Old Red Museum

I was intrigued by this building and had to stop for visit. Being that it was a public building called The Red Museum, I could go inside for a visit. To read more about the history of this building, click here.

This is the Pegasus neon sign inside the museum. The pegasus was logo for the Magnolia Petroleum Company founded in 1911. When it merged with Socony Mobil Oil Company in 1959, they became known as Mobil Oil. The pegasus symbol is still quite popular in Dallas.

This is the hallway of the museum. I really like its half-moon shaped interior.

I apologize that I have not been posting lately. Life has just been busy, but I hope to resume my posts in a few weeks. Thank you for your patience!

- AV

R is for Rosicrusian Museum on ABC Wednesday

Did I go to Egypt? I wish...
In the middle of Silicon Valley is this interesting Egyptian museum called the Rosicrusian Museum. It has been here since 1928 when the founder of the Rosicrusian Order decided to have the headquarter here. To read more about its history, click here.


This is the recreation of King Tutankhamun's coffin. He became king at 9 years-old and died about 18. The two emblems held in the king's hands are symbols of kingship, showing his dominion over the lands of Upper and Lower Egypt. His false beard was added as a sign of royal power. It is curved at the end to indicate that the young pharaoh has become a god in the afterlife.


This is a tomb replica based on actual examples at Beni Hasan, Egypt. It includes elements from tombs of both the Middle Kingdom (2066-1659 BC) and the New Kingdom (1549-1069 BC).Beni Hasan is an important site because it contains burials of many regional governors. This reproduction was created from the photographs and measurements taken during the 1939 Rosicrucian Order Camera Expedition.
One can take the self-guided tour or the guided tour through the "tomb". I chose the guided tour so all the hieroglyphics and paintings could be explained.


You will see the Thutmosis III statue if you enter the museum from the garden. He ruled Egypt for almost 54 years and established himself as a great builder responsible for over 50 temples.

To see more ABC Wednesday photos, go to Mrs. Nesbitt's blog.

- AV

Wednesday Hero

Sgt. John F. Thomas(Right) & Sgt. Ronnie L. Shelley, Sr.(Left)
33 & 34 years old from Valdosta, Georgia
2nd Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Brigade, Georgia Army National Guard
July 24, 2005 & July 30, 2005


Sgt. Ronnie "Rod" Shelley and Sgt. John F. Thomas became best friends in the Georgia Army National Guard.

They both were ex-Marines, both about the same age, and both enjoyed searching for arrowheads and fishing together. As their friendship grew, Thomas often came over to Shelley’s house for steaks and ribs barbecued by his friend. And when their infantry unit was sent to Iraq in May of 2005, they went to war together.

When their unit was mobilized for combat duty in Iraq, Shelley promised to watch out for Thomas. "Ronnie said, 'Don't you worry, I'll bring him back safely,"' said Thomas' grandfather. But neither Sgt. Thomas or Sgt. Shelley made it back safely. Sgt. Thomas was killed July 24, 2005 by a roadside bomb near Baghdad. And Sgt. Shelley was killed six days later on July 30 by another roadside bomb, also near Baghdad.

Shelley was a family man, married with three children, who was obsessed with having a neat yard, his wife said. "The grass had to be two inches," she said. "If the neighbor mowed the grass, Rod had to mow. He also wanted the biggest, baddest lawn mower."

She said she fell in love with his "gorgeous blue ... eyes," and "he had a laid back attitude. I could not make him mad."

Thomas was married but had no children. His grandparents said he dreamed of becoming a forest ranger. "John wanted to hike the Appalachian Trail. Now the only trail he can walk is the trail in heaven," the grandfather said.

Mrs. Thomas, wiping back tears, said the soldier felt responsible for the others in his unit. "He cared for people," she said. "That's why he had so many friends. People cared for him."

