My readers would never believe the connection that got me out to the National Cemetery today, but I'm gonna tell it like it happened anyway. As everyone has heard by now, Interstate Brands Corporation with their Corporate Office in Irving, Texas has said that they are shutting down their 31 bakeries because of labor more than their bankruptcy that they are currently in. That's the people who bake the famous Hostess Twinkie golden sponge cake.
While I haven't had a Twinkie in years I went on the web and discovered that while there are no bakeries here in Dallas, they do have two "day old" stores. One was in Hurst, the other in Oak Cliff. There wasn't much difference in miles to either one of the two stores , but there was a big difference in traffic to one over the other so I gave the cat a hug, told her to be good and I headed out the door. By the time I got to the store, I was a few miles shy of Cowboys Stadium but about half again the distance to the Dallas -Ft. Worth National Cemetery. I like going there in the spring and also like visiting in the fall. So, with a right hand turn and a left hand turn, it was a straight shot our Keist Blvd. past Reverend Jake's Potter House (Whitney Houston's Funeral Speaker) which is just a large block from the Dallas Baptist University Campus. This campus sits on a massive hill overlooking Mountain Creek Lake but the spectacular draw for me is the architecture of it's buildings, especially the church that has the massive steeple. If you have ever been to Old Charleston in Charleston, South Carolina, the church up the hill from the market has one of those steeples. I wish I could find a place to park and just gaze upon the elements of the fantastic architecture. I did stop at the guard post house last spring and they said I could take pictures, just not from the grounds. Later, I ran into a retired professor who said to me, "who told you you couldn't take pictures?" He was rather disturbed to say the least, but I do understand to some degree---especially in today's society-- but the architecture is impressive and inspiring and I still want some shots from the grounds.
Almost got sidetracked-- but when you see those buildings....you need to make a turn onto Mountain Creek Parkway as the cemetery is adjacent to the university's property.
With a bag on the seat of the car full of Twinkie Boxes, here I am in between several funerals. To me, it is an honour to be among those that fight for our freedom, even in death. Silently, from one of the hill tops, I said a prayer for the fallen and their families.
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| Beauty and Honour |
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| Looking toward the front gate, but the drive along the funeral route will leave your speachless. |
Many times, I have written about how I end up coming up with an image. Never, have I been driven by a Hostess Twinkie Sponge Cake but as it turned out, I got my Twinkies and I got my shot, as unusual as it may be to have that kind of a driving force to end up in the National Cemetery. The death of a Twinkie Brand unnecessarily kind of runs parallel to an necessary death for a soldier.
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| Service Areas A-E and Memorial Walk |
