Oklahoma: The Trip! Day Three...

I could have snapped pictures the whole time. And thanks to photoshop I can fix 'em up real good to make them look as beautiful as in person. Check out this scenery. It was amazing.

Day three arrived and we packed up and headed to Turner Falls. At this point I'm getting real good at this daily packing business. Got it down to two bags! One big ol bag for all the water toys and other fun necessities and one bag for snacks and diapers, etc.


The park was a lot smaller than I imagined. I thought it was going to be really overwhelming and figured we'd want to go back to see it all. When you pay at the gate there is a big swimming area with a water slide and such by the front, then a beautiful winding stream back through the park from the big falls, then the swimming area at the big water fall. And that was it. Simple enough!

We parked and walked back to see the falls but didn't take stuff to set up camp yet. After we walked back to the water fall area we decided to just set up closer to the car so we wouldn't have to haul as much. There is parking all along the stream and it ended up being the perfect spot.





The falls were beautiful, but the so-called "sandy beach" that they boasted of was nothing more than a hill of red dirt. I don't think it could sustain a sand castle nor could I sustain the mess I imagined it would make, so we poked around there for a bit more, stopped off at a playground, then headed back to set up along the stream.

*This photo was borrowed from the following website as I surfed the web trying to find more information on the castle once we got back home; http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/collings.htm

We past a castle along the way back from the falls and checked it out. It was super cool! Joseph was a bit weary of the steepness of it all.....it was built into the side of a really steep hill and as a result there were many different levels to accommodate the grade. Joseph and Josh were ready to get back on solid ground so we didn't stay long, but I can't wait to get back and look around some more. And take more pictures!

There were stairs everywhere to get up and down in it and we found this one itty bitty stair well in one part of the castle. "There are stairs and doors to every rooftop." (Quoted from the afore mentioned website.)


*This photo was borrowed from the following website as I surfed the web trying to find more information on the castle once we got back home; http://www.dupontcastle.com/castles/collings.htm


The castle was built by Ellsworth Collings in the early 1930's who was dean of the University of Oklahoma. The castle is now owned by the government who is slowly, but perhaps dragging their feet, trying to preserve this awesome building. It's actually two separate buildings but I'm not sure if one was the main home and one was guest house or what. There is also what is speculated to be two bath house and also stables all arranged around each other and plunked in to the hillside. Sounds like there isn't much information on the castle and it makes it so intriguing!


Super cool but not exactly two year old-friendly!


This was just funny! These guys were dipping their heads in a ritual to benefit from the healing powers of the water. Or maybe they were just workers maintaining the grounds and they were really hot.




Later that day after nap time, we ventured to the springs in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area.






And here is one of the springs. Pretty anti-climatic huh? But there you go. This one was super stinky too from all the minerals. It smelled like the intersection by our Walmart. I've always wondered why our Walmart smells so bad. Maybe it was built right by a secret medicinal mineral spring?




Another perfect moment in time caught on camera. The trip just kept getting better but I was also ready to get back home. One day left to enjoy our vacation then back to reality...and internet and satellite television.

Oklahoma: The Trip! Day Two...

Day Two has arrived! We woke up and decided today was the day to head to Arbuckle Wilderness to visit some relatives. (see above picture)

Ha. See what I did there?! I said our family was a bunch of camels! Big, sloppy, in-your-face, drooling, snotty camels! Ha!

Not sure why I thought that was so funny though because doesn't that mean I'm calling myself a camel? Or at least part camel.

Anyway....

...see!! Here's Josh posing with the in-laws! Ok, enough camel jokes.

We still have camel snot/slime on our windows. It's pretty yucky.


Joseph really wanted to see some zebras and giraffes, so I'm glad they had some. These guys were so cool! I've always enjoyed checking out the zebras.

The drive around the park was really nice. I've heard it's not much compared to Fossil Rim in Glen Rose, but it's been so long since I've been there that this seemed fantastic. We were a little nervous starting out because they run for your car, hoping to get fed, and walk any which direction when trying to drive off....especially right in front of the truck.

