I Effing Love Where I Live!

I have gotten into the history of the places I visit. Today's adventure was the Fort Worth Stockyards.

We have visited before but that was about eight years ago! And obviously, when there's that ridiculous of a time span between visits, you know there's going to be changes. Did you not read my earlier post? I guess I must not have because I so don't recall looking at a website beforehand. Damnit! I learned nothing! 

So we went, again, with nary a worry, again.

There are a few of these cool street signs hanging about. There really should also be horse signs too with the amount of cowboys riding their horses around. 

Fort Worth was a major stopping point way back when in the 1800s. The Stockyards were built as a trading post. And now, it's a major tourist hot spot with rodeos, a concert/dance hall, and a covered outdoor area where you can purchase a variety of cowboy chotchkies. 

There are a couple of photo ops as well. What life could be considered complete without an experience of plopping your sassy self on the back of a longhorn steer? Especially if you're a Texan. 

I wish the dude running this joint would've moved the steps. (Enter side-eyed emoticon here now.)

Website claimed the longhorn cattle drive was at eleven am. Nope. It was on some wall that the times were different. It was only later by a half hour so we sat and waited. 

Hey you horse's ass! Can't you read?? It says: "No parking stopping or standing"!

So this legendary cattle drive was announced by a front guy (I knew I should've taken a photo of the diagram!) singing the cattle to follow. 

This is a teeny representation of what the Chisolm Trail was. Hooray history!

There's the lead guy, some swing men (who keep the herd from veering left or right), and the tail end guys that push the herd forward. Nutshell. 

Texas has a b-ton of Hispanic influence - hell, we won our independence from Mexico. So a lot of architecture has this lovely Spanish mission theme with the red roof tiles and other decorations. Consider yourself learned. 

This is the Cowtown Coliseum where rodeos and livestock shows are held. I know this is a cutesy play on words out in cowboyville and whatnot but Fort Worth actually used to be called Cowtown. 

You're not a Texan until you own a cowboy hat. 

No adventurous tourist visit could ever be complete without some penny smashing. 

A smidge of history for you. I think I'm going to start "collecting" these things too. 

It was weird for me to see so many people on horseback on an urban street. There's this feel of the old west. I know several of these people are paid to give a little show (dress, whip cracking, cattle driving, photo ops) but I realized that there were more... Math takes me some time, bare with me... Because the street houses the building were they have, wait for it, rodeos and livestock shows. It makes sense. More side-eye emoticon usage here. 

While we were driving home, we saw some horses tied to posts outside of a convenience store. Us city folk aren't quite used to that. 

This obviously isn't what I was talking about but I hope you get the idea.