Taking Care of Business

When you see this you can't help but appreciate our Ag folks who are out taking care of business!

Standing the Test of Time

Just can't resist stopping to look at these old, leaning houses!  Looks like the next Oklahoma wind could barely blow and bring it down but it still continues to stand the test of time.  So neat!

Once Upon A Time in the West

If you travel out west to Cheyenne, Oklahoma you will be able to see this fence adorned with boots at the the Croton Creek Ranch.  The ranch has been around for a long time and is always one of my favorite places to see!  It reminds me that once upon a time in the West life really was about working hard and carving out your spot in this ol' world.

Born 2 Farm

Oklahoma and pickup trucks just go together.  In some places they may be a status symbol, a novelty or a fashion item but here they are a necessity!  This truck owner is proudly displaying his John Deere green with a message that many of us embrace.    

Pee and Win

I LOVE it when I'm out driving and I see a funny sign.  When I saw this sign I cracked up!  Obviously, the "L" fell off of their sign! 

Remembering Railroads

In the town of Carmen sits this very neat old train car in front of the train station.  I love the colors and the memories that it represents. 

The Real Thing

In the little town of Olustee, you can see this very cool Coke mural.  Love these painted advertisements! 

Prairie Dogs Just After Sunrise

In the front lawn of the Museum of the Great Plains in Lawton, is a huge prairie dog city.  Even though the temperatures are below freezing if you are patient and have a good zoom lens you can see these little critters stirring about shortly after sunrise.  They are entertaining but quick to scurry down in a hole if you get too close.  Fun to watch outside your car window!   

The Mother Road Rolls On. . . .

I LOVE Rt. 66!  Having owned a small business that sat right off of it for several years I have been blessed to be able to learn some of it's history and meet lots of people who are traveling it.  For the 75th anniversary of the Mother Road two of my friends and I walked 20 miles on it in one day!  I love to see the classic cars that are driven on it while people reminiscence and it's sometimes sad to pass the remains of businesses that faded away when I-40 became the more frequently traveled road.  We have a lot of Rt. 66 still in Oklahoma and if you have time you should map out a day and try to follow it for a while!  I know that anytime I'm driving and I get to be on Rt. 66 I LOVE it! 

Dinosaurs and Dreary Days

We are so desperate for rain in Oklahoma that driving in it today wasn't even frustrating.  It was a dreary, wet, 51 degree, January day but I cracked my window for a while just so I could smell the rain.  The patches of fog almost felt like a security blanket reminding me what moisture felt like.  I topped a hill, glanced to my right and saw this guy in the pasture.  WOW!  Now that some dinosaur creativity!  Oklahomans are awesome!  

WHATEVER IT TAKES ! ! !

I want to drive this rooster El Camino SO bad that I can't stand it!!!!!  Every time that I pass it I just want to go cruisin' in it and listen to the Cluck of the Bells!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsqx2fwDGrM 

Goin' Nowhere

Nowhere, Oklahoma is just southeast of Ft. Cobb Lake in Caddo County and is a one gas pump, hunter check-in, sorta place.  It represents all of the things that I love about Oklahoma and small town living all rolled up into one tiny little convenience store with a gravel driveway.  Nowhere is truly a destination in a sense and somewhere that everyone should go at least once.  I guess if you're a cup-is-half-full kinda person you could say I'm Now here! 

Canadian Geese at Ft. Cobb

The Canadian Geese at Fort Cob lake are beautiful!  I know that they are a pain and most people don't like to have them around but watching them fly over the lake is spectacular sight! At this time of year there are literally thousands of them there and if the weather is nice you can take a walk around the lake and take lots of pictures! 

Pink Pigs and Propane

LOVE this!  In northwestern Oklahoma the pink pig propane tank lives!  Someone put a lot of effort into making this and it was well worth it!  If this doesn't make you happy while your out driving nothing will!

Be Still and Know that I am God

Sometimes, I just have to turn the radio off and drive in silence.

Oh George! Not the Livestock!

One of the best parts of  racking up a lot of windshield time is seeing the livestock in the pastures.  Some days I can't get one of my favorite movie lines out of my head!  You know the one in O Brother Where Art Thou, "Oh George! Not the livestock!"  I never get tired of looking at horses! 

Love'n Luigi's

Seems that I am often asked about uniquely Oklahoma places to eat.  Everyone enjoys finding that off-the-beaten-path, "hole-in-the-wall" as we like to call it here.  If you are looking for HOMEMADE calzone that is delishhh then look no further!  Luigi's in Blaire has amazing calzone.  The bread is SO good and they serve it with two dipping sauces: marinara and melted garlic butter.  You tell them what you want it stuffed with (cheese, pepperoni, onions, etc) and can order it in three sizes, small, medium or large.  I ordered the small and still brought half of it home to my man.  WOW! Get there!!!

I Can Now Mark It Off My Bucket List!

January 5,2013 is a red-letter day for me! I saw the bald eagles!  For several years I have wanted to go on one of the Eagle watching trips at an Oklahoma lake and have just not made it happen.  A couple of years ago when my Grandma and I were gathering persimmons at a park near Lake Tenkiller for our annual Thanksgiving "reading of the seeds" as we call it (this is where we open persimmon seeds to see if the core is a tiny spoon, knife or fork as a weather predictor) a majestic bald eagle flew right in front of our car windshield.  It actually happened so quickly that we both saw it but we really didn't see it - if you know what I mean.  By the time we gasp and tried to locate it again it was gone.  Today, my best friend met me at Quartz Mountain Lodge near Lonewolf, OK and we spent the morning with one of the park naturalists.  We were able to spot several eagles both juvenile and mature birds.  It was very beautiful and just another reminder to me of how amazing God is. 

The Dalton Gang Lives On

Have a taste for the wild west - the rank and rebellious?  At the Chisholm Trail Museum in Kingfisher you can see the cabin where the infamous Dalton Gang family members lived.  The museum was beautifully decorated for Christmas. 

Elephants in Oklahoma?

Did you know that the Ringling Brothers Circus has ties to Oklahoma?  This famous circus was founded in the US in 1884 by five of the seven Ringling brothers.  In 1907,  it acquired the Barnum and Bailey Circus, merging the two in 1919 to become Ringling Brothers Barnum & Bailey Circus and was promoted as The Greatest Show on Earth.  Here is a picture of Ringling's City Sign in Southwest Oklahoma. 

Winter Sunrise in Oklahoma

I love to see the sun come up across the pasture.  Winter sunrises are amazing!

Come Look at Oklahoma with me Through My Windshield!

I have the wonderful privilege of spending a lot of time traveling around Oklahoma as I work.  A few years ago I began to take pictures of things unique to Oklahoma that most people wouldn't have the chance to see if they didn't spend a lot of time driving around and looking.  I have decided to share some of my photographs for your enjoyment!  I would love to know any history or stories about them so please let me know if you know something interesting.

I love farmers markets and have always thought that the old Farmers Public Market building in OKC was neat!  I can remember being a kid and my mom would take my sister and I there when she was buying peaches or berries.  I was always fascinated with the people shopping there and the scales and piles of produce!