"Poetry is when an emotion has found its thought and the thought has found words." --Robert Frost

Did you know September is National Poetry Month? I am a fan of Charles Coe, a poet, writer, teacher, musician (vocals and didgeridoo) and all around nice guy from the Boston area. A lot of talent! Although I couldn't attend in person, I was able to view his interactive writing workshop, poetry readings from his new book, Purgatory Road, and listen to his a capello vocal work live Sunday on You Tube. What a treat! I have no inclination to write but his writing exercises got me thinking. To top it off?  He's a great chef.

Do you know what a didgeridoo is? It is a wind instrument most strongly associated with Indigenous Australian music. It is played with vibrating lips to produce a continuous drone while using circular breathing. Traditionally it was used in ceremonies. 

Have you ever seen a Cattle drive?  Besides on TV that is. Well, I hadn't but I have now.  The Fort Worth Historic Stockyards has the world's only twice a day Longhorn Cattle drive and it is one of Fort Worth's top attractions. I was picturing a lot of cows when in reality it was closer to a dozen. Still interesting to see. The announcer pointed out the potential dangers of the cattle. We were told to stay out of the street during the drive and to stand, not sit. He said scientific evidence had proven we could run faster if we were standing. Why do cows have bells? Because their horns don't work. 

I always feel bad when animals are pressed into service. I felt a little better that they named them. 

People were lined up along the street waiting for the cattle drive.

Look at those horns! Pat overheard a very well-endowed lady, "Can you imagine carrying those around? It's about like carrying these!"

The Live Stock Exhange building was built in 1902 and was once known as the "Wall Street of the West." It houses a museum and professional offices.

The 3,418 seat Cowtown Colliseum is next to the Live Stock Exchange. Built in 1908, and refurbished in 1986, it hosts rodeos, sporting events and concerts. Elvis Presley once performed there.

Originally we picked Hooker's Grill (supposedly to have one of the best burgers in town), located in the Stockyard area, for lunch. They encourage you to "support your local Hookers," lol. Like many places, though, they were closed on Mondays (Tuesdays too). 

You select your meat right off the grill. We shared half a chicken which was delicious.

This BBQ sauce enhances the flavor they said. It was very runny and vinegary.

The Fort Worth Water Gardens were built downtown in 1974 and are free. No swimming or wading. In 1976 the movie Logan's Run filmed here. 

I'm heading down, not too bad. Coming back up I was very careful.

At the bottom.

Pat looked pretty little from down there. 

Pat climbed "The Mountain."

The view from on top.

The Aerated Pool

The Quiet Water Pool

Downtown Fort Worth 

There are some world events that you remember well and may even know where you were when they happened. On 9/11 I was driving from Palmyra, MO to Ottumwa, IA when they broke in on the radio with the special report. 

I don't remember much from my early years, but on Fri. Nov. 22, 1963 I was in Kindergarten (Mrs. Larsen, Pickwick Elementary, morning class, in Ottumwa). I remember not having school on Monday, Nov. 25 because of President Kennedy's funeral.

First I must say it was 94° Monday, 1° shy of  the all-time record. It was sunny. And my back hurt--really bad. And neither of us likes city driving (at least a 30 min. drive from the Water Gardens). Finally, the 6th floor Kennedy Assassination museum on Dealey Plaza was closed on Monday.  Our final stop today was going to be at John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza in Dallas, one block from Dealey Plaza where President Kennedy was assassinated. As we left the Water Gardens to head to Dallas we came across a memorial 1 block away from the Water Gardens marking the speech delivered by President Kennedy in the early morning hours of Nov. 22, 1963 in Fort Worth. Shortly after the speech he was assassinated in Dallas. Pat and I looked at each other and both had the same thought, we were done for the day.

Memorial to JFK commemorating his speech in Fort Worth shortly before he was assassinated in Dallas. This was our substitute for the JFK Memorial in Dallas.

Pat sure had a lot of repairs and tasks while we were in Houston. Coming back from Galveston Island State Park was with it's share of problems. As we were leaving the park the RV step wouldn't retract. Pat disconnected power, used a bungee to hold it up, and replaced the motor and gear box when we got back to Houston. When we got to Houston we also had one window that had separated from it's bracket (lucky it didn't fall off on the road) and another window where the double pane was separating. Both fixed. 

Pat had to replace 2 draw brackets in the bedroom and he also noticed a plug hanging below the RV. It connects to the engine block heater on the other end but no idea where that end of the plug is supposed to plug into. A question for Thor when we go to the Thor Diesel Rally in Goshen, IN in Sept.

Where are the Piepers now? Pilot Point, TX