Posted in photography, travel

Tuesday Tour: going round on Route 66

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

Not only did we get our kicks traveling on Route 66 during our road trip in Oklahoma, we also got around.

Even though many of the sights we experienced made our head spin in amazement, one in particular literally caused us to go a few rounds.

We visited a place that’s more than a century old in Arcadia, Oklahoma – the Round Barn on Route 66.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this structure is the only round barn on the famous “mother road” and is considered a landmark and free tourist attraction on the historic highway.

Not only is the Round Barn a fascinating place to visit, but its history, dating back to the late 1800’s, is equally interesting. A farmer named William Harrison Odor and his wife Myra Eva arrived in the sooner state in 1892, purchasing over 300 acres of farmland four years later.

In 1898 Odor, with help from his brother-in-law and some farmhands, began building a barn, but not just any barn. Instead, Odor wanted a round barn.

Why round? The answer apparently was because of the frequency of tornadoes, Odor thought if the barn was round, the tornado would hit it, then go around it. His theory was never proven though.

The 60-feet in diameter and 43-feet tall structure painted a rusty red was constructed with native burr oak wood planks, which, while still green, were soaked in the river and dried to make them curved.  They then were used to make the barn walls and domed roof.

At some point, someone convinced Odor that the barn loft could be used for dances, so a smooth hardwood floor was installed. Odor’s only stipulation was that “good music” be played at those barn dances.

The round barn was located along unpaved State Highway 7 which became designated as U.S. Highway 66 in 1926, and was paved three years later. By 1946, the round barn was owned by Frank and Katie Vrana and used as a workplace and to store hay for the next 30 years.

During that time, the barn’s structure was compromised by a large door cut into one side and also by a storm with high winds. It began leaning and by 1977, even though the Round Barn was placed on the historic places register that year, it was deteriorated and had been damaged by vandals as well as arsonists.

That’s when a retired builder/carpenter named Luke Robison stepped in after learning about the decaying barn. He formed the Arcadia Historical and Preservation Society and Vrana descendants donated the barn to the organization.

Even after the round barn roof fell in, that society was determined to restore the structure and work began in 1989. After years of restoration work, the Arcadia Round Barn was officially dedicated in the spring of 1992. Since then, the Society has maintained the barn and accepts donations from visitors.

Inside the first level, we enjoyed a museum detailing history of the round barn; the town of Acadia; the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railway; and of course Route 66.  Antique farm equipment, Route 66 memorabilia, and other artifacts from the town and farms are also exhibited there.

We also browsed the gift shop which showcased crafts and miscellaneous items for sale and chatted with the pleasant volunteer minding the site that day.  

Of course, we climbed the exterior stairs to check out the top level where the dances were held and now is a space rented for weddings and other social events.

Gazing up at the inside of that domed loft was astounding and a little dizzying too, but so worthwhile seeing.

The Arcadia Round Barn is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm with hours sometimes curtailed because of summer’s high temperatures and no air conditioning.

We were glad we visited in early summer and had the opportunity to visit the second round barn we’ve seen. (We visited a white round barn one fall day near Gettysburg here in our home state of Pennsylvania and I wrote about it here.)

Traveling and seeing sights like the Round Barn is what makes our world go round, and the fact that this landmark is on historic Route 66 made our fun-meter go around even more.

But there was more to see on down the road via Oklahoma’s Route 66. I’ll share more in upcoming Tuesday Tour posts.

“God made the world round so we would never be able to see too far down the road.” ~ Isak Dinesen (1885-1962), Danish writer

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in food, travel

Oklahoma eats and treats

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. I’m not really a foodie.

I rarely rave about something I’ve eaten not because I don’t appreciate good meals but food and talking or writing about it just doesn’t excite me.

You could define me as one of those people who don’t live to eat but just eat to live.

But with that in mind, I did savor some food worth mentioning on our early summer trip to Oklahoma.

Yesterday, I chronicled our road trip on Route 66 when we visited a popular place for pop called Pops. I mentioned that I had a sandwich there that I’d never tried before and honestly had never even thought about the combination of it.

