Sunday, March 9, 2008

Ooooohhhhhh....klahoma!

As predicted, I did burst into song when I crossed the border into OK. It didn't last long as I don't know many of the words to the song. But, man, they weren't kidding about those 'winds sweeping down the plain' thing. I'm actually quite glad to have a heavy suitcase in the trunk, it's acting as ballast. I'm not joking.

My time in Oklahoma was brief, but great. I spent the afternoon and evening with my friend Amy, and her friend Amy (who is fabulous). They were great hosts, showing me practically every inch of Oklahoma City. I even got to see where Amy grew up, awww. We went for drinks at a the bar in the Skirvin Hotel (the last art deco building in OKC), and had dinner at a fantastic restaurant. It was such a great visit, so nice to catch up with Amy. Thankfully her cats left me alone so I could breathe. That was nice too. Thanks for being such a great host, Amy!!

We spent some time at the Oklahoma City National Memorial. It is a moving memorial, truly one of the most well done I've seen. It's hard to believe nearly 13 years have passed. In addition to memorializing those that perished in the bombing, the memorial also includes a tribute to the survivors, and their rescuers. I thought that was beautiful. Click the photos to enlarge.

This wall marks 9:01 am, the minute before the blast, and there is a wall opposite that reads 9:03, the minute after. The reflecting pool marks 9:02.




Each chair represents a victim. The chairs for the children who died in the daycare are child sized. Gut wrenching.


This is the lone tree that survived the blast. It's dedicated to the survivors:

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Awww, you're wonderful!

Thanks for the great visit and letting me play tour guide! :-)

Unknown said...

Susan - good entry on Oklahoma. Very moving to see the photos from the bombing...hadn't seen those before. You're making me want to take a cross-country trip across the USA!

Mike

Anonymous said...

Susan,

Perhaps when you return you can help me write a letter to everyone under 30, too. That was hilarious! The house is gorgeous. I remember my drive through the easter portion of Colorado, before you can see the mountains- it was dry and everything was brown or dusty.
Looking forward to reading more soon!
- Kelly

Unknown said...

Susan,

Thanks for posting these photos. I have been wanting to visit this memorial. My mom worked for Social Security before she retired and I remember trying to get a hold of her after the blast (not knowing if another SS building would get hit) and being told that the 312 area code was busy. I was, naturally, at BU at the time.

Nice to watch your travels!

Julia