Along the JFK50 Geotrail: The House on Neely Street

Neely Street house where LHO and family rented
the upstairs apartment upon return from Russia.

While you are still in the Oak Cliff area, another stop along your JFK geocaching tour will take you to a big yellow house on Neely Street. 

What makes this house of interest, besides the geocache located nearby of course, is the now infamous photo of house resident Lee Harvey Oswald posing in the back garden with the gun that would allegedly be used to shoot JFK and a communist newspaper.



While there, I was able to take a look in the backyard where the photo was taken and posed in the same spot against the fence while holding a copy of the very recognizable photo. 

Another surreal Dallas moment for me as nothing has really changed since the time the original was taken and if you imagined really hard you could see Oswald standing there with gun and paper in hand and his wife Marina snapping the camera.


It was here in this rented upstairs apartment that Oswald and his wife, Marina, had lived with their small child after they returned from Russia.

Oswald apparently was quite proud of that photograph, for he would later send a copy of it to his political confidante, a Polish instigator and expat named George de Mohrenschildt.

On the back of the photograph, Oswald has inscribed it to his friend and added the line in Russian, “Hunter of Fascists. Ha. Ha. Ha.” When de Mohrenschildt discovered the photograph in his papers years later, he would call it Oswald’s gift from the grave.

Although Marina acknowledged taking the photos, conspiracy theorists have long suggested they were faked in order to frame Oswald.

LHO and Marina with their daughter

Fake or no, it was still an interesting bit of history to relive!


 

Along The JFK50 Geotrail: Oswald's Rooming House

 

In 1963, on a Fall afternoon, two young brothers were doing what brothers do and fighting in the yard in front of their Grandmother's boarding house in Oak Cliff.

One of the roomers, who enjoyed sitting on the front poarch and watching the boys play, covered the short distance from his chair to the scuffle and physically pulled the two boys apart and walked them to the stairs for a talk.

“Boys,” He began, “I want to tell you something really important and I want you to listen.” He continued on, “You're brothers. You have to look out for each other.”

Then, in what would be considered, in later years by those who did not know the man, to be a very out of character for a person considered to be so cold and violent, the man ended with “ Don't ever do anything to harm another human being.”

These words, hear by then 11 year old Patricia Hall, were uttered by the man who just weeks later would arrested for the assassination of the beloved President John F Kennedy, which he would follow by gunning down Dallas Police officer Tippet.

The Living Room

This is the story related to me by the owner of the boarding house where Lee Harvey Oswald spent the last few weeks of his life paying $8 a week for a small, yet cozy, boarding room. A room to which he would eventually return after allegedly shooting the President to retrieve his pistol which he would then use to gun down Officer J.D. Tippit just a short distance from the rooming house.

 

Owner Patricia Hall, a very friendly and cheerful sort, tells her memories of a very different man than is portrayed in history books and if you stop by for a tour of the rooming house located at N. Beckley Street in Oak Cliff, she will be more than happy to share her memories and home with you during the tour. There is even a book to purchase on site if you wish to delve even deeper into the history of what occurred during Oswald's stay.

The very bedroom which Oswald rented,
as it would have looked on that
fateful day.

I will tell you right now, it was a crazy surreal feeling to be conversing with someone who knew Oswald in a real way and I are up every moment of being blessed with listening to stories and facts about this infamous character that were not merely spewed forth from biased history books.

Am I going to say that history has been wrong about this man and that we have been looking in the wrong direction all of these decades. No, I will not be saying that. Nor will I be saying that there are so many holes in the current theories that the possiblitly that a killer did not have a soft and human side. All I will stand by is that the story I was related really painted an interesting perspective on a very old mystery and most certainly made for guided tour I would be willing to take again.

Though the home has changed in some ways since 1963, stepping inside still feels like you are stepping back into the pages of history and having just spent a month reading the Stephen King novel 11/22/63, I admit I felt exhilaration and a definite case of the chills during my tour.

I can confidently say that the home's owner Patricia, who can be found on Facebook she informed me, is amazing at bringing the history and ambiance of the era to life and I enjoyed her tour more than many I have been on lately. Definitely worth the stop if you are in the area and worth the support us many history buffs to keep it open!

