A day at the park

Beautiful weather, three beautiful girls, plenty of fun.

The weather here in the Oklahoma City area has been very un-November like.  Today it was in the high 60's - low 70's with plenty of sunshine.  Decided it was time to get out and enjoy it.  With the Thanksgiving holiday this past week most people had a four day weekend.  Additionally, most schools have been out since last Wednesday so the kids had a five day weekend.  That would mean that youngest son, Alan, and his lady, Cathy, have been cooped up in an apartment for five days with three rambunctious little girls.  So, I headed over this afternoon and "kidnapped" the girls and headed out to Stars & Stripes Park on the south side of Lake Hefner.  On the way to the park we stopped at the grocery store and picked up a loaf of bread to use in feeding the birds that inhabit the area.  The picture is of the ten year old twins, Katlyn and Madison, and five year old Cadence.

Usually there would be a large gaggle of Canadian Geese out here.  (These geese have pretty much quit migrating south and seem to live in our area year round.)  But, no geese today.  There were a bunch of ducks and, of course, the enormous number of gulls that hang out around the lake.  The girls had a big time pinching off pieces of bread and tossing it to the birds.  In most cases the gulls will swoop down and catch the bits of bread in midair.

Once the bread was gone it was time to move on to the main part of the park and to the large play equipment.  The girls had a big time climbing on the equipment and using the slides.  This gave Grandpa a chance to sit and relax on the "geezer bench" for awhile.  The play equipment in the park is relative new and can handle several kids at a time.  This was good because due to the great weather the playground was teeming with little ones today.  The girls played until around 5:30 when the sun started going down.  At that point the temperature started to drop pretty fast.

On the east side of the lake is a lighthouse replica that I've been meaning to go photograph.  Since the girls had never seen it this was a good time to go get a picture.  This is located in an area of several upscale restaurants.  We drove around to the restaurant parking area and then walked out to the lighthouse.  The sun was pretty much down by this time so did not get a good sunset picture of it.  We did walk on out behind it to take somewhat of a picture of the sunset.  These pictures also show how low a level the lake is right now.  Our area has been experiencing a real drought for the past couple of years and the lake levels are drastically down.  In the marina just to the south of the lighthouse there is no water and the docks and many sail boats are sitting in mud, with several almost laying on their sides.

The dark area behind the girls (on the right of the picture) is now dry land.  In normal times that area would be completely under water.  Since this is one of the city's main reservoirs (and the one that we receive water at my house) it is really crucial that we get rain in this part of the country.

Thanksgiving 2012

Lot's to eat and good company.

We celebrated a day of thanksgiving in this country.  This is a day where most people gather together with their families to give thanks for the blessings that have been bestowed on them.  This usually includes a large meal and in most cases the meal is set out around a large roast turkey.

As we did last year, my mother-in-law and I drove out to Midwest City to be with Carrie and her family.  As most folks who follow this blog know Carrie is my niece, by marriage.  She is also my mother-in-law's granddaughter.  Again, the day was spent at Carrie's in-law's house.  Mike and Barbara Carpenter have been very gracious in including us in their family activities this past year.

The meal was fantastic, with both turkey and smoked ham plus all the trimmings.  There was nine of us at the table.  In addition to Mike and Barbara, Carrie and John and their son, JJ, we also were joined by John's sister, Kathy, and her two sons.  After this great meal we all adjourned out to the patio to enjoy the great weather we've been experiencing.  The temps today were up around 75 degrees with a very light breeze.

Here are three of my favorite people: Carrie and her son JJ and my mother-in-law, Mardell Priolo.  This was soon after we all arrived and before we sat down to eat.

Vital memories on a sad day

Today marks one year since my beautiful wife, Joanne, succumbed to breast cancer.  Needless to say, this has been a very hard week.

The week started off with my birthday this past Monday.  Although many friends and relatives, including all my kids, sent birthday wishes I spent the day sitting around the house feeling sorry for myself.  Would have been better off getting out and doing something.

On Tuesday I decided it was time to get out of here and see some people.  Went to youngest son's house to spend some time with them during the evening.  His Cathy and her twin daughters all had birthdays this week so I took them their presents.  Alan and Cathy and their three precious girls can always lift my spirits.

Wednesday I picked up my wonderful niece, Carrie, for lunch.  Went to Romano's Macaroni Grill for a good Italian meal.  Spending time with Carrie is also always a great pick me up.  Afterward I was able to spend the afternoon working on cleaning out more of Joanne's clothing and getting it boxed up to donate to the needy.  (I continue to be amazed at the amount of things we accumulate over the years.  So far I've now donated nine very large boxes of clothing to Goodwill Industries and still have more to go.)  On Thursday I took the latest boxes up to the Goodwill Donation Center.

