Morning Folks 04 02 07

Morning from Norman OK. Happy April everyone. I am embarrassed to admit that I did not remember to say Rabbit, Rabbit, Rabbit yesterday, despite several reminders from family and friends. I don't know what that means for me for the new month, but so far it's been great!

Saturday Ed and I headed out for a visit to Broken Arrow, just outside of Tulsa to see Ed's nephew Mark and his wife Judy.

Before leaving Norman we stopped to see the James Garner statue erected last year in honor of the favorite son, actor, war hero, philanthropist, etc.

He was born James Baumgarner and was the first person from OK drafted into the Korean War. He had been in the National Guard. He received 2 Purple Hearts while in Korea. The statue is just across the street from The Sooner Theater and in a park called James Garner Plaza on James Garner Avenue and Main Street. Private donations were used to erect the park and the statue.



I always liked him. The statue shows him as the character of Bret Maverick. Some of you youngsters won't remember him in that role but will remember him as Jim Rockford in the Rockford files or various movie roles, like the Notebook. Do you guys remember the Maverick theme song?

Who is the tall dark stranger there?
Maverick is his name.
Riding the trail to who-knows-where
Luck is his companion
Gamblin' is his game.

Smooth as the handle on a gun.
Maverick is his name.
Wild as the wind in Oregon
Blowin' up a canyon/
Easier to tame.

Riverboat ring your bell.
Fare-thee-well Annabelle.
Luck is the lady that he loves the best.
Natchez to New Orleans.
Livin' on jacks and queens.
Maverick is the legend of the west.


Downtown Norman reminds me of the towns you see in movies where they cars park diagonally in front of stores on both sides of main street.



Not far from the statue is the oldest train depot in OK, the Santa Fe station.

When we arrived in Broken Arrow, the sun was shining and there was an occasional cloud in the bluest of skies. This was a far cry from the tornado warnings just 24 hours earlier in Norman. Judy and Mark drove us through an area in Tulsa where there were huge mansions, many built from old oil money. The landscaping was breathtaking and some of these homes were reminiscent of Newport. I was very disappointed that I didn't have my camera. The whole Tulsa area was beautiful with flowering trees and wisteria in bloom. It was lovely.

We had a wonderful dinner at PF Changs, then went back to Mark and Judy's to watch the movie Office Space, which I know Mark enjoyed. Then we played Catch Phrase, a really fun game. We had girls team against the boys and the boys won 2 out of 3. I still can't believe they won, but they did.

The next day Judy went off to early Mass to their church where she is the Cantor.We hung around until the 11:00. Judy has a beautiful voice and it made the service very special.

We had a real nice breakfast then a nice visit before heading back to Norman. Unfortunately the only pictures I took while I was there were of Ed and their dog Bandit.

Bandit is a love and such a sweet dog, and he loves his Uncle Eddie. But wouldn't you think I would have taken a few pictures of the people who welcomed us into their home? Well, next time I promise I will. Thanks for a wonderful visit, Mark and Judy. Hope to see you again soon.

Have a great day everybody,
Love.
Suz