A Traveling Family

I hail from a clan. Our family was organized by our grandmothers. The torch was passed to our parents who called often when we lived away and had their feelings bruised when they didn’t get information first hand. Now, we have the task of keeping the fam informed and corralling the crew. Around the Christmas table last year, the gang voted to take a family vacation to California to visit our son, Caleb, who is far flung on the west coast.

There were milestone birthdays on the calendar this year and it was a good year to go. The much older sister started the campaign. The niece set up a group text for “Family Vacay”. I researched accommodations and made flight reservations.  I found a vacation rental by owner where we could have together time and personal space. We counted the days and tossed in text of how we would like to spend our time.

We made a visit to see Mickey Mouse and the 18 year old got her ears. The 40 year was king of the Uber app and saw a new release movie and took the boys to a LA Dodgers baseball game. The 35 year old was all in for the beach scene, and was even ok when the temperature dropped to mid 60s because that meant no guilt for a lazy day that we tried to put on swimsuits but sweats felt better. The 30 year old played tour guide for his family from Oklahoma. He made sure we dined at the Studio City restaurant where he works.

Hubby, Doug, didn’t have a major birthday but he took some of us to the prestigious Magic Castle for shows and dinner. Our newest family member, nephew-in-law, voted for an excursion to Catalina Island. The niece-in-law made time to do some shopping in the “ can’t believe how big this mall is!” mall. Bro-in-law loves to drive and explore, and would take off and come back with a story. Sister did what she does best, went grocery shopping and kept in the kitchen filling the table with food for us to sit down and eat, family style.

There was a little something for everyone. A nice balance of tourist time and down time. The week was long enough for us to make some major memories but short enough to think it went by too quickly.

I wasn’t in charge. I waited for someone else to announce leave times and what we were doing. We laughed, and discussed, and were a family.

Maybe it’s a bit sentimental, but we all need to make memories while we can. And remember if you can always make a group tour your traveling family. We are a traveling clan, Good to Go.

Show Me

I had the opportunity to be a Fearless Leader for a group of travelers from the St. Louis area. They were on a tour called “Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile”. It was a three-day trip and I was engaged as their step-on guide and tour manager.  You know what surprised me? They really didn’t know that much about Oklahoma. 
 

We spent Day 1 in Claremore, and of course, it was important for them to understand about “Indian Territory” because all of us Okies know there was quite a bit of history left out of the books. I enjoy talking about the number of tribes that call Oklahoma home (39) and it always shocks visitors at the number of Indian reservations (0). (There are areas that are recognized by the federal government as reservations, but it is original land that tribes bought back, not given by the US government) I try to describe what the Indian removal really looked like, and I do as much as I can to erase Hollywood imagery. After a short lesson on the Cherokees and the clan system, and how marriage and slave ownership created Cherokees that had nothing to do with blood, they were ready to meet the Cherokee Kid.

Claremore has a wonderful memorial to Will Rogers, and it is perfect for all ages. It’s hard to believe that Will Rogers has been dead for 83 years; his quotes and wisdom still live on. We enjoyed the docent, Andy Hogue, as he portrayed Rogers and highlighted his life. He twirled a rope and poked fun of government in the words of Will and we realized how some things just don’t change. Supper was at The Hammett House for chicken fried steak, Oklahoma’s state meal. There didn’t seem to be anyone on the bus that knew if Missouri had a state meal.

Day 2 took us to Bartlesville. We were welcomed by the Chamber and a volunteer tooted the whistle of the steam train locomotive that they have worked to restore and allow anyone to climb aboard. We dipped into some of the rich oil history at the Phillips 66 Museum before making our way to Woolaroc. Frank Phillip’s impressive collection is huge and worth the drive to see.

 We drove back to Pawhuska and I took the opportunity to debunk the “August in Osage County” image that the movie gave to this area. This was the focal point of their trip, and The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has brought this small town back to life with her investment in her community. I tried to describe how the Indian removal, the discovery of oil and gas and the Oklahoma land run all resulted in the Osage Indians being the wealthiest people on earth per capita in the 1920’s. As early as 1886, a Drummond has been in the mercantile business in Pawhuska. Ree is just following in the family footsteps.

Day 3 of the tour brought us down part of Rt. 66 to visit our corner of the state. Grand Lake’s size always draws comments. They were familiar with Lake of the Ozarks and Tablerock, but didn’t really know what lay just beyond the state line. The “Show Me” State now knows a bit more about the “Sooner” State.

