The Modern

One of the driving forces in my decision to make a visit to Fort Worth was the Warhol exhibit at the Fort Worth Modern. The Modern is one of my favorite museums. The building is absolutely stunning and they have a top notch permanent collection. The Warhol exhibit will be moving along next weekend so I had a limited window. I'm happy it worked out. The pieces spanned the last eight years of Andy's life. I was amazed at how varied the pieces were. It seemed like the work should span decades, but he did it all in eight years! While the exhibit was quite expansive, filling three large galleries, I longed for more. Most were large scaled and filled with bold, graphic imagery. I would have moved in if I were allowed. Photos were not permitted so I urge you to see for yourself. You+The Modern=Love Tangled. Metallic Trees seen across the Modern's reflecting pool. We're here, very pleased!

If you can't make it before the Warhol show is torn down, at least make a note to see the Fort Worth Modern. You won't be disappointed. Unless, of course, you aren't a fan of contemporary art. If your heart desires western classical/historical walk over to the Kimball and/or check out the Amon Carter-it will surely satisfy your love for everything American. As you can see, Fort Worth has quite the museum complex. Something for everyone and cultured.

German Pancakes

German Pancakes are an staple when visiting Fort Worth. While I'm sure there is a place in OKC that serves 'em, I have yet to find it. I haven't really made much of an effort to grab them in Oklahoma because they are special. Iconically, 'granddad's.' Every time I visit, I beg to eat at Ol' South for the pancakes. Usually, this place has a line wrapping around the building, TWICE so it's rare that my grandpa is willing to wait. This time, we beat the Saturday breakfast crowd and I devoured my lemon delight, I can die happy. Ol' South German is light, fluffy and rich. They serve it up with powdered sugar and fresh lemons. The waitress does the honors. She squeezes the lemons at the table. Mixes some butter and powdered sugar with the the juice and...(drumroll)....TaDA! She folds it into a little package. As you cut into it, the juicy syrup flows out and the eggy, thick crepe is supple, sweet and tart. The flavor burst in your mouth! Unbelievable, filled with sin! My cousin opted out of the lovely lemon pastry and chose the "man omelet." Chili, japs, and AMERICAN cheese. It's all Texas style!

Texas Big

Friday, T and I headed across the Red River for a short stay in Fort Worth. My maternal grandfather lives in Fort Worth and he was happy to host us for the weekend. We arrived Friday evening, had a nice dinner and prepared for our wild Saturday. It was day packed full of retail shopping, museum exhibits, eating, and planning our night on the town. I voted for Fort Worth's famous, Bill Bob's but we opted out for T's sake. She forgot her cowboy boots. Instead, we hit up H3 and shared a 32oz. porterhouse steak and walked around the stock yards a bit. My meat consumption for the week.
It's a hoppin' little area with plenty of boot scootin' opportunities. After we over-stayed our welcome in cow town, we decided to play the other side.
We cruised downtown. It was like night and day moving from the stockyards to the girls prancing around in 4" heels, dressed in Prada. Either way, I love both areas for all that they offer. We stopped by a beer joint and knocked down a few on their rooftop patio. It was a fabulous evening. Since we had done the beer and steak, we decided we'd top the evening off with cocktails. Around the corner, through an alley and down an elevator we found the 'Scat Jazz Lounge.' With a hefty cover, I had high expectations. This joint, exceeded my wildest dreams. In fact, I recall asking T, 'Is this real?' The band was incredible. They played a fusion of swing and rockabilly. The crowd was hoppin' and their were people dancing! A sensory overload, zoot suits and all-it was straight out of a Sinatra flick. I was in heaven. I just wish I would have packed my mink stole. Sunday, my grandpa whipped up a nice, home cooked brunch and saw us off. We left happy and exhausted. I still had mother's day festivities to participate so my weekend was full to the brim. Today has been a little rough but looking back, I wouldn't change a thing. Everything's bigger in Texas!

