Child-Free Getaway

Last Christmas we were generously gifted with a getasway to Fort Worth. We cashed in this past weekend. We dropped the kids and all there stuff (which took up 3/4 of our trunk, leaving just our single small suitcase) at Oma's and Opa's house (Thank you!) and took off to Fort Worth.

We checked in at the Hattie Mae Inn, a late Queen Anne style residence that was built in 1904 and is a registered Texas Landmark. The second owner of the house, James Liston was robbed and killed on his back porch in 1917 but we couldn't report any hauntings. A bullet hole remains on the back porch were it missed it's target.

That Friday night we enjoyed walking around the Stockyards and the rodeo at Cowtown Coliseum.  Cowtown Coliseum has a proud history.  It was built in 1908 and in that year held the first exhibition round-up of cattle ever held under a roof in the United States.  In 1918 it housed the world's first indoor rodeo, and in 1934, bull riding was first introduced to the world of rodeo there.

While we were there, a live news was shot with the newscaster standing directly to our left.  They were spotlighting Hay for Horses an organization trying to save livestock because of the shortage of hay due to the terrible drought we have had.  They are shipping in hay from surrounding states and it costs $4 a mile to do it.

After a good food and company at the breakfast table we headed out to the local art museums.  We visited the Kimbell and Amon Carter and took it all in without whining children pulling at us.  It was great. 

Keri in particular enjoyed this painting of paper wrapped oranges.  Her paternal grandmother, Lena, used to do this as a job. Lena said they had to be wrapped with the paper twisted just so and then put twist side down and the oranges had to neatly line up in the box.  Now they just dump them in a box.

We had a great time enjoying our first getaway since the kids were born.  It was fun just to hang out with each other on an extended date!