Movin' East - Day 66

Saturday, November 8, Day 66 - enjoying f amily.

The above picture is the sign at the entrance to the campground where we are staying in Lewisville, TX, which is the next town to the east of Flower Mound, where Brian and Kara live.

Our Saturday began with a visit to Brian and Kara's home in Flower Mound. Their home is located in a development of beautiful homes with meticulously landscaped and manicured grounds. Brian met us outside and invited us in, where Kara was waiting. We were also greeted by Holly, their golden retriever. After some "catching up", they took us on a tour of the house, which was as beautiful inside as it was outside, and very spacious.

Next, we all got into Brian's car and drove into Dallas for some sightseeing. Our first stop was at the JFK Memorial, which is described by the architect as a place for "quiet contemplation". It is a concrete structure, 50 X 50 feet square, with 30 foot high walls, with openings in both the North and South walls. See the web album for photos.

From here, we walked west to Dealey Plaza, where the assassination of JFK took place 45 years ago this month. The Plaza, itself, is undergoing some repair work, so we did not shoot any photos of it. To the immediate north of the plaza stands the former "Texas Book Depository" building, from where the fatal shots were fired. The building is no longer a book depository, but the 6th floor has now been preserved as a museum. We toured the museum, and found it to be a very sobering reminder of that day in history. Brian and Kara had not been born when the assassination took place, nor had they visited the museum prior to today. They were both quite moved by the exhibit. From the museum, we walked down Elm Street to the spots where the shots hit, and fatally wounded JFK. In the web album, some of the photos show the spots on Elm Street, marked with an "X", where bullets struck and killed him. The spot of the fatal shot is about 50 yards from the spot of the first wound. The next shot, after the "X"s, is of the 6th floor window, from where the shots were fired.

After a "Texas BBQ" lunch, Brian and Kara took us to Grapevine, TX, which is a quaint town, with antique shops, eateries, and several wine tasting shops. We walked a bit, then stopped in at the "D Vine Winery" tasting shop, where we sampled some of their wines (at a very reasonable price, I might add - California, take a lesson from Texas). We did purchase a bottle of wine there, "Lone Star Blanc", a variety of Sauvignon Blanc, which we liked very much.

Finally, we returned to Brian and Kara's to meet with Kelsey and Tyler, before all going out to dinner.

This is a photo of the Fugere family, including Holly, their beautiful golden retriever. When we arrived at Brian and Kara's this morning, both Kelsey and Tyler had already left, Tyler to a math and science competition, Kelsey to swimming practice, then to her "volunteer" job at the local animal shelter. Time out here, for a hearty "congratulations" to Tyler for coming home with two trophies from the competition. Way to go, Tyler! Kelsey and Tyler were a delight to talk with. We totally enjoyed having dinner at Cristina's (Mexican cuisine) and we all had the chance for more conversation. Thank you family.

Brian asked us what, during our trip, was most impressive, and I answered "Yellowstone National Park". However, both Kathy and I agree that our favorite memories of this trip will be the time spent with "family" along the way.

Tomorrow morning we begin seriously making our way back to Florida. When we leave the Dallas area, we will head east into Louisiana. We will target Shreveport, but we hope that we might be able to get a bit further south, toward Alexandria. Our goal is to get to Tampa by Thursday or Friday, to get estimates on repairs to the motor home. I'm not sure what, if any, pictures we might have tomorrow, but be sure to check back anyway. You never know.

Here's the link to today's web album:

http://picasaweb.google.com/cbenoitiii/TheTripDay66TheFugereS?authkey=IIXLBM6EycQ#