Revisit within a revisit

First, I'll explain the title. From the last post, you know that we are back at Oklahoma State. (OOPS, the Cowboys bit it against Georgia Tech but at least the were in the "Big Dance". ) You also know that Georgia couldn't make the trip to Medicine Park last weekend. In deciding what to do this weekend, we decided to "come back" so we could see and experience the things I did last weekend together. And I can never get enough of Texas Longhorn Cattle. I think I am more impressed with them than with Bison, having see so many of them on former trips; and honestly, they all look alike and I haven't seen to longhorns that look the same. So that's the explanation, but we need to go back a couple of days to begin.

Most if not all folks who read my dribble know that this day is a commemoration of the day my mom and dad added their little boy to the throng of earth dwellers. Somehow the OSU students on Radiology this block got wind of that. Friday being a "food day", they brought in goodies to munch on including this cake that Jen, one of the students (actually one of the 2 Jens on the rotation) made. If you understand my profession the cake makes perfect sense. Talent and ingenuity!!!. Oh, for the "uninformed" it's an x-ray of a dog's chest.

We had to debate Saturday morning about out trip because of the freak storm that had come into the area overnight. Here is the first glimpse out the window at our car. And these little birds were flitting around as if to say, "What the heck happened?".

I had been such a good boy with my breakfast since coming here that I decided to give myself an early birthday present and see if I could find my "standard" breakfast. I found "Ronnie Eats" See Ronnie's site in my blogs to watch. Ronnie said to try this little diner. It apparently is a favorite for people who like to eat breakfast in the wee hours of the morning before going to bed (or in leau of). Except for the fact that the only potatoes they have are hash browns, it would have been the perfect breakfast, challenging for a place in my top 3 breakfast places... I'm still debating, but for now it should receive honorable mention. Did get the onions in the potatoes. Another place you wouln't feel to sure about when driving by, but when I pulled up, the lot was full of cars, which is always a good sign. It was GOOD!

We got on the road and saw lots of people facing the wrong way on the highway with krinkled bumpers, etc. The road was a bit scary, but nothing we hadn't seen before. If you drive carefully and stay away from other cars, you can drive in most any weather; right? Although a little late, we got to the Stardust Inn in Medicine Park to check in, then made a trip through the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Saw more and different longhorns and only one Bison. Went to the Black-tailed Prairie Dog town, but those little guys must have been hunkered down in their burrows because of the weather. You can see the snow on the backs of some of the cattle. We'll go back today before leaving and spend more time in the great visitor's center. We revisited the Master's Kitchen and each had wonderful meals (and an a ridiculously low price). Got to meet the chef. I think his name is Toby. Apparently he came here to retire and do what he loves to do; create great meals and sell them at prices people can afford. He is reported to have been the head chef at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Believe me, the food was comparable. Although we like to try new things and places, when you find something really good, you want to go back. (But I did have a different meal (Beef Stroganoff instead of the Steak Del Monico. Georgia had fantastic spagetti. Oh, then the apple walnut cake with cream cheese frosting which we split. We stepped out of the restaurant to a gorgeous sunset, then we made a quick trip through Medicine Park which was beautiful with the lights shining on the stream (I think it is Medicine Creek). So far it was worth the trip back again for Georgia to oohh and aahh ov the things I thought she would like. This morning, she couldn't make it to breakfast, but I did. When I got there, Clark was photographing a red-tailed hawk in a tree by the water. You need to see his gallery of birds on their website. http://www.stardustinn.com/ Met a lady from California who grew up in the plains of Washington State who was there with her daughter from near Redding, CA. While we ate and talked, the goldfinches where fluttering about all over the "back" yard in the trees. Saw an osprey that they apparently see often. Today, we'll spend some more time in the refuge, check out the shops downtown (No I didn't do that when here without Georgia.... hmm.) and head back to Stillwater. Today the sun is shining in Medicine Park without a cloud in the sky. Another beautiful day! (Right Aidan?) (To others: I think this is the first song I remember Aidan singing.)

