Category Archives: Oklahoma culture

Friday Morning Shoutout 10/8/10: The Oklahoma Historical Society & History Center

 

Oklahoma History Center (OHC) at Night - images provided by the OHC

 

One of the more recent precious jewels in Oklahoma’s crown has been the addition of the Oklahoma History Center, supported by the continued development and dedication of the Oklahoma Historical Society and their community stakeholders.

Last night I spent 30 minutes exploring their website.  The first five minutes were used to review their current and upcoming events for October; I got overwhelmed…so much to do, so many choices!  Then a blog hyperlink caught my eye.  Well, I was “done for” at that point.  I read three or four posts.  Okay I read five, commented on all of them like an overzealous cheerleader, then told myself “Stop! It will be there tomorrow, and even the next day!”

I do hope you’ll visit their facility very soon, either to look through their exhibits or attend an event held in the beautiful building.  And, if you ever have a chance to hear Director Dr. Bob Blackburn speak, my recommendation would be to drop your other calendared commitments and choose him.  The guy knows his stuff, he’s really approachable and is a true teacher and scholar.  Maybe I should have just written this shout out for him…yea, Dr. Blackburn!

 

"Tipi With Battle Pictures" - OHC Blog Photo, Authored by Matt Reed

 

However, there is much more than Dr. Blackburn’s speaking to enjoy.  October is “Family History Month,” with new events, contests and news being posted every day. Check out their events calendar by clicking here.

The Center, the Society and all those involved who helped build what we now enjoy are to be commended…and for your efforts, you ALL get our RDC Friday Morning Shout Out.

Thanks for the good work, Red Dirt Kelly

 

"Winnie Mae" Atrium at the OHC - Photo provided by the OHC

 

Ludivine is Open and the Operation is Lookin’ Fine…Plus, Big Truck Tacos Saves the Day

Last night my hubby and I decided to go enjoy the festivities of Ludivine’s maiden voyage, their first night with doors open to the public.  Here’s the sunset I enjoyed on the drive from work…

7:35 p.m., prairie view approximately 10 miles west of Meridian, OK

When I got to the house, Mick was dressed and ready to go.  He looked up the address one final time (805 N. Hudson) while I brushed my teeth and sprayed on perfume.  When we pulled up to the restaurant it was already dark, and most of the parallel spaces along the street were taken.  “Good,” I thought.  “A nice crowd even though it’s after 8:00 p.m.”  Here are a couple shots from the street view…

As we entered the restaurant, I noticed the staff were busy, friendly and everyone seemed to have at least two tasks on which they were focusing.  The front-end manager greeted us and told us that there was approximately an hour wait.  I looked around the house and saw every table full but one.  She offered to have us wait in their “great bar” but I knew what our answer would be.  Mick gets up at 4:00 a.m. and staying out this late was already a stretch.  She suggested coming early to lessen the wait; they open at 5:00 p.m.  I agreed, told her we would be back and we prepared to go somewhere else.  I wasn’t discouraged at all – in fact I was happy that their opening night provided them with a full house.

Before I left, I took a few shots of the dining, kitchen and bar areas – and one of the table general manager Tracey Leird was setting for their next guests.  I commented on their flowers and she mentioned that they, too, were grown in Oklahoma.  “Perfect,” I thought.

So, we headed down the road and pulled into another place near to our heart: Big Truck Tacos.  I cannot get enough of their ceviche.

I’m glad Ludivine had a good first night.  I’m glad I learned when to show up in order to get a table more quickly, and I’m glad that another strong business model has found it’s way to the heart of Oklahoma City.  Oh…I’m ALSO glad Big Truck Tacos is there to make our tummies happy! – Red Dirt Kelly

(A few shots of Big Truck Tacos in case you’ve not yet graced their establishment.  And if you’ve not…get on down there!)

Hubby, Me & The Pioneer Woman: Our Sordid 24 Hour Triangle Issue

Five weeks ago, I passed a friend of mine in the hall.  I treasure this friend because she’s one of those laid back, Oklahoma women who looks you square in the eye when talking with you.  She rolls with the punches, she has an air of confidence and she gets cooler every year I know her.  She greeted me: “Hey, I’ve enjoyed reading your blog!  Who knows…you could be another Pioneer Woman!”

CLICK PHOTO TO VISIT THE PIONEER WOMAN BLOG

First of all, my friend just got even cooler because she had right then and there provided tangible evidence that someone other than my family members were reading our posts.  And second of all, who was the Pioneer Woman?  Two more weeks passed before I thought, “Oh yeah…I need to check out this Pioneer Woman blog.”  Or, should I have thought, “Sensation!?”  As soon as I pulled up her site late one evening I became hooked for so many reasons.  First, the Okie Factor was major.  Second, the context about which she wrote reminded me of multiple reasons I loved Oklahoma country life.  Her photography was wonderful, her food looked sinful, her children were darling, her husband was hunky and the sunsets across her pond were even redder than those I see when driving home.  Within an hour, The Pioneer Woman had wrapped her blog around my heart.

Before I closed out the site I noticed she had written a autobiographical series entitled “From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels (BHTW),” about her decision to ditch law school and marry an Oklahoma cattle rancher.  I didn’t even start those posts; I needed sleep.  Flash forward a few more weeks…

Earlier today I introduced you to my new love, the iPad.  Last night I began the BHTW series and seriously tested the battery, streaming/loading and sheer determination capacity of my new technological wonder.  I began the series at 7:45 p.m. and finished at 1:38 a.m.  I took a few breaks along the way.  At one point I cooked myself the worst dinner I’ve made in several years…but that’s a different story.  And, at several points during the evening my husband came into the living room and began talking to me.  He told me a story about his day, he asked me a few questions about something, and came in to tell me goodnight.

