John and Marita Visit

Our previously local friends moved to southern California a couple years ago and they came up north for a visit June 18-23. We had a great time. John and Marita arrived Thursday 6/18 evening and we saw them again on Friday 6/19, Sunday 6/21 and Monday 6/22. We kept the food and the activities low key, relaxing and enjoying our time spent together.

Costco to the rescue for our meals. We had Chicken al Fresco one night, Stuffed Bell Peppers the next night, and, on a third night we ate leftovers from each of those other dinners calling it "a night to remember". I only needed to add rice, or a salad, or fruit, to round out the meals.

We had planned a local Chinese restaurant, the Yin Yin for our Monday night meal, only to learn they were closed on Monday's. Oh well, that was poor planning on my part. But we recovered on the fly with plan B, not as elegant but satisfying, fast, and easy. Marita and I hopped in the car and drove out to get an assortment from Panda Express.

Snacks were not at all overlooked — Costco to the rescue again. Some snacks were even healthy! All the peaches from the flat were delicious, the best I have had the past several seasons. Often times grocery store peaches are the right color and soft enough but they rot rather than ripen fully. These were awesome, sweet and just the right texture.

We watched some television. John and Marita recommended the movie Holiday in the Wild. They had already seen it but were willing to watch again with us. They urged us to find it and turn it on via Netflix (where it was free, by the way). The Africa and elephant scenes were amazing and well worth the time invested watching. I recommend it.

Frank and John had a lunch date on Monday with their colleagues from the lab, aka The Beam Boys, where they watched the classic movie Dr. Strangelove. The six guys ordered in pizza and there was a popcorn cook off for the connoisseurs comparing different recipes and techniques. The popcorn cooked in avocado oil and drenched in butter won.

John and Frank also bonded over watching YouTube. As evidenced in the photo, both employed their habitual watching techniques. There is companionship even in slumber. Marita and I finished off a 500 piece jigsaw puzzles while the guys "took a break" and "relaxed".

We assembled several puzzles during their visit: one with 500 pieces and two with 300 pieces each.  All were Ravensburger and large-pieces format that went together like a dream.

We played a few round, of Rummikub, some just with Marita and me (while the guys "watched" YouTube), and other rounds with all four of us. We modify the game to include a 3-D version. Our set is a Target exclusive that has four different wild card jokers: regular joker, double joker, mirror joker, and color change joker. Per the rules, the player who gets rid of all his tiles first is the winner. We play that when someone becomes tile-less, we all work together to see if now, with what is on the table, we can all go out. We all agree this final skirmish is the most fun and challenging part of the game.

We spent  most of the time talking and enjoying being together. John and Frank are the same age and Marita and I are within one year of each other so we all have a lot in common and share the challenges of the "golden years". We tried to repeatedly steer the topic away from the "Organ Recital" (health issue discussions) common among the elderly. We were moderately successful. We were never short on topics of mutual interest, and we laughed a lot. Here is a cute poem about the "golden years".

I cannot see, I can not pee.

I cannot chew, I cannot screw.

My memory shrinks, my hearing stinks.

No sense of smell, I look like hell.

The golden years are here at last.

The golden years can kiss my ass.

And one final joke to end this blog post:

A senior citizen was talking to his friend about getting married. "Yep!" he said, "I finally found someone." His friend asked, "Is she a good cook?" The man replied, "Naw, she can't cook." "Well, is she wealthy?" "Nope, poor as a mouse." Exasperated, his friend asked, "Then why on earth are you marrying her?" The man beamed, "Because she can still drive!"

Back to the Future

Saturday, June 6th, Frank and I went to the matinee performance of the musical Back to the Future at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts.  The night before we watched the movie to refresh our memories and get more out of the stage production. For the plot of the musical see this Wikipedia article. We collected our programs and settled in to our seats, our usual Row 12 seats 45,47 on house right.

The show was great! The costumes were colorful, the dancing energetic, and the lead did an excellent job that I could almost believe it was Michael J Fox up there playing the role of Marty McFly. Biff and the Doc also gave talented performances, just as I remembered those characters to be - dumb and eccentric respectively. But I think the real star of the show though, was the Delorean that appeared majestically and magically during a thunderous blackout and subsequent blinding lightning bolt.

