No. 70: Go to a Presidential Library

No. 70: Go to a Presidential Library 

Wow! Actually accomplished something on my list for a change.

Last weekend while I was in Texas, I attended a wedding in Dallas with many of my High School traveling friends. We had Saturday morning free and Martha Anne suggested a trip to the George W Bush Presidential Library. Hey! Visiting a presidential library is on my list, Number 70 to be exact.  So we went.

I wasn't sure what to expect...a museum? A library with books? Boring?

Me, the library entrance, 

and a beautiful Texas day.

Museum most accurately fit the bill.  As a bonus there was an exhibit on the First Ladies and their accomplishments.

In the beginning, the most a Presidential spouse could hope for was 

recognition of her "Hostessing" abilities. 

Gotta start somewhere. 

Lady Bird Johnson made life more beautiful.

She reigned in the highway billboards and sowed wildflowers.

The world can always use more beauty.

Laura Bush was a teacher. 

I love this quote. 

Allison, Kathleen, and Martha Anne watching a movie 

on the First Ladies. 

The change and inspiration these women have brought about in their unelected position is amazing. (I'm waiting for a First Man so the exhibit can be changed to First Spouses. I'm also waiting for our current First Lady to do SOMETHING. Or maybe not. Maybe she is doing us a favor by not doing a thing.)  Thrust into the limelight, they became style leaders, opened up our eyes to addiction and mental illness, made breast cancer a subject that could be discussed rather than brushed under the rug and beautified our nation.

Fully inspired, we headed into the permanent museum exhibits.   While I'm  a Texas girl, I wasn't a huge fan of George W.   Truthfully I didn't think he was that smart. At least he did have the brains to surround himself for the most part with people who were smart. That helped. I was proud of the way he handled 911. And he was and is a good person.

The exhibits are fun.  Interactive. Educational. In his eight years as President, George W. dealt with a lot.

His most Presidential moment was his response to the 911 terrorism attacks on New York City and the Pentagon.

Wow. 

Steel from the Twin Towers. 

Just this in the middle of the room.

So powerful.

Some of his other highlights included Medicare Part D which is the Senior prescription drug plan, creating three national marine monuments in the Pacific Ocean that protects almost 200,000 square miles of aquatic life, his relief for AIDS which has saved lives and helped prevent the spread of that horrible disease, and his capture of Saddam Hussein.

He had his failures too. Those weren't exactly the focus of the library.

There was a wonderful film of his daughters talking about their life with a Presidential father. Bush is a family man and it was nice to see that aspect of his life. His dogs were highlighted. Loved those Scottish terriers.

Was he a great President? Probably not. But he did the job as best as he could. I love this quote and wish our current President would read it.

Respect.

Earned, not a given.

Easily lost. 

My favorite part of the library? 

The Oval Office. 

I got to sit at a reproduction of Bush's desk. Complete with the magical red button. 

Don't I look comfortable and in charge? 

Sign me up. 

I've raised teenagers,

I'm sure I could run the country. 

We finished the day with lunch at the attached cafeteria. Just like Disney World, the library empties into a gift shop and there's a restaurant near by. A winning formula.  Café 43 had surprisingly good food and it was a wonderful way to end our visit.

Me, Martha Anne, Allison and Kathleen 

Great friends,

great day,

great visit. 

No.70 is in the books.

No.1: Big 60th Birthday Trip and No. 64: South Padre Island

No. 1: Big 60th Birthday Trip plus No. 64: South Padre Island/ A Two-Fer!


Again, sorry for the silence.  In the past month I've helped my mom move, been out of town, and started a new job. Lots of little adjustments. But now, I'm back.....

Just came back from a weekend in Terrell, Tx with my high school friends and realized, What?!, I never did a post on last year's 60th birthday trip to S. Padre.

February 2016. I am really late on this one!

Friend Ann had been a bit under the weather and overwhelmed (metastatic breast cancer will do that to you) so we decided to keep the 60th Birthday Trip a little closer to home. Some of us (okay, me) had never been to S. Padre Island, others had been and loved it. Being driving distance away was the icing on the cake.

M. Anne found us a lovely condo on the beach complete with pool that was supposed to heat up. I'm sure it would have gotten warm if the owners had turned the heater on about a week before we showed up. As it was, the weather was a little cool, and so was the pool.

That pool started to get warm the last day we were there. 

Too little, too late.

And too sad, since M. Anne really worked hard to find us a heated pool.

S. Padre Island was...an island. With pretty white sand. And row after row after row of condos.  I've been now, no need to go back. Yes, the sand was gorgeous but I was raised going to Galveston and Surfside where the sand isn't always so pretty and I still love those beaches. Between the distance we drove and the abundance of condos, I would be just as happy staying closer to home and living with non-white sand.

However, put six women, an abundance of champagne and wine, lots of excellent food and an opportunity to shop together for a weekend and happiness is guaranteed.

Every trip we do a bottle photo. 

Sometimes it's a little embarrassing. 

And, for the record, I'm mostly a beer drinker. 

We did a tour of the sea turtle rescue center and hit the convention center for a craft's fair.

Liddy, Peggy and Allison getting their turtle on.

The sea turtle rescue center was a little rag-tag but still fun. They could use some donations. (In case you have some money you need to get rid of...)

Help me!

I swim in circles. 

Sweet rescue turtle...

We walked the beach and listened to live music at Clayton's,  the largest beach bar in Texas. The music was good, the daiquiris were better and the array of dancers was the best.  I firmly believe that no matter how old you are on the outside, we all feel our best age on the inside when we cut loose.  Apparently that age was somewhere between 18 and 22 for the majority of the 55+ aged dancers.

A last minute pic- no make up, wet hair,  ready to roll. 

Sixty is pretty cute.

B: Me, Allison, Liddy

F: Peggy, M. Anne, and Ann

So we did it. Celebrated our 60th birthdays AND went to the island.

Which brings us to last weekend.

Liddy's first grand baby was born last October, at 25 weeks along and weighing only 11 ounces. She is one of the smallest surviving babies in the world.  Now weighing about 3 pounds, it was time to have a baby shower for her. So all of us ladies descended on Terrell to celebrate Baby Watson.
(Great video of her and her parents here.)

Watson Jean is one teeny tiny baby. 

Ann was under the weather and couldn't make it but Kathleen did come, all the way from Birmingham.  Another weekend away in the company of wonderful friends, another reason to celebrate.

Sixty one is pretty cute, too.

(Although truthfully only Allison and I are there- the rest have later birthdays.)

Liddy, Peggy, Kathleen, M. Anne, Allison and me in front.)

I am all about the celebrations. We need to find our joy where we can.

Yep. We found our joy!

•••••••••••••

And while we were there I got to do a little plumbing. Liddy dropped an earring back down the drain. It was a locking back made especially for her earring, not an easy one to replace.  I assured her that was not a problem. I grew up wearing hard contact lenses. They were always slipping down the drain and my mother taught me many moons ago how to disconnect that pipe under the sink to retrieve lost items.  (She was a contact wearer, also.)  Like mother like daughter like daughter...
Teach your kids how to do stuff, it gives them power.   It's a good thing.