Weekend Roundup - D

This week's assignment: Starts with D, Favorite, and Dark.

Starts with D: I am lucky enough to have a visitor from out-of-town this week. She is a fan of Blake Shelton, so I took her for lunch at his venue in Tishomingo. There is a restaurant called Ole Red and a music venue called The DOGHOUSE.

Favorite: We had lunch at Ole Red and when we were finished, walked toward the gift shop. I love all DOGS (well, except the mean ones), so when I saw a board with tons of DOG pics, I had to stop and admire the pups. 

I pointed out a red heeler to my friend/cousin and then looked again. It was GUS, my red heeler. 

Last year Ole Red requested people send in pics of their DOGS, so I sent in this pic of Gus and then promptly forgot all about it. Made for a nice surprise.

Dark: While enjoying our delicious meal, I noticed this neon sign lighting up a DARK wall. Hmm....

Just Because: I found this DOME on a church in Oklahoma City.

And Finally: This beautiful DRAGONFLY landed in some dead grass along the fence. I think he is a Blue-tailed DRAGONFLY.

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

Oklahoma National Memorial - Part III

Timothy McVeigh was stopped by the Oklahoma State Patrol as he traveled north on I35. The officer stopped McVeigh because his car didn't have a license plate. This is the getaway car.

After the officer noticed a bulge in his jacket, McVeigh admitted he had a gun. He was arrested for no license plates and possession of a firearm, which was not legal at the time. At the time of the arrest, he was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Abraham Lincoln and the words sic semper tyrannis, which means 'thus always for tyrants'. These are the words supposedly shouted by John Wilkes Booth after he shot President Lincoln. On the back of the t-shirts was the picture of a tree and three droplets of blood. Also printed on the back were the words of Thomas Jefferson 'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants'.

McVeigh's driver's license.

The tickets issued.

Weapons McVeigh had with him.

In his possession:

In 1999 McVeigh was moved to the Federal Penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana.

His last meal consisted of 2 pints of mint chocolate chip ice cream. A Catholic priest performed last rites.

McVeigh was put to death on June 11, 2001.

The Weekend Roundup - C

The assignment for this week is: Starts with C, Favorite, and Calm.

Starts with C: This young lady is the Ken Lance Rodeo Queen and she is wearing CHAPS to prove it.

Favorite: This is an American COOT.

Calm: The CALM before the storm. Also, CLOUDS. :)

Just Because: This CATFISH isn't real, but he is a CATFISH nonetheless.

And Finally: Living in ranch COUNTRY like I do, what C post would be COMPLETE without a COW!

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

The Weekend Roundup - B

This weeks assignment: Starts with B, Favorite, and Big.

Starts with B: BARNS start with B. This one is starting to lean a little and has some tin missing. Hopefully someone will take pity on it and fix it up.

Favorite: Anyone who knows me even a little is aware of my love of nature and especially BIRDS. This BLUEBIRD fits the assignment.

Big: This is one of my grandsons. When he came for a visit, I took him on a tour of the BIG THINGS in Casey, Illinois. He posed across the street from the really BIG wind chime.

Just Because: I would love to take a ride in this BUGGY. 

And Finally: I've probably posted pics of BUFORD the BEAGLE at some time or another. He is such a handsome fella. His full name is BUFORD PUSSER. He belongs to our neighbor.

Linking to The Weekend Roundup

Oklahoma National Memorial Part II

Outside the memorial is moving. Inside one gets a better understanding of the terror the victims felt. The self-tour starts with a short film in the Orientation Theater. 

The next section provides information on the Murrah Building and the neighborhood.

At the time of the blast, a board meeting was in progress at the Oklahoma Water Resources office. We took a seat and listened to the recording. Two minutes into the meeting you hear the horrific explosion and chaos that followed.

This is all that is left of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building sign.

These exhibits show a snippet of the destruction.


This clock marks the time.

This exhibit really pulled at my heart strings. What a beautiful shoe. I imagine this lady getting dressed on that fateful day, perhaps wearing a matching outfit, slipping her feet into these shoes, before twirling around in front of the mirror—blissfully unaware this would be her last day on earth.

I wonder what these people were feeling when they made this sign. Terrified comes to mind.

Then there are the mysteries. How did this coffee pot survive?

This is the image I remember most from news reports.

The world reacted to this tragedy by sending their support.

 The Gallery of Honor has pictures of all the deceased victims.

Next post will be the evidence and capture of McVeigh.

Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum

Since moving to Oklahoma last year, I've wanted to go visit this memorial. It's one of those horrific events we will never forget.

The explosion occurred on April 19, 1995.

The Gates of Time frame the moment of destruction. The explosion occurred at 9:02 a.m. The 9:01 on the East Gate depicts the innocence before the attack. The 9:03 on the West Gate marks when the healing began.

The Reflecting Pool was once NW Fifth St. Now it is gently flowing water meant to soothe and calm.

The Survivor Tree is a century old American Elm which stands at the highest level of the memorial. This is what the tree looked like after the explosion.

This is what it looks like now. It stands as a symbol of strength and resilience. 

A rescue worker painted this on the wall during search and recovery.

Children's Plaza. This is a wall of hand-painted tiles from children around the world.

This fence was built to enclose the crime scene, but has turned into a place for people to express their sorrow by leaving tokens of love and hope.

The survivor wall has more than 600 names of those who lived through the blast. This picture is only one of the sections.

The Field of Empty Chairs. The chairs are arranged in nine rows. The rows reflect the floor where victims were working or visiting. There are 168 chairs. Each is etched with the name of a person killed in the blast. The 19 smaller chairs represent the children. There is also a row of five chairs set away from the others. These represent people who were killed outside the building.

My next post will be pics from inside the museum.

The Weekend Roundup - A

I missed the hard letters, not on purpose, but it worked out okay. Hubs has been back in the hospital, so I haven't had much time for pics.  At least things are going well for now. 

This week's prompts: Starts with A, Favorite, and Architecture.

Starts with A: Arachnid starts with A. This is a Oklahoma Brown Tarantula. He was crossing the road. This picture does not properly depict his size, but take my word for it, he was huge!

Favorite: One of my favorite places to visit in D.C. the ABRAHAM Lincoln Memorial. 

Architecture: This is the Ada, OK Post Office/Court House. This building might look familiar if you watched the John Gresham movie The Innocent Man. 

Just Because: This is a pic taken last spring of the ADA water tower.

And Finally: Can't have an A post without including an APPLE. These are from my tree in Illinois.

Linking to The Weekend Roundup