The staging was also awesome with an added engaging feature. Some of the backdrop was three-dimensional and some was projected, and you could not tell which was which. At one point Frank was certain the Delorean was projected — until the driver door lifted up and Marty stepped out of it. The speed scenes of the car racing through the town of Hill Valley were artistically and flawlessly achieved with a real 3-D and projected blend. How they spun around and maneuvered that car within the confined rotating space of the stage was truly impressive. 

The music numbers were peppy and enjoyable, although understanding the lyrics was not a strong point for either Frank me. Reading the lyrics the night before the show would have been beneficial, but then that would have seemed like homework. Watching the movie was enough prep. Although may words were not clear I got the gist of the song's meaning and could soak up the enthusiasm of each. The songs were all new, so not familiar, except for one. When Marty plays his guitar and sings Johnny B. Goode I recognized that musical number and relished his performance of it. 

At the end of the show an image quoting the mutilated brilliance of Bif was projected."Make like a tree and get outta here!" We crept along with the exiting crowd way to the lobby,  not at the precise speed of 88 mph but we got there eventually, and finished off our outing with some poster photos in the lobby.

OKC 5 of 5: Bricktown & Departure May 13-14

On Wednesday, May 13th, while Robin and Jeremy were at work, and Autumn and Isaiah were at school, Frank and I decided to spend some time in the revitalized former warehouse district of section of Oklahoma City called Bricktown.  A favorite feature of this entertainment area is a canal boat ride called the Bricktown Water Taxi. We took an Uber from the hotel to browse the Bricktown area about 10 miles north and were dropped off at the entrance to the canal boat tour. 

The boat moves along at a rate slower than a walk and takes 40-45 minutes for a round trip from the upper northwest corner of the following map down southeastward to the lower edge and back up again.

The first piece of artwork we encounter on our journey was the 1150-square-foot mural As Long as the Waters Flow, a 2007 mosaic by Mary Ann Moore, installed at the northwest corner of the Bricktown Canal. "As Long as the Waters Flow" refers to President Andrew Jackson's vow to Native Americans that they shall posses their land "as long as the grass grows and the rivers run." Devon Energy funded the mosaic as part of the state's centennial celebrations. Devon Energy Corporation is an American company engaged in hydrocarbon exploration. Peeking up behind this mosaic is the tall Devon Tower (officially, the Devon Energy Center) which is a 50-story corporate skyscraper in downtown Oklahoma City. The Devon Tower is the tallest building in the state.

The next piece of art we viewed along the canal was a mural by Bob Palmer created from images of vintage postcards and aptly titled Postcard Mural. The challenges presented while painting this mural — such as resolution, night time painting, narrow ledge restrictions — are discussed in this three minute Postcard Mural YouTube video. Bob Palmer has painted numerous other murals in Oklahoma (as well as throughout the country) and perhaps Frank and I can see many more of them on our next visit to Robin and Jeremy.

For me, the highlight of the canal tour is the Centennial Land Rush Monument commemorating the Oklahoma Land Rush of 1889. Per Wikipedia and a Sage Journal publication

The sculpture was erected in 2019 and features 45 bronze statues, each one being "one-and-a-half times life-size". It took Sculptor Paul Moore over twenty years to complete this powerful work, which is one of the largest monuments in the world. The work depicts horsemen and wagons racing over the Oklahoma landscape, with a total area slightly larger than a football field. The sculpture contains masterful images of straining horses and frantic individuals caught in a vital effort to succeed in this race to claim valuable homesteads and pastureland.

Here are some images starting with the cannon shot that signaled the start of the rush to grab landsites. There are horses with riders and horses pulling wagons and various other poses from flat out runs to leaps over obstacles. 

Per the research of the Oklahoma dramaturgical team from the Ball State University College of Fine Arts, there were approximately 10 land rushes between 1889 and 1906. This multi-statued monument commemorates the first land rush in 1889 that started it all.  These land rushed occurred after President Andrew Jackson's two terms from 1829 to 1837 and his "as long as the grass grows and the rivers run" promise. All that was left of Indian Territory after 1906 is represented in grey on the map to the right. This map raises the definition of the "unclaimed" territory. The grandeur of The Centennial Land Rush Monument and its representation of an historic moment in time cannot be denied, regardless of the opinion of the legitimacy of the act it commemorates. The art impact of the sculptures themselves is magnificent.

