JFK

 Sunday 12th March 20023

Our clocks sprang forward so light nights, yeah but dark mornings Boo.

We drove into Dallas leaving just after 10am. Dallas drivers are awful! This was Sunday morning, I would not like to see how bad they are on work days! 

We visited the site of John F Kennedy's assassination which happened 60 years ago, November 22 1963. The museum on the sixth floor of the Book Depository in Dealey Plaza. Entry was timed to control the number of people as it was a small area, tickets were $18 each.

 I enjoyed the displays but as they were mostly facts and pictures you have seen hundreds of times on various platforms I didn't feel like I was seeing anything new though it was very surreal to look out of the windows where Lee Harvey Oswald (allegedly??) shot the President, though the actual window is now enclosed with a glass wall.

X is where the fatal shot occurred viewed from the Book Depository

 It would have been cool for some of the displays to have had physical items from the period to give more context of how long ago it was and what daily life was like. Telephones, cine camera etc. to show young people that this was not a time when information and news are a second away on your smart phone.

Dealey Plaza seen from the Book Depository 

We walked onto the Grassy Knoll and were glad it was early on a Sunday as later in the day when we left the city the area was very busy.

John really enjoyed himself and asked me if I would have imagined we would be here, see the place you have seen hundreds of times in news, tv or film? This is why we changed our lives so drastically to go out and see America.

We had a walk around the historic district for a few blocks but as we had left Morgan in the rv we could not stay too long.

JFK Memorial Plaza
https://www.jfk.org/john-f-kennedy-memorial-plaza/

The Old Red Courthouse

A city of old and new

Reunion Tower
https://reuniontower.com/

Cattle drive sculptures

The large sculpture commemorates nineteenth century cattle drives that took place along the Shawnee Trail, the earliest and easternmost route by which Texas longhorn cattle were taken to northern railheads. The 49 bronze steers and 3 trail riders sculptures were created by artist Robert Summers of Glen Rose, Texas. Each steer is larger-than-life at six feet high; all together the sculpture is the largest bronze monument of its kind in the world. Set along an artificial ridge and past a man-made limestone cliff, native landscaping with a flowing stream and waterfall help create the dramatic effect.

Leaving the city we drove through Dealey Plaza, following the route taken by the President's cavalcade 60 years ago. Very surreal!

Yup you guessed it, we went home, made a cup of tea and watched the JFK movie with Kevin Costner! We have watched it a lot of times but having now walked around some of the areas in New Orleans and now Dallas that are scenes in the movie, it took on a whole new life.