It was a called a B (E) L T – a traditional BLT (bacon, lettuce, and tomato) with a twist – egg salad (that’s what the E stands for). Piled on two slabs of Texas toast and paired up with some sweet potato fries, it was pretty yummy.

While we were perusing all the goodies on the shelves of Pops, I spied another treat that I haven’t eaten in a very long time – fried pies.

Now these fried pies are Oklahoma fried pies, and they are different from “mountain pies” we make here in Pennsylvania over a campfire or bonfire. Here we use a long-handled metal pie iron, butter two slices of white bread, slap some kind of filling in between like pizza sauce and cheese or canned fruit pie filling, close up the contraption, and place it in the fire’s hot coals to “fry.” Mmm mmm good.

But the Oklahoma fried pies that I remember eating when we lived there many moons ago are hand-sized pastries made of dough with fruit or cream fillings, folded in half and fried until they are golden brown and tasty.

History of Oklahoma’s fried pies says early pioneers and settlers used on-hand pantry ingredients of flour, lard, sugar, and fruit that was in season at the time to make hand-held pies.

Meandering around Pops in Arcadia, Oklahoma, I spied Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies for sale. And of course, we had to purchase some. My sister had peach, my husband (Papa of this empty nest) opted for Boston cream, and I chose key lime.  Those treats were just like I remembered them, but I found I could only eat half of mine at one sitting.

These particular pastries originated in Oklahoma’s Arbuckle Mountains in the little town of Springer when a lady named Maude Pletcher made fried pies for her family and friends. Eventually, her grownup children began selling fried pies made from their mother’s old recipe in service stations, restaurants, and convenience stores.

And Arbuckle Mountain Fried Pies became a flourishing business, expanding and adding more flavors (hence, key lime). Now, these fried pies are sold not just in Oklahoma but also in Texas and Kansas.

Fried pies weren’t the only food item we enjoyed during our visit. We remembered how much we loved ice cream from Oklahoma’s Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores and treated ourselves way too often to those delicious cold treats.

German chocolate cake is Papa’s favorite so he especially delighted in Braum’s German chocolate sundae made with chocolate Bundt cake, two dips German chocolate ice cream, hot caramel AND hot fudge toppings, chopped pecans, whipped cream, and a cherry on top while I settled for a peanut butter cup ice cream cone.

We ate at a good ol’ finger-lickin’ good Oklahoma barbeque place one night for dinner. Other Okie fare Papa enjoyed was a made-the-right-way chicken-fried steak with white cream gravy. I savored chicken-fried chicken (different from the usual fried chicken) on another occasion.

And we feasted on authentic Mexican cuisine at a restaurant where my husband was happy to find Chile rellenos on the menu. Back in our Oklahoma days, he relished that dish at our favorite Mexican eatery but it’s very rarely available here in our northeastern home state.

Alas, we were so busy eating Oklahoma food fare that I didn’t pause to take photos. But I’ll remember all those good eats and treats for a long time because they provided some pleasant memories from years ago. They also gave me times to remember in the future because I enjoyed these goodies with my dear sister.

“Food is the doorway to memories.” ~ Unknown

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in photography, travel

Tuesday Tour: kicks and fizz

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

One hundred years of roadway with over 700 varieties of soda pop.

That’s what we found on our fun trek along portions of the famous Route 66 in Oklahoma. To add to the celebration of Route 66’s centennial anniversary on my Tuesday Tour posts, I’m highlighting interesting and quirky places we visited along that well-known roadway.

We traveled to Acadia, Oklahoma one day because my sister wanted us to experience, Pops, a gas station/restaurant/convenience store located along Route 66.

The first thing we spied was the gigantic roadside sculpture notifying that indeed travelers have found Pops. Standing 66 feet tall (to symbolize the route) and weighing four tons, the giant-sized landmark, complete with a straw, claims to be the world’s largest pop bottle.

Fashioned out of neon tubes, it’s illuminated at night with multicolored LED lighting. Since we arrived in time for lunch, we missed seeing that display but photos I found on the internet showed me it’s something worthwhile viewing.

