A day in Oklahoma City

First off, let me just get this PROMISED picture out of the way:

So yeah...we FOUND THE BILLBOARD! And the best part about it is that it's about 600 yards from our hotel! It's between our exit and the next exit on one of the roads out of town! It's an Oklahoma City Miracle!

On to the day...which was a great one. I think all parties invloved were happy with the shows and the activities of the day. We did 2 school shows today - and we are performing a local Catholic High School. The space is a fine. The stage works well for us - with a few adjustments here and there. No Ooompa's went down or anything - so we have that going for us. But seriously, the shows were pretty uneventful. The first audience of kids loved the show. I am pretty sure the second audience liked it, too...but they were in a lunch-coma, and they weren't having any of our antics! Nothing too crazy went on during the shows. Little things, I guess. Like I called Charlie 'CHORLIE' at one point. And then tried not to laugh while Chris looked at me through the scene. Um - our throw at the end of Golden Ticket (2nd show) where Chris tosses Tara in the air and I catch her had SOMETHING wrong with it. Not sure what - all I know is that when I caught Tara, she was sideways and I thought to myself, 'Well that was fun. We've never practiced it THAT way before.' And out of the corner of my eye, I could see Chris on his knee bowing at the waist or something. And I hadn't seen that before, either. Oh yeah - and the golden ticket shower didn't happen at the end of the show (2nd show), either. But since they didn't know about it, they were fine. (Anyone tells those 4th graders they were cheated and I'll cut them.)

Here is the guys dressing room in OKC. It's a high school band room and I had a tuba under my station. Let the good times roll.

The next 2 activities on the day were a trip to downtown Oklahoma City and then our reception tonight. Because of the nature of the 2, I would like to swap my report on them both here. We are first going to to talk about the Reception. Up front, I know you're all wondering if the Governor was there. Sadly, he was not. I told myself, in my mind, that it was because he had important state business to deal with, in regards to Hurricane Rita. And then...before the host of the reception read a proclamation from the Governor, he said he was sorry Governor Henry couldn't join us, but he was on vacation. So that blew my scenario out of the water. BUT - on a positive note - the proclamation that was read today was MUCH better than the Des Moines one. It said all these 'Whereas' things. AND THEN...wait for it....it proclaimed today, September 23rd, WILLY WONKA DAY in all of Oklahoma! Who is the luckiest cast in the world? US. The reception was in a BEAUTIFUL home in a beautiful neighborhood north of downtown. And the guests were well dressed, very friendly, and there were LOTS of them! The food was great - Chris will NOT stop talking about the beef. (Prime Rib or Rump Roast or something like that.) He was spot on, too. It was deliscious. I also found myself a fan of the little corn quiches, the chocolate lava cake, and those ROLLS! Mmmm...We spent evening just talking to everyone and eating. And then, just when we thought the people of Oklahoma couldn't be any nicer, our hosts gave us these beautiful coffee-table-type books telling about all the art in the State Capital! And it turns out that our hostess is the author of the book. (So getting the autographs wasn't that hard!) But it was SUCH a nice gift. We were all very excited. (And then we found the billboard - and then we came home!) Oh - after awhile tonight, my mind went on auto-pilot during talking to people, so I ended up on the floor in part of the house talking to the host's grandchildren - Jennifer (who is 5 1/2) and Jack (Who is 3). We sat there and 'played' for nearly an hour. (We were just playing 'What is your favorite.............?' They LOVED IT!) So I drifted to my social crowd and had a good time. I love it when I'm a big hit with the 3-5 year old demographic! Regardless, it was a great night. And it is now appropriate for me to wish you all Happy Willy Wonka Day from Oklahoma.

L: The beautiful home where the reception was held. R: Me and my party clique, Jennifer and Jack.

