Category Archives: Vacations/Travel

Pate Museum of Transportation

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This museum is no longer open.

It was west of Ft. Worth, an awesome place to take kids, and a fun, educational trip for the whole family.
Mr. A. M. Pate, Jr., started the musem in 1969 with a small collection.  It grew through the years and acquired treasured antique cars, airplanes, a railway palace car, Army tanks, a Navy minesweeper, to name a few.

When we went, our son really liked the periscope and enjoyed looking through it to see what was outside.  That was one of his and his friends’ favorite parts.

Many senior citizens could take a walk down memory lane looking at some of the vehicles. The two rarest cars were a 1917 Premier (which is probably the only model of its kind in existence with a push-button transmission), and a 1904 Schacht, which looked like a horseless carriage.

It was a fun place for the whole family, no matter what their age.

Pictures by cmt2779 on Flickr

World-Famous Collin Street Bakery in Corsicana, Texas

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The Collin Street Bakery is located in Corsicana, TX, and is famous for its fruitcake.  The bakery, started in 1896 by a German baker during the oil rush, makes its way to every state in the United States as well as many countries.  As many as 4 million pounds are sold every year.   Wow, that’s a lot of fruitcake!

A FAMILY TRADITION:  When I was growing up, my parents received our first Collin Street Bakery Fruitcake as a Christmas gift. (also known by some Texans as a Corsicana Fruitcake) I thought it was the best fruitcake I had ever eaten!

Just a few years ago, my family drove by Corsicana and visited the bakery.  It was very interesting to learn the history of the bakery and fun to sample different kinds of cakes.  Our son really liked it and asked if we could order one of their fruitcakes for Christmas, and so we did.   Even if someone doesn’t like fruitcake that much, the bakery is fun to visit and sells all kinds of cookies and pastries.

The bakery has opened a second location which is conveniently located on Interstate 45.  I definitely want to visit there the next time we are passing by Corsicana.

Abbott, Willie Nelson & My Mother

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This summer as we were traveling down I-35 towards Austin, TX, I asked my husband to take a short detour to the small community of Abbott, TX, which is just a couple of miles off the interstate.  I had always wanted to see the place where my mother attended high school.  Abbott just happened to be where Willie Nelson also went to high school.  

The original high school was replaced many years ago, but it was neat to see the site where she attended even if it wasn’t the actual building.  We  drove a few more blocks to the main part of the community.  There were a few old stores still there and I realized that my mother probably went to some of the stores when she was a teenager.  And who knows, maybe Willie Nelson did also.

My mother passed away, and so it meant a lot to me to visit where she had been even though the school had changed.  As we passed some old houses on the way back to the interstate, I thought about how some of my mother’s friends may have lived in those houses and she could have visited them.  I could imagine giggling girls talking about the cute boys in their classes , just as I had done, and just as our daughter had done.  Some things never change!  🙂

Mosquitoville

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Beware!!  If you’re traveling through Arkansas this summer, be sure and bring insect spray with you that works well on mosquitoes.  We spent the night in northeastern Arkansas recently, and we killed more than 25 mosquitoes in our motel room.   I’ve never seen so many mosquitoes in one room.  We kept thinking we had killed all of them, and then another one would appear.  

We told the lady at the front desk about our problem and she said that because there were so many rice fields and soybean fields in this part of Arkansas, they can’t seem to kill off the mosquitoes.   They have small planes and trucks that spray the area but that doesn’t get rid of them.  So…if you’re planning on spending the night near rice fields, be sure to pack some insect repellent!

Canton “First Monday Trade Days” (Flea market)

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If you’ve never been to First Monday Trade Days in Canton, Texas, then be prepared for an all day experience.  Be sure to wear your most comfortable walking shoes.  There is so much to see!  And you won’t want to leave until you’ve seen it all.   Some people even make a two day event out of it.  

Bed and Breakfast accommodations are in the area which are always fun. Two of my best friends from high school and I left kids and husbands at home and celebrated our 50th birthdays one weekend in Canton. We caught up on each other’s lives and had a really great time!  

Here’s a little background on Canton. It’s the county seat and was established in 1850.  There was a bitter fight to move the courthouse to Wills Point in 1877, but Canton eventually won. That’s a good thing because we probably wouldn’t have “First Mondays” if Wills Point had won.   

A famous recipe from Canton’s Dixie Hotel way back in the 1940’s & 1950’s was for “Osgood Pie from Dixie House.” If you make the pie, let me know how you like it.   And…if you decide to visit Canton, remember that First Monday is on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday preceding the first Monday in each month.