Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.
From Texas to Beyond was about to publish our 100th article, and the four of us were looking for an excuse to celebrate a bit. Well, what better way to celebrate than a trip! Since we didn’t have an all-inclusive trip to an international resort in the budget this year, we decided on a day trip to Deep Ellum.
Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. In the past you’ve read about art, studying abroad, experiencing culture through food, and the great burger adventure. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.
As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives. We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.
Before I jump into the three Caravaggio paintings that Rebekah and I viewed in the Louvre’s extensive collection, I want to provide some context to the artist. You may find yourself asking, “Who exactly is Caravaggio?”
Caravaggio’s life and works have filled countless books; I will attempt to oversimplify for the sake of time. If you as the viewer know a little about him, you will better appreciate his influential works.
Let’s look briefly at Caravaggio’s life. A second follow-up article will discuss Caravaggio’s impact on the world of art (Coming Soon!). Continue reading
Rebekah and I spent Valentine’s Day night with countless other people, young and old, both couples and friends at the Denton County Courthouse Square. Even though Denton is a city, the small town Texas atmosphere of The Square was perfect for a romantic night, complete with festive white lights strung in the trees around the old Courthouse.
This year, we celebrated the Day of Love with a short Denton day trip. Rebekah and I had just finished a beautiful hike at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. We were getting hungry, and knew we would find some unique places to eat on the Denton Square.
J&J’s Pizza on The Square
Simply referred to as “The Square,” the old center of Denton includes fun for all ages! Food options abound, from pizza to Thai, and coffee to ice cream. The shopping is amusing, and a bit quirky. There is also a massive used music and book store, Recycled Books that I visited on a previous trip to The Square.
Kicking off our day trip to Denton, Rebekah and I enjoyed a wonderful afternoon picnicking and hiking one of the top trails in Texas at Ray Roberts Lake State Park.
Looking for inspiration as we planned our day trip, Rebekah found an article by Texas Monthly listing the top 30 hikes in Texas. Due to the relative convenience of Ray Roberts Lake State Park located just north of Denton, we decided on this hike to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
While the state park has many areas to explore around Lake Ray Roberts, we followed Texas Monthly’s suggestion and focused on the Greenbelt Corridor Park. Following the Elm Fork of the Trinity River, the 11 mile Greenbelt Corridor Trail winds from Lake Ray Roberts south to Lake Lewisville. See the map on the park’s website for detailed information on the Greenbelt Corridor.
Hiking the Greenbelt
A few weeks ago, I was presented with another free Saturday, as Rebekah was working. After a great time the previous month checking out some new Fort Worth-area breweries, Shannon Brewing Company and Bearded Eel Craft Brewery (now closed permanently), I knew it was time to trek to the Dallas side of the craft beer scene. I met up with my good friend J-Higs, and had a tasty beer crawl across the eastern part of the Metroplex starting at Lakewood Brewing Company in Garland, and finishing at FireWheel Brewing Company (now closed permanently), 20 minutes east in Rowlett.
First on the agenda, Lakewood Brewing Company. I had heard great things about this brewery, and I remembered enjoying its flagship beer: The Temptress. This brewery, producing great beer since 2011, is becoming big in the Texas craft beer scene and I wanted to know more!
Let’s take a look at Lakewood Brewing based on our Brewery Grading Scale. Continue reading
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