Another great place I've never heard of.

This weekend we planned to go to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge on the suggestion of my cousin Monica who lives in Edmond, Oklahoma. It's only about two and a half hours from Stillwater. Georgia woke up in severe pain, but urged me to go ahead and keep our reservations at the Stardust Inn in Medicine Park (and bring back pictures) My facebook friends can see more pictures there, but here are a few. On the way, the LPM factor (livestock per mile) mentioned in the last post was still high. Also I was reminded about something that I had forgotten in my last post. Roadkill is a given when you travel the interstate highways. I was struck on this trip however in that there is a significant difference in the species in the southwest Missouri and central Oklahoma flattened delicacies. Here's a hint: http://s0.ilike.com/play#Loudon+Wainwright+III:Dead+Skunk:146609:s1569142.8166541.3708942.0.1.75%2Cstd_79bd1a31f4b2c7dfd717c298be731c4f

Yup, lots of them. I had forgotten the detailed directions that we received when we made our reservations, but went on a bit of memory. Unfortunately that was in bits and pieces. As it turned out, I came within about a quarter mile of driving directly to it, then decided I was pursuing a loss leader and turned around.. After driving into and out of town and asking 2 different people, I looked across the water and recognized it. I asked the lady who had taken me to the wrong side of the water how to get over there.. She told me and It was a piece of cake from there. I stumbled onto this couple as they were leaving the senior center. Medicine Park was "reborn" about 14 years ago. Cool little place. Once I got my room key, I headed off for the refuge and saw more Longhorn cattle than I had ever seen along with several Bison and lots of Black Tailed Prairie Dogs. There are supposedly Elk at the refuge, but I didn't see any. I asked Peggy, the innkeeper where to eat dinner. One of the places she mentioned was the Master's Kitchen, a little hole in the wall place.... Not much to look at, but the food was yummy. I had Taco Soup and Delmonico Steak. This morning after a great breakfast with 3 couples who were staying at the Inn, I went up Mount Scott. I didn't expect mountains here; guess I'm not as good at geography as I thought. When I got up there, I found there are lots of lakes around the mountain. The mountain is in the refuge. Another unexpected, but great adventure.

Another Revisit

Oklahoma State University got an emotional rollercoaster this week as the Cowboys triumphed over rival Oklahoma in the Big 12 tourney, then failed miserably against Kansas State tonight. I write this the day before the Illini face the Wisconsin Badgers for the 3rd time in the Big 10 tourney. Why the interest in the OSU Cowboys? Cause for right now, I am a visiting faculty member in Stillwater. When we last visited here, I titled that post "a little less west" (November, 2009). Between then and now, we were at the other Orange and Black OSU; the home of the Oregon State Beavers, which was by the map more west than here, so I titled the Oklahoma post "a little less west". Thinking about it, The degree of west can be geographic or cultural. Thinking about it culturally, I can't really call Oklahoma " less west". While driving here, between Springfield, Missouri and Tulsa, Oklahoma we saw more cattle and horses per mile than we did on 2 round trips via 4 different interstates from Illinois to Oregon and Washington. Beyond that, and the fact that the sports teams here are the Cowboys and Cowgirls, I am struck more this time that we really are among real "cowboys and cowgirls". I must make it clear that these are terms of endearment to us. We both still would like to think of our selves as a cowboy and cowgirl, but the best we can do is wear the boots and dress up our Explorer in "Cowgirl Up" stuff. As I went to work I was greeted by the guy in the first picture who is the State Bird of Illinois (and 6 other states). He was singing his heart out after the storm that passed through last night. When I last blogged about visiting Oklahoma State, I posted pictures of the Radiology Staff at the Veterinary College, but John, one of the technologists was off the day I took my camera, so here he is, acting like he is working... hmmm. While I had my camera at work, I took a picture of the workstation where I have spent most of my time this week when not working with students. Here is a little quiz for my family. What 2 items in this picture tell you that I actually have been working at this station???? I'm expecting Blaine to do the best on this quiz, but the challenge is on for all of you. It was fortunate that I had my camera with me today. When I walked in, I saw that my Host, Dr. Bob Bahr was wearing a similar shirt to me. Check this out, 2 guys who have made a career from looking at white images on black background are wearing black shirts with white markings. So here we are not as far west geographically, but truly in the heart of the west where rodeo is as common as standardbred racing in Illinois.

