Turner Falls

We went to Turner Falls this last weekend. Oklahoma's waterfall.  It's a pretty and quaint spot in the Arbuckle Moutnains right outside of Davis, OK.  If you are from Oklahoma and haven't been, you need to.  It's not a might waterfall, but it is beautiful and peaceful in it's own way.  There are also areas to camp, and caves to explore, as well as a meandering "castle" built by a professor in the 1930's that is now just walls and gates...

The site as a whole also hearkens back to a time when families explored interesting spots along highways, places for adventure, novelty, and beauty.  It's a good place to visit.

Steve's Reunion!

About a week and a half ago we travelled back to the eastern side of the state for Steve's 30th high school reunion.  It was everything a reunion should be!  We planned and hosted the golf scramble (which is really funny since Steve is NOT a golfer...but Shelley, fortunately, is!).  It was a good event, and Shelley even made a good showing (she really did well on hole 7 where her ball was used from first drive to last putt on a tricky par 4!). 

It was wonderful seeing old friends, and catching up on life without the stresses of previous reunions...this one was just friends seeing friends, remembering old times, and enjoying each others' company.

Life's journey can be difficult at times, but it sure is nice when moments of fun and respite come along.  Thanks to WHS class of 1980 for a very memorable time.

It was most excellent.

Medicine Park

We spent last week in Medicine Park, just outside of the Wichita Mountain National Refuge.  It's a quaint little town with fun shopping and great eating!  It's a great little place with lots to see and do, while, at the same time, a quiet little getaway.  It is, according to some of the business-folk there, growing.  I hope they do it well and don't lose the charm they have at present!

http://www.medicinepark.com/

Wichita Mountains

Oklahoma has, believe it or not, several small mountain groups:  The Arbuckles,  the Ouachita's, part of the Ozarks, and the Wichita's.  We have always confined our travels to the first three, in eastern and south central Oklahoma, but this last weekend we went further afield and ended up in the Wichita.  It was an eye opener.  While not as big as the Ouachita's or Ozark's, and while not containing the surprises (Turner Falls) of the Arbuckles, the Wichitas have their own beauty...Buffalo, many small lakes, rugged terrain and room for hiking and climbing.  It was a beautiful place! If you are ever in the neighborhood of Lawton, go!

Happy Birthday!!!!!

Well, today is Shelley's birthday, another hallmark in life!  We've seen two movies this weekend, had some super meals, and celebrated the 4th of July with family with fireworks and food!  What a great thing!  Birthdays, whether personal or of a country, are pretty special events.  Here's hoping you and your friends and family celebrated our country's birthday well!

And, Happy Birthday Shelley, may we share many more wonderful years together!

Car Shopping

We have been looking at vehicles (nothing like shopping for cars!).  Shelley wants a Murano, a really good vehicle, and we found one we'd like!  But even better, we found a good car dealership and salesman.  Imagine a person that didn't pressure, showed you the vehicles you wanted, talked to you, said he would like to make a deal but didn't push, didn't throw paperwork at us.  He rather just said, "I'd like to have your business."

I'm not absolutely positive we are purchasing the vehicle we looked at on his lot, but, the likelihood is high.  Good experiences in buying cars are rare, and this was one of them.  Kudos to Bob Moore Nissan in Norman for having a good sales staff.

Karate and Kung Fu, Oh My!

Well, we went to see the new Karate Kid with Jackie Chan and Jaiden Smith.  And it was really good.  Although we will always hold a special place in our hearts for Mr. Miyagi, Jackie Chan does a great job as the new teacher, Mr. Han.  And Jaiden's performance as Dre was nothing short of spectacular.

It is nice to see a film that shows a boy growing both in skills and character, and where political correctness is limited to a short blurb on how Americans should turn off their hot water.  This was a great film, and well worth seeing.  The story is very similar to that of the first Karate Kid, but the setting is China.  Replace karate with Kung Fu, and you have the gist of the film.  The setting was pretty spectacular, and there are some really good nods to the cultural differences  between east and west here.  There are a couple of bad words (Dre is a very upset boy, with reason), but nothing that a 4th grader or older probably hasn't heard wherever they live.   Now, I can hardly wait to see it again, when our son gets back from traveling with his grandparents!

