Oklahoma: “Where West Meets Wild”

We spent more than a week in the Oklahoma capital and have really enjoyed ourselves. This area continues to be a land of surprises with virtually something for everyone. We continued to learn about the Native American culture, the Western heritage and the cosmopolitan sophistication of this gem on the Plaines.

This was, however, tempered by the prevailing awareness that Oklahoma City was home to the heinous acts of August 19, 1995. The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing, the most significant act of domestic terrorism on American soil. A place where so many people died could easily have been commemorated as one vast cemetery, but those who designed the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum chose a gentler and far more hopeful path. The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, spanning the downtown block where the bombing occurred, has been widely recognized as perhaps the most hopeful and unique memorial site in the United States. From a peaceful field of lighted chairs, across a shallow Reflecting Pool to the sturdy Survivor Tree, the Memorial’s outdoor sections create a sense of calm assurance. It is not only a fitting tribute but also a place of gentle reflection. The grassy Field of Chairs overlooks a block-long Reflecting Pool, which is in turn flanked on the east and west by soaring bronze gates, which symbolically frame the moment of the explosion at 9:02 a.m... One, marked 9:01, represents the peace that prevailed seconds before the bomb exploded. The second, marked 9:03, symbolizes the bomb’s aftermath, when, as the Memorial mission statement notes, those affected by the bomb were “changed forever.” The 168 empty chairs hand-crafted from glass, bronze, and stone represent those who lost their lives in the tragedy. A bombing victim's name is etched in the glass base of each chair. The chairs represent the empty chairs at the dinner tables of the victim's family. The chairs are arranged in nine rows symbolizing the nine floors of the building, and each person's chair is on the row (or the floor) on which the person worked or was visiting when the bomb went off. The chairs are also grouped according to the blast pattern, with the most chairs nearest the most heavily damaged portion of the building. The westernmost column of five chairs represents the five people who died but were not in the Murrah Building when the bomb went off (two in the Water Resources Board building, one in the Athenian Building, one outside near the building, and one rescuer). The 19 smaller chairs represent the children killed in the bombing. Three unborn children died along with their mothers, and they are listed on their mothers' chairs beneath their mothers' names
We did not visit the adjoining Memorial Museum; we are going there on a subsequent visit in September. However, the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial was certainly one of the most moving experiences we have ever encountered. It is a true testament to the quote on the entrance gate that reads:

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

Some other great things we did while in Oklahoma City were:

• The Oklahoma National Stockyards which is the largest stocker and feeder cattle market in the world. We saw Oklahoma cowboys working the livestock and then proceeded to enjoy the fruits of their labor at the world famous Cattleman’s Restaurant. Okay, Pat enjoyed the beef; Judy had a salad! Surprised?

• The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum which was another extraordinary treat. The guidebook suggested a minimum of two hours and we were there the ENTIRE day. What a gem of art, historic artifacts and exhibits about American Indian and pioneer life. If you have an opportunity to get to Oklahoma City we highly recommend that you visit this museum.

• The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, home to the world's most comprehensive collection of Dale Chihuly glass. This amazing exhibit includes hundreds of hand-blown pieces including his tallest glass tower which reaches an astonishing 55 feet as well as one of only two Waterford Crystal Chandeliers in the world. This latter piece is simply magnificent and is comprised of 203 individually blown lead crystal parts, each etched by Waterford artisans, hanging 9 ft. 7 in. and weighing 2,000 lbs. Chihuly has long been one of our favorite artists so this was truly a treat.

• Pop’s Soda Fountain where you can choose from more than 500 different flavors of soda pop was really neat. The futuristic building has 3-story glass walls covered with a rainbow array of soda bottles and is recognizable by the eclectic, 66-foot tall neon soda bottle, complete with straw that beckons folks driving down the famous Route 66.

• The National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum presents the history and honors the greats of the sport. It is home to the US Women’s Softball team and also hosts the collegiate World Series annually.