But that’s not the only facet of Pops that draws people in to this “gas station.” In addition to a full-service restaurant with an extensive menu – you can purchase soda pop there in an array of flavors that just might boggle your mind.

After we entered the restaurant/convenience store, we realized it’s filled with all kinds of snacks to satisfy you and your sweet tooth because there is an entire section offering classic candies among other goodies.

We were seated in the small dining area of the place along the glass walls. What’s so unusual about that?

It’s glass upon glass upon glass! The glass walls are loaded with floor to ceiling glass shelves sporting glass pop bottles all arranged by color. It’s an interesting sight for sure! Pops offers flavors varying from traditional soda pop like we’re all accustomed to drinking to unusual ones.

If you have a hankering for soda that tastes like apple or pumpkin pie, Pops has it. Or maybe you prefer a beverage that tastes like bacon, black olive, buffalo wings, or blue cheese dressing (which is blue in color).

Or if you really want to dive off the deep end, try the Zombie Brain Juice, Bug Barf, Worm Ooze, or Kitty Piddle flavors. You name it, they probably have it in their stash of – did I say it before? – over 700 flavors!

Regular shelves throughout the store hold even more soda bottles. Not only are all the shelved pop bottles on the glass walls arranged by color, but there’s also a refrigerated cooler taking up one entire end of the store where you can grab a cold one or more, also lined up by color, to satisfy your thirst.

Or not.

We purchased six unusually flavored bottles to take home with us. My sister chose three she’d sampled before and liked: butterscotch, cream soda, and black cherry. My husband chose grapefruit which he also gave a thumbs up to.

I picked two of my favorite flavors – key lime, which was obviously green in color, and peppermint, called Peppermint Snow and colored pale white. I didn’t care for either one of them. Too much artificial flavor and way, way too sweet for me.

But the experience was certainly fun. We ordered a tasty lunch from overwhelming choices on the menu which included appetizers; salads; 14 kinds of burgers including a Route 66 Centennial burger; dinners; sandwiches; hot dogs; and in addition to the usual sides, you could have fried okra or black bean corn relish.  Besides desserts, Pops serves hand-dipped milk shakes, malts, and floats which can be made with any of the unusual flavors of pop available.

I opted for a simple choice but a version which included something different from the usual, a B(E)LT sandwich (bacon, egg salad, lettuce, and tomato on Texas toast) and sweet potato fries. And it was pretty good, but I stuck to a not so unusual iced tea for my beverage.

We also shopped around the store which offers adult and children’s T-shirts and sweatshirts, hats, and souvenir items. We just couldn’t pass up a mug with a map of Route 66 on it.

Pops, where you can find “food, fuel and fizz” is located at 660 W. Highway 66, Arcadia with open store hours from 6am-10 pm. Restaurant hours are 10:30 am-9 pm every day and breakfast hours are 7 am-10:30 pm Saturdays and Sundays only.

I’m not a big fan of soda pop – we just call soft drinks pop in my neck of the woods but I used the term soda pop for those who don’t know what I mean by pop. My beverage of choice is usually water, hot or iced tea.

However, I will confess we surely got our kicks on Route 66 along with some fizz that nice sunny Oklahoma day.

“What’s the good of living if you don’t try a few things?” ~ Charles M. Schulz (1922-2000), American cartoonist/creator of Peanuts comics strip

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in memories, nostalgia

Back to “Route 66”

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

The year was 1960. I was just a youngster then, but I remember watching that television show. 

If I hear the program’s instrumental theme song, written by Nelson Riddle, I’ll be able to identify it correctly. Music sticks in my brain for a long time!

That song was listed as number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 List at the time and was nominated for two Grammy Awards.

You can listen to that show’s theme song and see the opening and closing credits here.

The TV show was Route 66. CBS aired it for the first time in October of that year, and the series, promoted as an adventure crime drama, ran until March 1964.