Yet another bubble busted!

This morning on the early Sunday morning radio program "Standard Time", I heard Bob Hope's "Thanks for the Memories". On this show she plays standard tunes, mostly from the 30's to the 60's. If you listen to the show consistently you find that she plays the same songs a lot. She has played this song before, but for some reason all the stimuli in my life were aligned for me to actually listen to the words this time. This song was apparently introduced in a 1938 movie called, "The Big Broadcast of 1938" and written for that movie by Leo Robin and Ralph Rainger. As most anyone over 50 would know, it became Bob Hope's theme song for the rest of his life including the myriad of USO shows he did for the troops. (http://www.byjoy.com/BobHope.html). As the USO's and Bob Hope's TV show evolved, the lyrics to the song evolved to include events and societal change over the years, so the original lyrics were difficult to decipher. In addition, Frank Sinatra recorded his own version, then more recently a group called "Fall Out Boy" wrote and recorded a "rock" version using the title. The title, however is also confusing. You can find the Bob Hope version listed as "Thanks for the Memories" and "Thanks for the Memory".. Sorry, at this point, I don't really care which is correct. I can grammatically make both work. So what busted bubble am I talking about? I have always thought of the song as I believe Bob Hope used it through most of his life; a fond rememberance of times past which developed into endearment.... period. This morning, as I really listened to the original version, sadness grew as the insensitive, melancholic nature of this song unfolded. Yes, Bob and his costar Shirley Ross were thanking each other for the past memories, but it was as they were divorcing after a short marriage. The real message was "Oh well, it's over, but it was fun.... thanks! Good bye!" When you have been growing a loving relationship with the same person since 1959 including over 46 years of marriage, 3 sons, 9 grandchildren, and yes, a great grandson, you don't just say, "thanks, it was fun, good bye".. Although we came from different "worlds" we started our relationship including "the whole family" so we knew we could each exist in each other's world before we started to carve out our own path as a couple in this world. With God's help, we learned to cherish each other and try to change for each other and to accept each other where we each could not change. In the words of Tim McGraw, "a heart don't forget something like that". As we grow older, both of our bodies have changed in shape and the ability to endure, but when we look at each other, I think we still see those teenagers who cruised the root beer stands and got sunburned at the Indiana Dunes. I see how the years have etched a new kind of beauty in her and she calls this fat, short, bald man "hot".. Wow, what a stretch on her part. We can get down when we see that those days are past and won't be again for us, but the good memories bring a twinkle to our eyes and a childish grin to our faces. As we watch our grandkids doing and thinking a lot like we did, we are also thankful that we are able to watch them do it. My problem is that while Bob Hope's song used to start me going back through these files in my mind, chuckling as I go, I can no longer get this pleasure from that song. We didn't make these memories together to cast them aside and go on to another life with another person. I expect that when I hear this song in the future, I will begin to pray for folks who are in the battle for the survival of their relationship. I will have to find a different song to trigger the happy memories of the past, because this one just won't do.. As I look over this post, maybe I should rename it, "a love note to Georgia".. hmmm. You see, that bubble hasn't been busted. It continues to grow as we face new and different challenges together.