• The Oklahoma State Capitol was most informative. Of special interest is the fact that it is the only Capitol in the world with an oil well beneath it. On the grounds is the Capitol Site No. 1 well, originally nicknamed “Petunia No. 1” because drilling began in 1941 in the middle of a flower bed. Seeing an oil well here in Oklahoma is not odd – they’re everywhere – but seeing one pumping crude at the base of the steps, at the front of the capitol rotunda, does appear a little odd.

• We also visited the Seminole Nation Museum which documents the history and culture of the Seminole Indians. The Seminoles were part of the infamous “Trail of Tears” along with the Cherokees, the Chickasaws, the Choctaw and the Muskcogee (Creek). It was very meaningful since we have always known of the Seminole existence in Florida but never thought of them as being one of the “Five Civilized Tribes” forcibly relocated from the southeastern United States to the future state of Oklahoma. We will see more about this “interesting” part of our country’s history next week in Muskcogee and the Tulsa/Claremore area.

We saw and did several other things in Oklahoma City but these are some of the highlights.

SO – it’s been another GREAT 10 days and the excitement continues.

As usual, here is a link to some pictures so you can see some of the amazing places we’ve been too.

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Also included is a photo of our “Bunker”, also known as the Underground Tornado Shelter. We’ve included this because, many of you are aware that the last few days have been rather exciting here in central Oklahoma. We were indeed, in the path of one of the 42 tornadoes that roared through this past Monday. Oklahoma truly lived up to its "Tornado Alley" name, which we learned first-hand at about 8:00 PM when we heard the sirens and had to evacuate to the shelter. As you can see from the photo, it is a “not-too-large” underground cement room but it was certainly a welcome refuge for those of us in the campground. We are acutely aware that a motorhome probably does not hold up well against winds that can be in excess of 130 mph! Give me a hurricane any day with it’s three-day advance warning. Fortunately we were spared a direct encounter; the closest twister split as it approached Muskgokee and struck an area about 4 miles south. That certainly was, however, close enough for us. Just a day or two beforehand we had been in several of the places that took direct hits, including the Pilot Truck Stop and the Country Boy Store. We were well prepared in advance, with our emergency backpacks ready and glued to our weather radio. That siren really is loud. We heard it once more yesterday morning when we experienced severe thunderstorms and another spate of tornadoes. Hopefully we will not have to go through it again while we here. We are very prudent and take all necessary precautions so there is really no need for anyone to worry. We do NOT intend to experience a “Reverse Wizard of OZ” and wake up saying “WOW, this really does look like Kansas – how did we get here?”!

The excitement continues and the wonderful experiences are phenomenal.

Hope you enjoy this Blog and the associated pictures. Drop us an email at

PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com

Or Post a comment on the Blog

Until next time, take care and stay safe,

Pat & Judy

OKLAHOMA – a land of gracious people, epic stories and soul-inspiring landscapes…

This has been another terrific week of seeing fantastic things and meeting wonderful people.

Last Tuesday, we concluded our Texas segment by visiting The Amon Carter Museum. Fort Worth publisher and philanthropist Amon G. Carter, Sr. (1879-1955), founded the Museum to house his extensive collection by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and many other artists of the American West. The Amon Carter Museum houses a collection of over 300,000 objects, including paintings, sculpture, and prints, as well as one of the finest collections of American photographs. Remington’s dynamic representations of cowboys and cavalrymen, bronco busters and braves, created a mythic image of the American West that continues to inspire America today. Likewise, Russell captured the landscapes, the spirit, and the culture of the West during the late 1800s and early 1900s. One really cannot envision “The American West” without studying this extraordinary assemblage of art that includes not only these well-known masters of this artistic style but also George Catlin, Ansel Adams, Georgia O’Keeffe and many more. In the attached link of photos, we’ve included a picture of “The Right of the Road” by Frederic S. Remington. We found this oil to be very poignant as it is reflective of the end of an era. Wistfully, it may even signal the loss of the true old west as the stagecoach and the bicycle are both forced to share the same dusty road and one can almost imagine that everyday life as they knew it was going to be further forced to give way to a more modern lifestyle.

After enjoying the Amon Carter we left Texas and headed north to Lawton, Oklahoma.

