.000-05:00

It was almost 80 degrees out today but it was still comforting to sit and eat a quiet dinner by the fire at La Madeleine - one of our most favorite places to dine in the metroplex...

Sweet 16

2010-01-17T00:41:00.003-06:00

Sweet 16 birthday celebrations are fun! What better way to wish the best for the birthday girl than with a beautiful but fun birthday cake. Bake shops abound in the metroplex and you're sure to find just that perfect cake for the birthday girl!

A Child Is Born

2009-12-23T12:59:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas!

'Tis the Season to Be Merry

2009-12-03T22:04:00.004-06:00

Mr. and Mrs. Claus cap the Grapevine Parade of Lights, the largest parade in North Texas. With over 100 entries, the annual parade is a wonderful way to get in the holiday mood with marching bands, cheerleaders, floats and, of course, the "special guests" at the end. The cold weather added to the holiday feeling so we bundled up, got our hot chocolate and came on out to Main Street for this great event!

The New Dallas Cowboys Stadium

2009-11-15T09:02:00.009-06:00

At first glimpse, it conjures up thoughts of an alien spaceship landing in the middle of north Texas, but is indeed a sight to behold. From the wide airy feel, to the giant high-definition screen and that famous retractable roof, this latest addition to the metroplex landmarks is certainly one that Texans can be proud of!

Turtles in the Mall...

2009-07-19T22:22:00.004-05:00

...only at the Northpark Center in Dallas.

Long weekends...

2009-05-24T19:59:00.003-05:00

It's a long weekend and looking forward to some treats at our favorite Vietnamese restaurant in the metroplex, The PhoTai, a Vietnames noodle soup and Asian food restaurant in Carrolton...

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T18:04:00.012-05:00

Here's some tiramisu from Maggiano's Little Italy Restaurant to all deserving moms!! For the best calamari, lasagna and tiramisu (of course!) in the mteroplex, head out to Maggiano's at the Northpark Center in the Dallas area.

Easter is Here!

2009-04-12T00:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter to one and all!

Waiting for Easter

2009-04-10T23:12:00.003-05:00

Rain is in the forecast...but miracles do happen...

Sweet T

2009-04-07T20:32:00.004-05:00

Sweet T looks out from McAlister's Deli's dining patio in Southlake...

Art at the Arboretum

2009-04-06T17:26:00.001-05:00

The White Rock lake provides a serene backdrop to this graceful scultpure in a garden at the Dallas Arboretum...

White Rock Lake

2009-04-05T22:25:00.005-05:00

A view of Dallas' White Rock Lake from the arboretum...White Rock Lake is one of the many man-made lakes in Texas and is a prime recreation area in the metroplex. Check this out for an unofficial guide to the lake...

Dallas Blooms

2009-04-04T22:17:00.005-05:00

A bed of blooming pansy is featured at the Dallas Blooms spring festival at the Dallas Arboretum. This 6-week festival is the largest outdoor floral festival in the Southwest and runs from March 7th to April 12th this year.

Steakhouses...

2009-04-03T22:55:00.001-05:00

Trying to see how many steakhouses there are in the metroplex...

What Birds?

2009-04-02T22:56:00.010-05:00

This sign sure is working. Didn't even see a single fowl of the fine-feathered kind around here. Instead, I saw a lot of these ones of the steel kind! Check out the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Observation area in Grapevine and settle in under these cool awnings and use these contraptions to see these magnificent "creatures" in flight!

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 5

2009-04-01T23:33:00.007-05:00

These ones are down Main Street in Grapevine (in front of a bank!)

See it from another perspective here.

Koi

2009-03-31T22:08:00.007-05:00

These are the koi fish in the stream that flows through the Grapevine Botanical Gardens. How long do you think these koi will live? I believe that I may have a koi that's a goldfish in disguise at home as it has survived the last 7 years in my fish tank!

De Ja Vu

2009-03-30T22:22:00.006-05:00

Spring is here! What a difference the seasons make. Remember this scene when all the trees were bare?

Best Steaks in Town?

2009-03-29T18:44:00.006-05:00

A friend of mine from work flew in from New Jersey last week and announced that he was craving some steak from Salt Grass. He states that Salt Grass is the best steak house in town. Considering that I have relegated red meat to the bottom of my food list, I could not, in any shape or form, agree or disagree with him. So do you agree that this is where one can find the best steaks in the metroplex?!

Cool Cafe

2009-03-28T19:45:00.004-05:00

Discovered this cool bakery and cafe while out grocery shopping in the Carrolton area. The Mozart Cafe and Bakery features mouth-watering pastries and other baked products. The ambience is really cozy - the booths even have privacy shades!

