Farms and Aquariums and Book Depositories

Greetings!  We've had quite a lot going on the last few days, so here's some updates:

Wednesday:
Nolan and I checked out a local farmstead in Plano, called Heritage Farmstead Museum.

It showcases a couple of different homes from the early 20th/late 19th century, as well as farm equipment, a traditional kitchen garden, barns, servant quarters, and other buildings and areas.  It was kind of cool because it was right in the middle of a residential/retail area.  You'd think you'd have to drive clear out to the sticks to find something like that, but it was right across the street from Chase bank and a 7-11.

Mammoth donkey

  (Nolan learned a lot about nature from the donkey.)

 When we were there, a very nice woman invited us to come back on Friday for a preschool educational event.  They do different events a couple of times per month.

Thursday:
Brian and I went out to dinner with a couple of his colleagues at the super-cool (and super yummy) Jasper's in Plano.

While dining, we sat approximately five tables away from this guy:

No Cheryl Burke (and no disco ball trophy, for that matter), but former Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith was in attendance.  We never approached him--although I tried to convince one of our dining companions to do a Date-Night-Will.I.Am.-style picture:

No such luck.

Friday:
Nolan and I went back to Heritage Farmstead Museum for the aforementioned preschoolers event.  This week was entitled "Bug Out" and involved looking for bugs in the various gardens, planting sunflowers, feeding the chickens, making a bug craft, and going for a wagon ride (which Nolan declined to participate in).

There is another event next week called "Pirate Adventure."  Not sure how pirates fit in to a late 19th-century farm in northern Texas, but who am I to judge.  We plan on going and dressing up in our pirate finest.  Arrrrrgh, matey!

Later that day, Brian, Nolan, and I went out with a friend from Spokane (in town for work) and her boyfriend.  We had many-a-laugh and many-a-glass-of-chardonnay.  It was good to catch up on Spokane, as I miss my beloved Spoklahoma very much.

Saturday:
After taking Allister on a half-mile walk, and Kona and Spots on an almost-three-mile walk, Brian and I decided to hit up the Dallas World Aquarium, located (obviously) in Dallas.

We were kind of confused as to why there were anteaters, leopards, jaguars, monkeys, sloths, and a billion birds at an aquarium, but it was really cool.

 

After leaving the aquarium, we walked around the Historic West End for a little while, grabbed a late lunch at the Y.O. Ranch Steakhouse, and ended up over at Dealey Plaza, aka "Where JFK Was Shot."
 

Formerly known as the Book Depository, Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK from the second floor from the top (sixth floor in the building), far right side.  The white X-mark in the road (located about 1/3 from the bottom of the photo, just right of the center) is the approximate location of the first bullet that struck JFK.  

Plaque attached to the former Book Depository (notice "allegedly" has been circled by--most likely--conspiracy theorists)

View from the sidewalk outside the Book Depository.  JFK's vehicle was traveling the same direction as the red truck when the president was shot.

Dealey Plaza, view from the grassy knoll.

Grassy knoll

This photo was taken from about the same location as the famous Abraham Zapruder film.

View from the grassy knoll.  JFK's vehicle made a tight left turn from the road behind the tree (right in front of the light-colored building) before traveling downhill on Elm Street where JFK was shot. 

We toured the Sixth Floor Museum, which was incredibly interesting but also incredibly expensive.  It was $16 per ticket (Nolan was free), and the only thing that was different about touring the museum than just watching a History Channel one-hour special was being able to see the view live and in-person.  No photographs are allowed, and you can only get within about 10 feet of where Lee Harvey Oswald was when he shot the president.  The grassy knoll was free.

The one thing that was disturbing to me was the people who would quick rush out in to the street, stand on one of the X-marks, smile broadly, and have a friend take their picture.  I mean, this is where JFK was SHOT.  Our 35th president's brains were spread out on that road, and you're going to pose where the bullet hit his skull?  To me, it seemed disrespectful and inappropriate.

After leaving downtown Dallas, we came back home and relaxed.  The dogs were happy to have us home, and we were happy to rest our feet after all that walking.

Stay tuned for more adventures!