I Saw the King

I was Livin’ It Up last Saturday night in Tulsa. It was Pure Country, as the Oklahoma Heartland was filled with music lovers going One Step at a Time to fill the BOK Center two nights in a row for an audience with the King. The King of Country Music,  George Strait was Something Special  as always. Understand, I’m a big George fan, it is Love Without End, Amen. My Lovesick Blues started way back in the early 1980’s, at a tiny bar in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

All My Ex’s Live in Texas now, but he took me to the Kalidescope Disco to hear some cowboy that was out of the Blue, Clear Sky. Not exactly, but this New Kid in Town  only had one recorded song, Unwound. This good looking, clean cut, Wrangler wearing cowboy from Deep in the Heart of Texas, kept the crowd of about 100 boot scootin’ and Honky Tonk Crazy. His band probably said, We Really Shouldn’t Be Doing This, because I’m sure they expected a much bigger gate. 

But they must have decided  let’s Give It All We Got Tonight, because we were all Here For A Good Time. I’m not sure where his next show was, maybe Amarillo By Morning, but there in The Middle of Nowhere, Where the Sidewalk Ends, and I knew It was Love.

My girlfriends and I would hit The Road Less Traveled to Somewhere Down in Texas, or they’d Take Me Back to Tulsa for another show and more of that western swing sound. The quiet cowboy just sang, Easy Come, Easy Go, no smoke and flash for this Ace In the Hole band. One memorable concert, I think it was in the Chill of An Early Fall around 1984 or so, a gang of us gals went to see George Strait. We were waiting on the show to start, and a real tall guy walked by us, REAL tall. We couldn’t help but comment on him. Later in during the show, I decided I wanted to go down in front of the stage to take a picture. I should have just wished for Ocean Front Property!

The people were packed and my short self was just being Carried Away smashed between belt buckles and armpits. I weaseled my way closer, but thought,  I Can’t See Texas From Here. I was Heartbroke. And stuck in the crowd. Then I heard a voice ask if I wanted him to put me on his shoulders to see, yep, it was The Big One. Maybe it was the Famous Last Words of a Fool, but I said, “Heck yeah!” and She Let Herself Go. It was The Best Day for me, sitting on the King of the Mountain, head, shoulders, and hiney above the multitude, eye level with George. I looked back at my gal pals and The Chair where I was supposed to be, they couldn’t believe it. But You Know Me Better Than That,  I Cross My Heart,  It’s True. 

We thought The Cowboy Rides Away tour would be the final. So when niece Jena Beth called and said, George is coming! Check Yes or No! Of course I said, Write This Down, and gave her my credit card. And we squealed Oooooh, Baby, the name she gave George before she could say Aunt Patti. I wore my 35 year old concert T-shirt, which was older than most of the ticket holders.

He sang, only stopping to smile, but with 60 No.1 singles, he has a lot to chose from. Too many  tunes to list, that’s why I included titles in this article.  The Troubadour is undeniable King of Country Music and even after 30 years, he still makes those Wranglers look good. (Sorry, it’s A Fire I Can’t Put Out, call The Fireman!)

Hooray for the Red, White and Blue!

Let’s send up a cheer for how patriotic Groovy Grove looked this last weekend. Hopefully, everyone noticed Old Glory waving from the utility poles all throughout the city limits. This is not a small deal, the numbers are impressive.

There were 285 American flags installed on 285 permanent flag holders. Flags have been flying over Grove for many  years. The Grove Kiwani’s Club put up flags since the early 1980’s.  Grove Rotary Club picked up that patriotic banner circa 2010. Every Memorial Day, Flag Day, July 4^th, Labor Day, and Veteran’s Day, a team of volunteer Rotarians hit the streets about daylight. The well-organized effort requires pick-up truck drivers, a flag un-roller, and a tall person to stand in the truck bed to insert the flagpole in the receptacle.

It is an outstanding effort to beautify our city and show our “All American” spirit. Funds were raised to buy permanent holders and additional flags that can fly from Memorial Day to Labor Day. They are illuminated by the pole lights and, in my opinion, look striking. For this to happen this year, the Rotarians purchased $1300 worth of extra flags. And, they have plans to add even more.

In case you got caught up in the hotdogs and lake scene, you might have missed another magnificent flag display. The Grove Ritual Team installs over 200 flag poles into the ground at Olympus Cemetery.  Each flag is dedicated to a soldier with their name, rank, and years of service posted on the pole. Most of these names are our local men and women who served in the armed services, including my daddy Paul Roberts. For $75, you can still get a flag that will be flown on Memorial Day, Flag Day, and Veteran’s Day… forever.

This has been ongoing for over 20 years. They put small American flags on all the veterans’ graves and American flags are also displayed at Buzzard Cemetery. This momentous job takes hours of hard working and faithful veterans and they are always hoping and looking for younger folks to volunteer their assistance. Feel free to contact them as they have several ways veterans can continue to serve and they welcome your help.

 For a small town, around 500 flags flying is a lot of flags! That means there are 6500 red and white stripes unfurling as a reminder of the 13 original colonies. The white stripe representing purity and innocence. The red stripe, valor and bravery. As we drive down the highway, we can look up to that field of blue that represents vigilance, perseverance, and justice. And there will be 25,000  stars  on those flags above us this summer.

