A Greek Hodgepodge

This was such a fun Hodgepodge this week.  I hope you enjoy reading my answers as much as I enjoyed composing them.

Thank you, Joyce

1. When someone finds out what you do or where you're from, what's a question they always ask? 

When someone learns that I am from Louisiana, they want to know if I'm from New Orleans.  Unfortunately, that is about all some folks in other parts of the country know about my home state.  Actually, Louisiana could be one of the most culturally diverse states in the nation, and I've lived in every corner and in the middle of it, but never in NO.

2. Did you participate in 'Greek Life' when you were in college, or have children who did? If so, what was your experience like? Taking another tack...have you ever been to Greece? If not, is that a destination on your bucket list?

No, I was not in a sorority and neither did my two children participate.  Three of my granddaughters were/are into 'Greek Life.'  

Our gangster days at the Acropolis in Athens

Yes, we have been to Greece and loved it.  We only saw Athens; however, one of our 'Greek Life' granddaughters has now made Greece her home.  She met a "Greek god" while studying in Barcelona, and they now have a beautiful, fifth-generation Greek baby boy.  Angelos runs his family's boutique fine pastry shop, "Melissa", in Athens, and this year marks their 100th anniversary.  How exciting for them to add the 5th generation at the beginning of this special year.

When they aren't in Athens, they are enjoying their 2nd home on the island of Paros.  Sounds like an enchanted life to me.  We can't wait to meet this precious baby in October.

3. Do you like Greek food? If so what's your favorite dish?

Most anything from Melissa's would soon be a favorite for me.

  

4. What incredibly common thing have you never done?

Tasted beer

5. What is a telltale sign that you're upset?

I withdraw.  It's best to allow me to work through what has made me upset by myself.  Once that's done, I may then be cordial.

  

6. Insert your own random thought here.

Check out my previous post to read about our road trip last week.  We are looking forward to doing this every week for a while.  I think you will want to check in next week to find out what interesting place we found.  Anyone want to go to Paris?

This Week Recap

This has been a good and uneventful week.  We like those.  We decided a month or so ago that we could use a housekeeper to come in once a month to do things my back no longer allows.  This week was her 2nd visit, and although it is awkward having someone in the house, it is helpful to get baseboards cleaned, etc.

I've started reading a book that was recommended by my friend Cele, "A Note Yet Unsung" by Tamera Alexander.  So far, it is hard to put down.  So thanks, Cele.

Dallas (source)

When we realized we would not be able to take the extended fall trip we had anticipated, we decided to at least enjoy short road trips each week.  We have not explored the Metroplex since moving here five years ago for various reasons, the main one being the traffic to just get out of the city.  Last week we decided that is not a good enough excuse anymore.  As long as I can drive (and I am an excellent driver), and the GPS doesn't fail us, we need to go while we can.

We have been wanting to visit the recently declared, by Steve Doocy on Fox & Friends, neatest little town in Texas, Granbury.  Go HERE to see the show on YouTube.  It is only an hour & a half from us, but of course, it takes an hour to just get through West Dallas and Fort Worth.  We have friends who live there and have heard such good things about the area.  So, that was our destination this Friday morning.  We soon got into a nice rain which made changing lanes and finding the right exits even more exciting.

The most notable thing about entering Granbury is the beautiful and expansive Lake Granbury.  This is what draws so many to this iconic little town, as it did our friends.  There are gorgeous homes surrounding the lake, as well as less desirable ones that have obviously been there for a very long time.

The center of the town and what Granbury is also known for is its town square.  Many small Texas towns were built around their courthouse in the center of the square, with shops and businesses on each side.  It has been called "one of the most complete nineteenth-century courthouse squares in Texas."

Built of Brazos limestone, like many of the old buildings in Texas, between 1890-1891, it consists of 3 main stories.  The imposing 3-story central clock tower was completed after the rest of the building.

A cornerstone

We found this placard outside the building to be interesting.

Hanging inside the courthouse was this handmade quilt showing landmarks of Granbury, and showcased as well is the old sewing machine used to put it together.  So much intricate work.

Now, let's visit the rest of the square.

Our first stop was a store featuring beautifully crafted furniture and leather items.  There was also plenty of Western art.  This realistic bison painting caught our attention, and we couldn't miss getting a picture of it sniffing Dick's head.  

There was music throughout, and most of it came from this real-live jukebox.  When was the last time you saw one of these?

There are quite a variety of shops and businesses around the square.  As we are not shoppers, we really weren't interested in going into many of them.

We found it so interesting that all along the streets were these acknowledgments of "Hometown Heroes."  I think it is safe to say that Texas is a very patriotic state.

The Opera House is a drawing card to the community, regularly showing old movies.  It is also said to be haunted.  It was closed this morning, so we were unable to go inside to confirm this.

I noticed this building as soon as we rounded the corner behind the courthouse.  One of my oldest and dearest friends was a Nutt from North Louisiana.  We later learned that the original building, built in the late 1800s, burned a few years ago and has recently been rebuilt.  It has a fascinating history.

