Birthday Trip - Day Two

I am so thankful for holidays.  Seriously.  Mister took a holiday from work today so that we could have make this little trek around Texas and I am loving each and every minute of it.  The way this whole trip came about was when I saw some information on Nokona, a company that makes baseball gloves by hand, a few weeks ago and mentioned to Mister that it would be fun to check it out.  The information said that they give tours on Mondays and Fridays so we would need to plan.  My sweet man took that to heart and planned this birthday weekend adventure to let me peek in on this company and whatever else we could find along the way.  In order to take the tour, he had to use one of his precious vacation days to do so.  I appreciate it so very much.

Leaving Wichita Falls, we drive back to Henrietta, where we will then take a different road for our return trip.  We make a quick stop at the Clay County Courthouse once again as neither of us checked the hours yesterday.  Alas, it is closed on Mondays too.  Poor Mister.  He turns the car back through town and as we are driving, I glance out the window to my right and spot the word "longarming".  SCREECH.  That is the sound of the car stopping quick to park.  Must not miss this opportunity, lol.  After all, it IS my birthday trip.  We discover Aunt Pam's Closet and it is indeed a wonderful little quilt shop.  I have written more about this part of the trip in my other blog and you can find that information by clicking on this LINK.  Suffice to say, what a great stop.

Okay, we need to get back on the road and get to Nocona before our tour starts.  That would be oh so sad.  Drive Mister, Drive.

We arrive in Nocona with a mere 15 minutes to spare and spend a few minutes checking out the shop and displays before our tour begins.  Again, I have written an entire post on this so please click on this POST to get the whole story.  What I will say here is that I definitely want to go back and do it all over again.

During our tour we met Brant Carpenter, the local veterinarian.  He told us to check out the Fenoglio Boot Company down the street.  Oh yes, another treat for me.  Apparently they do tours as well.  As we are walking down the street we are greeted by Dan Fenoglio, who is redoing the local saloon and invites us in to check it out.  Inside, we meet Dennis McBroom, and Cris Lemon along with Cris's wife, whose name I just can't seem to remember.  They are having lunch and invite us to join them.  Mister heads across the street to a food truck for some yummy BBQ and we take them up on the invitation.  This is a dang friendly town.  Hmmmm.

After a wonderful lunch and the recommendation from Dennis to check out the local museum, we are off to the boot factory.  Yes, we drop names and are given a wonderful private tour.  Again, I want to return and absorb more of this wonderful leather world.

Following Dennis's recommendation, the last stop here in Nocona is at the Tales N Trails Museum.  His wife, Nell Ann, is the curator and while we are enjoying the museum, Dennis also stops in.  It's an odd, but wonderful feeling to know so many people in this small town.  It feels like home.  This is a dang sweet museum and you can find out more about it HERE,  What a marvelous history this town has.  Truly marvelous.

The day is quickly disappearing and we still need to head home.  Back to the car we go.  As I read about local towns along the way, I discover that there is an authentic glockenspiel in Muenster.  Well, that MUST be checked out.  Imagine my dismay when I discover that it no longer works.  So sad.

However, the bright side of stopping in Muenster is finding the Muenster Antique Mall.  This place is wonderful and I could get lost in it for hours.  There are treasures to behold every direction I look.

And look, I do.  This sweet baby is going home with me.

A quick drive through Lindsay allows me to spot St. Peters Roman Catholic Church.  What a beautiful building and I wish it was open to tour, but it's a no go.  Oh well, as the sky clearly shows, we need to be moving along anyway.

In Whitesboro we come upon a quaint little downtown area with darling shops.  It is almost 5 p.m. and everything is closing but I have a few minutes in a cool quilt shop that catches my eye.  Yes, radar is working well today.   If you clicked on the first link in this post, all the info on this shop has been imparted to you.

We decide that a stop in Pilot Point is required as we have not made a single brewery stop on this trip.  They have a brand new one called Whistle Point Brewing and we are excited to give it a try.  When we arrive, it turns out that they are not open yet.  Hmmm.  Thank you Google.  We do go inside and meet the new owners, who give us a coupon for free drinks when we return later this summer after they are open.

Now what?  Ah, back to the place we found when we were here once before.  Lowbrows Beer and Wine Garden is ALWAYS an interesting stop and this time is no exception.  As we settle in, the first thing we are asked is if we want dinner.  Apparently it is being provided tonight and consists of yummy ham sandwiches with a delicious soup.  As we sit and relax a bit, the entertainment comes from several women at the end of the bar who are having a girls night out and have had a bit too much to drink.  Laughter all around.  This is a WONDERFUL little hole in the wall place that we are so glad to have found a year ago.  If you are up that way, check out Lowbrows.  Here is their WEBSITE.

Well, that's it.  Our lovely weekend has come to an end and we are heading back home.  Mister has to work the rest of the week and I have to get ready for a 10 day retreat.  I hope you had fun with us and found a few places that you want to check out as well.

Ta ta for now.  See ya'll later.