Oklahoma, a name that is from the Choctaw Indian words "okla" meaning people and "humma" meaning red, is a beautiful land whose Native American roots lie at it’s very heart. We are planning on spending several weeks in this dramatic and vibrant area, which is already promising to be a land of enchanting contrasts and breathtaking vistas. There are 39 American Indian tribes in Oklahoma, each with one-of-a-kind culture, art and heritage. We are already developing a new appreciation for the wisdom, insight and courage of Oklahoma’s original people. We are certainly aware and appreciative of the vital, ongoing role they play and how they enrich virtually every aspect of life in this land.

On Wednesday we visited the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, OK. The famed Chisholm Trail, open from 1867 until 1885, ran from the South Texas Valley north to Abilene, Kansas and was responsible for the movement of millions of longhorns to the starving Northern and Eastern markets. This historic 1,200 mile, four-month, journey pushed $3 a head cattle quickly from Texas into Indian territory, where the pace was slowed to fatten the cattle before pushing again north to the Kansas rail heads and eventually on to Chicago and New York where they would command $40 to $60 a head. We also visited the Comanche National Museum and Cultural Center whose mission is to preserve and expand the knowledge of this tribe who call themselves “Numunuu” (The People). Originally they were nomadic buffalo hunters who lived in teepees. Always a warrior tribe, the Comanche became “Lords of the Plains” once they acquired the horse. They have been regarded as the finest horsemen on the plains and in more recent times Comanche men were part of the dozen tribes that made up the elite group of soldiers known as the Code Talkers of World War Two. These men used their Native languages to serve the US military. It would take the Code Talkers less than three minutes to transmit and decode top-secret messages that were never broken by the enemy. We also visited the Museum of the Great Plains which strives to interpret the relationship between man and the plains environment. This is where we first saw the beautiful Rose Rock. Rose rocks are aggregates of barite (barium sulfate) crystals and sand whose iron content gives them a reddish hue. The barite crystals form a circular array of flat plates, giving the rock a shape similar to a rose blossom. We’ve included a photo in the attached link so you can see its rare beauty.

On Thursday we went to Fort Sill National Historic Landmark and Museum. The fort consists of 50 buildings from the original 19th-century military outpost and it still retains its frontier atmosphere. Established in 1869 by General Philip H. Sheridan, its purpose was to control the Comanche, Cheyenne, Kiowa and other tribes that were roaming the Southern Plains. In continuous use since the Indian Wars the fort, which was originally constructed by the famous 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, has “housed” Geronimo in its guardhouse, been a residence for Quantah Parker and several other chiefs who signed the Medicine Lodge Treaty and has had some of the most famous military leaders and units in American history serving there. It is also the site of seven American Indian cemeteries Today Fort Sill is home to the US Army Field Artillery School, Army Training Center, NCO Academy, Army Fires Brigade of the United States Army Forces Command and the Air Defense Artillery Center. The visit to Fort Sill was very informative and provided an interesting bridge between the military and Indian activities of the mid-19th century all the way to the advanced, modern-day military of today.

On Friday we visited the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton which tells the story of the fabled Main Street of America” (or “Mother Road” as it was also known) as it traversed nearly 400 miles across the state. Crammed with memorabilia, the museum presents six decades of Route 66 history through many interactive and informative exhibits. Additionally, while in Lawton, we made several trips into The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge which provides habitat for large native grazing animals such as American bison, Rocky Mountain elk, white-tailed deer and Texas longhorn cattle which all share the Refuge rangelands. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is a tract of approximately 60,000 acres embracing a major portion of the Wichita Mountains in southwestern Oklahoma. The Wichita Mountains rank among the oldest ranges on earth and the formation of these mountains began some 500 million years ago when stratified layers of eroded silt were deposited. Through the ages climatic forces have chiseled and sculptured the mountains until all that remain of once lofty escarpments are weather-reduced knobs and domes. We were privileged to have many close encounters with all of the above-mentioned animal inhabitants and were fortunate to get a lot of great photos. The bison and longhorns, which we witnessed in the hundreds were definitely the predominant residents in the refuge and on several occasions we had to wait while large herds sauntered across the roadway. This area is also home to a unique type of building known as cobblestone architecture where the exterior walls consist of rows of cobblestones embedded in a lime mortar. The surface is carefully constructed for decorative effect with cobbles matched by size and color. Medicine Park, near where our campground was located is a cobblestone resort community founded in 1907 on the banks of Medicine Creek. The pages of the Town’s colorful history are filled with the likes of Will Rogers, Wiley Post, Frank Phillips, Bob Wills, Al Capone, Bonnie and Clyde, Pretty Boy Floyd, Lil Hardin, Colonel Jack Abernathy, Les Brown, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans and countless others.

