It’s been over two months since I blogged but the only person to complain is daughter Miranda, who already knows everything that is happening! Like I said in my last blog, it’s not because we haven’t had plenty of things going on; it’s been because we have had a lot of things going on!

Let’s see, we took our annual family MEA trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior in October; I followed that up with the annual deer hunt in early November. Our Tulsa roofing and drywall contractors finally wrapped up their work last week, and our house in North Branch is very nearly complete.

Our family has been going to the North Shore for almost as long as I can remember. Although I’ve never heard it said, I think it started out as a pre-deer hunting trip to ensure the shack was intact. After my brother Doug and I were old enough to have our gun safety certifications out of the way, it was made a grouse hunting trip with Uncle Tip and cousins Tom and John. We had a lot of great times staying at the deer shack, shot a lot of grouse with our single shot 20 gauge shotguns without shooting one another, and fought our way through plenty of thick alder brush while Dad was looking for deer sign.

Our trips have gradually been refined to having the family stay in a fine condo with all or more than the comforts of home. However, we still do a lot of hiking and always include the deer shack as a destination point with a packed-in lunch. This year Mark, Joe, and Miranda went up early and started hiking on the Superior Hiking Trail that starts at the Canadian border. They had planned hiking about 40 miles but Joe had a mishap and his knee gave out, so they had to come off the trail early. They did, however, hike into the deer shack and stay overnight as Miranda had never spent the night there.
Mark, Greg and daughter Jordan, Miranda and Joe, and Barb and I had a very nice condo for three nights overlooking Moose Mountain, Lake Superior, and the Lutsen Ski Area. The weather was perfect – sunny and cool, and we did a number of hikes to various peaks on the Superior Hiking Trail. We also took in a little shopping at Grand Marias for Moose Madness Days. Several people got involved in preparing food, and so we all ate well. It was a little quiet without Jake and Rebecca but hopefully they will be with next year. I hope to hunt some birds next year, too.

Seems like we were no more than home, and we turned around and went back; this time for deer hunting. Son Mark and I joined cousins Tom, John, Randy, and Howard, as well as family friends Mac McGillivray and Tom Anderson. The deer shack was built in 1940. In a recent conversation with my 88 year old Uncle Warren, my Dad and his Uncle Raymond Peterson took off for the north shore in the early evening of July 3 with a load of used and salvaged lumber in a pre-1940 truck to build the hunting cabin. Warren said you could hear the truck coming and going from a mile off. The following day Warren (Age 17) and his mother Miranda, along with Raymond’s son Dick (age 15) and Raymond’s wife Sybil, George Barrett, Leonard Nelson, and Art Anderson and his wife joined Raymond and Dad, and construction began. The floor was done on day one, and they all slept on the 12 by 18 foot space. The mosquitoes and noseeums were awful, and Warren remembered that Leonard’s neck swelled up from all the bites. The deer shack, however, was no doubt completed on time and under budget and has been in use for the past 71 years. With seven hunters and master chef Howard we had another great year, even if only one deer was shot. The generations may change, but the stories seem to stay the same.

This weekend was pretty much typical for us – a symphony chamber music series Friday night. We woke up early to sing Happy Birthday to daughter Miranda on her 33rd birthday! This was followed by building a wheelchair ramp Saturday with our church men’s group, a movie (J. Edgar) Saturday night with our church movie group, church and breakfast out Sunday morning, a documentary at The Circle Cinema Sunday afternoon, calling the kids to catch up, and relaxing at home the rest of the day.

Next week is Thanksgiving, and we will be flying to Minnesota to have dinner with my brother Doug and his wife Jenny and family. This should be fun. Our new house in North Branch is coming along great. We believe the new appliances will be delivered tomorrow (Monday) and we will be working with North Prairie Tile next Friday to finalize the tile design and color selection. There is one more coat of finish to put on the oak floors, and once the carpet is installed, that should be about it. Barb and I are both real happy with how our vision has turned into a reality.

Time and life marches on…faster and faster.

I haven’t written anything since we got back from Colorado and Wyoming. It’s not because we haven’t had plenty of things going on; it’s been because we have had a lot of things going on! Maybe that’s why folks Facebook.

I celebrated my 64th birthday. We celebrated our 36th wedding anniversary. No party central for either of them, but we felt both were worth noting although not many others did. Amazing how that works!

The weather finally left the daily 100 degree mark. In fact, we had one day recently when the high was broken on the low side by six degrees! We even received an inch and a half of rain last night! It’s like getting out of weather jail as we now can take the boys for walks!

Volunteer work hasn’t stopped. Men in Mission, the men’s group I lead at Fellowship, kicked off for the fall with our Saturday morning breakfasts and programs. Part of the group built a wheelchair ramp yesterday. Barb has been doing two days per week at the Day Center for the Homeless plus a number of hours at Assistance League. Now that school has started, she is gearing up for more tours for school kids.

The Tulsa Symphony season began September 10 with its first concert. Barb had arranged lunch for all the musicians after their last pre-concert practice, and as usual, it went off without a hitch. We were invited to an opening event, which featured the Tulsa Symphony and other arts groups, at the brand new Lorton Performance Hall at Tulsa University.

We took a Bob and Marianne Pickering on an Oklahoma Route 66 cultural Saturday road trip to view the Blue Whale, the Totem Pole Park, and the Will Rogers Museum. A fine dining experience was included in the day. We also took in the last evening game of the Tulsa Drillers – a losing effort despite a sold out stadium complete with fireworks!

We celebrated a 75th birthday at a family party for Erv Janssen, one of the movers and shakers of all things Guyana – nobody is more driven or more energetic in volunteerism.

We experienced the food and joy of being Greek at the Greek Festival, which takes place just a couple of blocks from our home and also the Rock n Rib Festival before attending the Alan Jackson concert at the BOK Center. We’ve taken in a few movies worth noting – Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Help, The Debt, Sarah’s Key, and just tonight, The Guard. British humor cracks me up.

I’ve probably missed a lot of details and even events, but we have been keeping busy.

I write as a journal to capture the good times of life. This may be beyond blog length, but it is your choice to read it!

After a busy morning at work for me, and busy for Barb trying to get some work out of the roofing contractors, we left Tulsa about noon heading west. Barb was driving knowing that I hadn’t fully disconnected from work. Our destination was Guymon, OK; basically a five hour road trip provided there were no stops. Barb was hoping for stops. I was just hoping to get disengaged from work.

Even though there is no one terrain in Oklahoma, it’s easy to think of it as flat and red. We started in Green Country with trees and hills, but soon the sky became the prominent feature. The road was smooth and most of the traffic was made up of white pickup trucks and semis hauling oil field equipment. We drove into Enid and drove downtown in search of a local café for lunch but gave up on that idea. Enid, as a regional center, is filled with large buildings that probably belonged to a different era, but everything looked well maintained. We settled for lunch at Appleby’s – good food but service that was more intent on style than substance. I climbed in behind the wheel after lunch and took off. We had driven a good mile before Barb spotted an antique mall. No treasures to be found this time.

Our trip took us through the unique and beautiful gloss mountains, but with outdoor temperatures reaching 111 degrees we didn’t stop and hike around. We did encounter some construction but the road was a good one – smooth and straight – very straight!