It didn't take us long to discover where we wanted to eat lunch, and we weren't disappointed.

We learned that this massive piece behind the bar was once in one of Al Capone's restaurants in New York City.  Wouldn't you love to know how it came to be here in a small town in Texas?

The food was superb.  My meal consisted of a grilled chicken breast on a bed of sauteed butternut squash and bell peppers, covered in the most delicious gravy.

The doors behind us came from a castle in France.  Again, what's the story behind that?

Needless to say, we are so glad we finally faced off with the DFW metroplex traffic complications and made a trip to the neatest little town in Texas.

Come back next week to see where the roads will take us.  You might be surprised.

An Alfredo Hodgepodge

We owe this fun post to the never-ending creativity of Joyce, who weekly gives us fun things to think about and share.

1. What's worth standing in line for?

Honestly, I couldn't tell you the last time I stood in line for anything.  My back doesn't allow much standing, and I can't think of a thing worth the consequences.

 

2. Tell us about a favorite food-related memory. 

In 1972, we took a trip to the Holy Land with friends.  When we returned to Rome for our flight home, we learned that a pilot strike would necessitate our remaining in Rome until it was resolved.  As you can well imagine, although we were eager to get home to our babies, we couldn't think of a better place to be, all expenses paid.

Best friends making memories in Rome, 1972

On the first night, we had reservations at "Alfredo's."  Remember, this was the early 70s, and Alfredo Fettuccine was the rave.  We were thrilled when Alfredo himself came and mixed his famous dish at our table, and actually let my best friend, Sarabeth eat with his renowned gold fork and spoon.  This will always be a special memory.

The Real Alfredo

The original “Fettuccine Alfredo” since 1908

The Real Alfredo, at Piazza Augusto Imperatore 30 – Rome, is the historical roman restaurant where you can eat the famous Alfredo’s fettuccine known all over the world since twenties, when the popular couple of american actors, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, after eating the majestic dish, gave as present to Alfredo a golden fork and spoon. From then the creative man let eat his gastronomic creation to his special and important guests with them.

3. What are some things you find particularly peaceful or calming?

Listening to good music.  Being on a mountain.  Sitting beside a quiet lake, listening to the sounds of birds and rustling branches.  Sitting in my sunroom every morning.

 

4. Is there something you do now that gets you just as excited as it did when you were a child?

Making plans for something to look forward to soon. 

5. To what degree are you in touch with friends from grade school? high school? college if you attended college?

I am only connected to a few friends from grade school and high school on Facebook, which is very limited.  I am not in touch with anyone from college.  Those relationships have passed.  I do however, stay in touch with the sweet girl I shared a room with while attending college.

 

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

We learned this week that the granddaughter of my best friend has been accepted from a group of 1,100 applicants for one of 5 openings with the Radio City Rockettes.  This has been a lifelong dream of Audrey and one she has worked hard to achieve.  We are so proud of this beautiful and talented dancer.  So, when you see them perform, look for the tall, beautiful, brown-eyed girl from Louisiana.

By the way, this grandmother is the same best friend who was honored by Alfredo.

A Week Recap

Recapping this week.

After my visit with a new shoulder surgeon on Monday and receiving his recommendation of remaining with conservative treatment - an injection into the joint, I have felt much better.

On Wednesday night, we met Dick's life-long friends, Johnny and Betty, for dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant, Anaya's.  We always enjoy our time with these friends and love hearing about their world-wide travels.  Honestly, they take the most amazing trips, so we just simply live through them.

So, now it's Friday.  What do you do when your husband walks into the room and says, "Let's take a road trip to the end of the road!"

Most would probably say, "Let's go!"

My response was, "The end of what road?"

There is a main street not far from us, that runs north & south from Dallas to the Oklahoma line, named Preston, but it ends at a lake - Lake Texoma.  Appropriate name, don't you think?

After he explained, I then answered, "Let's go!"

On the way out of the city, we first must maneuver 8-lane traffic on a Friday morning; however, since I am now a seasoned Texas driver, this was nothing.

On the way, we saw our favorite bronze cowboy still hustling longhorns.  If you haven't seen this small park in Frisco, you need to treat yourself.

It is hard to believe the amount of growth in North Texas since we moved here 5 years ago.  Highways, schools, subdivisions, and shopping centers that didn't exist then now crowd the landscape.  The new PGA golf course and other attractions have added to the area's appeal.

Before we knew it, we were out of the city and no longer on a four-lane road, bustling with new businesses, but a two-lane country road.  That's when we saw actual, real longhorns and donkeys out among the scrub trees typical of North Texas.

Before we knew it, the road narrowed even more, and we began to see the lake on both sides of us.  We continued onto a small peninsula, which gave us great views of this beautiful lake.

And sure enough, that was the end of the road.

On the trip back, we detoured into Sherman, TX, and treated ourselves to lunch at an old Dairy Queen, one of Texas's original eateries.

This was such a fun day trip, and we wonder why we don't do that more often.  Actually, who knows what else we might find at the end of another road leading somewhere.