A Taste of Sweden in North Texas

2009-01-12T22:13:00.005-06:00

Once in a while, I'll have a craving for some European flavor and so I head out to the Ikea store in Frisco. No, not to shop for assemble-it-yourself furniture, but to have a fill of Swedish meatballs, lingonberry juice and those delicious desserts! As you can see, the menu prices are not too bad either. It's also food with a view, as you can see here. You get a vantage view of the Frisco horizon with that serving of meatballs and gravy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T17:05:00.004-06:00

Even in these challenging times, there are indeed a lot that we can thankful for. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fall is here!

2008-09-27T20:05:00.004-05:00

Yes, the nights and mornings are much cooler and by the end of this week, the forecast is that temperatures will be at least 20 degrees cooler than we were at the height of the summer season. And the sure sign that fall is indeed here? Well, pumpkins of course. To see more of them at the Dallas Arboretum, click here.

A 9/11 Memorial

2008-09-14T20:17:00.006-05:00

This week we commemorated the 7th anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy and so this week I wanted to feature this 9/11 Flight Credw memorial in Grapevine which is such a fitting tribute to the American Airlines crew as well as their passengers who lost their lives on that infamous day. Click here to learn more on how this memorial came to be. See more perspectives of the memorial here.

A Tribute to Summer

2008-08-31T18:45:00.005-05:00

Summer is almost over and nothing is more fitting as a tribute to the season as a feature of Grapevine's newest indoor water park, the Great Wolf Lodge. This funnel-like structure is a signature feature of the attraction - it's where the various water slides of the resort merge and bring the "riders" outside the resort. To take a peek at what's inside the resort and more, click here to see!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-03T23:51:00.004-05:00

Southlake celebrates the nation's 232nd birthday with Uncle Sam...on stilts!, fireworks, all-American bands and picnics galore! Happy 4th, everyone!

Meet Me at the Haltom Clock

2008-05-29T21:52:00.003-05:00

This clock at an intersection in Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth is certainly a good meeting spot, don't you think?

Gallery of Light

2008-05-26T13:32:00.004-05:00

If ever you’re wanting to own one of Thomas Kinkade's original creations, then head out to Main Street in Sundance Square in Fort Worth. Thomas Kinkade, the Painter of Light, is unique as an artist as he emphasizes simple pleasures and inspirational messages through his paintings. Click here to see a sampling of his works from his online gallery.

A Skyscraper in Cowtown

2008-05-25T20:00:00.003-05:00

Yes, downtown Fort Worth has skyscrapers too...including this one -

the D. R. Horton Tower which does house offices of one of the country's largest homebuilders, D. R. Horton Corp.

A Mooing Topiary

2008-05-24T10:06:00.005-05:00

This topiary (of the bovine kind) stands at a corner of Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. Click here to see a back-end perspective...

Old and New

2008-05-22T21:54:00.003-05:00

Downtown Fort Worth is an interesting juxtaposition of old and new, as you can see...

On My Way Home

2008-04-25T19:31:00.004-05:00

On my drives home after work, I just recently noticed that the light is usually red at this intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Highway 114 in Irving. So for posterity's sake, I decided to take a shot of what I usually see at this intersection. For "rush hour," traffic was moving pretty smoothly this afternoon, as you can see.

Square with Two Circles

2008-04-21T19:21:00.004-05:00

This is not just another water fountain photo - the water fountains just provide a backdrop for this modern sculpure piece that can be found in the gardens of the Nasher Sculpture Center. This work of at was created in 1963 by British artist Barbara Hepworth.

Here's the museum's elaboration on the piece:

When Patsy and Raymond Nasher purchased this work in 1968, it was one of their earliest acquisitions in the realm of modern sculpture. Influenced by the timeless power of Neolithic stone monuments, Hepworth adopted the form of an upright slab. The distinctive hollowed out circles, a device the artist had used in her work as early as the 1930s, open up the solid mass and allow a continuous flow of space through and around the monolith. With the round apertures framing the surrounding landscape and the richly varied green patina of the bronze, the overall effect of the sculpture is one of natural forms and forces.

Eve

2008-04-20T08:42:00.002-05:00

Spring is in full swing and it’s a great time to discover arts and culture in the metroplex. Plan a trip to the Nasher Sculpture Center in Dallas and meet Eve. Eve is a classic from the French sculptor, August Rodin. According to the exhibit’s label, “Eve provides an outstanding example of the personal, expressive nature of Rodin's modeling…” To learn more about her, visit the museum site here.

