F IS FULL OF FACTS

Posted on July 30, 2025 by abcsisters

New activity: FEDERAL RESERVE BANK OF DALLAS

Barbara: Laura’s schedule didn’t allow for this visit but luckily, I had 3 wonderful people who were game for a drive to the Federal Reserve Bank. My friend, Pam, already had been but she grabbed her hubby, Steve, and I grabbed A.D. and off we went.

The early bills looked quite a bit more lavish than those we have today.

I learned so much. I didn’t realize that originally “coins” were actually “paper coins” and they were nicknamed “shinplasters” since soldiers lined their worn out boots with the notes. Also, that in the 1800s states, railroads, stores – even the city I live in – were able to issue their own currency.

There were many more plus some interactive areas and I’m proud to say I was able to recognize 4 out of the 5 counterfeit bills. Definitely worth the visit.

LEARNING CENTER: FECES

Yes, I said feces. Get this: according  to the Encyclopedia Brittania, each year in April hundreds of people in the southern Indian village of Kairuppala, throw cow dung at each other in a celebration called the Pidakala War, which recalls a mythological marriage dispute between two deities. Can you imagine if that was a holiday here? What do you think it would be called?

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FANTASTIC FLAVOR/FILM FAILURE

Posted on July 22, 2025 by abcsisters

New Baking Success : FLUTTERNUTTER BLONDIES

Who can resist that name? Not us. Plus, the picture also enticed us. With the typical ingredients of flour, eggs, sugar and heavy cream, the recipe also contained the goodness of creamy peanut butter and marshmallow creme. The FlutterNutter Blondies were delicious. Really yum – and they were interesting in that the first bite was good but each consecutive bite increased the flavor. All in all, it made the “let’s do it again” dessert list.

New movie – The Bride of FRANKENSTEIN

Don’t you just hate when you revisit movies from your childhood and they don’t hold up? The Bride of Frankenstein is touted as a trailblazer for horror comedies. It’s the second of the Frankenstein movies and the director wanted it to be a bit different, aiming for high style, witty sophistication and satire on monster movies. We were not impressed. The viewers back in 1950 when the film was released might have felt differently, but with our 21st century viewpoint, the film missed the mark for us.

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FRISCO FORAY

Posted on July 17, 2025 by abcsisters

We’ve been to Frisco many times but there’s always more to see. Yesterday we thought we would feed our taste for funky fashion and frozen treats.

New store: FLEA STYLE

When we read about Flea Style online it was described as “Handmade. Vintage. One-of-a-kind.” We both like to browse in unique stores and Barbara loves vintage hats so we were anticipating a long visit. Unfortunately, that description was very misleading. Nearly everything in the store was western clothing, jewelry, etc., which really is not our thing. And even the hats were all cowgirl hats which a Brooklyn girl can’t quite pull off. So that visit was a bust.

New eatery: DUMONT CREAMERY & CAFÉ

No, Dumont does not start with “F” but we found some great flavors there that do. At first we thought we’d order the Filter Coffee flavor and the La Ferrero (chocolate and nuts) flavor but then we saw something we hadn’t seen before at an ice cream shop. Dumont offered a flight of 4 ice cream flavors. So, we chose the two aforementioned flavors plus Festive Cake and then added mint chocolate chip to fill it out with a tried and true. We really enjoyed them but both agreed that La Ferrero was our favorite.

So the day ended on a favorable and flavorful note!

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“F” STARTS WITH A BANG

Posted on July 5, 2025 by abcsisters

Happy FOURTH of July to our FAMILY, FRIENDS and FOLLOWERS!

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ENDING WITH EATING

Posted on July 1, 2025 by abcsisters

What better way to end the month than with a good breakfast and some tasty treats.

New restaurant: EGG POSH

Seems like every month a new breakfast place opens up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We were feeling a bit “posh” ourselves, so we decided to try Egg Posh in Frisco. Since we were going for something different, we started off by splitting their beignets. Talk about yummy!

They also have something we had never seen before called a Toast Flight. Here’s the description from their menu:

3 pc Baguette | Avocado Toast | Roasted Red Pepper Spread and Feta Cheese | Smashed Avocado with Bacon, Chili Crisp Egg Sunny Side Up

We may have to try that on our next visit. But we went with the Crab Cake Benedict which was quite tasty. The Lobster Omelet sounded great but we wanted to cut costs a bit so maybe another time.

