The London Eye

We need to go back to London.  I have only been there a few times, always passing through.  The last time we were there, we had an overnight layover, so we had to pick one thing to do.  Besides eat dinner. 

Sadly leaving the Netherlands and the kids behind, we started home.  It was midday, so we knew we would have a little time to do something while we were in London.

Approaching London, you could see the outskirts of the city, and knew the airport was far from any of the sights of London proper.  We were staying near the airport, but we were confident we could use the tube, an underground train, to go wherever we decided -- plus, that was going to be the quickest mode of transportation.

Sure enough, the midday check-in turns into early evening, and we rushed to the tube in order to get to the center of the city.  Traveling with Chief is always an experience, because he basically throws a dart and ends up exactly where he wants to be.  I'm studying maps, grids, instructions -- and he yells, "c'mon, jump on!"  Then bam, "you said, London Eye, right?"  There we are.

I had heard of the London Eye, and friends had said, you should do it at night and in the daytime if you can.  With the help of the Nederlands kids, we had pre-purchased our tickets online and reserved a time.  If you ever go, don't do anything but that.  Oh my.  The line was over a mile long for tickets, while we were escorted to the 2 minute line for pre-purchasers.  I felt kind of guilty, but yes, we paid a full $1.50 more to buy tickets before arriving.  Crazy.

The long line is over in the dark of the right side of this picture.  I have no idea how long those people had to wait.  We really felt like we were cutting in line.  But nope.  This is how it works.

It is enormous.  Way larger than it looks in this picture.  It is 443 feet high and provides sweeping views from the South Bank of the River Thames.  

The pod you ride in is really larger than you realize.  It holds 20-25 people, and there is plenty of seating, or you can walk around during the whole rotation.  The full revolution takes 30 minutes, but it seemed like five. 

It had these cool interactive screens all over the inside of the pod, so you could click on certain landmarks to learn more, or zoom them in closer.  Pretty high tech for a giant enclosed ferris wheel.

Okay, so we did it at night.  We will have to return to get it done during the light of day.  Of course, it was still early, so we found a neat pub for the obligatory fish and chips.  Didn't get a picture of those, but as always, I did get a picture of our beverages.

Let me take this opportunity to say that we eat and drink differently when on vacation.  The bathroom scales reflected that statement upon our arrival home.  YOLO.

The London Eye

Farmland - On the Other Side of the World

I ran across some pictures that reminded me of a part of our trip to the Netherlands and other parts of Europe over the Christmas holiday.  I tried to document details nearly every day, but it became impossible.  I keep remembering things and recalling events.  We had really looked forward to this trip. 

Part of the trip was a Rhine River cruise, then the other part was being able to see the overseas kids for Christmas.  Weirdly, the area we were in was something along the same latitude of southern Canada or Nova Scotia, but the weather was actually colder here at home than it was where we were.  The kids live a bit north, but more like west of Amsterdam.  I think they have enjoyed not being in the metropolis of Amsterdam, yet they have been able to experience practically everything that Amsterdam has to offer.  The museums were world class, and my son's graduate program held many events at the EYE, a film archive and museum which is well known.

The canals, the Anne Frank House -- you could easily spend several days there if you are in the area.  We FaceTimed with the kids today, and they could hardly believe their stay there is less than a month away from ending.  They talked about how they were trying to look up and around while they walked or rode their bikes.  They are trying to make mental notes about all the old buildings, churches, gardens and scenery that they pass by everyday.  They want to take it all in, and they anticipate another culture shock when they return here.  They said it is bittersweet, but they are excited to see family and friends they haven't seen except on a screen for nearly a year.

I know I have shown a picture of this view before, it's from their living room window.  The days are very long right now.  They said that the sun might start to come up around 4:00 AM, and it usually stays light until nearly 11:00 PM.  Being on the top floor (2nd, but actually 3rd -- in Europe), they have an arched ceiling with big windows in their bedroom.  

If you can sleep in the daylight, you're in luck.  

One day we were able to train down to the southernmost part of the Netherlands, to what they call the farm country.  It looks quite different in the south than up north near the coast.  The kids had been there before, because we have friends that are living there.  How coincidental is that?  People my age, almost, from our little hometown in the center of the United States arrive at their new home in the Netherlands one month or so before the kids move over to start school.  They have kids about the same age, and it was so wonderful for them to all meet each other right off the bat when they arrived.  The whole family enabled them to get some of their belongings shipped over, and they even made a delivery or two.  They have been so good to the kids.  It's the sort of kindness that you know you can never repay.