Starring Martin Milner and George Maharis, program episodes were shot at different locations each week. The premise: two young guys traveled across the United States in a Chevrolet Corvette convertible supposedly on the famous American road, Route 66.

However, that historic highway wasn’t where most of the episodes were filmed. Instead, the show was shot on location in 25 different states and in Los Angeles, Carson City, Santa Fe, Reno, Tucson, and even Dallas, but not on Route 66.

Along the way, the program’s main characters encountered all kinds of circumstances. Milner’s character was Tod, a guy who had recently graduated from college but unfortunately didn’t have great prospects for a future.

He was accompanied by Maharis’ character Buz, Tod’s father’s friend and employee. Later, the character of Buz was replaced with a recently discharged Vietnam veteran’s character named Lincoln, played by Glenn Corbett.

Other well-known actors and actresses from the 1960’s like Peter Lorre, Barbara Eden, William Shatner, Cloris Leachman, Ed Asner, Martin Sheen, Julie Newmar, Lee Marvin, James Caan, and even Joan Crawford appeared on Route 66. You can watch them in full episodes of the show on You Tube.

Another interesting fact about the TV show was that Chevrolet provided upgraded models of Corvettes for every season of Route 66. The first episode featured a 1960 model, but for the remainder of that season, a 1961 Corvette was used. Then each year, a newer model was featured.

That’s probably why it’s popular even today to drive Corvettes along the real Route 66. And for those of us who don’t own that vehicle it’s fun to spy some trekking along the famed byway.

On a trip traveling on Route 66 in Arizona back in 2020, we saw a few. The photo quality isn’t the best because I hurriedly snapped pictures through our windshield of three Corvettes coming towards us. It was a neat sight to see.

Yesterday with the initiation of my Tuesday Tour posts about the “Mother Road,” more commonly known as Route 66, my mind traveled back in time to that old television show and that theme song played in my brain’s jukebox.

The older I get, the fuller my memory bank becomes. I just hope it stays operational in years to come!

“Memory is the treasury and guardian of all things.” ~ Cicero

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in photography, travel

Tuesday Tour: a centennial celebration

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

2026 is a year of anniversaries! We just celebrated the 250th anniversary of our nation, the United States of America, and what a great commemoration it was.

But just this summer, I realized there is another anniversary to note – a centennial celebration. It’s the 100th anniversary of an iconic U.S. highway. It’s been called the “main street of America, “The Mother Road,” and even the “Will Rogers Highway.”

I’m talking about the famous Route 66, which became one of the first continuous stretches of paved highways in the United States. Used as a major route for those migrating to California, the route was officially established on November 11, 1926.

The route from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California was given the numerical designation of 66 earlier that year in April. At the road’s inception in 1926, only 800 miles were paved.

The rest of the route consisted of gravel, bricks, wood planks, or graded dirt. Eleven years later, the entire highway was paved and eventually it stretched for 2, 448 miles.

We two empty nesters have traveled on portions of this famous roadway back in 2020 on a trip to Arizona and more recently in Oklahoma. And for the next several weeks, my Tuesday Tour posts will highlight some of the fun places we found there on Route 66.

But first by way of introduction, here’s a history lesson about this famous byway. The road’s gained importance because its diagonal route enabled migrant farm workers to travel from the Midwest to California during the 1930’s Dust Bowl.

Route 66 began in Chicago, went southwest through Missouri and a small portion of Kansas, then west through Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. It ended in Los Angeles, where many flocked for jobs.

Because much of the route was in flat country with moderate year-round weather, it soon became a popular way for travelers and truck drivers to travel too.  By 1938, Route 66 became the first completely paved highway.

Then it became the main highway for folks heading to southern California for vacations in the 1950’s. To provide needs for travelers, many service stations, motels, and restaurants opened along Route 66. Neon signs, drive-ins, and plenty of quirky roadside attractions soon followed to satisfy the whims of tourists.

The famous highway was immortalized in movies, (Easy Rider was filmed at various spots along Route 66), songs, even a 1960’s TV show, and the well-known novel, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.

