Spring Break Trip to the Osage!

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Spring break week was cold, rainy and incredibly windy but we made the most of it.  Randy, James and I made a quick weekend trip to Big Cedar Lodge.  While we were there, I made a trip to Springfield Leather.  For me, this is kind of like how other women feel when they are shopping for shoes or handbags!  I was like a kid in the proverbial candy store!  I won’t go into how much the candy cost.  We also got a wonderful dinner at the Worman House, which is one of our favorite places to dine.  The view is to die for.  Sorry, no pictures for that trip.

After coming home to do laundry and repack, I headed out with my sisters for a quick trip to Oklahoma.  Our first stop was the restaurant 28 Springs, in Siloam Springs.  Wow, what a delightful place to enjoy a great meal.  Since we are only  a short drive from there, I know we will be back to eat there again.  On the road again for about 5 minutes, we stopped for the night at the casino.  Liz had a free room, so what is not to like?  We managed to gamble until about 3 in the morning and Liz won enough to make it worth our while.  Mj and I did not win but slept well!

The real purpose of this trip was to visit Pawhuska.  It is famous for many reasons but the two most important ones are it is our hometown and home to the Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond.  We got there in time to eat lunch at Bad Brad’s and it was as delicious as always.  The rains came as we were eating but that did not stop us from sightseeing.  We headed west to Bluestem Lake for a look around.  We were not disappointed.  Everything looked wonderful, even in the rain.  Here are some pictures:

We took the back road over Bird Creek in order for Liz to tell the “green eyes” legendary tale once more.  All told, our first foray down memory lane was great.  We ended the day with an overnight visit with Mj’s friend Cathy.  She is just about the most accomadating host that I know.  We talked, we ate, we talked some more and then grabbed some sleep.  Her home is so welcoming and her art collection is beyond compare.  I do think the visit with her was the highlight of the trip, even though we stayed awake until 2 am.  While we were there, the wind was blowing like crazy and the weather was a bit weird.  I did manage to grab one picture from her back porch of the Osage hills.

We went for a drive through the cemetary.  I had not been since we buried my dad 2.5 years ago.  Everything looked lovely and we spent a fair amount of time there browsing around.  We also checked out my parents’ headstones.  Yes, my parents died 25 years to the day apart.  Well, here are some pictures of the cemetery as we wandered around.  My sister Liz said we were doing our version of “OUR TOWN” the play!

After the cemetery, we grabbed lunch and went to the Osage Tribal Museum.  They currently have a great display of photographs that document the original allottees.  The faces, the names and the manner of dress made for a fascinating tour.  We wrapped up the day by doing a bit of shopping at Clifton’s.  MJ and Liz managed to each buy something and I came away with more memories.  All in all, a fabulous trip down memory lane.  Osage County just seems to live in my heart.  My mom always felt that way about Waco, Texas.  I remember how she loved the Brazos river, the chalk bluffs and the bluebonnets.  Now I understand.

Our son, Patrick, also paid a visit to Fayetteville for a week.  It was great to spend some time with him.  Thanks Patrick!

Well, let me know what you did for spring break.  Back to car pooling the college crowd!

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