Category: Places to Go

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Kansas City Meetup

The snow has canceled school from as far west as Fort Worth, up through Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and then swiped an eastern path across the midwest states all the way to the East Coast and up through New England.

I called my sister in Kansas and she told me that schools are closed there for today, too. She has been home all day trying to learn how to use her new pc, installing her instant messenger and setting up a new email account. She’s learning her way around the internet – finally. She even surprised me with the confession that she’s hoping to start dating by using the internet.

Well, she’s been divorced for over two years. I say its about time she started dating. Especially if she uses a quality dating site like Great Expectations. I know my sister, and she’s not interested in a lot of casual dating. She wants to meet a nice guy and be in love again. If she signs up for Great Expectations Kansas City she can attend some of their local events that let people actually meet in a comfortable, non-threatening environment and really get to know someone. I’m glad she’s making the effort now – she deserves to be happy.

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Tear It Up In Cow Town

Tyler says he’s getting six horses next weekend and that will fill the new barn. He was so excited and I know his folks are really proud of him for coming home to help.

His dad has been sick but actually responding well to the chemo. He’s already outlived the original prognosis of 6 months to live by over 2 years. So that says a lot for good doctors and catching cancer early. Sounds like chemo really wipes you out, but it’s the only weapon we’ve got against the big “C.”

I think one of the worst things about being stuck on a big ranch in the middle of Nowhere, Texas, is that you don’t meet many girls. He says he hardly ever goes into town to just go drinking and dancing. So maybe my visit will help him with that, because I plan on dragging him out to the clubs for at least a couple of nights. Watch out, Cow Town!

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New Boots from Cavender’s

It just occurred to me that I have not ridden a horse since before college. When I go out to Fort Worth to see Tyler and his family I know that riding will be involved. Horses are his life and I need to get up to speed. You don’t just jump up on a horse’s back and ride off across the plains. You have to work your way up to it.

I don’t even have a decent pair of cowboy boots. I have a pair of dress boots, but I need a pair of real, working boots to take out there. Ideally I can find a pair on the internet and wear them around the house for a couple weeks to break them in. Worst case, I’ll have to buy a pair in Texas.

Either way, I’ll probably be shopping for the boots at Cavender’s Boot City. Last time I was in Houston I stopped at a Cavender’s and bought my Charlie One Horse hat. I love that hat, and the girls go wild when I wear it. No brag – just being honest.

Cavender’s has everything for riding and western wear. They have jeans, cowgirl boots, hats, and even the big belt buckles that caught Craig Ferguson’s attention.

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Heading to Ft. Worth

My buddy out in Texas must have been reading my mind while I was thinking about cowboy hats and ranches, because he gave me a call this morning to say howdy. He’s been out in Fort Worth a little over two years – ever since his mom called with the news that his dad was diagnosed with cancer and they needed help with the horses.

They have a big ranch and Tyler had to get a big barn built that his dad started before he got too sick to deal with it. It’s finished and Tyler wants me to come see. I can’t image what a $400,000 dollar barn will look like, but I’m going to find a way to get out for a visit.

I hear that some of the horse’s at Tyler’s ranch have championship lines. One of horses brings in so much in stud fees that they family could give up everything else on the ranch and live comfortably on just those fees. But, horses don’t live forever, and they actually like the other horses, going to rodeos, and boarding horses for other people.

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Paintball Fields

The local paintball field is only about 10 minutes from my house, but with a little searching I found over 30 paintball fields just in Tennessee. That’s exciting, because playing on a new field is what makes it challenging. Besides the field looking different and having different geological aspects – rocks, ditches, shrubs and bushes, trees, there are different philosophies on how they are run by the owners and the refs.

The worst thing about the fields close to me is all the newbies – or noobs. The game does attract a lot of teenagers who act the fool. Best thing you can do is go really early – the fields usually open around 10:00 and close well before dark. Teens like to sleep late on Saturdays, so getting there early puts you in with the other more serious players.