Now, 100 years later, modern interstate highways are utilized for faster travel instead of old Route 66. But more than 250 buildings, bridges, sites, and sections of the original road are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

A popular motto along the historic Route 66 is “Get your kicks on Route 66.” We certainly did and I’ll be sharing just what those kicks were every Tuesday for awhile.

So, how about joining me to “travel my way, take the highway that’s the best, and get your kicks on Route 66” (song lyrics) as we celebrate the 100th year of that famous roadway. I hope you come along for the fun and often quirky sights we found on our recent road trip to get our kicks.

“Look for chances to take the less-traveled roads. There are no wrong turns.” ~ Susan Magsamen, American author

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in Life, photography

Why I look up

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

When life knocks you flat on your back, remember it left you looking up. I’m pretty certain I read that expression somewhere at some time. But goodness, isn’t it the truth?

I do look up a lot.  When I browse through my photo cache of thousands by now since I began enjoying taking pictures with my DSLR camera several years ago, many were taken looking up.

And today I’m sharing just a few of those I’ve captured over the years.

But I don’t just look up to snap a photo of something interesting to me. The philosophy of life I’ve followed during my 70+ years on this earth encourages me to always look up.

You might say that life has taught me to do that. Often, I never know what’s coming down the pike, so I tend to look up to the heavens for help to get through the next big thing. And there always seems to be a next big thing, believe me.

Where does my help come from? “My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” ~ Psalm 121:2

So, I do find myself looking up — no matter where I am or what the circumstance may be. 

Louisville, Kentucky

In the warmth of summer, I turn my face upwards toward the sun. 

After rain, I look up to see if there’s a rainbow spread across the sky. 

At night, I find myself gazing at the moon or the stars and marveling at how many I can see living here in the country.

Monday’s harvest moon

Yes, I look up.  I look up at clouds, whether they be puffy, fluffy white cotton candy-like or dark, menacing, stormy ones.

I look up to see a jet leaving its contrail plume behind it. 

I look up as I hear helicopter blades chopping the silence and I often utter a silent prayer for someone possibly being life-flighted to one of the trauma hospitals in our nearby city.

I look up when I notice a hot air balloon or a blimp coasting along the airways or something surprising.

I look up to watch birds take wing to soar or butterflies flit and float by.

I look up as I walk down a woodsy path when I hear the leaves rustle through the trees over my head.

I look up because life on this earth is hard enough without always looking down.

Looking down weighs me earthward just as surely as gravity holds me on this planet.

Looking down secures me to this earth where people are viciously cruel to one another, folks become seriously ill, hearts get trampled and broken, disappointments abound, and life eventually deteriorates and ends, and it all grieves my soul. 

Yet I continue to look up. Why? Because it makes me happier and gives me solace and peace.  I look up because it causes me to realize how tiny and insignificant I am compared to the power of my God, who holds everything I see in the palm of His hand.

I look up because it gives me hope.

I look up because it provides me with inspiration.

I look up because it strengthens my faith.

“Believers, look up — take courage. The angels are nearer than you think.” ~ Billy Graham

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in photography, travel

Tuesday Tour: an honored place

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

When something momentous occurred, where we were and what we were doing when we first heard the news usually is permanently etched in our minds. And if the event was catastrophic, even more so.

Even though I was just an elementary school student in 1963, I still remember sitting in my classroom when our school principal opened the door to tell us then President John F. Kennedy had been shot.

I remember that cold January day when the space shuttle Challenger horribly exploded shortly after launch in 1986. And I will never forget the shock and absolute fear I felt on the morning of September 11, 2001, sitting in a work seminar when terrorists attacked our nation.

Likewise in an earlier year, my mind recalls the incredulousness of hearing that there was a bombing at an Oklahoma City federal building in 1995. That April morning, I was in my kitchen in a Portland, Oregon suburb, watching the TV news but I was as shaken as if I had felt the blast myself.

What in the world, I thought? And then my thoughts immediately turned to members of my family who lived in Oklahoma, not far from the city. Were they affected? Surely, they hadn’t been in the city that morning?

