Our Oklahoma and Texas Vacation

I didn't see a real "surrey with the fringe on top" while in Oklahoma, but I did see this mural in Bricktown. I had to snap a picture of it to include here and in my scrapbook. We've had a marvelous vacation in Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri. Tomorrow we fly back to Vegas just in time for Cali's 4th birthday. It has been so fun to spend the last three weeks with Melanie, Ryan, Heather, Chad, Kyra, Skye, and Dane. I am looking forward to our next visit. The pictures below in this post actually are backwards as far as a time line goes, but I'm too tired to fix the order. After we flew from Saint Louis into Oklahoma City, we went to Ardmore, Oklahoma and then into Texas for the weekend.

We toured the Dallas Cowboys Stadium. It's a very large facility, and it is actually quite amazing. Everything looked very new and clean. It is in Arlington which is between Dallas and Ft. Worth.

Dr. Pepper had its origin in Texas. They are a big sponsor at the stadium. As you can see, there's a huge bar and advertisement for the famous soda I've come to love!



We went on a VIP tour of the stadium which included the cheerleaders' dressing room as well as the players locker room. It was fun to go behind the scenes and learn about the "Dallas Cowboys." Every girl and player had their own cubicle in their respective locker rooms.



The stadium had been used the day before for an event that didn't use the artificial turf. That's why most of the field is white. It was fascinating to hear all about the turf and how it is rolled out and velcroed on. Then bits and pieces of rubber are added to the turf to soften the blow when a player goes down.



Steve taught me the football symbol for "clipping." Notice Melanie walking to the right of me.



Steve ran from one end to the other on the field and then pretended his play was a "touchdown."

Here's Steve, Melanie, and Ryan outside the stadium.

While in TX we stayed at the Sheraton-Arlington hotel just a few blocks from the stadium.

This is the school book depository where Oswald from the sixth floor shot and killed President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. There's actually an "x" on the street further down a bit marking the spot where Kennedy was fatally wounded.

This is the outdoor memorial built a few blocks from the building where Kennedy was shot and killed.

Here I am inside the memorial for President Kennedy.

We went to a rodeo in Ft. Worth.

Here's Ryan and Melanie after the rodeo in Ft. Worth.

Here's Ryan and Melanie outside the building where the rodeo was held.

Here's Steve, Melanie, and Ryan as we entered TX from Oklahoma.

Here's Ryan and Melanie at Turner Falls (Oklahoma).

Here's Steve and me at Turner Falls. It's about 15 minutes from Ardmore, OK.

Here's Ryan and Melanie at Turner Falls.

Here I am hanging with Melanie before leaving for Turner Falls.

Michelin is one of the main employers in Ardmore. Ryan works for Michelin.

Steve and I went to the Gene Autry Museum. It also had displays for other "singing cowboys." It's actually located in Gene Autry, Oklahoma.

Yes, I am at a cowboy museum and enjoying myself.

This street sign made us laugh. It's just a few blocks away from the cowboy museum we toured in Gene Autry, Oklahoma. Oklahoma and Texas, at least the parts we saw, are very flat with what appears to be miles and miles of wide open space.

Here's Ryan and Melanie in Oklahoma.

Here's Steve at Turner Falls enjoying the water. It was really hot in TX and OK while we vacationed in both states. Believe me, any place or any time we could cool down, we took advantage of those moments!

Another pic of Steve at Turner Falls; it was a beautiful place that we enjoyed so much that we went twice.

Here I am ready for a swim in the lower pool at Turner Falls.

Melanie works for an orthopedic group of doctors in a very large practice. We had a few good laughs because I couldn't get the name of the practice right. It's called Bone and Joint Clinic of Southern Oklahoma. I have now unofficially renamed it Boint Clinic of Southern Oklahoma.

Melanie has her own office; I was very impressed. She schedules all the surgeries, MRI's, etc. for this very busy office.

Steve and I went to a cattle auction in Oklahoma right outside of OKC. Most of the cows sold for about $1,000 apiece. It was based on the cow's weight, so obviously the smaller the cow the less it cost. It was interesting watching the men place their bids. I was the only woman in the stands.

We walked on a catwalk above the pens from the parking lot into the big red building in the back of the picture to attend the cattle auction. I felt bad for the cows. Steve was really surprised that I even would go to a cattle auction since I'm not too keen on meat. I could easily become a vegetarian.

Oklahoma and Texas seem to be all about cowboys, Indians, cattle, and oil; so I couldn't resist taking a picture of Steve by this saddle.

Here's Steve and me on the catwalk before the auction began. Most of the pens were empty. I guess there were only 1,000 cows to sell on the day we went compared to 8,000 the day before.

Steve and I went back to the Federal Building at night where the empty chairs represent each person that died when the building was bombed. Shortly after the bombing took place, someone took a picture of a fireman carrying a young child out of the heavily damaged building. The picture became famous and symbolized the heroic effort that took place in the days that followed the bombing. Unfortunately, the little girl died a few hours after the picture was taken. I found her small chair when the lights were turned on and I could read the names on the chairs easily.

