We bought even more books (mostly language software), and continued out of Dallas to the east. After about 3 hours we stopped and camped at Martin Creek State Park, which was a nice Texas State [...]]]>
We bought even more books (mostly language software), and continued out of Dallas to the east. After about 3 hours we stopped and camped at Martin Creek State Park, which was a nice Texas State Park close to the Texas border.
Camped at Martin Creek State Park
It is a nice park, lots of trees, a lake, you can even swim in the lake. The weather has got much warmer, and we had a great sunset over the lake.
Sunset at Martin Creek
However there is a reason why its nice to swim in the lake. The lake is warmer than usual. The reason its warmer than usual, is there is an enormous coal fired power station across the lake, that uses the lake for cooling water.
Coal fired power station, across the lake from Martin Creek State Park
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We saw a poster when we were at the Silver Moon diner in Santa Rosa, advertising a lunch for JFK and Jackie in Dallas at 12.30 on November 22nd. They never got there because JFK was shot at 12.30 on November 22nd.
There are also film clips of various aspects of the assassination, including footage of the funeral. I always get teary when I see little John Jr saluting his father’s coffin.
The rest of the museum is devoted to the aftermath of the assassination – Lee Harvey Oswald, Jack Ruby, conspiracy theories, Kennedy’s legacy. It was all very well done, and worth visiting (thanks to Greg’s friend Guy for suggesting we go there).
We went and stood on the Grassy Knoll, wandered around Dealey Plaza, and walked up the streets that the motorcade had driven down before the shots were fired.
This afternoon we went shopping – for clothes at Dick’s Sporting Goods and the Columbia Outlet store (that was FUN! I bought a heap of clothes), and then at 2 Half Price Books stores.
Judy on the Grassy Knoll adjacent to where Kennedy was shot
The view up to the sixth floor of the Texas Book Depository where Lee Harvey Oswarld fired his shots from
Negotiating one of the many,many,many freeways and freeway interchanges that run throughout Dallas
We’re spending 2 nights here at a Motel 6 a few kms from the centre of the city. Until recently, this Motel 6 was a Howard Johnson’s motel, so it’s a bit more upmarket than the usual Motel 6 – fridge, microwave and safe, but sadly no bottle opener, so we had to use Greg’s multi-tool to open our bottles of Mike’s Hard Lemonade (5% alcohol). We visited a Half-Price Books store and Greg bought a few language audiobooks, I bought a couple of McMurtrys (cos his own bookstores don’t sell any of his books).
Tomorrow we’re visiting the Texas Book Depository and the Grassy Knoll
Judy in the Desert Rose room at the Lonesome Dove Inn
Then it was down the road to Archer City about 40km away south. The main reason for visiting Archer City, population 1848, was Larry McMurtry’s secondhand [...]]]>
Then it was down the road to Archer City about 40km away south. The main reason for visiting Archer City, population 1848, was Larry McMurtry’s secondhand bookstore Booked Up. It’s actually spread across 4 buildings in the main street. Building 1 has the rare, signed, first editions and out of print books, the people who work there (2, i think) and the only cashier. If you want to buy anything from one of the other buildings, you have to take it across to Building 1 to pay for it. The photo of me with Leo the cat was taken in the garage of Building 1. I’m standing in the Political Science section.
Judy amongst a few of the 300,000 or 400,000 books at Booked Up, with Leo the friendly bookstore cat
We also visited Building 4 today – cookbooks, biography, travel, business & finance. We each picked up a couple of books, but have been very restrained compared with previous trips to US bookstores. I bought Christopher Milne’s memoir, Beyond the World of Pooh ( he was A.A. Milne’s son, better known as Christopher Robin), and Feeding Frenzy, by an American who sets out to eat her way around Europe’s Michelin 3-starred restaurants. Greg bought George Stephanopoulos’s All Too Human and The End of Certainty by Australian journalist/author Paul Kelly.
Tomorrow we’ll visit Buildings 2 and 3 before heading to Dallas for a couple of days.
Tonight we’re staying at the Lonesome Dove Inn, which is a gorgeous 2-storey guest house just a couple of blocks from the main street. It used to be the town’s hospital, and we’re staying in the Desert Rose Room which was the operating theatre and delivery room. It’s a lovely room, with big south-facing windows and a white-tiled floor. All the other rooms have carpet, but I’m glad the original white tiles have been left. Mary, the owner, has a policy of letting people who were born here when it was a hospital, stay for free in the Desert Rose Room on their birthday. She has had 3 people take her up on her offer.
We were also offered the Terms of Endearment suite, with king-sized bed and ensuite bathroom, or the Cadillac Jack room with twin beds. The room next door to us is Hud’s Library, with single bed and lots of books, including a shelf full of signed first edition books by Larry McMurtry.
Oh, and Mr McMurtry is also a guest here this evening.
]]>We’re staying at Wichita Falls tonight. We did wonder if it was the Wichita that featured in the Glenn Campbell song, Wichita Lineman, but there are a few places of the same name around the country, so maybe not. We found a great place for dinner, thanks to TripAdviser – Bar L Drive Inn, a burger and barbecue diner where you can eat in your car, or at the picnic benches outside, or inside. It’s a bit cold here at the moment, so we ate inside. I had a barbecue ham sandwich with waffle fries, Greg had chicken-fried steak strips with salad and sweet potato fries. We both had Budwiser beeer. Does it get any more American than that?
Welcome to Texas
No pets in the toilets, that includes rattlesnakes