DFW's best taqueria

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

Taqueria El Si Hay offers Al Pastor in flour tortillas (left) and Barbacoa in corn tortillas (right) at the taqueria in Dallas on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009.


Taqueria El Si Hay offers Al Pastor in flour tortillas (left) and Barbacoa in corn tortillas (right) at the taqueria. There is one bench on the side of the stand, however most people eat in their cars or take the food home.


Taqueria El Si Hay offers Al Pastor in flour tortillas (left) and Barbacoa in corn tortillas (right) with spicy salsas in Dallas.



Taqueria El Si Hay offers a variety of Tex-Mex favorites at the tiny taqueria. The taqueria was selected as the 5th-best in DFW from readers and restaurant critics.


Taqueria El Si Hay offers Barbacoa in corn tortillas at the taqueria in Dallas. Tacos are often judged by the quality and combination of the meat, cilantro and onions.



Please read, "Best in DFW: Best Taquerias" by Leslie Brenner / The Dallas Morning News

Football season opener

Prosper's players take the field to start football season before a high school football game against Farmersville at Prosper High School on Friday, Sept. 4, 2009 in Prosper.


photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News


Aaron Whitley with Prosper Tailgate chops brisket to raise funds before a high school football game at Prosper High School.



Farmersville quarterback Austin Brooks (20) hands the ball to Morgan Horbison (8) during a football game at Prosper High School.


Prosper's Mario Edwards (17) loses a handle on the ball as he's hit by Farmersville's Daniel Wise (15) at Prosper High School.


Prosper's Colin Padilla (8) loses his helmet as he's tackled by Farmersville's Sean Day (40) during a high school football game at Prosper High School in Prosper.

GrapeFest Peoples Choice

© Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Wine glasses await judges during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. The event featured the 2009 People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic.


Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau board member Luann Chapman Gatts wears a weekend's worth of People's Choice pretty colors um rock bands armbands during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine.



After many gargles sips of wine, I remembered documented that we brought our own snakes um snacks palette cleansers to use between wine gulps samples during the People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic.



Suellen Moline of Plain Old Plano makes fishy faces um walks sideways umm... does some verbby thing during the cage match GrapeFest Wine Tasting Classic.


Wheeee!


After swigging sampling everything select um (some winey-sounding noun with an "s" goes here), John, Suellen and Fayrouz balance against a table um munch on snacks confer to determine which wine had alcohol um rules the world should win the People's Choice Wine Tasting Classic at GrapeFest in Grapevine.

Please also see:
Historic Grapevine
GrapeFest flame worker
GrapeFest blacksmith
GrapeFest sculptor

GrapeFest sculptor

A miniature and a larger-than-life statue of the same cowboy look into the distance at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair, an international bronze sculptor, during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009.


photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com


Incompleted statues of emergency workers commissioned for the city of Southlake look exactly like scaled-up versions the human models at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair during GrapeFest.


The detail work remains in smaller pieces nearing completion at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair during GrapeFest.


Artist Archie St. Clair (left) answers visitors' questions as John Moline of Plano (right) appreciates the artworks at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair.


Fayrouz works a composition at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair during GrapeFest.


Small sculptures and GrapeFest literature greet visitors at the studio and gallery of Archie St. Clair, an international bronze sculptor, during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine.

Please also see:
Historic Grapevine
GrapeFest flame worker
GrapeFest blacksmith
GrapeFest People's Choice Wine Tasting

GrapeFest blacksmith

photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Blacksmith Lonnie Robinson of Wagon Wheel Forge & Gallery removes a glowing-hot railroad spike from the fire during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009.


Custom wine racks hold bottles as blacksmith Lonnie Robinson of Wagon Wheel Forge & Gallery works on another piece during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine.




Customer Lynn M. Farestad (left) holds the end of a steak turner as blacksmith Lonnie Robinson (right) hammers a monogram into the railroad spike at Wagon Wheel Forge & Gallery during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine.

Please also see:
Historic Grapevine
GrapeFest flame worker
GrapeFest sculptor
GrapeFest People's Choice Wine Tasting

GrapeFest flame worker

photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

Flameworking artist Corbin Fonville, 16, makes glass marbles during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009.


Hot glass glows as flameworking artist Corbin Fonville, 16, makes colorful marbles during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine.


Please also see:
Historic Grapevine
GrapeFest blacksmith
GrapeFest sculptor
GrapeFest People's Choice Wine Tasting

Historic Grapevine

A windmill-powered water tower welcomes visitors during the 23rd annual GrapeFest in Grapevine on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2009. Historic Grapevine is Tarrant County's oldest settlement. It was founded in 1844, a year before Texas joined the United States.


photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com


A 1953 GP-7 diesel locomotive pulls passengers in authentic 1920s and 1930s Victorian-style coaches as they ride The Grapevine Vintage Railroad along part of the historic Cotton Belt Route between Grapevine and the Fort Worth Stockyards.