Lawn Love

Today was gorgeous! I used to love my winters but these days I can't soak up enough sun. I itch to be outside, sweat, feel the burn. Instead, I spend my days stuck in a dreary, public institution where it's so chilly I wear a sweater and need a blanket year round. It's tough passing by the occasional window to see the sun shining and a nice breeze. I escape whenever possible. Since spring has sprung, I usually have lunch out on my patio. A half assed egg white omelet and carrot-asparagus salad. Last night I attempted this recipe. It turned out alright, even though I overcooked everything. Next time I'll make some adjustments.My lunch date. She enjoys sun basking in the sun as well.

And now, a bit of a flashback: This was the (official) first day of spring in Norman, Oklahoma. No way to kick off springtime. Luckily, the weather has done a complete 180 and the all is right with the world. My garden is thriving and the passed few nights I've tapped into my herbs. I'm eating from MY patch of earth! I can't wait to pull tomatoes fresh off the vine and feel that juice run down my chin. Sunburns, wine and tiki torches are eminent, bring it!

Last Drop

Cinco de Mayo! As if I need a holiday as an excuse to have a good time? Filled with guacamole, tequila, margaritas and chatter! Hornitos-so smooth it'd be a shame to leave one drop (Good thing I brought reserves).

Never a dull moment at Casa de Hills! Love these two! This evening I plan on getting to work in the old print shop. I've asked my old printing professor if he'd let me run a couple of prints and he has kindly agreed. I have a lot of work to do. I've been out of the studio (a real studio) for nearly two years. And, it's high time to counteract all that merrymaking with some nail dirtying work. Send me some good vibes, I'm looking to catch that art school rhythm (again).

50:50 Invitations

The big day is fast approaching. Sights set on June 5th, exactly a month from today! Yesterday I threw together the invitations for the party and the lovely folks over at OfficeMax printed them the same day! Phew! I'm relieved to have that out of the way. Moving on to arranging the food, beverages, band and much more. The invitations are postcards printed on photo paper. I have been scanning old photos of my parents for a sideshow I plan to project on their barn. They have so many great shots. It was tough deciding which to use for the invitations. I finally chose this one, my favorite of the bunch. They are running to the getaway car after their wedding. It's classic. Keep an eye on your mailbox and get ready to rumble! We have a total of 100 years of life to celebrate!

Bar Sketcher

Since I'll be moving away from good ol' Norman town soon, I've created a loose 'bucket list.' I use the term 'loose' because I have so many list already that this one is a mental list, not worthy of paper. "Norman Specific"

A native to Norman, I'm ashamed to say that it took me 24 years to see Mike Hosty perform. He's a local celeb and rightfully so. He plays Sunday nights at 'The Deli' and boy, does he shake the house! Hitting the stage around 11pm on a weeknight, with a line out the door, he must be doing something right.

While he does play in the 'Hosty Duo,' (which I also plan on catching before I migrate) his solo act is rather impressive. A one-man-band!

After a few glasses of whiskey and a beer, I was ready to move. With bouncy, blues melodies, I couldn't help but shake all over. I can't remember the last time I had such a boot-scootin' evening! I was so pumped I decided to try my hand at life sketching in a bar (another thing I've never attempted). It was dark and I was to 'involved' to hold a pencil steady, but the the drawings are pretty entertaining. He mentioned a few of Norman's mainstays: Sugars, Ace Hardware and Sooner Dairy. Classy man. One of Hosty's 'schticks' is improvised Birthday songs. The friends of the honoree write down a few facts about them and Hosty takes it from there. One of four birthday stars, Kat, was also a shaker, cute girl! She was hoppin' around so much she was hard to capture-hard to handle! Strangely enough, as the night prolonged, my drawings seemed to get better (mildly). Again, it was dark, smokey and elbow-elbow. At least, I had a decent view. These drawings can't even begin to capture the Sunday night, Hosty experience. The energy grew exponentially as the night progressed, there was no way I was cuttin' lose before the bar closed. If you haven't done it-DO IT. If you can stand drinking bad beer-get the red cup (house specialty).