At no time during any of these interactions did my brain engage what he was saying.  I was thinking in my head, “Look intently into his eyes, nod and hurry him along so I can get back to the next entry in my beloved BHTW series.”  The Pioneer Woman was tightly wedged between me and my husband.  I was putting my relationship with her stories above him, and was so hooked I couldn’t even see it…I was in way too deep.  I just wanted answers to all the questions I had about “What might happen next!??” to the Pioneer Woman and her Marlboro Man.

6:04 a.m. was an unwelcome time for me this morning.  The alarm on my cell phone did its job and I took way to long to find the cancel button.  I usually get up early and blog if it’s my day to contribute.  “Tuesdays – TwosDays – Relationships…” I thought.  Meh.  I got ready for work,  ignored the post writing (read: avoided the relationships section by writing about my new iPad), had a few meetings, and took a very late lunch.  The first thing I did was call my husband:  “Hey there, I’d like to go out to dinner tonight.  Ludivine is opening and I want to eat their food.”

After he came to grips with the fact that he probably could NOT wear his khaki shorts and a sweatshirt, he agreed.  “I’ll call Rylee and tell her we’re going on a date.  And that she needs to manage dinner on her own,” he told me as he hung up.

I love my husband.  The Pioneer Woman was no longer between us.  She was somewhere in the room, but Mick and I were back to our interdependent state once again, standing side by side.  “P-Dub” (Pioneer Woman reference for herself) is no longer causing distance between us, or deafness and blindness on my part.

Okay, now for the serious stuff.  Triangles are tricky and very powerful dynamics.  They basically exist when something comes between, or diverts, a healthy relationship between two people.  The “third party” can be a person (any person – young or old), a thing…oh, say…like a blog, a substance being abused (drugs, alcohol, pornography, gambling, eating, etc.) or even something that might normally seem healthy – like a work out regimen.  If you can see three elements in your relationship, and in general two of them are close, two of them are distant, and two of them are conflicted, then you’re probably in a triangle.

This is my triangle I drew just for you. Don't you love my squiggly "conflict" lines?!

So my thought for you today is to examine the close relationships in your life and see if there’s extra baggage in your important dyads (two person relationships) that needs to be trimmed.  If you find some, take that baggage and put it where it belongs.  We keep real luggage on the top shelf of our closet.  I put my marital baggage back at this address where it belongs: @   http://thepioneerwoman.com/

and…I’ll visit when I can.  But if Mick asks me a question, I’ll put my new iPad screen on blank and really listen.  He deserves it, and I’m pretty sure P-Dub wouldn’t want it any other way.

Good luck!

Okies in Ecuador: “It’s a Wrap.”

You might have noticed that when visiting the RDC Travel page, there is a photo at the bottom referencing a series called “Okies in Ecuador.”  This blog created for the NewsOK Travel section was written and produced by my brother, Quentin Bomgardner, and illustrated with photos by he and my two daughters, Rachel and Rylee Roberts.

The format of the NewsOK site isn’t conducive to easy navigation.  Therefore, “Q” created a web page where you can now begin on Day 1, travel with them through the end of their journey on Day 14, plus review a few extra photograph collections and sound file entries covering their experiences.

As a mother of the girls who traveled, I enjoyed reviewing all this work because I’ll never get that kind of detail in the living room at night…and the girls are pretty decent about sharing stories.  As a sister, I was excited for the girls to take their first big excursion away from home with their uncle.  And as a reader, I felt like I got a very good view of a place I’ve never visited.  An excellent view.  Now I might want to go myself!

Thanks Quentin, Rachel and Rylee…loved the journey, and love that I can revisit through this series any time I wish. 

Red Dirt Kelly


Click the banana photo to visit an indexed page where you can start their journey from the beginning.

Bananas grow UP - Ecuador, 2010. Photo by Rylee Roberts.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: LMIRL — Let’s Meet In Real Life

Jet
Jet is a rescued Mustang. She got her name because she was a "frequent flyer" in the Mustang adoption circuit.

When did it happen?  When did I become so dependent on technology?  Even in the country, we are not without “city luxuries” like Internet, satellite radio and a DVR.  However, the other day I had to turn in my work computer for an upgraded version.  I was without the machine in my classroom for only a couple of hours, but I noticed a shift in the awareness of my surroundings.  I should have taken that as a sign of how my evening at home would go.

No computer.  Phone turned off.

It was a beautiful evening in the country.  As soon as I entered their pasture, the animal migration began: the goats head to the shed, but the horses came to me.  After all, I have the carrots and they know that.   After feeding everyone, I took advantage of Jet’s lingering.  She let me groom her from mane to tail while Roxy stood by and simply watched.  I was able to brush her thick black mane; it’s so healthy now that she is living with us and away from the horses that used to tear out chunks with their teeth.   As I ran my hands down her leg to remove the fly bots that had accumulated in just one week, I noticed crimson highlights right above her hoof.  Wow.  My horse is not just brown.  She is brown, crimson, auburn, and black.  She is gorgeous.  Her Mustang brand reminds me that she was captured and taken from her home, but I take her head dropped near my chest to mean that it’s okay.  She let me run my hands over her eyes and scratch under her halter, and for good measure I kiss the soft flesh of her muzzle.  This is it.  This is what life is all about.

