Big D, Dallas, is further south and west than Severna Park, which is why its sky is a different breath-taking color than Maryland.* Even  a full moon, in the early evening,  is framed in a Texas blue!

The Moon at night . . .

It’s great to have another chance to enjoy  all the sights and people who have given us such grand memories.

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art . . . It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. Lewis

However, Dallas sustained quite a wallop last Sunday. One of the unsettling sights we’ve seen this week is the piles of debris from fallen trees and branches.

Many of the restaurants and grocery stores lost so much in last week’s storm. People lost power, some for three days.  God’s mercy in the midst of the mess was His gift of  a cool days and cooler nights.

Common Sight on multitudes of sidewalks

However, when we arrived, over three-quarters of the city was percolating, cleaning up and open for business, modeling what I loved about being here for over a decade:

“The can-do attitude. You see it in all walks of life.” — Cindy Rachofsky, philanthropist and art collector

We attended worship services at Park Cities Presbyterian Church, our former place of worship, and saw some beloved familiar faces.  God willing we will be able to see a few more friends and family before we leave.

Then, just a week later, sirens sounded announcing a tornado was bearing down, a little too close for comfort.

So, we sat glued to a television, watching the tracking, seeing the warnings, area by area:  stay way from windows, out of harm’s way; but, ignoring the call to take shelter in a closet, because most houses in Dallas do not have basements.

What part of being so fixated on the warnings, but skipping the directions to seek safety is a good idea? There’s a life lesson there somewhere, right?

Fifteen tense minutes and then, it had passed.

Just like old times – but this was one memory of our time in Dallas, I didn’t want to relive!

No matter. This trip has been a pleasant balance of business and pleasure, and a little retail therapy. The only sadness was not being able to share the good Texas times with everybody  back home.

But, let’s get real – one of the all-time best things about Big-D is the FOOD: comfort food from so many countries!  Not exactly an easy go when I am still learning to see food as a fuel and not a friend. But, in the words of someone who knows:

Food is not just eating energy. It’s an experience. ~Guy Fieri

I knew I loved this guy!

Consequently seeking high proteins, low carbs; avoiding sugar, white flour and salt has been its own adventure, from which I have not taken a total vacation. Here’s an example of one healthy  lunch, Mexican Shrimp Cocktails at the Flying Fish! Yes, I ate the chips.

Of course, the company made the meal!

Everything I eat has been proved by some doctor or other to be a deadly poison, and everything I don’t eat has been proved to be indispensable for life. But I go marching on. ~George Bernard Shaw

Thanks for reading – May the Lord bless and keep you, dear reader!

*Coordinates:
Dallas: 32.7767° N, 96.7970° W
Severna Park: 39.0704° N, 76.5452° W