Oh Yes! And what else might make it worth your time and attention if you are a geocacher??

That could be JFK50GT #9: Boarding House, the multi-stage geocache hiding on the property as part of the reward trail, just waiting for you to come and find it!

 

 Sorry... no spoilers here! ;)

Along the JFK50 Geotrail: Beginning

Downtown Dallas

If you should find yourself in the Dallas area, I would like to recommend a can't miss geotrail for you to find. It is a 14 cache (a mix of traditional, multi, and even a Wherigo!) that will reward you at the end with a coin to commemorate the 50 anniversary of that black day in history when President John F Kennedy was shot and killed during his presidential tour.

Though I was not able to yet visit all of the sites, I can tell you that this is one of the more thought out and well executed geotrails I have enjoyed, whose primary focus is to educate the general population of cachers on the events of the darkest day in Dallas history.

In the next couple of posts, I will be highlighting some of the areas that the trail allowed me to explore and some of the things I personally found interesting.

You will need to visit the official site for the trail at www.jfk50geotrail.com so that you can download a paper copy of the passport for the trail. This will be absolutely necessary if you wish to obtain the commemorate coin, as each cache will have either a code word or a stamp or such for you to apply to your paper.  Here is a list of all of the 14 caches you will be searching for:

 

JFK50GT #1: Love Field	JFK50GT #6: Dealey Plaza #1	JFK50GT #11: Texas Theater
JFK50GT #2: Love Field	JFK50GT #7: Dealey Plaza #2	JFK50GT #12: Officer Tippit Murder
JFK50GT #3: Craddock Park	JFK50GT #8: The Municipal Building	JFK50GT #13: Officer Tippit Gravesite
JFK50GT #4: Parkland	JFK50GT #9: Boarding House	JFK50GT #14: Campisi's
JFK50GT #5: Trade Mart	JFK50GT #10: Neely House

 

 

If you are only interested in reading the history and finding the cache, you can simply log as usual. But honestly, why go through the trouble without gaining the fun? :D

Each cache takes you deeper into the story of the events of the day as they unfold and I guarantee that no matter how much a student of history you would like to call yourself, you will absolutely learn something new if you take the time to read through and absorb all of the information made available to you. Remember, while you are on the trail...keep an open mind, an open heart, and of course, an open eye!!

Though I was unable to find the time on a short day to complete all 14 caches, I am really looking forward and eager to finish the run and complete my passport!

The amount of research and care that has gone into planning out and executing this trail absolutely humbled me, and it was an honor to be able to “witness” to this small taste of true American history.

I offer my thanks and my appreciation for the work that these volunteers have put into making this possible and the added stress and time it takes to keep it alive and going! You guys are awesome!!

Virtual Cache: The Grassy Knoll

The Infamous Grassy Knoll

While in Dallas, I had the pleasure of capturing the virtual geocache located in Dealy Plaza, directly across the way from where 3 shots were fired and the world was robbed of one of its most promising leaders, President John F Kennedy.

 In honor of this cache, I thought that I would post a few random facts about the area where the horror and chaos went down.

Capturing the Virtual.  It was sooo freaking cold that day!

Even 50 years after the Kennedy Assassination, it is still unclear where the term "Grassy Knoll" began, but a popular theory is that it began circulation when news reporter Bill Newman who had been riding in a news crew car five vehicle behind the president.  Newman supposedly appeared on WFAA-TV in Dallas about 15-20 minutes after the shooting stating that the shots came from behind him, "up on the mall," or "up on the knoll." Due to the quality of the broadcast, it is completely possible the "m" in mall sounded more like a "n" and thus a term that has become synonymous with subterfuge and hidden plots was coined.

 




Dealey Plaza is a significant part of Dallas history. The site marks the birthplace of Dallas, originally founded by John Neely Bryan in the 1840s.





Did you know that the Grassy Knoll is located just off of Elm Street, the very street upon which the movie "Nightmare On Elm Street" was named? (according to my tour guide for the day.  May not be true, but a fun fact none the less)

The window from which Lee Harvey Oswald allegedly fired the shot that killed the president.

