A Flattered Bonney: Part 1

A few weeks ago I was given a great honor. Two of my favorite gals in Fort Worth, Lauren Essl and Anna Routh, asked me to participate in a vintage photo shoot they were planning for Lauren's new Etsy bridal shop. "Great!" I said. "What will I be doing? Styling?"

"Modeling."

"Uhhhh. What?"

As someone who fought, stretched, begged, and prayed to reach 5'2" -- never succeeding -- I could not have been more shocked. But fortunately for us all, the ladies of yore were all about my size. So the shoot was on! After a whirlwind day featuring five dresses and six locations (and a frightening turn for the windy), Lauren styled and Anna photographed these vintage dresses perfectly. Here are a few of the images that have started popping up on the internet these days.

The first location was the Fort Worth T&P Station, an architectural masterpiece in grand art deco style. It was perfectly suited for a late 1930's/early 1940's gown of flowing silk and hand-sewn lace.

The second gown was so reminiscent of Julia Roberts at the end of Runaway Bride that I couldn't help but running down Magnolia Avenue as fast as my vintage boots would carry me.

The dress had gorgeous details -- perfect for a colorful Texas wedding!

There are more pictures on Lauren's and Anna's websites, and I will be posting more thoughts and descriptions of the loveliness later in the week. But for now, enjoy!

A Bonny Thursday!

Best wishes for a wonderful Easter weekend! I promise a post soon, an entry featuring pie, cherry blossoms, and birthday celebrations.

Photo via Style Me Pretty.

A Little Musical Experiment

II made a widget! Thank you to Steve Griggs for teaching me about technology and enjoy the song I am sharing! This is a band that I discovered in a e-letter from a local concert hall. "Beach House?" I thought to myself. "I like literal beach houses. So colorful! So full of sand! I'll check it out." What I found is a beautiful record--Teen Dream. This is the last track from the album, and it leaves a good feeling behind... much like a weekend in an actual beach house. Fancy that. And enjoy! Then be sure to check out Steve's website, "Here's What I Hear," for some intelligent musical conversation.

Blackbirds Singing

Today, dear readers, I have a rare offering. Instead of contributing my words, I am contributing photographs. I have made no secret that I miss the beauty of the Carolinas. The large trees, green grass, distinct seasons, and abundant flowers and animals made moving back to Texas a tough transition for a woman who so craves aesthetic beauty. However, with time I have seen that Texas offers beautiful gifts of its own. In this case, it was my grocery store's parking lot. Birds, thousands of them, took flight and made swirling patterns across the cloudy sky one late afternoon last week, and I was fortunate enough to be carrying a camera. Enjoy! And enjoy the poem, writer unknown, that I have attached.

Blackbirds

I am 52 years old, and have spent

truly the better part

of my life out-of-doors

but yesterday I heard a new sound above my head

a rustling, ruffling quietness in the spring air

and when I turned my face upward

I saw a flock of blackbirds

rounding a curve I didn’t know was there

and the sound was simply all those wings,

all those feathers against air, against gravity

and such a beautiful winning:

the whole flock taking a long, wide turn

as if one body and one mind.

How do they do that?

If we lived only in human society

what a puny existence that would be

but instead we live and move and have our being

here, in this curving and soaring world

that is not our own

so that when mercy and tenderness triumph in our lives

and when, even more rarely, we unite and move together

toward a common good,

we can think to ourselves:

ah yes, this is how it’s meant to be.

Make Me a Song

No, that is not an order. Though if you do, I will probably feature it on this forum. And adore you forever.

"Lovers live and die fortissimo." I heard that line today in a song--and I think it is the most beautiful lyric I have heard in a long time. Thank you, William Finn, for writing "Unlikely Lovers" and all of Falsetto.

That's all.

Bonny Bonny Tacos

Hello, all, and greetings from Texas! It's been a while, I realize. Sometimes it is difficult to get inspired. But after months of pondering my next bonny offering, I finally grabbed my chance at writing about a unique experience. Last weekend I made a magical journey to a land lovingly known as Oak Cliff, a neighborhood in south Dallas.

Now, there are some things you might not know about Oak Cliff. For instance, it holds the famed "Texas Theater" where Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested shortly after the Kennedy assassination (oddly enough also featured on this blog) and the homes of Stevie Ray Vaugn and Kay Bailey Hutchison. Oak Cliff welcomes those with three names, myself included. Another thing you may not know about this beautifully colorful neighborhood is that it is choc-full of character of the Hispanic variety. Namely: the Hispanic culinary variety. Also, Quinceañera dresses, but that is another post for another day.

Today, today dear readers, we gave our hearts and bellies to one great purpose: the pursuit of the perfect taqueria taco. Please join me for an adventure as we blaze our Taco Trail.

Now at this moment, I must pause to let you know the criteria for which we conducted this experiment. As a troop, my colleagues (Austin Dupree and Kelsey Foster) and I decided that our tacos must fulfill a list of requirements. All were rated on a scale of one to five with special attention paid to the following particulars.

Time

Price

Seating

Accoutrements

Taco size

Variety for the vegetarians

Cleanliness of meat

Ease of ordering for non-Spanish speakers

Tacos Chanos

Now, on to taco joint “uno,” Tacos Chanos.

I will be frank. These tacos set the bar high with the double salsa and pickled carrots as a side, earning them triple points in the "accoutrements" category. However, it lost points on the price and size categories, with a whopping $1.25 per taco. Too much for these working girls, if you ask us. But to end on a positive, they had a "call-in" option, great for fiestas of all sizes, an option for chicken, and some MUY DELICIOSO Mexican coke in a bottle. Yum yum.