On Saturday, we visited Washita Battlefield, site of Col. George Custer’s 1868 early morning attack on the sleeping village of Peace Chief Black Kettle. The strike was hailed at the time by the military and many civilians as a significant victory aimed at reducing Indian raids on frontier settlements as it forced the Cheyenne back to the reservation set aside for them. However, Washita remains controversial because many Indians and whites labeled Custer's attack a massacre of primarily women, children and the helpless aged. Black Kettle is still honored as a prominent leader who never ceased striving for peace even though it cost him his life. Custer’s attack set the stage for his defeat 8 years later at Little Big Horn. We also went to the Break O’Day Farm Museum and Gallery of Augusta Corson Metcalf who was known as the “Grandma Moses of the Plaines”. Also commonly referred to as "The Sagebrush Artist”, Augusta Metcalfe used oils and watercolors to render images that depicted her first-hand knowledge of ranch life in Oklahoma's early years. A single woman homesteader, she recorded both the hardships and the beauty of the land along the Washita River.

On Sunday we visited the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City which dealt with the entire expanse of “The Mother Road”. This famous highway originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, before ending at Los Angeles, encompassing a total of 2,448 miles. Route 66 was a major path of the migrants who went west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. Route 66 was recognized in popular culture by both a hit song and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s. As you’ll see in one of the photos included with this post, some folks are “still getting their kicks on Route 66”!

Sunday afternoon we left Lawton and continued on to Oklahoma City where we are now.

It has been an exciting week. We have just started our exploration of Oklahoma but already we are finding it to be modern and ancient, genuine and surprising. Oklahoma is a place where panoramic skies reflect a soulful land, where present and future intertwine with the past and together they unfold to paint a rich portrait that defies characterization. We have just begun to explore “Oklahoma Native America” and we are anxiously looking forward to the people we shall meet and the sites we shall see in the days and weeks ahead. As they say here in Oklahoma, we’re going to “Head em’ up and move em’ out”.

As always, below is a link to some photos from this past week.

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Please enjoy and continue to drop us an email at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com or post a comment to this blog. We love hearing from you.

Take care and stay safe,

Pat & Judy

Wildflowers and the Wild West…

We have had a very busy, informative and fun time this week in the Dallas – Fort Worth Metroplex.

In 1841, John Neely Bryan laid claim to a stretch of land along the Trinity River and built a single log cabin. He envisioned a commerce center that capitalized on the expanse of land and its river. In 1849 Brevet Major Ripley Arnold set up Camp Worth, also on the banks of the Trinity River, at the confluence of the West and Clear forks. With the arrival of the railroad, the steady influx of immigrants, the development of the largest livestock marketing area in the southwest, the discovery of oil, a strong entrepreneurial can-do spirit and an avid pursuit of art and culture, the Metroplex has grown into one of the most diverse, and progressive metropolitan areas in the United States.

After leaving Austin last Monday we stopped in Waco to visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum. Waco is also home to the Dr. Pepper Museum. Dr. Pepper is the oldest soft drink in the world, having been developed at “The Old Corner Drugstore” in Waco in the early 1880s.

