Couple of Coffees

Oklahoma, OK!

Norman, Oklahoma, a college town right outside Oklahoma City, welcomed us a couple days ago with heat and more heat. We've become accustomed to drinking tons of water and only spending as little time possible in the sun. Everybody's been talking about the 100-degree temperatures and accompanying humidity. It's good to know Texas and Oklahoma aren't that hot all the time. In Norman, a shopkeeper recommended Bison Witches Bar and Deli for lunch. We were surprised to find although nobody was out on the streets, everybody was inside Bison Witches, gorging on huge sandwiches and bread bowls brimming with soup. We joined the masses to feast. The state was on our must-see list, since it's one I hadn't been to before.

After Norman, we went to the national memorial at Oklahoma City. It was very sobering to stand where the federal building was and realize its scope. The memorial was beautifully, thoughtfully constructed, with large gateways on either side representing 9:01 and 9:03, the minutes framing the minute of the explosion. Empty chairs are set in rows representing those who died. The picture is from the 9:01 gate, looking toward the moment after, with the reflecting pool in between.



People had hung tokens, stuffed animals, messages and pictures on a wall near the second gate. On an overlook walk, small bells were attached to a fence, where the playground was, each with the name of a child who died there. Passers-by can walk along and ring the bells in their memory.

We had the best of intentions after that to go to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art, but we were sun dazzled and heat impaired, so we couldn't find it and instead drove through the Bricktown historic area. I discovered later the museum is only a few blocks from the memorial. We took that as a sign to get back on the road to Wichita, where we arrived in the evening, in time to pick the wrong hotel and that's a story that's already been told.

In the morning in Wichita, we spotted a large farmers' market, where we found delicious cookies and a new hat for me (of course). In search of coffee, we followed a billboard to the Spice Traders, a wonderful tea and spice store that captured our imaginations and got me back into thinking of tea as a calming ritual and not just as a way to wake up without coffee. I hope to have some tea parties when we get back home. After all, my hat from the farmers' market is very much a tea party hat, and I'll need an occasion or two to wear it.

posted by Laura the Writer @ 8:44 AM