Monday, December 13, 2010

Dad's Visit to Dallas


Kate and Dad, December 2010
 My dad stopped by for a visit over the weekend (on his way back from meetings in Houston), and we had a great time! Amazing wine and food (Greek, Italian, Texan, and Indian!), and he was a huge help with some of the projects around the house that require a bit more handiness and patience than I've been able to scrounge up on my own. Our house now has properly installed thermal curtains in Roland's music room, an anti-burglary device on the patio door, a peephole in the front door, and an insect-repellent coating to deter any unwelcome critters from visiting us during the holidays.


Our favorite Dallas restaurant!




As I mentioned, we had some really great food over the weekend. My favorite, though, was Momo's Italian Specialties. It's a hole-in-the-wall little place next to a beauty supply store and a shady nightclub, but the food is absolutely out of this world. Everything is made from scratch by real Italians, and it's BYOB so you don't have to deal with outrageous mark-ups on the wine. Just bring your own!









Mike, one of the pickers, rides around on a bike
he found in someone's house.


Also while he was here, my dad introduced R and I to a show on the History Channel called "American Pickers," which we happened upon in our Netflix choices. It's about two guys who comb the midwest for eccentric people who "collect" (hoard) old stuff either in their house or in the sheds/barns/trash heaps on their property. The pickers make offers on just about anything they think they could sell in their antique store. It's amazing what they find (and the prices they'll pay for rusted old junk that most people would just throw away)!




A very rusty bike that the pickers dug out of
someone's yard and paid a lot for (more than $300!)







Sadly, my dad had to leave this morning to return to snowy Ohio, and now it's back to the grindstone at work.


2 comments:

  1. I'm so glad that you and Roland had such a nice time with Dad! He only has good stories to tell about the visit.

    I've caught a couple of live episodes of American Pickers before and it is really interesting.

    I once saw them picking through this older fella's tumbledown barn, but he was reluctant to let them look alone so he followed them around on his riding mower. Then, they took too long debating over what they wanted to take and the guy got spooked/impatient and was charging them ridiculous amounts (imagine, like, $1,000,000) for some really questionable items, like a broken, old lamp.

    I think they ended up walking away with little-to-nothing between them except an exchange of incredulous looks. Shame - they had to leave behind some good stuff!

    Anyway, I would never pay that much for a bike. Last time Mom and I went bike shopping, the sales attendant really pressured me into taking a bike for a test-ride around the parking lot, and this was before I really knew how to ride one (as in pre-last-year).

    So, I pedaled around for a few feet then fell over into a scrubby median and started to cry. Everyone felt really bad. Then we went home.

    Dad and I have built a bike in the meantime, out of two non-functioning bikes, but needless to say that too has ceased to work.

    I think I'm through with bikes.

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  2. I thought photos of JM were not permitted, or maybe it'sthat I'M no longer permitted to photograph him. I think it has something to do with photos I took of him on the "sticky wall" at Mikey's party 8 years ago. Hmph!

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