Day One-- Sunday July 21st
My walking buddy, Mary Ann, and her friend, Tony, who is visiting from Florida, just dropped us off at DFW Airport for our flight to Marquette, Michigan (via Detroit). Mary Ann is returning the favor--I took her and her girls to DFW Airport back in March when they flew to Orlando, Florida for their Spring break vacation. (This saved each of us the $8-$10 a day airport parking.)
On the way to the airport we stopped at "Fuel City" in downtown Dallas for a quick lunch of street tacos. We discovered Fuel City several years ago when Texas Monthly magazine featured a cover article "The 63 Tacos You Must Eat Before You Die", and Fuel City was rated for having the #1 Taco in Texas! That article has sure helped Fuel City's business! What was then a truck stop/convenience store/taco stand is now all that and more--car wash, covered patio seating, picnic tables under the shade trees, longhorn cattle, buffalos, and donkeys to view just across the fence, and all the while the traffic on I-35E is whizzing by overhead just a couple hundred feet away! My favorite thing there is the lady that has a "corn wagon" concession out front of the store--she fills a Styrofoam cup with layers of whole kernel corn/red sauce/sour cream/Mexican cheese. Yum!!
We are so excited about going to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, a place we have never visited before, and just as we are about to experience the "dog days of Summer" here in Texas, we will get to enjoy the cooler climate of the Great Lakes Region for a week. We picked our garden yesterday and gave away all the veggies, and unless it rains while we are gone this week our garden will probably be dried and wilted when we get back.
As we are sitting here waiting for our plane, the Delta gate agent just announced that the plane arriving here at DFW (the one we are to board for Detroit) will be a little late in arriving at our gate. Since we have approximately an hour at Detroit airport before boarding our connecting flight to Marquette, Mi., we should be alright even getting to Detroit a little late. Regardless, today is going to be a very long travel day, not arriving in Marquette until 9:45 p.m. this evening.
We are on the plane to Detroit now! Seated next to me, in the window seat is a cute 10 year old girl, Leanna, traveling alone from Dallas to Detroit. She has been visiting relatives in Texas and is returning home. Her Mom is picking her up at the Detroit airport for the 3 hour drive to their home (which is surrounded by farmland) in a tiny Michigan town. The flight attendants are very watchful of her, offering her "special" snack items not offered to us! How lucky are kids now! When we were kids it was "car vacations" only! Of course I grew up in a family with 10 kids; imagine the cost of plane tickets for all of us! No way!
When we arrive in Detroit, we find that our incoming flight uses one terminal and our connecting flight uses another terminal--on the other side of the runways! That's right, a moving sidewalk, a short train ride, a down escalator (way down) to a long tunnel (that passes under the runways) to an up escalator (way up) then all the way down to the farthest gate in this terminal, our plane awaits, but wait, they aren't boarding yet because they can't find the pilot! We have time to grab a sandwich to maybe eat on the plane during our final leg to Marquette. Following an interminable wait at the nearest place to our gate, a Fuddruckers Café, we shared a $14 burger basket while sitting on the floor near our gate because three gates share this seating area and it is packed, and there are folks standing all around, and sitting on the floor all around. What a zoo!!
But alas, we are on the plane heading to Marquette and it is still light out at 9:30 p.m.! Wow, their days are very long up here, sort of like Alaska! The Marquette airport, Sawyer International, is quite small (this is a former Air Force Base) plus this late in the evening there is not much going on. We go to the Budget Rental Car counter and pick up our car, a black four-door Volkswagen Jetta.
Now we just need to find our hotel, Econo Lodge Lakefront. When we arrive at the hotel (10:30 p.m.) we discover that the Northwest Little League Championships are underway and there are Little Leaguers and their parents having themselves a little party right at the side entrance where we are to go in to our rooms, totally blocking our way! Wild! We wriggle between and around them to make our way inside the door and to our room, and a good nights sleep after our long travel day.
Tomorrow we go sightseeing along Lake Superior's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Yippee! Just gorgeous!
Oh boy, it has sure gotten to be "Summer" in Texas!! We try to get outside early in the morning, right after daylight, to get any of our outdoor chores done before it gets too hot. Tom's gardening efforts are paying off! We are filling our freezer, also sharing our vegetable bounty with friends.
This was this morning's processing of tomatoes and squash for the freezer. Just because the "easy button" got into the photo, does not mean processing vegetables is easy!
This is one wild looking tomato!!! Looks like three or four tomatoes all grew together to make one very large one!
My "walking buddy", Mary Ann, has been gone for almost two weeks, vacationing in New Jersey and New York, visiting family. I have not done too good about staying motivated and walking on my own. So this morning I was so happy that Tom went with me and we walked down thru the creek bottom, past all the neighbors with barking dogs, and all the way out to Hwy. 19, then turned around and walked back for a total of 4.6 miles. It is so nice to have a "buddy" to walk with!!