We reached Guymon about 5:45 pm and checked into a new and nice Holiday Inn Express. The desk clerk suggested a couple of local restaurants – we settled for Eddie’s Steak and Seafood located next to the Pop a Top Bar. According to the very efficient waitress, Eddie’s had been in Guymon for some thirty years, previously a bottle club when the county was dry, and the décor was clean, dark, and reminiscent of the 1980’s. There was a regular parade of customers; some local families and some obviously oil and gas workers. Although the food was not cheap, the quality was good, and we were well satisfied with the dining experience. The man at the end of the bar, who I want to assume was Eddie, nodded to us as we left and thanked us for coming in.

We did a quick drive around of the city, and passed by the golf course (looked like a league night), the football stadium, and the rodeo grounds – all required staples of a prosperous Oklahoma community.

Apparently not all Holiday Inn Express Guests enjoy what they have at home, as there was a notice posted that said “We know you appreciate the quality amenities of the Holiday Inn Express. Because of this, the executive innkeeper has made them available for sale. If you choose to simply take these amenities, we will assume you have given permission to charge them to your account.” The list includes large towel for $20, a sheet set for $60, the comforter for $80, the radio for $45, the hairdryer for $50, and the iron and board for $30. Imagine making off with all that loot!

We had a nice quick breakfast in the hotel gathering area – Barb enjoying biscuits and gravy with ham and two conveyer belt pancakes for me. I slipped into the driver’s seat and after a couple of wrong turns we were on our way. Barb spotted a herd of buffalo, a well-camouflaged coyote that ran across a wheat field before stopping to look back, and a couple of prong-horned deer eating peacefully in a field. The road was exceptionally smooth despite the fact that heavy trucks use it regularly. If Montana can be called Big Sky Country, then this is Enormous Sky Country. The only thing between earth and sky on the horizon were power poles and wind generators. The outlines of the mountains came into view.

Our drive eventually got us to Canon City where we decided to do a little Tommy Tourist action and see the Royal Gorge. Prior to heading there, however, there was the matter of lunch. Based on an ad in a Colorado travel guide we picked up in Lamar, we chose Merlinos’ Belvedere, an Italian eatery that had been serving southern Colorado for over 65 years. We chose well. We headed for the Royal Gorge, and decided we had time to walk across the suspension bridge, do the aerial tram (suspended 1100 ft above the river) and do the incline railway that descends at a 45 degree angle some 1500 feet to the bottom of the gorge. Plenty of rafters were using the river for recreation and a sightseeing train also made good use of the scenery. It is hard to believe this is the Arkansas River, the same one that we have a block from our house in Tulsa. We can see ours for nothing; this entry fee was $25 because we are “seniors”, we got in for $21 each.

We traveled the back roads on our way to Breckenridge; it was a perfect day to follow the Arkansas River and watch all the fly fishermen try their luck. Our speed wasn’t great, but it felt fast with all the twists and turns. I set Miss M (our Magellan GPS) for Breckenridge, and the GPS said we would arrive just after 7:00 pm. It started to rain and we watched the temp suddenly cool to 54 degrees – roughly half of what we drove through in western Oklahoma!

Miss M got us to our destination (“you have arrived”) of the Beaver Run Resort. We checked in and found our room immediately disappointing and unacceptable. It was at ground level with a few of a retaining wall – are you kidding me?! Barb called and got us moved to the fifth floor – at least a view of the mountainside. I don’t think we will have to read about the price of any of these amenities, but we unpacked and said “fine”. We donned our Gore-Tex raincoats and walked downhill in the rain to the bar and grill where the Quittners and other guests would meet us later. We had an unmemorable Slider Sampler with Barb having a glass of wine and me a Coors Light. George and Sharon arrived after we were done eating, and then others; handshakes and hugs all around. Before long we bid them adieu and headed uphill to our quarters. Keep in mind the town sits at 9600 feet of elevation – we needed more red corpuscles!

We went to bed thinking it was going to be cold and rainy for our 9:00 am tee time and we would not get to golf. Instead, we woke to a cool but clear blue sky when we looked out the window. We headed for the golf club after showering in one of the most unusual Jacuzzi tub–shower combinations ever. We headed down the valley and checked in at the Jack Nicklaus designed Breckenridge Golf Club. A guy named Al from Dallas joined us. Sometimes you can get an odd duck if you are not a foursome, but Al turned out to be a fun guy.

Both Barb and I played well; perhaps due to the fact that green fees were $125 each. Barb shot a very steady 96 and I turned in an 80 with a couple of birdies. An old dog appeared on one hole that felt obliged to take my ball and run off with it. Since he was old and had obvious hip problems, I was able to catch it, wrestle the ball from his mouth, and after wiping the slime off, the ball was still good for a par. The course was impeccable, the day just warm enough, the pace of play just right, with absolutely no wind. The highest tee box was at 9450 feet! We had a nice lunch on the golf course patio after the round and I couldn’t help but buy a shirt.

We stopped to pick up our Breckenridge Music Festival tickets for the later this evening. We both took a nap after getting back to the room as neither of us had slept all that well last night.

Our first stop for Saturday evening was the Quittners “Meet and Greet” event at The Mother Lode. It was great to see their daughter Michelle and meet her soon to be husband Brandon, as well as see their son Adam again. Michelle and Brandon work at The Mother Lode. Adam has been a ranch hand in Montana but is heading to Hawaii to hopefully do the same! Both Michelle and Adam are very outgoing and friendly, and treated us like old friends.

We sat with Iris and Marty Ricks (George and Sharon’s friends from Omaha and Barb and Iris were in the same book club), Carol (a friend from New York), and Nancy (Sharon’s sister) and her husband, Steve. We shook hands with or politely hugged many others but names escape as I write. At any rate, the place was packed with friends of the families and had become loud with exuberant chatter. It was becoming difficult to carry on a conversation when we left for our next engagement.

Our next stop was the Breckenridge Music Festival concert at the Riverwalk Center – the last event of the BMF season. We were going because we knew Tim McFadden, the Tulsa Orchestra Manager and Principal Trumpet, takes part in this orchestra every summer. Gerhardt Zimmerman, who has guest conducted for Tulsa at least a couple of times, is the Music Director. We didn’t know that two other musicians from the Tulsa Symphony also play in the Breckenridge Orchestra – violinist Winona Fifield and trumpeter Steve Haefner. Tim and Steve had a trumpet duet with the orchestra titled Carmen Fantasy for Two Trumpets that brought the house to its feet.

We made it back to the hotel finding no place to park our car. One of the reasons for this was the Triumph motor car convention being held here. We had talked to one guy from Minnesota who had made the trip and saw those little cars with license plates from all over. I’m thinking it would be a long drive in a TR6 no matter how cute they were. Beaver Run Resort is not getting high marks from us for a variety of reasons, but parking is high on the list.

We woke to slightly grayer skies and another altitude dehydration headache. As is a familiar morning conversation, Barb said I snored a lot and I said that was impossible because she kept me awake with her snoring. We mastered the Jacuzzi tub-shower with backward turning faucets today and the shower was better.

We headed to Columbine’s for breakfast, was excellent with very good service. After breakfast we walked up the road stopping in numerous shops. We finally made Market Place and found the Breckenridge Outdoor Market. I bought a new hat “to keep the sun from my eyes”. Barb found some of her favorite Navajo artist Tommy Singer jewelry and we called it an anniversary gift. We wandered across the street to Breckenridge Photography to get my broken camera repaired. It had popped out of my backpack yesterday and shattered the UV filter on the telephoto lens when it hit the tile floor. The store was closed.