On Tuesday we went to the Fort Worth Stockyards where we enjoyed the longhorn cattle drive through town as well as visits to the Livestock Exchange where we learned that livestock is no longer brought here to be sold but rather all transactions are now done through the internet and audio/video auctions. A crew goes out to a ranch and films the stock. That footage is broadcast to prospective buyers. The entire auction is done via an internet video feed and bids are tendered either online or over the phone. Once a lot is sold then the buyer sends a stock truck to the seller’s ranch and retrieves the stock to be returned back to their ranch. We actually sat and listened to a “live” auction in progress. All this “high tech” stuff kind of takes all the glamour out of the old west, don’t you think? No more cowboys driving herds of cattle up the old Chisholm Trail. Just a bunch of computer and A/V wonks taking pictures and doing internet feeds! We also went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Billy Bob’s which is the world’s largest honky-tonk with a 4,800 square foot rodeo area, 600 feet of bar rails and a 1,650 square foot stage. ALL of the country/western stars (and wanna-bes) have performed at Billy Bob’s. Many people know Billy Bob's as the Host of Country Music's biggest stars, but it has also played host to Rock 'n' Roll & Pop Music stars. Artists such as Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine, Ringo Starr, .38 Special, Men At Work, The Go-Go's, Steppenwolf, ZZ Top, and even Bob Hope have performed onstage at Billy Bob's. Billy Bob’s opened April 1, 1981 to national attention with Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers as the first performers. Other artists who appeared that first week were Waylon Jennings, Janie Fricke & Willie Nelson.

On Wednesday we drove to Las Colinas which is midway between Dallas and Fort Worth. When Pat was working, one of her offices was in Las Colinas so she wanted to show Judy some of the sights in the area. The Mustangs of Las Colinas is the world’s largest equestrian sculpture. It is a breathtakingly realistic bronze rendering of nine larger-than-life wild mustangs galloping across a granite stream. It was created by Robert Glen, an internationally recognized wildlife sculptor, who took eight years to complete this amazing piece of art which is truly a memorial to the heritage of Texas. There are other beautiful things to see in the area including a very large flower clock and various other sculpture and art exhibits.
While in the Metroplex this week we have also had the opportunity to have dinner a couple evenings with guys that Pat worked with in the area. It’s been fun to catch up and laugh about old times. It’s also GREAT to be retired ;)) they are still putting in time with IBM…

On Thursday we took our last wildflower drive. This was to Ennis, Texas, home of the Bluebonnet Festival. We once again saw miles and miles of gorgeous wildflowers and have taken MANY more photographs. We also visited Waxahatchie, home to the Ennis County Courthouse, an elaborate structure of red sandstone and granite, built in 1895 for a then-lavish cost of $150,000. Italian artisans were imported for exterior stone carving. Interestingly, there is a recurring face of a local lady-about-town, Mabel Frame, the local telegraph operator, with whom, it is rumored, the lead sculptor became enamored.

On Friday we spent the morning at the National Cowgirl Museum and Hall of Fame which is the only museum in the world dedicated to honoring and documenting the distinguished women of the American West including Georgia O’Keeffe, Dale Evans, Patsy Cline, Sacajawea, Willa Cather, Annie Oakley and many more. By itself this was a great exhibit but it was doubly exciting because they were showing a special exhibit entitled Georgia O'Keeffe and the Faraway. This included several of O'Keeffe's paintings on loan from museums and private collectors from around the country. Also included was her camping gear, which has never before been displayed to the public; numerous sketches made by the artist while camping and hiking in northern New Mexico; a few key pieces of her clothing and multiple photographs taken of her while camping as well as others that document her affinity with the West. We found this exhibit, as I’m sure you can imagine, to be most apropos. Next we spent the afternoon at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History which contains the Noble Planetarium where we saw a presentation on the Texas Sky, The Cattle Raisers Museum and several other interesting and interactive exhibits. Fort Worth is known as the “Museum Capital of the Southwest” and it has certainly lived up to that moniker. In the evening we attended the Stockyards Championship Rodeo at the Cowtown Coliseum. Professional cowboys and cowgirls compete in this rodeo, which is the longest continuous rodeo, having been in existence since 1918.

