Utah Visitors

This week Terry and I had some visitors from our old stomping grounds in Utah. Terry's cousin Sam, and also a good friend of ours Adrian came and visited us here in Dallas. As always it is so good to see old friends again, and catch up on everything. It also was nice that the weather cooperated, and we had some beautiful fall days in the 80's and 70's (except for the last day of rain.) We were also sad that the pool temperature had gotten too cold to be able to swim, (at least that is what Terry and I thought.) Suprisingly they jumped right in the pool the first day, and swam the whole week. I guess Terry and I have gotten used to the mild southern weather because I wouldn't get in that cold pool for nothing. I'm glad they were brave and had fun swimming. We did the usual tour of Dallas, and saw downtown and all of that. We also had fun kicking up our heels at the clubs in Oaklawn, and had alot of laughs. We also spent hours just chatting on the back porch, sipping drinks, and enjoying the cool fall mornings, and warm fall days. It's funny but I just so much enjoy being here in Dallas, and there isn't much I miss about my old job or house in Salt Lake. The one thing I do miss is all the wonderful friends and family we left behind in Utah. It's just always a treat to have them come and visit us, and to reconnect. We sure had fun, and thanks again Sam and Adrian for spending time with us in Dallas.


Here is Adrian and Sam having laughs with us in the Kitchen. We had so much fun that I only got one picture taken the whole time!!!

Dallas Pride Weekend

Terry and I had a fun weekend. It was gay pride weekend here in Dallas. Let me give you some insight on one of the gay communities biggest celebrations. The history of gay pride celebrations comes from the Stonewall Inn riot on June 27th, 1969 in Greenwich Village, New York City. Police raided the gay bar and for the first time gay people fought back at the police and a small riot ensued. It marked a beginning of gay people standing up for themselves and being proud of who they were. Most large cities hold a "Gay Pride" celebration on June 27th on the anniversary of Stonewall. It just so happens that Dallas moved theirs later in September, and thank goodness, because June would be blistering hot here for a parade. For gay people "Gay Pride" always has been a special day. It's the one day a year that you can be completely open and free about being gay, and expressing yourself however you see fit. It's the one day during the year I can walk down the street and hold Terry's hand and not worry about getting beat up, or have people make fun of you. This year they estimated that 40,000 gay people attended the gay pride parade. It was so cool to be around so many people just like you. The parade is always fun but the people watching can be even more fun. One thing about the gay community is that the freedom to be yourself and express yourself is always encouraged. It's amazing just how people do that and the crazy fun stuff you see. If you ever want to see the most diverse crowd you've ever seen go to a gay pride parade. You just have to have an open mind and have fun. Well here are some pictures from the parade.

Here is the beginning banner and the Gay Rodeo Posse holding the flags.

Me Todd and Bill staking out our place at the parade

Our Gay Rugby Team the Dallas Diablos

Terry and a VERY tall Wonerwoman Drag Queen

It wouldn't be Dallas without gay cowboys, WOW

Of course the parade wouldn't be the same without big butch lesbians called "Dykes on Bikes"b

Here is the locay gay bears, with a construction themed float

Gay sailor boys

Here we have the latino drag queens performing (crazy wigs!!)n

The gay latino organization float

The ultra masculine local gay leathermen in biker chaps and harnesses

Another tough looking leatherman with orange wings?? or something like that

Here we have a huge heart shaped wig made out of flowers



Girl you better not fall off those shoes or your gonna get road rash

Proud guy with gay pride flag and matching pride pants
Me and Terry at the parade just trying to cool of in the 90 degree heat and humidity

We also caught a ton of beads from floats

Catching Up

Okay I'm back and blogging again. It's been over a month, and I just haven't had the time to update the blog. I apologize for the LONG blog but it's catching up time, and here we go!!

Around the first part of August Terry and I went to Austin over a weekend with some friends. A good friend of ours invited us to stay at her sisters house on a lake in Austin. I think we just assumed that it was a little cabin by a lake outside of Austin, nothing too crazy. So we loaded up 2 vehicles, and 3 fun ladies, and 4 crazy guys (That's me and Terry and Todd and Bill) headed down south to the capital of Texas. Well much to our amazement this is her sisters house!

