Tulsa Time

After sealing the deal with the Harley as mentioned in my previous post (what a great relief that was to both DH and me), we made our way to the bank and then got ourselves ready to head northbound to Tulsa for some time with my family. Road trips are always a good time for DH and me (as long as we have a full tank of gas, that is, they then have a tendency to become intense while he sees just how far we can stretch a tank of gas). 

After arriving in Tulsa and lunch on Saturday, we spent the afternoon browsing around with my brother and sister-in-law, Susan, in a shop filled with all kinds of treasures mostly unnecessary good stuff. It had been on my agenda (the bottom of my list) for some time to pick up some silk flowers for the nice crystal vase I found last Spring at Canton Trade Days. (The stems are a little too long, so they will need some fixin'.



I also found this terrific hat that I will now be wearing every chance I get. It's lightweight with an adjustable headband, is washable, scrunches up for packing, and, best of all, it doesn't mess with my hair!!!

Walleroo's model looks pretty cute wearing my hat!

My sister, Roberta, joined us after the shopping and brother Phil took us for a drive around downtown Tulsa. I enjoyed seeing all the improvements that have been made since I left 43 years ago. There is just never enough time for looking around. Of course, I had to take this pic for our grandson, Brady.

 

 

 

We drove around an old section of town just a little northwest of downtown Tulsa. There were some nice old homes there none of us had seen before. Amazing that in all the years I lived there, I never knew of its existence. These people had a birds' eye view of the city.

 

 

We went to our old neighborhood. This is a sad picture and scenes such as this are why I have only visited the old home place a total of three times since leaving. My brother used to play baseball at this field just down the street from our house. Maybe someone should consider tearing this down?

 

 

 

Our house faced a park which used to be known as Chamberlain Park. Pic below is of the tennis court and behind it is the recreation center. Although my sister and I "played at" tennis here, it was also my own personal roller skating rink. I would strap on my sidewalk skates and skate around on the concrete. The park also had a swimming pool for summertime fun. On Friday nights the rec center would host "Teen Town" where one of the local bands would play their renditions of the Beatles and Dave Clark 5 and everybody else had fun dancing.

 

 

This is where we lived at 5042 North Detroit, Tulsa, Oklahoma. My parents were so proud of this house, which they built in 1961, and my place of residence for seven years until I moved out on my own. Although it still looks pretty good at 52 years old, it looked so much nicer when we lived there. In the spring, summer and fall, my Mom had beautiful flower beds all across the front of the house, and I still remember sleeping in the summer with the windows open and the attic fan drawing in the mingled scent of roses and honeysuckle which were on the fence around the yard.

 

 

2013

 

My Dad and brother, Phil, Fall of 1962

 

Those open windows got me in a bit of trouble one night when I was 17. One of my good friends and I had gone out to Keystone Lake (a pretty far distance from our house and, after having been told NOT to go there) and we didn't get back home until 2:00 a.m. Cheryl and I knew we were in trouble, so in order to get our stories straight, we stood on the front porch and discussed it. (Yes, I'm sorry to say we made up a fib.)  After we had it figured out and she had driven away, I very quietly opened the front door and tiptoed back to my bedroom. Just barely made it to the door when I heard "the voice." The stern voice of my Dad. "Connie Jean, where have you been?"

 

I gave him my great story, only to hear him reply, "I've already heard that one!" Yes, he had, thanks to the window in my parents' bedroom being wide open on that silent night in May, and in perfect hearing of anyone else who might have been loitering somewhere in front of the house. Oh well. My shame of disobedience and being found out has lasted longer than whatever punishment he must have given me for not telling the truth.

 

After church on Sunday, we went to the family reunion of my maternal grandmother. My aunt had brought a scrapbook and a box of old photos. Here is a picture of my Granny that I had never seen before. (This was taken after she had cut off her long tresses, which I think was probably a very daring thing for her to do.)

 

I love this pic!

It was great seeing relatives I hadn't seen for many years and I am hopeful my aunt will later share some of the pictures she took. I don't know about you, but sometimes it seems we never get around to seeing family until we have to get together for a funeral. My uncle made the comment that each of us present that day were blessed because of the legacy our great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents had left to us. I agree. 

 

"The reality is, the loving kindness of others – some gone ahead and some still here – has imprinted God’s love on my heart."  Glynnis Whitwer, Proverbs 31 Ministries

 

Now, on a lighter note, does anybody remember these?

 

At what point did this become unfashionable? 

Although I never really liked them,

it would have been nice to be able to wear one on a windy day like yesterday.

It was impossible to keep my hair out of my eyes as I loaded the groceries in my car.

But today was even worse!

It's soooooo cold here today!