OKC 3 of 5: Cowboy Museum May 11

Monday May11th, Robin and Jeremy both took off work. Autumn and Isaiah were in school and the four of us adults went to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. Robin and Jeremy picked us up from our hotel around 10:00. With this leisurely start we pulled up in front of the museum late morning after about a 20 minute/~15 mile drive north.

Upon passing into the soaring open entrance of the museum, we encountered a huge statue of the epic sculpture End of the Trail. It is the original 1915 plaster cast of James Earle Fraser's iconic End of the Trail sculpture, which is permanently housed and on display at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The famous 17-foot-tall statue was originally sculpted for the 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. After the fair, the fragile plaster sculpture was relocated to Mooney Grove Park in Visalia, California, where it remained for decades. To protect the deteriorating piece of art, it was relocated to the Oklahoma City museum in 1968 and restored. 

Beyond the glass walls of the End of the Trail enclosure can been seen as array of flags. These flags border the outdoors Western States Plaza (in pale brown on the following map). The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City was originally founded in 1955 as the Cowboy Hall of Fame by a group of cattlemen and business leaders. The effort was designed to represent and was primarily spearheaded by 17 Western states, whose governors were invited to serve on the Board of Directors. The original 17 Western states officially represented by the museum's board and state flags are: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wyoming. An additional 18th flag represents Missouri because The original idea to establish the Hall of Fame was sparked in 1953 by Missouri businessman Chester A. Reynolds.

Following is a map of the museum and outdoor gardens. Where we entered near End of the Trail  is in the pale grey region at the center bottom. On the side of the map to the right are listed the different indoor galleries of the museum: American Cowboy Gallery (indoors in dark brown), Native American gallery (indoors in medium brown), Atherton Gallery (indoors in block), The Cowboy Era- an Immersive Journey (in gold in the projection movie theatre). In the upper part of the map are the outdoor exhibits: the Museum Garden full of sculptures and grave sites of famous horses and bulls (in green), and Liichokoshkomo, a Chickasaw phrase for “Let's Play!”, (in dull green) an outdoor education and play space dedicated to providing learning through STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math).

Off to the right after our entrance to the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in OKC were four official cardboard mascot characters: Cisco the Mustang, Hopalong the Jackrabbit, Chester the Scissortail Flycatcher, and Ma'ii the Coyote. These characters champion scavenger hunts throughout the galleries. You can find them in the "Choose Your Adventure" kids' guide to solve the Cowboy Code. Jeremy was the only one of us four of us to diligently solve each of the adventures, even meticulously counting cowboy hats up into the double digits

Chester, the smallest character, is a Scissortail bird. The Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus) is a striking North American bird renowned for its exceptionally long, deeply forked tail. As the state bird of Oklahoma, it is primarily found in open country, grasslands, and along roadsides in the south-central United States. The following photo illustrates the reason for its name.

Here we are before setting out on our museum explorations. We traded photographer role between Robin and me to capture all of us standing beside the four mascots.

Then we set off to the left, counterclockwise on the map, to see the museum gardens (green on the map) early, before the day heated up. Along the way we browsed through a small Prix du West painting and sculpture display on the way. Frank posed comically by John Wayne and Jeremy posed a bit more respectfully by Ronald Reagan and Abraham Lincoln.

I wondered why Lincoln was featured in a Western Heritage Museum but the plaque explained well his interventions that aided in the expansion in the West.

Off the hallway was a large conference room, most likely used for conventions or assemblies. The tryptichs on the four walls were HUGE! This canyon set was Robin's favorite.

On to the Museum Garden, full of beautiful landscaping and awesome sculptures. I took many photos that follow but for a video overview see this instagram post. The Buffalo Bill statue is far greater than life size and wildly impressive.

Other statues of wildlife, such as a bald eagle and geese, are smaller, but contribute to setting off the green lush landscape.