In the Stephen King novel based on the assassination, 11/22/63, the main character of George/Jake states while sitting on bench across the street from the Book Depository that the building itself seems to resonate with evil, as if you feel the need to do horrible and unspeakable things simply by being in a close proximity of the structure. I am not sure if I felt that because I had just finished the book or whether there is an unusually creepy vibe emanating from within. 



The Book Depository with the sniper's nest located at the last window of the 6th floor (second from the top)

Several people who saw the Kennedys in Dallas and Fort Worth in 1963 have toured the Museum and found pictures of themselves among the crowds, including Fort Worth native, actor Bill Paxton.

 

and finally, did you know:

 

The lowest grossing film of all time had its premiere in Dallas in 2006. Zyzzyx Road, starring Katherine Heigl and Tom Sizemore, had only six paying customers and earned only $30 at the box office.

 

And now you know, and knowing is half the battle. 

Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?

Statue found in the Cowboy Hall of Fame Museum

The idealistic American West of my childhood highlighted many characters ranging from lawmen to outlaws, but none featured as centrally as the iconic cowboy.  On Saturday afternoons, it was hard to turn on the TV and find a movie that did not feature such names as Billy The Kid, Jesse James, or Annie Oakley conquering the untamed wild. 

Leather Saddle

Images such as stagecoaches, barbed wire and shoot outs in the street were fuel for the juvenile imagination and became key in forming an admittedly unrealistic idea of a utopian pioneer world where the bad guys always wear black and the good guys always win in the eleventh hour.



So I admittedly had a silly and slightly romanticized idea of what I would discover in Texas, but was beyond surprised to find that the Capital of the American Cowboy was shockingly devoid of any cowfolk at all. 

Ride 'Em Cowboy!!

This is not too surprising as in the last few decades the superhero has slowly replaced the heroes of the wild frontier as a focal point in the media and cinema blockbusters (Although it is heartening to see them trying to make a comeback in the form of such films as The Lone Ranger and A Million Ways To Die In The West!).  But still, what the mind knows and what the heart accepts are often two completely different ideas and my heart had been set on finding the classic western hero sitting high upon his white steed.  Ok, perhaps I am exaggerating, but you get the point.

I had begun to believe that I would, in fact, not see a single Stetson during my stay, but was rescued from such disappointment by the appearance of an honest to goodness post-modern cowboy. I was enraptured and probably scared the daylights out of him when I asked for a picture, which he graciously (southern gentleman, after all. Never refuse a damsel in distress!) agreed.

 Below is a copy of that moment that brought such joy and will live in my mind for years to come as the day I found my own John Wayne to rescue me from ho-hums of modern cookie-cutter normalcy. 

My Hero!

Eye See You!

Ever get the feeling that you are being watched?  Well, if you are touring the Dallas area, there is a pretty good chance that someone or some-thing might just, in fact, have its eye on you.  And it is not bothering to pretend not to stare.

The sculpture that captures your eye (wow, even I have to groan at my puns) is a giant 30 foot tall ocular oddity simply named "Eye" by the artist Tony Tasset. 

It's modeled after the artist's own eyeball and serves to echo pop culture elements, feelings of surveillance, themes of knowledge and power and the shared experience of living.

 

If you're unfamiliar with Tasset's other work, this isn't his first trip down unsettling alley. His "Capuchine Chandelier" is a skeletal tribute to the mummies of the Capuchin Monastery, and he also created a depressed Paul Bunyan slumped in a field, as well as some eternal snowmen.

Go ahead and take a moment to google some of his other work, I actually found it to be rather stimulating and thought-provoking.

The sculpture will only be in the Downtown area for a limited time as part of a temporary exhibit.  Eventually, I like to imagine that Dallas will get tired of it always having its eye on them and will start to scream "Stop Looking At Me!!"  So I suggest you get by there as soon as possible to experience this eye-sore for yourself!  (ok, yes, I'm done now. "Eye" promise!)

An Up Close Look at the World's Largest Bronze Sculpture

Note how they incorporated the water into the sculpture

On my tour of Dallas, one of the first sites our tour guide took us to was that of the Cattle Drive sculpture, the largest bronze sculpture in the world (and with 2 cattle being added every year, it continues to grow!). 

