Recent Beer Adventures

The husband and I do love a good brew! Be it a lager, a porter, a saison, or (in the case of my husband) a sour, we're willing to sample any new tasty beverage. And thankfully, there are tons of local breweries to try out in the North Texas area!

We visited the Shannon Brewery for the first time recently. Located in Keller, the brewery sits just off of Highway 377. There is a nice outdoor seating area, but we arrived just after a torrential rainfall/thunderstorm and everything was still pretty damp.


They offer four all-year round beers at the brewery: the Irish Red, the All-American Blonde, the IPA, and Chocolate Stout. While the husband chose a pint of the Irish Red, I decided to try a rainbow of beer! While all of it was tasty, I was particularly fond of the Chocolate Stout. (A gold metal winner in both 2015 and 2016)


It wasn't super busy when we were there, although people came and went at the bar and I saw several groups taking a tour of the actually brewery. The husband and I played games while we drank (Monty Python Fluxx, Guillotine, Gin Rummy). The young man behind the counter actually came and took our order at the table several times! Great time & great beer!


We also visited the Tupps Brewery for the second time (the first time was for my birthday last fall).

They were having an amazing special event! Beer and doughnut pairings! It was so delicious! At first, you wouldn't even think about beer and doughnuts in the same sentence. But Tupps and the Donut Kitchen worked gastronomical magic on this one. We'd take a bite of doughnut, then take a sip of beer, and the flavors just exploded! The specific pairings were: Texas Shade/Banana Pudding, Black Ale/Texas Sheet Cake, Tupps IPA/Lemon Strawberry, Northbound 75/Maple Bacon, and Full Grown Man/Chocolate Strawberry. My favorite was actually the IPA/Lemon Strawberry, even though IPAs aren't traditionally my favorite kind of beer.


For some cool reason, we always meet and talk with the most interesting people at Tupps. Perhaps it's just the atmosphere, but we hung out with several groups as they came and went at our table. After the pairings, I moved to drinking Ale Mary's (which were just as good as I remembered!) It's a mix of Zing Zhang's Bloody Mary Mix and the Northbound 75 (a poblano pale ale) Luckily for me, it was the husband's turn to be the responsible driver!


We also decided to try out the new(ish) Lone Star Taps and Caps in Denton! They were having a Game of Thrones beer and growler special, of which we availed ourselves. But we hung out with friends until the place closed, drinking beer, playing games (Epic Spell Wars of the Battle Wizards and Munchkin Smash-Up). I love Taps and Caps not only because they have a great assortment of beer, but also because you can electronically view their beer list as well as how much is left in the keg! I also had my receipt emailed to me and it included a list of every beer we tried. (Which is great if you're trying to remember what exactly you had the night before!)

All in all, it's been an awesome few months! The husband and I look forward to discovering the next great brewery or craft beer!

Spring Break Road Trip 2016: Tulsa, OK [Day 4]

We got up early to go have a nice breakfast before we left Tulsa. We decided on Bramble, a very lovely farm-to-table eatery. I decided a cup of tea with local honey sounded lovely ... I didn't realize the cup would be as big as my head!


This last leg of our journey would take us out of Tulsa completely. After we had breakfast and checked out of our hotel, we headed north.



We took back country roads, cutting across the scenic Skiatook Lake to reach the small town of Hominy. Our destination was the Drummond Home, a beautiful home built in 1905 by Mr. Fred Drummond.


I love old homes, especially those that are furnished with items that are original to the residence! Our guide, Beverly, led us through the three floors, sharing stories about the family and what life was like at the time. She was incredibly friendly and knowledgeable, even laughing that she knew the Drummond family better than her own! It was one the best home tours I've ever taken!

After leaving the Drummond House, we needed to make good time. While I still wanted to take back roads instead of the highway, we had a deadline as far as our next destination. Unlike the previous day, it was a great time for a long drive: the sky was blue, the clouds were white & fluffy, and the road stretched out before us!