I saved the visit to the Memorial because this is the first time my blog is going to take a more serious shift. And I felt like putting this down and then following up with the zany reception just wouldn't be right. The visit to the Oklahoma City National Memorial was a humbling, deeply moving experience. I sit here at 3am trying to put it down in words that suffice - and have been trying to think them up all day. On a very basic level: It made me cry a little. It made me reflect a lot on the blessings of living in America. And it made me deeply thankful for our system of government and our people's deep abiding faith in SOMETHING higher than that government or themselves. As I walked through the museum, and recounted the stories and experiences of that day in 1995, I couldn't help but be horrified at the news reels, the piles of broken eye glasses and coffee cups, and the bent and twisted pieces of metal and steel they had on display. I also found myself unexpectedly touched by the display with the lone stuffed puppy dog - still with bits and pieces of rubble on it - that remains unclaimed and by the countless photos that cover the museum. But just about the time I got to the point in the tour when I thought 3 floors of this and my silly emotions just weren't going to hold up - I came to the part where they started recounting how normal everyday people almost immediately started stepping forward to ask 'What can I do to help?' and then proceeded to do it. I read how it started locally - and how is spread nationally and even internationally quickly. I stood and read about a registered nurse who came down to the building on her day off, and started going in, pulling people out, helping them get the help they need, and then would rush in for someone else. After doing that a few times, on her way out of the building, she collapsed from a heart-condition, was transported to the hospital, and died soon there after. And I saw that there was story after story through the museum - from children to adults - who stepped outside themselves in that moment to do what they could. And then, I found myself crying because I was touched by the goodness and selflessness of these people. As I walked through the rest of the museum, and then out around the Outdoor Memorial, I started thinking that I shouldn't be surprised by this at all...because as we've faced tough situations like this before, we have seen each and everytime that we truly are just AMERICANS - and we have the amazing capacity to put aside our petty differences to come together for defining moments that shape our national character. I guess I left the building with tears still in my eyes just mainly because I was reminding myself that I am a part of that big picture...and it left me thankful for my faith and this land of ours and the people who make it up. As I came out, I started walking around the Outdoor Memorial - and there is a tree they call the Survivor Tree - which is a 90 year old American Elm that withstood the blast. Around the tree is a wall - and the wall reads as follows: The Spirit of this city and this nation will not be defeated; our deeply rooted faith sustains us. I stood there - reading it and processing everything I had just seen - and realized that this tree and quote wrapped up the whole experience for me. And as cliche as it is to say it, I probably left a better person for the chance to experience the Memorial today. On the 2 main gates, there is a note above the entrance that reads:

We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those changed forever. May all those who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.

For more information on the Memorial, please visit:

www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org

Please enjoy my photo additions for the day - and please take a moment to tell someone you love them...it can never hurt.

Gussy

Same shot - just one is color and one is B&W. (Playing with camera features.) This is to give you some bearing. I am standing at the WEST gate of the Memorial, looking across to the East gate. To my right, the hill of chairs, which was also the site of where the building originally stood. To my left, the Museum building and the Survivor Tree. The water in front of me took the place of 5th Street, where the Ryder truck was parked that caused all the disaster.

Just a couple of different angles/perspectives on the chairs. Each chair represents one of the people killed in the bombing - 168 chairs in all. There are 19 small chairs - which represent the 19 children killed. Each chair has the victims name etched into the glass base.

A couple more chair pictures, just from different angles. The really cool part about the outside memorial part is that you are free to walk on the grass and among the chairs.

Two night shots of the chairs. The second is my favorite - it's looking across the water (museum and survivor tree are to my back) at the chairs and their reflection.

The Survivor Tree - both during the day and at night. The building behind it is the museum building.

This is standing at the East Gate - both looking up at it...and then turning around and looking across the water to the West Gate. The 9:01 depicts the moment BEFORE the bomb detonated. The gate across the water has the 9:03 - which is the moment AFTER the detonation. The explosion was at 9:02 - and the chairs, tree, water and museum are representative of everything that happened in that one minute - changing Oklahoma City, and our country really, forever.

Just the reverse perspective - Standing at the West Gate, looking across the water to the East Gate.