Eagle Quest 2009 at Lake Texoma

Here’s a small trivia. What is the most number of bird species that a person has ever seen? Answer: More than 8,500! But that’s not the real mind-boggler though. That person — the world’s biggest bird-watching buff — is Phoebe Snetsinger, who has a remarkable obsession which led her to “spend her family inheritance travelling to various parts of the world while suffering from a malignant melanoma, surviving an attack and rape in New Guinea before dying in a road accident in Madagascar.”

That is not to say birdwatching is a horrible and extremely dangerous hobby. On the Texas map, there is a special spot for veteran birdwatchers (or first-timers) to espy eagles and birds of various kinds. It’s in Lake Texoma, where Eagle Quest 2009 will be held on January 24-25 2009.

I remember Lake Texoma as our last year’s pick for our Fourth of July celebration venue. I did my tubing and spent hours under the sun riding the scarab with my family. Lake Texoma is in the heart of Gordonville where famous marinas such as the Cedar Mills can be found. It’s very easy to find in the Texas map.

Eagle Quest 2009 involves activities such as workshops and seminars, hot air ballooning, flea market events, stargazing, and birdwatching of course! If you need more information on how to get there, here’s a Texas map I’ve provided for you:

Lake Texoma Easy Access Map

Eagle Quest 2009’s address is at at 198 Cedar Mills Road Gordonville, TX 76245.

Source: Wikipedia and Texomawestend.org

Our Dallas Asian Market has moved again!

Asian Market goodies

We seriously got lost trying to find the Asian market that we always frequent whenever we go to Dallas. Apparently they kept changing locations. This time around, the owner of the Vietnamese restaurant in that same square where the Asian grocery was located said it moved about a mile from their original location. So we drove over to check it.

Although it’s not the same Asian market that we were used to (the original one was bigger), Joe was able to score some huge blue crabs. I got my lumpia wrappers and Mang Tomas lechon sauce. Always, even though there were some old stuff missing, there were some new stuff on the shelves. I took my seasonings, noodles and Mung Bean soup mix. Everything else in the store looked foreign to me.

When we come back, we hope that the Asian market would branch out and occupy the other building next to where they moved now. Who knows what new exotic Asian stuff we may find there!

Dallas Traders Village – Buy, Sell, Socialize

Part of our plan the next morning (Sunday) before heading home was to get some fruits at the Mexican (La Marketa) produce market and some Asian goodies at the Vietnamese market. We unfortunately had to spend an hour driving around the entire Dallas uptown, downtown, and areas around the highway where we could eat some breakfast. There was none in sight. We finally gave up and saw a Krispy Kreme store by the highway. There was an organic market near it with a cafe, so we ate there instead. A two-person band was playing acoustic music while I savored my Mediterranean Chicken Roll-up and bisque soup. Everybody else seemed vegetarian. They even put cucumber slices on the water dispenser. Talk about being green!

We were making “green” jokes about it (pun intended!) until Joe had the idea of bringing me to Traders Village.

My advice is that if you go on a Sunday at Traders Village, expect to crawl through traffic. When we got there, I didn’t realize how massive it was. You couldn’t see the one end of the market to the other. Even if you thought you have walked all over the place and seen everything, consider yourself mistaken. Traders Village is a congregation of mostly Mexican vendors with oodles of Chinese (bootleg?) products. There were some good stuff worth checking out, but I couldn’t find any shoes to buy! I had wanted to get some because I was wearing big leather boots that were unfit for walking, especially at the gigantic Traders Village grounds. How ironic at such a big market there was nothing for me!

I realized Traders Village is a more expensive version of the real Asian/Chinese flea market, except that the vendors were Mexicans (or Indians) and the mostly Hispanic crowd visit the place to socialize with friends and fellow traders.

The Glass Cactus or Greenville?

Partying in the heart of Dallas, Texas

The Glass Cactus at Gaylord Texan

We did some research on what clubs to check out that night, and Sunset Lounge at Ross Avenue came up on top of my list. Yet we were also looking at visiting the Glass Cactus, because we have always wanted to see about staying at Gaylord Texan resorts one day. We ended up being indecisive. Where to go? If we go to Glass Cactus that meant we have to drive to the other side of the city to check out Sunset Lounge or some other bars in the Greenville area. If we head straight to Greenville, that meant we wouldn’t know what partying at the Glass Cactus would be like.

