Day 9 – “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”

Southfork Ranch

Well maybe all the ex’s don’t live in Texas, but 4 ex-presidents were in Dallas today along with President Obama to dedicate the Bush Presidential Library at SMU. Our invitation was lost in the mail so we tried to drive by for a look, but no luck. Too much security.

We started the day with a tour of Southfork Ranch, famous from the TV show “Dallas”. Yeah, we know it is a bit hokey but it’s still a Dallas icon even though it is really in Parker, Texas. Exteriors of the show were shot there, but everything else was done in a studio in California.  

Dealey Plaza from Texas School Book Deposit

Next we drove downtown to another Dallas icon, the Texas School Book Depository. Sorry, but after being there I don’t see how the shots could have come from the grassy knoll. The angle is very bad. That said, the shots from the 6th floor wouldn't have been that easy either, especially the last one (see photo). They even have x's in the road where Kennedy was hit so you can judge for yourself. Looks like it will just have to remain a mystery. Side comment – we just realized that we are also on kind of an unplanned “assassination tour”.  Now we might have to visit the state capitol in Baton Rouge (Huey Long in case you were wondering).

We toured the Dallas Art Museum in the afternoon. It has very strange floor plan and a wide range of art objects but as we judge largely by their collection of impressionists, not that great. It was free. Tex-Mex for dinner with sopapillas for dessert. We haven’t had sopapillas for years and years. They are so good!