Oklahoma

Ok, today's the beginning of my second day in Oklahoma. Yesterday it
was overcast, rainy, all-in-all horrible riding conditions so it was a
perfect day to hang out and see Norman.

I went to Turquoise for brunch with Lindsey, Bratton, and Loft. It was
probably one of the best brunches I've had. Huevos rancheros and
smoked salmon chowder and a taste of Lindsey's oatmeal brulee with
creme anglais. It was obvious they had a professional chef.

Lindsey gave a great tour of her home- and colllege- town, Norman,
Oklahoma University has real architectural character with extensive
use of red bricks and stone. The school's museum had a
better-than-would-be-expected collection with works by (please pardon
my spelling) Renoir, O'Keffe, Calder, Rauschenberg, as well as many
ancient and oriental works. Even though the collection was relatively
small, it certainly provided a glimpse of art history for the past
thousand years. I particularly enjoyed seeing the Russian icons, after
having seen how they would have been displayed in Russia last summer.

A quick stop at the Library for happy hour got the weekend off to a
good start. The Library, you ask? The Library is the name of the bar
across the street from campus. It really is the perfect name for an
excuse, "but mom I don't see why my grades aren't good, I sure spent a
lot of time at the Library."

The weekly Friday dinner with Lindsey's dad, sister, brother-in-law,
and nephew was a riot. Patrick, the brother-in-law, is a rare example
of a person who knows what he believes, sticks to his guns, is
skillful in expressing his opinions, and freely shares his feelings,
biases, and opinions. He certainly has studied the positions he takes,
which are not always in the main stream. He is a proud southerner (of
old) with roots in Kentucky and Texas. He was quick to point out that
northern Florida is indeed part of the south (see Staci, I'm not the
only one). With more politics in his future, I think these skills will
serve him well, as long as he doesn't step on more than 49% of the
voting toes in a two candidate race. (Patrick, I hope you find this a
correct interpretation.)

Today I'm bundling up and heading for Santa Fe, 550 miles west. If it
stays cold and overcast, I may end up in a roadside motel. Otherwise
I'm going to try to go all the way.