Mo & Terry Smedley

 

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Heartland USA by Rail
June, 2005

Part V:  Jason McGuire in Oklahoma City

Sunday, Jason drove into town to pick us up at our hotel.  He then gave us a whirlwind tour of OKC, with a brief stop at Tinker AFB where he is stationed.  At his house, we met his roommate Pablo, his dog Chica, and more or less installed a new refrigerator.  We headed out for an enormous fried steak lunch, then went to the OmniDome science center to see the model railroad exhibit. 

We had dinner with Jason and several of his friends.  I'm recording names to help me remember - Bart (our host), Rob (who grilled a mean steak!), Rob's daughter Mackenzie, Danny (who has a very trick 2005 Mustang), Brett and his wife.  Danny and Rob are stationed at Tinker along with Jason.  Bart took me for a ride in his 600hp Cobra.  Jason has lots of good friends here.

Notes to myself: 

(1) Nobody here knows Jason as Jason - everybody knows him as "Junior".
(2) People here talk funny - just like Vera!
(3) To avoid being immediately recognized as a Yankee, do not refer to Coke or Pepsi as "pop" - this stuff is known as "soda" everywhere except the West Coast.

Monday, we'll do "old folks stuff" - exploring the OKC Federal Building memorial, a nearby botanical garden, and the historic Bricktown area of OKC.  Jason has promised us dinner at "Pickles", for a local delicacy of fried pickles (!), unless we can talk him into something else in Bricktown.

It's still hot! We better get started early tomorrow!

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Jason's Chihuahua "Chica" warmed up to us quickly. Chica with a chew treat. When Kathy first saw her a year ago, Chica was no bigger than a soda can. Jason gave Chica a bath in the kitchen sink.  This looks easier than the process Mo and I go through with Goldie.
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Drying Chica off. She likes to have her belly scratched. Chica in the soft carry case that Kathy bought for her. Chica on my shoulder, with a chew treat hanging out of her mouth.
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Jason's almost red kitchen cupboards. The enormous backyard in Jason's OKC house.  There's plenty of room for a house for Denny and Kathy when they retire. The "party refrigerator" was retired... ...I provided valuable advisory assistance while Jason dragged the old one out...
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...Mo helped clean up the new refrigerator.  Not shown:  I did actually help somewhat by hooking up a temporary water supply to the new icemaker. Jason ordering lunch for us at Del Rancho... ...where they serve enormous fried steak sandwhiches. Mo with a gyro-wheel at the OmniDome science exhibits.
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Jason and Mo point out the enormous model railroad exhibit at the OmniDome. Jason in the airplane exhibit. Toy cameras from past & present at OmniDome. Mo finds another gyro-wheel.