We gave up waiting and drove to the Breckenridge Gondola – free ride to the top! There we found a Breckenridge version of the alpine slide that was pretty long, mini golf, bungee cords, pony rides, a maze, fake mountain climbing and other family fun! After getting to the top of the gondola, we paid $6 each to take the chairlift to an elevation of 11,273 feet. I know Barb remembers her last time on a chairlift – it was many, many years ago in Vail, and that was the end of her skiing! It was a fun and inexpensive trip up the chairlift, and about half way up we began to see all kinds of beads in the pine trees. Wonder how that happened. Many folks were hauling their bikes to the top and taking them down the hill. It would be a lot of brake work, but we saw young families making a go of it. We rode the gondola down, and Barb made a call to the photo shop in a last chance attempt.

Because my UV filter and been dented, crushed, and shattered, it was my intention to have a camera shop somehow get it off and simply buy a new UV filter. That almost happened, but soon we were talking about a new 18 – 200 Nikkor lens and then a new body. Instead of a new filter, I walked out of the camera shop with a new camera and lens – my anniversary and birthday gift I guess! Barb will not have to carry a lens when we are using my camera now! She was quick to tell me that her jewelry didn’t cost as much as my camera stuff.

We made it back to the room in time to get dressed up for the wedding of Michelle Quittner and Brandon Doza, which was taking place outdoors at Beaver Run Resort. Michelle’s parents, George and Sharon Quittner, made it to Miranda’s wedding in Georgia, and quite frankly, this was one wedding that we didn’t want to miss. The marriage celebration was Jewish and I must say very joyous and meaningful.

With perhaps the exception of my brothers wedding to a Jewish girl, we believed this was going to be the first Jewish traditional wedding we had experienced. The groom was not Jewish but had pledged to follow the Jewish traditions. The weather cooperated and the event went as planned outdoors on the patio at Beaver Run. The crowd gathered and found seating with most everyone dressed pretty formally, a far cry from the casual western – outdoor wear that is the staple of the area. The Jewish men wore purple (the color of the day) Jewish yarmulke – think beanie.

The groom took his place and the wedding party marched in – ten male and female attendants plus the cute flower girl and ring bearer! A simple acoustic guitar melody was played as George and Sharon escorted Michelle down the aisle. Michelle was absolutely radiant and beautiful as a bride. Rabbi Benjamin Arnold, who goes by Jamie, took control of the event at this point, and did a wonderful job of explaining the traditions and customers of the wedding ceremony.

The Ketubah comes first, which is the signing of the written marriage contract between the bride and groom. Historically, it outlined the groom’s responsibilities for the proper support of the new bride; today it is more of the mutual promises of support, care, and friendship to one another. The wedding takes place under a Chuppah, which is a cloth canopy under which the wedding ceremony takes place. It represents the home and is open on all four sides signaling openness and hospitality to all who pass by. The Chuppah today was one used as a prayer shawl for Saul, Sharon’s father. Each corner was held up by a parent of the lovely couple. During the ceremony, the bride and groom circled each other several times as a means of signifying that no matter where their individual journeys take them, they will always turn first to each other. It also reflects the idea that husband and wife must be the sacred focus of each other’s attention. The wedding includes an engagement ritual called an Erusion, a blessing recited over a full cup of wine that testifies to the holiness that must be a part of the physical and emotional intimacies of a marriage. The Sheva Brachot, or seven blessings, is a reminder of the sacred dimension of life that exists between a man and a woman. At the conclusion of the seventh blessing, the bride and groom again drank from the second cup of wine. The wedding ceremony concludes with the breaking of the glass. We are told there are many interpretations of this tradition, but it symbolizes the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 70 C.E and is a reminder that even in moments of great joy, the world is very fragile. The last step in the wedding was the Yichud, or Seclusion. Immediately after the ceremony, the bride and groom retreat to a separate room to jointly savor the first moments of marriage to each other.

This was a beautiful, joyous, and meaningful wedding ceremony and I think many of us could learn from the Jewish wedding traditions and customs.

I had to ask the radiant Michelle and smiling Brandon about the last tradition when they returned to the reception, and although they admitted they knew what the tradition was for, they quickly said they instead took a “chill pill”.

After the reception, it was time for the wedding dinner and dance, and we drove to the Salt Creek Bar and Grill in downtown Breckenridge. The bride and groom arrived stylishly and very eco-friendly in a pedicab, a three wheeled human powered carriage. I can’t imagine the endurance and power of pedaling such a rig at 9600 feet of elevation. We were seated with a host of friends of George and Sharon, and each had an important connection to the family. The speeches were good, and although the food service required patience, the food was very good. Michelle and Brandon had the first dance, and it was a showpiece, and a lot of fun to watch. It was obvious they had taken lessons and it appeared the dance instructor had done an excellent job and they were excellent students. It was as good as Dancing with the Stars! This was followed by George dancing with Michelle and finished with the traditional dance where the bride and groom are placed on chairs and hoisted into the air holding a large hankie between them, dancing them around the dance floor.

We said our good-byes to George and Sharon, and headed back to Beaver Run to pack and get ready for our trip to Wyoming. Although we didn’t sleep all that well, we didn’t get out of bed until after 7:00 am, and so didn’t get on the road until almost 8:30 am – late for us. We filled the car with gas and hit the interstate to Denver and then north on 287 to Tie Siding. The haze over Denver was noticeable. We called Bill and Claudia when we left Fort Collins. They were in Laramie getting new tires for her Honda CRV. Bill said he would meet us at the second ranch gate about 1:00 pm and we followed him in his Polaris 4-wheeler up to Diamond View Ranch, where we were welcomed with handshakes and hugs.

We decided a hike on Elk Ridge was in order sometime after a late lunch and so we donned the proper foot gear and headed out. This was supposed to be level terrain, and it was in comparison to other steeper trails on the ranch. We headed back when the weather clouds appeared to surround us. We relaxed with a cold drink and conversation on the back porch, catching up on details of their and our lives, as well as those of mutual friends. It was soon time for dinner – pasta with artichoke spaghetti sauce and cheese bread, topped off with special brownies that were adjusted for the altitude.

Bill and I took the Polaris out for an evening ride, and spotted a very black bull moose near the trail. We stopped, and he looked at us. We got closer and the moose started licking his lips, a sign of aggression per a TV show Bill had recently watched. We backed up, and then decided to go past him at high speed. I thought this was fine for Bill as the moose was on my side, but the moose high-tailed it into the woods. We continued on the trails that go to all the trout fishing ponds and then back to the ranch house. We reported our finds to the girls, talked a while more, and then hit the bed.

Fishing was supposed to be our morning activity, and so we drove to the new FC Fishing Club leased pond. It’s a great spot but the wind was going to make paddling around in float tubes extra difficult, so we nixed the fishing. We had seen Steve working at the old Tie Siding cemetery when we went fishing, so we stopped and visited him on the way back. Steve is 80 years old and looks like a typical old cowboy – narrow at the waist, wiry build, big belt buckle, and a smoke between two fingers. He was putting up a new steel fence to protect the cemetery from cattle and other critters. He had one reference where he talked about “guys our age” that made me wonder how decrepit I looked.

