Dec 27th Monday

On our way out of north Dallas we went downtown for noon mass at The Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe. We were early but I thought I would ask the two policemen who stood at the door to the Cathedral where we park; they motioned around the corner and underground.

We decided to look for Neiman Marcus’s original store within a mile or so of were we are. Found it and a parking spot across from it.

The outside is highly decorated and sparsely indoors.

We found out Neiman Marcus ornament, paid for it, they take cash, check or their own credit card. Still time to make mass – or people watch? There were three policeman directing traffic to the underground parking. I made friends with a guy who parked two stalls down and he lead us to mass. It is an old building with part of it built over with a new building but it retains the external façade of the building. As I had noted many years ago when I was in Dallas for a convention and went to mass, I believe at this same church. The people came in and out of mass at all times. It was richly decorated in the alter area. Behind the alter were two poinsettia trees about 12 feet high.

Well it was early afternoon and Shirleen had seen that there was a house decorated with 500 Santa's at the Dallas Arboretum.

We walked the grounds, as we did a couple years ago and found the house behind the ladies gardens, the old DeGolyer donators of the land and mansion.

Turns out it was once a cow barn and made into a house by the oil tycoon. He actually brought over an Italian concrete specialist who did the ceiling in the living room. They poured the relief cups outside and placed them into a steel frame, recently looked at by structural engineers for insurance purposes and found the sound after 80 years. The ceiling was poured to reduce the echo in the high ceiling room. There is no charge for the tour. The Santa’s were from modern to antique, I even appreciated them.

He was an avid reader and in his study were books from floor to ceiling on all four walls books. Turns out the books are actually donated for looks and the originals donated to Southern Methodist University, along with monies. The house is 5% funded by the city, the rest by private donations.

This was my favorite Santa!

We travelled down 35 toward Waco from Dallas and ran into a highway backup from around Millford TX all the way to just a couple miles north of Waco. Turned out to be 45 miles of stop and go traffic, up to 70, down to zero, then twenty, no fun. Some cars-Suv’s went through the ditch to the side highway, funny, I noticed that these vehicles come back on a block ahead of us a couple miles down the road. I suspect they didn’t have clue they made no real time.

Stayed at a Hampton Inn and ate down the street at Heitmiller’s Steakhouse and had some good home cooked restaurant food. I was warned that a full meal chicken fried steak was two saucer sized pieces and she thought I may just want one. Was she right, unlike many chicken fried steaks which bubble away from the meat, this one stuck to it and provided a easy to eat piece of meat.

Well this morning the road had cleared its backup but it was busy. We thought we would take a walk in Waco’s river park, like we did two years ago, but as we approached the park this morning we decided it was to cold. We did notice by the old suspension bridge in the park that it contained new sculptures. Five beautiful brass sculptured pieces of steers and a cowpoke.

The bridge was built in 1870 and was used to have cattle herds cross the river over the bridge. As we headed back to the highway I thought it would be nice to drive through Baylor University. Nice looking campus, green grass abounds.

The GPS brought us right to the hotel, Hilton Palacio del Rio. (Hilton Palace by the River).  We checked in and went for a quick bite. Right on the river walk beneath the hotel – chips with salsa and queso (cheese), coffee and hot chocolate. As we sat across from the barge load/unload area we saw all kinds of people dressed in their school colors. A lot of Oklahoma – orange, turns out they are playing Wednesday evening. We strolled down the walk, not a lot of Christmas decorations, a couple stands of lights hung over the trees. The temp was around 60 degrees, cool but for some cold.

Sitting in our room which looks down onto some of the river walk we could hear a band playing. I opened up the balcony door and here coming down the river walk on river barges was the Oklahoma University pep band playing OOOOOOklahoma.

The school is playing the Arizona at the Alamo dome. Not many of there jerseys were spotted, but I did see one lone Packer jersey, no Viking jersey.
Jerr