We had arrived in Texas yesterday, and settled into our campground in Burkburnett. Little did we realize how well known this town was to our son Jeff, and his family-the town is on the annual "Hotter-than-Hell" 100-mile bike rally loop that Jeff and his son Drew have participated in several times. The race is held in August each year in windy and sunny Texas, so one can guess where the moniker comes from. It was a fairly noisy evening, as we were near Sheppard Air Force Base. Sheppard is a major training command facility, and has T-38 Talon trainers taking off and landing round the clock.
We drove through Wichita Falls in the morning and headed for Dallas. As our son Jeff's family was busy all morning, we planned our arrival for early afternoon. Consequently, we changed from the most direct route to Texas Highway 114 as we approached the Metroplex, While living in Colleyville from 1990-97, Becky and Jim had really gotten into distance bike riding, and it was nothing to do 30-mile rides on a weekend day. Colleyville was on the outer edges of the DFW commuter ring, and we could ride less than 2 miles and be out in the country. No longer! We could have been on a different planet as we drove into the Fort Worth area. After seeing nothing but "flat" for most of the drive, looming ahead was a huge structure that we were sure was Texas Motor Speedway. Approaching closer, it was the Northwest ISD high school football stadium-bigger than many college stadiums! We saw the Speedway soon after. That area was frequently our bike ride turnaround area, from where we would head back through the farmland and ranches of Roanoke, Keller and Southlake. Southlake's population is now 27,000, and the McMansions extend in every direction for miles. Very little looked familiar. After lunch in the RV in Colleyville we drove by our old house that we had built in 1990. We were pleased to see that the current owners are taking good care of it and the landscaping-and even more pleased to see that the 2 pecan trees we planted new had grown to gorgeous full size trees loaded with pecans.
Jeff and his family greeted the travelers enthusiastically, and the dogs were particularly thrilled to be there. Winston, their cute little Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, wasn't too sure about seeing Dudley and Rosie again, but they all "sniffed" each other and things were fine. It was another grandkids sports night, as granddaughter Beth had two volleyball games to play in. She is quite the team sparkplug for the Lady Dragons, and we really enjoyed watching her skills and competitiveness! 
Saturday morning was the best weather day Dallas has seen in months! A perfect Fall day on the last day of summer - low 70's, no humidity and sunny. After a leisurely morning, we had a special treat in the afternoon. Jeff had bought tickets to the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science that opened December of last year. It is a phenomenal treasure, and a paradise for kids of all ages with interactive exhibits and dozens of things to do.
There is a whole floor devoted to space and the solar system. Another devoted to the evolution of life from prehistoric signs, with many complete fossils found in the Texas area. The one shown here has a T-Rex and a larger herbivore, with grandson Drew reading about it. Another photo shows Becky opening a giant Geode. There is a display of many of the plants and animals on the plains from this area. Beth was mesmerized programing robots. Then there were the competitive games, such as the one shown her where Lea and Drew were playing with other visitors. 
Beth and Drew have both been to the Museum before, and had a great time.
We were just amazed at the level of knowledge that they, and obviously so many other kids, have going through a facility like this. Very encouraging for the future!
They also had a specimen from Africa that just seems so appropriate for Dallas - an Aardwolf. Why? The only food it eats are termites, up to 300,000 per day - the perfect pet for Texas!
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