Here you see our second visit to the magnificent National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum  in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Millions of dollars were donated for this building. The artifacts were a composite collection of over 100 years of the west. Saddles, panoramas, statues, and a reproduced western town are all available to see. Plus when you get tired or hungry they have a quaint little restaurant there too. If you ever get near Oklahoma City, OK, you should consider this a must visit. Later that evening we ate at the famous Cattlemen's Cafe right next to the largest stock yards in the world. This restaurant has been in operation since 1910 and has some of the best steaks in the world. While there we saw every conceivable type of person from tourists in T-shirts to business men in western cut 3 piece suits to full fledged cowboys complete with muddy boots and spurs. Of course almost everyone had cowboy hats on.
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While in Oklahoma City we also had a chance to visit their "avant garde" botanical garden . This garden is in the center of town and only a few blocks from the Oklahoma City Memorial for those who lost their lives in the terrible April, 1995 bombing of the municipal building.
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| Meanwhile, back at the farm, on a spring day, we see Chuck and Frank riding in the arena, while Bob, Terry and Tom watched and took photos. In the last three photos are Chuck and Bob, as well as Terry being friendly with Buckey...who loves the attention. |
| Ah yes, spring in Clifton brings spring storms. Here is one we weathered to include tops of trees twisted off in a micro burst and downed power lines which left us without electricity for several days. Being without electricity is similar to camping inside your home. There is no water to shower or cook with because the well's pump is electrical. Oh well, we survived. We are still finding electronic devices that were damaged by the power surge when the tree fell over the lines. |
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We were invited by Ellen, chairman of "Turn the Mill Around Campaign"to a volunteer appreciation picnic at the mill. It was nice seeing other volunteers. Shown here are some of the volunteers as well as some photos of the restorative work at the mill. The Chapmans Mill is one of Frank's websites.
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| Two more photos at the farm. First, Frank and Runner, and now their new addition of a pet, Buddy. Let me see...how can I say this delicately...Buddy is wearing a collar so that he cannot get to the area where he had surgery to change him from a him to an it. |
| Out near Tom's Brook Virginia, we went to an enjoyable little party hosted by Jim, another friend of the farm's folks. After some refreshment, some even tried their hand at Karioki... |
| Tom worked over half a day trying to discover and correct a plugged drain line from our bird waterer. Tom is holding the culprit. A root rope from nearby shrubs and bushes that had grown into the pipe and clogged the drainage system. It was much larger than expected. |
