Happy Thanksgiving!

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

On My Way Home

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just one of many in our metroplex neighborhoods...

My Favorite Things - II

Cheesecake, anyone? Need I say more...

My Favorite Things - I

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

Lake Carolyn

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

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

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...

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

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

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

Parisian Cafe?

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

Art in the Mall

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

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

Happy Easter from DFW!

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 3

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

The Judge

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

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

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

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?

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

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

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

Fountains, Fountains Everywhere - Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.