Hitchhiking clown?

Last Saturday on the way home from our crab and shrimp boil dinner with Kelsey and Jeremy, Debbie and I saw what appeared to be clothing along the shoulder of I-35 near Guthrie.  We assumed someone lost a box and their stuff was scattered about.  Not far beyond the scattered clothing was a scarecrow figure of a clown.  A few sticks with some hastily arranged clothing and a clown head staring at traffic passing by.  We didn't have the camera with us so no photo.  Kelsey was following us in another vehicle.  I think it freaked her out.  She has some sort of clown phobia that might be the result of the encounter she had with the clown at the Albuquerque balloon fiesta many years ago.  Anyway, I had the camera on Sunday morning when I went to work, but the clown was gone.  Never know what you are gonna see on the road.

Armstrong Auditorium

There is an article in the Edmond Monthly magazine about a new performing arts center that was constructed north of Edmond.  It is out in the sticks, essentially.  The owner is the Philadelphia Church of God.  They have a small college just north of Waterloo Road on Bryant Road.  I designed the project in 2005 and they are just finishing it.  Turned out really nice.  I will post more photos if I can get them.  This is a copy of the photo in the magazine.

The tall columns were not originally like that.  After construction started, the owner decided to raise the tops of the columns and the roof about 15 feet higher.  We had to completely redesign that area of the building.  Turned out to be a good decision by the owner.  We got paid for the extra work, by the way.

This project is a smaller version of another performing arts center that I did for East Central University in Ada.  I posted a link to a tv story a few months ago about the ECU project.

On the road

Debbie made a trip to Miami today to be with Eleanor and visit with Lillian as they move Lillian to a rest home for a few days.  Best wishes to Lillian for a recovery from her mild stroke and that she is able to get home to Fairland by the weekend.

Run, Doggie, Run

I posted this photo the other day.  Anyone see the cloud that looks like a dog running?

Two in one day

After eating dinner tonite, Debbie took this photo of another Opies truck.  We saw the other one this morning on I-35.  Never saw one before and saw two in one day.  Gonna have to check out their website and see if they have any hats.  Debbie said that's probably the only way I'll ever find a hat with "Opie" on it.  hee hee

Opies Trucking and Sunrise

On the way to OKC this morning, we passed this truck.  Cool name.

Another morning with a gorgeous sunrise.  Cool temperatures, too.  Today's high will be lower than the overnite lows of the past few weeks.  I can tell winter is coming, but not by the temperature changes.  The sun is coming up later and it is moving toward the south. 

Whoever said there is nothing happening early in the morning ain't looking.

Have a great day.

Knock him out, John!

Anyone remember Jerry Clower?  Comedian from the 70's.  Pretty funny country-style story tellin'.  Haven't heard this story for years until today it was on the radio.  Jerry Clower died this day in 1998.

Knock him out, John!

Sunrise in Oklahoma

Very cool sunrise this morning.  Debbie took several photos as we traveled along I-35 toward OKC.

Back in Stillwater

Long trip from Midland to Stillwater.  We left around 10 am after having breakfast.  Shawn made some great omelet scrambles for everyone.  We stopped in the small town of Haskell, Texas for lunch at a mom and pop restaurant, the Red Rooster Restaraunt.  Haskell is about the size of Commerce.  Debbie and Kelsey had the buffet lunch of ham, baked chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn and candied carrots.  Looked pretty good.  I had a bacon cheeseburger with fries.  I ordered a single patty burger but got a double patty burger.  Daggone it was huge and very tasty.  Debbie and Kelsey said the buffet food was really good, too.  Have to remember that place.  Anyway, made it home around 6 pm.  Still full from lunch.  Not gonna have dinner tonite. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend, too.

Hanging around in Midland

Debbie and I went to Midland, TX to visit Megan and pick up Kelsey, who spent a week with Megan before classes start at OSU on August 23.  We stopped at a couple of antique stores in Wichita Falls and one in Anson, TX on the trip down on Friday.  We ate dinner at a good Mexican restaraunt on Friday nite in Midland.  Saturday was pretty lazy for the most part.  We at breakfast at a good Mexican cafe.  Shawn grilled some burgers.  Debbie, Kelsey and Megan made German potato salad, coleslaw and other sides.  We went to a county fair that was pretty lacking in fair related stuff.  Kinda sad for a larger town, but we saw some nice horses, some sheep and a huge longhorn bull.  That was all the animals that we saw.  No chickens or pigs. Megan seems to be doing well in Midland. 
Debbie, Kelsey and I are heading back to Stillwater around mid-morning. 

Have a nice weekend.

Don't call me "hamburger"!!

Bull jumps into stands at bullring

Kinda makes James Artest jumping into the stands after a fan during an NBA game a few years ago look like a no big deal.

