Adventures in and Around Fort Worth

Cruising through Fort Worth's south side I passed a sign that read " Fairmount Community Garden " with a list of sponsors below it. What is a community garden? I wondered. According to the American Community Gardening Association (ACGA) website , it is any plot of land gardened by a group of people. It can be urban, suburban and it can have flowers or vegetables. Located on 5th just across from Fairmount Park, Fort Worth's neighborhood garden has 76 leased plots, director Susan Harper said. Harper said Andrew Schoolmaster, TCU's dean of liberal arts, and Paul Paine, Fort Worth South, Inc. president, approached her in 2008 to start the garden. It took them two years to get everything together because it was the first and only community garden of its kind in Fort Worth. There was some red tape. Schoolmaster (what a name for a dean) is an urban geographer, so it made sense to him that Fort Worth needed a spot like this. The community garden has a few plot...

Looking at my calendar I noticed some fun things coming up this weekend! June 3 is another First Friday on the Green   at the small park between Magnolia and Rosedale. This event is packed full of great local flavors, drinks and live music. And this next concert features one of my favorite local bands — Calhoun! Saturday, June 4 is my favorite Concert in the Gardens  show. The Classical Mystery Tour , which is a Beatles cover group that tours the globe, will captivate all ages with popular tunes we can sing along to. Lawn passes are $16. We bring our own snacks and wine, sit on a blanket and have a picnic-style night out with friends. Children under 10 get in free.

You may or may not have heard about CrossFit. If you do it, you probably love it. If you've only heard about it, you may be intimidated. I tried it out and am here to give you the scoop. Is it hard? Yes. Is it extremely fun? Yes. Do you ever get bored? No. I love physical fitness but have found running to be monotonous. I've never lifted weights or done pushups or sit ups because I think they are boring as well. I started running in Fort Worth events (Turkey Trot, Friends of the Trinity, Cowtown, etc) to change things up and reach new goals. I even bought a bike to mix it up a bit, but I always find that I'm looking for more.  Like a puppy, I need to get tons of energy out or I'll be running in circles in my living room. I finally found something that engaged and challenged me on a new level when I started a bootcamp two months ago. It focused on core strength and the trainer changed the workout every session. I thought it was really fun but was bummed when it...

Memorial Day is a solemn holiday organized to remember those who died for our freedom, but it's become a day to grill by the pool, spend a day at the lake or take a long weekend vacation. Have we forgotten the cost of a free country? Maybe the original meaning of Memorial Day has faded from our consciousness. While war rages on in the Middle East, we could stop and remember those who made it possible for us to enjoy Memorial Day festivities. Those who died became martyrs for our freedom and are the reason we don't live in fear every day. And I guarantee they don't get a day off of work in Afghanistan. Memorial Day was traditionally May 30 every year, but the government eventually moved it to the last Monday of May so people could have a three-day weekend. Some say this further distracted us. Maybe it's how the holiday is marketed that distracts us. Whatever it is, let's put our flags out and at 3 p.m. on Monday have a moment of silence to remember the dead. ...

It's summer and time to get out of the house! I'm always looking for things to do outside and after a little research I found some hiking trails that I can't wait to check out. I stumbled on the website Trails.com: Your Guide to the Outdoors and looked at what they had on Fort Worth. There are a bunch of hiking trails all around us! You'd think I would know that as a native, but alas we get lazy. Click here for some information on a bike route that takes you through historical Fort Worth. For other  hiking trails and maps click here . Lake Mineral Wells Trail My roommate in college used to spend weekends hiking and camping at Lake Mineral Wells State Park (click name). She grew up in New Mexico and Canada where the outdoors are appreciated a little more. She told me how beautiful it was and that I should check it out. Now that my life is settling down a little bit, I think I will. The Fort Worth Nature Center looks like a promising stop!  I have to thank ...

One restaurant you must try when visiting Charleston is Fleet Landing. It has a great atmosphere on the water, and the food is even better than the view. Check out our awesome orders. Best biscuit I've ever had ... really Fried oysters on a bed of cheese grits smothered in barbecue sauce.  "The best thing on the menu," our waiter said. This is a whole flounder, scored and fried with the skin on. I know, I know, but the skin adds texture that made this treat incredible.  Vanilla Bean Crème Brulée  View from the balcony

Rarely can I justify spending $100 on myself for dinner, but I didn't feel one ounce of guilt at Charleston Grill  on King Street in South Carolina. The food here was an experience, an explosion of flavors, a culinary roller coaster ride.  I knew it was going to be good when the chef brought out a complimentary taste that was already one of my most memorable bites of food. It was a taste of what is to come. Above is a piece of jumbo lump crab meat served with a yellow tomato gazpacho jelly, vanilla sea salt and lemon crème fraiche. I wanted this for my dinner, but it wasn't on the menu. We started with the Foie Gras, which was sitting on sauteed apples smothered in a bourbon-cider sauce. To the side of the of the fatty duck liver was a cake doughnut also smothered in the sauce. The little white blob is a creamy, buttery mascarpone. This dish was divine and not like anything I've had before. We took a little bite of the foie gras with a little bite of dough...