Parade Report: Mexican Independence in Wichita Falls - A Week Early...

We got up Saturday morning and when I walked out into the hall way, I could see the street in front of our hotel being blocked off. A trailer had been parked directly across the street and a podium and seats were being set-up in a fashion similar to a rally or something. I wondered to myself if a delegation of vagabonds was going to protest the lack of soup kitchens or some such madness.

I waltzed down to the front desk so as to inquire within, and none of the assembled staff had a clue as to what was transpiring. Being the curious type, I headed across the street to discuss same with a gentleman setting up a sound mixer and microphones. As if I were Sam Donaldson or some other obnoxious reporter, I held my crappy digital camera in front of me and asked the gentleman what all the commotion was about, and why would microphones and podiums be needed? He helpfully informed me that they were having a parade to celebrate Mexican Independence. I asked him, "From Wichita Falls?" and he promptly laughed telling me no, from Spain.

Now I'm no math expert but I quickly ran upstairs to ask my wife if it was already the 16th of September, and she informed me that it was not. So, as close as we could figure, either the people in Wichita Falls were off on the dates, or all the Mexican people of Wichita Falls will be busy watching the Cowboys next Sunday, and figured they would knock it out on Saturday the 8th. That is flexibility if you ask me, and I like flexibility.

The good news is, I like a nice parade and we had great seats. So, without further ado - a few pictures of the event.

No Parade is complete without a visit from the fire department - Wichita Falls finest...Lots of nice pick-ups and flags and traditional costumes... High School bands were out in force...And it is good to know that there are portly children everywhere, not just San Antonio.I should mention that at the beginning of the parade, a kind lady annouced that parents should keep an eye on the little ones as some of the parade participants would be passing out candy. And all of the sudden, it was on!This little kid seemed to notice before others!Then suddenly, as if an unexpected verdict had been reached in the Phil Specter trial, there was near pandimonium of youngsters scrambling everywhere... As some kids ignored all rules of civility, others seemed to look for guidance from parents... And then some parents even joined the fray... Finally, one young man had put a halt to the chaos by simply taking all the candy from the other little children. Thank God, it was over.I was proud to salute the Mexican-American Vets as they passed by, in honor of my late father-in-law, who served in Korea.No parade is complete without representation from the Boy Scouts. This proud troop reminded me of our own recent GNW Labor Day Parade and the Scouts who came out.Perhaps at our next parade, the Scouts can have thier own go-kart to enter.Cheerleaders got the crowd back into the spirit following the short mele'...
And then tiny little people dressed in traditional Mexican outfits made an appearance.I don't believe this is the actual Taco Bell dog, at least he didn't talk like him, but the crowd cheered wildly as he walked by. As a side note, they should make tiny little Chihuahua jock straps. This little doggy was swingin'.This parade had many really unique automobiles as participants...Clowns in Clown cars...People on horses...I'm not sure this dude was actually in the parade, but he had a flag, so his bike fit right in...And Grizzly Adams here looks as though he walked off quite a few pounds down the route...And when all was said and done... we danced.
Well, some people danced. We went gambling at the Indian Casinos in Oklahoma.

Hotel Report: Crescent Plaza - Downtown Proud...

On our recent trip to Wichita Falls we used Expedia to locate a hotel to stay at. The bad thing about using the Internet to find a hotel is, what little information you get rarely includes pertinent details like, "Nearby homeless people and vagabonds will hound you for gas money" or "Kind size bed was not large enough to share with roaches in room" or other such descriptions that would give you a hint. So, all you can do is look for the things that you specifically want or need, and hope they are on the list.

I won't make reservations in a hotel that doesn't offer free high speed Internet. In this, the information age, I view free Internet as a required amenity at a hotel no differently than I do air conditioning or little soap bars on the bathroom sink. It isn't even something you should have to ask for, it should be assumed.

I also believe that the majority of hotel rooms should be no-smoking and that in fact, it should not be on the non-smoker to ask for a no-smoking room, but the opposite - if you want to breath-in some stranger's second hand smoke in your cozy hotel bed, you ought to have to ask for that privilege (and perhaps pay extra). This paragraph brought to you by a former smoker.

So, with all that stuff in mind, I probably sound pretty picky, but then again, I am a self-admitted cheapskate, and though if the going rate for rooms is $129, I don't mind paying it; I'll definitely look closely at one I can get for fifty bucks. Which is what I did when we found the Crescent Plaza Hotel in historic downtown Wichita Falls.