I’ve never forgotten that spiral of concern I felt which was relieved when assurance came that my family was fine but had actually felt the ground shake when the bombing occurred.

Those thoughts came back to me when we recently visited Oklahoma and viewed the Oklahoma City Outdoor Symbolic Memorial which honors the victims, both those who died and those who survived that horrific event.

As part of the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum, the memorial space is located where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building once stood. In its place, the Field of Empty Chairs represents each of the 168 people killed in the bombing.

Since we visited this somber place of reflection with some of our Oklahoma family one evening, the museum was not open. Opening hours are Monday through Saturday 9 am – 5 pm; Sunday 12 – 5 pm. But the outdoor memorial is open to the public 24 hours a day all year.

Visiting it at night was especially moving to see the empty chairs illuminated and arranged in nine rows with each row representing a floor of the building that was destroyed.

The victims’ names are engraved on the chairs making it easy to locate a loved one who was killed there. For me, it was heart-wrenching to see nineteen smaller chairs representing children who died in that violent, senseless act. In the photo below, the smaller chairs are shown in front of the large one.

The destruction occurred at 9:02 a.m. To memorialize that, twin gates stand at either end of the outdoor memorial with a reflecting pool between them. One gate marks the time directly before the attack – 9:01 a.m. – and the other gate – 9:03 a.m. – is meant to symbolize “the moment healing began.”

A Survivor Wall, fashioned from salvaged granite pieces once housed in the Murrah federal building lobby, features more than 600 names of those who survived, some with serious injuries.  

Visitors to the outdoor memorial may receive answers to their questions by the National Park Service Rangers who are on the site each day except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day.

The interactive museum, closed for the day when we arrived, is in a building which withstood the bombing. Visitors can take self-guided tours learning about this terrible event, its victims, and the aftermath through augmented reality, videos, and various artifacts.

Admission to the museum must be reserved ahead of time. Fees are Adults – $18; Senior citizens (62+) and Military with ID – $16; Students (6-17 and college students) $15; and children under 5 are free.

I’ve found it very sobering that we two empty nesters have visited three memorial sites where terrible occurrences transpired and remain etched in my memory bank: Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas where Kennedy was shot; the 9-11 memorials in both New York City and Shanksville, Pennsylvania; and now the Oklahoma City bombing memorial.

I hope my memory continues to serve me so I don’t forget the somber reflections I felt at all those historical places remembering my fellow Americans who lost their lives there.

“In our sorrow, we find the strength to honor their journey.” ~ Unknown

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in inspiration, photography, sunset

Words for Wednesday: day’s beginning and end

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

Just last week, we two empty nesters took advantage of a break from the scorching heatwave that kept us captive in our air-conditioned country home. As the thermometer thankfully dropped several degrees, we embarked on a day trip with our vehicle windows down relishing in fresh (and cool) air.

On our way back after successfully locating some covered bridges in another county (more about that will come in later posts), our trip home took us through our nearby city – Pittsburgh – and a jaunt through the Fort Pitt Tunnel.

I never tire of driving through this 3,614-foot-long tunnel under Mount Washington. Traveling northeast through it, an awesome sight greets travelers as they exit, a full view of this beautiful city, especially at night when the city is lit up like a Christmas tree.

I’ve been treated to that sight more times than I can count yet it never ceases to amaze me. And on our way home from our day trip last week, I still enjoyed emerging from that tunnel.

The experience made me recall several years ago when my husband and I were coming back from the airport and driving through the tunnel one very early morning. Upon exiting it, another awe-inspiring sight revealed itself – a gorgeous morning sun, rising up like a gargantuan round orb of luminous orange red color. 

Its light blinded me as it perched perfectly between two sentinel skyscrapers, slowly ascending into the morning sky, and I chastised myself for not having my camera available. My old cell phone at the time didn’t do the photo justice either.

That sunrise truly was a breath-taking, beautiful sight. I remembered gasping, then exclaiming, “Wow!  Look at that!”

As I squinted into the sun’s radiance, I thought, “How could we ever appreciate the sun if we never had night?”