So we have our son, rockin the blue suede shoes, my lovely D.I.L., and the friends' daughter and son.  Such dang cute grown up kids.  They had some fun opportunities during the year to see some great soccer, a concert, and they even spent a weekend with the family in the super cool 400 year old house they are calling home.

They said I could post whatever I want, but I'm just leaving it at "friends from high school."  If you know me, you probably know at least one of them.  They have always been incredibly generous and accommodating when we have visited them.  We are indebted.  We went into town that evening and ate dinner outside at a cafe.  They have many outdoor heaters, provide blankets -- it was just so cozy.  There was a holiday market going on... an atmosphere that was unforgettable.  Hope to get to see them again soon.  

Farmland - On the Other Side of the World

In the Middle of Nowhere

It was a perfect day.  Right here.  At my house.  Started out a little rough, but that's another story for another day.  Dang you, Bonnie.  No more birthdays for you.

Our girl, Clare, greets us every morning like she can't wait to get going.  I love telling people we didn't misspell her name, ranchers name their dogs and horses after people, characteristics or places.  She came from Claremore.  There you go.

No makeup was applied to my face all day.  Always good.  There will be no pictures.

Then I connected with a friend from many years ago.  Living in the age of Facebook and Google, it is crazy how you can find people, reconnect, stay in touch, find relatives, fond memories...  

Always good to catch up.

Then our sweetheart, Baby O, came over this afternoon.  She had the cutest little black bow on her head when she arrived.  Somehow, among all the hugging and loving going on, it came off.  She is such a little cuddle bug.  Smiles are reserved for those willing to work hard for them.  I am working on being able to get a smile AND photograph it at the same time.  Gosh, being a Lily is hard work.   *sarcasm*

And then it rained.  That's a big deal around here.  It poured.  The wind blew heavily to be sure every clean window in the house was messed up.  Pretty sure it heavily rained for over 30 minutes.  Total = about one-third of an inch.  Not a misprint.  If I have never said it before, no one EVER complains about rain here, in the middle of nowhere.  Tomorrow will probably be humid, then we might complain.  We like our dry heat.

After the rain, there was an unbelievable double rainbow.  I mean, it was phenomenal.  We could see the whole thing -- the entire arc.

I have had the opportunity to see some unbelievable rainbows in many parts of the world.  This may have been the most beautiful one ever.  And it was in my own front yard.

My exceptional photographic skills just don't do it justice.  The colors were vivid.  Baby O's mom and dad were here, and we all just stood there in awe.  It was so unexpected.  Followed by another beautiful sunset.  I still contend we have the most amazing sunsets, full of color and usually a lot of reds and pinks.

My baseball team is struggling.  In order to keep it a perfect day, I am going to close it up.  It was a great day, right here, in the middle of nowhere.

In the Middle of Nowhere

Rogue Ramblings

I am pretty sure not everyone gets or appreciates my sometimes dry and always sarcastic sense of humor.  I like to surprise people.  Just with words.  I enjoy telling people things they don't expect to hear from me.

In the summer we keep our house really cool, similar to a meat locker.  Having dry skin, I slather myself in lotion and wear long sleeved and full leg pajamas every night.  You might laugh when I tell you my favorite pair of pajamas is a set that I got for free on an overnight flight on American Airlines a couple of years ago.  You can imagine how attractive they are.  Comfort trumps fashion for me when the audience is small.

It won't surprise you that I am a sports watcher.  I am a sports listener.  I am a sports attendee.  My team is out on the NBA playoffs, but I'll probably continue to watch.  NCAA baseball is still playing, I like that, and I'll watch MLB teams if they have a player from my alma mater.  Today, I'm watching golf -- don't judge.  And of course, with the World Cup upcoming, I've been learning much more about soccer and am excited about that.  If it's NCAA related, I can watch it.  

Love wrestling, like tennis, and of course, I love basketball and football seasons.  I have always had a secret desire to be in a football locker room to hear the conversations that go on before, during halftime and after games.  My curiosity is about what the coaches say, what the players say, how they treat each other and just what goes on in general.  My kids were fortunate enough to get to go into a college hockey locker room at the Air Force Academy several years ago.  Hearing them describe what they saw was far from my reasons for wanting to be in a big time locker room.  TMI.

It's the weekend, and the wind is blowing about 35 miles an hour outside.  I wouldn't mind being out there enjoying the day, but "enjoy" is not a word I typically use in the same sentence with "wind."  So I'll complete some indoor duties today...

