Oklahoma

A Note from Tom & Julie... We try to keep the blog current as we head from place to place. Neither of us felt like writing or sharing pictures as after we made a few more stops, Amarillo, Tucumcari, NM and eventually Albuquerque, NM, we learned that Julie's brothers, (Melvin & Andrew), were involved in a horrendous automobile crash that sent them both to the emergency room on November 22nd. On December 6th, Melvin passed as a result of those injuries. The Puffin is currently stored in Tucson, while Julie and I are in Manchester, NH. We will head back and start to pick up after the New Year.

Tulsa

We went to Tulsa specifically to see Julie's childhood and life long friend, Jeanne Gallien Gorman. Jeanne's family is there and we got to spend time with all of them, as a party was hosted at her son, Kyle's home.

We stayed on the industrial side of town in a park home site, that had a few slots for visiting RV's. Before exploring the area, we had dinner with Jeanne and Kyle at a restaurant near Kyle's home which was great.

The next day, Julie and I hosted Jeanne and her mom, Fay, for dinner in the Puffin and had a wonderful time. A little crowded, but very manageable. Over the next few days we visited several Tulsa parks and were impressed; the parks are highly ranked nationally as the best and it's easy to understand why. Specifically, The Gathering place stands out and you could spend an entire day and not experience is has to offer.

Jeanne's family gathered at Kyle's home for a small party that night, which was pretty cool. A lot to eat, drink and laughs that made the visit a lot of fun. Jeanne and Julie's lifelong relationship is easy to understand. A really good time.

The next day Jeanne treated us to a visit to the Philbrook Museum. It's the site of one of Tulsa's grand estates and formed in the late 30's to become an art museum, featuring exhibitions and art from all over the world. It hosts education and learning programs and is first rate. When in Tulsa, the Philbrook is a must see/do, as are their parks.

We left Tulsa and headed to Oklahoma City. There, we stayed at a new RV site that came equipped with Tornado shelters. Right. One night a horrific thunderstorm came through and a lightening/thunderclap strike woke us from a dead sleep. The fifth wheel next to us was struck and all of the appliances were fried... no surge suppression systems. But if that weren't enough, Julie and I had to hustle to a storm shelter, as a tornado warning was issued for our area. This was a fist for us, as we hurried through basement like cellar doors into a concrete vault with serious door locks. The lighting system didn't work, so imagine you're in a concrete cell with 6 or 7 people you don't know and the two dozen pets with them. Everyone was in bed clothes and the dogs became good friends after our eardrums bled from all the barking. We survived and swore that this would never, ever happen to us again.

Two days later, at 5:30 AM we had another warning and again, we wind up in concrete block party central... scared out of our wits. Sure, never again. Later on we found out that the first tornado hit 30 miles from us. Got to love the RV lifestyle and thankfully, we were spared much of the devastation we watched on the news.

While there, we visited the Oklahoma City Memorial and National Museum. Make time for this when in Oklahoma City. We were overwhelmed with the beauty of how this city transformed from domestic terrorism event that resulted into fear, death and permanent injuries of the mid 90's into a forward looking place that shows the resilience, depth of love and kindness of the people of Oklahoma and all around the world. It's an incredible place and even the hardest heart would weep upon visiting. It is one of the most important places we visited.

The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is located in Oklahoma City and is another fascinating place. There you can learn about the real cowboys and cowgirls who pioneered and endured the harsh and unforgiving west, with exhibits, photographs and relics of the times. There is an abundance of art and paintings that are breathtaking and there's even exhibits and memorabilia of the actors and actresses who entertained as villains and heroes. For our friends from the northeast, I did not see Rex Trailer. Maybe Julie saw something about him. We wandered inside, outside and all around the place for hours and did not see everything.

On one of our last nights, we ate at Cattlemens Cafe (Steakhouse), which is the oldest continually operating restaurant in Oklahoma. Similar to the original clientele Durgin-Park in Boston served, Cattlemens catered to a rough and tumble working class. The food is fabulous, prepared to the way you like it, although we passed on the Lamb Fries, a specialty, but enjoyed the atmosphere and food.