Back in TEXAS! . . .

crossed the Oklahoma/Texas border and rolled back into the “home country” yesterday

in the last six months we have been in sixteen states. . .wow. . .

and visited twelve State Capitols. . .such a great trip. . .

but at some point, we must return. . .we’ve got birthdays to make up for with grandaughters. . .

hugs to collect. . .doctors to visit (ugh). . .friends to see. . .lots and lots to do. . .

 

First stop. . .this fabulous little city park just out of Dallas. . .

50A water/electric only $9 per night if you are over 60. . .

hello. . .yes, NINE DOLLARS. . .is that unbelievable or what?


Wish I could show you how great it really is. . .you can barely see the lake

in the left of the pic. ..but it is so close, we can walk right over to it. . .

Dave enjoying the view this morning. . .

but here’s the real reason for the stop. . .

Mr Cuteness himself. . .our adorable “great” nephew. . .

oh, and his mommy and daddy. . .LOL! 

 

Our niece BROUGHT with them all the goods

for a complete BBQ. . .wow. . .so organized. . .I LOVE it!

All we did was fire up the grill. . .she and hubby did all the rest. . .

it was so great. . .and so delicious!  Thanks guys. . .

time to take Mr Busyness over to the park and wear him out. . .

man is that boy fast. . .wow! 

waiting for the delivery. . .there he is. . .so much fun. . .

after the slide episode he even allowed me to hold him. . .

wow. . .that was amazing. . .

you know how they get at that age. . .where they don’t want anybody but Mommy. . .

see. . .that’s what wearing them out will do. . .

I bet he was asleep before they made it to the main road. . .

 

See you soon for more hugs guys. . .love ya!

The Oklahoma State Capitol–Oklahoma City

this morning found us on the lawn of the Oklahoma State House. . .

 

it was obvious from the moment we crossed into the Capitol Complex,

and drove down the boulevard. . .

that Oklahoma is an “OIL STATE” and proud of it. . .

way to go Oklahoma. . .I love it!

a prominent painting inside the building is titled “Black Gold”

another prominent image depicts The Magic of Petroleum. . .

you can read the story, and decide how much to believe. . .or not

we were surprised to learn that for 85 years the

Oklahoma State House looked like this,

because they ran out of funds,

the ceiling of the rotunda area was flat as depicted on the left. . .

this dome existed only on paper until

then Governor Frank Keating prevailed upon

private industry and citizens to raise funds

to have it installed for Oklahoma’s Centennial Celebration

this is much more beautiful, don’t you think?

there were moments of grand architecture throughout the building. . .

and I missed getting a pic of the Grand Staircase,

which was really, really great. . .

you should go so you can see it

Famous Oklahomans

Will Rodgers, Jim Thorpe (Olympian), Mickey Mantle, and Sam Walton

and can you ever visit Oklahoma without living in fear that one of these may happen?

 

We have enjoyed our few days here in Oklahoma’s State Capitol. . .

but it’s now time to pack it up and roll it on into Texas. . .

 

See you there,

Janice and Dave

 

more great artwork and architecture of the State Capitol Building. . .enjoy!

The Oklahoma State House - Oklahoma City VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Oklahoma,Oklahoma City,State Capitol

St Joseph’s Cathedral–Oklahoma City

One last word about the OKC National Memorial

before I move on to the State Capitol. . .

on my list of must see places because of it’s connection to the Memorial

was the ST. Joseph’s Cathedral. . .

it was right across the street from the Arthur P. Murrah Building,

and received extensive damage from the blast. . .

loving Cathedrals anyway, I really wanted to see

the Stained Glass and Pipe Organ in this one,

and read the stories of that fateful day. . .

however, it was closed, locked up tight . . .so maybe next trip. . .

as we stood on the Murrah Building Plaza,

looking back across the street toward the Cathedral,

I told Dave. . .oh I wish the flag would unfurl so I could

get a shot of it with the steeple in the background. . .

at that moment it was as though an angel’s breath

blew the flag out for the perfect shot. . .

love those moment’s in time. . .

and on the corner directly behind the Cathedral

with it’s back to the disaster stands this memorial statue

entitled “And Jesus Wept”. . .

My feeble mind will never understand such tragedies. . .

or why a merciful God allows such horrible things to happen. . .

I just don’t know. . .and standing here almost 20 years later,

I still ask the question. . .WHY oh WHY? 


A question that will only be answered in eternity. . .

I’m glad we came. . .


See you next time at the State Capitol Building,

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

For More Pics and Remembrances from the
Memorial Site, and specifically to see pics 

of the inside of St Joseph's Cathedral check out 

Where's Weaver's Blog

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Oklahoma,Oklahoma City,St Josephs Cathedral,And Jesus Wept

 

The Oklahoma City Memorial–Remembering

 

Two different RV friends, Marcia & Paul and Susan & Bob had seen

the Memorial at dark, and highly recommended it. . .

so that is what we did last night. . .

I really didn’t plan to be so moved by this Memorial. . .

to find the experience so gripping and emotional was totally unexpected. . .

These Individual Memorials in this Field of Empty Chairs

are planted on the exact footprint of the building. . .

There were nine floors in the building. . .

there are nine rows of chairs. . .

Each person’s chair is in the row of the floor they were on. . .

The Children’s Daycare must have been on the 2nd floor

because most of the small chairs are in the 2nd row. . .

a piece of original wall stands in one corner of the

Field of Empty Chairs

You know I rarely go into a lot of detail.. .

but this may be one of those occasions that I tell more than you ever wanted to

 

 

It was so important for me to understand the footprint

(maybe because I learn so visually)

starting on the left side of the drawings

the Murrah Plaza remains pretty much the same as it was in 1995 

 

              

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the Field of Empty Chairs is the actual footprint of the building. . .

the granite walkways around the Field of Empty Chairs

were designed of granite taken from the rubble. . .

the Reflecting Pool was 5th Ave before the bombing. . .

the Survivor Tree actually stood in a parking lot

across the street from the building

and the Rescuers Orchard and Children’s Area

were Businesses and a Loading Dock

 

 

These are the Gates of Time. . .

9:01                                     and                                  9:03

standing at either end of the reflecting pool

spanning a moment of time at 9:02 AM on April 19, 1995 when life changed forever. . .

and as I sat there looking at the reflection of “The Field of Empty Chairs”

I once again realized how precious this life is. . .

one morning, 168 families got up, got dressed,

had their normal routines, expecting everything to be the same as always,

and in the blink of an eye. . .at 9:02 AM their lives were stolen from them. . .

but just as this American Elm survived the ravages of that day,

and became known as the Survivor Tree. . .

we too must be survivors, but always remember. . .never forget!

but there’s one more thing I must share. . .

after arriving home last night, I began reading the brochure we had picked up

and discovered that in the children’s area there are hand painted ceramic tiles,

painted by children around the country, and made into a special memorial wall

in the courtyard slate has been installed in with the marble slabs,

and children who are visiting can leave messages using the sidewalk chalk provided

I’m so glad we went back to see this fabulous tribute. . .

I almost didn’t make it without completely breaking down. . .

tell me if you agree. . .

really tugs the heart strings, doesn’t it?

 

The Memorial

 

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Oklahoma,Oklahoma City,Alfred P. Murrah Building,Oklahoma City National Memorial