Here I am standing by a huge bronze statue of a cowboy and wagon. His hat has blown off and he's reaching back to get it. This is in OKC by the canals in Bricktown.

This is inside the capitol building located in OKC. These busts represent all the governors of the State of Oklahoma.

Here I am standing outside the Oklahoma History Museum. The man represents a worker that received a job as a result of "The New Deal" under President Roosevelt.

Yes, Oklahoma is all about cowboys and horses. If we lived here, we'd have to invest in some boots, belts, and hats!

In Oklahoma City we went on several water taxi rides up and down the canals in a place called Bricktown.

The murals in the back are pictures depicting how Oklahoma City used to look. They were all painted in three nights by a professor and students from the local university. They were amazing. The canal for part of the taxi ride goes right in front of the murals.

Here's Melanie and me in front of the capitol building in OKC.

Here's Steve and Melanie in front of the capitol building. Although you can't see them, there are two huge bronze statues on either side of the capitol. One is of an Indian, and the other is a cowboy on a horse. Also out of sight are several huge oil pumps. We saw lots of oil drills pumping away as we drove along the freeway.

In OKC we toured the Memorial Museum and grounds to honor those who died when the federal building was bombed.

Here's Melanie and Steve in front of one of the many murals in town. This one is located on the outskirts of Bricktown which is part of OKC.

Our Saint Louis Vacation

Heather & Chad live in an apartment complex that has a pool this summer in Saint Louis, so we were able to go swimming almost every day this last week. There's beautiful landscaping around the pool, so I couldn't resist taking a picture of the grandkids by the waterfall.

Here's Steve right before another enjoyable swim at the apartment.

Did you know Panera Bread actually had its beginning in Saint Louis, and it is named Saint Louis Bread Company?

We went to the Missouri Transportation Museum on our first full day in Missouri with Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane.

Here I am hanging out with one of my girls at the Transportation Museum.

Dane loves trains. He was thrilled with this one in particular because he said "it was working." I think he thought that because the light was on. Dane loves his Thomas the Train set that he has at home. Dane also loves trucks or actually anything that has tires.

This car is an example of what cars looked like when Steve and I were born. It's ancient looking, I admit. I've seen pictures that my parents had of our family cars that actually look similar to the one above.

The Mississippi River flooded this year, so our dinner cruise was canceled, AGAIN! This time someone at the ticket office told us that the river floods most every year. Next time we'll book our dinner cruise when we arrive in Saint Louis and after I look at the water level.

In the background of this picture is The Old Courthouse (it's the one with the light blue domed roof) that the famous Dred Scott slavery case was held. He and his wife eventually paid $1,000 each and bought their freedom.

Here's a picture of the Saint Louis Cardinal game we went to in which we saw the famous first baseman, Albert Pujols, hit a home run. We hear that one day our grandkids will be very impressed when we tell them we witnessed one of his home runs. In the picture Pujols is running to home plate.

This is Steve and me after the game was over. We splurged and got some great seats. We enjoyed dinner before the game in an air-conditioned area of the stadium. It was a real luxury, and although I'm not really a baseball fan, it was fun to be part of the Saint Louis Cardinal fever. Every store I went in this week, even grocery stores, had Cardinal clothing or gadgets of some sort for sale. I think it would be fun for Las Vegas to have a professional team too.

This is a picture of Heather and Chad's new home in Chesterfield, MO. It's a suburb of Saint Louis. Right now they live in another suburb of Saint Louis called Creve Coure. Creve Coure is French as well as many street names, etc. in this part of the country. They live temporarily now on a street called Rue De La Banque. Funny, huh? Heather says she can't wait to have her new address. Their new street is Isleview in Chesterfield. It's much easier to say!

We celebrated the 4th of July on the 3rd of July by having a picnic and swim at the apartment. Then we went to Longview Farm and played on the playground, went on a nice trail for a hike, and saw some beautiful horses that live on the farm. You would not believe how many beautiful parks are in this area. It's unbelievable.

Steve and I went one evening to Queeny Park which turned out to be over 13,500 steps just to walk around it once! We had to use our GPS to get back to the car because we lost all daylight and were totally turned around with the multitude of trails and shortcuts, etc. through the park. Queeny Park looked like we were in the middle of a major forest. We walked on gravel trails. I have to admit I was a bit frightened when I realized I had no idea where the car was, and it was completely dark. Why or why didn't we bring Heather and family with us???????

Heather made a 4th of July cake for us after our swim and picnic. This was actually July 3rd.

Melanie flew from Oklahoma City for the three-day weekend over the 4th.

On July 4th we went to Six Flags in Saint Louis. We enjoyed rides plus the water park.

Here Melanie, Heather, and Kyra are having a little fun with a shark while at Six Flags.

Here's Melanie with Kyra, Skye, and Yosemite Sam at Six Flags.

We all enjoyed wearing red, white, and/or blue for the big holiday while at Six Flags. It was a great way to celebrate our country's birthday. This was actually our second celebration since we already had had a picnic and swim at Heather's apartment the day before. We definitely know how to capitalize on a holiday, if I do say so myself.