The girls were waiting when we returned. Since we couldn’t fish, we had given them their choice of things to do. Barb had suggested seeing some of Laramie’s historic sites, something Bill and Claudia had yet to do. There was not an overwhelming positive response from the boys, so Claudia suggested lunch at Adale’ Rapido as part of the tour, and Bill was hooked as this was one of his favorite Mexican cafés. We drove to Laramie, and during lunch, I pulled out the You Tube Ultimate Dog Tease video which was immensely enjoyed. We were off to the historic Ivinson Mansion, and got hooked up with a wonderful docent.

The Ivinson Mansion was built in 1892, and had to be one of the areas finest homes. It was Victorian Queen Anne in style and had twenty three rooms, with each room featuring different woods. The most amazing room to me was the bathroom – indoor plumbing in Laramie, Wyoming in 1892!? The shower had an overhead shower head as well as two side sprays. You could use foot pedals to control water flow. Edward Ivinson came in on one of the first trains to Laramie in 1868 on his way to California, but had to stay in Laramie when he was involved in a lawsuit. He ended up staying and after bringing in wife and daughter to Laramie, seemed to have the Midas touch, becoming an entrepreneur, banker, and even a candidate for Governor.

After we walked the Union pacific Railroad Pedestrian Footbridge, we completed our touring with a stop at the historic Buckhorn Bar for a cold beverage. Laramie, as a frontier town full of railroad men and cowboys, has had its share of saloons and bars. The establishment was originally called Blair and McCane’s Saloon in 1913, but changed to the Buckhorn Bar in the 1930’s, and has quite a collection of novelties on the wall, and in our view, an interesting collection of characters that grace the bar and tables.
A stop at Bart’s Flea Market on the way home finished out our day. Barb spotted a Charles Lindbergh Spirit of St Louis plate in the Laramie Women’s Club booth, and for $20 it was mine. The proceeds from the Women’s Club booth all go to maintain the Ivinson Mansion, so it was a full circle purchase.

It was time for cocktails when we got home, and Bill had made up a batch of “greenies”, a frozen concoction of various alcohols and frozen limeade. A fabulous steak dinner followed later, and it was accompanied by all the good things that come from Costco, Bill’s new favorite store. We enjoyed the conversation that went along with dinner as much as the food. The evening called for a walk under the stars, and we were able to spot the space station as it went overhead. A trip to the hot tub was a perfect way to end the day, and once we saw a shooting star and a satellite, it was time for bed.

We slept as well as one can on a full stomach, and the morning was perfect for another attempt to fish at the new fishing club pond. The wind was non-existent and the sun was bright, and after a quick breakfast of Cheerios with fruit and some wonderful zucchini-apple bread, Bill and I headed out with the back of his Tahoe loaded with float tubes, waders, boots, flippers, and poles. After donning the gear and getting adjusted to the float tube, I immediately hooked a very nice rainbow trout! Any day when I am not skunked is a good day. Bill, who loves to fly fish, was regularly catching fish, but he thought it was a little slow. I had a couple more on later but it wasn’t until much later that I landed another rainbow – he had a lot of fight and spun my tube around a number of times before I was able to bring him in. Bill took some pictures, and even captured one with the fishing jumping out of the water while he was on my line. I hope he sends those to me. I felt very relaxed on the water, and miles away from work details.

We loaded up, headed for home, stopped to get the mail in Tie Siding, and unloaded the gear once we made it. Claudia and Barb had a nice lunch ready, and the boys were hungry. Claudia and Barb had taken the Polaris out for a nice trail ride in the morning. Naps followed lunch. Bill and I took the Polaris out on the trails later in the afternoon, but were home in time for some chips and guacamole washed down by a margarita. Dinner was tostada pie, something from the South Beach diet book that was quite good. The meal was finished by another South Beach specialty – fresh strawberries covered in dark chocolate. We haven’t lost any weight on this trip. We finished the waking portion of our wonderful day with the Clint Eastwood directed Japanese story of Letters from Iwo Jima. War is hell.

On Thursday we woke to clear skies and star-filled sunrise. Our plan today is to drive to Denver to have lunch with George and Sharon, and then head towards home. After a breakfast made complete with some of Claudia’s special “hash”, we gathered up our things, took the required front porch picture, and said our good-byes with hugs and handshakes. We headed down Deer Path Road, and made our way off the ranch property. We saw one the black squirrels on the way down.

We hit Highway 287 toward Fort Collins, and then took I25 to I76 where we turned west toward Grand Junction. We found the little deli-café called Parisi where George and Sharon would meet us for lunch. George showed up right on time but Sharon wasn’t far behind. We visited a while outdoors and then went inside to dine. As is usually the case, there was no shortage of conversation points. As we were leaving, Sharon spotted a mail truck, and ran across the street with a letter that she had brought to mail. How could she have known the mail truck would show up at this time? Handshakes and hugs, and we are off again, this time on I70 going east. We are soon out of the Denver congestion and civilization, and the territory is almost barren. We lose the hour we gained driving west, and we stop at another Holiday Inn Express in Colby to spend the night. A Taco Johns next door to the hotel is too much temptation – no driving required and a sweet churro for me for dessert!

We didn’t get up as early as planned, but did hit the road shortly before 8:00 am after a Holiday Inn breakfast. The roads were clear, smooth and mostly devoid of any traffic, so driving was easy except that it was into the sun. I was hoping that the road signs calling for us to see the Russian pig and the live 5 legged steer call wouldn’t be too much temptation, but I gave in to Barb when she said we have to stop at Wilson, the Czech Capital of Kansas to see the giant Czech egg. We drove around and finally stopped at an antique store to ask where the egg was, and got an earful. The lady said as far as she was concerned, it was false advertising. She said the egg was now at least ordered, and we should go down to the Chamber of Commerce office and give the lady President an earful. We declined, but did drive by the little round jail.

Since we were already off the road, Barb said we might as well head toward Lindsborg, the Swedish Capital of Kansas for lunch.

On the way, I spotted a sign for a Kansas Motorcycle Museum in Marquette, and we were both amazed when we went in at all the motorcycles and bikes and scooters. This museum was started in 2003 as a tribute to Marquette’s own Stan “The Man” Engdahl, a five time National Racing Champion. It is home to well over 100 rare and vintage motorcycles, as well as over 600 trophies won by Stan from the 40’s to the 90’s. Mr. Engdahl, who owned a TV store in this little town, passed away in 2007 while on a fire call, but his widow LaVona remains as the curator of this fabulous museum.

We headed to Lindsborg and ate at our favorite Swedish Crowne Restaurant, splitting a Swedish Sampler Platter (boiled eggs, ham loaf, meat balls, new dill potatoes, pickled herring, pickled beets and a rye roll). I couldn’t resist the bread pudding covered with lingonberries for a dessert, which even Barb said was fabulous. Of course we stopped at the Courtyard Gallery and bought a John Presley woodcarving titled “Keeping the Flame Alive” and then Hemslojd-Dala Horse Factory where we bought a few more things, the last purchases of our trip. I know we will have to have a garage sale when we move next.

The temperatures had been steadily climbing, and we encountered 104 degrees before hitting Tulsa. We were home by 5:00 pm, and the boys were happy to see us. We drove 1842 miles in eight days and got 20.8 miles to the gallon in the Explorer. It has now been washed and detailed and is ready for rain. It was a good trip made where I was actually disconnected for a while, but it was made special by seeing old friends and making new memories.

