Grapevine: Christmas Capital of Texas - Monday, December 31, 2018

Here it is, the last day of 2018, and we're up and at 'em to do another 10k Volksmarch. First, body fuel was important to give us energy as we walked around Grapevine: the Christmas Capital of Texas in the cold December air.

Yesterday, I saw a restaurant in Irving, Texas near where we were staying called Jam + Toast. That sounded like my kind of breakfast place. That's where we headed this morning and we were not disappointed. The menu is extensive with combos, pancakes, waffles, French toast, omelets, crepes, and healthy food choices as well.

Jam + Toast in Irving for breakfast.

Perfect breakfast: Challah French toast, two
eggs over medium, and bacon. Mmm!

Nicely fortified, we drove 15 minutes to Grapevine to start our walk. Starting out, the sun was shining but the temperature was about 45. I wore my heavy coat because the wind was cold. 

The beginning of the walk was on busy city streets, but soon we entered a park, walked by a creek, and passed a beautiful butterfly sculpture. 

Butterfly sculpture in park.

From there, we headed a few blocks away to visit Nash Farm: "A Living History Experience." Normally there are activities going on, but after the holidays things quiet down on the farm as evidenced by Leroy the barn cat.

Leroy taking it easy.

The Nash Farmhouse

The Nashes, Thomas Jefferson and his wife Elizabeth (along with five daughters and a son), were farmers in Grapevine, Texas, starting in 1859. The farmhouse was built in 1869. Can you believe the size of that kitchen below? 

Nash farmhouse kitchen.

Looking across the yard toward the barns.

The Speckled Sussex chickens below were very friendly. I think they wanted to be fed because they ran over to us when we walked up. This breed of chicken is very popular with farmers because it is useful for both meat and egg production. Speckled Sussex is a heritage breed that has been endangered in the past.

Speckled Sussex chickens, all cooped up.

The toms were struttin' for the hen.

At the farm, we also saw sheep, old farm equipment and a small graveyard. It definitely reminded us of years gone by.

On our walk, we also passed the Grapevine Vintage Rail Museum where we checked out a railroad turntable and an old engine on display. 

Grapevine Vintage Rail Museum.

Railroad turntable and historic Victorian-style coaches.

Bonnie, Bob Alton, Andy Thomas,
Darren and Susan Medlin, Helen Hull

A very nice stop was the Grapevine Visitors Center which was totally decked out in Christmas finery. If you looked closely, you could see railroad details in much of the decor.

One of the main attractions in town is to take a ride on the Grapevine Vintage Railroad. One of the rides is the Cotton Belt Route train ride to the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. At this time of year, the train does not run, so we kept on walking.

Visitor Center

The following six photos show the Visitor Center decor. There were even snacks out in the lobby. Very sweet of them.

Kyle and Susan Medlin.

Nice train ornaments.

Train wheels in the railing.

We exited the back door of the Visitor Center to walk through the grounds of Settlement to City Museum. The buildings were closed today.

Bob Alton, Kyle and Darren Medlin.

Cotton Ginners Museum.

Christmas Coach

Christmas coaches, such as the one above, took visitors from the railroad to their hotel or the homes of their loved ones.

We continued around the block back to the main street where there was a lot to see, including a unicorn, sculptures, and the Grapevine Train Depot.

"Imagine," the Flying Unicorn.

The Grinch made an appearance at
A.J.'s on Main BBQ.

Grapevine Train Depot Museum.

Sculpture outside the depot.

A beautiful clock.

The Vetro Glassblowing and blacksmith shops were not open today.

Susan and Darren Medlin.

You can make your own
handblown glass ornament

Most of the rest of the walk was through pretty neighborhoods. Oh, Grapevine has a very nice 9/11 Memorial, too. Our walk took us there.

Below are 9/11 Memorial sculptures honoring flight crews, 343 FDNY, and the Law Enforcement Officers Never Forget Memorial:

United Airlines Flight 175 (on the right)

343 FDNY

Recycled steel from the World Trade Center

Limestone fragment from
impact zone at the Pentagon.

Stone from the crash site in
Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

American Airlines Flight 11.

Law Enforcement Officers
Never Forget Memorial.

The walk took us into downtown for a few blocks and then back to our start point. The Torian Log Cabin in Liberty Park is made from hand-hewn logs. In the 1970s, the log cabin was going to be torn down to make way for a new home. When the Grapevine Historical Society heard about its imminent demise, on 48 hours' notice, members of the Society labeled the logs, disassembled them, and moved the cabin four miles to its present location in 1976.

"Walking to Texas"

The above statue honors all those who walked alongside their wagons on their journey to settle in Texas. It's nice to see a tribute to walkers!

"Sidewalk Judge" sculpture.

Our start and finish point was the Palace Theater. We had an Elvis sighting in the lobby.

We want to come back and do more exploring, see museums, and take the train ride to the Stockyards in Fort Worth. Thank you to the Texas Volkssport Association for hosting this TVA Memorial Walk. We also appreciate the volunteers who supported the walks this weekend. And the cookies were good, too.

After the walk, we rested and then went to dinner at a Chinese restaurant with Susan, Darren, and Kyle Medlin. Susan, Darren, Kyle and I went to see Aquaman at 7:00 p.m. Bob isn't interested in that genre, so he went back to the room. I rejoined him there at 9:30 p.m. We didn't go out to celebrate New Year's Eve, but we will walk tomorrow morning before we head home.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!