I’m sure none of this would have happened with a phone in one hand.

Roxy
Roxy is a beautiful gaited saddle horse. She was purchased so my husband would have a horse to ride. She also holds the title of "Alpha Mare" in our small goat/ horse herd.

I wanted to write about it.  No computer.  I scrounged up a legal pad and took some notes.  This is hard without my computer; the task can wait.  I checked my email from my phone and remembered I had a DVR’d television show to watch.  Technology habits sure die hard, don’t they?

Somebody, please, don’t let me forget what it’s like to live life with my hands on something other than a keyboard.

Silent Sundays: 10/3/2010

"Chickasaw Renaissance" by Phillip Carroll Morgan. Introduction by Bill Anoatubby, Chickasaw Nation Governor. This book was one of three titles revealed at the Chickasaw Annual Meeting and Festival held Oct. 2nd. Click photo for more information.
Saturday morning, October 2nd: Alice Woodrome took this photo of a mother wolf spider with hundreds of new babies on her back. Alice is a gardner in NW OKC. The wolf spider resides there with her other flowers.

This OSU Cowboy fan didn't give her arm for a win, she used her leg! Caught up in the hoopla of the crazy OSU v A&M Thursday night contest, this good natured fan took her prosthetic leg off and waved it around, cheering all the while. You gotta love the football fans in Oklahoma! - Photo by Jani Hays.
The weather broke in Oklahoma, and Wednesday morning, Sept. 29th I drove by pasture land after pasture land, all with farm ponds and fog rising from the surface. Beautiful! - Photo by Red Dirt Kelly
That same night, we were treated to another Big Sky show. Hey, Fall, welcome to Oklahoma! - Photo by Red Dirt Kelly
You didn't think we were gonna finish Silent Sunday without a Red River Rivalry shot, did you? Click photo to visit CrimsonAndCream blog for OU/Texas slideshow...

“Super Cool”: The OSU v A&M Fan Who Got it Right

Last night’s football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Texas A & M Aggies was bizarre.  It was mayhem.  The players and the fans alike, on both sides, went through an emotional roller coaster and the ride ended somewhere in the Tricky Hall of Mirrors…people were still reaching out to test reality as they led themselves out of the stadium. Confused, elated, exhausted…or in the Aggies’ case, beaten.  And in the Cowboys’ case – at least this time – celebrating.

As I was riding home last night I started thinking about the superheros who  contributed to the OSU win.  I think the tuba section in the band gets at least one vote; they took the Three Dog Night hit, Never Been to Spain (You know… “I’ve never been to heaven, but I’ve been to Oklahoma; Oh they tell me I was born there…), two extra verses during a national TV timeout and had most everyone in the audience singing along by the time they finished.

The players get three votes.  One lost the rest of the season to a knee injury.  One played on no sleep because his baby girl was in the hospital the night before.  The defense probably gets four votes because they played against 106 snaps…the game was an extra-long grueling mess for those boys.  But this morning, when I think back to what helped me get through the game, five personal votes go to the kid in the orange cape.

I’ve seen him there before.  He’s the kid who sends his eyeglasses into all sorts of contortions by sticking both fingers in his ears when Pistol Pete shoots his shotgun before the game.  Obviously he doesn’t like loud noises.  But last night I think he saved my husband from at least two cases of hyperventilation and possibly one cardiac arrest by just doing what he did all night long.  The kid pretend-flew.  He twirled around and around.  And around some more.  Sometimes he leaned over the handrails and actually watched the game.  And, he ran up and down the stairs so that his cape would go flying behind him like a big orange banner.

The kid was Super Cool.

Nothing phased him.  And he completely distracted the convulsing adult fan base at just the right times.  Last night he was my hero, and this morning I’m giving him my Friday morning post.

Here’s to you, Super Cool.  May the wind beneath your cape take you around your pretend world over and over again.

Twirling

My life in the mob.

by Joey Rodman

I’ve always wanted to be part of a flash mob.  “Always” meaning since the first time I saw a video of one on the internet.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, the phrase “flash mob” could sound more than a little intimidating.  And in fact, they can be. Here is a video of the mob that first caught my attention (CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW VIDEO):

CLICK PHOTO TO VIEW VIDEO

I saw the video two years ago.  And subsequently, for two years (which apparently translates into “always” in my brain) I have wanted to be part of a flash mob.

I had no idea how to go about becoming part of one.   I’ve never really sought out the opportunity.  “Did anyone do something like that here in Oklahoma?” I wondered.  Of course not.  My self-talk always hit a brick wall and I’d move on to other more tangible thoughts.

On Wednesday morning of last week I opened the browser on my computer completely unsuspecting…and then it happened.  Someone had invited me to be in a flash mob. I clicked the link to the Facebook event not really knowing what to expect.  Very few details were on the page.  The invitation provided the day and time, and that was all.

Did I want to RSVP? Yes.  Could I?  Should I?  These questions were harder to answer.  I didn’t know where to begin. I began to go through “the checklist;” it’s a little bit like momma autopilot – you can’t really even think about committing to anything without going through the checklist first.

Calendar? Clear.
Babysitter? Confirmed.
Would I get arrested? Probably not.
If I get arrested, will the other moms stop talking to me? Maybe.