One day we went to Grant's Farm which is owned by the Anheuser-Busch Brewing Company. They have beautiful Clydesdale horses there to view in the barn and out in the field. I learned that Commanding General Ulysses Grant (from the Civil War) married into the Busch family. As a wedding gift, the Busch family gave Grant and his new bride 80 acres of land which is now Grant's Farm.

Well, we're not drinkers, but we still can enjoy looking at the wagon and the huge horses that used to go along with delivering products from the brewing company at Grant's Farm.

Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane are cooling off with a water mist while at Grant's Farm.

Heather and Skye are feeding the goats milk at Grant's Farm. There were actually tons of goats in the pen. They are very aggressive animals!

Heather and I are playing in the water at Millenium Park on a rainy day; sort of comical if I do say so myself.

Heather, Kyra, Skye, and I are enjoying a swim in Creve Coure Lake on a rainy day. The lake is about 10 minutes from their apartment. Kyra is a great swimmer, and Skye just learned how to swim in the pool from the shallow end to the midway point. She was so proud of herself, and I was really glad I was there to see her do it for the first time.

Steve, Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane are standing by Creve Coure Lake near the apartment. It was a cloudy day, and it eventually rained and rained on us. Chad actually had a small scooter accident due to the rain coming home from work on the same day that we went to the lake for a swim. Someone cut him off, the roads were slick and his scooter slid. He fell off his scooter, and he ruined his new Father's day outfit which were dress pants and shirt. His scooter has some damage, but luckily he wasn't hurt too badly nor was anyone else. As luck would have it, there was a policeman at the intersection when the accident occurred.

This is the Saint Louis, MO LDS temple. It's right off the freeway, and it is just minutes from Heather's apartment in Creve Coure.

Here's Heather, Kyra, Skye, and Dane at the Saint Louis, MO temple.

On our last day in Saint Louis we went to the Missouri Botanical Garden (the balls are made from colorful blown glass). We had so much fun that we stayed for five hours. It's a huge place. This is the third time Steve and I have been there. It's beautiful! We wore clothes we could get wet in because there are fountains you can play in.

Here we are at The Japanese Garden within the MO Botanical Garden.

Here's Kyra, Skye, and Dane at the MO Botanical Garden. I have a picture of this same scene when we went to the gardens when Kyra was only 2 or 3 years old.

These pics are a sampling that show a little bit of our Saint Louis vacation. We've had a marvelous time. My mom always used to tell me that you knew you had had a good vacation if you hadn't done everything and wanted to go back and revisit a past vacation spot. That's exactly how I feel tonight as we pack and get ready to head for Oklahoma City to visit Melanie and Ryan tomorrow morning.

Happy Father's Day

Our Father's Day activities began on Friday with dinner at Natalie and Thomas's house. We had yummy pizza, Caesar salad, and cheesecake w/Reeses on tops. YUMMY!

After an early dinner we headed for Desert Shores Lagoon which is our favorite swimming hole. There were very few people there since it was later in the day, so it felt like we had the whole thing to ourselves. How great was that!!!!!

Cali and Ashton love to play in the sand and water.

Posing......

Two great dads

What would a father's day be without oatmeal cookies for a man who always loves a good cookie! I made cookies for my Sunday School class as well plus I gave everyone in my class one of these chocolates that said "This treat is mint for you. Happy Father's Day!"

Steve received three workout shirts from the girls. I'm sure they'll come in handy since we are trying to go to the LVAC every day this summer. I gave him two pairs of workout shorts and a pair of PJ shorts for our summer vacation. We both had our eyes checked last week, and Steve will be getting his new glasses in about a week. All in all, I would say our Father's Day weekend was great culminating in phone calls from all of the girls and a T-bone steak dinner to end the festivities. Thanks DeBauch grandkids for sending Grandpa such brightful and cheerful cards.

Las Vegas Athletic Club

Linda and I joined the Las Vegas Athletic Club a number of months ago with the idea that we would walk on the indoor track when the weather outside in Vegas was either too hot or too cold. As the months have rolled by, we have actually changed our original idea into something that I never thought would happen. Okay, girls, you won't believe this; but yes, I am going to the gym and actually liking it. We started, as I stated, with an hour once a week walking the track. Then the lure of the group work-out rooms beckoned our attention a month or so ago and before we knew it, we started going to a pilates class on Monday evenings. That class is dang hard! Friday of last week Linda invited me to go with her to an early morning spin class. Melanie went to a spin class when she lived in Vegas, so I was aware of what they were although I myself had never joined in. Well, to make a long story short, Linda and I went; and we actually did the entire hour-long ride although I'm sure the tension on my bike wasn't exactly what the other cyclists were using. Steve and I this last week have been to the gym every day using the machines at the gym. At first they actually intimidated me; but with his help, I'm finding that I can do them as well. Of course, I always have to move the pin to the minimum weight, but I feel okay about that. You have to start somewhere, right????? I'm just glad it's summer, and I have time, and I have a great sister and a great husband to share this experience with.