All these years during my visits to U. S.A. my stay used to be at California. This time it is at Irving ,Texas too. It is a change. On 16-9- 2017, my eldest son picked me up from the residence of my youngest son at Arce Street, Union City, California to leave me at San Francisco International airport to board Virgin America flight 1714 to Dallas. I reached Love Field Airport Dallas at 5. p.m. where my daughter & son in law were waiting to take me to their residence at 635 The Summit, Nor Star Apartments, Cow Boy's Pk way, Irving. Irving is one of the principal cities in Dallas county.Dallas, third-largest city in the state of Texas in the United States . The city is located in northern Texas along the Trinity River. It is the ninth largest city in the US.
U.S.A. is three times bigger than India area wise & population wise, its population is I /3 rd the population of India. Same weather doesn't prevail throughout U.S.A. Time also differs in east coast & west coast. Time at Irving is 2 hours more than the time what's at San Francisco.Texas is not merely full of startups but also is full of IT industries.Compared to Bay Area accommodation & cost of living are cheaper in Texas. State taxes are less also.
Texas Revolution. hero Davy Crockett, Alamo defender, 1836. says "I must say as to what I have seen of Texas it is the garden spot of the world. The best land and the best prospects for health I ever saw, & I do believe it's a fortune to any man to come here. There's a world of country here to settle."
Irving is not mountainous as California is. It is flooded with greenery. We come across numerous walking trails & creeks there. With summer being over weather was pleasant with warm, sunny days and cool nights.There isn't much to comment upon roads & highways in America. So also roads in Irving too. They are well laid & beautiful with lawns, signals. Free ways & High ways are less in Dallas .Traffic is less compared to cities in California, New York states. Public transport is less in America & is less made use of too. Dallas Area Rapid Transit Buses ply in Irving .
In this part of Irving , Indian population is huge. Especially people from Andhra have migrated in large number.There are number of Indian restaurants like Sarvana Bhavan, Bombay Chowpaty & Hill Top Indian Cuisine. There are number of Indian super shoppes namely Taj Groceries, Patel Bros. Here we come across huge spacious residential complexes. Irving is a principal city in Dallas county in the U.S state of Texas & it's also an inner ring suburb of the city of Dallas, Irving is part of the Dallas - Fort Worth metropolis. We feel here like we are at home though away from ‘home in India.
In the evenings people gather in parks nearby. Rodeo Park was near our apartment complex. Majority of them are senior citizens from India. There were three 3 groups initially one Telugu speaking, one Tamil speaking & third one consisted of ladies. As the winter approaches group becomes thinner & people return to India. They have formed a group "Rodeo Park Seniors" on Facebook. During my stay extending more than a month I was daily walking about 4 k.m. covering partially roads named Cow Boy's Pk Way, Rodeo Dr, Ranch View Dr, and Mac Arthur Blvd. On these roads I came across apartment complexes namely Grand Estate, Vistas, Vista Point, Camden Valley Park Apts, The Winsted Apts, Hyde Park Apts. These apartments are gated & have gates for vehicles & individuals separately. The gates are operated with codes for safety purpose. On Mac Arthur Blvd, I used to come across Barbara Bush Middle School. Barbara Bush was the wife of President H.W. Bush, father of president George Bush. Schools occupy enormous space. They occupy several acres of land. They have separate parking places visitors, parents dropping off children, & staff. There are strict traffic rules for school buses.
During weekends during my stay I visited places in and around Irving. In U.S.A., everybody has the freedom to follow & practice the religion they follow. Coppel is an adjacent city of Irving. In fact, it is at walk able distance from our apartment. One evening we visited Sri HariHaraPeetam. It's a small temple where we find idols of major Hindu deities. Here all Hindu festivals are celebrated too & I celebrated Navratri this year here only. I witnessed & enjoyed dandiya that was going on too. Coppel is ideal for shopping . Here we find popular MacDonald , Tom thumb, Bank of America, Kroger Signature etc. River Chase Golf club is situated here only. It is an ideal scenic place for walking. I enjoyed walking the golf course .
I celebrated Deepavali with my daughter & son in law on 20-10-17 at Irving only. Countless Indians there illuminated their dwellings with colorful lights . However , there was no burning of crackers at all. In some places burning of crackers are allowed in U.S.A. We about a dozen Indian families gathered in front of swimming pool at club house of The Summit. We exchanged flowers, sweets greetings & celebrated Deepavali. It is memorable.
