maybe you can go home again. (some pics)

[ulysses]

We just got back today from Oklahoma. The summer after I graduated from college, my best childhood friend and I met up for coffee a couple of times back home. We joked a lot then about The Town that Time Forgot - nothing ever seemed to change. It's funny now, fifteen years later, to go back and see the big things have have changed just in the last couple of years and the little things that haven't since I was little.


BabyOkie with Grandpa

We took Christopher, of course. Time rolls on and my parents are older now, and I want him to know them well. They dote on their first grandchild in sixteen years. It's weird to have a son now and take him back to Claremore. I had a pretty cool childhood in this small town. Am I giving him the same experiences? Should I be?

On Monday morning, I drove by myself up through the college in town, where I went to pre-school, learned to swim and, years later, started in Boy Scouts. Both those buildings are still there and look pretty much the same, at least outside. The ancient bathroom outbuilding is still flaking white paint at one end of the soccer field. The rest of the campus I hardly even recognize.

Heidi, if you're reading this, Claremore has an A&W again, but it's one of those double-restaurant building things, married to a Long John Silver's. Not the same.


Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

As long as I live in Georgia, it will never quite be home because it doesn't have this. I like this. A large part of me *needs* this. By comparison, the south is Ghana and it's claustrophobic to me.

On Wednesday, we all drove up to the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska. Dusty, windy as shit, and gorgeous. They keep a herd of nearly 2,000 bison there.


Don't call him a buffalo.

Big animals. The Nature Conservancy runs part of it as a working ranch, and Chris got to see his first horses and a burro.





On the drive back, we went through the tiny, poor towns that help make Oklahoma a red state - it will forever drive me batshit that these folks, even with Woody Guthrie's legacy, vote against themselves time and again. At least Tulsa elected a Democrat for mayor while we were there.

Anyway, I've now changed a shitty diaper in seat 8B on a small jet, so all is right with the world after all...

[GOPisEvil]

1. There is something about Oklahoma that gets into you.

I know a guy from Broken Bow. He's about as anti-Broken Bow as they get. You'd never figure him for rural Oklahoma. But, once in a while, he just has to go back there. I don't get it, but then I'm not from Oklahoma.

[ulysses]

5. yeah, that's me.

Familiarity breeds contempt, I guess. When I was 18, I couldn't get out of there fast enough. I miss that big sky, though. :hi:

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. We all need to stay in touch with our roots, my dear ulysses......

Sounds like you're taking good care of yourself....and your son too!

I love travelling back to where I was born, and did my first growing-up...

It reminds me of how far I've come.....

And why I've done it too......

:hug:

BTW, I love the pics!

[ulysses]

6. hah!

It reminds me of how far I've come.....

And why I've done it too......

Yes, indeedy. :D :hi:

[Nicole]

3. Christopher is such a cute baby

I love visiting the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. I haven't made the trip up there in several years, perhaps it's time to go again.

I do visit the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in S.W. OK pretty often. It looks similiar to your first two pics. It does have bison but no where near 2,000.

Does the TPP have bison auctions? The WMWR holds one every fall to thin the herds. They auction off bison & longhorns.

[ulysses]

4. I don't think they auction them.

If they do, it's for food. My sister made bison chili last January when we were in Tulsa - pretty tasty. They're expecting 400-500 calves this spring.

[salin]

8. Thanks for the post - pleasure to read

a question... so what is the difference between a Bison, and the word we are not supposed to use?

[ulysses]

12. buffalo are these:

and live in Asia and Africa.

Bison facts from Wiki:

The American Bison (Bison bison), is a bovine mammal that is the largest terrestrial mammal in North America. The bison inhabited the Great Plains of the United States and Canada in massive herds, ranging from the Great Slave Lake in Canada's far north to Mexico in the south, and from eastern Oregon almost to the Atlantic Ocean, taking its subspecies into account. Its two subspecies are the Plains Bison (Bison bison bison), distinguished by its flat back, and the Wood Bison (Bison bison athabascae), distinguished by its large humped back.

The Bison is also commonly known as the American Buffalo, although it is only distantly related to either the Water Buffalo or African Buffalo.

Bison are among the most dangerous animals encountered by visitors to the various National Parks, especially Yellowstone National Park. While they are not carnivorous, they will attack humans if provoked. Appearing slow, on account of their rather lethargic movements, they are actually quite capable of outrunning humans— they have been observed running as fast as 45 mph (73 km/h). They should generally be considered as dangerous as bears. People have been trampled and gored by bison in the national parks. Bison also have the ability, unexpected given the animal's size and body structure, to jump straight up.

:hi:

[salin]

19. Thanks - you never know what you are going to learn

on a sunny morning at DU!

:hi:

[Hugin]

7. This is why I come to the Lounge...

Sometimes, there is a post like this one which
you just don't see anywhere else.

Thanks for sharing your story!

:)

[ulysses]

10. thanks, Prag.

:)

[BlueIris]

9. Hee. I was born in Oklahoma. That's about all I know about it.

Sorry.

Your kid is really cute.

[ulysses]

13. no problem

and thanks. :)

[Heidi]

11. Thank you for this thread, ulysses.

I'm glad little guy got to spend some time with your folks. What a beautiful baby. (And thanks for the info about the A&W; I sorta think that even if it looked the same, it wouldn't be the same as we _remember_ it, if you know what I mean.)

OKNancy tells me that Owasso now has a Dem mayor, too. So maybe we're making progress.

Thanks for sharing, my friend. :pals:

[ulysses]

14. hey!

You're more than welcome - glad you saw the thread. :hi:

[Heidi]

15. In few years, little guy will be old enough

to visit the Woolaroc Ranch and Museum. I remember when I was about 10, how much I anticipated the Woolaroc field trip with the school, because I'd heard for years from all the older kids about the Woolaroc's shrunken heads collection. The bison there were cool, too. :thumbsup:

http://www.woolaroc.org/

[ulysses]

16. we talked about going to Woolaroc this time

but yeah, we'll go when he can remember it. :)

[sarge43]

17. "Hame is where the heart is"

Lovely pictures, lovely family.

My, BabyOkie looks just like his Grandpa.

Thanks ulysses

[ulysses]

18. he actually favors certain members of my family

a lot, which is all the more interesting because he was adopted. It's sort of spooky.

Thanks, sarge!

[sarge43]

20. Now that's interesting!

Well, Winston Churchill did say that all babies looked like him, so maybe it's just the natural affinity between us old folks and the munchkins.

[GCP]

21. What an adorable baby!

I sometimes think it's a pity they have to grow up - I could look after one of these cuties forever - shitty diapers included!

[ulysses]

22. thanks!

It's a trip watching him develop. He's started this new thing now where he practices vowel sounds LOUDLY and for long stretches of time. Did it on the plane back yesterday, much to the delight of the woman sitting in front of me. "aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAahhhhhhh. Buh. Dush. aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaah." :eyes: