Fort Worth to Waco to Dallas, TX ..... and back

I should have been thankful of the "no weather" last Saturday when the severe thunderstorm passed me by .... the area on the other side of Dallas took a hit with a tornado!  All I ended up with was some wind.  On one of my sightseeing drives I encountered some rain .... huge drops that just pelted my car (I was glad they weren't hitting me!).  I found out later that they also had some hail.

It took me awhile to do some sightseeing .... I spent 3 mornings at the Jeep dealer so I only had a short afternoon each day to explore.  It involved a lot of driving the same roads and covering the same territory to see the next thing on the list ...

I'm going to have to add Texas to my list of "the best" for their state pride.  The Texas flag is everywhere and if it's not physically flying, then there is an outline of the state shape in the concrete or the Texas star.  Even every one of the water towers in the surrounding communities has a mustang, steer, the flag, the star, or some other symbol of Texas clearly and boldly and newly painted on it.  Lots of state pride.

My first stop was George "Machine Gun Kelly" Grave -

Now used as the Cottondale Community Chapel

 I'm not sure why I stopped to see the grave.  I had opportunities in Louisiana to see the death site of Bonnie and Clyde, or in Texas to see the graves, but I didn't bother with them.

I wanted to spend some time at Sundance Square but it was very crowded, and of course no where to park for the short walk.

There was plenty of room at the John F. Kennedy Tribute -

While I was driving down one of the County roads in search for a quilt shop, I came across this graveyard - I thought the entrance sign was fun - "Body Farm" -

The quilt shops here are different; they have very little fabric (I'm talking 20 bolts!), or the fabric is more suitable for clothing than a quilt. Disappointing.  I found a couple that had more of a selection tho ...

The Ft. Worth Water Gardens was especially pleasant - Featuring three pools and a terraced knoll, the Fort Worth Water Gardens offer a relaxing scenic area for locals and visitors alike to enjoy. The main attraction is the active pool which has water cascading almost 40 feet into a pool with steps leading down to the bottom. A fun factoid is that a scene from the movie "Logan's Run" was filmed in the active pool.

Thistle Hill is a Georgian Revival mansion built in 1904 and remodeled in 1910. The restored mansion is furnished in period. 

Ft. Worth has some outstanding old buildings and lovely parks with canals.

And then onto the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame - a lot of focus on Annie Oakley and the Wild West Shows ..  absolutely no photos allowed inside, even without a flash.



Waco had the first In-N-Out Burger I've seen since I left California.

Waco must be the city of bridges, because everywhere you look there is a bridge going over something.  And they were all different ... it was wonderful.



Texas in general has great speed limits - even 75 mph on a country road.  It's great, although the Texans don't seem to take advantage - they consistently drive way under the limit.

Dr Pepper Museum

 

Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum - The first Texas Rangers were hired by Stephen Austin in 1823, and they remain an integral part of the Texas legend. The museum is part of a 35-acre park that was established in 1837. The museum has a number of exhibits, including an impressive gun collection and a research library. The hall honors 30 rangers who are considered exemplary. Only about 118 Texas Rangers are active in the state presently, and Company F of the organization has its headquarters at the Hall of Fame.



 
The Mary Kay Museum was interesting. The lobby of the building was most impressive (pink, of course). I actually just finished reading one of her books ...

I was trapped in the Dallas rush hour traffic and didn't have as much time at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum as I would have enjoyed.   Considering the bad rep he has after leaving office, it was nice to be reminded of all the good he accomplished during his terms in office.  It's a very interesting library.  I did get to tour the temporary exhibit, Portraits of Courage, of his paintings of wounded warriors.  And, of course, I cried through the 911 exhibit ...

The George W. Bush Presidential Museum offers a look into the decisions and events of the Bush Presidency. The Museum features important artifacts; such as a piece of the World Trade Center; an interactive Decision Points Theater where visitors make real-time crisis decisions and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office complete with a Resolute Desk that visitors can sit behind.

When I was camping at the Diamond Jack's casino in Bossier, LA, I met some nice people who recommended eating at Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen while I was in the Dallas area, and there was one not too far from the Presidential Library.  Excellent meal.  Interesting, after I ordered my meal, a recommendation for the restaurant popped up on my phone .... for the very same thing I ordered.  The gumbo (even with the okra - ha) was wonderful.  The manager comped me dessert (I chose Sweet Potato Pecan Pie - when in the South), which I had to take home.  As the waiter was going over the dessert cart, I thought of my family and friends - Creme Brulee with fresh fruit (my son), Key Lime pie (Mandy and Tandi - yes, it was yellowish), a highly recommended Bread Pudding (Susi), a multi-layer chocolate cake (Kristi) and Turtle Fudge Brownie (all of you!), and, of course, the ever present Banana Pudding .  I miss you all and will see you soon.