Life in Dallas

An Insiders Look of Dallas

Life in Dallas is intended to provide casual snapshots and vignettes of people and places one might see in the course of living in Dallas. These spontaneous and sporadic posts are not intended to give an exhaustive or even a full view of Dallas. Here you will find hints of Dallas.


Dallas Favorites are Seen at the DMA Exhibition “The Impressionist Revolution from Monet to Matisse”

Here was a chance to revisit the Impressionist paintings from the Margaret McDermott collection and others in this wonderful exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art in the Dallas Arts District downtown.


The Texas State Fair is More Than a Tradition

The Texas State Fair is a tradition, but is even more than that. The vibration of Dallas changes as the city anticipates the Fair and all that it connotes. Even if someone does not attend the Fair, they recall years of going to the Fair, the livestock shows, the ferris wheels, the fried foods, corny dogs, caramel apples, the Midway, the Grambling Band, the Texas-OU game, and the western costume of towering Big Tex.


Interim City Manager and Former Mayor Discuss Dallas at Dallas Breakfast Group

Lynn McBee, the Executive Director of the Dallas Breakfast Group, moderates a panel that includes former Mayor Tom Leppert and Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. The Interim City Manager has dedicated herself to Dallas for 30 years. Here she is explaining that the just passed ForwardDallas Comprehensive Plan recommending that single-family homes be replaced with apartments will not hurt Dallas. Further, she mentions the city has not discussed what percentage of Dallas should be homeowners and renters, even though the city’s percentage of homeowners is going down and there is a call for the percentage of renters to increase.

Dallas Breakfast Group discussion participants Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and former Mayor Tom Leppert at the Dallas Petroleum Club.
Executive Director Lynn McBee leads the Dallas Breakfast Group discussion with Dallas City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert and former Mayor Tom Leppert at the Dallas Petroleum Club.

Interabang Bookstore has Best Author Talks in Dallas

Dallas has a wonderful Arts and Letters program where we have the opportunity to hear from authors reading from their books. Interabang gives us a special treat – an almost private session with an author discussing his book. This evening the brilliant Dallas Morning News editor Rudy Bush discussed with author Jim Schutze his new book, “Pontiac.” This is a book of fiction that is based heavily on Jim’s experience from growing up in the provinces and then being shipped to an elite prep school.


This Year’s Kips Bay Decorator Show House was Located in a Turtle Creek Neighborhood

The Kips Bay Decorator Show House has become a strong tradition in Dallas as interior designers create the design for a specific room. The Dallas Design Week preceding Kips Bay has many lectures, book signings, receptions and showrooms in the Design District.


Sarah Crain Appointed Executive Director of Preservation Dallas

Preservation Dallas appoints Sarah Crain as Executive Director.  She has a family legacy of preserving and promoting Dallas.
I was delighted to learn Sarah Crain was hired as the Executive Director of Preservation Dallas. Her father John Crain was one of the first persons I met when I moved to Munger Place, as he was the young Executive Director of the Dallas Historical Society and now is the Chairman of the Board of the Summerlee Foundation and also serves on the Texas Historical Commission. It was fun talking with Sarah Crain at the reception at the Wilson House on Swiss Avenue announcing her new position. She mentioned that she grew up in the basement of the Hall of State where the offices of the Dallas Historical Society were located. What a great family legacy of preserving and promoting Dallas.

Kevin and Cheryl Vogel have nurtured Valley House Gallery and Sculpture Garden that Kevin’s father Donald Vogel created 70 years ago. The art that is offered for sale at this gallery draws from the last seven decades and exhibits leading current artists. The gallery is beloved for both its art, its gallerist, and the beautiful gardens that are kept open to the public. It is a fabulous expression of Dallas aesthetics and generosity.


Dallas Architecture Forum Panel on Dallas Contractors

Dallas Architecture Forum Panel of leading Dallas contractors was held at the Nasher Sculpture Center, which included Steve Hild, Stephen Hardy, and John Sebastian known primarily for their modern homes.


Dallas Artist at Dallas Admirals Club

Linda Ridgway art exhibit at the Admirals Club at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
Linda Ridgway is an accomplished Dallas artist whose work is seen here in the Admirals Club at the Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.

Air Cooled 911 Porsches


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