Last E food: THE SEARCH FOR AN ÉCLAIR

All month long we have periodically looked for a good éclair. First, in the beginning of the month we went to the Paris Baguette in Frisco.

You’d think with so many tempting desserts in their cases there would be an éclair but no. So we had to settle on a croissant and espresso.

Later in the month we went to find Salut Paris Bakery which actually featured an éclair on their menu. We had done an activity earlier and then ran into a terrible pileup on the highway, so we were getting pretty wiped out. Finally we reached where we thought we needed to be and as it turns out Barbara fessed up to inputting the wrong address in her GPS and we were nowhere near Salut. Ugh. Home we went.

Are eclairs out of style? We guess so because the only place we finally came across one was at La Madeleine. It was OK but not worth all the searching. Maybe someday we’ll go back to the real Salut and see if theirs is better.

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AN EISENHOWER EXPERIENCE

Posted on June 29, 2025 by abcsisters

You win some, you lose some. And sometimes an experience falls somewhere in between. Our trip to the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site in Denison was an hour’s ride away and proved to be a little bit of a disappointment on what there was to see but an interesting and fun time nonetheless.

You buy your tickets to the tour of the house where Ike was born at the visitor’s center, which celebrates President Dwight Eisenhower with memorabilia, news clippings and a seven-minute tape on his connection to Denison and his many accomplishments. His legacy includes a prominent role in winning World War II, ending the Korean War and the establishment of the interstate highway system.

Ike was born in Denison in 1890 and only lived in a rented house for 18 months but the city took great pride in calling him their “son.” In 1955, the town established a foundation to restore the house and it’s that house that is the primary focus of the “tour.” We use the term “tour” lightly since the house was tiny and you’re treated to a 10-minute talk by the tour guide before looking at three rooms on your own. So while the tour was not what we had expected, we did have a few moments that really amused us. First, at the visitor’s building we were told we could get to the birthplace home by either walking one and a half blocks up hill, driving there or taking the golf cart ride up to the house. We were told the golf cart ride was fun and waited a bit for that. Well it was just a very short sprint to the house which we could have easily walked, so that made us laugh. Then during the tour’s talk, we learned a few things that were amusing, including a cute story about doctor with the longest mustache in the town who delivered Ike.

To top off our trip, we felt we deserved a treat. Our choice: a truly delicious ice cream cup of Bonfire from the Hey Sugar Candy Store in downtown Denison. It was a 5-star choice! Although it wasn’t an “E,” it was EXCELLENT.

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E IS FOR EXHIBITS – PART 3

Posted on June 28, 2025 by abcsisters

PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT – Richard Avedon In the American West

Barbara: I wish I lived a little closer to Fort Worth because they have so many lovely museums. But I was willing to drive nearly an hour to see the Richard Avedon exhibit at the Amon Carter Museum.

I learned that he spent 6 years traveling to 189 towns in 17 states. Instead of photographing his usual celebrities, models and politicians he focused on “everyday people who work at hard, uncelebrated jobs, the people who are often overlooked.” The photos were pretty amazing. You can see the emotions on the faces of the people he shot – pride, despair, hardship, etc.

These were two of my favorites: the one of the drifter seemed to show to me both his pride as he held his shirt across his body and the hardship of his life etched in his face; the woman of the couple had a face that seemed resigned to a hard life and the man looked proud and determined but there was despair in both their faces.

What really got me were the photos of the children. I could have sworn the girl with the longer hair was at least in her late 20’s but she was only 13 as was the girl in the bonnet; the boy with the gun was 9 years old! I compare that to the photos of my kids when they were the same ages and you can just cry.

The exhibit will be at the museum until August 10th I believe; if you can go I highly recommend it.

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ALL ABOUT EVES

Posted on June 25, 2025 by abcsisters

We decided to go back in time a bit and watch some movies/series about the “first lady” EVE.

Movie: THE LADY EVE

Laura: This 1941 movie pairs Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda – two favorites of mine. The film successfully blends sophistication and slapstick comedy that entertains you without demanding you invest a lot of thought or reflection. The writer and director Preston Sturges wisely expanded the talents of the two stars by casting Stanwyck in a true screwball comedy and casting the typically stoic Fonda against type in his role of an awkward innocent. Some fun facts about this film is that Fonda performed his own pratfalls and there were many times he fell or things fell on him and he was never injured. Ironically, on the last day of production he took a phone call during a break and fell off a three-foot platform – and broke his wrist.