Rather than post a visual opus slideshow of the annual GrapeFest, I'll add vignettes. Please see the additional sections as they post during the next few days.

Please also see:
GrapeFest flame worker
GrapeFest blacksmith
GrapeFest sculptor
GrapeFest People's Choice Wine Tasting

Seminary golf backup

photos © Mark M. Hancock for The Texas Catholic

Serrans and seminarians visit during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009. The annual golf scramble was rained out. However, the Serra club provided dinner, a raffle and golf-related competition in the seminary game room.


Fr. Michael F. Olson (left) talks with Serran Richard Stanzel of Dallas during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary.


Seminarians ladle barbecue sauce onto brisket during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary.


Fr. Michael F. Olson (left) laughs while seminarian Giuseppe Spoto (right) claims the top prize during a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary. Spoto, who is not an avid golfer, gifted the bag to another seminarian before dinner was completed.


Serrans and seminarians watch as the putt of Paul Bechter's ball approaches the cup after a Serran dinner.



Serrans and seminarians react as the putt of Paul Bechter's ball misses the cup after a Serran dinner at Holy Trinity Seminary in Irving. The annual golf scramble was rained out. However, the Serra club provided dinner, a raffle and golf-related competition in the seminary game room.

DPD Helicopter Unit's 40th Anniversary

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

Tactical flight officer Sr. Cpl. Charles Sherek (window) watches for obstacles as pilot Sr. Cpl. J. Rucker performs a fly-by during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field in Dallas on Aug. 8, 2009.


Commemorative patches greet guests during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field.


Organizers push a Dallas Police Department helicopter into the Frontiers of Flight Museum during the DPD helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration.


Guests visit during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field.




Former Police Chief Frank Dyson visits with other officers during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field. Dyson founded the helicopter unit while he was chief.


Astronaut and Dallas native Jim Reilly (left) talks with Sr. Cpl. Charles Sherek (right) during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field.


Thomas Mitchell (left) and W.D. Smith (right) catch up during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field in Dallas. Mitchell was one of the original two civilian instructor pilots while Smith was one of the original four DPD pilots in the program.


Photos of fallen officers are displayed on an "In Remembrance" table during the Dallas Police Department helicopter unit's 40th anniversary celebration at the Frontiers of Flight Museum at Dallas Love Field in Dallas.

Please read, "Dallas Police Helicopter Unit looks back over four decades" by Tanya Eiserer / The Dallas Morning News

Homeschooling Convention

Darren Douglas mans the booth of HipHop-Edu of St. Louis during the 14th Annual Summer Homeschooling Conference at Plano Centre in Plano on Aug. 8, 2009.


photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News


Patrons shop during the 14th Annual Summer Homeschooling Conference.


Elijah West, 5, (left) and his sister Sasha West, 3, (right) of North Richland Hills patiently watch their father shop during the 14th Annual Summer Homeschooling Conference at Plano Centre.


Howard Berg of the New American School in McKinney and the only Guinness World Record-holder for speed reading (left) prepares for a presentation and talks with organizer Stephen Lunsford of the North Texas Home Educators' Network (right) during the 14th Annual Summer Homeschooling Conference in Plano.


Susan Kimmons (left) and her son Connor Kimmons, 12, (right) test language software at the booth of My Father's World of Rolla, Mo. during the 14th Annual Summer Homeschooling Conference at Plano Centre in Plano.

Please read, "Plano homeschool conference draws 2,500" by Katherine Leal Unmuth

Dallas World Aquarium

A red howler monkey stretches against a tree at The Dallas World Aquarium in Downtown Dallas' West End on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2009.


photos © Mark M. Hancock / DFWmark.com

See a larger version of this slideshow.

Fayrouz and I went toured the world without leaving the city at The Dallas World Aquarium. I have a field guide for the animals and will identify most of the animals soon. Please also see Fayrouz's take.

Named in this slideshow are: TK.
.

Hardeman family golfs

photos © Mark M. Hancock and The Dallas Morning News

Royal Hardeman of Murphy (right) practices chipping with his daughters Ashley, 19, (left) and Amber, 18, (center) at Pecan Hollow Golf Course in Plano on Thursday, July 30, 2009.


Amber, 18; (from left to right) Ashley, 19; Royal and Wanda Hardeman of Murphy celebrate a good putt during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course.


Ashley, 19; (from left to right) Amber, 18; Royal and Wanda Hardeman of Murphy complete a hole during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course.


Royal Hardeman of Murphy (center) and his wife Wanda (right) tease their daughter Ashley, 19, (left) during a round of golf at Pecan Hollow Golf Course in Plano.

Please read, "Three Dallas-area families show how to make fitness fun" by Nancy Churnin / The Dallas Morning News