When we were in OKCity 4 years ago, we visited the memorial to those who died in the April 1995 bombing of the Federal Building. A very sad afternoon wandering through the field of chairs, each one representing a fellow human who lost his or her life to an act of domestic terrorism.
 |
| Too many chairs. Each with a name. All lit at night. Memorable all the time. |
Still remembering this, we traveled to another part of the city and toured the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum.
 |
| "The End of The Trail" signalled the beginning of our enjoyment of a terrific museum. |
What a special morning this museum gave us! Upon entry, we were greeted by the magnificent sculpture "The End of the Trail", standing 18 feet tall, and once featured at the 1939 San Francisco Worlds Fair (on Treasure Island, I might add). Everywhere we turned, we shook our heads in wonder and appreciation of the stunning paintings of the West, once the only way to share the west with the eastern US and its thirst for information about the movement of military and pioneers to the promised land "Out West". Indian artwork, collections of arms, cowboy equipment, sculptures by various artists (the best known being those of Frederick Remington), photos of bull riding (something that lasts 8 seconds, or a lifetime it may seem. Then, there's a section devoted to Hollywood's version of the West; another section for auctioning the finest of specially crafted saddles ($37,000+), silver, guns, and more ... I could go on, but my words cannot bring forth the enjoyment we had in viewing one of the best collection of collections.
 |
| The "town" provided a one room schoolhouse, very similar to the one I attended for my first two years of schooling. One teacher, eight grades, 26 students ... and a two-hole bathroom. If only I'd live in a log cabin. I could have been a President. |
And, there was a complete western town of the early 1900s, where I ended in jail (contrary to stories from friends, family and The National Enquirer, my first time behind bars). A bribe to the marshal and I was once again under the control of Doris.
 |
| Behind me is a typical western jail cell. Simple, portable, and much more common than the ones we've seen in Westerns. Bribing the marshal may have been less common, but it worked for me. |
Buffet lunch at the museum was as good as the exhibits. Then, it was off to join I-40 and ride into the setting sun, with Amarillo Elks Lodge being our destination. For those of you who've not seen Amarillo in west Texas, you've missed the opportunity to win a free meal by eating a 72-ounce steak. Yep! The Big Texan Restaurant offers 4 1/2 pounds of steak & all the fixin's are yours FREE if you eat everything at one sitting ... in ONE hour. Of course, the subsequent ride to the hospital (or worse) could be expensive. People have won the prize and survived. Of the thousands who've tried, most have failed. Imagine that!
 |
| Lady Doris at the Naughty Lady Saloon. Doris and cheap whiskey; no wonder I got in trouble with the law. |
No comments:
Post a Comment