Oklahoma and Texas

At this time of year, we would normally avoid these hot places, but here there is family to say good-by to.

Down out of the last of the mountains, we cross the upper corner of NM, stopping at Tucumcari for the night. The name comes either from a romantic and suspiciously Longfellowish story of a love triangle and suicide murder, or (more likely)the name of a mountain which in Comanche means ambush place.

From here, on through Amarillo TX and into OK, it seems way too green and lush to be the old west. Not a cactus or a cow skull in sight, only lush pasture, green fields and increasing amounts of trees. I remember this as drier, maybe it rained a lot, maybe my recollection has been bleached out by too much time in the desert.

The closer we get to OK, the hotter it gets, and the humidity goes up and up. We were sad enough to leave the North Rim, and we really miss that cool dry place now.

In Oklahoma City, we visit the Cowboy Museum. Don’s legs and feet have developed a tendency to swell, making the walking hard, but we go on through, stopping at the Russells and Remingtons and ambling through the exhibits about the world of the working cowboy. A good half of the museum is art, western, realistic, and romantic art. No abstracts allowed here, “we don’t know much about art but we know what we like”. Wisely, the museum makes much of the art part, so as to attract the wealthy donors and patrons that they have to have.

I am a fool for cowboys and all things to do with them. I love the horses, the places and the smells and the people. Here, though, it seems to be a closely held identity, in spite of the fact that few of these people ever actually got close enough to a cow to smell it. It was a romantic idea, and the outfits are good. And it sells almost anything, including religion.

Beside the road we see a black metal silhouette of a cross with a cowboy kneeling beside it while his horse waits. Some of the stories of what the cow towns were like when a cattle drive up from TX came into town remind me that these cowboys were pretty wild and wooley, like the miners, and not perhaps the John Wayne, Roy Rogers version.

First stop, in Pauls Valley OK to visit one grandson, wife, great granddaughter and to their enormous credit, the sister and brother of his wife who have no useful parents. We are staying at one of my favorite types of campground, the city park which is on a lake, lots of visiting and fishing going on, just camping and not pretending we are at a resort. I was dreading tearful good byes, as they will not see Don again, but since he doesn’t look like he is sick, much less dying, perhaps that kept it heartfelt, but not weepy.

Don’s swelling foot and calf worried us enough to go the local emergency room. There, various blood tests and an ultrasound suggested he might have a small clot in his lower leg or foot. Apparently, the cancer makes his blood more likely to clot, and this is exacerbated by sitting in the truck and driving all day. We were advised to get out and walk more often and his aspirin intake is upped. Scary, but the Dr, said to carry on, watching for pain higher up which would indicate a clot that could go to lungs, heart or even brain.

In Pittsburg, TX we stayed again at Lake Bob Sandlin State park. Here the jungle that is hot southern summer growth crowds in, and it rains and drips, and the cicadas rattle and rasp in the trees. There are vines, and in the trees it is dark even when the sun shines. The heat is breathtaking, the humidity is thick, a blue haze where you can see any distance.

This visit, with Don’s daughter was jolly and good too, although she and I puddled up a couple of times, and she made me promise to keep her in my life and close in the months ahead. She has a new husband and a nice new house, and her life is looking up except for facing the loss of her Daddy. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, so the loss is doubly hard. We ate out for dinner, they came here for breakfast, and then she followed us and ambushed us to wave madly in her truck as we drove off.

Next we head further south to Huntsville TX for the other grandson and wife. Hotter and wetter, I don’t see how people can chose to live here, unless their jobs demand it. Another dinner out and another breakfast here, and another fond, but not weepy, farewell, I suppose these people have only seen Don sporadically, and since he appears healthy it may be hard to believe the worst.

Now we are working our way to Clarksville, TN where the combat medic grandson in the Army is stationed. Today, at a beautiful state park in Forrest City AR, we are camped beside a lake, acres of mowed lawns, lots of space between sites, and commercial worthy views out of all windows. We are taking a break from the road today. Driving on Interstates makes me nearly crazy with boredom, especially these southern roads that are made of slabs of concrete. Maybe they are OK when new, but with time the slabs move and they are just the right distance apart to set my truck and trailer into a thump thump thump that is exhausting. I think my boobs have dropped another inch.

We have settled into our on the road pattern, which we both love, on the move, always adjusting our route, and pondering the different things we see. I wish we could do a little more sightseeing, but although Don’s swelling is much better, we still need to keep moving in case it gets worse. We also are looking forward to the less steamy weather in VA, at least we hope it will be less steamy. Right now, I think we are in the Amazon.