From Texas to Beyond

Local, Near and Far: Our journey of exploring the world.

Month: August 2015 (Page 2 of 4)

Madonna di Loreto in Church of Sant'Agostino, Rome
Madonna di Loreto in Church of Sant'Agostino, Rome

Chasing Caravaggio: Who is Caravaggio?

August 21, 2015 / / 2 Comments

Every Friday we take a break from our regular blogging schedule to allow the authors an opportunity to feature a certain topic they are passionate about. In the past you’ve read about art, studying abroad, experiencing culture through food, and the great burger adventure. Through this and other future posts we hope you’ll enjoy reading, we hope to share with you our personalities, passions, and interests on a more personal level.

As part of our continuing desire to bring beauty into focus, From Texas to Beyond will periodically feature brilliant pieces of art that have influenced our lives. We are excited to showcase these universal works of beauty with you.

Before I jump into the three Caravaggio paintings that Rebekah and I viewed in the Louvre’s extensive collection, I want to provide some context to the artist. You may find yourself asking, “Who exactly is Caravaggio?”

Caravaggio’s life and works have filled countless books; I will attempt to oversimplify for the sake of time. If you as the viewer know a little about him, you will better appreciate his influential works.

Let’s look briefly at Caravaggio’s life. A second follow-up article will discuss Caravaggio’s impact on the world of art (Coming Soon!). Continue reading

Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream

August 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Over Valentine’s Day, David and I decided to celebrate with a shared experience together as opposed to the traditional flowers for me and chocolate for David.  We spent the day in Denton, TX. To read more about how we ended up there, check out our Denton Overview post.

After a day of hiking at Ray Roberts Lake State Park, I think I had earned at least one scoop of ice cream.  Ice cream is a sign of love and affection.  I had remembered that on the Denton County Courthouse Square, there was an ice cream shop, Beth Marie’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream.  I couldn’t quite recall the name at the time, but I knew if we went, we would find it.  David and I had actually visited once before several months prior; we met some friends who were staying with family in Pilot Point, TX.

Beth Marie's Ice Cream 2 Continue reading

J&J’s Pizza on the Square

August 19, 2015 / / 0 Comments

David and I celebrated Valentine’s with a day trip to Denton.  After spending the day hiking on the Ray Roberts Lake State Park greenbelt, we decided to head to the Denton County Courthouse Square for some ice cream at Beth Marie’s.  While walking there, we were lured by the scent of freshly baked pizzas at J&J’s Pizza on the Square.  We often make decisions through our stomachs, and being true to ourselves, we decided to make a stop at the pizzeria.  It proved to be a very wise decision!

J&J's Pizza 4The establishment is a narrow, eclectically decorated room with a basement downstairs that features live music.  You can enjoy your pizza indoors at a table, at the bar or at a few tables outside.  We originally thought about ordering a pizza, but the price was a little higher than we wanted and we were not that hungry.   We moved on to ordering pizza by the slice, but then saw a calzone being delivered to a table and that sealed the deal.  A calzone it would be.  We ordered one and split it.  For $10, you can build your own calzone with as many toppings as you want.  Our master plan included cheese, sauce, pepperoni, basil, jalapeños, and sausage.  The staff at J&J’s Pizza was really friendly, helpful, and shared with pride that their sauce and sausage is made in-house!  All homemade! Continue reading

Denton County Courthouse and Square

An Evening at the Denton Square

August 17, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Rebekah and I spent Valentine’s Day night with countless other people, young and old, both couples and friends at the Denton County Courthouse Square. Even though Denton is a city, the small town Texas atmosphere of The Square was perfect for a romantic night, complete with festive white lights strung in the trees around the old Courthouse.

This year, we celebrated the Day of Love with a short Denton day trip. Rebekah and I had just finished a beautiful hike at Ray Roberts Lake State Park. We were getting hungry, and knew we would find some unique places to eat on the Denton Square.

J&J's Pizza on The Square

J&J’s Pizza on The Square

Simply referred to as “The Square,” the old center of Denton includes fun for all ages! Food options abound, from pizza to Thai, and coffee to ice cream. The shopping is amusing, and a bit quirky. There is also a massive used music and book store, Recycled Books that I visited on a previous trip to The Square.

Continue reading

In Case You Missed It…South Bend

August 15, 2015 / / 0 Comments

Every couple weeks we’ll be collecting links from past posts grouped together by location; we thought it handy to have everything in on
e convenient location as you plan your upcoming travels. We just finished a short series on South Bend, so here’s your recap:

Studebaker2

Studebaker National Museum: The Studebaker National Museum boasts an impressive collection of cars, traveling exhibits (that includes other automakers), and the largest Presidential Carriage Collection anywhere.

NotreDame3Notre Dame & The Snite Museum of Art: Notre Dame boasts a beautiful campus with majestic architecture in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and Golden Dome on top of the Main Building and the Snite Museum of Art for the art lover.

Fiddler’s Hearth Public House: Based on a recommendation in South Bend, IN we happily enjoyed the fish & chips, Beef Wellington, and cozy atmosphere at The Fiddler’s Hearth.

The College Football Hall of Fame: The College Football Hall of Fame is a fun way to spend a morning or afternoon and is family friendly, educational, and entertaining. It is also great for the football lover and the historian.College Football HOF

J.W. Chen’s Chinese Cuisine: If you’re in South Bend and looking for a delightful Asian restaurant with excellent customer service, we highly recommend J.W. Chen’s Chinese Cuisine.

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