Oops, well, I spoke too soon.  Chief has been working long days and hours for several weeks, and last weekend (when we left town) was the first time I had spent any time with him since the end of April.  So the guy who can't sit still strolls in and says, "we're going golfing."  That happens about, okay NEVER, so I change shoes, pull on my ball cap, and off we go.  My clubs stay in the car, because I go by myself somewhat frequently.  We are great golfers. *sarcasm*  New golf terms were added to our vocabulary today.  Here's how good we are...  I was bragging about a double bogie on a really long par five.  Chief started talking about his "double par" on the next hole.  Did I mention it was super windy?  Mr. "The Wind Is My Friend" was cursing it a bit.  I had my best game in a while.  Yep.  No complaints.

And then the sun was still shining at 9:20 P.M.  Not a fan.  The summer solstice cannot arrive soon enough.  I do not love long days.  Somehow it tricks me into staying up late, and then I have a hard time getting up in the morning.  December 21 is one of two of my favorite days of the year -- the other being the "fall back" time change.  I wish they would just leave it one way or the other.  My new mantra is "no complaints."  Not complaining, just stating the facts.  

Is it really June?  Good grief.

Rogue Ramblings

Quiet Weekend Turns Memorable

Last weekend after my niece's graduation, Chief and I had planned to spend the weekend in the City.  We wanted to do some things we hadn't done before, go places we hadn't been, eat at new places -- the only plans we had were for a nice dinner one night, and the Thunder playoff game the next night. I got the name of a funky new place in midtown from a friend, and started filling up our time.  The Ambassador Hotel is a quaint little Art Deco place, unassuming and only open for the last two months.  It had a great view and atmosphere in the top floor restaurant and bar.  It was perfectly placed to some of my favorite eateries, and we found a couple of new ones, too.

It has been said that I am the Mistress of Google.  I found so many cool things going on during Memorial Day weekend, and I think we did everything we wanted to do, and then some...  First stop was the Paseo Arts Festival held each year in the Historic Paseo Arts District between Dewey and Walker.  I've always wanted to go, and this was our first.  We knew we would find local artist, Kristy Patterson, and we bought some awesome salsas on our search for her.  

Found her and her daughter busy, busy.  I borrowed this picture from her Facebook page, and her booth was much more loaded when we were there.  She is really doing well with her dream.  Turns out she was also able to celebrate her anniversary over the weekend.  Check out her blog and webpage.  

Google also told me about the Big XII baseball tournament.  We chose a great game to go to, although the ultimate finish of the tourney was not what we had hoped.  TCU showed up in our conference this year to show everyone they were here to compete.  I was unaware.  Our team was the runner-up, but we sure were hoping to add to our 51 national championships.  Oh well, number 4 in national championships overall in the NCAA is certainly above acceptable.

Always on the hunt for the best steak ever, we just may have found it.  Again, on a suggestion from a friend, we ended up at The Ranch on Britton Road.  I normally don't order steak away from home, but this was the bomb of a steak.  Chief ordered a wine we hadn't had in several years.  It just isn't available in our area.  Oh.  My.  ZD.  Visited the winery about 20 years ago, and we had forgotten how smooth and perfect it was with beef.  What a treat!  And there was dessert.  We never do that.

Up and at 'em the next morning, we found a breakfast place with a line out the door.  We always consider that a good sign.  Delish waffles, and I was on my way to see my cousin.  She just finished beauty school, and after seeing that on Facebook, I scheduled a blow-out during our time there.  You can't visit the City without a tiny bit of shopping, so we grabbed a bite and then dropped by our fave mall before getting organized to hit the basketball game.  

It was great to have Ibaka back for this big game.  Seemed to make all the difference.

And yes, I realize he is not in this picture.

I hope we can make 7 games out of this series.  Looks like we are going to need it.

 As we left town on Monday, Memorial Day, we decided to stop by the OKC Murrah Building memorial.  A cloudy, dreary day, it was every bit as moving as I remember last time I saw it.  If you have never seen it at night, that is worth a special trip.  

After reading the updates on the culprits of this act of terrorism, neither of us remembered that two other individuals were implicated in this crime.  After 12 years in a federal prison, which in my opinion is somewhat of a day camp, one has been released into the Witness Protection Program.  We didn't understand where the other one was.  But really?  In return for his testimony, he is now free somewhere?  Unbelievable.  And scary.