Saturday we spent in Dallas where we toured the Old Red Courthouse, the John Neely Bryan log cabin, the John Fitzgerald Kennedy Memorial, Cenotaph and Memorial Park and the Dallas Farmer’s Market where we got some GREAT produce. However, the highlight of the day was, without a doubt, the Sixth Floor Museum. It is a permanent, educational exhibition on the life, death and legacy of our 35th President of the United States, housed in the former Texas School Book Depository. The museum afforded the most comprehensive presentation on Kennedy and the events of that fateful day of November 22, 1963 delivered through photographs, artifacts, a 2-hour audio tour and six films. The finite timeline and attention to the minutest detail really contributed to a very informative experience. We both immensely enjoyed the museum although it still – 47 years later – conjures up feelings of sadness.

Sunday was spent just relaxing and getting caught up on things around the RV as we have been really busy of late.
Today, Monday we went to the United States Bureau of Engraving and Printing where we saw, literally, BILLIONS of dollars in currency. This is one of two places where the US prints notes (the other is in Washington, DC) and since this is the larger of the two facilities, there is more produced here. The tour was fantastic. Obviously Judy, the banker and money-person, REALLY enjoyed it. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and produce a staggering amount of money. Currently they are running full-bore printing the new 100 dollar bills that will be released into circulation the first of the year. The tour was quite informative; however, very strict security precluded us from taking any photographs. We were also somewhat disappointed in that there were no samples. Every other time we do a factory tour we get samples at the conclusion; e.g. Blue Bell Ice Cream, Hershey Chocolates, etc. But, NO, nothing here!! Those pallets of many “bricks” of hundreds, each containing several million dollars in value, certainly looked enticing.

Tomorrow we are going to the Amon Carter Museum which houses one of the largest collections of Western and American art along with other extensive exhibits. There are more than 400 paintings, drawings and works of sculpture by Frederic Remington and Charles M. Russell as well as a sizeable display of works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Thomas Brady and many more.
Well, as you can see, we have been VERY, VERY busy. From here we are heading to Oklahoma. We have just about concluded the wildflower portion of this trip and now we’ll spend the next few weeks concentrating on the West and American Indian culture.

As usual, we have included a link to some photos, so please enjoy and drop us an email or post a comment on this blog.

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Until next time…
Stay safe and take care,
Pat and Judy

A GREAT WEEK IN AUSTIN…

We continued our Wildflower Adventure by seeing more and more spectacular flowers. There are said to be 5,000 wildflower species in Texas and we have probably seen several hundred of these. We have spent countless hours driving the highways and back roads, and around every bend the flowers are even more amazing than before. We’ve taken 100’s of photographs and they don’t even begin to capture the beauty. By everyone’s account, this is a record year for spring wildflowers and we have been really fortunate to see them in all their magnificence.

We arrived in Austin a week ago and have really enjoyed Texas’ capital city. It is not very large (slightly over 700,000 inhabitants) but it is chock full of fun and informative things to see and do. Austin embraces a casual spontaneity and is full of life, creativity and new ideas. It is billed as The Live Music Capital of the World; after all, it is home to Austin City Limits and has benefited from Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan and countless other music impresarios who have contributed to its legendary status. Austin is not only home to the HUGE University of Texas campus, but it is also the PROUD standard bearer of the “Keep Austin Weird” moniker. For decades, the city has been a haven for artists, musicians and eccentrics who give Austin its unique and funky cultural atmosphere. Austintonians are passionate about maintaining their city’s individuality and it is this excitement and verve that we have really enjoyed.

The first day we arrived we took a “Bat Cruise” on Lady Bird Lake. When refurbishing the Ann Richards/Congress Ave Bridge in 1980, engineers inadvertently created an ideal roost for Mexican free-tailed bats. The expansion joints on the underside of the bridge are now home to the world’s largest urban bat colony which numbers as many as 1.5 MILLION of the creatures. Shortly after dusk, we anchored under the bridge and watched the bat inhabitants flood out from their crevices to spend the night scavenging for insects. What a sight!!

Wednesday was spent

• viewing the The Treaty Oak, a once-majestic Southern live oak that is the last surviving member of the Council Oaks, a grove of 14 trees that served as a sacred meeting place for Comanche and Tonkawa Tribes. A Native American legend holds that the Council Oaks were a location for the launching of war and peace parties. Legends also hold that women of the Tejas tribe would drink a tea made from honey and the acorns of the oaks to ensure the safety of warriors in battle.