Turns out it's a multi-million dollar house on a cliff overlooking Lake Austin, and a view of downtown.
We were so excited when we saw the back deck and pool that are on a cliff with million dollar views.

Of course we wasted no time in jumping in the pool, and just enjoying living it up in style for a few days. We had so many laughs, even though it rained a little bit.

Here is all of our group waiting for breakfast at a fun restaurant, the Magnolia Cafe in Austin. It's funny but Austin is exactly opposite of Dallas. It is a college town (The University of Texas, the longhorns) and it just has this really laid back, live and let live, quirky vibe to it. I was impressed, and it's really a beautiful city in the Texas hill country.

Here is another fun feature of the house we stayed at. It also had an electric lift that took you from the house at the top of the cliff to the lake below, and a nice grass area and boathouse on the lake. Man you get in this thing and it felt like and amusement park ride as you went down these tracks down the face of the cliff. It sure beats stairs!!!

Here is Todd and Terry standing at the lake house. We didn't take the boat out but had fun hanging out by the lake.

Saturday night we all decided to go have ribs. Well off we went to some restaurant about 30 miles south of Austin called Salt Lick in the town of Driftwood Texas. It was a big place and FULL of people. It was just a bunch of picnic tables in 2 Huge log-cabinlike buildings. They are in a dry county there too, but they let people bring their own drinks, so naturally everyone drags big ol coleman coolers there full of drinks. What was even funnier is that the local sherrifs were there directing traffic and makin' sure it didn't get too out of hand. They didn't seem to care one bit about all the coolers and everything. They had a southern blues band playing in the waiting area and people were just drinkin' and havin fun Texas style!! I tell you what though it was some DARN good ribs. They are smoked and cooked in a huge pit right there. We ate way too much. I can see why people are overweight in this state. Man the food is just SOOO good, but so bad for you. A great time was certainly had by all.

It's a vegetarians worst nightmare!!! Yummy ribs and sausages cooking and smoking on the pit.

At the restaurant, with all the people and their coolers (it was as redneck as it looks.)

Anyhow Austin was a blast, we lived it up in Style and were sad that we had to come back home to the daily grind. I hope we get invited back to Austin.

Terry and I also did something fun in August. We went and test drove a Smart car. We saw them in Europe and thought they were so cool. They are tiny little 2 seater cars made in Europe by Smart (Which is owned and built by Mercedes Benz). They actually have a great crash test rating, which is amazing for such a tiny car. They get 40 miles to the gallon, cost 13,000$ and really are for city driving (Perfect for driving around Dallas and going to work.) Astonishingly enough Terry, 6'2" and all, fit just fine with room to spare. It was crazy driving around in this little car that takes up 1/2 of a parking space (you can park 2 back to back in a single parking space. ) I tell you what we got looks the whole time we were test driving the car. If you ever see one you can't help but stare, and smile. They drove great and we just loved them. Now that gas prices are so crazy the demand for these little cars is out of this world. In fact they have no inventory on the car lot, just test drive cars. The waiting list is now and amazing 18 months long because of the sheer demand. We put our names on the list and maybe in a couple years we might have a blue one in our garage!!

I know this blog is long but I just had one final note:

This month also was a hard one. One of my cousins on my mom's side committed suicide. I will admit that I am alot older than he was so I only knew him when he was a little kid and didn't know a whole lot about him. I just felt so bad for my Aunt and their family. What a horrible thing for them to have to bury one of their kids. I do not have children, but I can imagine that would be one of the hardest things you ever would have to do. When things like this happen it always makes you think about your own life. If there is one thing I've learned is that every family has issues. Every family is going to go through alot of crap in their lives. You just hope that you and your family can just make it to happier times. I'm sure my aunt and her family will eventually find those good times again. It just helps me to remember to cherish the good times you have, the friends you rely on, and the family you love, whatever that "family" you have is.

