Dallas, Texas

Tuesday, November 21
The four hour drive to Dallas was uneventful.  Some traffic around Waco due to road construction but otherwise it was fine.  We arrived at the Zerner’s around 2:00pm.  It was really fun to connect with them.  It is such a pleasure to have friends willing to put us up for a few days then travel with us to the far west of Texas.

 Their home is absolutely lovely filled with Libby style eclectic art.    We had our own suite on the second floor.  It felt like a resort compared to the RV space we had been in for the past 20 days.

John had organized a delicious Texas style rib dinner, including roasted cauliflower, kale and avocado salad, and wine! It was perfect.

Wednesday, November 22
The Zerner’s were gracious enough to drive us all around Dallas.  What a beautiful city!  The neighborhood streets  are lined with mature live oaks creating cool canopies over the roads and sidewalks. The homes were beginning to decorate for the Christmas holidays so the spirit of the season was clearly evident.
We planned to have Thanksgiving dinner at Jay and Meridan’s home.  Libby was assigned 2 side dishes, roasted Cajun spiced carrots over lentils and sautéed asparagus with harissa sauce, both delicious.

Thursday, November 23
Following a light breakfast, Libby finished preparing the side dishes then we drove to Jay’s house.  It was a lovely time with the Zerner family.  Lang and his mom along with his mom’s brother and wife and their son were there. A long time friend of Jay’s was also there.  Dinner was a classic Thanksgiving meal with a Texas flair.  Turkey, ham with side dishes of sweet potatoes with marshmallows, corn bread stuffing, green beans, rolls, and the two sides from Libby.  Jordan read a delightful Thanksgiving poem to remind us all why we were celebrating.  Following the meal, we collapsed in front of the TV for the Dallas Cowboys game, which they lost.  We went back to the John and Libby’s for an early night.

Friday, November 24
This was another touring day of Dallas.  We visited the downtown area where President Kenndy was assassinated.  It was more moving than I had expected.  There is a big green X in the middle of the road where he was hit.  President Kennedy was killed when I was a Junior in high school in Bethesda, Maryland.  I remember going to the funeral procession in downtown Washington.  The streets were lined with people weeping as the horseless carriage passed by.  In Dallas, the window where Oswald shot the fatal blow is marked with a white box on the sixth floor of the Book Depository Building.  It was surprising to see how close Oswald was.

Central Market was wonderful.  It is a food market near the Zerner’s that is filled with every type of food imaginable.  We strolled through the market sampling just about everything.  Really fun!

We needed to retire early because we were all heading  to West Texas at 6:00am.

Dallas was grand and our hosts were the grandest of them all.  What a treat to see this beautiful city through the eyes of local residents.  Our time in Dallas was special not only to see the city but to spend time with good friends.  Thank you Libby and John!  Now off to Marfa.