Well, close enough. I clicked the little button and now I was “attending” as far as Facebook was concerned. I was the seventh person to RSVP and once I did, more details showed up. They wanted 150 people. I couldn’t decide if this was good or not.   That’s a LOT of people and a little more than intimidating.  I calmed myself by thinking “Well, I’m only number seven.  Maybe they won’t get enough to participate.” But by the end of the day they had nearly one hundred people signed up.  The flash mob was going to happen.

On Saturday morning I found out where I was going but still didn’t know what I was doing. For someone who is a planner down to the bone, this was getting uncomfortable. I recruited my husband to go with me. Surely he would keep me out of trouble, although the thought entered my mind that if we get arrested together nobody will be around to bail me out. I start to wonder if Kelly would be a good person to call from jail.   Maybe I could blame this whole ordeal on the blog.

“I wanted to write you a good story…for The Red Dirt Chronicles,” I would start, and wait to gauge the tension of the pause after my soft start-up.

Maybe blaming this on her wasn’t the best approach. I decided that she would definitely be the one to call from jail, however, and I began making what little plans I could.

Saturday night I got the info on “the where, when, and what.”  We were going to be at the State Fair…all 150 or so of us, and we were going to fall asleep. I felt like a secret agent. Under my shirt I had the “reveal” shirt they had distributed to us.   Our instructions were to fall asleep for 5 minutes, wake up, then take off our top shirts revealing that we were all in the same group.  Sounded simple.

I got to the fair, grabbed my special t-shirt and jostled around in the porta-potty trying to put it on – taking great precautions not to allow MY shirt OR my purse touch ANYTHING. This is way easier said than done.  You’ve been in a porta-potty, right?

Once I exited the stinky, stinky porta-potty, we walked around for a while when it hit me:  Falling asleep…how to you stay asleep for 5 minutes on the midway?! What was I going to do? Five minutes started to sound like a long time…but maybe it was worth it.  Maybe.

I got to the pre-appointed place and sat on the curb talking to my husband.  I looked around trying to figure out who else was going to do it. I knew that once I was asleep I couldn’t watch anything, and since everyone had their own shirt on over their “secret” shirt…everyone looked normal.

I was part of a group, but not part of a group.

I noticed a few people I had seen while I was receiving my shirt from the coordinator.  I covertly nodded in their direction…and they nodded back. I was beginning to feel more at ease; at least I wasn’t the only one doing it. Then I started feeling something else.  The alarm on my cell phone was buzzing -it was time to sleep.

I leaned over onto my husband’s shoulders and we slept. I dared not peek, but I could hear the reactions of those around me.

“What is going on here?”

“Is she dead?”

“Oh, there’s a HUNDRED OF THEM!”

“Don’t eat the fried twinkies!!!”…

and, “I wonder what would happen if I tazed one.”

Trying not to react I began focusing on my leg, waiting for it to buzz.  Waiting.   Waiting.  A kid walked up to me – I could feel a human being beside us, but I didn’t look.  A kid voice said, “Mom, I think she’s sleeping.” And then the second step happened; my alarm went off again. It was time to wake up. I sat up, rubbed my eyes and revealed my blue shirt.  I looked around.  There were a LOT of blue shirts.  I felt like part of something important…and silly.  Mostly silly.

Suddenly I was an instant celebrity.  Okay, maybe not so much.   Lots of people came up to me (read 3 or 4) and asked what happened.   One woman said she began to panic until she realized a lot of people were sleeping and then she was just confused.

The cops showed up, the cameras came out, and the people around us laughed a little. That was the end.   All this over 5 minutes of confusion and a few funny comments. The whole process was fun, and then it was over.

For now.

If you want to be in a flash mob, email me. I know about one next month.  We won’t, however, be sleeping this time.

Silent Sundays: 9/26/10 – Images pulled from The Oklahoman, 9/25/1910, 100 years ago

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

"Packing Town" (Stockyards) to open October 1, 1910 - CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW, PARTIAL ARTICLE ONLY
Eat Your Grape Nuts! - CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

Demonstrations at the State Fair - "...Corsetry is a fine art"

Note: There were approximately 5-10 "tonics" for various ailments on sale through the newspaper. All "proven" and "not imitations like the others."

Home of the Sooners or Home of the Brave?

Tradition matters to me.  Maybe it’s because I don’t like change, or maybe I just like knowing what to expect.  Christmas Eve is a big one.  I want the same routine every year.  Get dressed for church  and sit in the living room by the tree eating cookies we decorated.  Listen to music while sipping sparkling cider.  Pile into the Suburban, drive around looking at Christmas lights then off to candlelight service at 11.  Open presents Christmas morning.  From this there must be no deviation or it simply isn’t Christmas.

I’m not sure when it started or how it happened, but yelling “SOONERS” instead of the word “brave” at the end of the national anthem, has become a tradition in Norman.  Most OU fans probably didn’t pay much attention to the lyric change until last weekend.  With the Air Force Academy coming to Owen Field, Bob Stoops asked the Sooner faithful to not only cheer for the Falcons when they entered the stadium but to break tradition and sing the word “brave” out of respect to the young men serving our country.  The previous Saturday, the ninth anniversary of 9/11, the school made the same request to fans, only to hear “SOONERS” drown out any bold enough to say “brave.”

