I was unaware as to what Bone Daddy's was outside of a place recommended for really good ribs. So, I tell my folks when they came up a while back about the good food this place was supposed to have. My dad is all in. He loves a good rib. We get there, the parking lot was packed, figured the lunch crowd. I trailed or little group getting inside the door... My step mom is standing there being greeted by a girl dressed in less then most would wear to a pool party! Everywhere there are girls dressed in flashy low-hip hugging, breast thrusting outfits. Jewelry hung from navels, tats enblazed various parts of anatomy. No joke, models every one! NOT what I was expecting! I'm not a prude trust me, but a little warning would have been nice! I was worried more about my step mom, but she went in despite it all. She was the only female there not employeed by the establishment! But hey, this is a food review right? We had to sit at the bar and wait for a table. The bar is festooned with TVs overhead, beside tables, you won't miss a minute of the action (unless you're checking out your waitress!). We finally got seated, the place is quite nice. Cool decorations: neon, signage and art, cover the walls. The waitress was pleasant, timely and made sure we had everything we needed. Dad and I got the half rack of ribs, served with two sides. I got the grilling beans (excellent) and the sweetcorn (not so excellent). Spice seems to be the order of the day here. The corn had a sweet salsa in it. Not a winner. My step mom got a salad. A BIG bowl, teeming with turkey and onion rings (I took those - good stuff). The ribs were terrific. The meat was falling of the bone! Great tasting too. All-in-all this place has some really good food. Bone Daddy's may not really a family themed place, but great for the boys!

If you're Discovery Networks, it's Shark Week. If you're the Travel Channel, it's China Week. If you're me and Trinity, it's Texas week, yee-ha! My former husband/Trinity's dad lives in Texas. We have evolved to become pretty good friends, provided that we remain 800 miles away from each other the majority of the time. We headed down there to stay at his most recent luxury hotel, the Gaylord Texan, which is in Grapevine TX, near DFW. This is not the type of establishment I normally frequent. I like hostels, I like the Holiday Inn, I like my friends' couches. I don't usually take trips and then spend time in my actual living quarters. I was torn between non-belief that people pay exorbitant amounts of money to stay there for a single night, when others in the world are starving and dying every day, and just trying to relax and enjoy it. It's a resort and convention center, so I imagine a lot of the guests are there for conventions. The inside of the hotel is a dome, filled with thousands of real plants (there's one fake plant there, a replica of a tree, which cost $250,000 to make. Crazy!). There are sidewalks, bridges, stores, a huge fountain, and even a riverwalk modeled after the one in San Antonio. The inside of the hotel alone was the size of an entire quaint tourist trap of a town. The temperature inside is set to 72 degrees. Our room had a balcony which overlooked the indoor city. Because it was a dome, it actually seemed as though the balcony was outside. I actually started to place our swimming suits on the chair, until I realized they wouldn't dry any faster, because it was colder "outside" than inside. One thing I found personally enjoyable is that there were photographs of sexy cowboys on the walls... so much more exiting than the drab painting of a cactus I'd expect to find. Outside, they had an actual grapevine, the only grapevine, the sign said, built on the grounds of a hotel. The hotel was unlike any I've ever stayed at, although I've only stayed at three luxury hotels in my life, so who knows if I can even judge?

I've wanted to go to Dallas for a long time, specifically for one reason which I'll get to shortly. I guess in my previous daydreams about it, I did not travel there in the summer. It's hot in Texas. It's hot everywhere I go lately! It's always hot in Texas, but it did not help when I turned on the Weather Channel that morning in Milwaukee and saw that Dallas was indeed currently breaking the ALL TIME high temperature ever recorded for July 28th. It was like 106 when we first got there. Not the hottest place I've been to, but still ridiculously hot. I'm from Wisconsin. To me, anything over 85 degrees is extremely hot. 106 degrees is like being in an oven. It feels like I'm not actually there at all. I seriously think my judgement is clouded in the same way it might be if I had a horrible migraine. But we toughed it out, and headed to the Rangers/Mariners game at The Ballpark in Arlington. What a great and ridiculous name for a baseball stadium, I love it! I loved the stadium. It looked almost exactly like Miller Park, except that where our Midwest sign is, they have a Southwest sign. I was a little confused about who to cheer for. I didn't care either way who won, and the crowd didn't seem very excited. It reminded me of Milwaukee before all the fair weather fans got on the bandwagon in the past couple seasons. The Mariners got off to a quick lead, and I imagined that drained them of a lot of excitement. Frankly, Trinity and I spent more time looking at the digital thermometer below the Starbucks ad, waiting for the moment the temperature would go from three figures to two. It got down to 96, woo-hoo! I also texted my friend Kristi who is from Texas to tell her how hot it was. She called me a wuss, deservedly so. I spent a lot of time repeating "Holy shit, it's hot!" and other such phrases. The best part of the game was when they played "Deep in the Heart of Texas" along with the words scrolling across the scoreboard! God, Texas is such a cliche! Trinity and I really got into it the entire time we were there. Trinity kept saying "Yeeee doggy, I'm a country boy!" in this fabulous accent. Whenever someone said "y'all" to us, we would high five each other. It really is exactly how I imagined, i.e. a cartoon.

