Fort Bliss / White Sands Missile Range

Oryxes.

Santa Barbara / Carpinteria

November 2, 2014

Better Than A WIC

Lawton Snapshots

Still there.

Fluffy's. It's across the street from Wok 'n Roll.

Sleepy's

After three visits to Sleepy's over the past week I've finally figured it out. It's not a store. Well, not a real store. It's like Collector's Corner in SB. It's a place with a bunch of stuff belonging to someone that they keep in a storefront/storebuilding and they open it, apparently, once in a while whenever they want but not very often. It's not an antique store, of course, it's seemingly a store for old billiard tables, jukeboxes and pinball machines. And other stuff in glass counters, I think. But it's not clear what that is from the front window. So one might conclude that, much like CC, its name is well suited for its real purpose.

Lawton Excitement

The weekend brings many opportunities to explore the greater Lawton area. Devoted readers may have already picked up the subtle hints in earlier posts about Lawton area museums. So, of course, weekend opportunities in Lawton bring museo excitement. I mean, when it's the only excitement around ya gotta go with it.

But first, out of nowhere, on the way to the Museo of the Great Plains, there were crowds and police and helicopters and...

...and what, exactly? Well, your humble blogger attempted to find out by speaking to an EMT who was standing in a group of policemen and suchlike. His explanation was somewhat less than illuminating, which is to say "it has something to do with kids getting used to emergency responders." The "event" is apparently put on by "law enforcement agencies" and people come to it...but I'm still not really sure why.

So, with that completed, I headed across the park to the Museum of the Great Plains. But since it charges an admission fee I blew it off and went straight to the adjacent Comanche National Museo Etc., which is free:

Some interesting displays in this museo which presented facts about tribal life and war codetalkers, but don't go thinkin' they're tellin' ya everything. No way:

And there was white buffalo statue (aka static display?) outside next to an engraved stone with stuff about Chief Ten Bears:

So then it was time for another museum! In this case, it was the Fort Sill Museum. It presented the history of Fort Sill. Which was a little bit interesting, I guess, but not worth many pictures.

The bored-looking dude at the front asked if I wanted a map to Geronimo's grave. Well, well, well. Why not?

I found it five miles east of the main post, still on the fort, and clearly within earshot of hot small arms qualification ranges. They have basic training at Fort Sill, you know.

The Winds of Oklahoma

It was a hot, windy, dry evening on a friend's ranchette last night. He served local catered BBQ (delicious) and showed us his horses. Wonderful weather to gather outside. On the way home I was treated to an evening view of the majestic Wichita Mountains from across the Oklahoma prairie.

Then today, finally, my first chance to go to the museo. The first, museo, actually as my inquiries have established that there are a total of six in the Lawton area. Devoted readers of this blog are already aware of the US Army Artillery museo and its static displays:

Captured German artillery pieces from WWII.

A real Gatling Gun. I'll bet Al would love to have one of these.

So what other museos will there be? Will your H.B. get to them all? 

Ramble Flashback

Bangkok, 2004. Apparently Raja's has grown to become somewhat famous since this was taken. See: http://www.rajasfashions.com/awards.php and http://www.rajastailors.com/index.html

Lawton

Yet Another Ramble to Lawton

Departure: Schloss Tanglewald, Leavenworth, Kansas...

The Flint Hills: Halfway between Kansas City and Wichita...

Refueling: Cassoday, KS...

Did your h.b. make it to Lawton? To be continued...

Back Home

No Blog Post

Could be that I forgot my camera again. Could be.

And that Hopewell isn't that interesting anyway.

Another from Garden of the Gods

The Calvin Man, He of Great Awesomeness, has started growing again and is almost 6'2". I coaxed him into smiling for one picture but he steadfastly refuses to let me post it. A superhero must maintain his public image, I guess.

Home from Colorado

A very happy nurse celebrates the hard-earned B.S. as proud grandparents and others look on.:

Some Colorado Springs Traditions

First, the lookout from Palmer Park with Kristen gazing:

Devoted blog followers will recognize this familiar scene, featuring cousin Tim:

Tom's five acre place in Black Forest sits at 7,500 feet. It snowed on Pikes Peak every night this week:

Garden of the Gods

Rock climbing in Garden of the Gods is strictly forbidden, forcing Calvin and Kristen to investigate. Tom, Chrissy's father, wanders next to his BMW.

Air Force Academy

Your humble blogger poses with Tom and his sister, Roberta. Tom teaches math at the Academy.

Colorado Springs

The Calvin Man resisting the picture process, a family tradition during all vacations.

Home to Penelope - The Odyssey Ends

Came home to find a notable absence of suitors, so no need for a faithful goatherd or an axe handle contest. What a relief.

Exploring the Lawton Area

Fort Sill is next to Lawton and it has a bunch of history:

Fort Sill is also home to the US Army Artillery Center and School, so of course there's a big museum with...static displays. There are many canons, including many captured from wars and stuff like that, but my favorite is the Crusader. It's a super-advanced US self propelled canon that never got produced because it was so advanced it was too heavy and way too expensive. But it's still cool:

And since there was time I decided to explore the majestic Wichita Alps, er, Mountains. The journey turned out to be risky:

Keeping my watch, and my distance, I faced the danger in the face, so to speak, and continued up the road, until there I was, at the top, viewing Fort Sill and Lawton from the summit:

Certainly very breathtaking. Then the Crump Crump Crump of artillery and the Boom Boom Boom of explosions on the practice range:

There was also a view to the west.

As I drove westward...THERE THEY WERE! The dangerous buffalo I had been warned about. And their behavior suggested the highest level of danger, indeed:

Somehow I managed to avoid panicking. I kept my distance and drove away.

Hints of Lawton's Lost Golden Era

While most of Lawton consists of run-down and ramshackle old houses, there are a couple blocks of nicer homes near the downtown area. They're not exactly mansions, and one in particular is ramshackle and overgrown, but there is more than a hint of a bygone era of prosperity and dignity.

Back to Lawton...by way of Siloam Springs...and Leavenworth

Beloved, happy daughter is now a sophomore and is back home from JBU:

And whilst in Arkansas, the privilege of seeing Timothy, Evan's childhood friend, commissioned as a 2LT in the US Army. His father (retired Colonel) administered the oath of office and his rank was put on his uniform by his mother and his pregnant wife, Sunny:

Tim and Sunny both graduated with honors from JBU the next day. Tim earned summa cum laude (one of only twelve in the graduating class) and was recognized as a University Scholar:

And Later The Same Day...