El Paso Art Museum

This Saturday we brought along a guest on our date. Chris' sister was in town for the weekend so we headed downtown to explore the El Paso Art Museum. Admission was free, even though there was a special exhibit on display. While we were walking through downtown making our way to the museum, Chris and I decided we needed to do more exploring downtown. Upon entering the Museum, an exhibit of butterflies took over the front lobby. They looked as if they were flying up the wall and through the lobby (this was personally my favorite piece).

The rest of the downstairs gallery was taken up by Edith Head's costume dresses, which she designed for Paramount Studios. These dresses were worn by the likes of Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor, Audrey Hepburn and others. They were beautiful gowns to say the least, and it was obvious how tiny those actresses were at the time. Letters to Ms. Head were also on display. It seemed Grace Kelly and Edith were close friends ("Edith darling, We just returned from a fabulous summer in the mountains. Switzerland is always so beautiful.... - Love, Grace). There was also jewelry on display loaned from Paramount from movies such as Cleopatra and Samson and Delilah. Upstairs was full of a mixture of styles from abstract modern art to medieval Renaissance pieces. Some of the pieces were beautiful (the life-size tubing woman, or the portrait of Don Haskins), others were odd (the Dr. Seuss umbrella law mower things), and others we decided we could created in our sleep (the scribble from Louisville to El Paso). There was another featured exhibit of local artists from the 60s through the present day. The region definitely has a lot of great, artistic talent. Overall it was a very interesting and eye opening experience. We will definitely be visiting again when the next rotation of exhibits comes through.

Cattleman's Steakhouse

This weekend was my turn again. Another long, exhausting week has both of us looking forward to some quality relaxation. We managed to sleep in until noon on Saturday, woke up to eat brunch, then took naps. I knew it was going to take some serious motivation to get us both out of the house, but I was excited for my plans to unfold.

Chris and I got ready and got in the truck. I really wasn't sure what the dress code would be, but I opted for casual. About 35 minutes east of El Paso is the small town of Fabens, TX. Fabens happens to be home of Cattleman's Steakhouse, voted Manliest Steakhouse in America. The ranch was about 10 miles off the highway down a long, winding two lane road. Cattleman's Steakhouse at Indian Cliffs Ranch is a working ranch, zoo, movie set, restaurant, etc. There are mazes and playgrounds scattered throughout the grounds, as well as pavilions and areas available for rent. One pavilion happened to be rented by a family reunion which had hired a mariachi band. The zoo was comprised of an ostrich, goats, rabbits, free-roaming peacocks, buffalo, longhorns, alpacas, rattlesnakes, sheep, donkeys, horses and small birds. A large lake greeted us upon entering the grounds. The ranch has also been used as a movie set for various movies. Most of the movies filmed here were either western themed or war-based action movies. Tanks and other movie props were left behind by the production companies for visitors to enjoy. On Sundays, hay rides tour the grounds to give visitors a close-up view of some of these movie sets. There was also a gift shop inside the main building.

For more information on the history of the ranch, visit: http://www.cattlemansranch.com/aboutus.htm

As soon as we arrived, we put our name in for a table and headed outside to explore the ranch and the zoo. With perfect timing we made it back inside to get seated. We ordered a pitcher of sangria (which was fabulous), as well as a shrimp cocktail (also fabulous). The atmosphere inside was very nice. Being a steakhouse, we both had to get steak. Each steak is trimmed that day. Needless to say, it was incredibly fresh. Chris splurged on the lobster and steak and I treated myself to a small filet mignon. The meal was served family style with bowls of coleslaw, beans and rolls brought to the table. We each had a baked potato with our meal as well. The food was great, the service was great and the grounds were beautiful. Getting out of the city was very relaxing, if only for a couple hours. Another successful date night :)

Magoffin Home State Historical Site

Chris' turn. This past weekend was another crazy one. We both had a lot of school to conquer after an exhausting week. Chris surprised me by taking me to the Magoffin Home State Historical Site on Saturday afternoon. The Magoffin family were some of the first settlers to what is now El Paso. Joseph Magoffin ran just about every office in the city, as well as holding the mayoral position for four terms.

"The Magoffin Home, a Texas Historical Commission property, is located in downtown El Paso less than one mile from the U.S.–Mexico border. The state of Texas and the city of El Paso purchased and opened the home to the public in 1977. The home is part of the Magoffin Historic District and is one of the oldest surviving adobe structures in the area. It reflects the lives of a prominent early El Paso family.

Numerous authentic artifacts including furniture, textiles, photographs, art and documents are on display in the home. These are supplemented with period pieces to give a more complete view of what the home looked like in different time periods.