Donning our club outfits, Joe and I figured the Glass Cactus would be fun to check out first. After we had our car parked by the valet we cut through the partying crowd — a mix of young and old, but no one looked trashy or out of place. There was a live band playing but I didn’t like all the music they played. We lined up at the bar to get our Long Island Iced Teas.

People actually started dancing when they put on some club music during the intermission. There were a lot of older clubbers around, and I could tell that most of them aren’t exactly the hardcore type. Joe thought that was fine because at least we won’t expect any trouble. The Glass Cactus looked small from the ground, but when we checked out the balcony and the second floor we had more room and there was some sofas for lounging and chit-chat.

We left the Gaylord Texan club later in the night to see what was going on at Greenville. Apparently the street was dead, or maybe only because it was too cold that everyone just huddled inside the clubs. One thing is for sure though. By the time we hit the road back to the hotel, I realized I was too tipsy to even care. The Glass Cactus’ LIIT was the strongest I’ve ever sipped in my entire life. I had to squeeze in six lemon slices to tame it!

North Park Center – A Dallas Shopper’s Bliss

I consider North Park as a cross between Grapevine Mills and Galleria. Grapevine to me is huge, and more people-friendly. Galleria boasts of a skating rink but doesn’t even have stuff for kids like Gamestop. I can’t remember seeing a Victoria’s Secret store the last time we were there. But North Park Center reminds me of Fashion Show Mall and Forum Shops in Las Vegas.

So Joe got himself a nice striped long sleeved shirt at Macy’s. We had some teriyaki chicken at the food court. I kept getting scolded for drinking too much soda. In reality, I hated it. I just had to keep my system up and my energy going with caffeine, in order to fight the 40-degree weather that was killing me in Dallas that night.

Weekend Getaway in Dallas, Texas

On our weekend getaway we decided to drive 100 miles from home to Dallas — to spend the night, party out, check out the malls and flea markets, and…who knows what else? We’ve been to Dallas a thousand times but there is always something new that Joe wants me to see. Also, we have always wanted to check out places we saw along the way, but never had the time to do so before. This weekend we made such opportunity possible.

We booked a hotel room at Crowne Plaza Suites — not necessarily extravagant — but there are things to like in our room. The bathroom is not big, the bed is not soft enough, but the hotel offered a mini-living room separate from the main bedroom, which has its own cable TV and laptop desk. The hotel has a nice pool and a hot tub but we figured it was too cold to swim, so we skipped the dip. We also wanted to work out in the gym as soon as we checked into the hotel but then time was running out.

I brought my own warm clothes but Joe didn’t, so I harassed him into getting himself a long sleeved shirt at the mall. After checking out Barcadia and spending a minute talking to a friend living near the hotel area, we drove straight to North Park Center.

Finding the Big Bend Country in the Texas map

The Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas

If you’re wondering where the Big Bend Country is located on the Texas Map, you will see that it is bordered by Mexico to the south, and New Mexico to the west, and stretches as far as Midland-Odessa to the northeast and Del Rio to the southeast. The Big Bend region is filled with history, culture and, perhaps, even a bit of infamy. It’s home to two presidents, at least one famous musician, one of the world’s largest telescopes, a comic character, Texas’ highest peak, Texas’ oldest mission, the world’s largest jackrabbit statue, and more.

TEXAS STATE PARKS, ANYONE?

The Guadalupe Mountains National Park is home of Texas’ highest point and one of the state’s most beautiful spots – McKittrick Canyon. The Big Bend National Park itself is about the size of Rhode Island and there is a lot to see in a single day or on a short trip. Check out the Balmorhea State Park to take a dip in one of the largest man-made pools in the United States and Monahans Sandhills State Park which is one gigantic oak forest this west area of the Texas map.

Most of the Big Bend Country’s landscape is covered by the Chihuahuan Desert. The desert is populated with mountains, valleys and plains, so it has a variety of terrain and climates.

One thing to remember before heading into this farthest western region of the Texas map: People can drive for miles with only the desert landscape for company. A Texas road map or highway map is going to be extremely helpful. And to make your trip even more exciting and memorable, stop by to check out the attractions and bring your cameras along!