No animals were harmed in the Arbuckle Wilderness adventure. And, by the way, we drove with our windows rolled up the whole way. I've seen those America's Funniest Home Videos where an ostrich wreaks havoc on the passengers whose window was down. No thank you. I would like my child to grow up with all 10 fingers, eyes and ears intact.

And this sweet little guy was too cute for words. There were a few of them and I really wanted to take one home. Doesn't he just make you want to dig out your pancho and go for a ride?!


Most of the scenery was beautiful and although I know this isn't the wilds of Africa...it was still super cool to see the animals in a natural habitat. Those horns were pretty darn impressive too.


I wish they had more signs along the way telling us what we were seeing. Sometimes there would be a sign but it might be rusted or faded and wasn't readable. Looks like they might be having a problem with funding.


These guys are Josh's favorite. He says if he were a rancher he would raise buffalo. We could train up Joseph to be a buffalo wrangler!




And of course we had to act a fool with the animal cut-outs! That ostrich is pretty darn funny with that grin smeared on his face. The monkey looks pretty funny too. But that gal petting the ostrich is darn crazy!


Ha! It looks like the monkey is getting Joseph!

Run, son!! That monkey is up to no good!


Arbuckle Wilderness also has a small walk-through zoo area. See, here's the deal with Arbuckle Wilderness; it's like the land that time forgot. It's a really cool place, but only because of the animals. The rest of it is kinda dilapidated-looking. It kinda makes me feel like everything is hanging on with one screw. It's dirty, warped, and most of the light bulbs were flickering or turned off. It was kinda creepy...but in a good way! Hahaha...this might be the first time I've ever said "creepy in a good way". Still, we had a nice time and I'm guessing that it's backwoods appearance is what allowed the three of us to be the only crowd. We had the place to ourselves!

We wandered around for a bit and checked out a huge tortoise, some birds, the reptile house, peacocks and some lemur type looking guys (again, would have loved some signage here). With nap time quickly approaching we headed back to the cabin.


After Joseph woke up we went to check out the Chickasaw National Recreation Area. Originally known as Sulphur Springs Reservation, and later renamed Platt National Park, the park was established in 1902 through an agreement with the Chickasaw and Choctaw Nations and the federal government. The Chickasaw Nation sold the land to the government in order to protect the unique freshwater and mineral springs along Travertine and Rock Creeks.


It was incredibly beautiful and by far our favorite place of the trip. The park was meticulously maintained and small enough that we could hit all the hot spots before we had to leave Friday.

The geography and history is amazing. This area is in the Arbuckle Mountains which are an ancient mountain range. At their biggest they are thought to have been larger than any present day mountain range (including the Rockies and Mount Everest, etc). That is incredible! Now these mountains have been eroded to 300-500 feet at the highest! We are now seeing deep into the heart of the range and some say this area is one of three true gateways into our geological history, along with the Grand Canyon. Josh and I are really into checking out rock formations and this was a super cool treat for us!

We couldn't wait to get back to hang out longer, but planned to hit Turner Falls the next morning. But it was dinner time and time to get back to the cabin.

Josh even had a little friend that wanted to join us, but we figured in that position he probably wouldn't make it past the car ride...

Trash Truck Crib

This has got to be one of my favorite videos of the Crazy Twos. One of Joseph's latest things is his love of the garbage truck. He started riding on the side of my shopping cart like the sanitation workers and helps throw "trash" in the basket.

Now, lately he has a new trash truck and although it's equally cute it's a real pain to clean up after this little game. You'll see for yourself. After a while of not seeing him one morning I went to pay him a visit...

Oklahoma: The Trip! Day One...

We really roughed it, guys. We decided to pack up and head to Oklahoma to see the sites. "Oklahoma?" you say? Why yes, Oklahoma. Not exactly California, I know. And most certainly not Florida. But it's a close short trip concerning a two year old strapped in a car seat and the price is right. So...we headed to Sulphur, 30ish minutes east of I-35 and about an hour south of Oklahoma City.

