WHAT A WAY TO SPEND THE DAY

Sunday, May 29 – The Elks did a wonderful job with displaying the flag for Memorial Day.

We spent the day at Kelly's. It is our anniversary, and she asked us to go to her place to "hang out". We watched some NCAA softball and sat by the pool. Just another nice day with one of our daughters.

 

Wednesday, June 1 - Paul had an appointment at PPL of Houston, an RV dealership here is south Houston this morning.

This is the repair facility Carrier Air Conditioning insisted we visit to get warranty service on our one-year old air conditioner. This is the forth service call we have had on this unit. Although, under warranty, Carrier no longer makes RV Air Conditioners, so we have had difficulty finding anyone to attempt repairs on the unit. One way or the other, this will be our last attempt for service. If PPL can not repair/replace the unit, we will cut our losses and replace it with another manufacture's model.....Paul believes this is what Carrier is aiming for.....delay long enough that we throw our arms up in disgust and replace it at our own cost!

Well, after sitting at PPL all morning (5.5 hours), we finally gave up and headed home. No sooner had he arrived at the Elks, John from PPL called and said Carrier authorized installation of a new AC. They are shipping one out tomorrow (they say), and we should have it installed at PPL by the end of next week. We shall see!! Stay tuned!

Since the temperature has been in the high 90s every day, we have been spending several hours at the Elks pool.

They have done a great job with the maintenance on the pool. From the picture above, you can see the huge patio around the pool, and underneath the extended roof is another big sitting area. There is a window and door that goes directly into the bar area. Real nice!

 

FLASHBACK TO Monday, May 23 –We ended our day of touring on a lighter note by visiting the Oklahoma State Capitol. The building is built from white Indiana limestone with a base of pink and black granite.

The pink granite is from Troy, and the black granite is from Cold Springs, OK. Each of the state's 77 counties donated materials to be used in the construction. Containing 650 rooms, the Capitol occupies 11 acres of floor-space.

We rode the elevator up to the fifth floor and toured the building “top down.”

The dome soars 190 above the state seal on the first floor. It is 80 feet in diameter with colors inspired by gaillardia or Indian blanket, the state wildflower.

Looking down at the Seal.

There is Oklahoma works of art hanging throughout the building. Isn't this appropriate…a tornado scene…YIKES!

Beautiful murals describing life in Oklahoma then and now.

We entered the Oklahoma House of Representatives, the State Senate, and the Supreme Court.

House

Senate

Look at the newest Senator hard at work.

We have no idea if we were allowed on the floor. We didn't see anyone around so we ran in and ran out. We probably looked very silly on the camera.

Supreme Court

On the first floor is the Galleries with rotating exhibits by Oklahoma artists. The collection comprises more than 100 works of art by Oklahoma artists. Here are a few of Marsha's favorite…

Desert Dancer

Every one loves a clown.

Donkey head

And her favorite of all…Women looking over man's shoulder as he reads the paper.

A very attractive Capitol building and a recommended visit if in the Oklahoma City area.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

THE AMERICAN WEST IN 220,000 SQUARE FEET

Thursday, May 26 – We left Oklahoma City today at 7:30. We arrived in Bryan, TX at 1:40. It was a pretty easy and uneventful drive. We are staying one night at Prime Rose RV Park back in late April…only $14.50 PPA for the night.

Flash back to Oklahoma City -

Hey.....we haven't even visited any of the museums yet! This tour took us four and a half hours, and we didn't linger in any area! National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum 

Where does one start to tell you about the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. It is UNBELIEVABLE! Everyone that knows you are in Oklahoma City, even people you meet briefly in town, say “be sure to see the Cowboy Museum.” They aren't kidding....DON'T MISS the Cowboy Museum!!! The actual displays are housed in eleven rooms in the west wing of the museum.

THE END OF THE TRAIL – A Native American View by James Earle Fraser

We began our tour by viewing a 20 minute movie giving us an overview of what to expect and a little history of the museum. Volunteers meet you in the hall to direct you to where to begin you tour.

Starting with the Canyon Princess, an 18 foot, 16,000 pound white cougar reigns over the exhibit wing. Carved from a single block of Colorado marble by award winning artist Gerald Balciar.

