An Antique Mall and the rivalry of two cities

Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, Dallas

A dear friend of mine has a booth at an antique mall in Dallas, and two friends and I met her there for lunch and a look at her goods. Antique malls are not my thing--there are so many tables and cabinets loaded with breakables and so close together that with my unsteady balance right now I was sure I'd go crashing into something. I clung to Carol who understood and was kind about it.
The mall has a small tea room, and we had a delicious lunch--stuffed avocadoes. They all chose chicken salad but I stuck with my tuna, and it was good. A terrific Caesar salad--not really a traditional Caesar but one of the best salads I've had in a long time--and fruit on the lunch plate. Lovely meal and good time catching up with good and longtime friends--though we did note that we talked about illness and death a lot. It's the age we are--at least two of us and it's fairly discouraging. But we also caught up with children and grandchildren and daily doings and had some good laughs.
Then we shopped in Kathie's booth, where she assured me she had a chair, and I could point with my cane at things I liked--I had a $15 gift certificate. I came away with a prize--a cane with a Bakelite handle, a rather dignified cane or as Carol called it a formal one. Bakelite is now collectible, so I thought it was grand. I think it's a bit too tall, but it can be cut down.
I don't go to Dallas often and saw some sights and parts I'd never seen before--I think the mall is on Forest Lane, but don't try to go there by my directions. Carol's a back road person and knows Dallas well enough that she wove in and out avoiding I-35's congestion. We ended up in Uptown (I think) and drove by Claiborne Park (I'm also not sure that's the name but it's a scenic area that gives all those apartment dwellers a green space in which to walk, sit and enjoy the sunshine, whatever). It also has a restaurant that Carol said we must try next time. Then we drove on the innovative Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, and Carol pointed out the old bridge which has been turned into a park-like area, with a fountain area that drains into a kiddie wading pool below. Impressive to see what Dallas is doing to green up their city.
There's that old rivalry between Dallas and Fort Worth, so I said something to the effect that Dallas was better than I remembered. Carol replied that folks in the two cities will never think the same but there are some really positive things about Dallas. She should know--she worked there for years. I'll still take Fort Worth any day--love my city--but this was an interesting day.
Home in time for Jacob, homework, happy hour and an evening of writing.