A Fighter Pilot Experience

Gordon received a fighter pilot experience for his 50th birthday
The day started with a briefing about the sortes he would be doing
and meeting his opponent Steve.

This is the plane that Gordon took to the air in. After take off he was given the controls and it was all up to him.






Gordon with his instructor Jim. He has 30 years of fighter pilot experience.







A family pose







Before Gordon was strapped into the plane S got a 'shottie'.
I think the helmet was a bit big for her.









Jim explaining the controls to Gordon.

Concentration!!!!!

How 'cute' is the little red cap.

Parachute on - and all strapped in.

One last look behind to say cheerio.

Ready for take off.





Once the plane was in the air they flew 25 miles to where the sortes took place. Gordon received a video of this but I think it is too large to put on the Blog. Hopefully you can see it when we come home at Christmas.

A birds eye view of the 'enemy' plane.

Gordon was the ultimate winner !!!!!!!! .





It was an amazing experience and a once in a lifetime event. Thank you Stuart, Jennifer, Mark, Stephanie & Sarah.

Eating Out Cowboy style

Juicy ribs - perfect finger food - yum!!!!








Not to be outdone Gordon tries some too.











The local 'Saloon'












S and a new friend.









S The Cowgirl

The Stockyards Museum

Here are a variety of exhibits at the Stockyards Museum. All
horse and carraige and rodeo related.












A funeral carraige







A carraige for the 'well to do'














This one would be used like our modern day taxi.





















This one would be like a caravan is today

South Fork Ranch - Dallas

Remember 'Dallas' and The Ewings, JR, Sue Ellen, Jock, Miss Ellie, Bobby etc. ?


Here is the visitor centre. As always its used as
a gift shop, admissions and of course the mandatory
souvenir photo!!!!!







Here is the Ranch. It was much smaller than what we
imagined and the guide told us they did a lot of photography
tricks to make things look bigger.












Jock Ewing's portrait hangs above the fireplace
in the main room.







The dinning room all decked out with the finest
china.






This was JR's bedroom








Lucy Ewing's bedroom
'The poisoned dwarf'









Bobby Ewing's bedroom

'JR' Thomson sitting at the breakfast

table. This was the original table used

through all the filming.

The Stockyards

We went back in time and stayed the weekend at The Stockyards in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Stockyards is the history book of the livestock industry in Texas. Each chapter is represented by the original bricks and mortar, the wood corrals, the men, and the music that are all still a part of the the Stockyards today. The Stockyards possessed a wide variety of people, there were cowboys, cattlemen, bartenders and bankers. The Packing houses brought skinners, butchers, and bookkeepers to the area. The horse traders, hog dealers and harlots mixed with harness makers and mule dealers.From the time following the "War Between the States" through the decade after the Second World War, the livestock industry was a huge part of the Fort Worth and Texas economy.

A cowboy herding the longhorns down the street.

This cowboy couldn't find his horse so improvised!!!!

S outside the live stock exchange

View from our hotel window of the surrounding livery building.

Twice a day the cattle are herded through the streets just as they were hundreds of years ago.

Travel Channel, Bizzare Foods, Andrew Zimmern

You never imagine that you will ever meet anyone famous but on Saturday morning while we were in Fort Worth for the weekend we came across a film crew busy at work. On paying a little more attention to what was going on we realised that it was Andrew Zimmern of The Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods shooting for his new series. We are great fans of this programme and were lucky to be able to talk to Andrew and have our picture taken with him. He talked about his visit to Scotland and in particular the haggis he ate and the scenery in Perthshire which he said was stunning. He was such a nice person and so willing to spend time with us.

This is the clip he shot for the programme