Saturday the 19th we just had to do the JFK assassination thing at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas. I was here something like 8 years ago on a work assignment, so I had seen the plaza before. However, it was a work assignment so we spent no real time there and we were there when the museum was closed. This time we are here during the museums operating hours. The museum is in the old Texas Book Depository which lets you go up to the window where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK. The down side is that you can’t take any pictures.
Just a couple of things I learned that I didn't know before about the assassination. First, I didn't realize that the immediate area has not really changed much since the assassination. The same trees and structures are still there. It really doesn't feel like that long ago where you are there. The second thing I learned is that I didn't realize that Jack Ruby was actually tried and found guilty of killing Oswald. Ruby died of cancer long after the assassination in 1967 waiting for a second trial. I had always thought he died within a few weeks or a couple of months after killing Oswald without telling his story. Well, I was wrong!
The museum is worth the $16 each for entrance (we paid $14 after getting an online discount). It will take you at least 90 minutes to go through the museum. We spent about 3 hours at the plaza and the museum which included the 45 minutes wait in line to get in! Most of the stuff I have seen before but I have never seen it all in one place like it is here. The museum is set up with numbered exhibits that you use to take an audio recorded personal tour. This is very well done and not at all what I would have expected. So, I recommend this museum to anybody who is interested in the assassination of JFK.
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| The building on the left is the Texas School Book Depository where Oswald shot JFK. Oswald shot from the last window on the right below the highest window (6th floor). |
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| Abraham Zapruder made his famous film standing on top of this wall. |
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| The shots are marked in the road with an X. |
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| Ok, I am a Railroader still at heart and these TRE cars/loco have a nice paint job! |
After the museum and touring Dealey Plaza, we went back to the RV and I ended the day washing the truck. This is one of the dirtiest the truck has been due to the rain and the muddy area we are in at this RV Park. Anyway, after 2 ½ hours the truck looks great again!
We had a night of hamburgers on the grille and then watched some TV and then to bed.
Sunday the 20th we headed to the air show in Fort Worth/Alliance TX about an hour south west from our site. This is my first time at an airshow I had seen the airshow in Sussex NJ by parking along the road and watching. Now we get to hear and see the planes up close with an idea of what is happening. The weather was going to be great with no clouds and 72 degrees with just a slight south breeze. It just doesn't get better than that!
The show started at 10 am and we arrived just after 11am. The air show is free; they just want $20 to park. I think one of the best parts of the show was the reenactment of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The show used 8 US built Japanese Zeros that were used in the movie Tora Tora Tora. It was pretty amazing to watch the Zeros come in formation and fly almost at eye level. They even set off fire bombs on the runway to make it look like the planes were dropping them. The reenactment took about 20 minutes making it feel very realistic.
Most US air shows have some sort of US military aeronautics show segment. However, since the government sequestration the military has not been participating in any airshows. So this airshow has relied on private citizens and other countries who own US fighter planes for that part of the show. Are we a strange country or what!?
The air show was definitely worth the money and we had a great day!
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| The airshow mascot. |
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| We are getting some fall here in Texas. This was at the entrance to the airshow. |
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| This is a Vietnam vintage plane they used to drop sky divers during the day. |
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| Japanese Zeros coming in for a bombing run. |
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| The Zeros swarming around and making bombing runs. |
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| The finally of the Pearl Harbor bombing. |
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| Zeros flying away after bombing Pearl Harbor. |
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| I know next to nothing about airplanes so I will just try to repeat what I heard the planes are. This one is WWII british used in North Africa. |
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| US WWII. |
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| US used these for aerial spotting. |
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| The airshow did a reenactment of a WWII fight with the Germans with air support. |
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| I believe this was one of the first jets that were developed at the end of WWII. |
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| This is a jet powered truck. It was a real crowd pleaser. It shoots fire out the back for at least 300 feet when it runs. The airshow did a stunt where this truck raced a prop plane. I couldn't get good pictures of that but the truck won going just over 300 mph! |
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| I believe this is a B-24. It is one of just 2 left. |
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| B-29A Superfortress. It is the only one still flying today. |
We stayed at the air show until just before it ended at 4 pm so we could beat the traffic rush out. We got back to the RV around 5:30 just in time for wine o'clock.
Tomorrow I am taking the truck in for major scheduled maintenance. This is the 60k maintenance that includes renewing the cooling fluids, transmission fluid, transfer case fluid, injector service, oil change, and fuel filter change. This will more than likely take most of the day so we might get some down time and reading done. As a note, I thought I would be reading a lot once we began this nomad life. Not so! Seems we are doing something all of the time. Life is good!
We head to Austin Texas for a week on Tuesday.
Stay Tuned!
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