It is on one Saturday I visited Thomas Jefferson Park which is one of the best parks in Irving. It's at a distance of about 4-5 k.m. from our apartment. Especially when the climate is good, it's perfect for a walk or run. It has decently maintained play area. It has a statue of Thomas Jefferson on one end, & a statue & memorial of Mahatma Gandhi on the other. The memorials are lit at night. There's Meadow Creek runs through the park. A path is by the side of it. There are benches donated by citizens in memory of their deceased dear & near in it's vicinity. The park presents a perfect view of the sunrise/sunset. A series of ponds, water fountains and basketball hoops galore in the area . It is a busy park. It is flooded mostly by Indians.
If one does run,or enjoy the great outdoors they can get some good mileage in doing some loops & then go via MacArthur into the surrounding neighborhoods. There's a playground & also a pavilion area & one can have a picnic & rejoice too. There's ducks and some birds/random creatures that one can catch if they hang around long enough. Great for families or others if they are looking for some fun.. It's a great park for jogging, walking, hanging out with friends, family and kids.
My daughter & son-in-law didn't want me to be bored. So,on a Sunday afternoon they drove me to Bird's Fort Trail Park. It is nearly 58 acres of natural beauty.It's a popular tourist destination.Its located near the DFW International Airport. Hike the mile & a half long trail, have a picnic in the pavilion, bird watch, & overlook the river.,it's the perfect escape. Campion Trail North which is a part of Bird's Fort Trail Park is the longest continuous trail in Irving & one of the longest in the Dallas area. The twelve-foot-wide trail extends from Valley Ranch to the offices of Las Colinas & provides the opportunity to safely run, walk, skate, or bike to work. The trail also winds in and out of trees, offers views of the Trinity River, & features drinking fountains, covered picnic pavilions and three separate paved parking lots along the way.
On another Saturday I visited Botanic Gardens Fort worth. I walked into the gardens and was amazed at the size of the plants. The Asian Garden was fabulous and calming, and the streams with the gold fish was so beautiful. We fed the fish, walked across small bridges, sat and had wonderful conversations about nature, and just enjoyed the atmosphere. It was like we were somewhere besides Texas.
The Japanese Gardens, within it as well as other gardens there were beautiful. The Japanese Gardens is a hidden away place. The layout of the Gardens is very good, flowing from one section to another. The whole area is so enchanting that one feels like they have been spirited away to Japan. So nicely it is presented .Many hours can be spent here viewing the fish ponds & beautiful bridges & buildings.It was completed in 1973. There is entrance fees to it seniors 5$, adults 7 $. Child 4$. The garden is maintained superbly.
It's a traditional stroll garden with winding paths through the landscapes & around ponds. The Garden consists of 7.5 acres filled with cherry trees, Japanese maples, magnolias, bamboo, bridges, and ponds which are home to over 1,200 Koi fish.
Except in the spring, there are few flowers blooming in the Japanese Garden due to the Japanese practice of Mono no Aware. Mono no Aware translates to transient/bittersweet beauty, meaning if the garden was always blooming it would never be special.
Wedding and docent tours of the Japanese Garden are available by appointment.
Festivals are hosted in the spring and fall in the Japanese Garden. Public Tea Ceremonies are presented on the third Saturday of every month
Botanic Garden, Fort Worth. Parking and entrance is free. There is a cafe on site, and also another parking area and a gift shop by the Japanese Garden.
There is so much to see here. Rose Garden, Cactus Garden, Trial Garden, Perennial Garden, if you can think it, there is probably a garden for it. It's so neat to be able to go watch new things bloom and other things shed or close up as the seasons change. Everything is clean, well trimmed and nicely cared for. So whoever the groundskeepers are, two thumbs up to them.
I really enjoyed the Texas Native Tree Boardwalk, a raised walkway that takes us between the trees. Along this boardwalk, are activities aimed towards kids, encouraging them to explore and take interest in their surroundings.
I was fortunate to witness a few weddings in these gardens. Bride & bridegroom arriving in wedding gowns. No priest whatsoever. Exchange of bouquets. Friends solemnizing marriage. Celebrating with couples dancing.
Water is as much a part of these gardens as the plants and trees. There are various fountains, ponds and other water features. The sound of trickling water is never far off.
What a Texas man said "Keep in mind, this place is pretty dang big! We have come down here a few times now, and still haven't seen the entire thing! So, don't plan to try and see everything in one day, unless you start early and literally spend all day there, which honestly, would be pretty fun "
Perfect place to take photos. Also ideal for family outings, meditation, picnics or dates.