Y'all Need To See This

Did y'all know that in Sherman Texas (about 30 minutes north of McKinney) there is a great spot to search for old shark teeth and fossils?  There were fossils everywhere.  Just pick a spot to sit and start scooping up rocks and you are bound to find something interesting!  Supposedly the old shark teeth are from 145 million years ago. (Some of our finds) We went with friends, because what better way is there to spend a gorgeous day outside (easily able to social distance), but still so much fun!  I mainly took pictures...because hey, it was just beautiful.  And because I love taking pictures of people having fun.  But everyone else was sifting rocks and enjoying hanging out in the water of the creek looking for shark teeth and cool fossils and rocks.  I couldn't believe how many they found!!  If you find something different here is a good link to see what it is:    http://northtexasfossils.com/sharks.htm Who knew that you could do someth...

Do y'all like seeing animals?  Do you love seeing rare and exotic wildlife in a setting that isn't a zoo?  Do you want to do this in a location that you can still socially distance?  If the answer is yes then this might be a place you would like to go here in North Texas.   There are over 150 animals at this 126-acre ranch that is located right near Lake Ray Roberts in Denton County.   They are open Friday, Saturday, and Sundays and offer daily passes or season passes.  Check out the website link below for hours, admission, and to make sure that they are open since you never know how things will change from day to day with COVID.  There are also discounts for seniors, and the military and 911 personnel are free with ID.   The ranch is self-guided with information throughout as well as educational presentations every 20 minutes at certain locations in the ranch.  You will get the list of times when you arrive.  When we were ther...

Did y'all know there is a big cat rescue location here in North Texas?  Well, there is, and it is a pretty cool place to visit.  It is one of the first places we went to when my family moved to Texas.  My daughter is a huge fan of big cats (well, any cat that is), so we knew she would love it.  And she did.     One of the nice things about this location is that all of these big cats are rescues.  In-Sync started in 2000 and is dedicated to the rescue of neglected, abused, and unwanted exotic felines. You get to read the "story of each cat" as you are looking at them.  It is also so nice to get to see the before and after pictures of them.  It makes you sad for a second until you think about how dramatically better life has gotten for them seeing them in their currently healthy state.  You can tell that they have been well taken care of here. When we were there, the staff was all very friendly and informative.  My daughter had a...

Y'all looking for something to do with your kids outside?  Kids of all different ages.  Something they can all enjoy together.  A place where they can pretty much self entertain while you get to sit down with a nice cold drink under a shaded tree and just watch them having so much fun.  Well, this might be the place for you.  Oh, and did I mention that it is Free! This skate/bike park in Frisco is a hidden gem attached to some soccer fields and a nice playground.  There are so many different sections for kids of all ages to enjoy.  The skate park starts out with smaller little humps that younger kids can enjoy.  I have seen many kids on beginner bikes or even scooters in this section.   For older kids, as you move into the more advanced area you can always find the teenage kids on skateboards and bikes practicing some cool moves!  (The younger kids LOVE watching them!)  My 10-year-old son could sit there all day watching these ...

Yes, y'all read that right... Central Park .  Being from New York the name of this park caught my attention the first time I drove past it.  And then a second later I saw all the Longhorn Statues on the front lawn and it went from "I wonder what type of park this is" to "I need to walk around this park!"  I am glad I did...I think you might like it too!  Obviously, that is why I am telling y'all about it!   The first thing I need to tell you is that the park is nowhere near as big as the NYC Central Park.  It is actually very small (or as my kids would say, "perfect size").  But there is a lot of beauty in this very small place.  Some people even call it a "hidden gem in Frisco".  I would agree with that!            Location: 3155 Parkwood Blvd, Frisco TX 75034.  It is right off of Parkwood.  You might not even see it at first because it is surrounded by hotels...but you probably won't miss the big Long...

I love sunsets.  I always have.  I grew up in Long Island NY about 15 minutes from the beach.  From the day I was able to drive, the beach was the place that I would always go to.  I was there every chance I got...and I always stayed until the sun would set.  Sometimes I would watch it from the sand, or the boardwalk, or even my car.  The way the clouds would change colors and get brighter the closer the sun got to the horizon.  Or the different ways the lights would bounce off of the clouds.  There was nothing more beautiful or relaxing, and I always looked forward to it.  And to this day watching the sun going down is still one of the most relaxing ways I can think of ending a day. About an hour before sunset time I am usually looking to see if it looks like it might be a good one.  I can't help it....Texas has incredible skies!!  And if it looks really nice I convince my family that it is a perfect time to go for a walk or ...

Y'all, did you know that it is possible to feel like you took a mini-vacation even when you are really close to home!?! Well, my family likes to do this a lot so I will tell you how it's done.  We turn on google maps, pick a place that is not that far away, get in the car, and just drive there.  Yeap, it's that easy!  We have no idea what we will find when we get there (we intentionally don't research it so that it is a surprise).  Well, if you keep reading I will be ruining some of your surprises, but not really because I won't tell you about everything cool to see there.  I will let you find things you love on your own since there is a chance we all like different things.  But, if you like a small-town charm, seeing new places, looking at different stores, wandering in different shops, eating in different restaurants, and watching different people then we might be similar and I think you would like to take a short trip to Van Alstyne.  You should go ...