This blog is intended to be a lighthearted account of our wandering and pondering and not a political platform. Sometimes though, as I go down the rabbit hole of internet research, I find an article that sparks thought. Such was this essay by a Massachusetts College professor who was raised in Oklahoma, commenting on the Oklahoma Land Rush entitled History is Written by the Victors, but it’s Victims Who Write the Memoirs.

Was it a momentous day for American Manifest Destiny, a victory of rugged individualism and the indomitable pioneer spirit over the untamed wilderness, an enormous transfer of wealth and an opportunity for everyone, including women and African Americans, to become landowners? Or just another treaty-breaking, land-grabbing swindle by a colonizing federal government that had already nearly eradicated many Native American tribes and forced survivors onto inhospitable parcels of “Indian Territory?”

The  recurring question is the conflict between preserving history with its flaws and mistakes versus eradicating it. I am pleased to see how Oklahoma acknowledges and emphasizes its Native American heritage without sweeping it under a rug. Similar when I went to Georgia in 2019, it was encouraging to see how that state acknowledged its treatment of slaves rather than burying it. The previous quoted essay about victors and victims cites approaches in other states; it is well worth reading.

As our canal boat tours draws to a close at our origin dock Frank and I contemplate a stroll around the more compact commercial/entertainment area of Bricktown, taking in local flavor. For the second photo of Frank, my iPhone was mistakenly set on portrait mode. I got a repeat image of Frank when my goal was a focus on the bison in the background behind him as a symbolic idiosyncrasy of the area.

We walked by an outdoor themed miniature golf feature with the publicity, 

Brickopolis Miniature Golf on the Bricktown Canal offers the ultimate miniature golf experience in Downtown Oklahoma City! Putt your way through 18 holes of obstacles, bridges, and cascading waterfalls.

What particularly caught my eye were more bison plus a wolf and deer. For other pictures of the course, check out A Couple of Putts. The weather was warm, and had the course been a bit more shaded, we might have given it a try. But we strolled on, keeping in the shade of the buildings.

The cartoon charters on the Brickopolis sign fascinated me. I learned they are not random but represent state symbols of Oklahoma.

Then we had the idea of seeing much more of Bricktown and downtown OKC in the comfort of an air-conditioned trolley. We caught one not far down from the baseball stadium and rode the full round trip route as shown in pink in the following map. There is a lower loop that runs counter clockwise and transitions to a clockwise direction for the upper loop. We essentially started in the lower loop at the Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark, located on the lowest stretch of the map. Frank and Robin attended a game there when she first moved to Oklahoma and bought her first house.

The ballpark is named in honor of the Chickasaw Nation. The Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma is the 13th-largest federally recognized tribe in the United States. Most of their descendants remain as residents of what is now Oklahoma.They traditionally followed a kinship system of matrilineal descent, in which inheritance and descent are traced through the maternal line. Children are considered born into the mother's family and clan, and gain their social status from her. Women controlled most property and hereditary leadership in the tribe passed through the maternal line. I did find it ironic that even with a maternal line of history, the great seal is still that of a man.

The next notable area on the trolley route was Scissortail Park which contains the Skydance Bridge, a pedestrian bridge to cross Interstate 40, also known as Scissortail Bridge.

Architects Hans and Torrey Butzer conceived of the bridge as being inspired by the mating dance of the scissor-tailed flycatcher, Oklahoma's state bird. The double-winged structure would be a sculptural landmark and provide support to a pedestrian deck that connects two portions of Oklahoma City's Scissortail Park. ... The location of the bridge was chosen as part of the "Core to Shore" initiative, which was intended to connect the core of downtown Oklahoma City to the shore of the Oklahoma River.

Had we gotten off at this stop, we may have walked across the bridge just for the experience. Perhaps we will do this on another visit, in cooler weather. The bridge is also famous enough that a quilt replicating it was made by the Oklahoma City Modern Quilt Guild as a fund raising community quilt and selected to be exhibited at the Modern Quilt Guild’s national QuiltCon.

The next stop on the trolley route was Myriad Gardens. Here is an overview of the 15-acre landscaped area in the heart of OKC metropolitan area. Featured in the center is the crystal bridge. Robin told us it is beautiful and we should walk across it. We looked deep into the park as the trolley rolled by and it did look tempting. Next time. This is yet another attraction to add to our list of things to do on our next visit.

