Jackson

Kind of like Johnny Cash and June Carter - only we didn't get married in a fever.

But my friend Kara did in Jackson Hole, Wyo., which is where Todd and I scooted up to for the weekend!  I was super excited to see her get married and be with all my old D.C., friends - and for Todd to see this part of the state, something he hasn't had a chance to do yet.

Todd and I had planned to camp Friday night in the Teton National Forest.  We've had a few attempts at camping this summer, but both have ended badly - one with us coiled up in the front of the truck and the last with us laid out in the back of the Subaru.

No luck again this weekend.  We forgot the tent.  Almost to Shoshoni, Todd asks, "We have the tent, right?" to which I replied, "I don't know...we do...right??"  I packed the car, yes, but Todd had piled all the gear by the front door before going to work.  I figured everything we needed was there - not at the bottom of the stairs.

Consequently, we crashed with my friend Lori in her hotel room.  Not quite roughing it...at least not for us.  Lori may have a different opinion.

The Grand Tetons...!  Pretty, huh?

The same Tetons only much more sinister.  Todd snapped this on our way to Teton Village for the night-before reception...

We didn't see a moose.  Or a bear.  I am destined to never see a bear...

Ok, we saw one moose at the Mangy Moose bar in the Village.  But being stuffed and hung from the ceiling doesn't really count...

The next morning we headed to the town square and had breakfast at this great little place called Cafe Genevieve.  It was so cute - and good - and I was crazy jealous of the hostess' clothes.  We went back the next morning too and she looked even cuter than the day before!  I hate how everyone in Jackson is so effortlessly mountain-laid-back with style!  (Translation - I want their closets.)  We meandered through the Jackson farmers market...

And took pictures under the famous antler arches...

And more photos.  This was very game warden appropriate, don't you think...?

My friend Kara, the blushing bride...

The wedding was at the Tennis and Golf Club, which was nothing short of amazing.  What a backdrop for the bride, huh?

The D.C., fam!  This picture makes me so happy!  We're missing a few folks though...

Sunday morning Todd and I took a different route home.  On the way to Jackson we took the more northern route through Dubois, Wyo.  On the way back we dipped into Pinedale and Lander.  We stopped for some impromptu fishing outside Jackson...

The Great Outdoors...

I didn't fish because I didn't have a license.  A big no-no, particularly when your significant other is a game warden...

In Pinedale, Wyo., we stopped for lunch at the Wind River brewery...

And had a pretty nice time sampling beers and eating outside - until the bill came.  Our waitress, though nice, hadn't listened to a thing we said.  One order of the sampler - not two.  We got the bill cleaned up and moved along...

As we were heading into Lander, Wyo., the tire pressure light came on in my car.  Come to find out, we had a flat.  Seriously?!

Todd put the spare on in the parking lot of a convenience store...

And we were off!

Linds H. has a photo of this and I've always loved it.  So, I decided to copy her and take one of my own.  The sign is for a house at Sweetwater Station that has a barn full of books for sale.  I really wanted to stop in, but the time we lost fixing our flat meant the place was closed.  There's an interesting article on the ladies who run the shop on Wyofile...

FINALLY we pull into town on our spare and pass this scene on the way to the house...A reminder to Todd that work lurked just around the corner...

The one scratching makes me laugh...  Oh dear...

Happy trails to Oklahoma

Wednesday afternoon was the end of my big trip to Oklahoma.

Wyomingites dominated the plane ride back, easily outnumbering the rest of the passengers.  I love how we travel in packs.

An Oklahoma sunrise. I was on the 9th floor of the hotel and this is what it looked like out my window each morning...

A statue of Buffalo Bill outside the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum.  We had a big reception there one night.  It was a pretty amazing museum with lots of gorgeous Western art...

I'm doing a Flat Stanley for my little cousin Ciarra.  Only I've turned her into Flat Stanley-etta and made her into a cowgirl.  I'm not good with arts and crafts so her face is kind of messed up.  Here she is at the Oklahoma City bombing memorial...

The "entrance" to Bricktown, what's billed as the entertainment district in Okla. City.  It was right next to the hotel, so I ate a lot of meals in this area...

Such as this place on the canal.  I had a nice - but rather salty - Cajun meal here...

The American Banjo Museum is also in Bricktown.  I tried to go in to take some photos for my sister Kelly who has a fascination with banjos, but I decided not to spend the entrance fee.  I made up for it in getting her birthday present from there though!