Now we get to today.  I've known for some time this was going to be a hard day to get through.  I also knew that it was also going to be very hard for Carrie.  (As has been posted here several times, Carrie was actually Joanne's niece.)  Sometime back my friend, Jonathan Beck Reed, had given me a pair of tickets to a play in which he was starring so, after a good dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill, Carrie and I headed down to the Civic Center.  The play was a very intense drama called The Normal Heart.  This play had recently won Tony Awards on Broadway.  This was the Oklahoma premiere of the play and was being produced by CityRep, one of the many local acting companies here in town.  This evening was a good diversion for Carrie and I both.

This week has given me a chance, again, to reflect on the life that Joanne and I had together.  For over twenty-three years of marriage I really cannot fathom being with anyone else.  I have great memories and, fortunately, loads of pictures that we took all over this great country.  We had debated retiring when we did in 1966.  We were both under "normal" retirement age and could have continued to work.  Now, looking back, I am so grateful for those six years we had to travel and spend that time together.

Halloween 2012

A cat in a hat, a pumpkin, a vampire and a cheerleader.

Another Halloween has passed with all the ghost and goblins coming out into the night.  Started off with having lunch with The Cat In The Hat.  Actually, it was my niece Carrie.  Her office had a costume contest today.  Last year she had made a Cat in the Hat costume for her son, J.J.  This year she made one for herself.  This picture was taken in front of her building when I arrived to pick her up.

This evening I set up for the Trick or Treaters but they were slow in coming.  Most years we get a few starting around 6:00 PM and they are usually all gone by 7:30 or so.  Tonight it was not until after 7:00 that the first ones showed up.  There really were not all that many kids coming through the neighborhood at all.  Each year the numbers get less as more and more churches, schools and businesses have activities for the children.  Youngest son, Alan, and his family came over.  While he stayed at the house to give out candy Cathy and I took the girls around my neighborhood.  Only about every third house had their porch light on, indicating they were open to Trick or Treaters.  Tonight Katlyn was a pumpkin, Cadense was a vampire and Madison was a cheerleader.  They had already hit the neighborhood near where they live so by the end of the night they pretty much had their "pumpkins" full of candy.

Happy Birthday Baby Girl

Three years or 21 years old?

Today is little Bridgit Jeane's birthday.  In actual years she turned three today.  I've always been told that one dog year equals seven years in human life*.  So, is she three or twenty-one?  For the last year I've said she was either a "terrible two" or a "mouthy teenager".  (She does like to bark, much to the consternation of my next door neighbor.)

She was born in Savannah, Georgia, and adopted by a family there.  After a little less than a year they wound up abandoning her.  At least they did take her to their Vet but never returned to pick her up.  After a month the Vet turned her over to the Chatham County Animal Shelter.  That is where my high school friend came to the rescue.  Diane (Burks) Abolt is the head of the volunteers for the shelter.  Little Bridgit, who then had the name Tru, never saw a cage at the shelter.  Diane immediately took her home with her and then contacted me.  In November, 2010, after a few weeks of trying to get a way to bring her to Oklahoma, with no success, Joanne and I got in the car and drove to Savannah.  We left Oklahoma City area on a Monday morning and were back home by Friday.  Spent two nights in Savannah, with Diane and her husband Russ.  Since then Bridgit Jeane has become a member of the family, even being totally accepted by, her now, older brother Buddy Joe.

When I'm up late, which is most nights, Bridgit lets me know it's time to turn out the lights and go to bed by covering her eyes so she can sleep.  At that point she goes to her kennel box for the night.

*Not sure I buy off on the 7 to 1 ratio for human years to dog years.  Buddy Joe turned 11 this past March.  That would make him 77 years old.  There is no way he acts like a 77 year old.



California Proposition 8

Another date night with Carrie.

Carrie and I took in another play tonight.  Picked her up at 5:00 PM and headed downtown Oklahoma City.  This time to the Freede Little Theater located inside the Civic Center Music Hall to see a reading of the play "8".  Although the play did not start until 7:00 it was open seating so we needed to be in line early to get decent seats.  Actually, we both prefer to be seated front row center in this theater.  Me because it makes it easier for me to hear and for both of us we have leg room with no row of seats in front of us.  After picking up our tickets we spent a little time in the coffee shop at the Music Hall.

The play chronicles the federal trial over the constitutionality of Proposition 8 that was passed in California in 2008.  This law restricted same sex couples from being able to marry in the state of California.  It was passed in a general election by a majority of the voters in that state.  This play was presented as a "reading" rather than a full blown play.  There was a minimal set, no costumes and the actors were not in stage makeup.  It was presented pretty much in transcript form of the actual trial.  The actors came from most of the different theater companies located in Oklahoma City and each of them provided their talent for free.  My good friend, Jonathan Beck Reed, was one of the principal players.  (After the show Carrie got a chance to meet Jonathan.)

This was a very thought provoking play and presented both sides of the argument about same sex marriage.  Following the actual play they were having a "talk back" session with a couple of moderators, the cast and the audience.  Since Carrie is scheduled to work tomorrow we felt it best to get her home.