Likewise, how could we ever appreciate blessings if we never endured trials?  How could we appreciate life’s happiness if we never experienced life’s storms?

But it’s not just sunrises like that one I experienced coming through the tunnel on that long ago morning which inspired me. Sunsets also urge me to take a moment to relish their sight and grab my camera to try to capture their beauty.

When the sky is painted with varying hues of blue, purple, yellow, orange, and red as the sun begins its descent below the horizon, it gives me a peaceful feeling that all is right in my world at least for the day that just passed.

“Sunsets are proof that no matter what happens, every day can end beautifully.” ~ Kristen Butler

While it’s true that sunsets present an ending, for me they provide assurance that the God of the universe is still in control. And if it’s His will, He will grant us tomorrow, another day to glorify Him, another opportunity to be a light in a dark world and shine.

Sunsets bring me peace and tranquility but also remind me that I must continue to place my trust in the One who paints the sky in such vivid colors.

I captured this exquisite sunset with my cell phone (my newer one which takes better photos) from our vehicle’s backseat one summer evening when we were visiting family in Oklahoma in June.

Like so many gorgeous sunsets I’ve witnessed, it reminded me that as a person of faith, I need to shine by exhibiting love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control both morning and evening.

“Every sunset brings a promise of a new dawn.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in photography, travel

Tuesday Tour: boomer sooner beauty

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

Our early summer road trip back to Oklahoma gave us plenty of new sights to see. Even though as a young married couple we lived there many years ago, we didn’t travel much around the state to sightsee back then except to visit Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and places near the military post where my husband was stationed.

So, our return trip to visit our extended family there turned out to be eye-opening. One lovely evening my sister treated us, along with our niece and nephew-in-law to a combined birthday/anniversary dinner celebrating our birthdays and their wedding anniversary.

We savored scrumptious steak dinners with excellent service at an iconic restaurant called Cattlemen’s Steak House, located in an area of Oklahoma City called Stockyards City.

The Oklahoma National Stockyards is touted as the world’s largest feeder and stocker cattle market where the public can attend live cattle auctions. Basically, if you’re looking for ranch owners and cowboys, this is the place to go. We saw more folks attired in western wear, boots and hats included, than we’ve seen in years. So much fun!

Afterwards, since it was a nice evening, our nephew-in-law drove us around the city to check out some new-to-us sights. First we visited Bricktown where we took a nice stroll around a city park in which the Bricktown Canal flows through. What a pretty and interesting place it was.

What fascinated us most was the Centennial Land Run Monument, which commemorates an important aspect of Oklahoma history when unassigned land was opened in what was then Oklahoma Territory in 1889.

Fifty thousand people rushed to stake their claim for free land at noon on April 22 of that year. It was a chaotic sight when wagons, carriages, and people on horseback rushed forward as a cannon shot was fired.

The rush proved extremely dangerous for some who were crushed in the melee; some wagons overturned or had axles break; horses and riders tumbled to the ground.    

If you’ve ever wondered why the term “Sooners” is a common Oklahoman term, it’s because many settlers illegally entered the territory early to claim the best land – just a day or two sooner.  

Before them, there were “Boomers” who supported opening the unclaimed land for settlement. (If you ever wondered why Boomer Sooner is the theme for the University of Oklahoma, now you know.)

Today an amazing monument, consisting of 45 huge bronze sculptures depicting the famous land run, spreads across 365 feet of the park. Created by Oklahoma native artist Paul Moore, each realistic sculpture is one-and-a-half sized making the human figures about nine feet tall and a horse and rider over 12 feet tall. (An interesting side note is that Moore’s great-grandfather participated in the land run.)

There are 38 different people portrayed, 34 horses, three wagons, a cannon, a dog, and even a frightened jackrabbit, all done with very realistic details. We were just in awe of the enormous amount of work it took to cast all those sculptures and what a striking monument it truly is.

I wish I had more photo space available here to share all the photos of the sculptures I captured but these few will have to suffice.

