Fort Worth, Texas - Week #73

Sunday, July 6th

While Ken was in Australia, he called and asked if I had taught Francesca how to do the lighting focus. "That way," he said "during the 22 one-weekers we can all take turns." I remember thinking, "Yeah right, there's no way I'm sticking around for all of those!" Cut to Fort Worth, Texas, the end of the one-weekers: I'm still happily traveling with Spamalot.

We bussed over from San Antonio on Monday. It was an easy bus ride, right around four hours. We motored past Austin and Waco putting me in mind of a song I heard at the Austin City Limits Festival a few years ago called Miles and Miles of Texas: "I rode up to Cowtown the cradle of the west, just ask any cowboy he'll tell you it's the best - I saw miles and miles of Texas." When we arrived in Fort Worth, I got a pleasant surprise: the hotel gods had smiled on me and put me in a one bedroom at the Candlewood. I have gone on before about how much I enjoy the Candlewood hotels, but the one bedroom variation makes for an even more delightful stay!

Gurr on the bus

TVFMHRW - Fort Worth
There were horses in the pasture across the road!

Karl and I took in a Fort Worth Cats game Monday night. The cats play in the American Association of Independent Baseball (like the St. Paul Saints). Baseball has a long history in Fort Worth and the Cats name was used on a Dodgers farm team that played at LaGrave Field until the Dodgers moved to LA. In 2001, the franchise was revived and in 2002 LaGrave Field was rebuilt to bring baseball back to Fort Worth. The Cats took on their cross-town rivals (the Grand Prairie AirHogs - Grand Prairie is a North Dallas suburb) on a beautiful June evening. Dodger, the Cats' mascot, made his entrance riding a Vespa around the warning track - he even jumped it over the mound in the bullpen - and helped the crowd beat the Texas heat with a supersoaker. The Cats easily handled the AirHogs 9-1 to hold onto their lead in the Southern Division. After the game, a local bank presented some really enjoyable fireworks!

Karl & JV at LaGrave Field

Dodger and his Supersoaker

Bass Performance Hall was Spamalot's home in Fort Worth. Bass Hall is located in the heart of downtown Fort Worth. Opened in 1998, it's home to the Fort Worth Symphony, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera as well as much of Casa Mana's season. The theatre itself is well equipped backstage while still providing an intimate setting for the audience (there are only about 2,000 seats). It is the building's facade, however, that really makes an impression. Two 48' tall angels grace the building's facade. Their golden trumpets extend out over the street. The effect is quite striking - in an "every thing's bigger in Texas" sort of way.

The facade of Bass Performance Hall

Much of the stay in Fort Worth was dedicated to getting ready for the trip to Canada (exchanging money, switching cell phone plans and discovering customs regulations), but I did revisit the Fort Worth Stockyards. This time the weather cooperated and I was able to see the famous Fort Worth Cattle Drive. The city maintains the Fort Worth Herd: a dozen or so longhorns, a handful of horses and cowboys. Twice a day, the longhorns parade past the Livestock Exchange Building in a simulated cattle drive. Of course, these cattle aren't being driven to their doom and are pretty docile - good thing since tourists and cars line the street!

The lead cowboy was saying: "Come on, cattle."

JV & Pecos Bill the longhorn

The Spamily took a late night trip over to Dallas to indulge in some Whirlyball and I'm happy to report that I scored my first goal! Whirlyball is such silly fun that it surprises me how competitive we can all get in our bumpercars. We hadn't played since November, so it took a minute to get reacquainted and to get some of the new people into the swing of things but after a few rounds (and the requisite pizza and beer) we were all zooming along shouting for the ball.

The company threw a party on Friday night to celebrate the end of the one-weekers. It was in a neat room on top of a downtown restaurant under a plastic dome. There was plenty of tasty food and free drinks 'til midnight. Ken gave a nice toast to the company and especially to our hardworking crew. A good time was had by all.

I hit two more roadfood joints. Joe T. Garcia's is a Fort Worth TexMex institution. Opened in 1935, they've been slinging enchiladas near the stockyards from their little green and white house for more than 70 years. The place has grown outward from the clapboard house and now includes several buildings and a large garden. There are precisely two items on their dinner menu: enchiladas and fajitas. I can vouch for the enchilada dinner - delicious, especially when accompanied by a margarita and served poolside! The second roadfood recommendation was Angelo's barbecue. This joint is classic Texas barbecue. Served on school lunch trays in a place that feels like a VFW hall with all manner of mounted wild game heads on the wall. I wasn't wild for their barbecue, but Angelo's was the real deal.

Margarita poolside at Joe T's

I ate so much Mexican food during the two weeks we were in Texas, I thought I might turn into an enchilada! But when it's that tasty, it's hard to pass up (& Canada isn't exactly famous for it's tortillas...)

Monday morning we all packed up our cases and decamped for a foreign land. It was with much anticipation that we boarded our flights for Vancouver - whole days off at last and a month without repacking our suitcases!

An album of my photos from Fort Worth is here.

JV