Lake View

2008-04-18T22:50:00.004-05:00

How would you like to wake up to this view every morning? You can...in Colleyville. In short, the city of Colleyville is all these: "Once a rural farming community, Colleyville has become a perennial favorite on the “best of…” lists in Dallas and Fort Worth, across Texas, and around the nation. Money magazine named the city to its list of “Best 100 Places to Live in America,” awarding it the highest ranking in Texas. Colleyville’s small town ambiance and big city amenities continue to earn it a place on the “best” lists of popular publications, including Newsweek and D Magazine..."

Terrible Two's

2008-04-17T19:20:00.002-05:00

Actually, they're not so terrible at all. They are actually quite adorable. Proof in point - my good friend's 2-year old celebrating her birthday at The Little Gym in Southlake and having a swell of a time!

My Favorite Things - III

2008-04-15T20:14:00.003-05:00

Definitely another one of my favorite things...this new farmer's market has come to town and this has made shopping for organics and other natural foods so much more convenient and reasonable too! Give it a try and check out their weekly specials here.

Cul-de-sac

2008-04-12T22:23:00.002-05:00

Just one of many in our metroplex neighborhoods...

My Favorite Things - II

2008-04-10T20:41:00.001-05:00

Cheesecake, anyone? Need I say more...

My Favorite Things - I

2008-04-08T23:30:00.003-05:00

One of my all-time favorite stores and it's a few miles from my neighbothood. Do you have one in yours?

Lake Carolyn

2008-04-07T21:47:00.003-05:00

The folks who work at Williams Square sure are lucky. They get this view everyday – a view of Lake Carolyn, a 125-acre man-made lake in Las Colinas in Irving. Folks can go fishing on this lake and even ride on gondolas around the lake canals. Will have to take pics of those gondolas someday…To learn more about the beginnings of Lake Carolyn, click here.

Thirty-Two

2008-04-06T21:30:00.003-05:00

I'm back in town and of course had to do the requisite shopping for household essentials this weekend. Went to the Super Target store in Colleyville. Have you ever been in any other store that had 32 check-out registers?!

Terminal D

2008-03-31T21:52:00.002-05:00

Traveling for work this week to the Big Apple so here's my last pic at DFW - the new Terminal D at the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport. See y'all in a week!

Everything's Bigger in Texas...

2008-03-29T21:54:00.004-05:00

Yes, and Williams Square is one prime example. This is where you can find the Mustangs at Las Colinas. Can you guess how large it is? Well...this plaza runs the length of two football fields at 300 feet by 300 feet and it sits right in the middle of the Irving business district!

Magnificent Mustangs

2008-03-28T20:08:00.003-05:00

The Mustangs of Las Colinas can be found at Williams Square in the Las Colinas area of Irving. These bronze sculpture of nine mustang horses, larger than life, are immortalized moving across the plaza through a stream of water.

Historian J. Frank Dobie, so aptly described them as follows: "These horses bore Spanish explorers across two continents. They brought to the plains Indians the age of horse culture. Texas cowboys rode them to extend the ranching occupation clear to the plains of Alberta. Spanish horse, Texas cow pony, and mustang were all one in those times when, as sayings went, a man was no better than his horse, and a man on foot was no man at all. Like the longhorn, the mustang has been virtually bred out of existence. But mustang horses will always symbolize western frontiers, long trails of longhorn herds, seas of pristine grass, and men riding free on a free land."

To see more perspectives, click here.

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 4

2008-03-27T20:53:00.002-05:00

This is the water fountain at the front entrance of the Southlake TownSquare...

Parisian Cafe?

2008-03-26T20:47:00.001-05:00

Not really. Just the Main Street Bakery's cafe tables in downtown Grapevine...

Art in the Mall

2008-03-25T19:51:00.003-05:00

If ever you're in the mood for some art appreciation and shopping, of course, head out to the NorthPark Center in Dallas. You'll see some world-class art scattered all over the mall...this one's the Ad Astra - a 48-foot tall, 12-ton orange steel sculpture by Mark di Suvero that spans both levels of the center...

Cousins

2008-03-24T19:18:00.004-05:00

Meet the Moonicipal Longhorn's cousin...Watchin' the Sunset

Happy Easter from DFW!

2008-03-23T21:02:00.001-05:00

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 3

2008-03-22T18:14:00.001-05:00

Yes, another one...this one's at the new Southlake Hilton...

The Judge

2008-03-21T19:47:00.002-05:00

The Judge sits quite forlornly on a bench down Main Street in downtown Grapevine. Won't you come and sit with him?