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Spring Break Means Florida

Ever since I was a little kid my family has always gone to Florida at least once a year, usually for Spring Break. I can’t imagine going anywhere else for Spring Break – it’s our family tradition.

My parents bought a condo in New Port Ritchie back in the 1970’s. It used to be a small town with less tourists than most of the Orlando area developments. Of course, after all these years the area has grown and its more crowded now. But it is still a little different feel than closer in to Orlando – less crowds, less traffic, less noise and less kids.

Last year when we went to the condo we decided to explore some of the other little cities and towns that were close by and not spend so much time in the theme parks. We had a nice time exploring the Gulf Coast, and that area is still my favorite spot in the United States. I haven’t found any place nicer.

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Boating After Dark

My grandmother has a little condo down in Florida on the Gulf Coast and she just bought another little fishing boat to take out in the canals and Everglades. She has always loved to go fishing but she also likes to just cruise along watching for wildlife, like American Bald Eagles, manatees and dolphins.

She’s promised to take me out on the new boat when I come down for a visit during spring break. I asked her if she has the boat fully outfitted yet and she told me that she still needs a spotlight and backup motor. I might be able to help her out with the spotlight. I’d like to get her something nice as a thank you gift for having me stay with her in March.

My dad told me about a good web site called www.magnalight.com to get boat and truck lights, so I’m clicking over there for a bit. Just have to decide if I want the light shipped here so I can take it down there with me, or should I just have it sent right to her. The site has a special offer of free shipping on orders over $200 and they take all the major credit cards, including Paypal.

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Top City Choices

At lunch we were talking about the different cities across the United States and how the quality of life can differ so greatly depending upon where you choose to live. Of course, a lot of the discussion was subjective and how you define desirable qualities can change due to external factors, personal experience, and even media coverage.

In my current situation, a high quality of life involves nice but affordable housing in safe neighborhoods, a dynamic downtown with professional sports and cultural activities, and lots of opportunities for outdoor sports and recreation – such as lakes and rivers, state parks, etc.

Cities at the top of my personal list include:

  1. Austin, TX
  2. Nashville, TN
  3. Birmingham, AL
  4. Charlotte, NC
  5. Raleigh, NC
  6. Athens, GA
  7. Mobile, AL
  8. Louisville, KY
  9. Ft. Worth, TX
  10. St. Louis, MO

Well, just making a list has started me thinking that I should check out the different cities and see if I should be considering a move in the near future. One of the best ways to get to know an area is to work with a knowledgeable realtor and to be totally open and honest with them about your intentions to just look around.

I was able to find help with Austin real estate by clicking on the HomeCity.com web site and drilling down to the neighborhood and agent. That’s one of the things that I like about HomeCity – you can choose an area and neighborhood if you know where you want to buy, or you can click on the general area and get plenty of detailed information.

I know enough about Austin to be dangerous. The major areas in Austin includes Eanes, Rolling Hills, Round Rock, Lake Travis and the outskirts that make up the greater Austin TX region. So I’ll use HomeCity.com to help me find a broker experienced in the Austin Real Estate market and get help learning more about the different neighborhoods and local quality of life.

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Beaches on My Mind

I get a weekly email from a travel destinations site with features of different places and vacation packages. This week the email features beaches, called “Seven affordable, under the radar, beach destinations.” Well, I was most interested in the “affordable” part but the “under the radar” part intrigued me, as well. So I gave it a look.

The first beach they featured is in Venezuela, called Los Roques. This is not really just one beach. Los Roques is an archipelago of 42 sandy islands and over 300 mangrove islets, located about 80 miles north of the Caracas coast. Most Los Roques islands are uninhabited, and the few that have hotels have very small, primitive accommodations.

They recommended the tiny, six-room hotel called “Posada Movida.” Their bed and breakfast rates start at $75 per person per night. Now that is a bargain. You can barely get a Red Roof Inn in Atlanta for $75 a night! After some investigation I found it’s a better deal to get the all inclusive rate of $120 per person, which covers all meals with wine at dinner, and an all day island boat tour.