Falls at the park and at a nearby Preserve are just a trickle. The low flow exposes some intricate flow paths and creates gurgling, bubbling sounds that would be masked at greater flow. Creek side is lovely and peaceful. Surprise, a water snake leapt out of the creek in pursuit of a frog. The frog hopped just in time. Now, a slither. Another hop. A slither. Another hop. Both froze in place. I guess the threat I posed was too great. In that split second the frog hopped off into cover and the snake smoothly slid back into the water. I am certain the snake actually jumped at least a foot. I will tuck that factoid in the back of my mind for future encounters.

They streamed frombeneath the Congress Avenue Bridge at twilight.  Bat watching tour boats trained red spotlights on bridge columns creating an eerie fluttering glow.

Huge spans of tile roofs, boat houses topped with guest cottages, tiny manicured lawns and high privacy walls line the river banks. Castle-like estates dominate the overlooking ridges.   It is a bit different than my idea of a perfect riverfront place. From Mt. Bronnell we scan the Austin skyline and the shores of the Colorado River. This must be Austin’s place to be for anyone who is anybody or is trying to be somebody. To each his own I suppose.

We can agree on something though, their local BBQ joint, County Line, served up some pretty fair ribs and brisket.

The market is on the edge of Baylor Campus. There were several stands with real farm fresh veggies and fruit but many boasted gluten free breads, flavored teas, energy and health drinks and specialty coffees. Food stands included gourmet fried cheese, crepes and international foods. There were nearly as many dogs in attendance as people. Live music was setting up and folks seemed to be settling in for an extended stay. Non-traditional but a fun environment. I came home with ear corn, tomatoes, and some fresh black eyed peas (now I have to figure out home to prepare those).

No fording the river here.

The Riverwalk along the Brazos intersects the Chisholm Trail where it crosses the Brazos River in Waco. A suspension bridge built in 1870 still stands. No more thunder of pounding hoofs as only pedestrians cross it now but a herd of bronze longhorns stands frozen in time as if they are being funneled into the bridge entry by larger than life cowboys. Longhorns make great subjects for sculptures and we have certainly seen a lot of them as we wander through the middle of Texas.

Food Truck lunch

The food trucks were set up along the Riverwalk and we just couldn’t resist. No, we didn’t go for tex-mex or even BBQ. Can you say, gyros? They were delicious. I had a classic lamb and beef gyro so Kent gets the prize for most adventurous; his falafel was baked instead of fried and had a bit of spice

I bought it at Pops back in Dallas. Today was the day to give it a try. First sip, not so great. Once I figured out that I needed to stir up the ginger root pulp it got a lot better but still not what I anticipated based on typical ginger ale. A worthwhile experiment but I am not surprised that it has remained a niche product. It was a little weird to have solids in a soda pop.

Big Tex, yep he’s big alright and he greets arrivals onto the main promenade at Fair Park.

More proof that it’s cattle country; row upon row of steers. Some with freshly washed and fluffed coats and some just lolling in the shavings with their noses toward the fans. It’s in the 90s here again today.

No milk cattle today but as a tribute to the dairy industry there is the familiar butter sculpture and some very tasty free ice cream. We wondered by that booth a couple times!

Pigs, cute little ones and BIG ones.

Fair food. If you can think of it they fry it. The award winner this year is fried lobster tail with champagne gravy. We didn’t go quite that far but did stray a bit from our traditional funnel cake. We tried the fried pecan pie. Can you say “sugar rush”? Delicious.

A bit of “Carnival sideshow”. We checked out Jump, The Ultimate Dog Show and

Lone Star Horse Spectacular. Not the most polished shows but super high energy, loud and fun. Good fair stuff.

Skipped the midway except my Carousel ride. This 1912 Carousel is here at fair park year round. The fair just sort of surrounds it. Fun ride, as always.

Some not-so-Texan wildlife

The “children’s” zoo at the fair included some decidedly not native critters. It was a school day so there was plenty of room for us older kids to visit a bit.   I rubbed the nose of a giraffe. Scratched the ears of a zebra. Fussed over the curly furred baby camel. Petted a Buffalo (Ok he’s a native but still very cool). Kept my hands in my pockets by the ostriches and emu. Watched the dozens of treat seeking goats from just out of their reach. The place was papered with signs to “Not feed fingers to the animals” cute, right?

The World on a String

The promise of a comfortable seat and a few minutes in the air conditioning lured us into a little theatre. We were greeted by dancing cowboy boots, glow in the dark long-legged bird-like things, skeletons, and dancing girls. It ended with a recreation of the first televised Muppet skit with Kermit and the inch worm. Marionettes. What fun.

Spectacular. The Marine drum and bugle corp that led the parade is here for a concert. They are easy on the eye in those crisp white and red uniforms and played a very enjoyable mix of military and popular music. I could listen to them every day. We attended the tattoo, they played for it as well, then headed home. Great day at the State Fair of Texas.

We slide into a parking spot with just five minutes to spare. High in the clock tower on Main Street in Grapevine TX are two huge doors. On the strike of noon the doors are to open and two 9 ft tall characters will emerge to act out the great western story of bank robbers. No crowds so I scurry over to find a good spot to watch.

Then I spot it; a small un-ceremonial posting. No bank robbers today. The Glockenspiel is down for repairs. What a bummer.

We strolled the streets of Grapevine.  There are shops and restaurants and lots of wine tasting (go figure).  It could be a great stop for a lazy afternoon but without the Glockenspiel I just couldn’t get into it.  If you go on Sunday, at least after labor day, some stuff is closed so Saturday might be a better day