Windy Festivals & Dusty Trails

Despite being a bit wind blown, we thoroughly enjoyed our outing Friday afternoon in downtown Ft. W. for the 26th annual arts festival. There was no shortage of gusty breezes (clocked at 40+ mph) or artsy items offered up for sale; the vendor booths stretched for seven blocks along Main Street.

The artists generally do not allow people to take photos of their work; however, I was able to shoot pictures of some of the bigger pieces of sculpture without violating any rules. Mr. Smith, the girls, and I did not spend any $$$ on artwork, but we certainly had fun window shopping. The only items that I liked were too big, too expensive, and would require approval from our HOA to go in our 'hood.

My favorite artist at the fair is a sculptor from Seattle named Andrew Carson. His sculptures are colorful and whimsical.  http://windsculpture.com/index.html There are multiple moving parts on these pieces that the Texas breezes put into motion -- these pieces are a fusion of art and engineering. Prices ranged from $3,500 for a small sculpture to $8,000 for a larger one.

Mr. Smith's office is in downtown Ft. W. at 7th and Main, so he is all too familiar with this part of town. He normally works at home on Fridays, so it was rather cruel of us to have him take us to Sundance Square on his afternoon away from the office. We even saw several of Mr. S's coworkers at the festival. A highlight of the afternoon was being treated to a late lunch at one of the favorite workday eateries.

After a tasty yet "tad bit" breezy meal on the patio, we watched a few amazing feats performed by the Acrobats of Hebei China.

Ooooh!

Ahhhh!

Before we left the fair, I just had to shoot pics of a few more sculptures that definitely make a statement. These metal pieces have multiple moving parts, are colorful, and completely frivolous. I cannot imagine where I'd put this rooster if I were to buy it -- not that I would want to! He reminds me of a more vivid version of Cornelius, a.k.a. Corny, of Kellogg's Corn Flakes fame. He is kinda cute...

Longhorn and Longhairs

Much to Millie's dismay, we swung by the Justin Boot Outlet in Fort Worth before heading back to the ranch. Boy, howdy! The colorful array of western footwear lining the shelves was a feast for the eyes. It was a veritable "art festival" of boots!

Now that we have been in TX for over a year, three out of five Smiths agree that it is time to own a pair of honest-to-goodness western boots. My Okie husband has a pair of Justin lizard skin boots collecting dust in the closet. He's owned these boots for years; however, they are really pointy-toed and they just are not that comfortable. It was time for an updated look, any way.

We found just what we were looking for: fashion and comfort! And great prices.

These boots are made for walkin'...

It didn't take long to find the perfect pairs, but  try as we might, we just couldn't convince Millie Girl that she looked adorable wearing cowgirl boots. She'll come around. Maybe.

Mr. Smith ended up with "real cowboy" stirrup-friendly, full-quill ostrich boots. Yee-Ha! These beauties are even approved by the AQHA (American Quarter Horse Assoc.), so now all my big buckaroo needs is a horse to go with the boots. Liesey opted for high-heeled, "city-slicker" cowgirl boots, and I chose a stylish black and teal pair. No cowboy hats this time around. We're gonna have to ease into this western wear thing slowly.

Our salesman told us that we needed to go walk around in the dust and dirt before wearing our boots in public so the double-stitched welt doesn't look so clean, white, and conspicuously NEW! He ought to know about how to get the right look, as he shared with us that he's a rancher who owns over 100 pairs of cowboy boots. He works part-time at Justin just so he gets a discount on his boots. Maybe his corral is really filled with boots, not cattle...

I'm off to find that dusty trail. (I hope it's not windy.)

A Virtual Success

On April 18th, my niece, Rachel, will tie the knot! This is a pretty big deal since she is our first niece or nephew to say, "I do!"

My niece currently resides in Pennsylvania, and the rest of the relatives are scattered from here to there, and all points in between. It would have been a logistical nightmare to try to get Rachel's mom, grandma, cousins, and all of the aunties in one central location to shower the bride-to-be. On the day of the bridal shower, the party attendees were located in the following states: Arizona, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Wisconsin.

What was the solution to get everyone together? My resourceful and clever sister came up with the idea of hosting a virtual shower -- we are certain that this is a first-ever kind of event. Thanks to Skype, we were able to have up to ten video connections; however, we only needed nine.

Weeks before the scheduled event, the guests were instructed to purchase gifts and have them shipped to the bride's residence. Rachel was on the honor system as to whether or not she peeked in the packages as UPS, USPS, and FedEx delivered the boxes to her doorstep. Word has it that she resisted temptation.

My party-plannin' sister, AJ, had asked if Rachel wanted a specific theme to her shower, and the reply was that the bride wanted a "thong" party. That response was a joke, but my sister was off and running. In the 1970s, flip-flops were called thongs. I am not sure that "thongs" as we know them today even existed back then! AJ was able to find adorable party glasses and napkins with a flip-flop design. The flip-flop theme was perfect since Rachel and Chris will be getting married on the beach in Aruba.

 Party favor bags were shipped out to each of the attendees, who also were not supposed to open the bag until shower time. The bag included one party cup, one See's truffle, a flip-flop key ring, and a thong! A theme's a theme. (No thong shots...)

 Key Lime & Lemon truffles -- YUM!

 Party bags were lovingly assembled & ready to be shipped to various states.

 The soon-to-be-Mrs. posed with her unopened gifts.

 Our girl is all ready to be showered by her relatives.



Here are a couple of screen shots of the party attendees. Isn't technology wonderful?

It's especially wonderful when it works! And it did; however, it's virtually impossible to get twelve people in nine different locations to all smile for the camera at the same time.

It looks as if somebody is going to be cooking up a storm.

There is an old saying about marriage that says, "Kissin' don't last, cookin' do." Here's hoping that both last a long, long time! We are soooo happy for you, Rachel and Chris!

Having a Ball

If the shoe fits, wear it.  Our "Cinderella" had a fairy tale weekend, and 

here are a few photos to show you the show. ;-)

 We think these two are related... they certainly look and act alike!

 Mr. Smith and I both cried tears of joy as we watched the performances. It was a wonderful production, despite the assessment by our ballerina girl who claims that it was simply awful. Over the years, we have learned that all ballerinas are required to say that they did a terrible job, no matter what the ballet is or how good, bad, or ugly it was or wasn't. It's a "ballerina code" kind of thing. We saw the ballet with our own eyes, and it was NOT terrible, horrible, or awful. (Spoken like a proud parent...)

Our neighborhood princesses came to support the arts -- smiles all around.

The Thomson girls and Millie posed with Cindy-Lou.

The ballerinas in Liesey's company have had a couple days off to recover, but rehearsals are already underway for the next production.  Sleeping Beauty is on the calendar for June. Despite blistered heels, sore muscles, and bruises, the show must go on.