Never Too Old for Adventure!

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!