Another Hot Weekend in Oklahoma

Cynthia and I live for the summer so you will not hear us complaining about the heat, so long as the pool is near by! We took a ride Saturday to Lookout Lake in Osage Hills State Park. Ever been there? Heard of it? We hadn't either but it was a nice little ride. Ran down Highway 11 until we hit Pershing, Oklahoma and then took Highway 60 East. About halfway to Bartlesville there is Osage Hills State Park and Lookout Lake is located there--although the only advertisement to that fact is a small sign beside the lake itself! Regardless of its remote location it was populated by two boats (with electric troll motors) and a handful of fisherman scattered along its banks!

The ride was filled with curvy roads, wide open spaces and surprises along the way. It was really fun to come out of this obscure part of Oklahoma and find Bartlesville looming up in front of you as you rounded that last curve of Highway 60. We took Highway 75 back to Tulsa and got ourselves in the pool by 3:00 pm. Not a moment too soon as Cynthia did experience some difficulties with the heat. We rehydrated her and got her in the pool. Life was good the rest of the weekend. Then to top things off we were reminded by a cross in the sky of how close God always is.

Lookout Lake

July 2008 Vacation

Cynthia and I just spent the last full week enjoying the things we like. We golfed, swam, rode, ate, and laughed. Check out the pictures below for a snapshot of how we spent the week. We can't tell you how much the R & R was needed or how theraputic it was but the pictures come close. Two days golfing, an overnight stay at Eureka Springs via Missouri and through Fayetville, Arkansas with swimming at our favorite park (our backyard) in between times. The weather was wonderful, the love and laughter fantastic and the memories forever! May you all enjoy a week off as we did!!!

July 2008 Vacation

The Patio Project

Having gone through surgery (severed tendon on my right hand) with two surgeries, three casts, thirty stitches and a sling, we are finally getting back into action. Prior to having my pin removed we tackled tiling the patio that we decided back during the rennovation we were going to do. About 300 square feet of tile or nineteen boxes of 13X13 tile and a terra cota grout.

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It really dressed up our Backyard Resort and, of course, we wanted to share the pictures with you. Let us know what you think!

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(P.S. In a quandry as to what to do with the remaining thinset and grout as our refuge men won't pick up anything that weighs more than 50 pounds I made stones. I call them "John-stones" and am considering a new company called "Johnstones, Inc." Just kidding but I did make some stones and included a picture of one Cynthia decorated with our last name, a flower, and one of Gracie's paw prints!)

The Patio Project

The Evolution of our Front Flowerbed

When we first moved in to our home the front "flower bed" was a shambles. It was overgrown with ivy covering rocks and all sorts of roots, sticks, etc. We began by pulling out the ivy, digging up roots and redefining its border. Azalaes followed, mulch, and various plants. We added the concrete bench, the Japanese Mapel and bag after bag of mulch! Needless to say it has come a long ways from when we moved in to our recent 4th of July holiday!

I could not help but remember what the great poet said, "Shall I not have intelligence with the earth? Am I not partly leaves and vegetable mould myself. " ~Henry David Thoreau

Nor could I help but include this qoute from the Color Purple, "I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don't notice it.... People think pleasing God is all God cares about. But any fool living in the world can see it is always trying to please us back. " ~Alice Walker, The Color Purple, 1982

While it has been a great deal of labor and expense it has been a labor of love. We take special delight in the neighbors that take time to stop and tell us how beautiful it is. It wasn't until we looked back at the pictures that we realized why they so often comment about its beauty--they looked at the mess it was for years! I am sure that it will continue to grow and develop as we lovingly tend to it. Enjoy!

The Evolution of our Front Flowerbed