I’ve been in that stadium and trust me, there’s something powerful about hearing “SOONERS” spring from the throats of 85,000 people.  I never thought much of it; just a small part of the OU gameday experience.  There is way too much political correctness in this country. But there is a time for reflection and sensitivity and I think that time is now Sooner fans.

Is it time to change tradition? (courtesy myxer.com)

No matter where you’re from or what football team you support, I believe you are an American first and a citizen of your state second.  College football isn’t just an Oklahoma thing, or a Texas thing, or an Arkansas thing.  It’s an American thing.  It’s part of our sports identity as Americans.

Now ask yourself, “What allows me to be here on this gorgeous fall Saturday?  What allows me to tailgate, wear what I want, scream like an idiot when it goes our way and mope when it doesn’t?  What allows me to bring my son or my daughter to this place for the very first time and share with them the magic of a football Saturday?  Simply stated, what allows me to be a fan?”

The answer is blood.  The same answer for why we enjoy so many spectacular freedoms in this country.  Blood shed around the world and here at home, by men and women who sacrificed to make America the great country it is today.  “Brave” isn’t just a word that closes out a catchy tune.  It means someone left home, left their family, voluntarily went into harms way and paid the ultimate price for you.  I’m guilty of going through the motions with the national anthem.  Let’s get the game going already.  But a little reflection on its words goes a long way toward changing my attitude.

The fans who choose to say “SOONERS” aren’t being intentionally disrespectful.  They’re not going out of their way to diminish the anthem or try to make some kind of statement.  They’re red-blooded, patriotic Americans, embracing a tradition.  However, sometimes tradition needs to be put aside.  Can’t you still get chills from tens of thousands yelling “brave” instead of “SOONERS?”  I’d hope so.  Cutting out the “SOONERS” doesn’t make you less of an OU fan.  Come on, nobody is mistaking you for a neutral party when you’re decked in crimson from head to toe and you’re wearing a schooner hat.

There are plenty of traditions already in place in Norman (courtesy replayphotos.com)

Plus, there are plenty of perfectly good traditions already in place.  The drum major strutting his way across the field.  The giant Oklahoma flag and the way the P.A. announcer says, “It’s footbaaallll tiiime in Okkk-la-homaaaaaa!”  There’s the singing of the alma mater, and the video that declares, “There’s only one Oklahoma.”  One side of the stadium chanting “Boomer” and the other side screaming “Sooner.”  You’ve got Ruf-nex firing shotguns, a pretty girl in a covered wagon, and that moment when you’re team finally takes the field.  How much more fired up do you need to get?  If you still insist on yelling “SOONERS” why not do it at the end of the Oklahoma state song?

We’re only sayin’, you’re doin’ fine Oklahoma!  Oklahoma, O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A, Oklahoma!…SOONERS!.

Sing it in your head.  It works – believe me.

Old habits die hard, Sooner fans.  This is the right thing to do.  After all, new traditions have to start somewhere.

RDC Friday Morning Shout-Out? Bob Waldrop!

Bob Waldrop - President of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative

Good morning friends.  Today’s RDC Friday morning shout out goes to Bob Waldrop, co-founder and long-time president of the Oklahoma Food Cooperative.  We’re working on a full length essay about his life growing up in Oklahoma, his teenage journey to California and subsequent sojourning to Utah, Kansas City and ultimate return to his Oklahoma homeland.  We hope to have the completed piece out for you next week.  I sat with him for two hours during our interview and felt like we had just scratched the surface of who this man is, and the capacity he has to love those around him.

Bob has a dedicated and passionate mission to connect the citizens of our great state with each other in order to build a community network of wholesome, organic and locally grown or produced food:  Producers and consumers working together to build sustainable and satisfying, relational food systems not easily interrupted by more national events or various wrinkles in the larger systems.

You go, Bob Waldrop!  Thanks for all you do…we look forward to sharing our full-length essay about you and your work very soon!

P.S.  Remember…Rob will be treating you with a sports essay around noon today.  His last essay on Kevin Durant’s character received an especially high readership.  And, speaking of readership…THANK YOU to WordPress.Com for featuring the RDC in their “Freshly Pressed” section yesterday.  Like I shared with our author group and FB friends: Who knew barf bags could be so interesting?  Take care – and have a great weekend!

Red Dirt Kelly

OSU v Tulsa Football Game Day Slide Show

Photos of OSU fans taken during Oklahoma State University football game day have been compiled into a RDC slide show for your enjoyment.  We even have one shot of a University of Tulsa couple dressed in their game day gear.   We hope to have a University of Oklahoma football game day presentation before the end of the season as well.  This past Saturday was, indeed, a good day in Stillwater.

Our “Relationships” entry will be released around noon today.  Enjoy!

CLICK PHOTO TO BEGIN SLIDE SHOW

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch: “Not So” Hidden Treasures

I’ve had a pair of  “his and hers” bright canary yellow satin Western shirts in a picture frame on my wall since my mom gave them to me as a housewarming gift in 2006.  Odd gift, right?  They belonged to my great grandparents.

Main Street in Minco, Oklahoma (circa 1950)
Ben and Nancy Barr ride their paint horses down Main Street in Minco, Oklahoma during the 1950's.

With the help of a few black and white pictures and a phone call, pieces of the story have slowly come together over the years.  My great grandparents participated in a rodeo club around Minco, Oklahoma in the 1950’s.  They rode in parades and rodeos in small towns around the state.  At some point, they were too old to ride, so the horses were probably sold.  It has been said that my great grandmother kept her custom-made saddle carefully hidden under her bed, a reminder of a special time in her life. The saddle was one of her last memories of the horse it belonged to before she finally sold it too.

