One Night // Grapevine, TX

Last night my future husband and I went on a very fun date in Grapevine, Texas. It was one of the best nights I've had in Texas in one of my favorite towns. I took some pictures so you all can tag along. It all started at...an historic funeral home...?!?! Yup!

Double exposure. I am a fan. Taken by me with Instagram (all of the following, as well)

Fantastic dinner at Napolis Italian Cafe on Main Street. The pizza is delicious, especially the crust. I had the BBQ chicken pizza. Thom had wine and some kind of garlicky pasta that was also good.

Darkness came and lights stood out. I kissed you in the street, in the alleyway, and at the Back Porch.

It is comforting to know that there are still people out there who hand-paint signs. This makes me happy.

More double exposure goodness. The Palace Theatre + The Lancaster Theatre + The King

One of the best finds of my whole life: Main Street Barber Shop

I cannot wait to go back with my "good" camera to document more of this perfectly preserved barber shop complete with hand painted horse, shiny candy apple red seats, and a lit pole outside with red, white, and blue stripes. I wish the whole world would get on board and look this way again.

Then it was off to The Back Porch to see our friends play some music. Guthrie Kennard, Marian Brackney, Julie Bonk, and Pete Thompson. If you aren't familiar with any of these names, do familiarize yourself with them. I promise, you will not be let down. These are some of the very best musicians DFW has to offer, if not the whole world. Guthrie is producing my fiancee, Thom DuKan's new CD and the gorgeous and talented Marian is playing her fiddle on the CD. We are all very excited about it! It's always fun to work with friends.

Guthrie's better half (hehe) Dee Hill was also in attendance. She is a fantastic pro photographer and is going to be shooting our wedding!

The adorable couple on the bottom right delighted everyone with their dancing skills. I may or may not have a video to prove this. Wink!

Guthrie dedicated a song to Thom and I in honor of our upcoming marriage (2 weeks!) and love was felt all around. It's really amazing to have such mega talented friends/loved ones. You all mean a lot to us, I hope you know that.

xoxo,

Ashley 

Loveletters from Roanoke, TX // Thom DuKan

Roanoke, TX is one of the very cool small-ish towns the DFW Metroplex has to offer.

There are tons of great Texas photo ops, and the whole town is full of personality!

Roanoke is known for having many fabulous local eateries. It did not disappoint.

The attention to detail is as remarkable as the food. The above photo is from Tortilla Flats, an authentic taqueria. Definitely want to go back just to eat there. 

Yes, yes I do! I find this completely charming! Typography lovers, what say you? I think it's adorable and so amazingly appropriate for not only "great burgers," "cold beer," but also the hilarious admission of "bad service." Love it!

Hard 8 BBQ is where the infamous (hehe) and mega-talented Thom DuKan played live to a great crowd of music and Texas barbecue lovers. 

Intermission: I love these old chairs! Where are they from?! A baseball stadium? A movie theater? My vintage-loving little heart flutters with nostalgic goodness.

Thom DuKan is a self-taught guitar player, singer/songwriter, and all-around swell cat. His music is what I am going to call "indie-blues" because it's difficult to pinpoint. If you're wondering if he's good...he is. 

Let's put it this way, great response from the crowd (which included half the police force!) and toward the end of the show a little girl came up to him and shyly asked, "where did you learn to play guitar?" Thom was very gracious and kind to the girl. It was a very sweet moment. With that darling sincerity of a child, she said, "you're really good!" 

And...it's true! Thom DuKan is the most impressive guitarist I have ever seen live. His original music has evolved over many years and just keeps getting better. It's a little voodoo, a little back porch sipping lemonade in the summertime, a little boom boom boom, you know what I'm talking about. Wink!

Thom has played a wide variety of venues from large music halls in Osaka, Japan to small, dodgy bars in Fort Worth, Texas. He can play Hendrix on an acoustic guitar that will knock you on your bum. Not to mention his own arrangement of "Summertime," which features Thom's creativity and skill as a musician.

Thom DuKan has previously released one CD and is preparing to enter the studio with amazing musicians Guthrie Kennard and Marian Brackney in the next couple months. The new CD is going to blow the old one away and will show the evolution of Thom's talent and growth in confidence as an artist. 

Don't let pop culture tell you what's cool. Turn off your Mtv (irony) and get out there and support local musicians. No autotune, no fake stuff, just good music. If you are into unique, non-cookie cutter music, then you'll love Thom DuKan. He is completely unpretentious, no gimmick, just talent. He has had an adventurous life so far, which reflects in his music...and as he says, it ain't over yet!  

xoxo,

Ashley

P.S. Special thanks goes out to Daniel for being a consistently spectacular roadie!

Big Kitty

Here are some photos I took with Instagram this morning. This is our fattest cat, Tramp sitting on one of the end tables (on top of a yellow legal pad) in the living room waiting for food. I love this kitty and I love her expressive face. You can tell she believes food may be on the way by the psychotic look in her eyes in some of these.

Tramp is a very special kitty. She can speak English. She says (very clearly): Hello? She sleeps next to me every night, cuddled up to my right side and when she wakes up in the morning she scratches my back with both paws to let me know she thinks she ought to be fed right away. She likes to flop down on the floor and roll around on her back. Sometimes she falls asleep on her back. Tramp loves to play fetch with any toy that isn't store bought. Her favorite toys are little fuzzy pipe cleaners I had left over from some Halloween decorations I made last year. She has learned that when Thom and I are watching a movie in the living room, she must bring her little pipe cleaner toys up on the couch for us to throw for her. We find these little treasures hidden all over the house. Tramp is a very thoughtful cat and will "hop" over you instead of stepping on you (most of the time). I love my Trampy Lou.