The park, open free to the public, is well-maintained and very scenic as well. And although we didn’t reserve a ride on the Bricktown Water Taxi, which glides along the canal in a guided tour, we enjoyed watching it float by. 

Oklahoma City today seems very different from the Oklahoma City we once visited many years ago, and that was a pleasant surprise.

“We often find beauty in the least expected places.” ~ Anonymous

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026

Posted in inspiration, Life, photography

Off the beaten path

Posted on by Mama's Empty Nest

My readers may wonder why I share so many posts and photos of covered bridges, so I thought I’d explain why I do so.

Just like lighthouses, covered bridges fascinate me, and I love capturing photos of both of them. In the case of lighthouses, they usually provide a dramatic scene as they perch atop a rocky crag at oceanside or provide safe journeys along sometimes turbulent lakes or waterways.

Covered bridges are the opposite – they seem peaceful and tranquil because they are found in typically quiet rural areas spanning over cascading creeks usually off the beaten path. And while lighthouses can be found all around the globe, covered bridges are uniquely American.

A plethora of these historic wooden bridges still exist here in my home state. That’s why I’ve formed a bucket list of sorts to try to visit and photograph as many as possible.

For those who wonder why these wooden structures were covered in the first place when they were constructed, here’s the answer.

Enclosing the bridge’s wooden deck with siding and a roof protected it from inclement weather conditions of rain, snow, and ice and even sun damage to extend the bridge’s lifespan by 10-15 years. In some cases, protection afforded 80 years or more of service, which is why some of the oldest surviving covered bridges date back to the early 1800’s.

In addition to providing shelter from the weather, some covered bridges were used for social activities. Many of them became popular gathering places and in the days of horse and buggy were called “kissing bridges” for obvious reasons since the dark interior of a covered bridge provided a clandestine place for a smooch.

They also were often called “wishing bridges” because when couples found romance inside, tradition called for them to make a wish and it would come true.

In this modern world, many covered bridges are well maintained because they’re still used for vehicular traffic in rural communities. And those that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places are especially protected and may acquire funds for preservation.

I appreciate communities that actively preserve these historic relics from by-gone eras. That’s why we found viewing three Indiana state covered bridges a fun little side trek off the interstate highway on our summer road trip westward.

After visiting Mansfield Covered Bridge, which I highlighted last week in my Tuesday Tour, we traveled via GPS on some mostly gravel country roads to find Conley’s Ford Covered Bridge built sometime between 1906 and 1907 by J. Lawrence Van Fossen.

This 192-foot-long bridge crosses Big Raccoon Creek in Parke County and sources claim it’s the fourth longest single-span covered bridges in the world. The structure was built using white pine wood and received new siding and roofing in 1991. It didn’t appear to be in pristine condition but was still serviceable and we did drive through it.

Next, we located Big Rocky Fork (aka Murphy) Covered Bridge which was constructed in 1900 by Joseph J. Daniels, a well-known bridge builder at the time. This 72-foot-long structure crossed a creek of the same name (Big Rocky Fork).

This covered bridge fell into disrepair after it was bypassed in 1987 when the Parke County Highway Department relinquished responsibility for maintenance. According to research I read, the Parke County Park Department assumed maintenance but because funding was very limited, not much repair or restoration was done to the bridge.

In the early 1990’s though, a group of community members stepped up to maintain it through the Adopt-a-Bridge program. The bridge is no longer in use and closed to traffic, but we were able to stop near it so I could take a photo.

It sported a nice paint job on the outside, but I did notice graffiti painted inside of it as we find in many covered bridges. I always am annoyed by vandals who decide to desecrate a historic site that way and it seems covered bridges make an easy target. The photo below shows the bridge from the other side.

But graffiti or not, we still take pleasure in going off the beaten path to find covered bridges – a little reminder of past American history.

It’s a favorite pastime of mine and we learn some historical information on each one of them which my history-loving husband enjoys. Since he grew up as a city dweller, I also think he just likes driving around rural areas.

“I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I intended to be.” ~ Douglas Adams

©mamasemptynest.wordpress.com 2026