The pictures are black and white, but I can see the beautiful patterns on the paint horses my great grandparents rode.  I envision the horses to be black and white, and I can only imagine how spectacular they both looked in those canary yellow shirts trotting down Main Street.  The smell is there too. That’s right.  Tobacco from a pipe smoked my great grandfather, Ben Barr.

I have been told that I am a lot like her.  We both love all animals, and I am just discovering my love for gardening.  However, there is one way we are different. The treasures she left for me are not hidden under the bed.  They are displayed prominently in random places around my house where I can use them or enjoy them daily.   The reminders are not painful.  They are happy.  A history.

My history.

The shirts came out of the frame last night, and we rode into the Boots And Spurs Ball like we were on those paints.   I am not sure I will ever have the opportunity to ride in a parade or carry a flag in the opening ceremony of a rodeo, but I can wear a canary yellow shirt.  My husband can wear one too.

And we did.

Yellow Western Shirts
Julie and Greg Allgyer sport her great grandparents' Western shirts at the Boots and Spurs Ball, a benefit for Special Trails.

Silent Sundays: 9/19/10

Innocent three year-old gives those behind him in the stands a chuckle before the OSU-Tulsa game begins Saturday night -Photo by Kelly Roberts, Red Dirt Chronicles.
Young OU fan shows the world his sibling position, his favorite football team and his patriotism all on one sign. (Photo retrieved from the Daily Oklahoman website - click photo to visit entire photo gallery).
One half mile from her driveway on 9-15-10, Red Dirt Kelly noticed the sunset in her rearview mirror coming home from work. Pulling over to the side of the road, she stopped and thanked the Big Sky for the 7:30 p.m. gift. - Photo by K. Roberts, Red Dirt Chronicles
Make sure and catch the State Fair before it closes. The remainder of the Silent Sunday photos were shot by Rylee Roberts in September, 2009 at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds.
Photo by Rylee Roberts
Photo by Rylee Roberts
Photo by Rylee Roberts
9/18/10: Longhorn steers take a leisurely stroll along Independence Saturday during the annual Cherokee Strip Celebration parade in downtown Enid. (Staff Photo by BONNIE VCULEK) Click photo to visit the Enid news site.

Everybody’s Crazy ‘Bout a Man Who Helps You Dress Sharp

HELM Handmade Boots were made for walkin’ and lookin’ good.

Josh Bingaman at Progress Coffee, Austin, TX

This Friday morning RDC shout-out goes to Josh Bingaman, an Okie who now lives in Austin.

Who has a passion for creating a line of nouveaux rustic, and downright dapper, hand-made men’s boots and shoes.

Who’s inspiration for his creations came from a venture he co-owned and managed with his brother called the Subterranean Shoe Room.

Who also owns Progress Coffee in Austin with his wife.

You can read the story and other press pieces on their website.  You can know that, depending upon your foot size, these men’s boots could fit women as well. And you can be certain that when wearing them, you’ll walk a little taller…how could you not?

Utilizing connections and relationships the world over, HELM boots are hand-made in Istanbul with soles from Italy, served up in several locations around the U.S. And they absolutely eke of style; an old-world return to a new future we have for fashion and footwear.

Based upon my research this morning, it appears that Josh and the boots have received a good bit of publicity in Oklahoma, including a feature in the Daily Oklahoman and a trunk show at the Shoe Gypsy. However, I’m just now finding out about them and frankly, have mentally started a “HELM boots savings account” to buy my favorite pair.

The culture of creativity runs deep in Red Dirt country and sometimes that story extends beyond the Red River.  And sometimes to the other side of the world.

Congratulations, Josh, for realizing one of your dreams.  I’m sure you’ll have more, based upon what you’ve done to this point.  I’m making a note to check on you in another year…and I’ll be sportin’ my HELM boots when I do.

The "Jarmon" canvas, christened after his mother's maiden name...I want these. If you missed the link in the first sentence, click this photo to visit their website.

Silent Sundays: Photos of the Week, 9/12/10

A tiny snapshot of the good done in Oklahoma for Oklahomans every day. Flatlander Car Club members, Roger Koehns and John Pugh, present a couple in need, Tia Hegwood and Alex Holguin, with a check for $500. The couple struggles with medical expenses due to Tia's diabetes. (Courtesy photo - provided to the Guymon Daily Herald.) Click photo to visit the newspaper for the article and link to the Car Club website.
Muslim men and boys pack the mosque of the Islamic Society of Tulsa during services Friday marking the end of Ramadan. MICHAEL WYKE/Tulsa World Read more from this Tulsa World article by clicking photo.
Oklahoma photographer Carl Zoch's self-documentary compilation of a recent trip he and his friends took to the mountains. Great shots & music. Click picture for the "Carl Was Here" slideshow.

Mrs. Tulsa America, Sasha Townsend and her partner Ryan McDaniel won "A Time to Dance", a local Dancing-With-The-Stars-style competition, to benefit the Hospitality House of Tulsa. Inserts on the photo are a shot of them rehearsing, and of their trophy. Click photo to visit the Hospitality House's website. Reprinted w/permission from Mrs. Townsend. Congratulations, Sasha!
Young girl led by her father on a miniature horse in the Sept. 4, 2010 Wilson Fall Festival Parade. Click picture to visit "The Ardmoreite" festival photos.
Oliver and Ina Stonecipher will be celebrating their 70th wedding anniversary in Stratford, OK on Sept. 19th. They were married in 1940 on the Pontatoc County line by Reverend Vard Wood. Click the picture to read the news announcement and see a photo of them on the day they were married in 1940 - linking you to the Ada Evening News.