It was about six months ago when Tulsa experienced one of its coldest and snowiest two week periods in recorded history. The theme then was “what about global warming?” I’m not so sure right now – it’s been another brutally hot week with actual temperatures as high as 113 degrees. I can’t imagine life without air conditioning, and our two central air conditioners have been running pretty steady to keep us comfortable at 75 degrees. I almost get nervous when the air isn’t running…..did it break?! Looking at the Minnesota forecast for this week indicates the daily highs will be about 75 degrees!

Today was church, a trip to the Gilcrease to see a couple of new exhibitions, and then the movie Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Two thumbs up with exceptional special effects, technology, and what must be costumes and make-up….if they weren’t we better be afraid! We tried to see it last night but a major electrical and wind storm blew through Tulsa just as the movie was to start and knocked out all twenty digital projectors. We got our money back and went out to dinner instead.

High winds in North Branch last week meant our builder was focused on doing some roofing repair on other homes. The house is coming along nicely and we have no real deadline. Our contractor has been great to work with; it’s a good thing as it’s a long way between here and there.

We started out the weekend on Friday night with the movie Cowboys and Aliens. We went on the advice of friends who said it was good and they were right….at least once we got beyond the believability aspect….it was very entertaining and a lot of fun. Harrison Ford makes a good old crotchety cowboy.

We had no concrete plans for Saturday but knew we were not going to be holed up in the confines of a shades-drawn lights out home. I was up early and took the boys for their first outdoor walk of any length in some time. Although it was just 6:30 a.m., there were a lot of runners and bikers and walkers out, plus a few homeless folks still sleeping under the 21st Street Bridge. After getting cleaned up for the day we grabbed a couple of iced coffees at Quik Trip and drove out to visit the folks at CarFX. After that visit we headed for the flea market that takes place every Saturday at the Tulsa Fair Grounds – it’s a great way to kill a couple of hours in air conditioned space picking through treasures. We found a few treasures – the most notable being a Davy Crockett vinyl and sweater material cardigan complete with a Davy Crockett pin. Because this was from the mid 1950’s, the condition would indicate that it was only worn on Sunday or for special events! We visited a couple of other actual antique shops but didn’t find a lot of additional treasure.

Speaking of treasure, stocks lost a trillion dollars in value last week. I hope the folks who represent us in congress (all of them) are happy with themselves. S&P’s downgrading of US debt late Friday after a small market rally will no doubt create additional worries and additional value loss. This is why work remains a blessing!

Hot, hot, hot…seems to be the current weather theme for us. Prior to last week’s business trip to Eagan, we had already experienced a 103 day in Minnesota. Last week it was hotter in Minneapolis than it was in the Amazon jungle, so you know it was hot and humid. Hot has been the key word in Tulsa, too…in fact I believe we are on our 23rd day of 100 degrees or better…or is it worse. At any rate, we have sequestered ourselves to the indoors and it is getting old.

Our Minnesota house is coming along slowly but surely – the windows and doors were installed last week and the siding was delivered. We believe its proceeding better than we hoped, but a lot of detail work remains. Our business meeting took us to the Minnesota Twins game while in Minnesota, and the Twins won in the bottom of the ninth – doesn’t get any better than that – even on a hot and humid night!

Yesterday we had some of the coveted tickets to the Antique Road Show as it came through Tulsa. Over 20,000 people applied for 3,000 tickets, and we got ours through a donation to OETA. We were each allowed to bring two items for appraisal – we chose what we believe is a Stickley child’s desk that we bought 20 years ago for around $200, an 1891 print that was sitting in our garage, a Majolica pottery piece that first belonged to Grandma Michel’s grandmother, and a large Navajo rug we bought at auction. We found out the print was from the “etching revival” period and valued at about $75, the English Majolica vase about $100, the Navajo rug $600 to $700, and our Gustav Stickley 1912 table in the range of $3000 to $5000. We didn’t make any TV taping but the Roadshow did tape enough for three shows that will be aired in 2012. We finished our Saturday with a trip to the flea market looking for treasure (none found) and going to Captain America (great action movie with two thumbs up from Barb).

I broke the indoor sequester and took the boys on an hour walk at 5:30 am today, but their stints outdoors are mostly for their daily chores. They were quick to rest their warm bellies on the coolness of the bathroom tile when we returned. Church this morning was a full one hour fifteen minutes, some 30 minutes longer than the service last week in North Branch. As has been our custom, we enjoyed breakfast with Jill and Jeremy, now engaged for a full week. Their wedding is October 8.

We just watched the National Baseball Hall of Fame induction of Minnesota Twins pitcher and now TV announcer Bert Blyleven. He gave the best speech of the three inducted today, and both stuck to his script and ad-libbed, something hard to do. There were a lot of Minnesota fans in the audience, and a lot of Circle-Me-Bert signs. Pitcher Jim Katt gave a great recorded intro, and noted what a prankster Bert was. No mention of Sid Hartman, but I’m confident Sid will have a good newspaper column on Bert’s introduction in the Minneapolis Tribune on Monday.

Not sure anyone even reads these posts by the absence of comments, but it is a good spot to record some of lifes moments.

Another hot Sunday might in Oklahoma – a very sunny 103 degrees, and I just returned from a walk along the river. Except for a naked black man standing in calf deep water in the river, there were not goofy folks out and about. Interestingly enough, the outdoor café was open and a couple of customers were drinking to the sounds of a man-woman singing and guitar duo.

I probably need to catch up from last weekend first – the Independence Day three day holiday weekend! We took in the movie Larry Crowne Friday night with Phill and Janice, and then went to Cosmos for a drink and to share our house progress. We took in the movie Buck (two thumbs up) at the Circle Cinema on Saturday, and then of course had church on Sunday. On Sunday night we took about 35 folks from our church to the Drillers baseball game – I had the ONEOK Suite and Barb and I sprung for food and drink. One of our guests had never been to a professional baseball game before! On Monday our highlight was the always hot ONEOK family picnic at the Harweldon Mansion with fireworks afterwards.

I’m sure the four day work week was filled with five days worth of work, with the saving grace being there were many on vacation so there were meetings cancelled.
We started this weekend with Bob and Marianne Pickering at a Summerstage concert with songstress Janet Rutland and her Trailer Town band. We have seen Janet previously at the Jazz Hall of Fame and she is incredible with jazz and the old standards. She is just as engaging with country, and her smile alone immediately engages the audience. I took in a gun show and flea market with Bob on Saturday…both wives were happy they didn’t have to attend another gun show.

We were back at the Summerstage series Saturday night to see a harp and viola duo that did an hour of classic rock and pop standards – a great show with a sound unlike any other arrangement when it comes to these songs. Sunday morning came with the intense heat still in place. Barb and I were greeters at church which is always fun. We had a Pastor Ed Decker fill-in for Pastor Fox while he is in Mexico with the church youth building a house. Today is the one year anniversary for the plane crash that took Joe, Lonnie, and Rick from our congregation. We had a coupon for IHOP and Jeremy and Jill met us there – we had the usual Swedish crepes.

We watch some golf in the 73 degree coolness of our house, but decide to see if we can get into the National Appaloosa Show going on at the fairgrounds. It is amazing how many huge trailers there are from all over the country – pulled by big pickup trucks. Horses are big money for Tulsa as there is a horse show about every other week – we have a wonderful arena and other buildings for horses – all air conditioned, of course.

A full work and volunteer week is ahead of us.

Nearly half the year is gone already. How is that possible?