Speaking of scary.  Not kidding.  When we parked here to go into the memorial, we were the only car on the street.  This was freaky to come out and see a U-Haul parked behind us.  Really?  I know the guilty one was a Ryder, but seriously, who drives their U-Haul up to visit the OKC Murrah Federal Building Memorial?  Who does that?  If I was driving a rental truck, I would no doubt park 4-6 blocks away.  Good grief.  This was 20 feet away from the entrance.

We took it as a sign that it was definitely time to go.  We headed home, and made it here just in time to play a quick nine holes of golf.  I believe we crammed every sport of the season into this weekend. It was wonderful.  Did I mention it was our 30th anniversary?

Quiet Weekend Turns Memorable

Big Weekend

We stuffed a lot of action into last weekend.  It was a celebration in so many ways.  

We started off in Stillwater at my awesome niece's high school graduation.  It's always fun to go back to your old stompin grounds, add in nice weather and fun people, 

and you can't go wrong.  

Before the graduation, we had dinner at my brother's house.  He must be standing off the porch, because he is easily as tall as Chief.  My folks were on a pre-planned European trip, so we were reppin our family.  A lot of Gerri's family was able to be there.  I thought this picture of the families  turned out so great.  It was taken by Scott's next door neighbor, who happened to be in his own backyard while we were shooting pictures.  After a couple of questions and chit chat, turns out he is related to Chief.  Before we know it, he has flashed over to his house and returns with all kinds of family records.  I mean, how many people run into relatives they have never met with roots in the giant town of Freedom, Oklahoma?

We attended the graduation, intelligently planned at an indoor location, 

because of course, it rained.

I am inept at placing an arrow on a picture I have already edited and uploaded.   But cute niece, Cat, is on right side, center aisle edge (left), second row from front.  In the program, she had lots of symbols, which represented honors, after her name... may not have been all of these, but there were enough to make us proud.

Our family has history here.  My paternal grandfather graduated from this same high school in 1924, exactly 90 years ago.  He then graduated with a B.S. in Engineering from Oklahoma A & M, which I believe was pretty unusual for anyone to get a college degree during that generation and time.  Another interesting fact was that his sister, my great aunt, was the first female to graduate from the College of Agriculture at Oklahoma A & M.  My parents both went to college there, right as the name changed to Oklahoma State University.  Chief's dad went to college there, Chief and I both went to college there, our kids both went there, as well as their wives, and my brother and my sister both went to college there.  And most people know that my brother was named Pistol Pete, the mascot for every sport at OSU, during two of his years in college there.

The grad and her proud parents.  Apparently, she missed the polka dot memo.

She will be attending Clemson in the fall.  It is time to re-evaluate my opinions about ESPN and their SEC bias.  I can overcome it.  I am forgiving like that.  (Except I am having to correct this, because it was duly noted that Clemson is in the ACC.  Thank you to my Facebook friend, John, from high school for correcting me.  I want to be accurate.)  

We had a great weekend, and this was only Friday.

More to follow...

Big Weekend

It WAS Yesterday

Seems like yesterday.  Our boys grew up so fast, and our oldest was celebrating his 3rd wedding anniversary yesterday.  

Luckily, we were in town long enough to get to keep baby O last night.  

Here's a little trip down memory lane. 

This was the night before the wedding.  Actually, it was my and Chief's anniversary.  They got married on the beach in southern California -- the same place that the proposal took place.  It was charming, and we were delighted to have so many great places to choose from to host a rehearsal dinner.  Have I ever told you that I usually don't eat steak when I am near an ocean?  Just doesn't make sense.  Same reason I usually don't eat fish in Oklahoma.  Fresh is the name of the game.  Good gracious, we had some wonderful fresh fish!

They looked beautiful and handsome.  It was far from hot.  The minister was really good, although a bit long winded.  Since they had practically thrown a dart to find someone, he was a very pleasant and personable guy.

This was one of my favorite pictures of the day.  All of the family and couple of friends that had come to celebrate and participate in the wedding - I had specifically asked for this picture to be taken.  I love it!

I just happen to think these two are quite photogenic.  No bias.  I love them.

Now, this one?  She has stolen our hearts.  We are those grandparents that now forget to greet the parents when they come in carrying the car seat carrier.  

"Where is that little punkin?"

I must be a phenomenal photographer *sarcasm, if you didn't recognize it* -- to get this picture of her smiling.  Clearly, she loves her Lily and Chief.

What a blessing!

It WAS Yesterday