Dallas

When I think of Dallas, as with many people of my generation, I always remember November 22, 1963 and the Kennedy assassination.  I still remember my friend Dave telling my in the hall at school that the president had been shot.  My reaction was to tell him he was full of s**t, but at about that time the principal made the announcement on the PA.  I am sure the attack on Pearl Harbor was the same for that generation and 9/11 is for all of us who lived through that terrible day.  Where we were and what we were doing is burned into our memory.  Since we were in the area we had to visit The Sixth Floor Museum in the old Texas Book Depository Building.  The museum does a very good job of telling the story of that day and all the related events from the funeral to the conspiracy theories that more people than Lee Harvey Oswald were involved.  Standing in that window and looking down on the site really gives you a clear picture of how Oswald had a straight line to fire at the president.  One thing that struck me was the display that talked about how much hate there was here in Texas toward President Kennedy.  It is frightening, like much of what you hear people saying today about Obama. No photography is allowed inside the museum.   

 Looking up at the sixth floor window (right corner second from the top) from the spot (X) where the second shot hit the president.  It is really chilling to be standing here.  One story they told was of a Dallas policeman who noticed pigeons fly from the roof of the building when the shots rang out.  He immediately ran into the building and actually stopped Oswald, but was told he was an employee and he let him go. Oswald, who was captured later in the day after he killed a Dallas police officer, was shot and killed two days later as he was being transported to court.

 This is the Grassy Knoll in Dealey Plaza where many conspiracy theorists think a second assassin shot from.  This spot is at the side of the road and would have required the shooter to pan as he shot rather than having the straight line of fire that Oswald had.  This is also where Abraham Zapruder, who filmed the only footage of the actual shooting, was standing. Being here and walking the area gives you a clear understanding of the events of that day and it is still shocking. 

 Near Dealey Plaza is the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza.  The memorial is designed as a cenotaph, open tomb, to symbolize the freedom of Kennedy's spirit.  This is all a must see stop for anyone who lived through the events of that November day.

 Another day we visited the Dallas Museum of Art.  The museum has an excellent collection including many impressionist paintings that are Nanc's favorites.  Above are works by Calder, van Gogh, O'Keefe, and Degas. 

 This is the work of glass artist Dale Chihuly whose works we have seen in Las Vegas and Tacoma.

 We found this art work by Robert Rauschenberg with its Kennedy theme to be very interesting.

 The Wendy and Emery Reves Collection is one of the most interesting in the museum.  When their collection was given to the museum in 1985, a replica of the interior of their French home, Villa La Pausa, was built inside the museum to display the works.  The villa was originally the summer home of Coco Chanel.

 The entrance of the villa with tapestries, paintings and furniture.

 The Reves bedroom (above) salon, and dining room all had the works of art displayed as they had been when they lived in the villa.

One of the most interesting rooms to me was the collection of art and other artifacts they had from Winston Churchill who was a close family friend.  The DMA and the villa are a great stop.

As I write this, we are sitting in Dodge City, Kansas and have an appointment in Garden City on Monday for a continuing problem with the motorhome.  While traveling on Thursday the stop engine light came on once again and we had to have it checked in Woodward, Oklahoma.  They were too busy to work on it, but after putting it on the computer they assured us it was ok to drive and even gave us the name of someone to call to have it looked at.  This obviously puts a hold on ALL travel plans as we need to find someone who can figure out what the real problem is once and for all.