The last part of our Road Trip took us to Lawton for our semi-monthly Dresden Files RPG sessions. We've been playing with the Red Dirt Roleplayers for over a year now. It's usually quite a drive from Denton and back, but it's a great group and we have a blast. We got checked into our hotel and had just enough time to grab a quick bite to eat before that night's game started.

We got back to the hotel late that night, although not as late as if we'd had to drive back to Denton! We slept in as long as possible the next day, relishing a relatively lazy day as we made our way home. All in all, we had a magnificent time in Oklahoma ... and we didn't even get to see everything that we thought we might. I certainly think there is another trip north in our future!

Spring Break Road Trip 2016: Tulsa, OK [Day 3]

The third day of our Tulsa adventure was actually spent in Tulsa!

We started out at the beautiful Philbrook Museum of Art. The Philbrook was originally a private 72-room mansion built in 1927, then gifted to the City of Tulsa to be used as an art center only eleven years later. The permanent collections cover a wide range of African, American, European, and Asian art, plus a large exhibit of Native American art. However, what makes the Philbrook really special is that the building itself is just as magnificent. It's almost hard to believe that this was a private residence at one time.


The grounds encompass 23 acres of gardens, sculptures, bridges, and pathways. Unfortunately, the weather was cold and blustery and walking around outside didn't appeal to either the husband or I. We did step out briefly on the veranda to get a quick picture of the back of the mansion.


I didn't take a lot of pictures of the actual art (cameras never really do it justice), however here are a few of the sculptures and paintings that caught my eye (the last one was part of a temporary exhibit about simplicity in design).


Some of the most gorgeous sights in the downtown Tulsa area are the Art Deco buildings. They pop up along the city sky line, beautiful in their lines and geometric shapes. I'd be driving, then pull over suddenly into a parking lot or side street to get a closer look. Not only are there classic Art Deco buildings, but other grand architectural styles as well. Here are the Boston Avenue Church, Holy Family Cathedral, a pair of lovely skyscrapers, and the First Christian Church.


The Tulsa Historical Society & Museum was next on the list. The building was originally built as a residence in 1919, was purchased by the Historical Society in the late 1990s, then eventually was renovated and turned into a museum. The exhibits were lots of fun! Snapshots of life in Tulsa, from clothing, to Frankoma pottery, to architecture. I especially liked the Nifty Fifties display!


Even though it had been quite a day of art, I wanted to at least drop by the other major art museum in Tulsa: the Gilcrease Museum. The Gilcrease focuses on American art and history, especially that of the American West and Native Americans.


After a day of fine art, it was time for a bit of artistic brewing! We visited the Prairie Artisan Ales brewery to sit and try a lovely brew or two. We didn't linger for as long as we originally planned due to the weather (it was pretty nippy to sit outside), but the beer was lovely!


After the brewery, we decided on the Kilkenny's Irish Pub for dinner. (Again, the husband and I never turn down an Irish pub!) The building itself was in the very busy Cherry Street district. For a while I despaired of actually getting seated (they were having real issues with reservations that night), but soon we had menus in our hands.


Over a glass of Glenfiddich (for me) and a beer (for him), we shared the Oysters Shamrockafeller. I opted for the Traditional Irish Breakfast (which is what I often use as my benchmark for Irish restaurants). We even left room to share a lovely Creme Brulee for dessert.


Happy (and full), we headed back to the hotel! We'd be leaving Tulsa the next day, although there was still a bit more road trip to be had before heading back to Denton.

Spring Break Road Trip 2016: Tulsa, OK [Day 2]

The plan for day two of our trip was to visit a lot of the smaller communities outside of Tulsa proper. The next day's prediction was for rain, and I knew I didn't want to do any outside activities in bad weather. Although we also knew to be far away from the St. Patrick's Day festivities as soon as possible, we wanted to eat breakfast in the Blue Dome District before we hit the road. I loved all of the painted murals we came across as we walked around (yay, public art!!)


After looking at their menu online, we decided to try the Dilly Diner. Again, coffee was a must! (I have to admit, I love how I was able to catch the cream in mid-swirl!)


I chose the Chicken & Waffles ... anything listing sriracha honey as an ingredient is a must have, in my opinon!


