Tag Archives: Adventures

Hello Friends!

Ah! It’s been a little while since I’ve posted. Wow. One thing is for sure, I’ve thought about this place every day. Life gets busy, hectic even. The plan is to be back here a little more regularly with an update or perhaps an inspiration. Let’s catch up…

Last fall, I began my Masters of Business degree. This is the main reason for the break in posts. I love learning, I think I always have. Maybe it’s influenced in my absolute love and fondness for discovering new places, new adventures and new places on this world we live on. Getting back into the rhythm of school does take some adjustments but it will be worth it in the end. I’m really excited!

Traveling? Adventures? Well, if you know me, you know I can only sit for so long without getting up and having a little fun. So, what have we been up to? There’s so much to share, here’s a glimpse.

We ran a 5k (and I decided I need new shoes).

We had such a great time at the @rahrbrewing Oktoberfest 5k yesterday! Fall is here! @Oktoberfest #seefortworth #rahr

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Oct 2, 2016 at 5:53am PDT

Of course we attended TX vs. OU weekend at the Cotton Bowl!

Another great weekend in the books! #txou #cottonbowl #hookem #redriverrivalry

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Oct 9, 2016 at 5:06pm PDT

Came to terms that The Pioneer Woman makes the BEST chocolate pie. It’s so simple and delicious, you’ll want to forget that you made it for your family, hide in a closet and eat the whole thing yourself. Just kidding. Kind of. Here’s the link for the recipe.

Guys. This pie. Make it. Make it and tell everyone that it’s terrible so you can have it all to yourself. I know, I know what an awful thing to do but trust me. It’s glorious. Thank you @thepioneerwoman for possibly the best chocolate pie ever. Now where are those yoga pants… #sundaydinner #homemade #madeformyman #food

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Feb 19, 2017 at 6:14pm PST

I found the bagpipers in Fort Worth during their annual Christmas bar crawl! Spencer didn’t believe me when I said I heard bagpipes. Ho! Ho! Ho!

When bagpipers show up to the bar… #fortworth #tistheseason #bagpipers

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Dec 11, 2016 at 12:23pm PST

A girls weekend to Choctaw Casino in Oklahoma for Spencer’s Grandmother’s 90th Birthday.

This past weekend we celebrated Spencer’s grandmothers 90th birthday @choctawcasinos I can’t begin to say how nice people were – said/sang Happy Birthday, asked to take a picture, stopped to say hello or ask what her secret was. We were so excited for her and she was super excited to be there! What a great girls weekend getaway. Loved spending time with these ladies. See you next year Choctaw! #bungas90th #choctawcasino #girlsweekend #oklahoma

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Feb 15, 2017 at 5:18pm PST

As always, enjoying the local watering holes and live music as well as finding some new ones. (More to come on this.)

This is the perfect way to start date night! #datenight #fortworth #drinklocal @hopfusion_ale_works #wheretofindme #seefortworth

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Dec 10, 2016 at 4:29pm PST

We explored our backyard (aka Fort Worth) and came across this gem!

Yesterday, we decided we would explore parts of Fort Worth that we had not yet seen. As soon as we drove by this home, I was intrigued. Then, I saw a historical marker and knew we had to stop. Rock Island is one of the oldest parts of Fort Worth, known for the proximity to the railroad and the Rock Island Railroad Company. This is the Garvey-Viehl house. Built in the early 1880’s, it sits high on a hill overlooking the Trinity and the Coyote drive-in, not far from the historic Stockyards. Mr. Garvey was a grocery dealer who had a store on Main Street near the courthouse. His wife, was granddaughter of Baldwin Samuel who the street is named after. Imagine it’s grandeur years ago in all of its glory. (Yes, those are lions next to the front steps.) Now on the verge of being condemned and Fort Worth loses a little bit of its history. This would be the best little B&B or home if restored. What’s gem. Sadly, we never knew this part of town existed and it was the top find of our day. Now, I’m only intrigued further with a dream of restoring this home. #exploreyourcity #seefortworth #historicalmarker #thisoldhouse #ipulledoverforthis #garveyveihlhouse

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Feb 26, 2017 at 8:18pm PST

And most recently, we went to Houston for an engagement party and had the chance to swing by NASA!

Captain Kirk’d our morning. #houston #nasa #nerds #space #rocketships @spencerdavis10

A post shared by Diana Bockus (@downhometraveler) on Mar 18, 2017 at 1:17pm PDT

And so much more!

Stay tuned! I have more to share including a little something for one lucky reader!

Relax, Rewind and Breathe

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Texas is a lot of things. Dallas is the hustle and bustle which I refer to as the “New York City of Texas”. Austin is the college town where everyone wears burnt orange (Hook ’em!). Fort Worth is the laid-back, kick-back big-small town where jeans and boots are more than acceptable. It’s more about personalities and friendliness than appearance. Small town Texas is small town, sometimes the middle of nowhere. Abandoned buildings are sometimes familiar, old town squares, community and rustic charm is evident. Texas is many things but it’s not Vermont for this Vermonter and sometimes I just miss those dairy farms, country roads and everything being familiar. (As you can see, I’m approaching needing a serious trip back home soon.)

Texas does have a certain charm about it and along my travels find things that bring me back. Whether it be that country road, finding old milk cans, sap buckets or even seeing a tractor in a field and nothing is better than white-face Herefords. I have a special place in my heart for those cows. One of my favorite places has to be a friends ranch because it takes away all that wallpaper, glitz and glam of the world and brings you to what it’s suppose to be.

Beauty. Peacefulness. Nature. Fresh air.

For New Years weekend, we spent some time out on his families property where I shared some photos of some of the magnificent animals that we saw (that we don’t even see in Vermont). In this post, I wanted to share some of the items that remind me a little bit of my home state and some of my favorite things, including those great white-face Herefords.

When you think of home, what comes to mind first?

New Years at The Ranch

12 Replies

Last August, I may have found one of my top three favorite places in Texas. This ranch in the middle of the Hill Country is amazing. Beautiful, relaxing, peaceful. It’s my perfect getaway. I have way too many photographs to share in one post so I’ll start off with some of my favorites.

Cows. I have a soft spot for these herefords.

There’s also these African animals. Wildebeests, kudu, oryx… amazing.

The wildebeests and the cows, well it turns out they’re friends. They were hanging out peacefully. (I’m still trying to figure out if I should or shouldn’t be surprised by this.) Wildebeests are pack animals. Turns out you can be exiled from the group. We saw a solo wildebeest who was out on his lonesome.

The kudu (the animal with the twisty horns below) were terrified of us. It was hard to grab a photo of them up close. Maybe next time.

Its so amazing to see these animals roaming around. I’m pretty certain this was a day in paradise to photograph and watch.

Then there were the turkeys simply taking a stroll.

Now I’m really excited – the elk! (I’ve saved the best for last.) This past summer, I saw one or two elk from afar hanging out in a lake. This visit, I was in for an incredible surprise. Our tickets were front row and center. First off, there was no fence between us and elk. And they are so beautiful. We had stopped to take some photos of the African game and the elk followed us over. They were ready for their photo-opp and to photobomb. How many can say they’ve been photobombed (or taken selfies) with a herd of elk? I’m fairly certain that we could’ve just grabbed some chairs, opened a cooler and sat and watched them all afternoon.

I couldn’t have thought of a better place to be at the start of the new year. The perfect company, beautiful scenery and the best place to enjoy the outdoors.

Cheers for an amazing 2016 to you and yours!