Venumb

This morning I was sitting in the B&B for breakfast. There were only 4 other people there at that time; Butch and an older gentleman I hadn't seen before and 2 other guys in their 60's. After I ordered my "usual" (actually Debbie pretty much had it down and I hadn't seen her since early last summer), the 2 other guys left. Then Debbie said to Butch, "we should have asked them about that word". As a person who likes words and their meanings in this day when words seem to be flung around without thought, I was intrigued. Soon after, another couple came in and the gentleman with Butch picked up the bathroom (outside) key and went out the door. Meanwhile Debbie and Butch are discussing "the word". She says, "it begins with V. I couldn't find it with the dictionary, here you look for it". I got my breakfast and the gentleman returned from the "outhouse", laid the key on the counter and said, "I got the word. It's venumb". Now I am really curious. They discussed it a bit, then satisfied in their quest, dropped it. Now I'm in trouble. I can't just sit there wondering. So the first thing I did as I got up to settle my check was to tell the gentleman that I was glad to know that I wasn't the only one who does my best thinking in the bathroom. After that, I went to the counter to pay and had to ask Debbie, "What was the question?".. She said, "what question". I said, "the word y'all were looking for". She said, "Oh, it was a word scramble puzzle". I dropped it, paid, and left. After filling the tank with gasoline for the trip to Indy, I hooked up my computer and went googling for venumb. I guess I"m not awake enough to handle the results. I got all kinds of hits, but they seemed to be in all directions. Is it a video game, something from Avitar, someone's screen name, a warcraft tool or what. Although I probably won't get it done, now I want to find the puzzle to see the context, cause I would never have thought it was a word. ... and I still don't know what it means.

