420 miles today, 1,700 miles total

We left Memphis, Tennessee late yesterday morning and travelled the day in high winds across Arkansas to Fort Smith. After hearing of impending severe storms in Oklahoma, we decided to continue on to Tulsa before the storms were to start at midnight and stay with our friends, Victoria & Rick Cameron.  They sheltered us from the OOOOOOOOOOOklahoma winds, rains & tornado warnings in their apartment for a few nights. Yesterday was in the mid-70’s and today’s high was 38 degrees, rainy & windy!?! We relaxed in our cozy setting of fellowship with friends. We visited Oral Roberts University including the largest praying hands, ate dinner at a German Beer House and devoured dessert at an Italian cafe. Our respite can be encapsulated in the following quotes. m, b & t

“A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.”–Tim Cahill

“OOOOOOOOOOOklahoma where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, Where the wav-in wheat can sure smell sweet, When the wind comes right behind the rain; Oklahoma ev’ry night my honey lamb and I; Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk, Makin lazy circles in the sky.

We know we belong to the land, And the land we belong to is grand;
And when we say, Yeow! A-YIP-I-O-EE-AY
Were only say-in “you’re doing fine Oklahoma,
Oklahoma OK”–Oscar Hammerstein (Oklahoma lyrics)

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.” 
― Eric Roth, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay

, l

Reproduction of “The Glass of Wine”–Johannes Vermeer c. 1658-1660 courtesy of Tim Stevenson (1997)