Pencils and Pets: My Marvelous Monnday in Fort Worth, TX

Hey Everybody! Been awhile! I spent this past week in Fort Worth, TX for my job. I found a lot of fun to share so let's go!

Okay, wait... I have to post this first. I saw someone in Fort Worth that looked eerily like someone I saw in Washington, D.C. I have no idea who this guy is or why he seems to be following me around the country, but I have photographed him now twice. The first was outside a museum in Chinatown in DC. The second photo is from a few days ago in Burnett Park in Fort Worth. So weird; he just... STANDS there. Check them out, together, and tell me I'm imagining this is the same guy...

I don't know. People be cray. But let's move on... to the REST of the story! 😜

Monday, August 12 - My flight was set to leave BTR at 8 am. I UBER'ed it there by about 6 or 6:30. Trying to get up as un-early as possible, I waited until I got to the airport to "put ma face on."

So... BTR's not the biggest or busiest airport. This is what it's like when you show up the 2 hours before your flight as recommended by the TSA:

So it was just the suitcase and me for a good little while.

On schedule, the plane took off at 8 and we headed west. I spent most of the hour's flight drinking coffee and, um, killing zombies. It was very gratifying. hahaha

Before long, we got close to DFW.

My amazing, awesome friend since about... 2000, 2001??... met me at the airport. We hadn't seen each other in person since like 2006! I'm so glad we've kept in touch. Jerri and I spent the day just hanging out, cruising around, and talking. Oh, we talked and talked and talked and talked. That's what Jerri and I do best... we talk, catch up, understand each other and also do a LOT of laughing! We had a great day.

We were actually so wrapped up in hanging out that I didn't think to take many pictures. I wish I had gotten one of us together! Well, that will definitely happen next time. And I want to make sure there IS a next time, a lot sooner than it took before.

Texas had a lot of EVERYBODY bathrooms:

I am all for people's freedom to pee in the restroom of their choice. All these type bathrooms I saw had a one-person capacity.

Having a transgender or transsexual person in the stall next to me doesn't give me a moment's pause. But I DO take issue with sharing a one-person potty with straight males who pee on the floors. Maybe even just a dribble. But... seriously? Women - even women who weren't born women - do not pee on the floor. At all. That's just a sizable irritant of mine. Okay; moving on. 😅

So, in the late afternoon, I checked into the Worthington Renaissance Hotel. That was a really nice hotel. The bed I slept in just kind of... absorbed me into its softness. I enjoyed every minute there in room 753.

Here was my view... I believe this is the Tarrant County Courthouse.

And, one of my favorite things, lots of natural daylight in the room with the curtains open!

Oh yeah, earlier when I was with Jerri, we went to Half Price Books in... Bedford or Hurst or somewhere between the airport and Fort Worth. I found a treasure trove of Elvis albums, and I got 4 of them for Lena because she LOVES Elvis Presley, thank you, thank you very much. Here are the ones I got. (I actually called her and she picked them out over the phone) LOL

Here are some things I saw around downtown:

Got a box of this hot sauce for a friend back at work:

Cactus Seats!! Loved that.

They also a very admirable memorial display for President John F. Kennedy. If you remember, he had a Fort Worth speaking engagement and then a memorable interaction with an adoring public on the way to the plane he and Jackie took to Dallas... where he was shot and assassinated. So, Fort Worth now presents this moving display in their honor.

(Look- so, yeah... the pink suit... that makes me so sad!)

Finally, I ended up at the Fort Worth Water Gardens; one of the highest on the list of things I wanted to see there. It was one of those, "Well, I'll walk a LITTLE bit farther and maybe I'll see it... if not, I'll try again tomorrow" chances taken. And I hit pay dirt! Or, pay... water... haha...