What a superb evening we
had! This afternoon saw the advent of Cindy's (Presby2 in
Xangaland) sisters, Hazel and Clara, friend, Georgie, and her nephew,
Ron, and Ron's friend, Chris. These five zany
Pennsylvanians left several days ago from their home, and are making
their way to - are you ready? - Oregon. 
As a friend of mine (who reads my blog but is a hound and a half because he doesn't comment) observed, "And they complain about men not asking for directions."
Okay, Pennsylvania to Oregon by way of Texas isn't the most common
route, it cannot be denied, but they were in Tennessee seeing another
family member before he left for Iraq (I think I have that right,
Cindy?), so were basically in the neighborhood and came on down to
Texas. 
Dmitry and I fetched them this evening and we headed to the Stockyards area, for a taste of the real Texas (they'd been in Dallas earlier in the day, poor things . . . like there's anything worth seeing there).
I was concerned, however, for Ron was eagerly anticipating seeing
cowboys, but there's no rodeo tonight. Dang. As we walked
past the Cowtown Coliseum we went on up to see if it was at least open,
which it was. And look.....! There were cows in the holding
pens inside!
And a cowboy riding a horse around the arena! 
And a trio of girls singing country songs! 
Turned out there is a private party (that's some
party, with its own rodeo show) this evening, so we were seeing part of
the rehearsal. Worked for us! We clapped for the rider and
the singers, swayed to the music, and generally had a terrific time for
about fifteen or twenty minutes (they were very kind, permitting us to
stay until 6:30), which, when it comes to rodeos, is just about
right.
Is the LORD good or what? Isn't it amazing how He provided such a treat for Ron and Chris?
We left the coliseum and began walking north toward Billy Bob's, as
I've never been inside and thought, "Why not?" The guys
immediately noticed the video games set up, so with a supply of coins
they were all set:
Chris and Clara watching Mad Dog Ron on the motorcycle. Take some
advice.....you see Ron comin' down the road on a hog, well, the smart
folk scatter. ;^)
Ron in front left, Chris barely visible toward the back, Dmitry on the right.
Of course, what is Billy Bob's most famous for?
The bullriding, naturally!
Dmitry, unfortunately, stubbornly refused to mount the bull, even
though it was pointed out to him Sveta would surely get a kick out of
such a photo. Darn kid!
Chris putting his hand into the handprints of one of the singers in the
country group, Alabama. Turns out he's a real fan of theirs.
As we left there were a LOT of people on horses in the outdoor arena of
the coliseum, practicing before riding in to begin the show. Ron
headed toward them like he was a magnet and they were true north.
I herded 'em together for a group shot:
Hazel, Georgie, Clara, Ron, and Chris.
They decided turnabout's fair play, so took one of me with them:
That Ron's a charmer, let me tell you. 
Ha! I love it! Didn't catch it till the photos were
uploaded, but get a load of Ron the Rascal putting the moves on the
cute blonde. 
After the Stockyards we made our way to Pulido's (Charles and Dmitry's
favorite Mexican restaurant), where Ron chose the Charles' Special,
aka: the burrito dinner. He liked it, too, and demonstrated a definite fondness for the chips and salsa. Chris stuck with a hamburger and french fries.
A wonderful evening, as I said. HA! Did Dallas provide private rodeo action? Billy Bob's? I don't think so.
Tomorrow morning I'm picking them up and we're going to the zoo for a
couple of hours before they pile into their van and hit the road.
It's going to be my aim to teach Ron that when asked, "So, what was
your favorite place?" he'll immediately answer "FORT WORTH!"
Stay tuned.
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