GRAPEVINE, TX 8-3 to 8-4-2017

We have been doing this rv thing for more than 25 years and we have visited some awful parks and some beautiful parks.  Neither of us has ever seen one as gorgeous as The Vineyards. 

Can you find Bee in this picture?!

Bee and some other people, way, way over there!

We are camped on the shore of Grapevine Lake on an enormous site with no one between us and the water where many animals live.  We share the beach with ducks, sandpipers, geese, snowy egrets, blue herons and big turtles.  There are docks, a big marina, kayaks for rent,

Yup, that's Krauser.

pavilions, huge, manicured grass picnic areas and fireworks every Friday night.

Grapevine was established in 1844 by the Foster family who came here from Platte County, MO and was named for the wild mustang grape vines that grow profusely here.  Unlike Amarillo, the historic downtown district is carefully preserved and protected by the townsfolk.  Main Street is bordered on either side by brick buildings dating back to the mid-1800s.  A cabin was moved 4 miles, intact, to

The Torian family cabin, built in 1845

the center of the district.  It was built in 1845 and changed hands twice until 1886 when a farmer from Kentucky, John Torian, acquired the cabin.  The Torian family lived in it until the 1940s.  Cattle were the lucrative industry in the mid-1800s and after the railroads arrived, Grapevine became a shipping hub for goods such as dairy products, grain and cotton.  Although wine was not the product that put Grapevine on the map, the historic district is dotted with a number of small wineries.  Bring money.  In fact, bring money for just about everything in Grapevine!  Lots of money.

Got money?

Redfish was on the lunch menu at Big Fish on Main.  I haven’t heard of “redfish” and asked our waiter what it is.  He said, “Well… it’s a white fish…”  OK, I’ll have that!  It’s very tender and fragile, blackened and topped with a spicy orange sauce that looks a bit like Thousand Island.  I made sure Rob had a taste, too, so now, we have new seafood to add to our list.  I studied up on redfish later and learned that it is also called rosefish, red drum, rockfish and red snapper, so it may be that I have had redfish before but I’m going to claim it as a new try, anyhow!

Friday, 8-4, was our day assigned to pay a visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library in Dallas, a short 26 mile drive from our camp.  It was a bit hard to find and we were a little surprised at how small and plain it is.  (This is by comparison to, say, the Reagan Library.  We have been there 3 times and still have not seen the whole thing.) 

George W's portrait in George W's Oval Office

George W always seemed to me to be a self-effacing gentleman, anyway, and in the last days of his administration and far into the BHO administration, he took quite a cruel pummeling, both from the press and the politicians.  Maybe it could explain the rather thoughtful and humble library and museum that houses memorabilia from the W era.  The full scale replica of the Oval Office, exactly as it was when W occupied it, is moving. 

Carpet that was in the Oval Office, designed by Laura

Laura designed the carpet with rays of sunlight streaming from the central Presidential seal.  One is free to wander about and sit behind the desk (also a replica). 

Structural beam from the WTC

Elsewhere, there is a structural beam from the WTC in an area that spells out the details of the events that occurred on 9-11.  This quiet thoughtful display still brings tears to my eyes.  

Don't ask me why it posted sideways.  God, I hate computers.

George W’s defense of his decisions and actions seems palpable throughout the library even though as I remember it at the time, everybody in the country was all, “You rah rah, go get ‘em, W!”  For what it’s worth, I always supported W (To my pleasant surprise, I found my name listed in the donor registry at the entrance to the library.) and defend his actions, even now, as I was blessed with a longer memory than some.  He is deeply patriotic and a devoted, sincere American, a good husband and father and it shows.  And an important observation I will make:  Reagan, HW and W all left the stage and went back to their quiet private lives after they served, which is more than we can say for some of our previous Presidents who continue to haunt us, sadly.  Lastly, we happened into the gift shop and learned that W, in his retirement, is quite a gifted painter by avocation.  A book titled, “Portraits of Courage” is a collection of his work and features portraits of war veterans.  Next stop:  College Station, TX.

Rob at the AF1 display

President Rob DeLaMare

President Krauser