Just before we crossed over back into Texas last week, from our kayaking/OKC Memorial trip, we passed thru the Arbuckle Mountains (the closest "mountains" to where we live), and stopped at a nice view with a monument to the birthplace of The Reflection Seismic Technique of Oil Exploration. Maybe you are able to read the inscription on the monument from our photo. (Pretty sad to see graffiti on this nice monument!!)
Since Tom's regular day off is on Wednesday and July 4th fell on Thursday this year (giving him two days off together), we decided to "get out of town" for a couple of days!
We got up early and drove to Broken Bow, Okla. to Ambush Adventures located on the lower Mountain Fork River (a three hour drive from our house), where we had kayaks reserved for our trip down the river.
We have come here and took this same river trip for several years. Ambush Adventure Outfitters shuttles us four miles north to Mountain Fork Park, which is located right behind the dam of Broken Bow Lake, where water is released regularly, flowing south in the Mountain Fork River. We did not want to take our good digital camera along on today's kayaking trip, however we did take an underwater disposable camera with us in 2010 when we did this same trip. The river doesn't change much from year to year, so I will post a few of the photos from our 2010 trip here to show how beautiful the river and the surrounding scenery really is.
I think we were a couple of pounds heavier then!
Presbyterian Falls! One of the most fun spots!!
My Sweetie peeking thru the cypress knees!
Cypress knees and rock gardens!
Rock gardens abound! Fun to navigate through!
In some places, the river is very calm.
It is a four mile stretch of river from the dam, back to Ambush Adventure Outfitters, which is at the U.S. Hwy 70 bridge over the Mountain Fork River. We took our time today and reached the "take out" point, which is after we pass under the Hwy. 70 bridge, in about three hours. There are some adventuresome souls who climb a ladder that is attached to one of the concrete bridge supports, and grab the rope that is hung from the bridge, to swing out over the river and drop down into the cold river water!! Crazy, huh!
Following our breakfast the next morning at the Best Western Broken Bow Inn & Suites, we headed west on Okla. Hwy 3, which takes a diagonal path from Broken Bow all the way to Oklahoma City, passing thru many small Oklahoma towns. We were practically the only vehicle on that highway for most of the way! It was a very peaceful morning drive! Even the traffic around Oklahoma City was very sparse. I guess most folks are at home, or at the many lakes in the area, enjoying their July 4th.
Our destination today is the Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum, which commemorates the 168 Americans who died in the April 19, 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building.
The horror in Oklahoma City happened only six years before the even more tragic day of 9-11!! The Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum is a somber reminder of just how horrific terror and terrorists truly are, and they have changed our world forever.
There is a gate/wall at each end of the reflecting pool, which sits on what was NW 5th St., which passed in front of the Murrah Federal Bldg. On one gate/wall is the time of 9:01, with the time of 9:03 on the other.
The Ryder truck bomb exploded at 9:02 a.m. on April 19, 1995. There is a "Field of Empty Chairs", 168 in all, which sits on the footprint of the Murrah Building, with the names of those men, women, and children who died in this terroristic act of violence.
This 90+ year old American Elm tree, which was growing in the middle of a parking lot across the street from the Murrah Building, lives on.
This Survivor Tree bears witness to the violence of April 19, and now stands as a profound symbol of human resilience. The message on the seating that surrounds this tree reads "The spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us".
We toured the Museum which takes us minute-by-minute through the events of that horrific morning and its aftermath, hearing the actual bomb blast, hearing the many voices of those who were in or near that building, and the rescuers who so bravely responded to the victims of this act of terror.
No matter what our differences are politically, religiously, ethnically, or otherwise, we as Americans stand together to help each other in times of tragedy.
This is a section of the actual fence that was erected around the Murrah Building during the recovery and clean up, and as you can see, even 18 years later visitors still leave mementos honoring those who died here.
Unbelievable evil!
Flags of all the rescue groups.
In this circular room is a photo w/a personal memento of each person who died in this tragedy. As you can see, there were kids who died who were in the Murrah Building's daycare center that day.
In the Children's Area of the Memorial, there are walls of tiles that were made by children around the country and the world that showed their own expressions of encouragement and love and were sent to Oklahoma City in 1995.
In addition, there are chalkboards built into the ground of the Children's Area which give children a place where they can continue to share their feelings--an important component of the healing process. There is a Park Ranger there to answer questions and hand out the chalk to children.
There were Park Rangers posted all around the Memorial grounds, very helpful to answer our questions and handing out Oklahoma City Memorial & Museum brochures. We are so glad to spend this 4th of July here in remembrance of the tragedy that was the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. It helps to be reminded just how sad horrific acts of terror are. We must treasure each and every day, which is a blessing from God. Give those close to you a hug today and tell them how much you love them!
