A month or so ago, a wonderful friend of mine invited me to visit him in his home town, Oklahoma City, and without thinking twice I booked my flight. For those of you in the DC and Baltimore area, Southwest Airlines offers direct flights in and out of Oklahoma City and it is so carefree! Having never been to Oklahoma I really had no idea what to expect, so I did what all inquisitive parties do today.......I googled, "Oklahoma City" and have to admit I became excited in anticipation of my trip. As you see from the photo above the skyline of the city is quite impressive and even more so at night!
As a child spending lots of summers and extended holidays with my grandparents on their farm in West Virginia, I always found the old windmill, which stood so stately and proudly above the well, as tall, as perhaps the Eiffel Tower or maybe even taller or at least, in my early and already creative mind. So one thing I knew I wanted to see were windmills and windmills I have seen......
Of course, the other preconceived thoughts about Oklahoma for me was seeing Cowboys and Indians walking around.....and I have not been too disappointed, even though, there really aren't any horses or carriages tied up outside the restaurants, etc........you do occasionally see the beauty of the the Native American costume during festivals and the Cowboy at rodeo time and of course as the bottom photo above depicts, the "up and coming" Cowboy or Cowgirl!
Gosh, how in the world could I almost forget "where the buffalo roam" was one more "must see"? How majestic and magical this wonderful animal is......although they are huge, their aura is so quiet and gentile and they are absolutely handsome!
Now one of the most impressive things, I have to admit, I did not know existed in Oklahoma City, is the Chihuly Glass collection, which is the largest comprehensive Chihuly collection in the world. Only one word can describe it.....SPECTACULAR.....and worth visiting Oklahoma City for! The top photo is actually in the entrance of the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and is the tallest work in the world by Chihuly!
Architecturally the city is pretty incredible, as well....the neighborhoods are all pristine and you can see that Mid-western sense of pride of their home and the heartland of the Country.
From the Capitol Dome
To the American Indian and Cowboy Museum
To the wonderful Bricktown Canal and Waterwalk
Along the canal are these great bronze sculptures depicting the Oklahoma Land Rush.....my friend, Kyle gave me a history lesson and now I understand the difference between the "boomers and the "sooners"!
One of the other facts that surprised me about Oklahoma City's Lake Hefner is that it is one of the top sailing lakes in the world.......
And the Phoenix rises.........From this.......
to this......may we never forget!
Before I return to DC on Weds evening I will return to pay my respects again and view the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial one more time. As horrific as the crime was, the enormous and overwhelming sense of unity the memorial creates is absolutely breathtaking and beautiful......as I have enjoyed the tranquility and peacefulness of being in this picturesque part of our Country I cannot even imagine an event like that would ever have occured here, or anywhere for that matter.....but then again evil and sick individuals exist everywhere, but as the wonderful people of Oklahoma City have proven "good always outweighs evil" and the memorial they have created exemplifies that! I am already looking forward to my next visit and want to experience spending time on a ranch.....can you believe it?