An intertribal village featured authentic, historically accurate dwellings representing seven distinct groups: Caddo (Grass Hut), Chickasaw (Council House), Hopi (House), Kiowa (Tipi), Navajo (Hogan), Pawnee (Earth Lodge), and Ancestral Puebloan (Cliff Dwelling). Along with a set up of the living modes of many Native American tribes were statues also commemorating that culture. The following stainless steel sculpture Unstoppable, is by Choctaw and Oglala Lakota artist Gene "Ironman" Smith. It took the artist 17 months to create. The rider's headdress is adorned with inscribed feathers to represent all the tribes of Oklahoma. There are 39 federally recognized Native American tribes. Jeremy's great grandmother on his mother's side was 100% Apache so Jeremy is at least ⅛ Apache. 

Wandering through the Liichokoshkomo, we made our way back indoors to have lunch, passing a display honoring Annie Oakley and a picturesque mural on the tall exterior of the Annie Oakley Center, central to the Liichokoshkomo.

We made our way across the Western States Plaza, pausing to document our visit to the museum by photographing our four pair of feet. Clockwise from the top: Diane, Frank, Robin, Jeremy.

We had a pleasant lunch, sitting outdoors with a view of the water feature surrounding the End of the Trail sculpture. I remember I had a chef salad and Frank had a chili dog. I don't remember what Robin and Jeremy had but I do remember we had four, huge, delicious, chocolate chip or peanut butter cookies!

We went back indoors and made our way toward the right side of the museum into the galleries we had yet to visit. We passed through a pleasant sitting area with another view of the water feature from within. There were couches and chairs for lounging and I was bemused by the cowhide side cushions.

In the galleries we visited, we each gravitated toward our particular area of interest. Jeremy wanted to see the historical exhibits on firearms and the military.

I drifted toward an exhibit on weaving. Frank was drawn to documentaries on famous actors in western films in the Hall of Western Performers. He is shown reading about Fess Parker who played in Disney's Daniel Boone and Davy Crocket.

The gallery on the rodeo was closed for refurbishment. That was OK. We were pretty tired out. We'd seen a lot. There was a unique interactive exhibit where we could get pretty amazing photos of ourselves in western garb. Frank and I posed. Then Robin and Jeremy posed with themselves posed in a kissing embrace. They got back a message that a generated photo was not possible because the pose did not meet acceptance requirements due to impropriety. They behaved in the photo of all four of us.

We drove back to Robin and Jeremy's house in time to get Isaiah from school. Autumn takes the bus proudly and independently. For dinner we had lots of leftovers from Charlestons's the night before. The phrase I have coined for that menu is "a night to remember"—remember what you ate earlier in the week.

OKC 2 of 5: Post Show & Mothers' Day May 10

After the final matinee performance of Legally Blonde Jr. on Sunday, May 10th, we came back to chill at Robin and Jeremy's house. Waiting at the front door was an arrangement of flowers from Dan and Carrie for me for Mothers' Day. What a nice surprise!

As usual when we visit I bring several gifts items and some of these are what we explored, gathered around the kitchen table or game table that evening.

Spicy Hot Jelly Beans

Jelly Belly Fiery Five is a progressively spicy line of jelly beans that scales from mild to extreme. They pack genuine chili heat made with real pepper purées. The flavor lineup includes Sriracha, Jalapeño, Cayenne, Habanero, and Carolina Reaper. Because the top flavors are scorching, Jelly Belly recommends them only for healthy adults over 13. Hotness is measures in Scoville Heat Units (SHU). Frank and I had picked up some packets at our tour of the Jelly Belly Factory on March 15th specifically to bring to Oklahoma with us.

#1 Sriracha: A sweet, tangy introduction. Mildly hot, similar to a standard buffalo sauce.
Scoville Heat Units (SHU): ~2,200
#2 Jalapeño: Noticeably zesty and vegetal, tasting genuinely of real jalapeños.
Scoville Heat Units (SHU): ~5,000
#3 Cayenne: A sharp step up in heat that lingers in the throat.
Scoville Heat Units (SHU): ~50,000
#4 Habanero: This is where the sweetness drops off and the sharp, floral habanero burn takes over. Scoville Heat Units (SHU): ~350,000
#5 Carolina Reaper: The ultimate test. It delivers an intense, eye-watering burn that builds rapidly and can cause dizziness or extreme discomfort.
Scoville Heat Units (SHU): ~2,200,000

We carefully watched Jeremy's progression through the five jelly beans. Although we had milk at the ready, Jeremy did make it through all five without taking a sip. Milk is highly effective at cutting spiciness because it contains casein, a protein that binds to and washes away capsaicin (the oily chemical that causes the burn). The first few were no problem. Only the last one made him perspire a bit; but he also saw his way through the heat to comment on the flavor of each as well. Autumn also taste tested, but after the first one decided no more, that it was not fun! I will point out though, that the packets of other flavored jelly beans got devoured lickety-split. Later in the evening, Jeremy did comment that the roof of his mouth was a bit sore.