Texas Map’s Christmas events list

Our state of Texas is now ready for a full line-up of Christmas events in December. Today I am making a list of where to go and when, and who to contact in case you’re on your way to scour the Texas map for a yuletide treat. But first off, do not forget that in November 28, 2008 at 7 p.m., the San Antonio Riverwalk will blast off with its Ford Holiday River Parade & Lighting Ceremony as a post-Thanksgiving celebration. Information about this event can be found at http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/

Here’s my list of Texas events to check out this December 2008:

Mariachi Vargas Extravaganza
Like Mariachi Vargas music? Make sure you don’t miss this one in San Antonio!
http://www.mariachimusic.com/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

Texas’ 47th Annual Christmas Boat Lane Parade on Clear Lake
The parade features more than 100 brightly decorated power and sailboats that will traverse the Clear Lake channel from the South Shore Harbour Marina and the Nassau Bay Lagoon to Galveston Bay.
http://www.clearlakearea.com/about/BoatParade.asp

The 25th Annual Candlelight Tour of Homes in Jefferson
You can check out schedules at:
http://www.historicjeffersonfoundation.com/christmascandlelight.htm

FORD Fiesta de las Luminarias in San Antonio
http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/Events/FiestadelasLuminarias.asp
If you are a new Texas traveler you can download the Texas map of the San Antonio Riverwalk here:
http://www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com/maps/index.asp

A Timeless Christmas in Johnson City
This event is free! More information can be found at:
http://www.nps.gov/imr/customcf/apps/eventcalendar/events/lyjoevent94138734.html

Yuletide Texas
In La Porte, you can watch the Battleship USS Texas light up to commemorate the sailors and ship crew who served aboard this historic battleship.
See http://www.visitbayareahouston.com/calendarofevents/event343/ for details.

Candlelight Posada
Christmas entertainment both evenings, food booths, luminaries, twinkling lights, caroling, traditional Mexican Posada, parade and live nativity.
http://southtexastourism.com/CANDLELIGHTPOSADA.html

San Angelo’s Christmas at Old Fort Concho 2008
Three days full of Christmas cheer including shopping, living history, a special area for children, ongoing entertainment as well as special scheduled shows, and much, much more, all on the historic fort grounds. To learn more about this Texas event, visit http://www.fortconcho.com/caofc.htm.

Are you ready for Thanksgiving and Christmas yet?

How much is gas in your place?

Valero gas station in Wichita Falls, Texas

How much is gas in your place? I noticed that on our way to Shreveport, Louisiana last weekend, gas price went cheaper as we drove up north of Texas. Dallas has about an average price of about $2.50 while up here where we live it’s now down to $1.99! So far, Valero and Wal-mart sell the cheapest gas in town.

Obviously, everyone’s happy to hear about this news. Joe thought this is funny, because after 4 years, people can say “Oh, gas is so cheap, we can drive around again anytime we want!” And sure enough, people are stocking up.

And we are planning our next road trip to Colorado this winter. I hope it doesn’t get jinxed!

Galveston: Is it wiped out off the Texas map?

I hope not. We have spent the Spring Break in Galveston, Texas, just this year and I’m lucky to have hung around in the island city long enough to enjoy its beauty before Hurricane Ike came over. God, was it that brutal and quick? Our parents live in Post Office street, in a Victorian-style house just like most of them in Galveston. They say that since the house was elevated from the ground several feet, the water rose only as high as to cover the floor about six inches deep. Still, with all the electric appliances, furniture, carpets, and all other stuff that lay on there and the wooden floor itself, I’ll call it a miracle that this house still survived. Heck, even the Galveston newspaper office didn’t make it till next morning with the roof still intact.

So the question is, is Galveston wiped out off the Texas map? I’m not sure, and we will have to visit our parents to find out exactly how things look like. Yet, we are positive that restoration of the city can go two ways — it can happen fast, but it may take a while. So far, the news tell us that things are going good, despite the fact that the aftermath is horrible. Sewage water stinks the flooded areas, mosquitoes swarming, no water or electricity–Galveston is practically unlivable. But everyone in the city is extending their efforts to help restore the city, before our dreaded thought of it being obliterated from the Texas map may ever be confirmed.