Well, For Pete’s Sake! ~ SW OK, Navajo and Navajoe

 

Well, for Pete’s sake! What are you doing here?  Let me guess, you Googled “red dirt road” hoping for a close encounter with Brooks & Dunn, but instead found yourself meandering down a narrow lane just off the information highway.  May I kindly suggest that you tune in your favorite music player to a round of Kix & Ronnie?  Crank it up and let it provide the background music for this little trip down a red dirt road in Jackson County, Oklahoma.

Southwestern Oklahoma is home to farmers and ranchers, air force pilots and army generals, city folks and country folks, the Quartz Mountains and the Wichita Mountains, lakes and rivers, and yes, four-lane divided highways and a few red dirt roads.  Nestled between the Quartz Mountains and Wichita Mountains are a lesser known range, the Navajo Mountains, located in eastern Jackson County, north of US 62 about 3 miles and east of Altus about 6 miles.

Seeking a good dose of red dirt therapy, I recently set out on a drive down the red dirt road that ends at the western base of the Navajo Mountains.  For Pete’s sake, I stopped at the Navajoe Cemetery.  My cousin Jacquie told me about the town of Navajoe, and my other cousin, Jackie, told me about the cemetery.  There is also the Navajo School, but I’ll save that for another story.  Both had mentioned the historical marker located in the cemetery that documents the town of Navajoe.  The vertical marker is made of red granite, similar to the that of the surrounding mountains.  Navajoe the town fell by the wayside years ago when the railroad went thru Headrick instead of Navajoe.  The cemetery and memories are all that remain of the town.

Before climbing out of the car that bright sunny morning, I surveyed the area surrounding the cemetery.  Continue reading Well, For Pete’s Sake! ~ SW OK, Navajo and Navajoe

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Favorite Images of Bedlam, 2011

Students camping in Gundyville, ensuring a good spot in the line for Bedlam.

1.  The participation in this week’s “Gundyville” camp out was huge.  Gundyville is a designated area on the North side of the stadium where students vie for the best spots in line at the first come, first served ticket gate.  Even bigger was the line of students to get in the game.  But the best part? No fights, no pushing, no shoving, and no hassles.  The pre-game mass simply waited their turn and eventually all entered the stadium with time to spare before kick-off.  Two thumbs up, students!

Students waiting to get into the game.

2. The OSU Defense played most likely their best game of the entire season.  I was personally empowered just by being in the stands watching the defensive magic. A serious game-changing event pulled off by the defensive group happened when Jamie Blatnick scooped up a fumble and took it down to the one yard-line. The celebration in the stands lasted for several plays past that moment. (See highlights video, 1:24 time-stamp).

Mike Gundy and Boone Pickens.

3. During the post-game radio show, Boone Pickens said two very cool, human and emotional things: Continue reading Favorite Images of Bedlam, 2011

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1957 Christmas Book: Save the Book, or Write the Series? BOOK!

 

"...Above all, this is a book to be shared by parents with their children. Gunnar Dybwad, Director, Child Study Association of America."

Editor’s Note – 12/6/2011 ~ Originally published last week, this post was the first installment of what I hoped to be a Christmas story each day for 25 days through Christmas.  Unfortunately, I’ve worked all weekend to try scanning the pages of stories while avoiding tearing the book up.  The book is too old and I’m damaging it for this series.  So, in order to keep the book, I have to give up the series.  I’m sorry about that.  If I find a way to utilize the book without cracking the spine completely up, I’ll try again.  Thanks, RDK

(Originally published the last week of November, 2011) Editor’s note -True story:  I’ve had this post waiting as a “draft” since December, 2010. I can’t tell you how many times I had to try scanning this book to get it right!   ~ RDK

If books could talk, this one would say, “I am not as young as I used to be, but certainly not as old as some.”

This is a 1954 Whitman Publishing Company “Giant Book” and was “planned for the whole family’s Christmas pleasure.  The stories and poems have been selected by the Children’s Book Committee of the Child Study Association to the meet the many interests within a family group.”

How about that?

As young children, my brother and I were read Christmas stories from this book.  Then, we read the stories on our own.  Yellowed and cracking, the pages are in really rough shape, and the spine has been reinforced by thick fabric-based tape.

Since today is December 1st, I thought I would write a short daily series on 25 of the stories within this book.  Some may be funny, some may be literary analysis, and some may be reflective.  But all of them will be written immediately after I re-read a selection from my childhood, some 40 years ago.

***

Day 1: “Who Is Santa Claus?” by Verna Hills

Well, I’m already smitten.

Reading this story was like listening to the dialogue and vernacular of a Shirley Temple movie, or perhaps a family television show from the 50s and 60s.

There are rainbows in the sky, conversations are optimistic, and there’s always a moral.

The moral of this particular story?  Continue reading 1957 Christmas Book: Save the Book, or Write the Series? BOOK!

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Know Your Directions

Directions

Are you good at giving directions? A lot depends on the orientation of the person you’re giving directions to. That’s my experience.

Are you good at receiving direction? I have given perfectly good travel instructions and clear directions to family members and I knew at the time that they weren’t getting it. My wife and I are very different direction receivers. I’m visual and she is linear; I can picture movement and she can follow the steps. Both ways can work.

Directions

In western Oklahoma you can say, “Go down to the intersection, drive a half mile west, then go three miles north. You’ll see a big-ole, green mailbox. Turn back east and it’s about a quarter mile up the dirt road.” And that works, if the person knows their directions — north from south.

If you’re in Apache, Oklahoma you know that 13 miles west and 14 miles north is Carnegie. Growing up I gained orientation to travel by asking, “How many miles is it?” I could figure my travel time by number of miles. But that changed once I became a ‘city-guy’. I’ve traded reference to miles for Continue reading Know Your Directions

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On the Horizon: Vince Orza–Entrepreneur Extraordinare

Vince Orza has truly done it all and he is the type of person that I aspire to be. For years Orza called television home and then eventually took a job teaching. In the meantime, he ran for governor of Oklahoma, became the Dean of Business at Oklahoma City University and opened up a chain of restaurants. Eventually his career would come full circle and he would step back under the bright lights to save a dying television station.

If his lifetime of careers is not impressive enough, in this week’s video blog, just listening to Vince Orza is sure to enthrall you. His voice comes easy, much like you would expect from anyone working in television, but what may be surprising are his values on life and the advice by which he lives by.
Courtenay Dehoff

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Showcasing Red Dirt culture ~ authored and managed by contributors with connections to the great state of Oklahoma.