Killed alongside Sgt. Shelley were Staff Sgt. David R. Jones Sr., Sgt. 1st Class Victor A. Anderson and Sgt. Jonathon C. Haggin and killed alongside Sgt. Thomas were Army Spc. Jacques E. Brunson, Army Staff Sgt. Carl R. Fuller and Army Sgt. James O. Kinlow.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Q is for Quanah Parker on ABC Wednesday

I found my Q when I was visiting Ft. Worth last month. While walking around town, I noticed this blocked off memorial in front of a hotel. I thought this was odd and decided to go in for a closer look and discovered my Q for Quanah Parker who became a Comanche Chief.
Click on the last photo below to read about his life.




To see more ABC Wednesday Q photos, visit Mrs. Nesbitt's blog.

- AV

Wednesday Hero

This Weeks Hero Was Suggested By Cindy

Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila
From Sierra Vista, Arizona


On the sixth anniversary of the terrorist attack on the United States, Petty Officer 2nd Class Chris Davila raised an American flag over Camp Korean Village, Iraq, he brought with him from Arizona.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008, Sierra Vista firefighter and emergency medical technician Chris Davila presented that flag to Fire Chief Randy Redmond as fellow firefighters looked on. Monday, May 5, 2008, was Davila’s first day back on the job with the department after being gone for nearly nine months, with seven of those months deployed as a Navy Reserve corpsman serving with a Marine unit near the Jordanian and Syrian border area in Iraq.

And, as luck would have it, on his first shift saw him responding to a blaze in Sierra Vista. "Right back to work," he said with a laugh.

You can read the rest of PO 2nd Class Davila's story here.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Cathedral Santuario de Guadalupe

This is a beautiful church in Dallas' Arts District. During my visit, there were quite a number of people inside during a weekday noon mass. I quietly took a few photos and left. If you want to read more about this church, go to this link.

- AV

P is for Pottery & Propellers on ABC Wednesday

Here's two photos from my archives taken at the Old Town Pottery El Centro Artesano gift shop in San Diego last year. One can spend hours here looking at all the colorful potteries sitting outdoors and handmade gifts indoors.

For additional ABC Wednesday photos, visit Mrs. Nesbitt's blog.

- AV

Wednesday Hero

CSM Robert Prosser and LTC Erik Kurilla
1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment (Deuce Four)


LTC. Erik Kurilla and CSM. Robert Prosser's story is an amazing one. One that Michael Yon has told far better than I ever could. Warning. The site contains very graphic images. Some may want to turn off images before viewing.

These brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so that others may enjoy the freedoms we get to enjoy everyday. For that, I am proud to call them Hero.
We Should Not Only Mourn These Men And Women Who Died, We Should Also Thank God That Such People Lived

This post is part of the Wednesday Hero Blogroll. For more information about Wednesday Hero, or if you would like to post it on your site, you can go here.

Sixth Floor Museum

If you are familiar with 1963 U.S. history, you are probably familiar with this Dallas landmark. It was the Texas School Book Repository where Lee Harvey Oswald worked as a clerk and location where he allegedly assassinated President Kennedy from one of the open windows on the 6th floor.

This site is now a historical landmark with this plaque posted outside the building. Noticed someone underlined the word "allegedly".

The 6th floor of this building has been converted into a museum while the other floors are administration offices. The museum does not allow visitors to take photos, so here is an exterior shot. I visited the museum on a weekday and to my surprise, it was packed. Although the museum came about under morbid circumstances, it was quite informative. It will pique the interest of history buffs and conspiracy theorists alike. Here is a link to a brief history of this building.

- AV

Fort Worth's Old West - Part 4

In the early 1900's this was where cattle, hogs, sheeps, mules, and horses trading deals were processed. Now it is a museum and office building.

For 34 years, Cowtown Coliseum was where the annual livestock exhibitions were held and the site of the first indoor rodeo in 1918. Now rodeos are held here every weekend.

Interior of the Cowtown Coliseum where the rodeos are held.

This is the outside of Billy Bob's which is said to be the largest honky tonk in the world. If you're not familiar with the term "honky tonk", it's a bar with musical entertainment and a dance floor. This building was once an open-air barn, an airplane factory, and a department store. If you like country music, you probably have seen this place before in movies or music videos.

I had to pay $1 to go inside Billy Bob's. The host here welcomed me to his establishment.

- AV