Monday we had ourselves a quiet Christmas eve, with the presents under the "tree" (an ugly sweater tree from Grandma). Note the fine wrapping job....
Wednesday we headed out, to Oklahoma. It was foggy, rainy, but relatively okay driving
We got to see FOUR trucks with these windmill blades on them get parked and situated at a truck stop.
Thursday we headed to the Conoco Museum in Ponca, Oklahoma. We learned a few things...
How to pronounce "Conoco"
And that Continental Oil and Transportation started in Ogden, Utah! The actual oil came from Oklahoma (same with the Phillips 66 company) but they needed a way to get it from the oil fields to the customers, so they hooked up with Continental Oil and eventually took that name and turned it into Conoco.
Some vintage gas pumps
Our next stop was P.W. Mercantile in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. If you've ever read the website, watched her cooking show, then you know who I'm talking about. This is an old-fashioned, beautifully renovated store with a café and a restaurant, plus lots and lots of stuff to buy for your kitchen (mostly glassware, so we didn't buy any!)
We headed to Tulsa, to see The Outsiders house, the one used in the movie. It's right on the corner and I loved the street signs!
The house itself is a museum, undergoing renovations and will open in 2019
Friday we went to the Oklahoma City Temple. It is undergoing massive renovations, but we visited the site anyway
We headed to the capitol next. There's a theme here: renovations! The capitol building was undergoing renovations inside AND out. Scaffolding, construction barriers, protective floor coverings everywhere
We were able to see inside the dome (state seal up there)
And a close up the state seal on the floor directly below the dome
Beautiful murals and details (and scaffolding!)
In the House of Representatives, this gentleman was painting the "marble". A balustrade in the gallery near the doors had some chips in the "marble" so you could see the wood underneath. This was a common thing in the 1800s to 1900s, to make wood look like marble or more expensive hardwoods
After the capitol, we went to the Oklahoma City Memorial and Museum. It costs money, but is COMPLETELY worth it.
The outside site is very thought-provoking and free to visit 24/7/365. Inside is an amazing museum. It starts out with the idea of "it was a normal spring day" and then walks you through the day
Starting with a meeting at a building across the street from the Murrah Federal Building that was recorded
You are in a room that looks like a boardroom, listening to the actual recording when you hear the bomb go off and then the wall turns into the photos of those killed
The museum then walks through the chaos of the day, into the apprehending of the suspects, the court trials and verdicts and healing afterwards.
We went back outside as darkness fell. The walls/doors on either end are the "Gates of Time". 9:01 for life before the explosion, 9:03 for after the explosion
All the chairs are in rows for the 9 floors in the building, on the row designating the floor the person was on when they were killed. The big chairs were for the adults, little chairs were for the children that were in the daycare housed in the building. The names were etched on the front. Beautiful to see at night and also with the Christmas wreaths on them
Saturday we headed south. We tried to stop at Chickasaw National Recreation Area, since it was barely off our route
It was closed, of course.
Beautiful area and building, built right over this stream!
We made it to Texas!
Today we attended the Joshua Ward, Burleson Texas Stake and headed down the road to Austin, Texas.
Lots to see and do here even if the national parks are closed for a while, including 3 presidential libraries and the space center. Plus, it's warmer! We've been in so much cold weather for so long, we'd love to see sunshine and warmer temperatures.
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