Another enjoyable evening with my lovely niece.

Granddaughter fix

A day with middle granddaughter.

Aurora, my middle granddaughter, spent the day with me.  Her mother had to work and asked if I'd keep her.  (As a grandparent I don't consider the time I spend with any of my grandkids as "baby sitting".)  She got here around 9:30 and headed straight to the toy cabinet.  In the past she has enjoyed pulling all the toys out but never seemed to be interested in putting them back when the time came.  Today was not a problem.  She is now six years old and in the first grade in school.

Mid-morning we loaded into the car and headed south.  Aurora was the only one of my kids or grand kids that had not been down to the cemetery in Byars to see Joanne's burial monument.  It's about a 65 mile drive down there and she sang and entertained herself in the back seat most of the way before falling asleep a few miles before we got there.  She was very interested in the names on all the tombstones, especially the many with the name Stone on them.  We had stopped on the way down to pick up some new flowers to place on "Grandma" and "Great-Grandma"'s graves.  (As has been mentioned in previous post my mother's grave is just two spaces over from Joanne's.)

After the cemetery we headed back north.  We stopped in Purcell to have lunch at Braum's and then over to the assisted living center to see "Great-Grandpa".  My dad always enjoys the visits from the little ones.  He always has to find something to give them to take home with them.  He had won a door prize at a recent cookout at the center, a large basket full of different brands of potato chips.  He sent a big bag home with Aurora.

Another night out with my fantastic niece

A road trip, a good dinner and a play...

It was time for us to catch a play again.  Picked Carrie up late this afternoon and we headed up Interstate 35 to the town of Guthrie, the original Oklahoma state capitol.  This is a neat town with many 1890's buildings in their downtown area.  Unfortunately, I misjudged the time we would need to get up there so we arrived in town around 5:30 for an 8:00 PM play.

First stop was at Gage's Steakhouse.  This is located in the basement of one of the old building, in the next block from the theater.  We had plenty of time for a good, leisurely dinner.  As usual, Carrie was all dressed up for a night out and was easily the prettiest lady in the room.



After dinner we still had over an hour before the play so we walked around the old Guthrie downtown.  Unlike many older, small towns Guthrie has maintained their buildings.  Many no longer have the businesses in them that they experienced back around statehood but most are occupied, although by antique stores, small shops and craft stores.  But, like most small towns most businesses close around 5:00 PM, even on Saturday.  Other than the restaurant, the theater and an Irish Pub, everything else was closed while we were there.

Our destination tonight was The Pollard Theatre.  (That is Carrie sitting on the bench in front, waiting for the doors to open.)  The acting company that performs does an exceptional job and produces several plays each season.  Tonight we went to see "Forever Plaid".  This is a fun show and although I've seen it several times in different venues it is always enjoyable to see again.  The music is four part harmony and was mostly from the late 1950's and early 1960's, definitely the music I grew up on.  This play lasted about an hour and a half with no intermission so we were on the road back south, toward the City by 9:30 PM.  I got Carrie home just a little past 10:00 which is fairly early for our nights out.

As it has been in the past, this was a fun night and we both had a good time.

Oktoberfest 2012

German food, German music---it must be Oktoberfest!

The Old Germany Restaurant out in Choctaw, Oklahoma, holds an Oktoberfest celebration every September.  They started this several years ago in a tent behind their restaurant but over the years it has grown to the point it had to be moved.  They now hold it in Choctaw Creek Park over in the main part of town.  The celebration, which started this past Friday runs all this next week and through next weekend.  In addition to the food tents, selling authentic German food, several other vendors have set up.  Some were selling conventional "festival/fair" food items and others were inflatable play areas for the younger crowd.

Picked up my niece, Carrie, and her family this afternoon and headed to the park.  Although it was very hot, since the local temperature got up to 102 today, we had a good time.  Got to sample some good food and listen to some good "Oom Paa" bands.  Carrie had said she had never eaten traditional German food before.  She tried the sour kraut and said she liked it.  Her son, J.J., tried it but he did not like it.  Husband John, who is a pretty picky eater, declined to try any of the food.

J.J. was a bit hesitant to try out the inflatable toys but finally got into it and did a couple of the slides.  The first time he convinced his mom to go with him.

The next time he worked up the nerve to go by himself and this one was even a steeper slope.

After awhile the heat was more than we could stand so it was time to pack it in and head back to the air conditioned house.  Had a good afternoon with three of my favorite people.

Another milestone

Mixed emotions today.

This has been a day of mixed emotions.  On one hand I remember the 23 plus years that Joanne and I were married.  On the other hand I am very sad that she is not here to celebrate with me.

Twenty four years ago today, on a Friday evening, Joanne and I were married.  What a journey that began that day.  Not a day goes by that I don't think of her and I miss her more than ever.