Posts Tagged With: tulsa

All American Holiday – part 2

In the previous post, Fish fry and fireworks, we saw an example of what some choose to do when celebrating Independence Day of the USA. Now lets move on to two more common ways that people spend the 4th of July.

Camping! This term is used loosley as there are many different types.  There’s vacationing in a cabin with running water, bedrooms, toilets and well… a solid roof. Then you’ve got the hardcore backpackers that make a path into the wilderness and chop up their wood to ignite a fire. The single flame that will provide heat to cook with and warmth to nestle next to while curled in their sleeping bags.

The average idea of camping involves tents, picnic tables and make shift kitchenettes. This year, my cousins took the middle ground and invited me to join them at Keystone Lake!   

 
If momma bear in the photo below looks familiar, that’s because you saw her with “little bear” in her belly in the post When it rains, it freezes.  Now look at the whole family!

   
  
Even though I didn’t stay long (due to my connecting event described below), we still made time for a handstand shot! Joining me this time is Reggie, my pretend boss on the job seen in Time to work hard(ish)! 

 
It’s business time (hooray for travel funds)! I brushed the dust from my hair, put on mascara, through some peppermint oil on and away I went! Only 30 miles up the highway, I was clocking in to work. Nailed it!

Instead of representing Ford at the Vans Warped Tour, I’m now the proud ambassader for Chevrolet at a local baseball game! Remember the Drillers?  The team I spoke of in the post Tulsa, more than just the Drillers… I’m now working the tent inside the game for this wonderful holiday celebration! Ironic?

Welcome to the Oneok Stadium in Tulsa Oklahoma.

   
   
Our position today is inviting the guests to sign up for a chance to win 2 dugout seats with $25 Driller dollars. Just by entering they get a complimentary Chevy tote bag.

   
 Naturally Chevy provided a few eye catching vehicles to draw the attention of the baseball fans strolling by.

   
   
You can imagine since it’s “USA’s birthday” most of the people came dressed in red, white and blue and/or some representation of the American flag. 

  
Everybody rise for our National Anthem…

  
Play ball!

   
 Here we go again with the scorching Oklahoma heat. Luckily there was quite a bit of shade offered, however if you asked any of the kids, they’d rather be dripping wet on the sunnyside!

  
Hungry? Sporting events have expanded their food options from the good ol’ peanuts and cotton candy days. Now, along with your typical bites, you can choose from an abundance of snacks.

   
 Side tracked with a random shot! Your eyes see correctly… that’s a Uhaul truck rotating on top of the roof. Advertisement well done!

  
Time for a walk around the ballpark to see if we can gather a few more surveys and get rid of these handy bags! 

 Who’s this?! Only Ryan from the post Tulsa, more than just the Drillers. He’s the one who was next to me when I first heard of the ever so popular Drillers! And CJ? His adorable girlfriend you met when I made it back safely shown in 1,000 miles in 24 hours.

  

As night fell, you could certainly feel the energy changing. The game was coming to an end which meant fireworks were soon on the way! Check out this photo with Tulsa in the back drop. 

   
 Show time! 

  
As I scurried out of the stadium, this sight caught my eye. Although the photo doesn’t show them well, several families and friends gathered outside to observe the colorful sky. Good night Tulsa and Happy Birthday America!

  

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1000 miles in 24 hours

Ever wish you could have a friend run an errand for you in order for you to get other stuff done?

Ryan, from the post Tulsa, more than just the Drillers, decided it was more valuable (and helpful) to pay me for the task at hand, than to do it himself.

“Gee, let me think…. Umm sure!”
(That was for all of you Jim Carrey fans out there).

It was my mission to fly north to Bloomington Illinois to pick up his truck that had been serviced and drive it back down to Tulsa Oklahoma.

Besides the trip itself, there really wasn’t any extraordinary events that took place, so here’s my 24 hours in a nutshell.

Ryan dropped me off at the Tulsa international airport for my departure to the snowy city up North. The first flight was on an average sized commercial plane that had 32 rows with 3 seats on each side of the aisle.

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The second flight was a bit smaller, but far from the smallest I’ve ever flown on (for one of those death defying, chicken in the runway episodes, see the post: Sit back, relax and enjoy the flight). For those of you who haven’t flown, let me give you a sneak peak at why being vertically challenged is a benefit on these flights.

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Coming into land at my final destination, the snow covered grounds made for a pretty picture. What they didn’t make for, was a warm welcome.

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The airport was clean and brightly lit with an open layout.

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When I walked out of the front doors, a wall of “freezing” hit me square in the face, like an ice monster attacking with no mercy. I took a step outside and immidiently did an about-face and went right back into the airport to wait for my ride. Here’s a shot of the security picking off icicles so they wouldn’t drop on pedestrians.

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A quick trade of paperwork put me in Ryan’s truck ready for my 550 mile drive back to his house.

The weather had reported that I would be right in the trail of an “ice vortex”, sounds vicious, right? Luckily for me, the storm relaxed and detoured to the east, leaving me with safe roads and smooth ride.

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As the sun dropped behind what seemed to be a never ending highway, I stuck to my goal of getting a few hours on the road before snagging a hotel. Here’s a blurry night shot of St.Louis, home of the Rams and the popular arch. Can you see it on the right?