A little background is surely in order. Apparently, back in the late 1970's, there was a huge tornado that went through downtown Wichita Falls and created some serious havoc. When the dust cleared, a lot of federal grant money and insurance and such made way for business owners to rebuild in newer parts of the city which, as you might imagine, left the downtown area full of empty old buildings. One such place was a Holiday Inn that was housed in the Petroleum Building on 8th and Scott Street. This hotel was pretty old to start with (mid to late 60's I'm guessing) and when it went out of business, supposedly, it stayed vacant for years - I think until the late 1990's. It was opened again for a brief time as a Ramada Inn but never made a come back. According to staff, the hotel was reopened earlier this year by a new group and as part of a bigger effort to bring businesses back to the downtown area, the Crescent Plaza is open for business. Hence, our $50.00 rate when all the other hotels in the vicinity were significantly higher.

When we first checked in, the lady at the front desk was extremely helpful and seemed ready to bend over backwards to help. The hotel lobby looked like an old hotel lobby, but very clean and some really nice furniture and such in the lobby. What gave us a slight twinge of concern was the fact that, even though there were four elevator doors, only one worked. I learned later that two of the elevators go to floors above the hotel rooms (office spaces for rent) and the second elevator for the hotel was being renovated.

As we walked to our room on the second floor, my wife commented on the fresh smell of Fabreeze and I have to admit, that gave me a little twinge of concern. Don't get me wrong, Fabreeze is a great product, but if it over powers you, there is usually some awkward smell being hidden.

Thankfully, the room was pretty nice by old hotel standards. It was spacious, the TV was new and probably 36". Limited on channels, but good reception. The Internet worked, the bathroom came complete with soap and little shampoos, and the bed was clean and comfortable. Plus, we had a refrigerator and a microwave oven. Hey, for $50.00, this was great.

I'll never forget staying at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago about 10 years ago. The room was easily the cheapest, government per diem rate of like $225.00 a night, in a tiny 8 X 8 closet of a room, on a twin size bed and not even enough room to change your mind. It was one of these really fine, swanky places with real art work in the spacious lobby, attendants everywhere, and I kept thinking to myself, "I wonder if they would mind if I slept in the lobby?"

I'll take clean and spacious over swanky and cramped any day of the week.

So, I would be lying if I didn't say we had more than one miscue at the hotel. Nothing really so major that I was ready to check-out or anything, but I have to tell you that my report on this blog (and later when I do a feedback on Expedia) was almost a lot different. I even took some pictures of really silly things (like the return air vent in the room that was really just an air filter glued to the open hole in the wall), but it is so easy to look for flaws in things and not get the bigger picture - the fact that the place is still a work in progress and the cost was only $50.00.

I mean, sure, they did forget to send a maid the first day. So, we did the environmentally friendly thing and hung up our towels, not unlike what we do at home. I feel like Al Gore already. Except for the private jet.

We learned later (about 10PM at night to be exact) that our room was located right next to the hotel ball room. We found this out when some people from the party next door kept running up and down the hall yelling "Marco?" quickly followed by "Polo!". WTF?

The next day, before I could even think about complaining, the nice lady at the front desk asked me if we would be interested in moving to a different room because they were having a dance in the ballroom that evening. We definitely took her up on the offer.

On Saturday morning, we were treated to a parade on the street in front of the hotel. (I'll write about that later), and Saturday afternoon, we went swimming at the pool located on a deck above the parking garage. To their credit, not a single person yelled "Beached Whale" when I emerged from the awesome water and found a lounger worthy of sustaining my girth and weight long enough for me to relax and enjoy the afternoon sun. I told my wife that I hadn't felt this relaxed in quite some time. And in spite of the few flaws we could easily point out, the price and quality of the people we dealt with at Crescent Plaza prompted my wife to say that she would be happy to stay there again.

So, if you are in Wichita Falls, need a place to stay for a lot cheaper than the regular brand hotels but not nearly as seedy as the similarly priced hotels in the area, try the Crescent Plaza Hotel.

Trip Report: Up 281 to Wichita Falls Again...

This weekend, my wife and I took the trip up 281 north to Wichita Falls to go visit our daughter for her graduation from tech school. Here are a few pictures and comments from along the way.The last time we drove up 281, we found Marble Falls to be a great looking small town worth a visit. That time, it was raining. In the bright sun, the town looked even more inviting.We will definitely make a trip here, if only to stay for the night and look around.Another place we found interesting, if not initially creepy, was Mineral Wells. The huge landmark in Mineral Wells in the old Baker Hotel.Interestingly enough, when we stopped to grab some dinner, we were told that The Baker is being considered for purchase by some Indians (Native Americans) in order to use their special status to turn it into a huge casino. That is awesome (if true).

