Route 66 Tour

After our preschool program Randy and I took off for our monthly date . This one was  a tour of Route 66.  We jumped in the car , which was already packed and headed to Route 66.

Our first stop was in Vinita Ok.   There we found SummerSide Winery.  We looked around and had a quiet lunch . I had a delicious chicken salad sandwich and pretzels.  There is something very classy and calm about eating at a winery.  What did we have to drink ?  I had water and Randy had diet coke.  He said it was flat.  My guess ? It had been there a while. Who goes to a winery for lunch and orders diet coke ?

The next stop was looking at some GIANT totem poles . There is some history there but to be honest I am not much of a history buff.  It was all put together by a retired art teacher. All I could think was.... my family makes fun of my eclectic nature. Who knows.. one day maybe my backyard will be visited by random people out on a thrill ride .  This was in Foyil Ok.

Jonah , you know - from the Bible.  He aint got nothing on us. We went in the belly of a big blue whale and lived to tell about it too. Story is that a man made this fun water side whale for his grandkids.  It has slides and diving boards. The water is not anything anyone would want to swim in now but it was a fun stop.  - Catossa Ok.

Our next stop was Arcadia Ok at POPS. Pops is the home to over 600 different labels of soda pop. It is also the home of a 66 foot high LED lit Soda Pop Bottle .   We wanted to wait and eat in OKC but it was getting late so we decided to eat here. SO glad we did ! I ordered a regular cheeseburger and it was AMAZING.  I have been off my diet for a while ( my tight clothes are evidence of that . ) but I rarely just blatantly order things like cheeseburgers.  MAYBE any cheeseburger would have been amazing but for that night,  I believe it had to be the best in the world. THEN Randy ordered Root Bear Bread Pudding.  I am not a big fan of bread pudding but if Randy wanted to drive to Arcadia just to order this.. I would be in the car waiting and seat belted in without a thought. Some of the souvineers I bought from there were BACON soda and so DUH. Funny and interesting place .

We spent the night in OKC . Dino the famous piano player was checking in at the same time.  Randy didnt recognize him at first and mistook him for the valet. oops. :)

If you wondered this isnt a Motel 6  and yes, I picked it out. :) 

On the way home we took a little jog off the path to Muskogee Ok home of the  Renaissance fair.  That was a real treat.  Addam, Josie and Geneviette met us there.  The music was breathtaking and relaxing and calming and invigorating  - yes  - all at one time . I finally rode a horse drawn carriage . Instead of riding under the moon light with romantic music softly playing it was through a street where jestors and " freakish" type people were roaming.  Pardon me for the use of the term freak but I dont know how else to describe that costumes that we saw. They ranged from a full cat, to a pirate to a devilish looking team with knots, horn-type nodules sticking out of their forehead.  AND.. there were MANY MANY.. that had much more revealing cleavage than I had or have ever had.

It was one of the best weekends we have had in a long time. This was date # 5 in my year of dates planned by Randy.  We got our kicks on Route 66.

Where the Wild Things Are

My favorite book as a child was " Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak . He wrote it in 1963 . I was born three years later in 1966.  I can remember really loving this book in the 5th grade ( I think) . Why I think it was the 5th grade is I remember the library was upstairs and very dark and Woodruff school is the only school ( other than my highschool ) that had two stories.  The librarian even had a little film strip of the book. I remember sitting on the floor in a small group of kinds and watching the story strip.  The library had a distinct smell  - a cross between old books and the yummy cinnamon rolls cooking in the cafeteria downstairs.

 What I find alarming is this is listed as a picture book and just the fact that I discovered it in the 5th grade really points out how much more advanced readers children are today. If I handed a 5th grader a book about a boys imaginary friends and it was a picture book he would probably laugh out loud.  Another interesting note about the book is for a while the book was banned from libraries for being TOO SCARY.

If you've never heard the story , here is a description  of the book from Amazon.

The Story

However, after more the 50 years, what keeps Where the Wild Things Are popular is not the impact of the book on the field of children's literature, it is the impact of the story and the illustrations on young readers. The plot of the book is based on the fantasy (and real) consequences of a little boy's mischief. One night Max dresses up in his wolf suit and does all kinds of things he shouldn't, like chasing the dog with a fork. His mother scolds him and calls him a "WILD THING!" Max is so mad he shouts back, "I'LL EAT YOU UP!" As a result, his mother sends him to his bedroom without any supper.

Max's imagination transforms his bedroom into an extraordinary setting, with a forest and an ocean and a little boat that Max sails in until he comes to a land full of "wild things." Although they look and sound very fierce, Max is able to tame them with a single glance. They all realize Max is "..the most wild thing of all" and make him their king. Max and the wild things have a fine time creating a rumpus until Max begins to want to be "…where someone loved him best of all." Max's fantasy ends when he smells his dinner. Despite the wild things' protests, Max sails back to his own room where he finds his supper waiting for him.

Im not sure why I love this story so much.  The little boy in the story is dealing with all the feelings that kids do even today.  Being rebellious and angry, wanting to be in control yet not  having the emotional tools to do it.   When all is said and done  he just wants to be loved by someone that loves him back. 

There is probably an adult life lesson in there somewhere.  

I like to be in control.

I do get a little rebellious at time.

And.. I like to be loved and the comfort of knowing that no matter what I will always be loved.

And, coming home and finding supper waiting isnt too bad either. 

I havent seem the movie but I think I will put that on my bucket list for the summer - watch " Where the Wild Things Are"