Movie: ALL ABOUT EVE

Barbara: I had heard about this Academy Award winning movie for the longest time but never watched it but now that I’ve seen it, I understand why it was such a hit. For those who don’t know what it’s about, Bette Davis plays a famous actress/diva who is starting to age and Annette Baxter is a fan – I won’t say more, or it will give it all away. Bette Davis was a masterful actress to watch but she actually got the part after Susan Hayward and Claudette Colbert had to withdraw. I learned some interesting things about the making of the movie. For example, Davis instructed Edith Head to make her dress a bit looser so she could easily be pushed onto a bed by her co-star. When Edith pointed out that wasn’t in the movie, Bette said “Yes, but that’s what I’m going to do.”  There are some famous lines such as “Fasten your seatbelts; it’s going to be a bumpy night.” And the idea for the movie came from a real incident in the life of a Broadway star. If you enjoy the older films, this is a must watch.

Series: KILLING EVE

Barbara: The series, Killing Eve, was made about 7 years ago but I luckily just discovered it recently. It stars Sandra Oh as a British investigator who is chasing an assassin, Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer. Both play their parts excellently. What makes this show so different is the mutual love/hate obsession each of these two characters have for each other. I was hooked to the screen for all four seasons.

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E IS FOR EXHIBITIONS

Posted on June 9, 2025 by abcsisters

This month has an awful lot of exhibitions, art and otherwise, and we are determined to see a bunch of them.

First new art exhibit: THE EVER PRESENT REVEALED

We’ve been reading about the Bath House Cultural Center for a while now but finally made a trip there to see this exhibit. We were curious about the name and what it signified. The Center is located on a lake and was showing multiple exhibits. Before going to explore Ever Present Revealed we walked into a gallery showing “Party Animals”, which was a room filled with charming artwork by two artists, Stormy Parker and Julia McLain. From whimsical paintings to 3 dimensional scenes of various bunnies, to a small sculpture of a group of animals gathering for a party, entitled It’s 5:00 Somewhere, the room could bring a smile to the faces of old and young alike.

We then went into the gallery showing the Ever Present Revealed exhibit. We loved this exhibit. Here there were various paintings and other media of everyday objects that were reimagined into beautiful works of art. Some were vintage postcards that were then hand embroidered, some were shells, twigs  and sticks made into a lovely picture, some were recycled paper that the artist had added bottles and other objects to…All lovely.

We found the curator and asked him about the title, and he threw the question back to us. Barbara suggested that it was an exhibit about everyday things you could find and not notice but which became beautiful when transformed by the artists. He gave us props for getting it right and added that it was about so many things of grace and beauty in the world that people tend to overlook. Loved the day!

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D IS DONE

Posted on June 1, 2025 by abcsisters

New activity – Photo Exhibit – DEMENTIA

Every so often a painting or photo exhibit comes around that is unlike anything we have seen before. That is the case with “Portraits of Dementia” at the Irving Art Center.

We went to the Art Center expecting maybe 6 or 7 photos but instead we were confronted with an entire gallery of photos and stories, all of which were eye opening and heart breaking. We learned that Dementia and Alzheimer’s are not two totally different conditions, but that Alzheimer’s is at the top of the ladder under the umbrella of Dementia. We were also surprised and dismayed at how many people highlighted in this exhibit had gotten the disease early, some as early as their 20s or 30s. Dementia didn’t discriminate by intelligence (quite a few of the people portrayed were highly intelligent and at the top of their respective fields) or give a break to people who had lived through horrible ordeals (the Holocaust and Japanese internment camps to name two). There were stats on what groups had a higher incidence of Dementia and that only 1 in 4 people with the disease are diagnosed. Also heartbreaking was reading about the stigma and abandonment they suffer while they are still functioning human beings.

All told, it was a very worthwhile experience, albeit very upsetting.

New Dish – DIM SUM at Bushi Bushi

We didn’t want to leave our “D” month without trying some Dim Sum – so we chose Bushi Bushi in Frisco. Why? Well, it was all about the name. Growing up we made up the word “bushkie” as a form of sisterly endearment, and then later applied it to our little ones. So bushi is close enough to bushkie to have qualified for a visit. And we’re glad we chose it. There were no carts being wheeled around; here you order using a paper menu and pencil. Our waiter Michael was so friendly and helpful and explained that bushi bushi means fresh small bites. We decided our small bites would be the scallion pancakes, the pork soup dumplings and the crispy shrimp balls with a tasty red sauce. Delicious!

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