Willow Glen's got Nothing on Dallas!

Growing up in San Jose, I remember ooohing and aaahhing as we drove through the big beautiful homes in Willow Glen to look at their holiday lights. These homes all had a decorated Christmas tree in their front yard and row upon row would be lit up at Christmas time. My Dallas apartment is right on the edge of Highland Park - Dallas' big beautiful house neighborhood. Some things never change, they just get taken to a different level.

In Dallas the Christmas lights are an attraction. Dallas has specialized companies that will install the Christmas lights to your specifications and the displays put the Neiman Marcus windows to shame. These homes are in the five thousand square foot plus range, on quarter acre or larger lots and every shrub, tree and fence is covered in lights. Full sizes Santas and Angels and Christmas Trees adorn the windows. Full scale dioramas in the front yards. Every architectural detail highlighted in spotlights and Christmas lights. Even the 30 foot tall trees have string upon string of lights illuminating every leaf, every inch of bark, and swaying in the Dallas wind.

Miles of cars creep up and down the streets as kids in the back press their noses to the window, eyes wide enough to reflect the thousands of colorful lights. To enjoy the lights in style, there are a couple options. You can hire a horse drawn carriage to take you up and down these ornate and exclusive streets. Another option is to rent a limo. This option allows you to drink and party with 15 of your closest friends.

If only I had 15 friends, I'd throw them into the back of a limo and drink too much and enjoy the balmy weather of a Dallas Christmas.

Texas State Fair

The Texas State Fair runs for 24 days and we were there for the last day. Susie is such a fun friend. She was starving when we got there so she ate the first thing she could. It was an awful hamburger but as we were sitting for her to eat, I told her about mom’s murder. She handled it really well and then we went on with the day. We had makeovers – she had each eye done differently and went around all day that way. We went to the Neiman exhibit, flew over the fairgrounds, saw cars and pigs and steer, oh my. We ran into some friends of mine and they gave us the lowdown on the “award winning fried foods”. It seems frying things is some what of a sport here in Texas. We got the inside scoop on the fried food “winners” and ate fried guacamole and fried cookie dough. We sat in the grass and watched the sunset and the people and chatted. The weather was perfect and the mood at the fair was electric. We wandered through the auto show and shared chocolate covered strawberries. We gave our tokens for the skyway to two kids and wandered through the animals. Pigs and Steer and Lambies. As we were leaving I gave my tickets to a 3 year old girl with dark hair and big eyes. Her eyes sparkled with her good fortune. Magical.

My Sunday Ritual

I love Sundays. Like most days, it has a certain ritual to it that feels comfortable. I like to head off to church first thing. My church starts at 9AM and that seems a little late for me - even on Sunday. I like following the little ant trail of cars into church. Then finding something cheerful and warm to say to my greeter. I like sitting up front and connecting with someone. I like crying during the service. Then I am off to Costco.

I like getting to Costco before most folks are out of bed. I want to wander down the aisles and not worry about running into people. [When I am in Silicon Valley, most people at Costco on Sunday morning are asian....and they are fine with me running into them]. I like to rummage through the warm bread and peruse the fine wine.

I am not a big "studier of wine", I just like it when my man picks out something wonderful for me. My buddy Don is a sommalier and he's teaching me about wine. We went through the smells and what each pallet likes. He showed me some merlots and a chablis. I know I am not a chardonnay fan, the whole buttery thing makes me want to gag. So, he pulls out a riesling. I like it. It's not too sweet like my old white zin of the 80s [remember when that pink white zin from sutter home was everywhere!?] and it's lighter than a heavy chardonnay. So, I am at costco looking for a riesling.

There is a really pretty blue bottle, oh, and it's a riesling, oh, and it's under $10 perfect! I throw two bottles into the cart and cover my nipples as I head to the walk-in vegetable fridge. I wind through the warehouse. Salad dressing. Two years worth of laundry detergent. Noni super healing fruit juice. Done.

In the check out line I pull out my amexs - one for personal and one for business. The check out guy comes up "do you want a box?". Yes, please.

He eyes my pretty blue bottles and snatches them from my cart. "No liquor can be sold before noon on Sunday in the state of Texas" "you have another 45 minutes" he finishes as he gives me a long stare.

Holy Shit! Now I am a axe murderer because I am getting my shopping done before noon on the day of rest? I think god would be ok with my buying wine on the way home from church. He likes it when I share a pretty blue bottle of riesling with him.

Turtle Creek

It's a gorgeous March day. It's 80 degrees and bright blue with a soft breeze. Most of what I do is within walking distance, even though no one walks here.

I walk the two blocks to Turtle Creek. The breeze ripples the river's surface and blows kisses on my face. It's beautiful here. Green and pristine. Though far from perfect. It's a beautiful strip of water with large trees sheltering the habitat from the sun.

I rest my body in a bench that faces the river. This river has a big fountain that sprays water up and out in a small circle within a large circle.

The geese come up and push to see if I will flinch. I lean over and look the big goose in the eye "go on", and he does. I laugh at myself. It finally dawns on me that there are a bunch of turtles in the water, on the logs and along the shore. I laugh at myself some more.

The Elusive Deer Lease!

Wow, I am learning SO much! This dual broker stuff is a lot of fun. After 18 years of California Real Estate knowledge, today I was learning about Texas' popular Deer Lease. Apparently, one of the big money makers here in Texas, besides the drive-through-daquiri, is hunting season.

With hunting season fast approaching, the Texas Deer Lease - which touts it's self as "17-page, easy-to-read report that has helped Texas hunters and landowners avoid common misunderstandings that occur when lease agreements are not well thought out", is flying off the shelves at $6.50 a copy.

Perhaps I am a redneck because this does remind me of my brother proudly driving up the driveway, beads of blood trailing off the bed of the flatbed, with a 200 lb, stinky, steaming, gutted, wild boar that he had just poached off our neighbor's land.

Now that I think about it, it's feeling more like home all the time.