Wake Up

gnarled oaks in Savannah, Georgia

Why do I miss the south so much?

Why does Spanish moss have such an effect on me?

Why can’t I love you, Oklahoma?

Frankly, it’s all beginning to piss me off.

I woke up this morning feeling terribly homesick and I don’t know why. The first thing I read today was an article about how crocodiles and alligators can actually climb trees, but I suspect this feeling might have more to do with my dream last night. Driving south over the Dames Point Bridge, looking east toward to the ocean. Below me are right whales and fishermen in puttering little johnboats. A plate of Mayport shrimp, fresh from the river, is only minutes away. Oh, hey. Pelicans!

Then I woke up.

The night before I dreamed Mira Sorvino was talking to me through my morning alarm. Her voice was very soothing, as if she didn’t want to startle me from my sleep. I can appreciate that. Thanks, Mira.

But this dream from last night has left me feeling unsettled. A little startled, even. It’s too bad we can’t bank the residual good feelings from dreams to apply to other ones or else I would’ve bottled Mira Sorvino’s soft words and tenderness the moment I woke up.

Over the past few months, big decisions have been made regarding where we as a family will be making our long-term, though temporary, home. I’m trying to look at it as a military assignment. At least it’s not Alice Springs, Australia, or Minot, North Dakota. Do we plan to spend the rest of our lives here in Oklahoma? Absolutely not. For now, though, it sure as hell feels like it.

This is what I’m missing right now. According to news reports, the southeastern United States doesn’t look like this right now. Maybe some of you who are snowed in or iced down will enjoy these photos, too. Let’s all try to think of better days.

summer in New Orleans

Amelia Island, Florida

the view from the top of Lake Lure at Chimney Rock, North Carolina

Huguenot Park – Mayport, Florida and the St. Johns River

Fernandina Beach, Florida

sunrise and pelicans at Jekyll Island, Georgia

 

Cabin Fever

We fell asleep last night knowing some kind of snow event was heading our way. The few inches we were expecting to come this afternoon actually fell overnight. Getting out of bed this morning was a little easier than usual because the ugliness of winter was (and still is!) covered by a nice blanket of white. Even though I’ve spent most of this winter holed up inside my house, it turns out I like snow a lot. I like snow about as much as I hate winter. Since it’s apparent I can’t have the one without the other, I’m learning the art of compromise here.

I decided to head out to nearby Will Rogers Park. While I have been there many times before, I have never visited the park after a fresh and clean snowfall. Getting there wasn’t easy, but my multiple attempts to go back home failed when my vehicle continued driving straight even though I was trying to turn! I didn’t want to tempt fate and, yes, I felt like this was fate telling me to get out of the house. So I kept going.

It was obvious to me once I arrived that I was not the first one there. I didn’t mind. There were still plenty of paths and trails that were free of footprints. And everything was really, really quiet.

The sun was peeking out of the clouds by the time I left the park, so the streets were actually in better shape. Funny, I’d only been there for little more than half an hour, but it just goes to show you how quickly the weather changes here in Oklahoma. And with that, we’re expecting two more winter storms to hit by Friday.

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I have recently started volunteering at the 45th Infantry Division Museum here in Oklahoma City. The museum houses an overwhelming display of war memorabilia, including personal items that once belonged to Adolf Hitler as well as a variety of weapons from every war ever fought by Americans (especially Native Americans). In order to help me learn more, I plan to research and write about some of the items on display and accompany the posts with photographs.

Adventures (as told by our shadows)

In the last year, our small family has done a lot of traveling. We have visited sites faraway and nearby, across the country and just downtown. I never noticed it until a few days ago, but some of our travels have been documented by a simple photograph we like to call the “shadow photo”. Here are a few since we became a family…

The first “official” family shadow photo! This was taken moments after Matt proposed to me at sunrise on Jekyll Island in April of 2012. When he and I took a side trip last month to St. Simons Island while visiting my parents in Florida, we discovered we were standing just across the water from this exact spot.

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The summer of 2012 was stressful, chaotic, exhausting, and filled with uncertainty. We were fighting a legal battle and trying to establish where home was going to be. Some new friends invited us to their house for a family-style gathering (and what a big family they are!) and, homesick and in unfamiliar surroundings, we were grateful for the warm welcome. Elle spent the evening playing with their Great Dane, Samson, and helped me wrangle some chicken escapees. The above shot was taken outside the chicken coop after we managed to chase them all down and safely house them for the night. Then I watched the sun set in Addie’s garden and talked okra and Wisconsin with a woman I’d just met. I think I finally exhaled, too.

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Downtown Indianapolis is gorgeous! I say this because I’ve only seen it in the summertime (though I’m sure Indy, like every other city in the world, has its own kind of charm in the winter – I’m just a winter hater). Matt and Elle spent a lot of time at Gen Con while I wandered the city by foot and took in the nearby lush squares and city gardens. I also walked the halls of the Capitol building by myself and shared a chocolate ice cream cone with Elle on the steps of the Soldiers & Sailors Monument. The whole week was pretty fantastic.

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Martin Park Nature Center here in Oklahoma City is one of my favorite places to spend some time with the trees. After a few solo visits, I encouraged Elle to come along one afternoon with the promise of walking barefoot in a creek. That might not sound like a big deal to most people, but we Floridians usually avoid such activities, seeing as one never knows what people-eating creatures lie beneath the surface of the water. Oklahoma…you continue to impress me.

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I try not to get too sentimental about certain things, but this photo captured a lot for us. I don’t know why Matt isn’t in this shot, though. This was taken on Christmas Day last year, our first official Christmas as a family. This is also Elle’s first encounter with snow! Again, refer to the Floridian comment above for that explanation (many of you might be surprised by how many Floridians have never seen snow).

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And finally, our family camping trip this past spring in the Wichita Mountains – and Matt is actually in this shot! It was beautiful, a little chilly, and nobody slept a wink. While Matt loves to camp out and enjoy the outdoors, I prefer to hike trails after a restful night’s sleep in a cabin. Elle doesn’t care for camping or hiking, but she loved seeing the prairie dogs. This trip gave me a close-up encounter with longhorn cattle and I finally saw a bison with my own eyes. We stood on the top of Mount Scott and tracked otters in French Lake.

I’m ready for more adventures…