The 1.5-acre site offers a glimpse of the past as visitors explore its lovely grounds and renovated rooms. The historical significance of the home lies in its unique architecture and in the history of the Magoffins and their descendants who lived in the home for more than 100 years. A multicultural family, they were active and influential participants in their community, served during military conflicts and witnessed important historic events. Their 1875 home is a prime example of Territorial style architecture and features a center courtyard and peaceful landscape."
- http://www.visitmagoffinhome.com/index.aspx?page=601

Needless to say, the home was beautiful. Even though it was in downtown El Paso, it seemed like an oasis. The property was quiet and beautiful. Our tour lasted a little over an hour and we were the only two in attendance. Everything was beautifully preserved and restored. Some of the furniture was incredibly intricate. It was a perfect afternoon date!

La Casa Del Puro Cigar Lounge

My turn. Week number two of our date experiment left me scrambling for options. The Plaza Classic Film Festival had begun and it also happened to be Chris' birthday weekend. The week had been a hectic one, and the weekend promised to be the same with finishing up assignments and running errands, but that was the point of the experiment right? To overcome the obstacles that keep us cooped up in the house. We had just finished some Costco shopping when I decided to spring Chris' date on him. Lesson learned, never tell him in advance where we're going. I told him about the Cigar Lounge and immediately he was concerned we weren't dressed properly, etc. This is El Paso, I have yet to see a dress code posted.

We put the address into OnStar and headed downtown. We ended up near the Plaza Theater in a little area of row houses. The middle home was the cigar lounge. We went inside and were immediately impressed. The home was newly renovated and filled with luxurious leather furniture. A huge walk-in humidor took up almost half of the first floor. The downstairs was full of guys relaxing and smoking, although the house's ventilation system kept the smoke from choking us out. We each picked a cigar, Chris also picked out a cigar ash tray, and the owner invited us upstairs to the "members only" section. As first-time guests, this is the standard treat. We were the only patrons upstairs which consisted of more plush, leather furniture, a poker and pool room, a stocked bar and two flat screens. As a member, patrons are allowed to keep their own beverages in the refrigerators that are provided.

The environment was extremely nice, as was the owner. I quickly found out that as much as I love the occasional cigar, I cannot smoke an entire one by myself. I became a little nauseous and struggled to drag myself out of there. We decided to grab some dinner before we headed home and I nominated Julio's. The food was fantastic, and a live singer was a special treat. By then we were both ready to head home again. Exploring and trying new things is turning out to be exhausting :)

Las Cruces Tour de Beer

As so often happens, life started getting in the way. Every weekend, we seemed to get caught up in school, household chores and catching up on sleep. Before we knew it, it was Monday again and the weekend had vanished. Traveling around with the Army, we have been given a very unique opportunity to view a new region of the country every couple years. The last year in El Paso, we have not been taking full advantage of this opportunity.

So I came up with the idea that every weekend we would take turns surprising each other on a date. The date could be routine if we weren't feeling creative, but the point was to try new things together. There are some stipulations to the experiment: we have to choose a date that we think the other might at least remotely enjoy, and it can only involve the two of us (and perhaps the pups). After we leave El Paso, and any other duty station for that matter, we likely won't be returning. Therefore, we want to experience as much as we can in the short time we are here.

Chris went first. Our first "surprise date" was three weekends ago. That Saturday there just so happened to be the Las Cruces Tour de Beer. Needless to say, Chris and I both love craft beer. At the Southern New Mexico Fairgrounds, over thirty-two breweries from arond the country set up sampling booths. We paid $15 at the gate which got us a customized pint glass and 10 sample tickets. There were also fair ground food stands, face painting, live music and some carnival games. We got there earlier than most of the crowds and took our time sampling brews from breweries we'd never heard of. I particularly liked Kona Brewing and Chris like Wasatch Brewing. High Desert was also there, a local favorite of ours. Left Hand Brewing and Isotopes were good too. After we finished our samples, we each went back to get a full pint of our favorite. By the middle of the afternoon, the lines were about 20 minutes long. There were some fantastic bands playing though. Our favorite band was a local Las Cruces group called "Beans and Crackers." They mixed country with rock n' roll. The lead singer had a perfect impression of Johnny Cash. By late afternoon we were exhausted and decided to head back to Las Cruces to find dinner. In keeping with the spirit of the day, we took a gamble on the Pecan Brewery and Grill. The food was fantastic, albeit a little pricy. After a long day of beer sampling and standing in the summer New Mexican sun, we dragged ourselves home and turned in early.