The last few days of a trip become so busy and writing the blog goes to the end of the day and that’s when we are exhausted. We left Stillwater, Oklahoma early in the morning and headed down I-35 towards the Big D.

If we are going near Dallas, we must stop at our good friends in Celina, Texas. They are living on their ranch there and we love stopping to see them and chat about family, friends and times gone by. Thanks, Mary & Jim for being gracious hosts.

Now we tackled the expressways/tollways of Dallas staying this time near the Galleria. Dallas continues to grow with so many highways layered upon each other. It is surprising the people who live here can find their way around!

The next day, a short drive and we are on the campus of SMU where the George W. Bush Presidential Center is located. The library is fairly easy to find from where we are staying and yet when you get on campus finding parking was interesting. We parked and walked a couple of blocks in the 95 degree Texas heat. However, there was parking right across the street but the signage wasn’t apparent.

The Center is definitely worth a stop if you have time. The exhibits are very nicely done describing George W. Bush’s early life, political life, his passion for baseball and what he had to deal with when he was president from September 11 to Katrina. Quite frankly we haven’t seen this type of an objective display since we were in Berlin. Laura Bush is also featured showing her formal gowns and the accomplishments she achieved during her time as First Lady. There is also a replica of the Oval Office – furniture, fixtures and art – when “W” was the president.

Another exhibit in the center was one all about the First Ladies from Martha Washington up to Michelle Obama. Interesting to see how their lives impacted the country while their spouses were in office – Barbara Bush a favorite.

Around lunch we drive to visit with Steve’s cousin – Kenton and his wife. A nice surprise is there son, Ron and his wife, Pam are there too. It is always such a nice visit to catch-up on life and family. They were most interested in our visit to Jet since they grew up not far away in that part of Oklahoma. They treated us to lunch in their community dining room.

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped at the Galleria to remember what a “big” mall looked like in the 1980’s.

Back in our hotel – time to pack and leave for home.

Leaving Big D with Sahara Dust in the air😱