dual personalities

Well, we made it to Oklahoma and I must say, I was impressed. It is a beautiful state and the two cities we visited–Oklahoma City and Tulsa–were super nice. Both cities are very modern and up-to-date with cool boutique hotels and good restaurants.

But, boy, it is windy! (💨💨💨)

Our reason for visiting was, of course, to see the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, which we did bright and early on Monday. We were the first people there (at the special “senior hour” of 9 a.m.) so we had the place to ourselves for awhile. We visited Prosperity Junction, which is a replica of an old western town, and then moved on to the exhibits, which unabashedly celebrate Western history, art and culture.

So much to see and read and do! I have to admit that a lot of museums leave me cold, but not this one! Absolutely wonderful. We were too engaged to take many pictures–mea culpa!

And look who followed us to the Cowboy to be inducted into the Hall of Fame:

(I hope Goldie went with him.)

After lunch we headed down to Fort Worth, about which I will blog tomorrow.

On our way home on Thursday we stopped overnight in Tulsa. I have always wanted to go to the Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art, but, of course, it is closed for a major reconstruction. Instead we ventured to the Philbrook Museum of Art which opened in 1939 and is located in a 1920s villa, “Villa Philbrook,” the home of Oklahoma oil pioneer Waite Phillips and his wife Genevieve. The collection, which includes some good paintings by Oscar Berninghaus and other Santa Fe artists, is mostly a lot of whack-a-doo modern art. The house, however is fabulous and the gardens even better.

It made me think of the boy and how one of his favorite movie lines is when Cary Grant says sarcastically to Irene Dunne (in The Awful Truth) who is moving to OK with her oilman fiancé Ralph Bellamy, “Just think. If you get bored in Oklahoma City, you can go to TULSA.”

Haha. Well, I think Oklahoma City and Tulsa are pretty great!

Hats off to daughter #1 who drove the 1500 miles from St. Louis to Oklahoma City, to Fort Worth, to Waco, to Tulsa and home! Impetuous! Homeric!

Of course, let us not forget that Holy Week is underway. At church yesterday our choir was three times its usual size and the wee laddie spontaneously applauded at the end of their hymn. I could not disagree.

Fling wide the portals of your heart;

Make it a temple, set apart

From earthly use for heavens employ,

Adorned with prayer,

God’s love and joy.

–George Weissel, tr. Catherine Winkworth

And how about Scottie Scheffler winning the Masters?

His victory was his fourth for the PGA Tour season, making him the first golfer since Arnold Palmer in 1960, and only the second ever, to win as many events including the Masters in that span of time to begin a season. It was his fourth win in his last 6 starts. Scottie is a fine young man and I salute him. What can I say? Watching golf is my new coping devise.