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...