It was another very busy one, with Monday being a half day of work, and then a charity golf event at Forest Ridge with the temps at 95 and 35 mph winds. That was followed by an overnight storm with sleep interrupted and then rising at 4 am to get to the airport for a 6 am flight to Midland. I found out the flight was cancelled just as I was ready to step into the garage. Instead, we skipped Midland and instead drove six hours to Amarillo and back the next day after an employee meeting. That left Thursday and Friday, with Thursday evening taken by a Tulsa Symphony Orchestra Board Meeting.

Barb also had a very busy week, with her usual volunteer activities and then an 18-hole scramble golf tournament at South Lakes. She had no wind which made the day very hot!

We occupied ourselves Friday evening by buying bathroom light fixtures, and The Bourne Identity.

On Saturday I had a wheelchair ramp project followed by a symphony meeting. I was early to the ramp project but I noticed I had a low tire pressure light on. A quick check of tire pressure revealed which tire it was, and further investigation revealed a screw in the tread. I quickly drove to a tire shop and had it plugged. I didn’t want to have to change it after it went flat! The ramp project and symphony meeting went well, and I drove home to take a quick shower. Barb had completed the weekly weeding and gone the extra mile by cleaning up the weeds under the patio steps and re-rocking the area!

Our next stop together was The Gilcrease Museum to listen to local author Michael Wallis talk about his latest book on David Crockett and then have a book signing. Both Barb and I have read several of his books and listened to him previously; his voice is remarkable and storytelling first rate; he didn’t disappoint.

After a stop for a frozen yogurt cone at Braum’s, we headed for the St Jude Dream Home. With the exception of the theatre room, I think both of us were disappointed. We relaxed at home a bit before Barb came up with a great supper – fresh yellow and white corn on the cob, fresh tomatoes, fresh green beans, and sloppy joes! Yum!

We completed the evening with the Pixar movie Cars, in which Michael Wallis has the voice for the sheriff of Radiator Springs. It was 95 degrees at 10:05 pm; not a night for sleeping under the stars.

I was very aware of the air conditioning running through the night, and mighty glad of it. I was up early and took the dogs for an hour walk while it was only 82 degrees. There were a few others out getting the run or walk in, and I saw one “couple” sleeping on a cardboard mat with a blanket over them. I was pretty wet when I returned home and the dogs were happy to get breakfast. We were greeters at church. The crowd was dressed for comfort today. After having coffee in the fellowship area after the service, we went to breakfast with Jill. We didn’t have to share her with Jeremy as he and the kids were still in Florida.

After finishing the Sunday paper, I felt the urge to doze off in the living room. That’s when Barb decided to empty the dishwasher. Oh well, it was time to get ready for a movie called Buck. The documentary might look like it is centered on horse whispering or training, but is really about communication and leadership and parenting and sensitivity. It was a wonderful movie. I’d highly recommend it. Buck Brannaman was a consultant for the movie Horse Whisperer.

Not sure if I get out for another walk tonight, but if I do, it is very likely to be a solo one. I could complain more about the heat here, but it is still very green and livable. Texas is very dry and hot. Those that have endured so much in Joplin keep getting hit with rain and heat. Those living in Minot are being hit with a devastating flood. Those in Omaha and Council Bluffs are also enduring a great flood of the Missouri River. We have it good.

I checked so don’t tell me. My last official blog was dated April 3 and was the end of Barb’s special birthday week. There have been plenty of things to write about since then…

My typical week is filled with work and meetings and things connected to the Tulsa Symphony, where I serve as Marketing VP. Barb’s typical week means volunteering at the Homeless Shelter a couple of days each week, and then fills out available time with the Gilcrease or Assistance League. I lead our Men in Mission group one Saturday a month, and build wheelchair ramps usually one Saturday a month as well. If we aren’t attending a symphony concert, we will participate in our church movie group’s outings. Barb has been dealing with Tulsa contractors on home repair required by the February’s ice damage to our roof. We often take in a movie at the Circle Cinema, stop to see what treasures the Flea Market may have, and if the urge for a Mustang fix is evident, we will make a stop at CarFX. I’d call any weekend not fully booked variations of the same theme.

We took a mini-vacation in Minnesota May 5 – 8 to ceremoniously “break ground” on our new house. Lots of detail decisions were made – such as colors for shingles, siding, windows, and rock. We were able to have breakfast with Barb’s Mother on the day before Mother’s Day on our trip back south. Real groundbreaking took place a week later.

We also spent the week of June 3-11 in Minnesota – starting with a Friday night in LaCrosse, WI and Saturday morning visiting boating club friends Jerry and Norma, and then local friends Bob and Hazel before driving up the great river road to attend Rebecca’s 3 hour dance recital, which was actually quite enjoyable. On Sunday, we attended services at Trinity in North Branch, had breakfast with our North Branch neighbor Ellis Johnson, played a quick nine holes of golf with son Mark, gave a tour of the house and spent time with Greg and Jordan who had driven up to North Branch, and then drove to Doug’s for a wedding shower for Jennie’s daughter Lauren. On Monday, we caught up with local gossip (including our home progress) by having coffee with Dad’s old coffee group and then spent the rest of the Monday and Tuesday with our builders Darrel and Guy, cabinet man Dan, electrician Lowell, and plumber Mike. The rest of the week was spent going plumbing supply wholesalers, fireplace suppliers, Jake’s baseball game, and playing another nine holes of golf. We had lunch on Thursday at the Dock Café in Stillwater with Jean and Larry Craddock. We left Friday and drove to Mason City, IA where we took the time to view a wonderful Frank Lloyd Wright home and interpretive center before traveling to Spillville, IA where we stayed overnight with Steve Klimesh.

Despite playing catch-up all week after being gone, Barb and I did take in the “Top of the Town” event benefitting the Child Care Resource Center Thursday evening. Tulsa is loaded with architectural gems from its history of once being the Oil Capital of the World. The 16-story Mid Continent Building built in 1918 and 37-story Mid Continent Tower are both works of art and seeing the city from the deck at the top was fun (and windy!). The 12 story art deco Atlas Life Building, which still sports the neon Atlas Life sign outside, is now home to a Courtyard by Marriott, and is a wonderful way to use the building while saving the style. The Philcade and Philtower were both built completed in 1931 by Waite Phillips (who gave these buildings to the Boy Scouts as part of his Philmont Scout Ranch gift) and again, the art deco colors and designs are almost beyond description. The Waite Phillips Penthouse on top of the Philcade is still mostly in original form, and must have been quite a place to entertain in its day. We also took in the 1916 Kennedy Building, the 1970 40-story First Place Tower, and the Mayo 420 Building, which was recently renovated to house the YMCA and luxury downtown apartments, most of which are full. The tour also allowed us access to Tulsa’s downtown tunnels, one of which include a look at the Bank of Oklahoma’s safe deposit 20 inch thick of solid polished steel vault door. The weight of the door alone is 30 tons, and when you add the vestibule jam and architrave, it is closer to 55 tons. Its engineering allows one person to move the door to open or close!

Our variation on a theme weekend started Friday with a movie at the Circle Cinema, a Saturday with stops at a light fixture store, the Historical Society, the Philbrook Art Museum, CarFX, and the flea market. In the afternoon, Barb made deviled eggs while I watched the US Open (and napped), and then we took in X Men-First Class with our church movie group and enjoyed a movie discussion and good food afterwards.

