Oklahoma visit

We returned late Saturday evening from our Thanksgiving trip to Oklahoma. On Thanksgiving Day itself, we drove from Monticello to Idabel, Oklahoma, and had an early afternoon visit with Father Chet, who some of you met during your visits to Arkansas. Father Chet was the priest at St. Marks here in Monticello from a couple of months before we got here in 2000 until earlier this summer, when his missionary order, the Glenmaries, moved him to his current location in Idabel. Father Chet did an admirable job over the years in building up the small Monticello parish into a vibrant community. He also baptized our children, and consoled us during our first miscarriage. Here is a picture of Father Chet with Hope and the kids at his new parish.

We then drove north to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to see the sights and watch Coty Skinner, the 12-year-old son of my friend Kevin Skinner from Rhinelander, race in a series of national-level BMX bike races. Coty started racing only two years ago, but has quickly learned the tricks of the trade, and his skills have vaulted him into high ranking for his age class in Wisconsin (he has earned a title of "expert"). We watched several of his races, and he fared well against this national level competition, although he didn't get far into the tournament. It must have been an interesting experience for him--there were literally hundreds of other racers there, and I'm sure it made quite an impression.

While in Tulsa, we also visited their zoo, and spent an afternoon at the Gilcrease Museum. The Gilcrease is well-known for their Western art collection, and we saw many paintings and sculptures by artists like Frederick Remington, Thomas Moran, and others, and they also had an exhibit of some of the prints of Audobon. They also have an amazing collection of Native American artifacts and contemporary works of art. If you ever get a chance to spend any time in Tulsa, this museum is definitely worth a visit!