Owl 3D Puzzle

While on an outing browsing the antique stores in the Nile District of Fremont on February 14th I picked up this wooden 3D Puzzle. I brough ti becaseu I thugh it might spark Autumn's interest. She dove iinto it right away, very intently.

Star Wars Figures

In checking out of an Office Max store, of all places, I spotted this LEGO Star Wars figures kit on sale. LEGOS never go on sale! I bought it for Isaiah and he loved it, instantaneously delving into the assemblies.

We ordered in from Charlestons. Three of us ordered their pork chops, one of their specialities. They were so moist and good and two came to an order. We had enough for a second meal. I also had glazed carrots that were excellent. Somehow we accidentally ordered the croissants twice and got double the quantity. No problem, whatsoever. They were gone in no time, so soft, buttery, with a honey drizzle.

Often, non-pre-planned evenings chilling at home can be the best of times. What a joy it was after the hectic past two and a half days of traveling and attending multiple musical performances!

OKC 1 of 5: Arrival & Legally Blonde Jr. May 8-10

Frank and I visited Oklahoma City and Robin's family May 8th-14th. A driving factor for our particular timing was our 13 year old granddaughter's Autumn's appearance in the musical Legally Blonde, Jr., but we had other plans, also. Our two flights out were uneventful, but kept us on our toes learning Southwest Airline's new seating protocols. We actually had assigned seats. We paid a bit extra for each of them, but we wanted peace of mind that we could deplane soon enough to make our connection... which we did.

Friday, May 8th

The flight was fairly smooth with just the usual amount of turbulence in the Denver vicinity. The landing at OKC Will Rogers airport was routine and it was not raining. However, when we reached the luggage carousel, we were notified that there was a lightning alert and that airport personnel were not allowed to be out on the field to unload our luggage. We had to cool our heels an hour and a half waiting for the alert to finish and for our bags to come. Apparently this situation in becoming more normal for Oklahoma.

We had amusement while waiting. A roaming vacuuming robot seemed to home in on Frank and press forward for the attack. R2D2's "brother from another mother" did a last-minute turnaround and did not carry out on his threatened approach. Frank survived!

We took an UBER from the aitport to our hotel, the Hampton Inn & Suites Moore by Hilton, about 30 minutes southeast from the airport. Robin's home was about 12 minutes (less than 5 miles west) away from our hotel, but we would not see her and her family until the next morning. Friday was the opening night of Autumn's play and timing was such we could not go until the following day.

Our room on the fourth floor was pleasing and quite spacious. I was bemused that each room had a image as well as a number on the ID plate for the room. I guess this visual hint is to help the rooming clients find their room since all look alike from the outside. Our plaque showed license plates which was kind of neat because both Frank and Jeremy hang a collection of plates in their garage.

 

After checking in and dropping off our bags, we sought out a place for dinner. A Braum's store was within walking distance and we went there to grab a bite. I had a Strawberry Poppyseed Chicken Salad and it was one of the best salads I have had in a while. It had strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple chunks on a bed of spinach with moist chicken. Braums' is known for its ice cream and dairy products and is local to Oklahoma. I found this Wikipedia article about Braum's interesting. I learned about A1 and A2 milk. After we walked back to our hotel we found a freezer section and snack area near the front desk. We each got a container of Dibb's ice cream nuggets for the room. We enjoyed these tasty tidy nibbles so much, we treated ourselves nightly before bed each of our six nights at the hotel.