My last post was a tribute to my Mom for her 87th birthday. Little did I know that she would have such a wild adventure on that day! My Mom has a very large yard (like an acre, maybe), and she has always enjoyed getting on her riding lawn mower and mowing her own lawn. Well, that is precisely what she did on her 87th birthday! She mowed the back yard first, and then went in the house to take a break, get a little refreshments, before proceeding to the front yard. While mowing in the front yard, Mom apparently misjudged the distance between the mower and a large crepe myrtle tree, because when she turned sharply, she actually drove her riding mower right up the side of that tree, promptly dumping her backwards off the mower onto the ground, flat on her back, while her riding mower stayed standing up on its rear end (front wheels up in the air)! Thankfully, she did not suffer any serious injury (except maybe to her pride)!! Mom says the hardest thing about the whole episode was being able to get herself up off the ground, and she was so glad no one saw her struggling to get up!
Well, now we (her offspring) have cause to worry a little more! She did not even call any of us when this happened! My sister, Norma, (who was at work) had been calling Mom's house several times that day and was beginning to get worried when Mom did not answer her phone. Well, when Mom finally did answer her phone, she told Norma what had happened. So, Norma and Sharon, my two sisters, who live nearby, went over that evening to get Mom's mower up righted and to make sure Mom was O.K. Thank you so much to Norma and Sharon!
I guess I get my adventuresome streak honestly! From my Mom! I also love to mow our yard and hope I am still able to get outdoors and do things when I am 87 years old! What a wonderful inspiration Mom has always been in my life!
The week following our adventure out to Grand Canyon and Utah (in May), Tom's brother, Tim, and Tim's wife, Kathy, came for a visit. We were absolutely delighted to have them here at our place, since we have been to see them in Georgia so many times over the years, and enjoyed their awesome hospitality. While they were here, we visited the Grand Saline Salt Palace.
The Salt Palace is made with blocks of salt that were mined right there in Grand Saline! We watched an interesting video which showed the mining process. The huge underground salt dome, which sits just south of the town, can furnish the world's needs for several hundred more years!
Stopped in at Nutty's for some local peanut butter (or maybe an ice cream), but they were closed!
This is the historical marker which is just south of Grand Saline.
We drove thru the countryside to the artsy little town of Edom. Visited Potters Brown studio/store, which is our favorite place to buy handmade bowls, platters, vases, etc. They do some beautiful work with clay and glazing! (Kathy found a couple of pieces that she could not live without.) We found a cool, carved "tree trunk chair" in front of one of the shops in Edom.
Right near Edom, is the small town of Ben Wheeler. There we enjoyed a picnic in the park!
One day while Tom was at work, Tim and Kathy and I played cards on the picnic table on our deck. It was a little tricky with the stiff breeze we had that day!
We braved the city traffic one day and drove into Dallas to go to the recently opened George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum.
We were impressed with the overall appeal; very well done! When we first entered the atrium area and looked up, there was a 3-D Video being played out on all four sides of the atrium on huge digital screens that completely surrounded us, showing impressive moments of ordinary Americans (like me and you) doing extraordinary things, and also enjoying everyday life events.
It may be hard to tell from my photos that this is a video, with all these figures (in action)moving across the screens, in front of or behind each other. It was a very moving tribute to all of us as Americans! The video progressed from all these Americans to some awesome scenes from our nation's capital and throughout our beautiful country, and ending with thousands of photos (faces) of ordinary Americans flying up out of one corner of the atrium screens until all four sides were completely filled in with these faces!
Again, my photos in no way convey how truly awesome this presentation really is. You will just have to go and see it for yourself. You can check it out at http://www.georgewbushlibrary.smu.edu.
Tom and Tim said hello to father and son, George W. and George H. W. Bush!
Here are just a few of the areas within the Library/Museum:
Everything was done with the utmost respect for the families affected by this horrific tragedy in our country's history. There were lots of video footage from different times during George W.'s presidency, interactive areas, also thousands of letters, emails are available there for us to read with the touch a button. So much to look at, read, discover, you could be there all day!
My personal favorite part was the Texas Rose Garden. A beautifully landscaped area!
I also enjoyed the section where we watched a short movie, the Bush daughters version of life with their dad in the White House. Funny!
Oh yes, I almost forgot that Tom enjoyed receiving a phone call in the Oval Office!
Hey Sweetie! You look so presidential! Sure is a lot of light coming thru those Oval Office windows!
We enjoyed a great lunch while there in the Café 43. After leaving the Library, we drove by White Rock Lake (which is right in Dallas on the east side).
What a wonderful few days we had with Tim and Kathy! Hope they can come back again soon!