Overall score: 4. Fantastic chicken and beef, and great pico. And that Mexican coke literally made me dance! For proof, see below:

Jerry's Tacos

Now, onward to Jerry’s! Jerry's is particularly delightful due to its location on the side of a grocery store featuring 15 oranges for $1 and also specials on dog food. One impressive note about Jerry’s (a shockingly un-Hispanic name) is the option for a flour tortilla. Now, as any taco lover knows, a true taco must be served in corn. Quiero corn! It is the only way! But for those who crave that floury buttery goodness, you are set to go at Jerry’s. They also won in the categories for size because they carried the largest tacos for the accessible price of $1. The experience was made more impressive by the convenient packaging and the sides of fresh onion, jalapeño, cilantro and tomatoes. However, there were los problemos. Ordering was a little trickier due to a language barrier, compounded with a bamboozling homeless man named Michael. Don't worry Brian, we fed him. Furthermore, such items as napkins, seating, and a menu were noticeably absent.

Overall score: 3.5. Great tacos, but logistically tough.

This man was a delight.

Si Hay Tacos (meaning: iYes! There are Tacos)

And were there ever. Many, many tacos of a high variety—including chorizo, tacos al pastor, bistec and fajita. At Si Hay Tacos we said, “iYes!” to the salsa, which was the most delectable tomatillo sauce I have had in years. Also getting them big points with these accoutrement lovers, Si Hay did not chinch on the cilantro and onions, so vital to giving a freshness to the taco stand-variety taco. Easy ordering and walking distance to the incredibly cool Bishop Arts district were bonuses, as well. One big minus, a big price tag of $1.30. Who do they think we are?

Overall score: 3. The tomatillos were rockin’, but that price tag hurts. Also, no beans. Austin was still very hungry after her visit.

Caesar Tacos

Last but not least, we come to the Granddaddy Of All Taco Stands, Caesar Tacos. Not only did they have a bean option (yay for Austin!), but they also had free funnel cakes. Yes, you heard right, FREE with the purchase of coffee or tea, you receive one humongous, freshly made funnel cake. Sigh. I salivate to think about it. I would include a picture, but we ate it too fast to photograph. Also winning major points for Caesar is the covered seating for temperature regulation, fresh limes, and an amazing breakfast option—two-for-one breakfast tacos.

However, there were some issues. The wait time was not ideal, at five to ten minutes. Long for a taqueria. Also, you have to request cilantro and onion specially, they do not assume you like the accoutrements. And as I have already stated, these are some cilantro/onion lovin’ gals. No good. But I believe the biggest problem with Caesar Tacos is the neon yellow walls, perfectly ok on a comfortable Sunday afternoon but not so good for hot hot summer days. Also with those breakfast tacos Caesar would be perfect for a hangover cure, but to tell you the truth I would be terrified to approach that garish yellow with a hangover. Might get vertigo.

Overall score: 4.5. Funnel cakes don’t lie.

In the end, the day was marvelous. Delicious cuisine and delightful friends made my first trip to Oak Cliff wonderful. Now, I challenge you to find some fun and make a taco! iOle!

Photographs were taken by the lovely Kelsey Foster. You can see more of her fun photography here.

A Bonney Family Story

Hello, readers! I hope you are having a wonderful week so far. My post today is an offering of the historical variety. Yesterday marked the 47th year since John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, TX. My father had the unusual experience of meeting him the morning of November 22, 1963, so I decided he should have the chance to share his story.

Now, you have to know. Dad is a lawyer and science enthusiast. I have never seem him read a novel--ever. But his straightforward, technical writing has a charm in this account, and reveals a certain something about his personality, so I have left his words verbatim. Enjoy!

ABB - At Your Request:

This is a true tale of the day that JFK was assassinated - November 22, 1963, and what I did that day.

I was a junior at Austin College in Sherman, Texas, and was taking an advanced course in constitutional law. The class was small - only about ten (10) students. Dr. Kenneth Street was the Professor.

Dr. Street learned that President John F. Kennedy and his wife, Jackie, would be in Dallas on November 22, 1963, and would be spending the night of November 21, 1963, at a luxury hotel in Fort Worth, before coming to Dallas around noontime. There was a breakfast meeting in the Hotel Ballroom for several hundred supports of JFK, and Dr. Street arranged a table at the breakfast for our constitutional law class.

The entire class attended, and we had a table ( I remember twelve [12] people at our table), which was one of approximately twenty (20) tables in the ballroom. JFK arrived and walked near our table on his way to the head table. Jackie was not with him.

JFK addressed the gathering of supporters, and my memory is that he spoke of his vision for a better America. I remember distinctly that he joked about Jackie not coming to the breakfast because she could not find her shoes. There had been press about Jackie’s large shoe closet at the White House. I remember how vibrant and alive he appeared, the President of the United States.

The President left around 9:00 a.m., and we drove back to Sherman, which was approximately seventy (70) miles northeast of Fort Worth. I remember that I had an exam that afternoon around 1:00 p.m. in a different class - I think English literature. As I was taking the exam, I noticed an unusual amount of loud yelling and commotion on the campus outside the classroom building, and wondered what was going on out there.

I finished taking the exam around 2:00 p.m., and as I handed in my exam paper to the Professor, she handed me a slip of paper that read: “Please open and read after you have left the exam room.” Curious, I rushed outside and opened the note and read the words: “President John F. Kennedy was shot and killed in Dallas this afternoon at approximately 1:30 p.m. by an unknown assassin.”

I remember thinking “This is not possible. I just saw the man several hours ago, vibrant and full of life.” I rushed to my dorm and found most of the students already gathered around the television in the rec room, glued to the beginning network coverage of the assassination.

The fact that I had just seen the man just hours before he was shot and killed made the whole event very poignant and real to me, and even more horrible than it would have been otherwise.

I am the proud father of Anna Beth, and write this at her request for her blog.

Sam Bonney