Why Does Ludivine Get an Uber-Rare “Double Shout-Out?” Let Me ‘Splain.

Editor’s note: For a full review on Ludivine OKC Restaurant, please visit HERE.

~~

There is a line in The Princess Bride where Inigo Montoya says, “Let me ‘splain.  No…there is too much.  Let me sum up.”  Well, I feel the need to ‘splain – not summarize.

Growing up in rural Oklahoma as a youngster meant I was exposed to a life different from my current suburban context.  My father was tri-vocational.  He worked at FAA for his day job, he and my mother operated a small Angus cattle farm during the evenings and weekends, he did electrical wiring jobs for occasional money and ran a small business with his friend called B&C Enterprises. Dad was the “B.”  My maiden name is Bomgardner.  B&C enterprises operated a transportation service to and from FAA every work day, bought scrap gold and jewelry to send to the refinery for a small profit, and perhaps other ventures I didn’t even comprehend.

Morel mushrooms are a rare treat to find in wooded areas or creek banks in Oklahoma. Dredge them in a very simple light egg batter, then saute in olive oil, add salt and pepper - you'll have a heavenly tasting side OR center of your plate.

We usually traded my grandfather one of our steers for one of his, thus not eating our own beef (we frequently named our cattle), but beef we knew was raised in an acceptable way.  We ate eggs from our Bantam (we called them Banty) chickens and harvested honey from our beehives.  We gathered dandelion greens and poke salad off the land and gathered Morel mushrooms from the creek beds.  And, we raised much of our food in a garden.  An “Organic Gardening” garden.

“Organic Gardening” was one of the magazines my father received in the mail for much of my formative years.  Every year, my father would order a load of cotton hulls to be delivered to our garden.  They would sit on top of the soil all winter long breaking down with the moisture of the snow, and in the springtime before planting he would turn it all under to begin the growing process once again.

There are GOOD Sand Plum years, and NOT SO GOOD Sand Plum years. 2010 was a decent year for them.

My mother canned vegetables with a pressure cooker.  My grandparents raised corn in a section of their land that we harvested every year.  We picked sand plums to make jams and jellies, and picked blackberries when they were in season.  Our neighbors’ parents had a large strawberry patch that we were allowed to harvest. My grandfather raised watermelons.  My uncle in Tuttle and my aunt in Bethany had an apricot tree.  My great-grandmother in town had a pear tree.  We had an orchard where we raised sweet and tart cherries, peaches, plums and apples.

My brother and I used to play a game where we would ride our small Yamaha 50 under the cherry tree during harvesting time.  We would reach out with one hand and grab a bunch while cruising under the tree at top 50cc speed, then stop to see how many cherries we had scored on that particular run.

We purchased milk from our neighbors and a friend in town who had a dairy.  My parents made their own yogurt with their yogurt maker. We sometimes make sumac lemonade or tea when the red velvet sumac on our property pollinated at the end of the summer.  We cut and bailed the prairie hay we fed our cattle.  We purchased bales of alfalfa from local farmers for supplements.

A trip into town to eat at a restaurant was fairly rare.  I usually ordered a bologna sandwich or a corn dog when that happened…that was “fancy food” to me. Ah, youth…

I’m sharing this information with you because it might better help you understand why I’m using this space on the RDC to give not just one but TWO shout-outs this week to the soon-to-open Ludivine restaurant in downtown Oklahoma City.  I’ve now watched every one of their eleven 4.5 minute videos posted on their YouTube channel.  In each segment, they highlight a vendor they have built a relationship with in order to bring the food raised in Oklahoma to the table of those who eat in their restaurant.

"Sunchokes" or Jerusalem Artichokes

My heart warmed while viewing them.  We used to raise “Jerusalem Artichokes” in our garden at home.  They’re using “Sunchokes” (same thing) in their restaurants.  One of the videos shows the pains of gathering Sand Plums and discusses the rewards of why you would do such a thing.  And most of all – there are people across Oklahoma who Ludivine has connected with carrying on a tradition of raising organic, nutritious, fresh and wonderful treasures in our precious Oklahoma soil.  They seem to be committed to helping you feast on their crops or products that they prepared in a loving and conscientious way.

Here’s to you, Ludivine, for documenting your developmental journeys and relationships with your growers and vendors.  And here’s to you, Wagon Creek Creamery, Two Tomatoes Farm, OM Gardens, Regional Food Bank, Avalon Seafood, Willie’s Ribs, Coop Ale Works and Urban Agrarian.  (We mentioned Peach Crest Farms earlier this week).

Thank you twice. Thanks for all you do, all your plans and for all you hope to be.

Good luck! (Click the picture below to visit Ludivine’s YouTube videos).

CLICK HERE TO VISIT LUDIVINE YOUTUBE VIDEOS

RDC Shout-Out to: OK Food Cooperative, Peach Crest Farms and Ludivine Restaurant

Thank you, Ludivine Restaurant, for making short videos highlighting local growers and the products you use.  Thank you, Oklahoma Food Cooperative, for helping share the story and share the love.

