Dallas and Austin, my old stomping grounds

Again I'm relying on memory in writing this entry...if any of you daily bloggers have recommendations on how to actually write on a daily basis, please share! I keep letting time pass but I obsess on spreading the word about these great places and things, so I guess it's better late than never.

My grandmother's 95th birthday took me to Dallas last month (she's doing pretty well, thanks for asking!), so I was delighted to be able to see my ol' peeps and visit some new spots, including Fireside Pies, which had terrific pizza and is clearly a hot spot. It's in my old hood near I-75 and Henderson. Back when I lived there many moons ago it was not exactly the hippest neighborhood (okay, we regularly heard gunshots) but now it's like total Hipsterville. Too funny. My cousin Diane and I made our way to Turtle Creek one day and explored a bit of the Katy Trail , a 3.5-mile pedestrian and bicycle path, traces the greenbelt along which the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas (MKT or "Katy") Railroad. Oh how I would have loved that little trail back in the day!

After a few days in Big D my mom and I hit the road for Austin but made some delightful stops along the way, including darling little Waxahachie. I don't even want to know the price on the amazingly huge and gorgeous Victorian homes lining those old streets, it'll make me want to pack up and become a Waxahachie housewife. The old town square is so cute! We stopped for a milkshake at Trinity Pharmacy, which was built in 1913, smells like your grandmother's attic, is lined with dusty apothecary bottles and offers Campbell's Soup on the menu! Look how cute mom is at the soda fountain!

We made our way down the back roads to Forreston in search of one of my all-time favorite shops, Bon Ton. It's been almost ten years since I found my way to that dusty old place, and we did at last find it, but alas it's closed on Tuesdays! But for all you vintage-loving shoppers, put this on your to-do list one day. It's am amazing huge old place and the owners are delightful and always have fantastic old jazz music playing. And oh my I just realized they have online shopping now! That's very dangerous.

Next up - Austin yee haw!