Tuesday, October 27, 2015

January 15, 1972 The Nice Time, The Kennedy Motorcade, The Johnson Ranch, The Electric Coffee Pot and The Birthday Cake


Dear Mother,

Friday

"A week ago we were in Dallas, but it seems like a month. We really had a nice time. The meetings were arranged so I could have lunch with B & Jim and one evening the entire group went to dinner together. We went to a restaurant on the 37th floor of a huge building so you could see the lights of all Dallas. B was finished with his work at noon Saturday so we took a bus tour of the city. It was 2½ hrs. so we saw lots of beautiful homes and parks. Dallas is the third largest insurance center so they have dozens of different insurance companies. The business district doesn't amount to much but they are building and trying to improve it. The bus went thru several shopping centers but we couldn't really see what the stores were like that way.

When the tour started out it followed the route of the Kennedy motorcade so we saw the book depository and all of it. The area is smaller than it appeared on TV but all looked too familiar. I thought I'd forgotten the awfulness of that day but it all came rushing back the minute we saw the place. Everyone in the motorcade was a sitting duck for a gunman perched in the windows of that building. He wouldn't have to have even been a good shot to have killed them all. The area has been nicely landscaped and there is a lovely monument to Jack Kennedy in the center of a little park space. Nearby is a museum where one can see the films of that day. That is something I don't want to see over so we didn't even try to go thru it. It is highly advertised as being done in good taste but it is a money-making business, of course.


If our plane flew over the Johnson ranch we didn't know it. Some pilots tell you what you can see but ours didn't say anything. Coming home I asked a stewardess where we were but she didn't have the faintest idea. There were so many lakes I was curious. Wouldn't you think they would wonder about such things too? But I guess people are like that little story of Eyes & No Eyes you used to tell us.


I've been baking bread this week. Didn't I tell you a friend gave me sour dough starter? I had to bake it off so after I made a coffee cake I mixed up a batch of plain bread. It really turned out well but is a little sweet.

How are the wedding dresses coming along? I'm real sorry Beulah and her family had to get the flu but I guess it is everywhere. I'm going to run from it as long as I can. It is too cold to go out now unless one has to. We have had some snow and it is supposed to be below zero tonight. It isn't much above now.

We have an electric coffee pot to send when I can get it wrapped. That was one thing on the list Beulah gave me and I hope she hasn't got one. If so, she can exchange it most any place that sells G.E.

This is Saturday now and it is really cold. Bob & Pat were late getting here last night but they are fine. Ann called last night and they are fine, too. She wanted me to send some music so she can do some practice in case she wants to go back to school in the fall. She thinks she might practice in a church.

When did Buddy & Bessie come to Richland? They didn't mention it when I talked to them on our way to Dallas except to say they intended to go to Waynesville to see Uncle Francis that Monday the storm hit. Of course, they didn't go and Roger had gone back to work so they didn't know when they could go.

Bob said he had a birthday card from you and was happy to have it. I want to bake him a cake today since we won't see them on his birthday. It doesn't seem that he could be 24.

I must stop so B can mail this. Take care of yourself."

                   Love,

                      Bonnie

NOTE:  To see the letter and keepsakes following the assassination of JFK:  http://www.annbkennedy.blogspot.com/2014/07/november-24-1963-weeping-heaven-greater.html

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