Author Archives: Diana

About Diana

Canadian-Vermonter, Texas transplant. Cowboy boot wearing, maple syrup connoisseur, music lovin', wine and micro-brew drinkin', two-steppin' traveler who loves finding all the hidden gems the world has to offer. Come join me on the ride!

Canton Trade Days

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Maybe you’ve heard the name Canton, it is known as the world’s largest flea market. Canton Trade Days occurs the first Monday of each month in Canton, Texas. Settled oh so well along I-20 in East Texas, this event attracts vendors and visitors from near and far each and every month. Some of these visitors are from Texas but don’t be surprised to run into others from Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma who call Canton home one weekend a month.

Don’t be alarmed when exiting the highway to be in a slew of vehicles that are heading to the same place you are (to avoid a little traffic, take exit 526). When you arrive, you will see not only a ton of vehicles but also RV’s. Some people come out here all weekend. Also, don’t be surprised if you find yourself lost or needing a map or not knowing where the heck you are.. this place is huge and its a day long event.

When you arrive in Canton you will see an overwhelming items to see. There is a flea market type area where people are selling just about anything you can think of. In another section, you can walk through open buildings viewing, again anything you can think of (handbags, gourmet food, Texas decor, furniture, jewlery, clothing, baby items, doggie treats, etc.). It’s no joke when they say there is something for everyone.

Considering you will be there all day (or in some cases the weekend), there is plenty to eat and drink. You will find the normal “fair type” items such as corn dogs and hamburgers to slighly healthier options of sandwiches and fruit. Be sure to hit up a lemonade stand and we are after all in Texas so of course, there is Dr. Pepper.

If you find yourself with nothing to do one weekend and feel like roaming around looking for, well just about anything, head over to Canton and check it out.

Notes:
Parking is $4 cash.
Be sure to bring cash, not all vendors except cards.
Check out the website, there are coupons which can be used at some shops.

For More Info: http://www.cantontradedays.com/

Ranger’s Baseball Stadium

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In honor of opening day tomorrow at the Ranger’s Stadium – it’s officially baseball season 2011! Whoohoo!

For those who love baseball, the season is here! For some its the most exciting part of the year. Opening day means getting together with some of your closest friends, heading to the parking lot as early as you can and tailgating until game time. You walk into the ballpark wearing your best fan gear with hundreds of other fans ready to take on everything the season is about to bring. On the way to your seat, you grab a beer and nachos, popcorn or any other snack item and get ready to cheer on your team (and hopefully they win!)!

In honor of opening day of the Rangers ballpark (and other stadiums) and since the opening day game couldn’t be against a better team (the Red Sox). Let’s chat about the Ranger’s ballpark!

The stadium has had a lot of upgrades this year including a new, huge screen in the outfield (come on we have Jerry World next door to keep an eye on), but upgrades aren’t everything. Each stadium has a tour, I’ve been on the Ranger’s tour twice, here are some highlights (however I encourage you to check it out yourself).

You will have a personal tour guide that will bring you to various locations throughout the stadium and tell you historical and informational stories about the building and even a few secrets. (I’m not going to tell you the secrets, then you wouldn’t take the tour!)

We were brought to the press box. Check out the seats you would get if you worked for a network!
Since we’re in the press box, why not check out some suites?! Each suite has a unique entrance, some have famous players, along with a game day ball…
…while some are for more important people…
Let’s go check out where the home team gets ready…
Pretty swanky…
Need to practice on your batting or pitching?
If you are lucky, you’ll have a tour while someone is warming up! Yes, this actually happens…I just wasn’t that lucky (this time, *wink*wink*).
I had to take a break from all this excitement, I had to attend a press conference (I’m kind of a big deal).
With that out of the way, how about we head down to the field shall we?
This is the warm up room, behind the bench. Notice the floor is slanted up, Nolan Ryan had this put in when he played so he could warm up his legs.
This is also the refuge for pissed off players as well. Check out the water fountain, complete with cleat marks.
Home Bench!
This is the view you’d have if you were a player. Pretty darn sweet.
I see my man Ron Washington standing over here watching how baseball go, eating sunflower seeds.
The phones! You better believe we tried them out! 

Stadium tours are awesome. Each field brings something unique. Good luck to all of your teams this season!

Go check it out for yourself! Rangers Ballpark
By the way – Ron Washington… I love you! 🙂

DFW Roller Derby

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The Roller Derby always seemed like one of those things that you heard was so awesome but you were never quite sure if it was just “that” awesome or if it even existed. Maybe it was just something that people talked about but had anyone ever seen a live Roller Derby? Kind of like unicorns, right?
First, you envision these rough looking women with the old school, four-wheeled skates, skating around a ring with fishnet stockings, high socks, short shorts, tank tops/t-shirts, tattoos, wild hair and crazy ass names. Definitely have to have crazy names. Have you seen the movie ‘Whip It’? (If you haven’t, you should….) But is it really that awesome?…
Last August, I came across an ad for the Championship Roller Derby for DFW at NYTEX in North Richland Hills, TX. We HAD to go. When we arrived, it was amazing how large the following is for these gals. The place was absolutely sold out. Every seat in the bleachers were filled, you could bring your own chairs to place around the ring (packed) – standing room only. Here’s to hoping that you’re not short!



Found on Flickr
The ring was different than I had pictured. I always pictured the elevated oval ring, but in this league the ring was flat and smaller than I had anticipated. We didn’t know the rules of the roller derby – (obviously this was new to us) but with helpful fellow fans, we picked it up pretty quickly. Long story short, one person from each team has to try to get thru all the other people, each person they lap, they get a point. (I’ll let you research this further, no sense ruining all the fun!) And the names are just as amusing – “Venus Thightrap”, “Jackie O’Nice Ass” and “Amazon Assassin” to name a few.
Soon enough we saw ladies flying around the ring on their skates! The game was intense. Pushing gals aside, jumping over people, just barely squeezing in between to get ahead. Fast paced, intense and entertaining as ever! Unfortunately for us, it was the last name of the season (…hense ”championship”…) and we left praising the latest, coolest thing that we had found and couldn’t wait up until the season started again (and Sy begging me to join). 
Now the time has come! It’s Roller Derby time in DFW ladies and gentlemen! The season kicks off this weekend with the 2011 Clover Cup Tournament in Dallas. If you have time, check it out for sure. If not, keep an eye on their schedule and make sure you catch a game (if not in the DFW area, in your area). It’s more popular than you think. Final determination: Roller Derby is kick ass. Check it out! You won’t be sorry.  
Here is the link to the Dallas Derby Devils and the Assassination City Roller Derby.
Be sure to check out other teams in your area.