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.

Treat Your Mom to an Oklahoma Adventure

Mother’s Day 2011 is now a memory but don’t let that stop you from giving your mom special Oklahoma adventures throughout the year.

A couple of years ago our family started a new Mother’s Day tradition and gave my mother and mother-in-law a day trip to a couple of special Oklahoma destinations. To avoid the crowds we chose the Saturday after Mother’s Day for our first adventure and headed to Ponca City, known for its rich, colorful blend of American Indian, Western and oil boom history.

To fuel up for touring the ornate and historical Marland Mansion, we opted to first have lunch at Enrique’s Restaurant, a legendary local eatery self-described as “the hottest jalapeno on the runway,” so named for where it’s sited -- right next to the runway at the Ponca City Airport Municipal Airport. Having visited Enrique’s on previous trips, we knew the delights of the restaurant’s robust menu of fresh, flavorful Mexican food and of watching planes land and passengers debark and saunter into the restaurant like they would from a car.

Enrique’s puffy hand-made corn tortillas are paradoxically both crunchy and chewy, and transcend the genre, especially when paired with the restaurant’s piquant salsa, and the flavorful chicken tortilla soup was another big hit with our family.

Just down the road from Enrique’s lies the Marland Mansion, built between 1925 and 1928 at a cost of $5.5 million as the home of Oklahoma’s 10^th governor, oilman E.W. Marland. Touring the mansion was a fascinating and nostalgic trek for our mothers, who remembered the styles reflected in the historic mansion’s opulent furnishings.

Known as the “Palace on the Prairie” and built by master architect John Duncan Forsyth in Mediterranean Revival style, this palatial National Historic Landmark feels as though it could be the setting for F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby.” Lavish embellishments and artifacts glitter and sparkle at every turn in the 43,561-square-foot mansion. We had fun imagining the dinner parties held in the luxurious dining room.

Place settings that would have impressed nobility from any country.

From the imported Waterford crystal chandeliers -- the crowning the glory to the ballroom -- to the 24 karat gold-leaf mosaic domed ceiling worth more than $1.4 million in the gallery level of the mansion, each of the mansion’s four levels revealed luxurious treasures beyond imagining.

Chandelier gazing.

Intricate ceiling.

A grand hallway was stunning as were an elevator lined in buffalo skin, delicate hand-carved details in lime wood and oak paneled walls, rich tapestries and Sheffield plate wall sconces, ornate ceilings.

Everything so beautiful and intricate that at one point we all just sat down and stared at the ceiling for a good long while. The necks tend to get a little sore from all that looking up. 

And then we toured the bedrooms, many of them, ten in all.

And this beauty was one of them.

Grace at every turn.

Marland’s office.

There are 12 bathrooms scattered throughout the mansion. Lydie’s bathroom was particularly lovely. Lydie was Marland’s adopted daughter and after his first wife passed away, he later had the adoption annulled and Lydie became his wife.

So many enticing little details -  note the special shower setting for tepid.

The mansion itself is just a starting point for all there is to see. The grounds are lush and extensive and include an artist studio, oil museum, Lydie's cottage  and Lake White Marsh, named after Marland's yacht.

By all accounts our family had a grand time exploring these two Ponca City destinations, but the greatest treasure of all wasn’t found in the tasty food at Enrique’s or the lavish display of wealth at the Marland Mansion. It was the gift of time spent with our mothers, of seeing the pleasure they took in the sights, of the memories we created in our time together -- altogether totally priceless.

Salty Plains, Rock Star Cows and Mother Nature’s Light Show

Our daughter, Callie, is 13 years old and as teenagers so often do, she has a memory like an elephant. Two weeks before spring break she says, “You’ve been promising for-eee-ver that we’d go on a family camping trip. Now is the time.”

We intuitively realized that if there was to be any peace in the Struby household again, the family camping expedition could no longer be delayed. We sorted through sleeping bags, got the camping gear in order, browsed TravelOK.com for just the right spot, and finally settled on the Great Salt Plains State Park near Jet. Callie was fascinated with seeing plains made of salt, and I knew from researching there were plenty of things, in addition to the Salt Plains, to keep my crew entertained.

By cruising the back roads, our favorite way to travel, we made the drive from Oklahoma City in an easy two and half hours.

We camped for two nights right on the shores of the Great Salt Plains Lake, ate gloriously tasty food cooked up on our handy camp stove, and survived a big rain storm in our tent just fine -- no drips, leaks or miserable, soggy sleeping bags. And by the way, it’s no lie that everything tastes better outdoors.

On a chilly afternoon with storm clouds skittering across the sky we headed out to the Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, 32,000 acres of open water, wetlands, prairies, woodlands and farm fields that lie just a few miles north of the lake, and one of nine National Wildlife Refuges in Oklahoma. The refuge is a very special and important place, habitat to more 300 species of birds, designated a Globally Important Bird Area, a Member of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network, and it’s critical habitat for the endangered whooping crane.