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Turns out on the open road, I completely decompress with the sound of a motor… like a baby after a warm bottle in a rocking chair. As I began to melt into the warm seats, I spotted a simple hotel that was perfect for some shut eye before finishing the route ahead. Not too shabby for a pitstop in the middle of Missouri.

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The sunrise was gorgeous but deceiving as it brought light but not much warmth. My solution? I took heating pads that are supposed to go in your shoes and stuck them to my legs and hands. Silly? Brilliant! I was toasty until the heater took action and now it’s time to roll.

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I wish I had some incredible snap shots to show you, but it is instead I captured some photos that I assume, some of you have never seen before.

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Yes, you can get pulled over for going to slow.

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So close!

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From the moment he dropped me off at the airport, it was 24 hours later that I pulled into his drive. Safe and sound (me and the truck) we had success! Here’s the vehicle that I had grown to love in my time behind the wheel.

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What mission accomplished would be complete without a celebration? We chose a casual walk that lead us to the Valkrie, seen in the post about Tulsa.

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Here’s a quick snap shot of me, Ryan and his beautiful girlfriend CJ.

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A walk home and a bright good night is how I’ll end this one.

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Handstand material for sure!

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Categories: Accommodations, Travel talk, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tulsa, more than just the Drillers.

I’ve been loving life on the road now for 2 1/2 years. Homeless but never unsettled… traveling solo, but rarely alone. What a dream.

Volunteering abroad has allowed me to experience a wide range of lifestyles, careers, religions, traditions and so on. In regards to food and accommodations, I’ve been able to pleasantly earn my way through volunteering and bartering, that in itself has been an adventure!

Well, turns out there was opportunity right near my own back yard!

Work hard (barely) and play hard (relax) seemed to be the theme of my whirlwind trip to Tulsa. A few projects to assist in and a partner in harmless crime was my position to fill during this visit to see my long time family friend, Ryan. We spent a summer together over 15 years ago and lost touch until last year. Fun fact, we both traveled to Asia and Japan within months of each other without even knowing it!

Assignment number one? Taxes…. enough said.

How it began…

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The controlled chaos…

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The gorgeous results…

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I’ll pause here for you to meet Chris Farley…. Cute, lazy and completely lovable.

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Project number two called for some creative minds, dirty toes and one bandaid thanks to the gorgeous cactus plant.

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If you know me at all, you’ll know that cooking is hardly a chore but rather a candidate for one of my top 5 favorite activities. With that said, playing in his kitchen was far from work and more of a treat. Friends, meet one of my happy places.

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Where was Ryan during my crazy culinary play-time? Clearly he knew that without his effort, it was going to be an all veggie dinner. I found him out back firing up the grill.

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The result of our powers combined equaled a huge hunk of meat and my roasted veggies, a cucumber-tomato-onion salad with a side of homemade guacamole and salsa with lentil chips. Yum.

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I’ll give you one guess to figure out which plate belonged to him…

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Ryan served up dessert with an unofficial-officially proper scotch tasting.

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If you ever make your way through Tulsa and you have a great deal of appreciation for creative drinks in a unique ambiance, I highly suggest you check out Valkyrie.

They provide carefully selected craft beer, worldly wine and your classic cocktails using quality ingredients. By “quality” I mean they make their own mixers, infusions and juices with local produce and a lot of love. From lavender, jalepeño, to cucumber and homemade ginger beer, the menu offers a variety for the people who stick to the classics. It also caters to those of us who search for a new flavor with each order. Choose from the “shaken” or “stirred” list and wait for the masterpiece to present itself. I tried the “Shake rattle, bang your head” which was a brilliant combination of Gin, jalepeños, chartreuse, cucumber and lime.

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After enjoying these wonderful beverages, what better way to test your hand-eye coordination than a few friendly games of pool and shuffle board. To prevent public embarrassment, I won’t say the name of who came in 2nd place… I’ll simply post a picture of who dominated both games.

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For my last evening, we went to a local restaurant that offered a classy menu with a fine wine list. Unfortunately we managed to order items that didn’t produce the flavors it had flaunted. I’m thinking we just caught the chef on an off day, so if you choose to dine at Tall Grass, I wish you an amazing edible experience!

Our selection for the appetizer was bone marrow. Notice how he just pushed the interior mass into a pudding-like pile. The first taste to hit my palette was salt. Not a “salty” flavor, but actual sodium… like I licked a salt shaker. There wasn’t a second flavor due to the speed in which I removed it from my mouth. Hmmm, no thank you.

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For dinner I ordered a root salad with an apple cider vinegar dressing and he went for the pecan crusted halibut (sounds marvelous, right?). Dessert was a fancy wine that neither one of us had ever heard of, but definitely proved to be the most flavorful item on the table.

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The best photo of the evening was catching Ryan in his ever so sophisticated pose with a cheeky grin. Perfect for the energy of the evening, well done… Well done!

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Lastly, I’ll wrap up this post in gratitude for the very much appreciated moments outside. A breath of fresh air, solid sunshine and good conversation was a perfect compliment to this mini trip.

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Ryan, this unexpected and perfectly timed get-away was hopefully just the first of many. Cheers to Japanese bloody Mary’s, squeaky windmills, kale chips and the best sports team ever… The Drillers! Thank you for everything.

Categories: Accommodations, Edibles!, Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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