Father's Day

Well, Shelley made sure that Steve had a great Father's Day even though our son was in Colorado with Steve's parents!  Steve's celebration started Thursday night with tickets to see America (70's folk-rock group), and then on Friday we went to eat great sushi and saw Karate Kid.  If you liked the original, you'll like this one too.  Great movie.  Saturday, we helped build a playground during the day (HOT HOT HOT), at our church, and then, Saturday night, we saw the movie presentation of "Oklahoma" at Owen Field (OU's field).  Talk about BIG screen!  It was great fun.  Very family affair, lots of people, super evening.

On Sunday, after church, we went to a really great restaurant (one we left out of our favorite list by oversight!), Cheevers, in OKC.  Great brunch, and quite a "fashion show" for Shelley.

Then, to round out the weekend, after a great phone call from our son, we went to an outdoor concert by Danny O'Keefe of "Good Time Charlie's got the Blues" fame.  Excellent guitar, excellent lyrics, very nice concert in front of a thousand or so Normanites under the moon.  Very very good end to a phenomenally good Father's Day weekend.

America

Occasionally, it's good to just sit back, reminisce and have a good time.  That is our goal tonight.  Shelley's father's day present to Steve this year is a trip back in time to go listen to America!  A Horse with No Name,  Lonely People, Sister Golden Hair, I Need You, Ventura Highway, The Last Unicorn and many more songs that we listened to in the 70's.  Here's to good folk rock of yesteryear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSAJ0l4OBHM

Weather Again

http://www.news9.com/global/story.asp?s=12642754 

Near record blizzards, tornadoes, hail, and now...rain.  This last 7 months have had about everything.  Normally, when one lives in Oklahoma, you just think, "Oh well, of course the weather is different."  But this year has been a full helping of the full spectrum.  Cars floating in streets in OKC is unusual to say the least. 

Ancillary Blogs

Well today we launched our "ancillary blogs"  Shelley's Fashion & Fitness, and Steve's Meanderings...that way, we don't overload this poor site with too much info.  We hope you take a look at those two blogs and visit them occasionally as well as this one.  Hopefully, all three will manage to go forth and do well. 

Tonight, we are going to see "Killers"  we'll post a review of it here tomorrow!

Alas Big XII we knew you well.

Well, it seems inevitable that the Big XII is going away.  Nebraska and maybe Missouri to the Big 10, Colorado, OU, OSU, Texas, Texas Tech and A&M to the Pac Something.  Kansas, K State, Iowa State and Baylor...left behind.

It's sad in a way.  The middle of the country doesn't have the television market to make it "profitable" to be here.  But, about the only thing we have in common with Pac 10 states is that we (mostly) use the English language.  Oh, that and have McDonald's.

There and Back Again - Austin

We traveled to Austin this weekend to celebrate a friend's 50th, and to visit family.  Despite the heat and humidity, it was a great trip!  We stayed at a nice little spot on Lake Travis called Robin's Nest.  A quaint little B&B that served up a great helping of hospitality, and truly wonderful breakfasts!  We stayed in Robin's Perch, and listened to doves in the morning.  The porch was pretty spectacular. 

It's a nice little get away.  We told Robin we'd share it with you.

Robin's Nest

The Journey Begins

Well, here it is.  Shelley has been looking at blogs,  fashion blogs mostly, while I have been whiling away the hours at work.  However, we thought it would be fun to do this thing, albeit we are probably older than most bloggers, and we probably aren't as focused.  But, we do have this going for us: we've seen a lot of life. We've survived it, and at times, even thrived.  And so, we are going to be sharing slices of our life here, as both a documentary of sorts, and as a celebration.  So, welcome to it!  We look forward to commenting on our travel, fashion, thought, and anything else that might strike our fancy, and any comments you might have in return. 

As Tolkein writes:  "The road goes ever on..."  We'd like to travel part of it with you.