Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.
Today, we explore my favorite destination in Fort Worth, the Kimbell Art Museum! The Kimbell is the most well-known of the three art museums in Fort Worth’s Cultural District.
Rebekah and I have visited the Kimbell Art Museum more than thirty times. Always fresh and new, the museum exhibits traveling collections, hosts lectures, shows movies and offers concerts.
The Exterior of the Kahn Building
Founded in 1849 as a frontier outpost, Fort Worth was where “civilization” ended and the Wild West begun. Once a simple military fort to protect settlers from Indian raids, the small town has emerged into a sophisticated city. And the sophisticated city boasts a fantastic cultural district!
Exterior of the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
Located west of downtown, near the West 7th District, the Cultural District brings class and culture to Fort Worth. Most of these attractions are within walking distance of each other. So find a place to park (for free), and start strolling.
Exterior of the Amon Carter Museum of American Art
Howdy! My name is David, one of the four traveling Texans.
Ok, I have to admit, I do not normally use the word “Howdy,” but it somehow seems appropriate today. Unfortunately, there is a certain university in Texas that has destroyed that word for lots of Texans, but that is a story for another time.
I graduated from The University of Texas with a degree in architectural engineering in 2007. Hook ‘Em Horns! Since then, I have worked for a Fort Worth-based civil engineering company as a construction manager and licensed engineer.
How does an engineer end up blogging? I am not exactly sure, but let me try to explain.
As I mentioned in my first post, a passion for travel was awakened on a trip to Kenya in 2009. However, I was exposed to the adventures of travel as a child. At the age of 5, my dad accepted a short-term job transfer. For seven months, my family lived in Stavanger, Norway. During this time, we visited the Netherlands, Denmark and London, England.
Throughout my childhood, my parents did a wonderful job of providing me with new experiences across the United States. Family summer vacations landed us in new places. On these trips, we explored historical sights and museums, as well as more important places for a young boy like the beach, the mountains, and Disney World.
I grew up in Houston, Texas. Houston is a giant city, the fourth largest in the United States. Without knowing it, I was definitely a city boy in a state known for its country. This abruptly changed during college.
David Grilling Over a Wood Fire
For three summers during college, I worked at a horse ranch in Gainesville, the quarter horse capital of Texas. Without knowing what I was getting myself into, I bought a cheap pair of cowboy boots, a straw hat, and a couple of Wal-Mart pearl snap shirts, and headed to the country. I learned a lot about ropin’ and ridin’, shootin’ and grillin’ steaks over a wood fire. I also became an expert in cleaning horse stalls and digging fence posts. By the third summer, I was promoted, and even taught riding classes! Overall, it was a great experience that has shaped my life in many ways, including my love of cowboy boots.
Since graduating college, I have traveled internationally to Croatia, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Israel, and Kenya (twice). I have also continued exploring Texas and other domestic locations.
When traveling, I love soaking up the unique culture, natural beauty, history, art, architecture, food, beer, music, politics and language of each location.
My love of travel has led to my second passion, art. I tried unsuccessfully during grade school to become world-renowned artist. After realizing I was not the next Caravaggio, my favorite artist, I learned to appreciate the art already around me, put in place by other gifted artists and by God for the world’s enjoyment.
This appreciation for art led to a third passion, photography. During a trip to Italy, Matt introduced me to the world of photography. Since that trip, he has helped me become a better photographer. The photos posted on From Texas to Beyond have all been taken by Matt and myself.
Travel indirectly led to my fourth and most important passion, my beautiful wife. Now that I am married, my favorite travel partner is my lovely wife, Rebekah.
I have been very fortunate in life to travel. My goal for From Texas to Beyond is to capture the best experiences from each unique destination, so I will always remember the experiences that have shaped my life. Along the way, we desire that our journeys will lead you to having great adventures of your own. We hope you enjoy these stories as much as we enjoy sharing them!
David Hiking the Cedar Falls Trail in Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas
In 2009, I (David) found myself in Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya, located on the shore of Lake Victoria. Having finished college two years before, I was discovering my passion for travel.
I journeyed with two other ‘wazungu’ or ‘mzungus’, the Kiswahili words for white people. My friends were starting a non-profit organization, and I was tagging along, assisting whenever possible. It was a wonderful trip, with many exciting and new experiences. The Kenyan people are amazing, and I now have many lifelong friends on the other side of the world.
However, 6 years later, one memory stands out vividly in my mind.
Traveling cheap, we took the main form of public transportation in Kisumu, the matatu. A matatu is a minivan that runs on a predetermined circuit. They seat about 15 people on 5 rows. However, I call them party wagons, as you often see up to 25 people in one, including two or more men standing on the running board, holding onto the frame as they hang out the open sliding door. From inside, rap music thumps from a TV mounted over the driver’s seat, as the screen flashes with music videos. To top it all off, each matatu comes complete with its own highly-original name, like Spank or Pimpin’, or the more religiously inclined, Blessed.
Hanging on to the Matatu
Needless to say, not many mzungus travel by matatu. Taxis were the mode of choice for the few foreigners in the city. Summoning all of our courage, we crowded into a matatu, hoping it was the correct one. Immediately, the crowd inside the van fell silent as we paid the fair. The only noise breaking the silence was the rap music, still blaring from the speakers.
After what seemed to be a lifetime, a Kenyan man in the front seat turned around, looked directly at me, and demanded, “Where are you from?”
I answered simply, “Texas.”
Considering my reply, he gradually smiled, and proclaimed, “Texas? Like Chuck Norris?”
Instantly, the whole atmosphere changed. With the simple word, “Texas,” I was no longer a stranger from a foreign country, but a new friend from the land of Chuck Norris, Texas Ranger! Everyone laughed, and the party atmosphere continued as we arrived at our destination.
After this memorable interaction, I always answer people the same way…”I am from Texas.” Being from Texas means something. I have always been proud of being a Texan, but I never realized the power this simple truth holds on others, even on the streets of Kenya. People around the world know of Texas, the land of Chuck Norris, cowboys, horses and longhorns. Now all of the preconceptions may not be true, but Texas truly is a special place.
View of Lake Victoria from Kiboko Bay
As I alluded to before, I love to travel. This love has not only opened doors to new friends in my life, but more specifically, the other authors of this blog. My second international trip landed me in Italy with a good friend. Through the course of hopping trains across that wonderful country, Matt and I became great friends. Our dreams of traveling together changed when he found a new travel partner and wife, Rachel. Their journey together took them away from Texas for a few years, but have now returned. Their stories will be told in the coming posts.
In 2012, I married a wonderful woman, Rebekah, who loves to travel as much as I do. You will learn more about her in an upcoming post. We love traveling together but also enjoy our beautiful home state.
I invite you to join the four of us as we travel, learning about the world and the people around us. I love Texas, and I hope this blog introduces you to our amazing home, and that you will join us as we share our journeys exploring the world. Whether we travel across our city, state, country or world, there is always something new to learn.
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