Bird, you got some 'splainin' to do.

How in the heck does a bird crap all over the card reader on a pump that is under a huge canopy?  Dang.  Guess the bird doesn't like prepay.

Into the ditch

It has been awhile since I drove the blog bus into ditch.  Tighten the seat belt, hang on and have fun. 

hee hee

Fart soundboard

Who says golf is boring?

Check this out.  200 yard gong shot

Love how one guy said he missed the lake. LOL

Hanging Stanley

On the way to get Debbie, I stopped by an old building that I'm helping renovate.  As I was finishing taking measurements of some existing framing, the Stanley measuring tape got stuck between the top of a beam and the bottom of the metal deck.  It was about 5 feet above my head.  I could not reach it or get it loose until I found a long stick.  Here's a photo of the tape hanging from the beam just before I got it loose.  Cracked me up.

Ford Bronco

Neat little tricked out Ford Bronco.  Looks like a 1977 model.  It was in the parking lot at the architect's office where I had a meeting this afternoon.

On the way back to the office, I saw another old Bronco on the road.  cooool.

Sunday

Megan and Shawn came to Stillwater late Friday nite.  Megan had a dentist appointment on yesterday morning in OKC and then went to a friend's wedding in Tulsa last nite.  Debbie's friend, Angie, spent the nite with us.  She lives in San Antonio.  Her twin daughters are going to college in Wichita.  Angie took them to Wichita and stopped by the house on her way back to Texas.  We had dinner at the Thai Cafe in Stillwater.  I figured Deb and Angie would stay up late catching up, but they made it to about midnite before giving up.  Angie got up early and headed home around 7 a.m.  Debbie made homemade biscuits, gravy, bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs for breakfast.  Megan, Shawn and Kelsey left around noon to head back to Midland.  Kelsey is spending a week with Megan.  Debbie and I are going to Midland next Friday to get Kelsey and hang out with Megan for a day.  Got a brief rain shower this morning.  It is still hot, tho. 

Have a good day!  

Happy Birthday, Megan!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Megan!

Love you bunches.

Mom and Dad

Debbie's Bling

Several months ago, Debbie and I went to an antique store in OKC.  She found a necklace that she liked and we bought it.  The tag said the necklace was a Whiting & Davis piece.  A few clicks of the mouse on the www led Debbie to a world of some pretty cool jewelry.  She found another necklace with matching earrings on a website.  She found a Whiting & Davis cameo ring a month or so ago at the same antique store.  One of her coworker's mother is an antique dealer who has a booth at the antique store where Debbie bought the first necklace and the ring.  Tonite, Debbie bought two necklaces and a bracelet.  One of the necklaces has matching earrings.  Over the weekend, we saw several of those chain-link style purses.   I know there is a technical name, but I'm jewelry illiterate.  Guess all I gotta know is how to pay for it.  hee hee.

The first necklace.

The second one from the internet store.

One of the newest necklace purchases.

The other necklace, matching earrings, and the bracelet she bought today.

The flowers are relief cut into the black stone. 

Cameo bracelet.  Very cool.  It changes colors as you move it around.

The cameo ring.

 

Water fun

Maybe.  Debbie took some photos of the kids playing in their new kiddie pool during her last visit. 

Gotta lean into those turns.

WHOA!!!

Got the hang of it.

One flap up.

Wahoo!

Happy Birthday, Maggie.

Happy Birthday, Maggie! 

Fun Saturday

Debbie and I spent all day milling around several antique stores in the Oklahoma City area.  Four or five in Bethany and three near the OKC fairgrounds.  Lots of cool stuff to see.  Debbie is into buying vintage jewelry.  Her favorite is Whiting-Davis jewelry.  Didn't find any jewelry she liked today.  She found about 15 vinyl albums of several classic rock artists including Jimmy Hendrix, Peter Frampton, Fleetwood Mac, Bob Seger.  All or most of them appear to be from the record collection of a former disc jockey.  Pretty good condition.  I found a cool print of a pen and ink drawing.  Fun day with my lady.

This is on a road not far from my office.  Not sure what lane is closed.  Especially since there is nothing happening on the road beyond the sign.  LOL

Hope everyone else had a good weekend, too.

Baja California

A Facebook page, duPont Registry, put these photos and a few others on his website about driving buggies in through Baja California.  Looks like fun!!!

Flying

Dusting

Mudding

Rinsing

A Yellow Lobster

Saw an article this morning on Yahoo about a guy who caught a yellow lobster off the coast of Rhode Island.  Found another article with a photo.  Kinda cool looking.  Glad he's not going to eat it but plans to donate it to an aquarium.

Yellow Lobster