050302-Dallas

Leaving Fort Worth, we backtracked east to Dallas. I had read about a Boy Scout Museum there. For those of you who did not know; I was a Boy Scout back in Brooklyn and achieved the rank of Eagle as well as an asst scoutmaster. It was a very important part of my life and this visit was very compelling.

As it turns out, the National headquarters of The Boy Scouts of America as well as the national museum were just recently built here in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas - about 3 years Ago.

The first portion of the building housed a gallery of about 40 Normal Rockwell paintings that he had done for and about the scouts. They were quite beautiful and heart rendering. It really brought me back to my childhood roots.

A large screened amphitheatre displayed a terrific 15 minute presentation of the birth and development of scouting and just prior to the lights dimming, a life sized, animated figure of Baden Powell welcomes everyone.

The rest of the museum was full of memorabilia, old uniforms, equipment, and up to date comparisons to show how scouting has progress to modern times.
Some areas were recreations of forest campsites.

The whole experience was very nostalgic and I was very glad I made to effort to seek it out. During the experience, I proclaimed Peter an honorary Boy Scout. I think he felt honored but refused to wear the kerchief.
We stayed at a Dallas park for the night with the skyline prominent in the background.