I am a sucker for a roadside attraction. Natty Flat is a great stop for a number of reasons. First, who would pass up on the chance to see the world's tallest rocking chair? There is a furniture shop with loads of handmade rockers and other fine furnishings. There are loads of neat little odds and ends to enjoy looking at - country style ornaments and such.But once you go into the general store, aside from lots of vittles, you will find yourself drawn to the case containing the peach cobbler. We got ourselves some malts for the drive and got a peach cobbler to go. No wonder we are so fat. Of course, no trip up 281 would be complete had we not stopped at... you know... Hashknife on the Chisholm.We talked to the ladies as we bought some ribs to take to our daughter and told them of this blog. I usually take pictures of the vittles we talk about here, but in all honesty, I think we had licked the bones clean before I even thought about the camera. So, we made it up to Wichita Falls in good time. Next, I'll tell you about the interesting hotel we stayed at, and about the old downtown Wichita Falls.

Hashknife on the Chisholm Update

I know to some of you this may come across as being a bit obsessive about a place to grab some food, but I think I have somewhat of a breakthrough on the location of the best barbeque I have had in recent memory, Hashknife on the Chisholm.

My daughter is making the trip from Wichita Falls down to San Antonio this weekend and as my wife was talking to her via cellular technology, she mentioned that she was getting close to Mineral Wells. I quickly alerted her to be on the lookout for the barbecue place we enjoyed so much and reported about here and here. Unfortunately, I told her literally minutes too late because when I looked up the name of a company she mentioned on Google Maps, it was obvious she had already passed the place.

But, that gave me an idea. The big mystery has been that this little BBQ place has no presence, other than this Blog, on the Internet. Using the Hybrid feature on Google Maps, I followed 281 north up from where my daughter was in Mineral Wells until I found a place that matched the features I recall. An intersection that was a 4-way-stop with two stores on the same side of 281 but nothing on the other corners.

To give you an idea of where I'm talking about in relation to Mineral Wells, here is an overview of the area. The big circle is the place where the BBQ place is.

So, once I got to the intersection on the map, I did a search on variations of BBQ and Restaurant etc with no luck. So then, I remembered that the business on the other corner was a gas station, so I typed Gas into the "Find Business" tab. Turns out that G's Gas and Groceries shares a corner, and further, G's has a phone number. So, I called them.

Now this can be sort of tricky because if I said the wrong thing, the lady who answered could have sent me on a wild goose chase. My main concern was that the barbeque place may be a fierce competitor of sorts. But, what the heck. So a very nice country-sounding lady answers and I explain that I'm calling from San Antonio and such, and the whole business about not being able to find any reference to this barbeque place on the internet. She indulged me for a few seconds which was nice of her, then she said, "Yep, that's the place right across the street from me." Bingo! She said they had been in business about a year - which may explain the lack of any advertising.

I had hoped that she might have an address or a phone number, but I think she decided that perhaps I was a telemarketer or Hillary Supporter or something, because that was pretty much all she would confirm. I thanked her for her time and wished her a fine evening.

So now, what we know is that G's Gas and Groceries is at 8161 North Highway 281 in the unincorporated town of Peadenville in Palo Pinto County, TX. So, I'm guessing that Hashknife on the Chisholm is going to have an address of something like 8000 or maybe even 7950 or something like that - who knows really, but the good news is, when my daughter gets home, I'm going to plug in the address to G's Groceries into her Garmin so she'll be able to get a good chipped beef barbeque sandwich when she returns to Wichita Falls.

You know, I could probably just call 1411 on my cell phone and ask for a listing, but I want to keep this mystery going for a little longer. I have faith in the Internet and I trust one of you people out there will say, "Hey, doesn't Bob own the Hashknife on the Chisholm? I wonder if he knows that some dumbass on the Internet likes his barbeque?"

So there you have it. An update on lunch from a few months ago.

Breakfast Report: IHOP on Father's Day

My wife and I wanted to get a reasonable start back to San Antonio on Sunday morning, but with it being Father's Day, we decided to at least stay long enough for breakfast with my daughter. We got to meet one of her friends who is also attending school at Sheppard, so we invited her to join us.

No sense in spoiling the good report from Denny's, we opted to check out an IHOP just off 281. As you might imagine, there was a line starting to form, what with people all wanting to get their feed on either before or after church, or just as a special treat for the Dads of WF. After a brief wait however, we were seated and our waitress, Miss Sunshine came to take our order.