This conference always has tons of tours you can choose to go on if you want.  A few of us decided to take the "Rubbin' Buckles on the Ol' Chisholm Trail" tour - I think the name is funny.  It was pretty interesting and, let me tell you, the Chisholm Trail Heritage Center in Duncan, Okla., is awesome!  Very experiential.  I highly recommend it! 
 

The Heritage Center also had a wing filled with Western art.  This piece was found in a barn and then restored! I so wish I could stumble on something like this!  It was one of my favorites...

One night, a large group of us from Wyoming went to the stockyards and had dinner.  There's a place called The Cattlemen's that is famous and is apparently listed in the book "1000 Places to See in the USA and Canada Before You Die".

So, of course we had to go!

Some Western-style transportation...

I bought this lovely piece at an antique store in Duncan, Okla. I LOVE Western jewelry and turquoise and sterling.  Just guess, GUESS how much I got this for?  $10!!  I've worn it every day since.  Doesn't my dinner napkin make for a lovely backdrop?

The crowning glory of the trip was meeting up with my old boss, former U.S. Rep. Joel Hefley and his wife Lynn.  I just LOVE Mr. Hefley!  He is SO great and I haven't seen him since he retired to a ranch south of Okla. City where he and Lynn raise horses...

Lynn, Mr. Hefley and I at Toby Keith's restaurant...

Ok-la-ho-ma!

I'm in Oklahoma!  Where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain!

It's the National Main Street conference time of year and the Wyoming Main Street program asked me to come on their trip with them again this year.

Since Thursday, I've been traveling with about 50 people from around the state on a big coach bus.  We've visited four small towns outside Oklahoma City to see how those communities are putting Main Street principles to use.

It's been a lot of fun, and let me tell you, I really like Oklahoma!  The people are super friendly and have the best Southern accents - not too deep South and with some Western twang thrown in.  Their towns are cute, and this part of the state, anyway, is not at all what I thought Oklahoma looked like, which was brown, dry, and in the dust bowl.

Here's what we've been up to...

Our bus...

First stop: Newkirk, Okla.,...

After a tour of the Newkirk downtown we headed to the Stagecoach for some BBQ.  This place is award winning, taking national and state awards.  They've even been on the Food Network...

Jane, director of the Evanston, Wyo., Main Street program and myself...

I just thought this was funny...

On to Ponca City, Okla.!  After another downtown tour and some dinner at a local Italian spot, we had a private show at the Poncan Theater.  This place was COOL...

We watched a Vaudeville-style show...

And got a thorough tour of the place afterwards.  When they were renovating they found about 53 hand painted movie posters stacked in the rafters of a closet.  I guess back in the early Hollywood days, movie posters were created like this and sent to theaters.  What a find, huh?  Local folks "sponsored" paintings for $1,000 which would clean them up and get them framed.  The sponsor then got a plaque with their name beside the poster.  Super neat-o...

The next morning (Saturday), we landed in Perry, Okla.  Our first stop was a pioneer museum where many of us tried...smoked BEAVER!  If you could get past the mental block you'd discover it tasted just like brisket.  Not that I'd ever choose beaver over brisket, but I can at least say I've tried it...!

Later at the museum, a bunch of pioneer-dressed kids performed a Maypole dance before heading to the school house for a lesson by the m'arm...

Happy May Day!  (And anniversary to my mom and dad!)

Wyoming Main Street in front of the Perry Carnegie Library...

The local diner, which has been around for 80+ years hosted us for some sangria.  I have an obsession with old neon signs...

The cafe...

On to Guthrie, Okla.  Guthrie used to be the Oklahoma state capital before it moved to Oklahoma City.  This downtown was gorgeous!  It was huge and had beautiful buildings.  This photo doesn't do it total justice...

Another "eat" sign at the BBQ joint we went to for dinner...

Last stop on Saturday, Oklahoma City.  The Laramie, Wyo., Main Street director and I made our way to the memorial for the Oklahoma City bombing.  It's quite pretty at night.  Many of my other photos didn't come out too great, but here's one to give you an idea.  There's 168, I believe, chairs at the site - one for each person killed.  The chairs are in rows and where an individuals chair is located represents which floor of the Alfred P. Murrah building they sat on...

More reporting from Oklahoma to come!