I’m in downtown Fort Worth on a rainy day, and I walk by this beautifully renovated Square on the way to their courthouse.

I stop by the Sid Richardson Museum, which is full of Remington paintings. I don’t like his work. I’ve never liked western American style much. Too close to home I think.

Then I come onto this William Gaul 1890 painting, The Pow Wow. I loved it. The security guard — his name is Ralph — came up behind me and we started discussing it.

It turns out Ralph has worked as a security guard at museums for decades. We went from painting to painting debating their merits. The Remington Dark Figure In The Night was the only Remington I liked, but I believed the paint had aged and green wasn’t the original color. Ralph knew its history and proved me wrong.

I moved on to the preserved courthouse with its refurbished courtrooms and antique pieces. When Tarrant County renovated it, they kept all the small original pieces like these cast push panels on the doors. Dee Dee, a secretary for one of the County Court at Law Judges, came over when she saw me wondering through their courtroom. She knew the smallest of details about the original architecture, and showed me the little secrets like the signature of the painter of the Rotunda.

The top of the courthouse has a law library with one of the best views in Fort Worth. It’s quiet, and you can work at a desk while looking out at this.

A great morning because of two people of extraordinary knowledge who were nice enough to engage with a stranger. Thanks Ralph and Dee Dee.