On the way to the refuge we happened across this picturesque old farm house resembling a watercolor painting.

Being a hobbyist photographer, I made the whole family stop and while I was clicking away, far in the distance we heard a mooing ruckus, and looked up to see a herd of cows trotting toward us, obviously on a mission. Whether they thought our arrival signaled chow time or they were just curious, by the time they arrived the sun was peeking out and they were ready for their close-up. They posed and posed and posed some more, reminding us a bit of rock stars.

At the refuge headquarters, this pretty sight greeted us. Even though we visited before spring kissed everything green, the beauty of the refuge is reflected in Bonham Pond, where refuge staff offer Wildlife in the Classroom programs to kids from kindergarten through 12th grade.

Bird, birds, birds were at every turn on the Harold F. Miller Auto tour, a 2.5-mile drive that meanders through the refuge by ponds, wetlands and farm fields. There’s ample room to pull over and walk or take photos and we did so several times, serenaded by a symphony of bird songs and calls.

Spring was busting out all over.

Silvery trees made a splash against the dramatic backdrop of storm clouds.

And then it was time to visit the Salt Plains. That white stuff isn’t snow – it’s salt, real salt. After the forested wetlands and throngs of birds at the refuge, the Salt Plains seemed wildly empty, and although we were disappointed we couldn’t dig for the rare hourglass selenite crystals found here (digging time is April 1 through October 15) -- we were suitably impressed by the plains’ grand scale.

Even though it was coolish, cloudy and stormy during some of our visit, the weather didn’t keep Callie from exploring the shoreline. And way out in the lake what looks like an island in the distance is just that. It’s Ralstin Island, a very important part of the refuge. At about six acres, the island is Oklahoma’s largest rookery a.k.a. bird nursery for nesting birds, and hosts more than 30,000 birds during breeding season. Shhhh. Human visitors not allowed – don’t want to wake all those babies – but the refuge office offers live footage of the island via their remote cameras from April through October.

It’s never too cold and you’re never too old to play in the sand.

The sun came out and everything went sparkly.

And then along came dusk and a stunning light show from Mother Nature that beat anything on the movie screen hands down. We pulled our camp chairs to the water’s edge, sipped on a bit of wine, and reveled in the glory.

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

Dancing Lights

I'm a sucker for a good light display around the holidays and we've discovered an amazing one, the Downs Family Christmas lights in Norman.

Some friends introduced us to it last year, but we took Grayson this year and all he could say was, "pretty lights...dancing." Then he would sit there in silence trying to take it all in. I must say his parents were pretty mesmerized too.

The light display is at a beautiful home which sits on an acreage just off Highway 9 and 72nd Ave SE. According to their website, when dad Chuck Downs retired in early 2007, his engineering brain needed something to do, thus the spectacular light display was born.

When you pull into the drive, there is a sign telling you what station to tune your radio to so you can hear the songs that correspond to each light show. I believe there are five different songs in this year's rotation. The show is professional quality and is free to the public. They do take donations for the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma and last year alone collected 9,891 pounds of food and cash donations totaling $17,492.65!

I took some video with my iPhone, but YouTube is blocking the audio because of copyright issues. That said, I was able to find a video that was uploaded by the Downs family directly.

They also have a cool time lapse video of their family building one of the large tree light displays. Each one takes two hours to set up by the family. Check out the video on the bottom of their homepage here.

Pumpkin Picking

As daylight grows shorter and the air turns crisp it is time for one of my favorite fall activities -- pumpkin patches! I may be a city girl, but there is something magical about tromping around a farm while hunting for the perfect pumpkin and picking it straight off the vine.

Even though I love Halloween, and autumn in general, I'm not much for scary movies, haunted forests or any of the frightening things that go with it, thus the pumpkin patch is just my speed. We've taken Grayson to TG Farms near Norman over the last several years and it's fun to look back at the pictures of how he's grown.

Grayson's first TG Farms visit at five weeks old

Checking out the strange gourd textures during our 2009 visit

Picking out his own pumpkins this weekend

Grayson isn't the only thing that has grown. Every year there seems to be something new at TG Farms. From hayrides to a petting zoo to a hay bale maze perfect for kiddos Gray's size, we always stay busy and have fun on the farm. I also love the idea of Grayson growing up knowing that pumpkins come from a vine, not from a bin at the grocery store.

Here are a few pics from this year's visit.

The many pumpkin varieties available at the entrance of the farm.

 The entrance to the corn maze which was a little more intimidating than the smaller hay maze we attempted.

 

Grayson would have gone up and down the hay bales and slide all day if we let him.

 

The pumpkin patch

--Lindsay