Weekend in Heaven, Week of Rain, and a Day from Hell

Having only 2 weekends to explore in Oregon for this trip, we spent one in the Sisters, Redmond area (See Oregon High Desert post), we of course had to spend last weekend on the coast. Rather than trying to see "something new" we did a "spa date" at the Whale Cove Inn and spent much of the time watching the waves crashing. On facebook, I am posting more wave crashing pics than anyone could want. Seems the Pacific was more demonstrative than in the past. Although it rained on Saturday, Sunday it was sunny and in the high 50's, with heavenly views all around us. As usual, I don't think the pictures really capture it and the repetative thunder of crashing waves certainly add to the ambiance. That was the weekend in Heaven. Being in Oregon during the "rainy season" has become natural for us on this our 3rd January/February visit to help teach the basic radiology course. The new thing this time is that there is actually an "on staff'" radiologist at Oregon State. Dr. Susanne Stieger is a "European boarded" radiologist who joined the faculty last July. We really enjoyed Susanne and her family and I enjoyed working with her. Back to the rain. I think this week, we saw more rain than we had in the past. A couple of days I was glad that although I had walked to work, Georgia picked me up after work because of the rain. This week was busier than usual as I wrapped up my part of teaching in the course as well as my interaction with senior students on radiology rotation in the clinic. These were the students I taught in the basic course on our first trip to Oregon plus a couple of Caribbean students. Friday night, we got packed up, took a couple of bags to FedEx to ship home, then off to Portland for a quick overnight near the airport. We got settled in and I went out to fill the Camry with gas. The directions the desk clerk gave me were good and I drove straight to the nearest gas station. However, on the way back, I apparently missed a turn. If you look at the location of the Portland airport (PDX), you will see that it lies along the Columbia river. I ended up on what is apparently a very scenic drive in the daylight, but at night, it is simply a long road with no turn offs that runs between the river and the airport. I'll have to check it out sometime in the daylight. I finally got back to the room where we watched a little of the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony. A little aside here.... We have DirecTV at home. While watching the Colts lose the Superbowl last Sunday evening on the tiny TV in our apartment I saw the DirecTV add saying that we can progrom our DVR to record from a computer or cell phone. I checked it out and gave it a shot. I set it up to record the Ceremony at home.. So once we got home last night, we checked and by golly it worked. What a deal. So you can bet that while we are in Oklahoma during the Big 10 tourney, I will be setting up to record the Illini games. Back to our Day from Hell starting at the Portland Airport. With an 8am flight and the warning to be at the airport 2 hours ahead of departure, we got a 4am wake-up to assure our on-time arrival. In the past, this 2 hour warning has been unnecessary, but this time we used every part of it. When we got to the airport at 6 am, the counter was jammed with people from the 6am flight that was cancelled. We should have known that this was not a Portland problem, but a national problem. We had heard that Hawaii was the only state without snow and that air travel was messed up, but had no idea, really. We printed our boarding passes and just as we were at the counter to check a couple of bags, the line somehow shifted and a group taking supplies to Sierra Leone Africa was in front of us. We watched them tag probably 30-40 containers of supplies. Because of their mission, we couldn't get to concerned about our plight. Because of Georgia's back and foot ills, we decided this trip to ask for wheelchair assistance in airports on this trip. With all the confusion that part got dropped, but we got some help and a small lady in her late 50's was our "pusher". Remember, I'm carrying 2 computers and a bag stuffed with my CPAP and Georgia's nebulizer. Having wheelchair assistance was our salvation at PDX. Not only could we move at a quicker pace, but these people take you through the "fast lane", so we had help with the Security Check, etc. This also happened in Chicago and Dallas on the way out. We made it onto the plane in time and took our deep breaths for the 3+ hour trip to Dallas. Now for the rest of the story. We got off the plane, found the flight to Champaign on the big board and no gate number. The young man who met us with a wheelchair inquired and found it was to be at B3. He took us to one of those electric transporters and we got on. That cart took us for a ride (we came into gate C28) and to an elevator. The driver took us up the elevator where another cart met us. He had new information that our gate was not B13. After dropping some other folks off, he took us to B13. Since we had plenty of time (we arrived at 1pm and were to fly out at 7:10) we wanted to get a meal, so I asked the driver where the nearest eating place was. He said, "TGI Friday's" is back at B11, do you want me to drop you off there?" We thought that was a good idea. Had a great meal, then made our way back to Gate 13. I inquired to be sure we were at the correct gate... good thing I did. Now it was Gate 27. We started hoofing it and I found a wheelchair to help us get to that gate. After a while, there was an announcement that there was a gate change to B23. We wheeled to that gate to find Dr. Fred Troutt. Dr. Troutt was an intern at Purdue while I was in vet school there, was a faculty member at UGA while we were there training for radiology, then in the 90's became the U of I clinical department head (my boss). Here we were in Dallas and there he is. Also at that gate was a former Illinois vet student. They had been at a meeting in Las Vegas. Another couple who used to work in Mahomet was returning from Maui. We went through several time changes as our gate was being used by other "intra-Texas" flights. Then came the "coupe de gras". Gate change to B27 because our plane which was being repaired was abandoned and another plane was brought in, but one of those "intra-Texas" planes was at "our" gate. Having given up the wheelchair at that point, we slowly made our way back to that gate. By the time we got on the plane, all I wanted to do was sit there and wait til we landed in Champaign. The joy of this flight was the flight attendant Kelly who had been through the same confusion as the rest of us. She had a refreshing, no-nonsense approach with a "real person" demeanor. Finally we landed at cold CMI. It was the coldest we had seen since January 18. The warmth of Greg, Mel, and Ava who met us with our car soon melted our moods. Aidan was away at a retreat. Ohh! Our own bed really felt great.