Sulphur is a pretty small town. Not much to do there except be one with nature, and that was the plan. Our cabin was in the Chickasaw National Recreation Area on Lake of the Arbuckles. It was small, but clean and actually really cutely decorated! My only complaint at that point (and not a big one) was that I had to pack everything but the kitchen sink since we wanted to cook our own meals, and of course take all the necessities that a hotel would normally provide (like towels, linens, etc.).

Like I said before, we really roughed it. Once we got there we had no cell phone signals, no land line, no broadcast TV and no internet. Talk about a panic attack. I mean what cabin in the woods has no wi-fi?! So I got my books all laid out and ready to go and embraced our situation. Although I have to admit I was really looking forward to a little day-by-day blogging of the trip. And a phone would have been good in case of emergency. But luckily there were no emergencies, and if we needed to call someone badly enough perhaps we could find a kind Chickasaw fellow to show us how to use smoke signals. Dang, was that really non p.c.?! Forget I said that...

We pulled out on Monday (the drive is about 2.5 hours), grabbed groceries on the way in, tucked Joseph in for a quick nap, cozied up on the deck while he slept (check- beautiful just like we hoped), unpacked and headed down to the lake.

The water was wonderful and we all had really high hopes for the rest of the trip. Oklahoma delivered!


Yikes! Josh couldn't even see out the back window! So maybe we over packed, but at least we were prepared!


Joseph kept entertained on the drive in with a little peek a boo. I don't know how long he had that blanket over his head before we noticed, but I have a feeling it was awhile.


I mean, look at that smile. He was really happy that we finally noticed he had been hiding...


Lake of the Arbuckles was really pretty. I am NOT a lake gal...what with all the fishes and unknown under the surface of the water. This lake was fairly clear and had a great rock bottom. Fishes with big teeth can't hide in clear water without a sandy bottom as easily, you know.




Then the boys sat down and had a real heart to heart. Josh had Joseph's full attention on the subject....


....you could really see the concentration on his face...


...as his Daddy taught him all about skipping rocks. Every boy must know how to skip rocks and especially how to pick the perfect ones.

I could have sat and watched them fish for rocks all day. And take pictures of it, of course. ;)

(the obligatory dragon-fly-on-rock-in-water picture!)

Day One came to a close right as the sun peeked out from behind a cloud. I was able to capture those sweet, sweet hands highlighted by the suns rays holding a big rock. Talk about a metaphor for life. I wonder what those hands will do in life. So much potential. Too bad he can't help with dinner yet because a couple extra hands in the kitchen would be great. Ha.

A Boy After My Heart...

Once upon a time I had a baby boy who liked cars. Among other boy stuff, that is.

I soon realized I had to come up with more than just to make line after spiffy little line of these guys.

But boy did I like lining up those little cars. By size....by color...by category. It spoke to my soul. I could make sense of the 100+ cars that Joseph had. Some new and some inherited from his dad. It gave me purpose.

It gave me something to do when he and I hadn't quite yet mastered the va-room, va-roooom, tires screeching, crashing, racing noises, although I might manage an occasional one on a whim.

Then we learned how to make those noises, and race on homemade raceway courses, and fly down homemade ramps, and generally have a really good time with these tiny little cars.

What is it with hot wheels and little boys, anyway?

Then one day not too long ago, I look over and bless my weary soul and sore eyes...I see him making his first official line of cars!

He's a kid after my heart. He knows how nice organized lines and straightened toys make my heart sing. Now he seems to enjoy making his own spiffy little lines as much as crashing and zooming them across the kitchen floor.

What a cool little dude.

The crew headed over to Casey's to celebrate Summer's birthday. Only Summer couldn't make it. She became sick the night before and since we already had plans, we carried on and celebrated her in spirit! But I did get some great pictures that I wanted to post.


Joseph must have sat and licked on this fake ice cream cone for 20 minutes. Forgot to tell Casey she may want to stick that baby in the dishwasher. Ooops.