Brian in Ft. Collins Colorado

This week has sure been a busy one for me. My company here in Dallas sent me off for some software training in Ft. Collins Colorado for a week. So I flew off to Denver and then rented a car and drove an hour north to Ft. Collins. Well to my suprise Ft. Collins was a very pretty city. Lots of trees and pretty streets. It is a college town (Colorado State) so there was a really cool vibrant downtown. There were lots of people there at night strolling the streets and fun restaurants and clubs. I didn't get to do too much hanging out though. I was in training most of the time. I have decided that 3 days is plenty of training, but 5 days and your brain is in overload!! I just was so over it all by Friday, and I couldn't wait to get home. But I'm glad my company sent me, and I got the class and certification. It will be a big asset on my resume. I did notice some things about the people in Colorado. They all are riding bikes, running, hiking, etc.. There are very few overweight people there (completely opposite Texas!!!). I felt like a big ol slug, driving my rented subaru everywhere and watching them all on their bikes. (I did work out twice in the week so I wasn't too lazy.) Also it hit 90 Degrees and everyone was just dying from the heat there. I laughed as it was hot, but no humidity, and it cools down wonderfully at night. (it's 100 degrees with 70% humidity in Dallas right now.) In fact at night I had my jeans on cause it felt cold (I must be getting used to the heat of the south). A couple of people I was talking too just couldn't beleive I wasn't just dying in jeans from heat. Anyhow I had a good time, and a nice trip to Colorado. It was a very pretty place, and a great college town.


Just some countryside outside of town with the mountains in the distance.

More countryside out of town.

A picture up the downtown area. Lots of trees and old buildings and fun places to eat and have fun. A really cool and big old downtown area.

Woo Hoo the offices of Telvent Miner & Miner. The company I was doing my training with. It was a thrill a minute!!

Mom Visits

Mom decided to visit Terry and I over the 4th of July weekend. It was a quick 3 day stay, but we made the most of it and had alot of fun. Mom was such a good sport and let Terry and I drag her all over Dallas. We visited the arboretum, which as always is so pretty, and we got a good hike in there. Then we were off to downtown Dallas and Dealey Plaza. It was so interesting to see where President John F. Kennedy was shot. It just is such a big part of history, and it was kind of moving to be in the same place as all those pictures and tv footage were taken. I wasn't alive when it happened but I know everyone who was remembers that day well. There is also a museum in the building where the shooter shot him from the window. Well later that night we took mom out for her birthday dinner. Can you beleive she is 60?? We ate at Houlihans and all had big ol plates of Texas Ribs (I swear the ribs in Texas are amazing!!). Then we came back home and watched fireworks from the front yard. We also got some time in the sun and lounged by the pool. It just was so relaxing to swim and laugh and hang out with mom by the pool. Well it was a short visit but so nice to see mom. I think we all had a great weekend.


Me and mom at home.
The Book Depository Building (window on the sixth floor on the corner is where the JFK gunman shot.)
The "X" in the middle of the street where JFK's car was when he was shot.

Terry at the arboretum havin' fun.

Me and mom at the arboretum

Another Road Trip!! Houston!!

