In Oklahoma Visiting Family



My sisters Susan, Gayle, and Frani treated us like the special prince and princess we want to be! We shared laughter, memories (this erupted way more laughter), good food, and adventures around Shawnee and Tecumseh Oklahoma.  

Here are just a few...Marathon Yatzee game, pool party in Harrah, thrift shopping, and several stops at the Sonic. We got to catch up with spouses and kids...now grown adults, but I keep blocking that small point. 

And... we watched The Long Long Trailer, a 1954 movie with Lucy and Desi Arnez right at the start of their careers. Imagine these two pulling a trailer across country...you just have to see it! John and I could relate!



A big shout out to Mike of Susie and Mike for sharing his knowledge, skills, patience, and tools with John. The Happy Breadbox RV needed some fixin' and he was our hero! And by the way...that's one thing we say from Oklahoma..."I'm fixin' to..." It doesn't matter what it is...first, we get our fixin' energy mojo moving! 

Weather is a big topic in Oklahoma. In April, a tornado took a swash out of Shawnee Oklahoma. Sister Gayle's house is no more...Luckily, no one was injured, but the devastation is still evident; many businesses are not open, and many folks are still displaced. I grew up with tornados, and I had forgotten the power.

This tornado was at treetop level, and the idea is that is why many lives were saved. It sucked up tall trees and took off a gazillion roofs as it moved through. It is that powerful vortex that starts the havoc, not just high winds. Yes, it does sound very loud and like a freight train coming down on you. Yes, it gets dark and sometimes green if it happens during the day. But after the incredible noise, there is an incredible silence... And here is your tornado tip for the week:

Do NOT go outside and look up...

...because all those trees and roofs and semi tractor trailers are about to succumb to gravity and come right back down to earth! It is this part of a tornado that can cause the tremendous additional damage. Yes, I did want to be a weather girl when younger. 


Here is a list of things that our visit to Oklahoma reminded me of...things I don't do or see regularly...

  • Iced tea makers alongside the coffee maker
  • Sonic drive-in happy hour
  • Rose rocks (found only in Turkey and Oklahoma! OK, yes there may be some in southern Kansas. 
  • Red dirt...not pink or blush...red
  • Thunder basketball
  • Scissor-Tail Flycatchers
  • Crepe Myrtle Trees
  • Weekly tornado warning sirens and safe storm rooms for your home
  • Too hot to walk by 9am
  • Beautiful sunsets that I can see for miles.
  • Roadrunners

But most important of all - My sisters, and their families, and our friends. Fran, I'm talking about you. 

And here are some lovely shots, curtesy of family who actually do take pictures and don't forget to...like me:

                       









Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Oregon Coast on 101, Turn Left in California!

Image
We are heading down the coast sampling State Parks and figuring out next steps right before we take them. I’m so proud of myself for not being hysterical; I’m finding that tiny spark of “it’s really OK joy” in my lack of total control. The coast provides a slideshow of spectacular views; I’ll insert some of the many places we explored.  The coast road on 101 is still in repair mode, and we can see where the storms have taken bites out of the road. Looks like the repairs are repairs to the quick fixes earlier. Down the coast of Oregon and CA, we stayed in state parks...Nehalem Bay, Humbug Mountain (Bah!)! It was lovely.    Cruising into California, we lucked out and got a place in the Redwoods...we just drove through Avenue of the Giants...and it was a different world. Our campground was once again (Yes! we stayed there in 2017) Hidden Springs in the Humboldt Redwoods State Park. Put this on your list, because you must just feel the trees and have conversations with them. ...
Read more