The Dallas Vacation, Or There And Back Again

Word of the Post
Today's word is: peregrination
/per'e*gri*na"tion/ noun
Travel, especially by foot, from one country to another; wandering, sojourn, pilgrimage.
We went to Texas on our vacation, I think that can count as a peregrination. Texas is "a whole other country", after all.
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I got back from St. Louis, and had two days to do laundry and sleep in my own bed before taking off again for Dallas. We spent our time going to various destinations. We determined that we could spend a whole week (twice the time we had) and still not do all the things that we wanted to do in and around Dallas. This "whole other country" has a lot of things to do.

We first went to see the Body Worlds exhibit, on its last weekend at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. This is the same kind of display featured in the newest James Bond film, Casino Royale. I first heard about Body Worlds on another blog, where the girl's hubby went to see it in Chicago, and she wanted to know if anyone else was grossed out or offended by the displays. I have to admit I wanted to go for the simple reason of morbid curiosity. I wanted so very much to ogle the inner workings of the human body. I would be happy to show you pictures, but they wouldn't let me take any. I did buy a book, and I can send you to their site and you can look at the displays for yourself. If you get a chance, definitely check it out. They are actual bodies, and they are not clothed, many even do not have skin. The muscles in the genitals are not hidden, nor are they vulgar...but it may not be something you want children to see. It may not be something you want to see, either.

We next went to the Dublin Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. in Dublin, Texas. This is the only company that uses Pure Cane Sugar, instead of Corn Syrup to sweeten the drink. We took a tour, and learned all about the history of Dr. Pepper.

This is a can that is on the property of the Bottling Co. It is at least 13 ft. high, and if you click on it, you can see that can hold, by their estimations, around 3,306 gallons of Dr. Pepper. Talk about a caffeine addiction!

This is the light test, to see which bottle is properly filled and mixed. They test about one out of every 100 bottles this way. The one on the left is without much syrup at all, and mostly soda water. Way salty, and no flavor... not a good drink. The one on the right has way too much syrup in it... I can imagine that it would taste pretty good, but if a bug or something was hiding in there, you would get that, too. Obviously, not a good drink, either. The two in the middle are the proper color range, but the right of these two is filled too high in the bottle, and won't have the proper fizz when opened. The second from the left is the proper proportions, the right color, and a near-perfect mix. These large bottles are actually refills. They are older bottles that are accepted for cleaning. The machinery that you see in the left of the picture is where the full and properly mixed bottles come out of the machine, and get picked up and put in crates, like the one below the light box.

The main reason to visit Dallas is friends. We have many friends and a few family members who live in the MetroPlex. We stopped at Reaper, and bought a few miniatures. We tried to lynch the Ded King, but he was on the clock, so we let him live. (That joke was for Teh Club, and if you get it, good. If not... sorry. Take too long to 'splain.) We did get a mini tour of his workspace, and met the resident shop kitty. If you don't know what Reaper is.... you must not play D&D. I don't play, either. I only know about it because I know a guy who works there. But hey, you can go and take a tour sometime. You will probably meet our friend.

We spent our nights with friends who used to live here in OKC. They now live near Dallas. Sandman, his wife, Monkey's Momma, and three Sugar babies. The first kiddo (11) is Sugar Bear, my buddy. He was very small when we all met, and he has grown up to be quite a special little man. The second kiddo (8) is DH's girlfriend, Sugar Bunny. For some reason, my hubby attracts the attentions of little girls at church under 2. They think he is fun to play with, and they flirt like crazy with him. This one we met when she was born (the Black Hole of Babydom sucked him in!). Their third kiddo (2), Sugar Monkey, is the miracle child.

Sugar Monkey has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and other issues. Sandman and Monkey's Mamma were told that he would be nothing more than a vegetable. Those doctors were wrong. Totally wrong. This little boy is learning. He needed help to get on his knees and hands, but he did the pushing up, he held his head up, and he balanced this way long enough for Sandman and me to get several pictures.

I called this picture "Concentration". He was tired of being up on all fours, but he pushed back up on his elbows. He was listening to that little toy train with very concentrated enthusiasm. Clarity in those little eyes, can you see it?

This tired boy had been up on all fours for roughly five minutes, and was resting. He put his head down, and rested for a bit, and then picked up and turned his head and looked again at the train. Twice, at least. This kid is strong, and getting stronger every day.

Finally, we see why he is Sugar Monkey. This is Monkey's Momma tickling and smooching the Sugar Monkey. He was smiling a bit before, but this is a picture of a full-on giggle. He has such a sweet spirit. He can say Hi, and DaDa, and he gives verbal and touch cues to show that he is understanding things like singing and clapping. He is legally blind, but that doesn't stop him from showing me the face of God.