On special loan to the museum is the Bowie Knife exhibit. Thousands of beautiful and historic knifes are on display in the Eldridge Gallery. We thought we were going to get kicked out of the Museum while visiting the first exhibit. Marsha started taking pictures when a security guard came up and said…nicely…"No pictures, please." Marsha showed him the diagram of where "photos permitted" were listed. He explained that if an area doesn't have a picture of a camera, photos were prohibited. She read it backwards. She gave him a big smile and a long apology, and he allowed her to stay. Doesn't seem like I can take her any where without her causing an uproar!

Here is the only one she was able to keep.

The rooms are filled with Native American art, paintings, sculptures, western firearms, western clothing, tools, and utensils.

Indian woman's Elk tooth dress.

Indian beaded gloves

There is a complete room dedicated to Western performers. The Hollywood greats we all remember. Gene Artery, Roy Rodgers, Dale Evans, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood (Marsha's favorite), and many, many more.

Remember Roy Rogers and Dale Evans?

How about Walter Brenner?

Of course this area couldn't be complete without THE DUKE…John Wayne.

Then there's the Rodeo Gallery, honoring the famous cowboys that rode the bulls, bucking horses, and entertained the thousands of rodeo fans.

Don't these look comfortable? They are Ladies' Bathing Shoes…what the heck? These really aren't for bathing, but for trick and fancy riding. The thin leather soles allowed for greater traction in moving around the horse.

 

An unusual exhibit is the circa 1900 Western cattle town called Prosperity Junction.

You revisit the town at dusk entering many of the building and looking in the lighted interiors of others. The full-size structures include a saloon, school, blacksmith shop, post office, doctor's office, church and others.

Paul bellied up to the bar.

While Marsha played a little tune on the ivories.

Inside the local church.

A larger-than-life size, full-figure sculpture of former President Ronald Reagan, AFTER THE RIDE.   Reagan was inducted into the Museum's Hall of Great Westerners in 1989. 

This is Marsha's favorite statue. Abraham Lincoln. Considered a "western" president, Lincoln made remarkable contributions to the settlement and development of the West even while preoccupied by war. In May of 1862, he signed the Homestead Act into law, permitting the unhindered ownership of farmland in the West by more than one million families prior to 1910.

The museum has an amazing special events center with HUGE murals displayed on the walls. Artist, Wilson Hurley painted the five panoramic murals of the American West. These three-panel murals measure over 18 feet tall and 46 feet wide. They are beautiful.

The Norma Sutherland Garden around the Museum were lovely with streams, statues, flowers and a beautiful lawn.

You could easily spend the entire day in this museum. There is so much to see. They even have a beautiful dining room if lunch or dinner is needed to fortify you to continue your tour.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll back real soon. Have a great day!

SOBERING EXPERIENCES

Tuesday, May 24 – Well, they say full-timers make plans in Jello, it sure is a “happening thing” for us trying to see the NCAA Women's Softball Tournament. We had planned to pull out and head for Stillwater, OK to see the Super Regional games this coming weekend. Paul got a newspaper this morning and spotted this notice: Oklahoma State Super Regional are sold out. Only tickets remaining are standing room only and can be purchased for $30 by calling...... Well, cross that off the list!

The World Series here in OKC is advertising no available parking at the field and tickets are hard to obtain. So I guess we'll finish are sightseeing here in OKC and head south. Since we wouldn't be going to the games, we did start our day of touring by visiting the ASA Softball facilities....the site of the Women's World Series. A pretty amazing softball field. Crews were getting the field ready for the NCAA games and were assembling additional bleachers beyond the fences in the outfields.

We had an interesting change of pace today.....TORNADO DODGING!!! We were lucky and only got a little wind and heavy rain, but the Oklahoma City area was surrounded by at least three tornadoes.

The sirens went off, so we pulled in our MH slides, grabbed Bella (our cat) and our emergency bag that contains important papers and headed to the designated storm shelter....the bath house. We set up a pecking order....people with dogs in the women's restroom and people with cats in the men's room. It goes without saying that the “cat house” was much quieter. (sorry to all our readers with dogs, but they don't like all the noise from thunder and lightning).

