First Time in Texas

In my last post I listed a bunch of stuff that I've done in the year since I've moved to North Carolina. I also mentioned that there were plenty of other things out there that I probably forgot, but would mention when they came to mind. Here is one!

In October my buddy Jim made it possible for me to to visit him and make my first trip to the big state of Texas. I must admit that I was in Texas one other time, but that was only for the plane to land, let some passenger off and let others on while I was heading to Portland, Oregon. This time I was able to get off the plane and breath Texan air. I was able to swing a weekend off and it just so happened to be the weekend of Jim's company picnic that was being held at the Alliance Airfield in Fort Worth on October 11 the same weekend as the Fort Worth Alliance Airshow, one of the premier airshows in the country. So another first for me would be to attend an airshow - not really knowing what to expect. But more about that in a little bit. I flew down to Texas after work on Friday night and arrived just after dark with Jim waiting in the airport to meet me. It was a great long weekend getting to visit with my best friend, meet his new Texas friends, see some sights, drink some beer and visit some more with my best friend.

On Saturday his friend Shayne joined us as we headed to the Fort Worth Alliance Airport. My buddy's company abuts the airport and they were a corporate sponsor of the show in 2008. So the day was also the company picnic being held at the airport with front line viewing of all the festivities. A tent is set up for the employees and their guests with catered picnic food - some of my favorites; hot dogs, chili, burgers, grilled chicken, salad and chips on one side -- on the other side; soda, bottled water, Coors and Coors Light. It was a nice set-up and all you could eat and drink, although the beer was limited.

As I have said, this was my first time at an airshow, I knew there would be planes flying around, but didn't know there were other planes around the area that you could get up close and personal with. Military jets, commercial planes, helicopters and personal aircraft all displayed out in the open with people to explain what you were looking at. A bright clear sunny sky made for a great day. The highlight of the day was a performance by the Air Force Thunderbirds - the precision stunt team of the USAF. All I can say is AMAZING. It's hard to describe everything that they did, but it is hard to believe that these planes could be flying just feet from each other, turning together and passing each other from opposite directions and again coming within feet of the other planes all while rock music is blasting from the loudspeakers all around the airfield. It was interesting to see how the roar of the jets' engines can be used as part of their defences. At one point in the show every one's attention is directed to one side of the airfield as two jets perform and go off in the distance - within seconds another jet has "sneaked up" from behind, already on top of us before we even hear it. Truly AMAZING (as I mentioned before).

The part of the show that I found the most moving is when they paired up fighter aircraft of both World Wars with current fighter aircraft. Prop fighters that were the state of the art of their era flying side by side with the supersonic jet fighters of today. It really drove home how far science and technology has advanced in the past 100 years or so. Of course if I had written this back in October I could tell you more about the planes and what they did and I'm sorry I didn't do it right away.

Sunday was a trip to the NorthPark Center Mall in Dallas. Opened in the early 60's it is an open and airy indoor mall that has the distinction of housing a lot of artwork.
From the mall it was off to a bar to meet some more friends and just hang out on a Sunday afternoon and evening. Being a Giant fan, it was fun to be in a bar in Dallas watching the Cowboys loose a game in overtime. It's amazing how those Texas fans were cheering like they won the Super Bowl just because the game went into overtime ... but it got real quiet, real quick when they lost the game shortly into the overtime period.

It was a great trip and one that was definitely needed. My buddy's new house in a Dallas suburb near the DFW Airport is beautiful. Great curb appeal with lots of little unique accents inside and out - with a gorgeous pool and whirlpool in the backyard with a fire pit and a huge built in grill. The master bedroom is on the ground floor with access out to the patio and backyard, making it easy to live on the first floor of the house only needing to venture to the second floor when entertaining visitors. A nice large eat-in kitchen, formal dining room, entrance parlor, large living room and laundry room round out the first floor with a nice flow around the house. It seemed very comfortable for the time I was there.

I returned to Charlotte relaxed and in a great mood to see that he was getting acclimated to his surroundings. I enjoyed my first visit to Dallas and Texas in general and I can't wait to pay another visit, see more of the state perhaps. Words really cannot express my thanks for the opportunity to make this visit and truly can't wait to visit with my best buddy again soon!!

Thanks for reading and see you soon!