After dropping Mary off at the airport for her second "unaccompanied minor" flight, we drove into Dallas and checked in at the Daisy Polk Inn. (That sounds bad. We didn't just leave her at the check-in desk with a "good luck!" wish, we took her through security, ate a hearty lunch at the Irish pub, then took her to board the plane. The plane looked old and the other passengers all looked like psychos, but context is distorted when you're putting your baby on a plane by herself).
Limbo during check in
The Daisy Polk Inn was a delightful little B & B in the Oak Lawn area of Dallas. We were the only visitors this time of year and the owners live elsewhere so we had this entire house to ourselves. Michael, the morning "chef", was very sociable and informative, and he made a wonderful breakfast.
On Monday, we hit the pilot store where Andrew browsed the serious pilot merchandise and I browsed the cute pilot stuff. He bought a laminated Cessna 150 checklist and a book about plane spotting, and I considered buying him a "The only time you have too much fuel is when you're on fire" decal.
That day, we also took a stroll around the hood.
Highlights of our stay in Dallas include our visit to the Sixth Floor Museum (http://www.jfk.org/), where I learned all about the JFK assassination. Of course, I knew as much about this event as any other Brit; some president called JFK was shot and many people remember where they were when it happened (similar to 9/11 - I was in my office at Ernst & Young Belgium, laughing with Lea about how the queen mom was likely rolled around on casters). This museum was possibly the first I have ever visited where I read everything and paid full attention to the videos. It was a very interesting and engaging place, and the conspiracy theories don't seem all that crazy anymore.
That night, we took in a show, "Crazy For You", at Theatre Three. It was a very good show and the performers were extremely talented.
Before leaving Dallas, there was one thing I had to do. As a child of the 80's, I spent many evenings sitting on the sofa with my mam, watching...
So, of course, we went to...
Interestingly, the owners of this ranch only agreed to allow filming around the exterior during the summer months. All other filming, including inside scenes, was done back in CA in studios. I found it odd then that the tour of the house was really just a tour of... well, a house. It wasn't Miss Ellie's kitchen at all. I felt a little cheated.
After the location of the Dallas Ranch became known, the poor family were visited by hundreds of devout fans and they were forced to sell up and move. South Fork is now a conference and event center.
On Thursday, we hit the road for Austin. We found a neat place, Hammonds BBQ, in Glen Rose, who, according to Yelp, were serving a Free Thanksgiving Dinner. Free? This sounded like our kind of place! Hammonds was not full of homeless waifs and social outcasts, it was the place to go in Glen Rose for a good TG feed and it was full of families and one single elderly fellow in the back. Not wanting to feel too cheap, we donated $20 to the concept.
Before reaching Austin, we made another stop, at Dinosaur Valley State Park. Who doesn't love dino footprints?! The stable water depth prevents these prints from eroding as fast as they otherwise would.
After checking in to the Austin Folk House B & B (nice enough place, but pale in comparison to the Daisy Polk), we took a stroll to the Crown and Anchor Pub where we ate cheesy fries and watched the UT/TCU college football game (University of Texas versus Texas Christian University).
The next day, we hung out at the park.
Saturday was an exciting day. Mary came home! That morning, we returned to Dallas and headed straight to the airport for the Mare. As I waited for everyone to disembark, a lady approached me and asked "Is that your little girl?". Apparently, Mary sat beside her and her husband and talked their ears off the whole flight.
After an emotional reunion ("Hi Mary!", "Mommy! Oo, Starbucks! Can I get a hot chocolate?"), we checked in at Homewood Suites in Irving and took a walk around the lake.
The lake turned out to be an optical illusion. What at first appeared to be a brisk 30 minute walk, turned into a 2 hour escapade, where the lake developed hidden branches like octopus legs, adding an extra 1.2 miles to our leisurely stroll.
The shape of the lake we thought we were walking around.
The actual shape of the lake we were walking around
We had to get back because tonight, we were going to Medieval Times!
Nail biting! C'mon Yellow Knight!
Mary enjoyed eating a chicken dinner with her bare hands and she felt very special when our knight threw her a flower.
When visiting Dallas, I also recommend the arboretum, especially during this season when the paths are lined with pumpkins. Downtown is also very festive, with many businesses competing to decorate their buildings with the most merry Christmas lights. I like Dallas. Although I have visited this city before, our stay "downtown" gave me a different impression of this city.