All three of you rock.  Keep up the great work, Red Dirt Kelly

CLICK PICTURE BELOW TO VIEW COOL VIDEO

CLICK THIS PICTURE TO VIEW LUDIVINE VIDEO!

http://www.peachcrestfarm.com/

http://www.ludivineokc.com/

http://www.oklahomafood.coop/

Silent Sundays: Photos of the Week, 9/5/10

Two young boys play with toy farm equipment on the livestock barn floor, State Fair Week, 2009. The Oklahoma State Fair opens this year on Thursday, Sept. 16th. Click picture to view the 2009 State Fair photo gallery.
Ft. Cobb State Park - by Manual Focus Custom Photography
Double rainbow, captured by Carl Zoch - Oklahoma City, Sept. 2, 2010

Newlyweds gazing upon an Oklahoma sunset - by Carl Zoch. Click picture to travel to his gallery.
Oklahoma State University Students at the football season opener, Sept. 4, 2010. Click picture to travel to Daily Oklahoman game slideshow.
University of Oklahoma season football game opener - Broyles' end-zone dive, Spet. 4, 2010. Click picture to visit Daily Oklahoman photo slideshow.

Labor Day Weekend In Oklahoma, 1960

I don’t envy the library employees who labored to document, scan and archive electronic images of The Daily Oklahoman from the day OPUBCO opened its doors.  But I sure do appreciate them.

Last year I was doing some research that led me to discover this feat had been accomplished, so last night I logged on to do some more.  This time for the Chronicles.  I wanted to see what Labor Day Weekend was like in Red Dirt country fifty years ago.

Italian sweater jersey dresses were $21.00; John A. Brown's was having a "door buster" sale - shirts for $1.00

What I found was a slice of life that made me laugh, frown, send a clipping to my colleague at OSU and think about my friends who are politically active.  I experienced quite an array of emotions for the hour I perused the September 1st, 2nd and 3rd issues of the paper.  Then I tried to decide how I would put all that information into a small Friday morning blog posting.

The decision I arrived at was to provide you bullet points of what stood out to me, provide you with a few visuals, then encourage you to try this type of exercise on your own if you enjoyed it.  Here we go…

  • The Oklahoma local and county fair scene was being announced in several sections.  In Beaver, OK they were announcing festivities in a recently completed complex that cost $150,000 to construct.
  • H.E. Bailey and group were doing the final studies to put in a turnpike to travel eastward.  I’m sure the Tulsa World reported the project as traveling westward.
  • Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee  were preparing to “tie the knot.”
  • OU and OSU were gearing up for their first football games of the year to be held later in September.  OSU was celebrating being voted into the Big 8 conference; 1960 would be their first year to compete although they had petitioned many years prior.  OU had just finished a pre-game scrimmage and was concerned about two injuries they sustained during the contest.  They did win the scrimmage, however.
  • An OU professor was being investigated.  He was under suspicion for being a “Red.”  The “Red” theme was all over the paper.  “Red China” was the title they used for that country in a national headline.  This professor story was sad to me.  From what I could tell, all they knew at this point was that he and his wife had “legally updated their passports while in Moscow” on an academic trip.
  • And speaking of Moscow, Khrushchev was in the news because the US had refused to provide him an actual red carpet to walk on into the United Nations building due to a classification of his status “being one of the 60 states represented” rather than “a dignitary.”  There was another international article wherein a student from Africa was warning her fellow students back in her home country not to attend a Russian university, as she had, because of extreme derogatory names she was called while there.
  • People were gearing up for their Labor Day weekend cookouts.  Sound familiar?  I’ll bet you wish we had 1960 grocery prices!
  • In fashion, the new fall line was being introduced at Peyton-Marcus in downtown Oklahoma City.
  • People were getting married, people were dying and babies were being born.
  • The weather was exceptionally hot for this time of year.
  • "Er, I ran into a door!" - political cartoons changed? Not much.

    And, Governor Edmondson was trying his best to educate the state about several legislative measures going to a vote of the people very soon.

  • I noticed that in the business section there were many announcements from local business and industries about new hires or new appointments to management.  All of the names were male.
  • A young pro golfer had been found murdered in Lawton.  There were other crimes and murders as well.
  • And, I read a nice recipe in the food section on how to prepare garlic bread with a clove of garlic, butter and Parmesan cheese.

So I wonder…what has changed?  The Oklahoma culture is still here:  Football season, Labor Day cookouts (standard across our country), the local and county fairs, community, politics and the news.

Milnot: Make it a NO Labor Day!

It seems that most of what has changed, besides the fashion, are socio-political factors.  There isn’t a “Red” scare any more…but there are others, right?  Are people of various skin colors still being threatened with persecution and derogatory name calling?

Okay.  Perhaps not all that much has changed.

However, the technology to retrieve this information is a huge difference.  People will cook with technology that wasn’t invented in 1960.  The football games will have real-time updates on the internet and entertain the crowd with multimillion dollar big screen “wow factors.”  Brides-to-be will be utilizing event management software by an account set up online within their wedding planner’s website.  People will take digital photographs of their fair entries and send them to their family around the country.

There are differences.  Perhaps a bit of the socio-political paranoia is gone…maybe.

But there sure are similarities as well.

"The Big Red Will Rise Again" (Article in the Dec. 2nd edition, AFTER the football season was completed) Click for larger view.
"Rattlesnake Roundups," fair news, stock shows and rodeos...News from Around the State.