That’s a wrap

Tomorrow, we both go back to work.  Any and all Spring Break activities end today.  In fact, our out-of-town activities ended yesterday.  We got a slow start yesterday, grabbing a quick bite from a selection of fruits and pastries our hotel provided, then we headed to a barbecue place that a friend recommended.  Recommendation approved, and now, we can tell others that Heim BBQ in Fort Worth is a winner.  They are apparently known far and wide for their bacon burnt ends and their chile mac and cheese.  Both are exceptional, though you have to do a little dissection with the bacon to get the meaty part away from the fatty bits.  

After that, we headed back downtown and took a trolley ride.  There is a complimentary trolley that makes a loop around downtown, and the driver we met was extremely polite and very helpful.  When he deposited us at the Water Gardens, we were glad to have taken advantage of that service.  We walked through the various parts of the large, outdoor display of fountains and man-made water features.  While we were there, we noticed that several parents were not only permitting their kids to wade into some of the pools, but they were apparently encouraging it.  Every entry point to these features noted that patrons should not get into the actual water, and a quick sniff test will tell you that the space smells more like an aquarium than a swimming pool.  I can't imagine what would prompt these parents to encourage this, especially considering the the Water Gardens were closed for a time in 2014 when one adult and three children were killed there.  In fact, right there.  In the "active pool" area where I was standing and watching three children splash about in the water.  

I feel bad, too, for the kids whose parents insisted that they follow the rules.  There were, no doubt, some children who wanted to join in the fun, but whose parents said no, and insisted that they follow the rules that other folks were clearly ignoring.  As much as I love the Water Gardens, I left a bit frustrated with their visitors.  

But it was time to head on down the road, anyhow, and when we did, we walked past the convention center and through a public space occupied by vendors, displays and other booths like you'd see at any decent convention.  It was all for the Bassmaster Classic.  And honestly, when would we see such a display again?  So we took a stroll.  We saw what basically amounted to an above-ground pool, filled with live fish that children were competitively catching as though it was a carnival game  We saw large, inflatable fish displays, trucks and boats, and notably, an inflatable bounce house shaped like a wide mouth bass.  It was a spectacle, and we had to have a look, but we didn't want to linger.  

After that strange promenade, we stopped at a local patio for one more cold beverage, then we headed out of town.  We're back home today, and made it here with no road debris and no need to find a shop that could pop a new bolt into the underside of the car.  It's back to work tomorrow, and that begins the sprint to the finish line at the end of the school year.  Then, it's on to Paris!  See you when we don our berets!

Until then, here is our photo album: https://tinyurl.com/DunlapFW