• visiting the Texas State Cemetery which is billed as “The Arlington of Texas”. The grounds include the final resting places of nearly 3,000 patriots, statesmen and heroes, including 2,000 Confederate soldiers, Stephen F. Austin, Governors John Connally and Ann Richards, Barbara Jordan and Tom Landry, to name just a few. The grounds are beautiful and it serves as a testimony to legendary Texans who have made the state what it is today.

• and making a “pilgrimage” to the flagship store of Whole Foods Markets. Wow, what a fantastic experience. Judy was in seventh heaven. The store encompasses an entire city block, has 10 different food bars where you can sit and eat food prepared right before you, attend culinary classes and purchase any and every foodstuff you can possibly imagine. There are even guided tours of the store!!

Thursday was rainy so it was a perfect day to spend at the Texas State History Museum - The Story of Texas. We viewed an IMAX presentation on Texas, 2 features at the Texas Spirit Theatre that included special lighting and sound effects with shaking seats and lots of other “surprises” and viewing the many state-of-the-art and interactive exhibits that trace Texas’ history from before European exploration to the present day. This museum was one of the best we have ever visited. It truly ranks right up there with the Alaska State Museum that we thoroughly enjoyed a couple years ago.

Friday was spent at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center. The following quote, visible at the entrance, really speaks to the former first lady’s commitment and dedication to not only the preservation of wildflowers, but to the beautification of America:

My special cause, the one that alerts my interest and quickens the pace of my life, is to preserve the wildflowers and native plants that define the regions of our land – to encourage and promote their use in appropriate areas, and thus help pass on to generations in waiting, the quiet joys and satisfactions I have known since my childhood.

Lady Bird Johnson

After the Wildflower Center we once again toured the backcountry roads, enjoying the beautiful sights and we eventually ended up in Lockhart, billed as the Barbecue Capital of Texas. We have been making a concerted effort to sample and compare as many BBQ joints as possible ;))

Saturday we started the day at the Austin Farmers Market which presents primarily organic, homemade and free-range products. We then did some more country driving including a trip along the Devil’s Backbone, one of Texas’ most scenic roads which winds along a razor-backed ridge overlooking Hill Country vistas. This excursion included a visit to Wimberley, known as one of America's Top Ten Best Small Towns. This designation is due to its thriving artist’s colony, charming storefronts and most importantly (at least in Pat’s estimation), the Wimberley Pie Company - where folks line up for a slice of their homemade pie. We cannot attest to the deliciousness of ALL their offerings but the cherry and coconut were the BEST we have ever had.

Today, Sunday, was spent downtown at the Texas State Capitol complex and the University of Texas campus. The capitol is a very imposing red granite building that actually stands 14 feet taller than the US Capitol ! Leave it to those Texans – everything is bigger in Texas, right? We also had a great Tex-Mex lunch at a place where all the U of T kids hang out. It’s called Juan in a Million and it was really good.

So, tomorrow we head north to the Dallas-Ft Worth metroplex . Pat spent a lot of time there during her working days so it will be fun to go back as a tourist.
As usual, here is a link to some pictures of this week’s travels. Enjoy and drop us an email or write a comment on this blog if you so desire.

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Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy

FINALLY, on the road again…

I know, we have been VERY remiss in updating this blog. It’s not that we haven’t wanted to; it’s not that we haven’t traveled to lots of neat places; and it’s not that we didn’t want to share our experiences with all of you… it’s just that, quite honestly, Pat’s been lazy and hasn’t kept up with it !!!! ;)) She’s not promising that she’ll be better but she is going to TRY.

So, what have we been up to for the last several months?

• Aug. 2009: Disney World and the Space Coast for a couple weeks.
• Sept.-Nov. 2009: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, etc. to see Autumn foliage and visit with lots of family and friends.
• Nov. & Dec. 2009: home in Flagler for the holidays.
• Dec. 2009 & Jan. 2010: Williamsburg, VA for the holiday festivities.
• Jan. & Feb. 2010: several trips around Florida including the Tampa RV show, the birding festival in Titusville and visiting friends and family up-and-down the state.
• Mar. 2010: a GREAT week at Disney World with the grand-daughters and a Birthday B-B-Q for Judy, son David and the two granddaughters, Skyler and Aris.