After breakfast, we hit the road! I had a pretty full day planned for us!


In a beautiful venn diagram of everything Route 66 related and all of the craziness of Roadside America, the point where everything meets is in Catoosa, Oklahoma. The Blue Whale of Catoosa was originally built back in 1972 and families used to come from all over to swim, fish, and picnic on the grounds. While you can no longer swim there, you can certainly still visit and climb inside the blue beauty!


I had a great time walking around & admiring the Blue Whale from all angles. If I hadn't worn a dress that day, I would have climbed up the ladder to peek out one of its port-holes or perch on its tail!


The little whale seats for kids were really cute! (Although, the his/her bathroom signage was a bit creepier)


Tucked away to the side of the Blue Whale park, I had spied something a bit odd. We walked over to get a closer look and found a what seemed to be part of the park that was never renovated or up-kept.


Apparently, the big ark-shaped building once held a number of reptiles, including alligators. (It was called the ARK, as in short for "Animal Reptile Kingdom"). There was also the most creepy mushroom circle I have ever seen. I would not want to be on this side of the park at night! It sounds like there's been talk of renovating this area, which I think could be pretty cool.


After we left Catoosa, we headed north-east to end up in the even smaller town of Chelsea. Our destination was the Ed Galloway Totem Pole Park.


Ed Galloway was a well known folk artist who lived on the property back in the late 1930s. He began work on the main totem pole in 1937, finishing his creation 11 years later. I can see why it took him a long time to build the "World's Largest Totem Pole" ... it's a massive 90 feet tall!


There are several other totems on the property, all of which are carved with fantastic creatures and murals. There's also a museum/gift shop called the "Fiddle House" because it contains part of Galloway's large fiddle collection. The more you looked around, the more small design details you discovered. Quite amazing!


We headed northwest out of Chelsea, our sights set on Nowata. Or, more accurately, on a small property just on the outskirts of Nowata. The property in question belongs to Chris Barbee, also known as the Bowling Ball Man. I don't know how many bowling balls Mr. Barbee has on his property, but the answer is in the thousands!


It took us a second pass to find the even smaller country road that took us to his house. But once we got close, there was no mistaking we were in the right place! Mr. Barbee originally started using bowling balls to make durable yard art for his wife. She passed away in 1997, buy he decided to keep collecting them in her memory.


Mr. Barbee happened to be home when we visited, so we got to chat with him for some time. What a nice and fascinating man! He talked to us about the people (and bowling balls) that come from all over the world. He also mentioned that the first wedding on his property had just happened a few weeks before.


Apparently his son and his grandson have helped make some of the yard art as well. Not only does he have the bowling ball art, but he also has wind-chimes made from old tanks and other found objects.


We could have spent all day with the Bowling Ball man, but soon it was time to get back in the car and head west to Dewey. Originally, we were going to see the Dewey Hotel Museum, but they were closed during Spring Break. (I did take a picture of the beautiful building, however)


We still found several fun things to do in Dewey. We first visited the Tom Mix museum. I didn't know much about Tom Mix before we went in (the husband knew a little more thank I did), but the museum did a lovely job of introducing you to the man who was such a huge name in the old black and white westerns.


As the husband and I are both librarians, we both felt we had to stop by the Dewey City Library. I just love the fact that there is a library named the Dewey City Library! Mr. Melvil Dewey must be so happy!


We also explored several of the antique stores in the downtown area, finishing up at Linger Longer Antiques & Soda Shop. I didn't find any treasure to take home, but I did "linger" long enough to get a cherry phosphate from the soda fountain!


After Dewey, we started heading back towards Tulsa. Mindful of the gathering St. Patrick Day crowds, we decided get to get dinner along the way. Our chosen restaurant ended up being Dink's Pit Bar-b-cue in Bartlesville. Being from Texas, the husband and I are both suckers for good barbecue ... and Dink's was a great choice! Checking in on Yelp got us a free appetizer, so we decided on the onion strings. Additionally, any place that allows me to order smoked bologna gets a star in my book!

After an amazing dinner, we headed back to our hotel to rest up for the next day's adventure!