Where Marsha got to stay with Bella.

After about an hour, the all clear signal was given and we headed back to our homes and a peaceful evening. The sun even came out for a while before nightfall.

Calm after the storm. You can see the wind is still blowing pretty good.

Monday, we visited to the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. What an amazing place! The memorial honors the victims, survivors, rescuers and all who were changed forever on April 19, 1995. It encompasses the now-sacred soil where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood preserving forever the place and events that changed the world.

It was on that day that Timothy McViegh and Terry Nichols, American militia movement sympathizers, motivated by their hatred of the Federal Government and angered by the Waco, TX siege and Ruby Ridge incident exploded a truck bomb blowing up the building.

The twin gates frame the moment of destruction – 9:02. The East Gate represents 9:01 on April 19, and the innocence of the city before the attack. The West Gate represents 9:03, the moment we were changed forever.

The reflecting pool occupies what was once NW Fifth Street. Here, a shallow depth of gently flowing water soothes one, with calming sounds providing a peaceful setting for quiet thoughts.

To the south of the reflecting pool is a field of empty chairs.

Each of the 168 chairs symbolize a life lost, with smaller chairs representing the 19 children killed.

Arranged in 9 rows, one for each of the nine floors of the building, they are placed according to the floor on which those killed were working or visiting. Each bronze and stone chair rests on a glass base etched with the name of a victim.

By day, the chairs seem to float above their bases. By night, the glass bases illuminate as beacons of hope. The field's perimeter matches the footprint of the former Murrah Building. It is lined by a granite path – granite that was salvaged from the Murrah Plaza.

Interestingly, the Plaza or porch and stair case leading up the the former Murrah Building still stand. It's moving to walk up these stairs to what was once the entrance to the building and look out over the memorial. Very moving!

The Survivor Tree is a 90+ year old American Elm standing to the North of the former building. It bears witness to the violence of April 19 and now stands as a profound symbol of human resilience. Many of the victims' families took strength from observing how this tree survived the awful blast that destroyed the Murrah Building.

A rescue worker originally painted the message on this wall during search and recovery efforts on April 1995. The building on which it is painted was a functioning office building when the bomb exploded across the street. ceilings collapsed, walls fell in and glass shards flew throughout the building. Hundreds of people were injured, many critically. Fortunately, no one was killed inside this building.

We returned at night. It was a moving and surreal experience.

Survivor Tree. Look at the reflection in the pool.

On a corner adjacent to the memorial is St. Joseph's Old Cathedral. St. Joseph's, one of the first brick and mortar churches in the city, was almost completely destroyed by the blast.

 

This church was heavily damaged in the explosion and has been rebuilt to its former glory. We tried to enter the church but all the doors were locked. As we walked away, we heard a man yell, "Hey sir." We waited until he caught up to us and learned that he was the custodian. He let us in, told us to take our time looking around and locked us in. Amazing…he trusted us. He also shared many stories from the day of the bombing.

Its beautiful stain glass windows have been replaced and the amazing interior have been restored beautifully.

"And Jesus Wept" statue behind St. Joseph Old Cathedral stands a shrine in remembrance of the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. The focal point of the shrine is a statue of Jesus who faces away from the tragic sight; He holds His face in His hands in sorrow.

Jesus is sounded by at a wall with 168 voids. Each void represents a life lost in the bombing. Behind the statue of Jesus are pillars, a symbolic reminder of the Murrah Building. Jesus appears in utter anguish. The biblical verses....”and He wept,” is inscribed in the base. Very moving!

It takes on a different feeling from day to night.

This Memorial is another “MUST SEE” tourist sight when passing through the state of Oklahoma. It is worth going out of your way to add this to your itinerary.

We did not visit the Museum. We both were too emotional after experiencing the Memorial and Church. Outside the Museum is another wall. Children were a significant part of the worldwide response. These children responded with words of encouragement and messages of hope. Thousands of ceramic tiles were sent to Oklahoma in 1995.

This was our favorites.

People still leave mementos on the fence that was erected in 1995.

 

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see ya'll again real soon. Have a great day!