Now, for fear of sounding like one of those endless holiday newsletters, (like Pat’s Mom used to send every year), we’ll just suffice to say that, as you can see, we have been rather busy.

NOW, on to this trip…

Our first and foremost intention was to get to Texas to see the wildflowers. This was something Judy has looked forward to for several years and so we wanted to be there in the Spring.

We left Flagler the 30th of March, heading west, through the Florida panhandle, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and into Texas. We were joined the first week by our friends Freddie & Sally, whom we had gone to Alaska with. Along the way we stopped in Breaux Bridge, LA, The Crawfish Capital of the World, and had some dee-licous bayou/Cajun food. And, NO, we did not suck the heads off the crawfish; but the tails sure are good!

We arrived in Beaumont, Texas and spent a few days touring. Beaumont is the site of the first great Texas oil well in 1901. The Spindletop-Gladys City oil field spawned Exxon, Mobil, Sun Oil, Gulf, Texaco and a whole lot more of the present day companies that we associate with today’s oil industry. Beaumont is also the home of the Babe Didrickson Zaharias museum, honoring a woman, whom many believe to be the greatest female athlete of the 20th century. She excelled not only at golf, which she is most widely known for, but also track & field (winning Olympic gold in several events), basketball, softball, bowling, pocket billiards and many more sports. We also viewed a 24-foot tall fire hydrant at the Fire Museum. It was a gift to the city of Beaumont from Disney, after they used it to premier the re-release of 101 Dalmatians. The hydrant weighs 4,500 lbs. and can blast 1,500 gallons of water a minute!

Next it was on to San Antonio where we started our wonderful wildflower adventure.

To quote the official Texas Wildflower Report webpage:

“2010 has produced an Extraordinary Wildflower Season. If you have ever thought about visiting Texas to see the spring wildflowers, we urge you to do so this year. The bloom this year is the best in living memory. A prolonged drought followed by an unusually cold winter and plentiful rain due to El Nino, have combined to form the perfect conditions for a widespread and prolific wildflower bloom.”

Friends, we are here to tell you that this account does not lie. The profusion of wildflowers is absolutely PHENOMINAL. They are not only gorgeous but they are everywhere!! There are absolutely no words to describe their beauty. And NO photo can begin to show their beauty. We drove all over the area south of San Antonio and it seems that each vista surpassed the previous. We also went downtown to the Riverwalk and, of course, dined at Rudy's (our favorite San Antonio BBQ joint!). We also visited New Braunfels, one of the areas north of San Antonio which was settled by German immigrants and is steeped in German tradition.

From San Antonio we have driven north to Fredericksburg, another area settled by German farmers in the mid-1800s. We are now in the heart of the Texas “Hill Country”, known for its rugged terrain, its many rivers and, especially, its colorful displays of Spring wildflowers. This area was also the home of our 36th President, Lyndon Baines Johnson. We toured his birthplace, his boyhood home and the “Texas White House”, where both he, and the First Lady, lived until their deaths. It was very interesting and also had a double significance because of his wife, Lady Bird Johnson, who was so instrumental in the beautification of America. Lady Bird’s legacy lives on in the millions and millions of blooms planted not only in the state of Texas, but in our nation’s capital and also along the sweeping banks of U.S. highways. It is thanks to her never-ending quest for sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants and landscapes that we are enjoying this awesome proliferation of beauty here today. We have driven endless miles and taken countless photos of the incredible Texas wildflowers. This year’s display far exceeds anything we could have anticipated.

From here we leave tomorrow, Tuesday, the13th, for Austin. We will spend a week there, touring the area and visiting the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. It promises to be even more incredible.

Attached, as usual, is a link to some photos so you can see some of the phenomenal sights we’re experiencing. There is, however, no way to capture the beauty of the wildflowers!

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0Sbs27hoxZMds

Please enjoy the pics and feel free to add a comment to this blog or drop us an email at PFerraro1@cfl.rr.com.

Soon…
Take care and stay safe,
Pat & Judy