I got to do something very rare during my U.S. trip, which was spend a whole week and a half with my family.
Since moving from Tulsa to Portland in 2006, trips to see my family have been a four-hour minimum flight (always with a layover - they never came through with the direct Portland to Tulsa of which I always dreamed...) with a few days of rushed madness trying to see everyone, since I was always trying to take as little time off work as possible.
So, for the first time since college, I got to spend some good quality time with everyone, no rushing. And it was lovely. I also got to check out some new restaurants and bars around Tulsa, and I was quite impressed with all the good new stuff going on in the city. Keep it up, T-town.
Also, a special thanks goes out to my awesome Mom for this trip. Thanks for everything!
Now for some Tulsa tidbits...
Trip to the Tulsa Zoo with my Mom.
Family pic after dinner - Dad, Uncle Rick, Mom, Rhonda, Bro, Walker, Aunt Leiloni.
Tulsa Garden Center.
A walk on Riverside.
Sunset over the Arkansas River and pedestrian bridge.
Road trip to Woolaroc Park in Bartlesville.
He eats paper! Way to go green, Buffo.
Lots of real Buffos at Woolaroc (and it didn't look like their pen had been cleaned out in awhile...)
Oklahoma countryside.
Oh the snow...can't get away from it, eh? I can't say I was happy or honored to be a part of the Snøklahoma Blizzard of 2011. I was actually really sick for the two worst days of the blizzard, so I spent the time stuck in the house shivering under blankets. If only I'd had my skis and snowshoes...I probably still would've stayed inside. And a huge thanks goes out to my Uncle Rick for the ride to the airport so I could catch my flight back to Portland. You're a lifesaver!
Now for the magical Moment of Zen (you know it has to be related to food...):
White queso at Señor Tequila. Quite possibly the best substance in the world, ever.
Good ol' BBQ done right at Dink's in Bartlesville. With gloooorious fried okra. And kosher dill spears (oh how I've missed you, proper pickles...)
I now have a bottle of Dink's delicious sauce in my cabinet, awaiting a special BBQ dinner. The odds of finding okra are ridiculously small, but one can always dream...
