What had intended to be a quiet day at home turned into a day trip that lasted 10 hours and made many new memories. Come along and peek in on our day.
We hit the road at around 7 on a foggy morning --- heading south.
By the time we arrived in West, our tummies were ready for a treat. Any guesses what we were craving?
My sweet, dear friend, Paula, is her share of difficulties right now and I just so wanted to visit with her and wrap her in my love. Literally. Taking a quilt and wrapping it around her was the first order of business. Then, we got down to a wonderful visit, which only ended when the next good friends arrived. So much love to her and each day will be filled with a phone call until I can see her again.From there, we drove around Gatesville for a bit. The courthouse is beautiful and I wanted a few pictures.
At this point we knew that lunch was on the horizon and I remembered a new brewery that had opened in Cleburne. It was only an hour away, so off we went. The Break Room. I'm not sure what to even say here. I try so hard not to be rough on breweries, but . . . . They didn't have any of their own beer on tap and when we commented, the owner said he'd go put it on, that he was just waiting for some incentive to do so. Hmmmm. He didn't clean the lines at all and just ran it through a tap that another beer had been in. I'm just not sure what else to say. We ordered a burger to share and left shortly after. I'm pretty sure another try won't happen. So sad.
We looked up another spot to hit before home and headed to Burleson and The Old Texas Brewing Company. Upon our arrival, a quick look at the town square was in order. Santa's feet, the window and the packages all make for a great tree.
Nearby, were two older trains. So very cool. A few details could be had. "At the turn of the 20th century, the Northern Texas Traction Co. found success with an interurban railway that operated between Fort Worth and Dallas. In 1911, a group began planning a new, interurban that would run from Fort Worth to Cleburne, by way of Everman, Burleson, and Joshua. By that time, Burleson had approximately 700 residents, an active business district, and the city incorporated in 1912. The Fort Worth Southern Traction Co. came to town that year seeking employees and arranged with businessman and community leader Albert H. Loyless to be their local representative. He moved his Loyless-Robbins Pharmacy from a two-story wooden building across the street to a new brick building at this site. The Traction Company constructed an electrical plant and freight dock behind the building, and the pharmacy, complete with soda fountain and interurban ticket counter, occupied the front of the orange-brick structure. The first public run of the electrical train line came through Burleson on September 1, 1912. From that date until 1931, the train carried people in and out of town, brought goods to them from other cities, and helped make the pharmacy a community center. In 1935, a few years after the interurban ceased its service and motor coaches and automobiles took its place, Loyless, accepting the position of Burleson Postmaster, moved his business next door to the post office, Robert Deering bought the former pharmacy building and from it published his newspaper, The Burleson News (Later Burleson Dispatcher). The city later purchased the building for use as a visitor center."
It turned out that the spot we were headed to was not a brewery at all. Argh -- we are two for two today. We will try one more time. This means some back roads to cut across from Burleson to Mansfield. It's a great drive and we see parts of the Metroplex that were totally new to us.
We met the owners, Derrick and LaShawn, along with bartender, Kelly, and a neighboring businessman, Jeff, who owns a bike shop across the street. The beer is GOOD! The people are wonderful!!! We WILL return. It's a great way to end our driving day and get home before the New Year's even crazies are out and bout.
No comments:
Post a Comment