Well it was Memorial Day weekend and Terry and I were on the road again. We decided this time to check out Houston. It's a very easy 4 hour trip from Dallas on interstate 45, so it was the perfect distance for a quick jaunt on a long weekend. Well we really didn't quite know what to expect from Houston. We both had talked to people at work about what they thought of Houston. It is so funny because everyone here in Dallas would say "Why on earth do you want to go to that big dirty city" and "It's too hot and humid there, and the traffic is a nightmare!" We quickly learned that most people here in Dallas don't have a high opinion of Houston. Of course we're brave and head on down there anyhow. It was a great trip there. Sunny skies and 90 degree temps. Our Garmin GPS unit got us right to our hotel in the West University area (next to Rice University) near downtown Houston. Wow Houston does have an impressive skyline. It definitely rivals Dallas in size. I must say we actually had alot of fun over the weekend. Houston really wasn't that much different than Dallas. Yes is was Hot and Humid (96 degrees, 70-80% Humidity) but so was Dallas when we left. Honestly we couldn't really tell we were in a different city except it had more palm trees and tropical flowers. It was just as big and dirty as Dallas is, and the traffic was crappy like Dallas too. We ventured over to the Montrose Area in Midtown Houston (the Gay District.) and had a great time. We found a fabulous Vietnamese restauruant with a gorgeous patio, and also found the best Mexican restaurant in Houston. We checked out the nightlife in Houston (Montrose) and had a blast. Nothing like a hot, steamy, summer night to go hang out on the club patios and people watch and chat with new friends. (It's crazy but it does not cool off at night here in Texas. If it's hot and humid in the day it's still hot and humid at night!) I had to laugh when we told the guys in Houston what the people in Dallas say. They all laughed and said "ya that sounds like typical Dallatude." and "well you know people in Dallas are snobby and look down their nose at us in Houston." The people were very friendly and fun. So I'm glad we didn't listen to all the Dallas people and their "Dallatude" and went to Houston. We had a great weekend in suprisingly fun, and vibrant Houston. The only bad thing we had happen was when we tried to go to Galveston to the beach. Apparantly everyone else in Houston decided that heading to the beach would be a good idea too on Sunday. Well it all ended up in a nightmare traffic jam and we were stuck for an hour going nowhere. So well we turned around and drove back into town, and of course went antique shopping. So I guess we have a reason to go back because we didn't get to go to the beach. Anyhow we had a fun time over Memorial Day weekend. I learned a good lesson too about how important it is to explore and form your own opinions about things. If you listen to everyone else and don't find out for yourself, you could miss out on something fun. Now for the pictures. (I didn't have my camera on me alot, and unfortunately only got a couple pictures.)

The Houston Skyline

At the port of Houston it's nothing but Oil and Gas refineries on the Skyline

Here we have "Mary's" the oldest gay bar in Houston. Yes the interior is just as scary as the outside. If your from Salt Lake just think of the "RC!!" Terry and I didn't hang around very long here, (SCARY!!!)

Spring Cleaning

Oh my heck it's been a couple weeks since I posted a blog. Well it seems it was time for some spring cleaning. Todd, Bill, Terry, and I all decided to have a garage sale and get rid of some of our junk. Todd had a friend from work who brought alot of her stuff over, and we had a neighbor of Todd and Bill also donate a ton of furniture from her mom's house to sell (loved those lime green parlor chairs from the 70's!!!). I must admit I was never a big garage seller before. I've done a couple of them now, and it is absolutely amazing that other people will buy my junk!! But I must say our junk was WAY nicer than the other garage sale's around. I mean seriously when 4 gay men get rid of their stuff it's usually good stuff, and nice clothes. We did pretty well and sold ALOT of our stuff. I did have a good laugh when one of the first things to sell was Todd's Dorothy and Wizard of Oz metal luchbox. This gay couple freaked out when they saw it, and snatched that bad boy off the table before the spanish ladies got to it. I have to admit it is fun to interact with all the different people who stop by to look at stuff. We had a ex-cop stop by on his Harley and tell us stories. We tried to get these 2 funny african american ladies (with fake orange hair extensions) to buy stuff and they kept saying their husbands would kill them if they bought any more. There was a darling Mexican Mom and girls all dressed up in dresses. Of course Terry was showing all three wide eyed little girls how to play the slot machine that was for sale. I think the mom was so thrilled that her little girls learned to run the slots at a garage sale. Anyhow it was fun and we did okay (we lost the price battle for a fabulous complete wicker living room furniture set, darn man and his 50 bucks!!!!!).

garage sale in full swing (can't get the kids off the slot machine!!!)

Priscilla, Karen, Todd and Bill chatting it up.

Bill and I doing some SERIOUS supervision

Todd's son Ryan and Terry doing first aid on the Jeep that got "bit" by a pole.

You might be a redneck if you fix your car right next to your garage sale.

Cleaning up the stuff left ( orange lamps anyone???)

On a side note:

Our super fun friend JP from Bountiful came by Dallas and spent a day with us. We had tons of fun giving him the whirlwind tour of Dallas. Of course JP was breaking hearts all over the city of Dallas.

JP and Terry