Encourage the young people in your life to understand what the flag represents. Help them to understand what there is to remember at Memorial Day and other holidays. All you have to do is take a drive this summer and the lessons are there, flying above us.

We are Still Speaking

Your travelin’ pal is on the road again. Hubby Doug and I are in Florida. Our little teardrop camper, Joshua, is parked among RV’s three times his size. Recall that we have zero camping experience, so this on-the-road RV business is a learning curve for us. For starters, we have no idea what we need until we don’t have it. I make a lot of lists. 

Our first stop was near Nashville for a friend’s wedding. I love Nashville. The shindig’s caterer was  “Bacon and Caviar”. That just about sums up Nashville. And just for the record, our wedding supper included both biscuits and brie.

We took to the road the day after, making our way to Florida. We stopped at the state Welcome Center. Besides your usual maps and rack cards, we were offered a cup of fresh orange juice and a piece of fruit. I couldn’t help but wonder what Oklahoma might offer, ya know, stuff our state is known for?  I couldn’t help but be a bit jealous of all the landscaping that was along the interstate in Florida. I’m guessing that those palm trees didn’t come up naturally evenly spaced on each side of the roadway. Then when I saw road crews laying piles of sod in ditches that looked pretty grassy to me, so, well, there’s that.

We spent the morning on Cocoa Beach, sand between my toes and admiring the shells and the surf. I love the beach and you don’t even have to ask for a senior discount in Florida! Just pull your socks up over your calves and take out your readers to see the menu and they automatically give it to you!  Magic Doug had a show Monday night and a photo shoot for new publicity pictures. He noticed that his hands were doing this peeling thing, like he was shedding his winter skin. Not a good thing for someone that needs to have close ups of his hands.

Being the ever resourceful wife, I googled “peeling skin” and found a DIY  foot soak made of Listerine (“she” liked the blue kind”) and vinegar. Oh, yes, and water. Well, I mixed Mr. Anderson up a batch. I figured the water was to just stretch the mix, so I opted straight mouthwash and vinegar. After plunging his left hand in the mix, began to ask me questions, like “Where did you come up with this idea?” 

Me “Pinterest. It must work”

Him “How long am I suppose to soak for it to work?”

Me “24 hours.” (I laugh at his expression.)

Well, he didn’t last but  15 minutes. I need to post my Pinterest-fail. The skin did not peel away to leave baby soft epidermis. He had pruny, peely skin except now his hand was blue. Kinda a sick grey-blue... like circulation had ceased long ago. Whoops.

Me “Maybe I should have added the water.”

Him “Maybe I shouldn’t have done this before the photo shoot.”

We hit a Wal Greens for a stiff scrub brush, hit a McDonalds so he could take a layer off his hide and hit the studio for the pics. His fingernails are still a little pale and we get a whiff of pickles now and then. But we are still speaking. I love that.

Cut it Out!

I love scissors. There is something about having a nice, sturdy pair of scissors that deliver a clean cut that kinda makes me happy. I have a pair of scissors in every room of my house. I do not want to hunt for a something that will cut when I am ready to snip. I had my big orange handled scissors out and I was cutting out a story from the newspaper that featured a neighbor’s son. I thought of my friends that clip out and save for those articles for me. When we were sorting through my parent’s treasures, sister and I were amazed at the many stuffed envelopes and shoeboxes of newspaper clippings that my mom had collected. I’m not sure what she ever intended to do with them, maybe just save them, but there was a history of people we knew and the lives they had lived.

Wouldn’t it be great to edit one’s life like that? Just cut out the bad times and wad that part up to toss away. Then make sure to cut out the good, wonderful stuff we want to remember and keep it safe. We could unfold and recall with clarity the ­­commentary about that life event so the joy never faded from our memory.

A special friend from my school days recently lost his mother. As the gang of high school buds stood around the funeral home parking lot, we felt a bit bad at the circumstances that had brought us together because we were so happy to reconnect with each other. And as friends do on a funeral home parking lot, we promised to get together more often and not wait for a death to do it.

I would like to remind you that you have probably made those promises to your friends and family. Maybe there are folks that you vacationed with as families or couples and you have said, we ought to go on another trip together! Here’s a great idea, how about a group tour? It takes the planning pressure off of you so you can enjoy each other’s company. Having a tour leader in charge helps with eliminating the “bossy friend” role, plus there are other people to share the experience with if you think there might be too much “togetherness”. Plus, if no one can get the preparation part going, remember with a group tour, all you have to do is pack your bag!

It’s not too late to make some memories, but there will probably be a time it will be too late. Fill up the pages of your life with times of being alive, laughing and learning. Create moments that are worthy of being cut out and saved like newspaper clippings to be remembered over and over again. Take those scissors to all the excuses that have kept you from going and doing and living. Cut them out and toss them. If you need help, call me. I keep scissors handy.