Just north of Myriad Gardens, we passed next to Devon Tower, which we had viewed from our canal boat ride. Exiting our counterclockwise course of the lower trolley loop, we entered the northern loop in a clockwise direction. The northern loop passed through the metropolitan area of OKC, taking us past the library and law school, without much worthy of note other that the overall ambiance of a city's downtown. On the way back south though, we could gaze into the lawn area of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum with its 168 chairs for the victims of the 1995 bombing of the federal building. This was one of the first places Frank and I visited on our first trip to OKC. It is still a sobering moment to see, even without venturing inside the museum building. The chairs are arranged in nine distinct rows to symbolize the nine floors of the building with nineteen of the chairs being smaller to represent the children who lost their brief lives. This Wikipedia article gives more information.

In exploring the internet for this blog post, I saw many articles about the survivors and the victims since it is now 30 years later. This one about PJ Allen, the youngest survivor of the blast, 18 months old at the time, I found particularly worthy of note.

When the trolley re-entered the Bricktown District, Frank and I got off, just before the Mickey Mantle stop. We browsed briefly in The Painted Door, a gift boutique with many eclectic wares to amuse and corresponding prices that did not amuse. This store was still a fun place to look even if it was not a fun place to buy.

Next door was the  The Old Spaghetti Factory; they restaurant and the store even shared elegant bathroom facilities. We decoded to have lunch at The Old Spaghetti Factory.  The ambience was kinda neat but we only ate a portion of our meal and took the remainder of it with us to go. 

Apparently the roof top is reputed to have a good view, but we decided to forgo it during the heat of the day. Maybe one evening on our next trip out to OKC ...? The proximity of the Painted Door to the restaurant is visible in the following photo.

After eating we took an Uber back to Robin and Jeremy's house. That evening we managed to fit in some games — adults only, kids opted out. We enjoyed a few rounds of SkyJo but called it an early evening. Frank and I had to pack and get some rest before our flight(s) back to California the next day. Robin and Jeremy drove us back to our hotel and came up to the comfort our suite, visiting for a bit longer. This bonus time was an enjoyable closure to our excellent, even if a bit hectic, visit.

On Thursday, May 14th we flew back home to California. We had two flights, connecting in Denver. In flight, we learned to our surprise that even though we had two flight numbers with two board passes for each of us, it was the same plane. We did not have to get off and make a mad dash (in wheelchairs) to another gate. We did have to change seats, however, but that was no big deal. Once in San Jose we observed the following rotating sculpture. Curious, I looked up its story.

It is titled Space Observer, created in 2010 by artist Björn Schülke. Other views and background of this mesmerizing, motorized sculpture can be found in this digiart link. Per the San Jose facility directory of public art collections and this San Jose Government public document

Space Observer is a landmark artwork located on the airport's highly trafficked meeting, greeting, and circulation mezzanine. In an airport, one of the most highly secured and surveilled public facilities of our modern time, the sculpture's whimsical, yet high tech aesthetic and use of surveillance technology, reinforce the San Jose Airport's Art + Technology Program theme. Reminiscent of a space craft, this glossy white 26' tall sculpture, perched on a tripod of 8' tall legs, explores the interactivity between humans and modern technology. When a passer-by engages with this elaborate yet delicate object it quietly rotates following him or her with the aid of two propeller-tipped arms. Its eye reveals images picked up from embedded cameras. As stated by the artist, "it can recognize you and detect your movement setting off a trigger of kinetic responses like a conversation or a dance". The placement of the sculpture was designed to reinforce passenger way finding towards either security (north) or baggage claim (south)

This was the final item we observed during what was, in retrospect, an art-centric visit. Between the visual art of a stage production with Autumn, the historical art within the Cowboy Museum, the mosaic and painted murals along the Bricktown canal boat ride, and the bronze statues both at the Cowboy Museum and in Bricktown, we have been culturally enhanced. Plus all of this enrichment is plunked right in the middle of the laughter, hugs, and interactions with family! What a great trip!

For links to the previous four posts about this visit see:

• OKC 1 of 5: May 8-10    Arrival and Legally Blonde Jr
• OKC 2 of 5: May 10       Post show and Mother's Day
• OKC 3 of 5: May 11       Cowboy Museum
• OKC 4 of 5: May 12       Chilling at home with kids
• OKC 5 of 5: May 13-14  Bricktown and departure (this post)