Visiting Dallas in March

Paul and I visited Dallas from March 5th to the 11th. It was an overdue visit, as we did not go last year, when it coincided with our busy preparations for the 50th reunion in Shanghai in April 2025.

Unlike the scorching August heat that we often experienced in the past 30 odd years, the weather in Dallas this time was actually quite pleasant. We were even drenched by a couple of heavy downpours. As the main freeway I-635 has more or less been restored to its normal state, the travel time was significantly reduced from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to our hotel adjacent to the LBJ Freeway.

The main purpose of our visit was seeing and spending time with Paul's sister Crissie who resorts mainly to a scooter to move around her apartment. To go out for a dinner or other entertainment, she needs to get help into a wheelchair, for her battery operated scooter is simply too heavy to be transported with a vehicle. With the combined effort of her daughter Nikki, Paul and me, we managed to have dinner at Taziki's Mediterranean Cafe, a Greek Restaurant. Two days later, her plan to visit a dinner-theater was aborted, due to her miscommunication with a receptionist. Hence, we settled on dining with at her Sunrise facility.

We saw Rob and Nikki, two of Crissie's five children residing in Dallas. Despite torrents of change in their respective lives, they both seemed to cope well with their new situations. The relationship between the two appeared to be thawing as well. It is so good to see them taking extra care of their mother by visiting her more often, and reinforcing their bonding. This is particularly true of Rob who shares the same intense interest in tennis as his mother. He is like a walking encyclopedia powered by AI on tennis, in the know of many nuances that would escape most of us laymen. It turns out that tennis, like golf, goes on all year round. Crissie, on the other hand, watches major tennis matches with gusto and a good memory. She is watching less news this time than before, which is beneficial to her health.

Rob watches one of tennis matches at Indian Wells 2026

A week in Dallas came and went before our eyes. The week back home was quickened too with a week long heat wave, work and family calls. There has not been a dull moment.