Fly Away

"I wish that I could fly
Into the sky
So very high
Just like a dragonfly

I'd fly above the trees
Over the seas in all degrees
To anywhere I please

Oh I want to get away
I want to fly away
Yeah yeah yeah."
- Lenny Kravitz




Only open during the weekends, the boys were spoiled with their second airplane museum this week. The Vintage Flying Museum is located in north Fort Worth next to Meacham Airport. Probably not a popular destination for preschoolers, the museum is filled with artifacts from past wars. We did receive a personal tour from a Veteran dressed in his khakis, eager to share his experiences and knowledge from the second World War. Twenty aircraft are on exhibit including several which are extremely rare and historic. Additional displays include a dedicated reciprocal and jet engine room, an FAA Aviation Education Resource Center, WWII memorabilia and artifact exhibits, a unique aircraft model exhibit and gift shop. While touring the hanger, our guide did let the boys sit in the pit of an airplane. As you can tell Big had a grin from ear-to-ear!





Their most prized exhibit and the reason this museum was started is "Chuckie," a B-17.

Today's photos!

Born To Fly

"How do you wait for heaven.
And who has that much time.
And how do you keep your feet on the ground.
When you know that you were born, you were born to fly."
- Sara Evans






Our morning was spent at the Frontiers of Flight Museum located next to Love Field Airport in Dallas. Equipped with planes and artifacts from WWI, WWII, and the Cold War, the museum also offers exhibits about balloons & airships, a Southwest Cockpit, and a SR-71 Blackbird Simulator. The Apollo 7 Command Module is on display in their space section next to the only moon rock in North Texas. What fascinated me the most was the crate on display that Charles McKinley traveled in from NY to Dallas back in 2003.






Of course the Jay Jay the Jet Plane play area kept the boys occupied most of our visit. With a pretend airplane, control tower, and tree house, they stayed busy for quite a while. I relaxed in a reclined airplane seat while their imaginations soared.

Today's photos!

Hear My Train a Comin'

"Well, I wait around the train station.
Waitin' for that train.
Waitin' for the train, yeah.
Take me home, yeah.
From this lonesome place."
- Jimi Hendrix






We enjoyed a picnic in the park following the Log Cabin Village and then headed across the street to our TOP Fort Worth destination...Forest Park Miniature Train. The Forest Park Miniature Railroad was built as part of Forest Park Rides in 1958-1959. The ride is an approximately five-mile, thirty-five to forty-minute round trip from the Forest Park Depot off Colonial Parkway in Forest Park to the Duck Pond in Trinity Park and back with one stop at the Trinity Park Depot in Trinity Park where passengers may board the train if seats are available. The train crosses six bridges on its route including a 350 foot girder bridge and 171 foot truss bridge, both of which cross the Clear Fork of the Trinity River. This was our 5 visit from what I can remember to the mini depot. For $8, the boys and I climb aboard for a 40 minute joy ride around the FW parks. The boys wave at each passing car, pedestrian, and animal hoping for an acknowledgement in return.


25 minutes into the ride, the train stops at a small kiosk where popcorn and water can be purchased for the final stretch. We always grab our snack and hop back on the train for our ride home. Check out the calendar before heading out. The train runs Tues-Sun from March through October and then only on Saturdays and Sundays November through February. But remember, each ride is weather permitting...above 55 degrees, no wind, no rain!

Today's photos!

Cabin Down Below

"Come on go with me, babe.
Come on go with me, girl.
Baby, let's go.
To the cabin down below.

I got a radio.
Put it on soft and low.
Baby, let's go.
To the cabin down below."
- Tom Petty




We returned to Fort Worth today to check out the Log Cabin Village for the first time. Located just down the street from the Fort Worth Zoo, it is a must see for all ages. The Village was originally a project of Pioneer Texas Heritage Committee and members of the Tarrant County Historical Society. Six log houses, dating back to the mid 1800s, were selected from the North Texas region, moved to the present site, and restored in the 1950s. Today, each of the historical structures, furnished with authentic artifacts, provides a vivid look at life in the nineteenth century North Texas frontier.


Once a month they host "Timber Tales: A Preschool Story Time." Children are encouraged to don bonnets, aprons, and vests as they gather 'round to hear stories of days gone by.' Today was the kick-off of this season and the featured story was: Ima and the Great Texas Ostrich Race by Margaret McManis. After the story, each child was given a bandanna to color and take home. We also walked away with a signed copy of the book along with a few more purchased souvenirs. The Village has a great calendar of events that can keep any family busy. Just check ahead on the weather since it is an outdoor museum and there is not AC or heat in the cabins, just like in the 1800's!

Today's photos!

I Heard It Through The Grapevine

"Heard it through the grapevine.
Not much longer would you be mine.
Oh I heard it through the grapevine.
Oh I'm just about to lose my mind.
Honey, honey yeah."
- Marvin Gaye







Today we stayed close to home and visited the 21st Annual Grapefest. Celebrating Texas wines through a 4 day festival, Main street is closed while thousands of pedestrians walk the vendor booths to numerous tasting stands, a carnival, live music, and ongoing planned activities. We began with a pony ride, the boys' first ever. They smiled ear-to-ear the entire 10 minutes as "Lester" and "Shaggy" took them around on a pony merry-go-round.








Then we headed to the Depot to gather our 1200 tickets to ride the 1953 Vintage Diesel 30 minutes down the historic Cotton Belt Route. The Tarantula is a popular weekend activity for all ages. After boarding the locomotive in Grapevine, it travels 90 minutes to the Fort Worth Stockyards where you are given 2 hours to tour the historic area before reboarding to return to Grapevine. The Vintage Railroad also holds special events throughout the year such as the Halloween Scream Train, North Pole Express, and Thomas the Train day.

Today's photos!

Yertle The Turtle

"On a far away island
of Salamasond
Yertle the turtle
Was king of the pond.
A nice little pond.
It was clean it was neat.
The water was warm.
There was plenty to eat."
- Red Hot Chili Peppers






Thursday evenings at our local library is family story time. We are weekly visitors during the preschool story time offered in the morning, but wanted to see what Thursday's are like. This week they had Turtle Discovery as a special guest. With over 15 aquariums on display filled with turtles, frogs, and other amphibians, each child listened with wide eyes and an open mouth.




The biology lesson given was very informative, but a little over the head of my boys. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the first day of school and Daddy's anticipated arrival from across the Atlantic that had shortened their attention span. They still enjoyed seeing each animal out of their box with a close up view.

Fly Like an Eagle

"I want to fly like an eagle
To the sea.
Fly like an eagle
Let my spirit carry me.
I want to fly like an eagle
Till I'm free.
Fly through the revolution."
- Steve Miller Band






2 down and only 2 more to go...airplane museums in the DFW area that is. We are trying to get everything with wheels and wings out of our systems before our household is bombarded with bows, lace, and tea parties! We spent our morning at the Cavanaugh Flight Museum. With most, if not all, aircraft on display from a war this museum is definitely for the looker, not the explorer.



The boys were fascinated with the planes of many colors, noses painted as shark faces, and the small collection of old cars, jeeps, and a few choppers. But were bored (and confused)with the fact they could only "look with their eyes, not their hands" as we stayed within the chained pathway throughout the 4 hangers. They were eager to climb on board and fly away in their imaginary world. I promised them the next airplane museum would be the Frontiers of Flight Museum as we joined them on a Friday for "Story Time."

Today's photos!