Home again home again jiggedy jog

July 18 - 21

We went to Dallas on the first leg of our trip home in order to

• visit Leah's friend from high school
• drop three of the kids off at the airport to go their separate ways.
• visit our friend who had moved away to go to Dallas (if you can believe someone would do that)
• spend a short day in Dallas to become acquainted.

We dropped Leah off with her friend while we killed some time at a close-by mall, which had an ice skating rink inside.

Soon it was time to drop some of them at the DFW airport. Each was taking a different flight at almost the same time of day. We made a round trip of the airport and got each to his/her respective terminal on time. Another logistic accomplishment. To exit the airport you must pass through a toll booth to pay for the privilege of dropping someone off at a terminal.

Now we are left with one child, but still had the luggage and accoutrements of all of them to carry. We checked into the hotel and ate on Lover's Lane. Yes, that's the actual name of a main thoroughfare in one of the best residential districts of Dallas. After dinner we visited our friends; somehow their children had all grown up from toddlers and kindergartners.

In the morning we toured downtown, including the square where Kennedy was assassinated in 1962. Then we went to see the very impressive bronze sculpture assembly of a cattle drive at Pioneer Park in the middle of the city, where there is also a cemetery that dates to the beginning of the 19th century. Here are some pictures on the Internet of the statues.

We enjoyed a trip to the (almost) top floor of the JP Morgan Chase Tower Building. There is a beautiful (air-conditioned) garden overlooking the city. In addition, we visited the board meeting rooms and what I would call the club room on the same floor.

After lunch we hopped on the (free) M-line trolley ride. The vehicle dates from the early 20th century and the conductor narrates the trip out and back. No air conditioning of course, but very interesting, not to mention unique.

The Children's Medical Center was our next stop, where there is a model train layout in the lobby to entertain the patients as well as their families and strangers, like us. When you take the virtual tour of the hospital, the 9th frame (you can go there directly) shows the "trainscape."

After Dallas we were seriously on our way home. Shreveport, Louisiana looked interesting; so we stopped to look around. The glassed-in tropical garden at Barnwell Memorial Garden and Art Center was not easy to visit in the heat of a 95-degree day, but the setting on the Red River was beautiful, and there was a nice photo exhibition. We then visited what is probably the best-kept secret in Louisiana: the R.W. Norton Art Gallery. Originally the collection of a rich oil family, the Nortons, it is now a free admission jewel. Next time you're in Shreveport, don't miss it. The museum is situated in the middle of a huge garden.

Our last stop before reaching home was the Mercedes Benz plant in Tuscaloosa, AL. We waited too long to reserve spaces in the factory tour; they fill up early. But we visited the museum and visitors' center, which are very interesting.

We arrived home on Wednesday, July 21 -- 2000 miles later.