Oregon High Desert

This weekend, we did get away. Drove into the Cascades to stay at a favorite place, The Lodge at Suttle Lake, near Sisters. We were planning to sight see Sunday. As we drove on Saturday afternoon, it rained and rained. We drove through rain and fog and clouds and more rain. I was getting concerned that we would not get to see much because of the weather. We stopped and checked in, then drove the 10 miles or so on into Sisters. During the entire day we couldn't see much. We couldn't see the 3 sisters mountains, 3 fingered Jack, Mount Jefferson or much of anything. Before we left, the tripcheck.com road camera showed the road through the Santiam pass to be full of snow. Becki, bless her heart, loaned us her tire chains (which is a legal matter in the mountains), but by the time we got to the pass, the road was clear. Speaking of Becki, she has become our travel consultant. She sent us to Crater Lake and down the Aufderheide scenic byway. Jason sent us to Astoria. Let's roll back to last week. We were trying to decide what to do this weekend and on one of the radiology computers the screen saver is a collection of beautiful places from around the world. This picture of Smith Rock State Park in Oregon came up. (www.oregonstateparks.org/park_51.php) I had heard of it but knew nothing about it. I turned to Becki and said, "where's this" She said, it's up near Sisters..... See we had been to Sisters several times and across to Bend a couple of times, but never strayed from the "beaten path" ..... much..ha ha. We discussed and found that it was a favorite place for rock climbers. Jack, the ultrasound guy is a rock climber. I checked it out to see if we could see worthwhile sights without hiking or backpacking into the wilderness.... cause we are NOT there. Jack and Becki assured me that we could see some neet stuff. We woke up Sunday morning to clear skys and sunshine. We drove back into Sisters, then the 20 miles to Redmond and another 9 through the small town of Terrebonne, following the signs to Smith Rock State Park. I should tell you that since we started the locums, this is the first trip we have taken without my trusty (most of the time) Mapquest printouts. It worked out great (til we were almost home.... later on that. We stopped in the Terrebonne Assembly of God Church to take an overview of Smith Rock.... Wow. I also found out that Smith Rock is a WORLDWIDE favorite rock climbing destination. We spent the afternoon taking in the different looks of Smith Rock and met several neet people. A retired Coast Guard guy who was in Astoria when the Columbus Day Storm of 1962 occured (google it.... quite a deal). ..... and his wife had visited the Lincoln Library in Springfield (IL). A local guy who was hiking back from a walk along the Crooked River at the base of Smith Rock was born in Champaign-Urbana while his dad was stationed at Chanute AFB. How's this for the influence of a mother. This guy was born and raised in America to an american dad and an English mother..... He had an English accent. You would have thought he was from the British Isles. Well, Becki did it again. Along with info she gave us on Smith Rock, she included lunch at the Terrebonne Depot.. Another gustatory delight. (http://www.terrebonnedepot.com/) Georgia had a great pizza (part.... we had the rest for lunch Monday). I had the South of Central Oregon Buffalo Burger... good... very good. And although I'm trying to stay away from French Fries.... these were GREAT! As a little extra "while you're there" Becki threw in info on the Peter Skene Ogden State Scenic Viewpoint. (www.oregonstateparks.org/park_50.php) It was just north of Terrebonne on 97. At this spot, the Crooked River had cut a 300 foot deep canyon. I'm not sure the pictures do it justice... as usual. There we found that Peter Skene Ogden was a guide to early explorers and Ogden, Utah was named after him. Another WOW! It was then time to head back "home. we decided that since it was close to 5pm, we didn't want to go back down highway 20 which is notoriously twisty and turney.... Not a good thing for old folks in the dark. So we went down the way we had used when we came to Corvallis the first time in February 2008. We took route 22 via Detroit Lake. This road was much easier to drive, especially in the dark although it was quite a bit longer. I had found that I could cut 30 miles from the trip by turning off onto 226 at Lyons going directly to Albany rather than going up to Salem and back south. All was going well. We went through Detroit, stopped at the same rest stop that we hit on our first trip. We went through Mill City, then found the turn off to 226 at Lyons. We were essentially home free. as we drove I was looking for Scio, the next little town when a familiar sign appeared.... Mills City.... uh oh! Somehow we had missed a turn and had doubled back to Mills City. Hmmmmm!!! So we retraced our path to Lyons. About this time Georgia was in need of a Diet Coke fix. She remembered the little Corner Market that we saw just as we turned off 22. As we pulled over to the store which was right along the road, she saw a sign saying that 226 turned right just after the store. It had been hidden by the store's big bright white lit up sign. If we hadn't stopped at the store, I'm sure we would have bypassed it again heading back to Mills City and into our own "Ground Hog Day" experience. Even a diet coke craving can have it's redeeming qualities. After we made the turn, we were in good shape and got into Albany. We drove past "our" Walgreens" and from there on were on a familiar path. Another great sight-seeing experience under our belts, we were ready to rest up for another week..... well, the music awards did keep some of us up a while. Coming back we got to see all the mountains that we missed on Sat.., so, ALL IS WELL AND THE TRIP A COMPLETE SUCCESS!!!