Perfect Day #1

Because of the late night, a late morning followed. I think it was after 10 when we met up; Mike picked us up at the motel and we crossed the freeway to head to The Cracker Barrel for a bountiful breakfast. I was approached by a very cute little girl who admired my "Don't Tread on Me" t-shirt. She wanted to know where I got it, and I think she was disappointed when I told her 'Boston'. I got it for mere historical reasons when on my tour of New England, and I forgot that lots of people here are *big* fans of the Tea Party thing. :)

Meg and Jason had stuff they needed to do, so Mike and I dropped them back at the motel and we went back to his house to take care of the animals before we headed over to the Museum of Art on campus. Parked across the street at a garage, and the heat (around 110 in the shade) made us dash in as quick as possible. I've never really been an art gallery person, so I wondered how much I would appreciate it. There were a bunch of modern pieces at first, so much was lost on me... :) but then there was a French Impressionist collection that was stunning, along with eighteenth century furniture and decor to compliment it. I also enjoyed more of the European works... one in particular. A girl with a basket by a river in the morning. Can't remember the artist. Darn. We were nearly the only people in there, although it was free admission week. The museum guards outnumbered us and were sometimes helpful and once a little over-zealous: "please don't touch the wall". lol

Down the street from the art museum is the Museum of Natural History. Also on free admission day, this place was packed! And we bravely walked from the car to the AC relief inside. :) Much of the first exhibits were geared towards children, but I really loved the complete dinosaur skeletons. We could view the giant Apatosaurus in the face by taking a glass elevator to the next level. They also had the world's largest Triceratops skull. Wow! Obviously, they had a lot of Native American history, which was neat, and then we finished through the temporary exhibit focusing on chocolate. As Mike said, not too sure what that has to do with natural history, but it was interesting nonetheless.

At this point we were requiring rest and some food for sure. Picked up Meg & Jason for a nice lunch at one of Mike's favorites, La Baguette, a local bakery and cafe. Mmm... quiche. We relaxed so much here that by the time we were done it was close enough to time to get ready and leave for horseback riding. Thunderbird Stables, just east of Norman (and near Lake Thunderbird), let us four go out on the trail ourselves! It was nearly an hour's ride through shady trees and near ponds. We saw white-tailed deer and lots of wild turkeys. Speaking of wild, they gave me a horse that would lead, but also one that would *not* stop. I did everything in the book... reins, knees, slapping, yelling, speaking softly, patting the neck... and I've never felt more helpless in my life. The only time Buzz stopped was to eat grass whenever he wanted. After I relaxed and just rode with it, the horse did plenty of eating so that everyone could catch up. And Meg had the time of her life. :) She loved her horse and was able to do practically anything she wanted with her. Even though things were a little unexpected, I enjoyed myself heartily, and I think everyone else did too. It was a marvelous suggestion, Mike! :)

What a full day - and we weren't done yet! A brief attempted nap was undertaken before we headed of to dinner. We were treated to the cute little Italian place we enjoyed last year: "Othello's" at Campus Corner. As at lunch, Mike and I were on the same page and had the same thing. :) Simple and delicious, a perfect portion of meaty lasagna. Mmm... again.

And then, we headed over to the law school to log onto chat (using multiple computers). I love chatting in person! :) By log-off time, we were all bushed and went our separate ways.

Three days left?! Neat!
Jp