Hands-on Natural History

There are so many neat places in Oklahoma that I want to show my son, but I've been waiting for him to get old enough to interact and enjoy each new experience. He recently had his three-year birthday, and while I know he's still too young to remember all the places we go, I took it as a sign it was time to explore.

One drawback of traveling with a young child is that there's always a possibility you will fork over lots of money for an experience and then they have a meltdown, forcing you to go home early. Luckily, the Sam Noble Oklahoma Museum of Natural History in Norman has found a way to share their great exhibits with minimal risk.

The museum offers free admission every first Monday of the month, making it the perfect time to check out this wonderful facility while not feeling bad if you can only stay a short while. We went on Labor Day and the place was busy, but not so packed that you couldn't enjoy yourself.

Grayson is too young to read the exhibit signs and information, but he loved seeing all of the dinosaur bones and every display seemed to have an interactive element that he could touch or move. He would pull my hand in excitement as we walked from room to room and we discovered something interesting around every corner.

Once we toured each gallery, we made our way to the Discovery Room which was designed just for kids and has lots of hands-on activities. I'd recommend building in plenty of time for this room if you have children because there's so much to touch and play with in this part of the museum.

After exploring all of the indoor exhibits, we took advantage of the gorgeous weather and walked through the trails behind the museum. Here's a view from the grassy field just south of the museum:

Grayson at the entrance to the Hall of the People of Oklahoma exhibit

The Hall of Ancient Life takes you on a tour of more than 4 billion years of Oklahoma's prehistory - from the formation of the planet through the last Ice Age.

 The Discovery Room was definitely Grayson's favorite part.

Grayson practicing his archaeology and excavation skills in the Discovery Room.

We also did leaf rubbings with crayons and he spent a good bit of time playing at the dinosaur table shown below.

As we were leaving the museum, my husband grabbed an application for museum membership. I'd say that was a good sign it was a hit with the whole family. Luckily, we live close enough to visit often and we had so much fun I know we'll be back!

If you're interesting in seeing more photos and a video gallery, or to print some discount coupons, click here.

A Day at the Nest: Visiting Birdie

The brilliance and beauty behind Birdie is Katie Huskerson. Birdie and Katie are almost one in the same. When you walk into Birdie it is light and lovely, just like Katie. Katie’s kindness and creativity is in every part of her store. Pieces from flea markets that I would call garbage have been given a second life, restored and placed with care to showcase her beautiful bouquets of flowers and thoughtfully selected house wares. Katie is a florist and her approach is elegant yet fresh. Her commitment to sustainably grown and locally grown flowers means her arrangements feature wildflowers, Oklahoma flowers and color schemes that go beyond traditional arrangements.

Katie’s creativity as a florist spills over to Fin and Feather the clothing side of the store where she carries items for men and women. All items have been chosen with the same care she shows with the floral side of Birdie. The clothing items are either organic, hand-made, fair trade, recycled, natural or some combination of those five. For me, the phrase “green clothes” conjures up images of faux hippies at Bonnaroo or the Jesus rope sandals I had my freshman year of college. Really earthy, not necessarily really fashionable. But the jewelry, clothes and handbags Katie picks are modern and practical yet unique and stylish. She knows the stories behind the brands and has picked them with intention.

The word “boutique” gets thrown around about as much as the word “green” so to call Birdie a green boutique would be easy but somewhat of a disservice. Rather Birdie is a true local store meaning they know their suppliers, pick their products with care and build relationships with their consumers and their community. Stopping by Campus Corner in Norman and meeting Katie yourself is a must and I guarantee you will find something truly green and special.

You will also want to mark your calendar for August 27^th for the Dustbowl Arts Market. Katie is one of the co-founders of this biannual event that sells art and handmade wares that will debunk your traditional notion of “craft show.” It is easy to buy local when the selection is this good.

Ozzie's Diner

I hate to follow Jessica's post with her amazing pictures and tranquil retreat experience, but I've recently discovered a great breakfast spot that must be shared. Of course, I wasn't expecting to blog about it so I didn't take my camera and had to make do with my phone.

At any rate, I want to tell you about Ozzie's Diner. It's located in the Max Westheimer Airport Terminal in Norman and serves up all-you-can-eat breakfast. I'm not talking about a breakfast buffet. They actually make the breakfast when you order it and then keep coming back for more. The waitresses don't seem fazed by the throngs of people they've served in a single day and when they call you "hun" you immediately feel at home.

The place isn’t fancy, but the floor to ceiling windows provide a great view of both parked planes and the runway, making for fun entertainment while filling up on comfort food. It was especially a hit with Grayson, who was enthralled with the airplanes and also ate a plate of pancakes faster than humanly possible for a two-year-old.

If breakfast isn't your thing, Ozzie's does have a full menu but I honestly can't tell you what is on it since I've only ever had their breakfast.

The Max Westheimer Airport Terminal in Norman

 

Looking into Ozzie's Diner from the terminal foyer

These are the selections you can choose from for the all-you-can-eat breakfast

I think someone is a little excited for his pancakes

Mike's first round: biscuits and gravy with bacon and hash browns. A solid choice.

My first round: eggs over easy (mmmm) with bacon and hash browns

Guestroom Records

The city of Norman is a college town filled to the brim with cool art galleries, bars, great restaurants, music venues, indie shops and a ton of other stuff that any young hip go-getter can stand behind. While there's plenty of material to choose from, I feel the need to highlight a place that's very near and dear to my heart: Guestroom Records.

Guestroom Records is an Oklahoma hipster* institution, serving the general cool faction of the state since it first opened back in 2003. It's hard to go anywhere in the OKC metro area without seeing one of their stickers on the back of a car or a Guestroom t-shirt being worn by an impossibly beautiful girl with glasses and cute bangs. Hell, I even have a friend who's lawnmower has a few Guestroom stickers on it.

The permeation of Guestroom's image is certainly no accident. Owners Travis Searle and Justin Sowers started Guestroom in college as a humble record distribution enterprise. In less than a decade they've managed to open two stores (the other being in Oklahoma City) and are seeing their sales rise in a time where most other record stores are barely getting by. The guys have cultivated an incredibly loyal clientele of music lovers through love of the game, and good ol' fashioned business sense.

If Size Records is the diggers paradise, then Guestroom is for those with a well planned record shopping agenda. Their catalog is impeccably organized, digitally inventoried, and voluminous. Guestroom reliably carries new releases, and has an excellent track record for keeping the classics stocked on the shelf at all times.

Guestroom also runs a record label from the store under the same moniker, and has put out some wonderful records from locals like The Starlight Mints, Rainbows Are Free, The Boom Bang, and Shi++y/Awesome.

Ten years ago, I used to take vacations just for the purposes of finding a decent record store. Now when I travel, I don't even bother. Between Size Records, and both Guestroom locations all of my record needs are fulfilled inside and out. Whether searching for obscure collectible rarities, or just making sure I have a run of the mill copy of Meat is Murder I can rest assured that my record consumption is taken care of on a very local level.

What I find more comforting however, is that both shops have a deep involvement in our local music scene. Sure, business is business, and there's money to be made, but I can honestly say that my town's record stores care about, and help foster the local counter culture.

-Austin

* I mean hipster in the non-pejorative sense, as in general bohemian types.