Today is June 19 by the calendar, and Father’s Day, for some. Curly and Midnight and Barb had placed Father’s Day cards in my underwear drawer this morning so the day started well. We went to church and stayed for fellowship (coffee and donuts and visiting with visiting friends), drove to the Marriott Hotel for the 37th Annual Mustang Shelby event, then finished off the morning with IHOP’s Swedish crepes! I finished the Sunday paper when I got home and was changing clothes when daughter Miranda called to wish me a Happy Fathers Day. Barb is tanning outside in the heat of the day while I write this. We will no doubt watch the US Open and maybe even take in another movie later. Mark is returning from the long weekend trip to the Black Hills with Jake and Rebecca. I know granddaughter Taylor is in Spain, but am hopeful granddaughter Jordan will be able to spend some time with Greg, as well.

It’s the annual Mid-Summer Celebration in North Branch this weekend with a high of 70 degrees predicted. Work begins again tomorrow. I have a charity golf event on Monday (predicted more of this 99 degree heat) and the leave at 6 am for Midland for some west Texas employee meetings.

If you read my last entry you know that Barb and I enjoyed a pre-birthday weekend in Dallas that helped set the stage for this past week.

On Monday, I left her card, gift of jewelry, and poem on her dresser when I went off to work.I think she was pleased with all.  I also planted the Barb Turns 60 sign in the front lawn. She may not have appreciated it. After spending about two hours at work, I headed for the airport to pick up Sharon Quittner, our surprise birthday visitor from Denver. She texted me that she had landed and I drove up to the terminal and picked her up. She was quite excited about playing this “gotcha back” surprise, and had used our friend Jill and me to make it happen. We drove to the Village Inn that is located next to the office building where Jill works, and had a great discussion about a variety of subjects for a couple of hours. I had a late breakfast / early lunch while Sharon nibbled on an English muffin. Jill walked in about 11:15 am and I introduced her to Sharon. She was now under the care and custody of Jill, and Jill had arranged to have a birthday lunch with Barb at Picotta’s Italian Café. Instead, she got the surprise of Jill and Sharon! Barb dropped Sharon off at the airport about 5:00 pm. I talked to Sharon before her flight left and I believe both Barb and Sharon had a great time. Barb and I joined Jeremy and Jill for the movie The Last Lion at the Circle Cinema and followed that up with the required ice cream and movie review at Braum’s afterwards.

Barb kept with her normal schedule Tuesday morning by volunteering at The Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless. She was going to Nancy Kirby’s home and then head to Los Cabos Mexican restaurant to meet Patti Evatt for lunch. Patti and Nancy introduced the volunteer opportunities of The Assistance League to Barb. Barb arrived a little late and while she was thinking there might be an extra guest there were no extra cars parked in the area. She rang the doorbell and walked in apologizing for being late. Hidden behind the door were several surprise guests – Wendy Reeder, Martha Nichols, Lynn Fuente, Marianne Pickering, and Jill Provenzano! Food and cards and gag gifts and balloons were abundant. We had sponsored a table and invited the Kirby’s, Pickering’s, Evatt’s, as well as Jill and Jeremy to the Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma. We have attended this event in previous years and knew it would be a fun way to celebrate a special birthday. As usual, we ‘won’ a few auction items that help support the charity, including a chef prepared dinner for six at the Food Bank’s culinary center.

Barb did an extra day of volunteering at the Homeless Shelter and went to lunch with Homeless staff members Pat, Angie and Karen. The paid staff has come to depend on Barb and appreciate her willingness to help when others don’t. We enjoyed our soup supper and the wonderful Holden Village Lenten Service at Fellowship, and followed that up with the Village Inn’s free pie with Jill and Jeremy.

On Thursday Barb monitored her home repair contractors to complete the ice damage that occurred from our two weeks of winter. They will have to come back. I had a Tulsa Symphony Board Meeting Thursday after work but we still had time to catch an Engineer’s Without Borders fundraiser at the Tulsa Rose Garden Center with Tom and Nancy Kirby and Steve and Julie Guy. As always we left winners of a few silent auction items.

On Friday, Barb had the plumber at the house (who will also have to return) and then met me for lunch at the Boulder Grill and then we had an ‘all alone’ movie experience at the Circle. I shouldn’t say we were all alone as it was opening night for Churchill, and it was a full house. Excellent movie and reminds us the United States was a little late to WWII. It was good for all of us that Churchill was unwilling to bargain or compromise with Hitler. What a leader he was for the time. No ice cream or movie review required.

Miranda called while we were still in bed Saturday morning to tell us she had just finished a 5K run in less than 30 minutes. This is most surprising from a girl that didn’t like to participate in gym class when she was in school. The lawn was scheduled to get mowed for the 4th time this spring so a little ‘pick-up’ was in order. Dr. Bob Pickering, the Senior Curator at The Gilcrease, had called me earlier in the week and asked if I was planning to go to the gun show. He was referring to Wanenmacher’s Tulsa Arms Show, billed as the original Tulsa gun show and the largest gun show in the world. I have been to a few gun shows, but not this one. Although this was still Barb’s week, she gave me the okay to attend (as long as she didn’t have to). Marianne dropped Bob off at our house and we drove to the Quik Trip Center – one of the largest clear span buildings in the world with 354,000 square feet of column free space and 448,000 total square feet. Think of 11 acres with 4100 dealers selling high quality and antique guns, knives, swords, ammunition and all related hardware. The most expensive gun I saw was $97,000. I bought a few old Boy Scout knives and related items but no guns. The last two guns that I did buy were at an estate auction and by the prices I saw here, I probably did okay. Bob and I spent from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm going up and down the aisles, and didn’t see it all. Barb had taken the boys for a walk down on the river and met Phill and Janice May at Elwood’s. It was 80 plus degrees warm and the reggae music blaring. The boys were dragging when they returned and looking for a cool floor to lie on. (They get their day at the spa on Monday and will come home looking good.)

Did we have something special in store for the Saturday night of Barb’s birthday week? Oh yes. It was the Kenny Chesney Goin’ Coastal Tour concert. I had asked for four ONEOK Suite tickets but got the almost private loge tickets instead, and they were great! Barb and I walked to the BOK arena and met Jeremy and Jill at the event. Neither of them had attended a concert at the BOK arena before so were excited to share this experience together. The music started at 7:00 pm and finished at 11:25 pm, with Kenny starting about 9:00 pm. He is an entertainer. We were home within fifteen minutes without having to deal with a car or traffic.

Early church on Sunday and then a Village Inn breakfast with Jill and Audrey. Barb ordered off the senior menu! Barb had agreed to help decorate the Elks Club today for the Assistance League Style Show that was scheduled for Monday so while she did that I went back to the gun show finished the tour of aisles. I found one more ‘treasure’. Despite being 88 degrees, the 30 mph sustained wind made for a not so pleasant day.

Barb ended up with over 50 birthday cards in the mail and many more birthday wishes on e-mail. I think that this is a fair wrap of a very busy week. I don’t think the coming week will be as busy, but Barb and Jill and a few other ladies will be headed to Fayetteville, Arkansas for a ‘scrapbooking retreat’. The boys and I will be left alone to fend for ourselves.

We backed the sparkly clean Explorer out of the driveway at 9:00 am bound first for the post office and then Quik-Trip for a large sugar-free French Vanilla coffee before hitting Highway 75 south. Miss M, the semi-affectionate name given to our Magellan GPS, was barking orders and recalculating as we made these unmapped stops.