The Tarantula Train

2008-03-20T18:54:00.002-05:00

The train travels down the Grapevine Vintage Railroad which runs along the historic Cotton Belt Route from Grapevine to the Fort Worth Stockyards. The Tarantula Train is a nickname for the Grapevine Vintage Railroad because an early map of the tracks resembled a big spider. This train still runs regularly for a great sight-seeing tour and folks around town certainly know when it comes huffing and puffing down its tracks.

Window to My Soul

2008-03-19T19:10:00.002-05:00

This store window beckoned me to take a picture of it. Looking at it makes me feel transported to another place and time. This is probably because of the clean lines of the display window as well of the clothes on display. This is at one of the shops at Southlake TownSquare.

A Windmill in Our Midst

2008-03-18T18:14:00.003-05:00

Eric's blog yesterday at ParisDailyPhoto reminded me to share this photo of a well-preserved windmill that still stands right in the middle of Main Street, in Grapevine's historic district. Yes, we have a windmill in our midst. It was interesting to discover that these types of wood windmills (as opposed to the ones that we know come from the Netherlands) were first made in Connecticut. They were never Texas originals!

Flamingoes in Texas?

2008-03-17T19:59:00.002-05:00

Yes, we indeed have flamingoes in the metroplex! Since it's the first day of spring break, my 8th grader and I decided to pay them a visit at the Dallas World Aquarium in the historic West End district of Dallas. Aren't they just lovely?

IMAGINE Piano

2008-03-16T19:46:00.005-05:00

Went shopping at the NorthPark Center mall in Dallas and as I was crossing a mall lobby, stumbled upon this! Upon closer inspection, I discovered that this Steinway & Sons piano is John Lennon's iconic "Imagine" piano. It's the famous piano on which John Lennon composed the song "Imagine" in 1971. What a wonderful discovery, indeed! Won't you agree? Click here to see a larger view and the display plaque.

For Baby

2008-03-15T21:33:00.003-05:00

Baby showers are a wonderful thing. Today, I helped welcome a friend’s baby boy-to-be…

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 2

2008-03-14T18:31:00.003-05:00

Here’s another one of our fountains in the metroplex (see what I mean?) This is the newest fountain at Grapevine’s Botanical Gardens. At the peak of the gardening season, the Botanical Gardens are a wonderful oasis where one can enjoy the beauty of nature and relax amidst the hustle and bustle of city life.

House for Sale

2008-03-13T20:24:00.003-05:00

On my way home from work today, I decided to check out a new housing development that was sprouting up just around the corner. This 5-bedroom, 4-bath beauty is located in Kimball Hill Estates in Southlake. Want to know more about it? Click here to see. Coincidentally, saw this articles about the Dallas and Fort Worth housing markets too this evening. What a deal!

A Golf Course in My Backyard

2008-03-12T21:40:00.002-05:00

Not! But the folks who live in these homes are sure lucky to have it in their backyard. This is the Four Seasons Resort and Club Golf Course in the Las Colinas area of Irving. My only luck is that all these are behind my office building so I do get a glimpse of the scenery every day when I drive in to work.

Texas Brownstones

2008-03-11T19:36:00.003-05:00

These make me feel like I’m back in the East Coast! These are the Brownstones at TownSquare in Southlake. These town homes are part of the mixed-use development concept in action in this part of the metroplex. They sure are convenient – just a short walk away from one of the best shopping and dining destinations in the city.

Harleys

2008-03-10T20:57:00.003-05:00

Texans love their Harleys. Here's a row of these Harley-Davidson motorcyles parked in front of Willhoite's Restaurant on Main Street in downtown Grapevine. Harley owners say "It's all about the experience. " Click here to see what they mean.

The Moonicipal Longhorn

2008-03-09T10:32:00.003-05:00

Have you ever seen a painted Longhorn? Well, here's one. This one's standing right in front of Southlake's city hall. There are more of these Longhorns roaming around the Town Square. Each of them sports a different theme and coloring, of course. These sure are colorful conversation pieces around this side of the metroplex.

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere

2008-03-08T10:04:00.003-06:00

We just love our water fountains. You can find them everywhere! They're in shopping centers, hotels, in our front yards and our back yards. This one's at the Southlake Town Center. You'll see what I mean (about them being everywhere) as the days go on.

Snow Day

2008-03-07T21:00:00.002-06:00

It was a rare occurrence indeed. A Texas snowstorm in March, a few weeks before spring officially begins. This week, snow fell on the metroplex on 3 separate days. Of course, traffic on higways and surface roads was a big mess. The children though were happy as the big snow flakes fell from the sky and covered the Texas landscape in white.