And we wonder how germs get spread so easily.

Or do we? Actually, I know darn good and well how they get spread so easily. I mean, why wouldn't Blake and Ethan have wanted a good lick of that delicious ice cream cone too?!


Blake has this super cute "roller coaster" that he can ride down. After awhile though, they thought crawling down it was just as fun as riding in the cart.

They are too darn cute!





Baby Abbs was there too. Bringing the cuteness factor of our Birthday-Party-Without-Summer to off the charts.


And here is the unveiling of the cake, made by Yours Truly!

I had a blast with this one. Minus the baking, baking mess, making of the icing, the hours of intense labor decorating it and the cleanup. It was really fun! It may not sound like it to you, but it was, really!


I tried a new butter cream icing recipe than last time. I don't know if I could really tell a taste difference, but this one certainly spread differently. I also used some new presses to make the swirl design on the side and for 'Happy Birthday'. That was super fun to do and way easier than relying on your steady hand to pull through for you.


Some particular little bodies couldn't wait to get their hands on it!

Summer likes raspberry filling so I was sure to have that. Complete with fresh raspberries and one of her favorite flowers on top. It was super cute! (Have I already said that?)


From all of us: Happy 30th Summer!! We missed you!!

(Now at this point we ate her cake without her. I am serious. No way was that monster of a cake going back home with me whole. I did however think of her with every bite and it was delicious!)

Timber!

What the Heck?

Josh emailed me after he got to work one morning and said to check out the fence.

Man! There was a big ol hole in the darn thing!

We're guessing the garbage truck went a little crazy on trash pick up day and was a little too close when they picked up our can.

Either that or they thought they were doing us a favor since the darn thing is so ugly. Perhaps they are urging us to go for a wooden privacy fence.




Luckily it wasn't super duper bad and the boys bent it back as best as they could.

The thing is, how could that dude not have known he was ripping our fence to pieces?! I know he had to look to make sure the arm was lined up. Do you mean to tell me he purposely chose not to leave a notice that that happened?! Or worse, he wasn't paying attention and didn't even know. I don't like either option here, folks.

Glad Josh's truck wasn't parked in it's usual place or who knows where our bumper would have ended up.

An Emerging Picasso?

Perhaps not, but boy was I a paint brush wielding fool last night!

Casey has been wanting to do this for months. We headed off to Painting With a Twist to create this fluer de lis gate covered in wisteria. I had it pretty built up in my head, so I am so glad it was as cool as I hoped!


What a great idea the gals had who created this place! They offer different art to paint through out the month so you have plenty to choose from -- Casey had her eye on this painting so when it came up on the calender for last night we decided to try it!

They have everything set up for you...paint brushes, paint, easels, and canvas. The lively instructor started us out "globbing on" lots of white and encouraged us to find our own rhythm with the strokes. We followed her instruction through the night and finished up with a beautiful work of art!!

Our neighbor saw it last night when I got home and I think he said it best...

"You painted that? Man, it actually looks like something!"

Josh and I laughed...

"No, I mean, like, I can tell what it is! That's good!"


I wish the wisteria was purple like in real life...but I didn't think to ask if I could change the colors. I'm sure they try to keep it simple by limiting the colors used, but next time I'll ask.

I cannot wait to go back again...or better yet, find an easel of my own and add another hobby to the long list of stuff I try to do and only sometimes can. Darn priorities always getting in the way.

I thoroughly enjoyed painting last night. I know it sounds cliche but I really found myself lost in it a few times. Many of the "students" were chatting and laughing and having a great time and I was so enthralled in my strokes and blending and highlighting that the whole class went by and I realized Casey and I hardly got to visit!

The amazing thing was how different everyone's painting ended up being. It was fun seeing how everyone interpreted the instructions and what direction they went with the overall look.

Now I have to find a place to hang my masterpiece! Wait! Father's Day is coming up. Hmmm...hope Josh likes gates covered in wisteria.