This is a pretty good little wine fest in the Dallas area. They have Non-stop entertainment on four stages there is a Carnival and Midway for all ages. The People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic is always a hit. There is even a Kid's Zone which make this very family freindly. The GrapeStomp is also a fun thing to watch if you are not willing to get into the barrels and stomp. The Vintner's Auction is an event in itself. They also do a Texas Wine Tribute as well as hold the Tennis Classic. There is really something for everyone. The times for the 2008 festival are as follows: Thursday, September 11 10:00am - 10:30pm FREE ADMISSION Friday, September 12 10:00am - 5:00pm FREE ADMISSION Friday, September 12 5:00pm - 11:30pm Saturday, September 13 10:00am - 11:30pm Sunday, September 14 11:00am - 6:00pm As you can see, if you get there before on Thursday or Friday before 5pm, it's free admission. If not, Admission is: Adults $8 Seniors (62+) & Children (6-12) $5 Children 5 & under FREE Weekend Pass Pin $18 Souvenir Weekend Pass Pin $23 There is so much to do and see, take advantage of the location and stay a couple of days. There are plenty of hotels close by as well as a large air conditioned mall.

The Rain Forest Café is really what their tag line says, “A Wild Place to Shop and Eat.” My friend and I had lunch there and was it wild. I have been to many other locations including San Francisco, CA; Las Vegas, NV; Seattle, WA and this one  here in  Grapevine, Texas, many times and  never realized just how much fun this place really was.

If you have never experienced one, you must. The entire atmosphere from the rain storm that occurs every so many minutes to the elephants that come a charging make this place as much fun as Disneyland. I just love watching the young kids get excited over the mechanical alligator in the front of the store where they can throw pennies at it and try and make it into its mouth, to the loud music playing in the gift shop on the way.
 

The retail shop is really fun with all kinds of unique t-shirts hats and fun items for young and old. It can get a bit pricey, so be prepared.  I love that they have the mugs with your names on them. I never can seem to find one with Britt, but they did have William.

When you enter the restaurant section, you see this lush tropical rain forest décor with live tropical fish tanks throughout. The cascading waterfalls really add to the feel of being in a forest.

The menu is pretty is pretty varied with a good selection of salads, burgers, seafood and pasta. The best part of the meal is the sparkling volcano chocolate dessert. If not just the visual aspects of it, chocolate lovers will be in heaven. They do have a kids menu which is very good. I had a salad, somewhat pricey, but the fun of just hanging out and enjoying the place made it a fun trip. There is a lot to see and do here, so check them out. They have locations in Canada, England, France, Japan, Mexico and Turkey.

This is the best place to take a group or a good place if just want to get and feel good. I take my students form the college here at least once a sememster and they just love it. It is a very clean and inviting place to visit. I brought a group over for team building as well. The staff is really involved and will do whatever they can to help you achieve your goals. I just wanted everyone to get to know each, begin to trust each other and mostly to have fun with each other. They did. Every person has to sign a release for, but do it once, you are put in the computer and don't have to do it again. It that simple. There are plenty of walls to climb. They have very simple walls that one can do on his own and more advanced walls where you will need someone to help you. They other challenging climbing activities including the roap, the ladder and the upside down wall. I was pretty proud of myself for making it to the top of various walls. It is a good feeling and everyone just seems to have a good time. You can rent everything you need like shoes, chalk etc. Go for the entire packet, it is worth it. They sell drinks, have clean restrooms with showers, nice couches sit and wait or to just rest and good quality gear. It a good place to go when in the metro plex and then we always head over to Grapevine Mills mall for something to eat before heading back to Kilgore.

Each year a groupd of us head over to the Grapevine and do some indoor rock climbing. It is a hoot. We all think we are something else. We laugh, fall, struggle and just have a good time. Here are some photos of just how much fun anyone can have no matter what size you are. The prices are fair and the facility is really cleanand safe.

They best video I took was of Chad. Watch it and you will see why. Everyone seemed to be successful climbing and enjoyed themselves. Can't wait to the next adventure over there.

When you have a connecting flight at D/FW, bring running shoes and pay attention to changes in gates.  You will likely end up running from one end to the other.  Good luck in your travels.

The Gaylord Texan is a great place to stay or just to pass through and check out.  It is very unique, and there definitely isn't another hotel like it.