 

 

 

The sculpture, located in the historic Downtown area, is larger than life and very impressive to see up close! I would list it as a definite must-see for anyone visiting the area.   Each piece of bronze art was created by artist Robert Summers of Glen Rose, Texas.

 

 

In 1995, the Texas Trees Foundation dedicated Pioneer Plaza to the City of Dallas providing a focal point with historical significance for downtown Dallas. The Plaza commemorates Dallas’ beginnings by celebrating the trails that brought settlers to Dallas. The site features native plants and trees and a flowing stream in a natural setting and a re-creation of a cattle drive in bronze with longhorn steers being driven by three cowboys on horses.

It is located adjacent to the Dallas Convention Center at Young and Griffin between the historical Pioneer Cemetery and the Dallas Convention Center. Pioneer Plaza represents the largest public open space in the central business district.


Getting up close and personal with one of the larger than life denizens of the park

Other features of Pioneer Plaza include a waterfall, man-made cliffs, native plant life and the small historic details on the sculptures.

This was an awesome sight to behold and I highly recommend you take the side excursion to visit while you are here!

Muggle No More!

This week, I had the extreme pleasure of bringing my 9 year old cousin over to the Dork Side! She is now a muggle no more! 

It was worth braving the bitter cold elements and crazy drivers to see the look on her face when she finally discovered her very first geocache, Flood Zone AE, which was a mere .10 of a mile from her house in Plano!!  It was a well hidden micro that could have given a beginner some trouble, but she found it within minutes of looking, a natural born cacher. 
 

 

Now the addiction has begun, so Texas geocachers be on the lookout for logs from AvaLava coming to a cache near you!! 

There Be Gold in Them There Hills...or at least in my mail box.

Today I was super psyched to find my own Texas S Coin.  But unlike the characters of the debut novel by Jason L Bradshaw, upon which the coin and its contest are based, I did not have to come face to face with many dangers in order to discover one.  I simply went to my mail box and opened the letter. (In and of itself, not without dangers, if you stop to consider how uncomfortable a paper cut can be.)  I admit that I was hoping the coin would have come before my trip to Texas last week, but I am sure I can still find some interesting places for it to visit here farther north!

This is the piece of golden treasure that I found inside:

The geocoin is actually a promotional piece that ties in with Bradshaw's book, Beneath Creek Waters, and is your chance to win several fun prizes by taking photos of the coin as you hide and pass it along on its grand adventure.  Although all of the 200 coins have been mailed out, you do not have to be the original owner to win, there is the opportunity to discover one in a geocache close to you!  If you are interested in learning more about this really fun and exciting contest and its rules, then here is the link to the contest page:  http://authorjasonlbradshaw.com/hunt-for-the-texas-s-coin.html  Good luck!!

As for the book, I have every plan to download it to my Kindle and read it right away!  So far, I have seen many good reviews and am looking forward to doing my own review of it right here on my blog after I finish reading, so stay tuned.  Here is a brief Synopsis from Good Reads of what it is you can expect to find inside:

 

In 1845, 200 gold coins were minted to commemorate Texas’ entry into the United States. Slated to be given to all major players that helped Texas into the Union, the coins were loaded onto a wagon on rainy night near Dallas, Texas and never seen again.  Over a century later, traces of the coins resurface, after a couple of local kids stumble upon what appeared to be one, in a Southeast Texas creek. News of the find reach Parks Leslie and Stan Atcher, both treasure hunters and historians, always looking for their next big find and long-time seekers of these coins. Parks and Stan's interest proves to be an unexpected journey, tangled with blood history ties, new friendships and near-death experiences, calling for sacrifices no one could have predicted.

Although I have not yet decided where my coin will begin its journey, it suffices to say that I am thrilled and excited to see where its path will lead! 

Goodbye, Mr. Spock

Goodbye to one of the most amazing and legendary men to have ever captured my mind as a child and my heart as an adult.

Goodbye Leonard Nimoy. 

You taught me how to live long and prosper and what it means when the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one.  I wish you well on your journey to a brave new world.