oldies and goodies

one of the things i love about traveling is the opportunity to reconnect with old friends.

my recent trip to ft. worth afforded two such opportunities, and though i was extremely uncomfortable in my new brace, it helped to have something extra special to look forward to.

extra special #1 was a late night dinner with anne and brian, who stuck around long enough to share a meal with me at ihop (at 11pm) before making the very long drive back to their home in houston. i was too busy stuffing my face with bacon, eggs, crepes, and a chicken fajita (no 'sharing' there - i was STARVING) to take a photo.  and truly, as it had been a long day for all of us, i'm pretty sure i wouldn't have posted it anyway.  just take my word for it, we met, we ate, we conquered.

extra special #2 arose when a long-time-ago friend saw that i would be in dallas for a few days on my facebook page (have i mentioned how great i think facebook is?).   the last time i saw him was when he was starring in, and i assistant directing, a production of 'west side story' for the west valley (utah) community theater, some 13 years ago.  he also lives in houston and is a pilot for a small airline, but though we've attempted before, our travels never land us in the same cities. until now.

turns out we'd be overlapping for a full 24 hours in the dallas area, so of course, i invited him to join me in checking off another diners, drive-ins, and dives restaurants.

i picked him up at his hotel and we headed to avila's, a mexican restaurant.  i warned him that i never quite knew what i was going to get , a diner, a drive-in, or a dive.  and after passing it three times before finding it, it's safe to say, it fell in the 'dive' category.  i had also informed him that i hadn't had a bad meal yet, and fortunately, this place would NOT be the exception. that was some delicious mexican eats, and the queso alone is worth the stop.

the company didn't hurt, and we fell right back into our old groove catching up on the last decade+ of each other's lives before calling it a night.

i'll also mention briefly, that i checked one other ddd location off the menu - chef point cafe.  it was a good meal, but not a standout.  what this place really has going for it is a unique ambiance and HUGE portions.  if you're REALLY hungry, it's not a bad choice.

i was happy to get home after a successful event, and even happier that my travel is almost nonexistent for the next three months.  with only a few small events left for the rest of the year, and most of them local, i'm so excited i can deal with my newly awkward extremity on my own turf!