Traffic was light and the sky an easy on the eyes gray as we drove south. We thought we might slip off the road and take in Eufaula, but when the sign said 18 miles we turned around and got back on 75, which certainly seemed to please Miss M. We stopped at three antique stores and although we found treasures in each, I was the only one that made a purchase – a Boy Scout three piece camp silverware set in a case. We tried to make additional purchases but were unsuccessful in our offers.

It was in the unlikely town of Atoka where we enjoyed an Italian lunch at Luigi’s, a rather modest café on Main Street. The food was better than the décor. Back on the road and headed for the big D – Dallas.

The traffic and construction increased significantly the closer we got to our destination, but trusting Miss M and MapQuest brought us to the Adolphus Hotel, a historic downtown Dallas landmark built in 1912 by Adolphus Busch, the beer guy. Busch chose Texas because Texas was where he shipped in first beer after the invention of refrigerated (with ice) train cars! It was the tallest building in Dallas when it was built.

We checked into our deluxe room, which had an excellent view south on Akare all the way to the Dallas Police Memorial, and unpacked. It was a spacious room but Barb was hoping for better chairs to relax and stitch when we weren’t out exploring. A trip to the hotel gift shop is usually more of an exploratory event, but Barb fell in love with a raincoat that she had to have, and so she got it with no rain in sight. We settled for an early and light snack for dinner at Walt Garrison’s Rodeo Bar & Grill before dressing for the Dallas Symphony and Mahler 6.

The hotels black Lincoln took us on a short ride to the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, a beautiful stark modern building. Our first stop was the Pre-concert Prelude, a 30 minute session on enlightening those who may not know everything about Mahler or his Symphony 6. A female professor by the name of Deanna Bush from The University of North Texas, a Doctor of both Music Performance and History provided an enjoyable, passionate and articulate course on what we were about to experience.

We left the Prelude with anticipation for the concert. We were guided through two doors to our loge and were stunned with wood and warmth and just enough décor that was in contrast to the starkness of the exterior and public spaces of the Symphony Center itself. A pipe organ takes up a good portion of the back wall, and the size of the pipes makes you wish for an organ concert. We have loge seats, which I liken to a mini suite for 8 patrons if it were a stadium setting. Barb tells me they are the most expensive in the house. I feel worthy. The other patrons in our loge were Texas friendly and introduced themselves when they arrived. I remember Blair Peterson as she worked for the Symphony, and Jill, well, that’s another story. I don’t remember the names of the two guys.

Mahler’s 6 is about 75 minutes in length without a break and lived up to everything that was promised in the Prelude. The conductor was animated and musicians were on the money. I didn’t count, but the orchestra had to number close to a hundred and more than filled the stage. A standing ovation was almost immediate at the end, and the conductor was called back three times.

We stayed for the after-concert “meet the musicians and other patrons” event and had a glass of wine. I was able to snag a couple of musicians but our musicians in Tulsa do a better job of sticking around and act friendlier.

A cab took us back to the hotel where we each had another glass of wine for $24.
We slept in late and had a good breakfast at the hotel bistro before we headed out on our walk to The Sixth Floor Museum. Despite being a dozen or so blocks, it was a nice morning for a walk, with temperatures in the low 70’s, and the former Texas School Book Depository was easy to find. It was almost eerie being right in the place where the shots were fired. The museum itself was excellent, and the headphones and pictures brought us back to November 22, 1963 when President Kennedy was assassinated. I remember being in a Harriet Spraitz Spanish class when the news came to the school; Barb remembers she was in a math class. We both remember people breaking down when the news was shared. Most of the museum goers looked very sober.

Our next stop was the Dallas Art Museum, which was probably a dozen blocks back the way we came. Some sort of a peoples march or parade had occurred and the streets were suddenly filled with people. We slipped north a street or two to avoid the crowd and aimed our sights on the Cathedral de Guadalupe steeple which we knew to be on the same street as the art museum. This is another very modern structure from the exterior, and it retains the modern and stark lines inside. We were focused on two main exhibitions – Line and Form: Frank Lloyd Wright and the Wasmuth Portfolio and the Gustav Stickley and the American Arts and Crafts Movement. Both were very good. We enjoyed a late and light lunch in the Atrium Café. It felt very good taking a load off our feet.

Our final stop this afternoon was Neiman Marcus to see if they might have just the right string of pearls. The strings ranged from $2,000 to $16,000, and despite trying on several strings, none were just right, so no new jewelry this day. I might have been more bummed than Barb.

We get back to our room about 4:30 pm; Barb did some stitching while I attempted to capture the last couple of days. Our next experience will be a 7:00 pm dinner in The French Room, the hotel restaurant that has been rated 5 Stars for several years, with the Zagat Survey saying: “expensive, yes”, but “close to perfect” for a “good old-fashioned splurge”. We have been reminded several times of the dress code – no jeans and a coat required. We shall see how good it is!

The French Room was superb in every way imaginable. While we had many people waiting on us, none were hovering. The food, service, and atmosphere were spectacular. We ordered an Argentinean Malbec wine for starters, and were treated by the chef to a shrimp dumpling in a mushroom cream sauce with truffle oil served in demitasse cup to “awaken our palate” – like that has ever been an issue. Barb ordered a Jumbo Lump Crab Cake as an appetizer with a main course of Black Angus Beef Tenderloin accompanied by bacon truffle potato terrine, carrots, asparagus and green beans with a Bordelaise sauce. I had a Dominion Farm Crisp Pork Belly as a starter with a main course of Colorado Rack of Lamb with goat cheese eggplant manicotti and roasted salsify. Both the beef and lamb were wonderful, with Barb claiming hers was literally “melt in your mouth” good. Between courses we cleaned our palate with a champagne and lemon sherbet served in a tulip cup. We finished off our meals with a dessert complimentary to our palate and meal, and had some fruity champagne to seal the deal. I must add that Barb’s dessert came with a candle and Happy Birthday written in chocolate. Was this worthy of five stars? Yes. Just in case we weren’t completely satisfied, our waiter brought a gift bag with some before bed snacks and banana bread for breakfast. We are so worthy of this attention and service! We escaped for less than $350.

The French Room was added to The Adolphus as part of the hotels 1980 renovation; I’d say it has more than held its own for all these years. We were told that some of the wait staff has 16 to 25 years of service; it shows. It is so refreshing that men must wear coats and that not just anyone can walk in off the street. Others must feel the same as the room turned over many times and guests were still being seated well after 9:00 pm.

Our sleep was good, probably brought on by the semi-coma that food – or is it the wine – can sometimes bring. We didn’t get out of bed until 9:00 am, and were able to watch CBS Good Morning for the first time in ages. It’s a great show mixing some good news in with the realities of the day. Normally we are in church at this time. An interesting portion of the show was the assassination attempt of President Reagan that took place on March 30, 1981; it was especially interesting because we had just re-lived the assassination of President Kennedy, and this was a very close call for Reagan and our country.

We have no desire for breakfast today and will head north as soon as we complete packing and check out. We had a noon breakfast at a roadside diner in Atoka, and kept going. We reached Tulsa about 3:30 pm and unpacked. Barb had a nice pile of birthday cards to open, which was very nice! I spent a little time in the attic doing something to the furnace that allowed it to start. Tomorrow will be all about Barb again, but it will come soon enough. It’s been a good weekend, and hopefully the next few days will keep the streak going.