Saturday & Sunday, May 9-10

Jeremy had to work Saturday because there was a concert at The University of Oklahoma's Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. The stadium currently has an official seating capacity of 80,126. Nicknamed the "Palace on the Prairie," it is one of the largest on-campus college football stadiums in the country. In his role as Assistant Fire Marshall of OU, Jeremy must be at all large events in the football stadium, such as sports events and concerts, for crowd control and safety. Saturday's concert featured featuring country music star Luke Combs. I am not familiar with this artist but his number one song is Beautiful Crazy. There were some tense moments that night because the concert was at risk of being cancelled due to lightning alerts. Fortunately the threat passed; Jeremy and crew did not need to deal with an angry crowd. Jeremy had to miss Autumn's Saturday performance but he was able to be at the opening and closing performances on Friday and Sunday.

Robin, Frank, Isaiah and I went to Autumn's matinee performance of Legally Blonde, Jr. She did great and it was so fun to see her so animated and happy. This was her first theatre performance; she'd tried out for ensemble, not wanting to be more ambitious initially. She wound up playing voice and dance contributions in the general ensemble as a Harvard fraternity guy and a DeltaNu sorority sister, in addition to an individual role as the bailiff in the court scene.

For this production Autumn took classes and studied with the Thelma Gaylord Academy in Oklahoma City. Per their website:

Lyric’s Thelma Gaylord Academy is the premiere musical theatre academy in the state of Oklahoma. Having served thousands of students since our founding in 2001, we have former students succeeding in all walks of life – from lawyers to doctors to educators, moms, dads, and yes – actors. Many of our alumni have gone on to careers in Hollywood, on television, and Broadway. However, our proudest accomplishment is knowing that each and every student who goes through our program exits with a strong sense of self, their place in the community, and their responsibility to make a world that is accepting of their differences.

Legally Blonde Jr. was performed at the Lyric's Plaza Theatre, a 281-seat venue, located in the Plaza District. It is about a 12.6 mile / 18 minute drive from Autumn's home. Rehearsals and classes put quite a few miles on the car during the preparation. I counted nine round trips from home to the theatre on the weekend we were there. Each performance — Friday evening, Saturday matinee and evening, and Sunday matinee — Autumn had to be there early so every performance entailed two round trips. On Sunday we had to take to cars, hence NINE round trips. I cannot even begin to count the trips for rehearsal and classes. I am sure that there had to have been some carpooling among fellow cast members, but still — this was true parental dedication at work. A small silver lining however, is that the gas prices in Oklahoma (~$3/gal) are about half of what they are currently in California ($6/gal). 

The theatre was intimate, well lit, and the sound was definitely good. We enjoyed the skill and talent, as well as the enthusiasm, of the young performers. We carefully watched for Autumn's appearance, first as a frat guy, then later several times in the ensemble as of one of the Delta Nu sorority sisters. Although not a speaking part, Autumn acted in an individual role as the bailiff in the court scene, holding the bible for oaths during the trial and escorting out a convicted prisoner. She had multiple costume changes and subsequently developed an aversion to buttons, silently cussing them. Her dad Jeremy quietly joked that he could tell she was in costume, because it was the only time he ever saw her in a skirt.

The singing during the show was awesome — bright, loud, enthusiastic, high tempo, and energetic besides also being marvelously on pitch! We delighted in it during the show but also around the house when at home and blaring from the speakers in the car to and from the theatre (and also during other trips about town). This is a sample of the song Omigod from Youtube. After the Saturday matinee that Robin, Isaiah, Frank and I attended, we had silk flowers for Autumn. Her mom and dad had presented her with real flowers the previous evening on opening night. Frank went again with Robin to the Saturday evening performance. At the Sunday matinee, Autumn had Robin, Jeremy, Isaiah, Frank and me in the audience cheering her on and clapping enthusiastically.  After the final performance, Autumn joined her newly made friends and the other cast members, across the street to celebrate with ice cream.

Autumn was given a pink T-shirt commemorating the show. The front has the show title and logo. The back has a list of all the performers and tech crew with their role(s). Autumn's name is sixth from the top with Bailiff, Ensemble listed after it.

After all was said and done sung, Legally Blonde Jr. was most definitely a worthwhile endeavor.  The parental input into the time driving to and from the classes, rehearsals, and performances was rewarded by the smiles, dancing, excitement, and joyful singing that abounded during and afterward. Frank and I were so glad we were able to be a small part of it.

  ♬ Omigod! ♬♬ Omigod you guys!