I've never been a waitress (or a waiter for that matter), but I can only imagine it must suck. You have to deal with crabby people in a hurry, people who want way more service then they really need, and above all, you are on your feet the whole time. I get it and there is a special place in my wallet for wait staff who can get through all that and still put on a smile and at least attempt to be interested in their customers. Our waitress (as I said, Miss Sunshine) was a fairly attractive skinny blonde girl who must have been thinking about how she had been abused as a child or had just lost a favorite pet. She was not happy and there was no amount of being a polite customer that was going to help change her demeanor.
Please don't misunderstand; I am not, nor have I ever been one of those people who want to engage in idle banter with the waitress or be that creepy older fat guy who wants to flirt with the younger, prettier people around him. So this wasn't an issue of me being snubbed. My daughter's friend it turns out, comes from a family that owns a restaurant and she noted right away what a sourpuss this gal was. But, I won;t let a bad personality ruin my day, especially if the rest of the service is good. And, thankfully it was.

One entertaining thing while we waited for our breakfast was a very hungry fellow who was quite engaged in his job; eating! I know it's easy to poke fun at fat people and I only do it knowing that if you ever sat next to me in a restaurant, you might just snicker yourself, but this wasn't a case of a tubby guy wanting to lick his plate clean, this guy was all sorts of hungry. Case in point: who orders dessert after breakfast? Especially after eating a Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity? Essentially, breakfast at IHOP is dessert.

So anyway, Miss Sunshine brought us our meals and we were all pretty happy with what we got. I'm pretty standard with pnacakes & eggs, but the girls all ordered fruity waffles and such. We were pretty pleased and a session of picture taking ensued.

When everything was said and done, we got the bill and my daughter, bless her little heart, snatched the bill and paid. And I let her! I'm a good dad. Good & cheap!

I did however decide to leave the tip for Miss Sunshine and when my daughter's friend saw that I was not going to let our waitresses' sour disposition take away from her tip, she commented that I was a "very generous man". I then told her that our waitress was just upset because her pimp called and she had to get back to the corner at the end of her shift. Yes, generous indeed.

Bottom line: Thumbs up for the WF IHOP.


Friend Ouimet and daughter Roxanne -->

Shoe Report: Shoe Carnival

What else would you do when you travel half way across the state of Texas to go visit your daughter? That's right, go shopping for shoes.

We have a Shoe Carnival in San Antonio which is always packed with people going for the buy-one get-one action. I mean, the few times I've been in there, you'd think they would need security to maintain the order. Thankfully, we slipped into the Wichita Falls version before the big crowds arrived.

My wife and daughter went from rack to rack looking for just the right shoes so I pretty much stood around watching people shop. The store manager, Ty Parker seemed like a super motivated sales guy. He walked around with a microphone occasionally announcing specials and reminding customers of the big discounts, etc. I swear, this guy had a voice built for radio. Perfect inflection, a deep, crisp, clear tone, and obvious personality. I joked with one of the other employees that he could be Bob Barker's replacement.

Anyway, very helpful and friendly staff, and they even gave us a Military Discount, even though it wasn't Tuesday, the normal day for discounts.

Merchant Report: Iggy's

My daughter told me that she had not been able to access the Internet from her almost new Laptop, and several attempts by me to diagnose it over the phone were fruitless. It had worked fine at home before my wife sent it to her, so I was thinking perhaps there was a hardware problem caused by being shipped (in the original packing!). When we got to our room at the base, I hooked her laptop up directly to the DSL line and figured by bypassing the wireless card, it would work. No luck. I could see the network but just couldn't get it to work. After over an hour, I gave up and hooked up my Laptop to find some service in Wichita Falls. Thanks Bill, Vista works great. Not!

Long story short, I found an ad on CraigsList for this shop called Iggy's Buildatorium and as luck would have it, it was located just outside the main gate of Sheppard AFB. With it being Saturday though, I was worried that either they would not be open or it might be some rip-off place. So I walk in with my daughter's Laptop and it turns out that Iggy's is an Internet Cafe and they also do service. $5.00 an hour to use their computer, $2.00 an hour if you have your own computer. They had several rows of teens playing online computer games and Jason, the lead technician sitting back supervising the operation. I explained my dilemma to Jason, the fact that I was leaving town early Sunday etc and I just wanted to get it fixed. Honestly, I was prepared to take it in the shorts but had no other choice. I returned about two hours later and for $25.00 plus tax, the computer was good to go. On top of that, Jason told me about a few conflicts going on with the computer which was causing it to slow down to a crawl and I was able to fix them on my own. Bottomline, I would definitely recommend Iggy's and I gave my daughter several of thier cards just in case she ran into more problems.