Oklahoma skies

Sunset tonight at my aunt's house, Cimmaron County, Oklahoma.

 

We came yesterday, stopping at Baker Cemetery in Texas County, to visit Mother's grave.

My brother and sister-in-law brought a wreath for the occasion.

The sky was dark and threatening, rain could be seen in the distance...it was chilly and windy too!

It is an old cemetery, some graves are even unmarked, from leaner, pioneer times!

The drought has really baked and blown this ground.....I was encouraged to see a few green blades fighting their way back! If only that rain WOULD come!

As we continued west, the skies cleared and warmer temperatures returned. We reached Felt, OK in time to see a wonderful sunset which painted even the other side of the sky a wonderful lavender.....

 

[ Looking east, not west, as the sun set.]

 

Family Reunion Fun!

Greetings from Oklahoma!!!

Most of these photos were taken by my nephew yesterday! we are in the most northwest corner of the Oklahoma panhandle, Lake Etling in Black Mesa State Park...

 

I did take this photo of my Aunt Ruby and Uncle Don making homemade ice cream before the picnic!

 

Bringing homemade vanilla ice cream to family events is a real tradition here!

Now for the photos. This area has had a drought for several years, but the night before the picnic a nice rain fell and filled the lake and the stream here overflowed it's banks, creating lots of wonderful mud by the time our grandkids began to explore!

Here two, 5-year-old cousins are having some wonderful times, as little boys have for centuries!

 

Even grown up boys revert to their wild ways here.....my son-in-law jumping from the cliffs.....

Yes, he survived! Which is good as he has a family depending on him!

 

As the hours passed, the energy got even wilder.....and my grandson (with help) covered himself with the gray volcanic mud.....a true transformation! Thank goodness there were showers available nearby and clean-up was possible!

I'll add more photos as they become available!

 

Posted with Blogsy

Mom, my sister Elaine and I have had a very nice visit the last few days. Elaine left this morning to return to Western Oklahoma where she lives. Here (photo below) we are returning from church services yesterday. The chair in the photo, from Mom's house, was one of several being loaded into Elaine's van. The chair is one of a set which Mom's parents had. It is going back to the Panhandle.

Here is a photo of my maternal grandparents in August 1958. They were German immigrants who had a wheat farm and stayed in spite of the dust bowl. That "tree" is a lilac bush under which I loved to play house. I am the 7 year old to the left side of the photo. Elaine is the littler sister here. Brother Chris is the baby and Hollis is the 6 year old.


Both sides of my family lived in this area in those dust bowl days. Before I was born, my mother was a teacher and one of her students was the youngest child in this famous photo. Western Oklahoma is a land of big sky, infinite stars and endless horizons. It is not an easy landscape to fall in love with, though the theater of the sky is truly wonderful!

I am now reading "The Worst Hard Time" and find it so full of information about the area I once called home. Not an easy read, but fascinating!

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One piece of good news- we seem to be in the process of closing on Mom's house. Keeping our fingers crossed!