Hwy 81 Down and Around to Mount Scott

One of the best things about a driving trip is that it can give you an entirely different perspective about what is sometimes the most frustrating part of traveling, getting to and from your destination.  In other words, it really can be all about the journey. 

I had a great lesson in that this spring.  I was driving south from Oklahoma City and decided to ditch the turnpike for the road less traveled at Chickasha.  It had been a pretty uneventful morning, cruising along with corn nuts and a fountain drink until I saw this rising out of a field somewhere along the asphalt of highway 81.

And in the field were more of these bodies, formed from the pieces of the discarded, once well-oiled and functional but now rusty and refashioned. 

But on with my rambling.  After lunch at an antique store/tea room in Duncan, I headed across the street and found these 2 timely "antiques" at another store.

It's pretty hard to top an afternoon with Bill and Hillary, but I left them for a visit to Medicine Park.  This little place is growing up, and it shows in the crowds and the real estate development.  I still remember a few years ago when my sister and I mused about moving here in our hippie retirement days and reopening the original brothel as a hotel/restaurant complete with dance hall girls.  Unfortunately, I’m still in my hippie preretirement days, and the brothel has moved on just fine without us.  Another missed opportunity perhaps, but it's still a great little town to visit.

I was about as far south as I cared to venture that day, but it would have been a shame to end the day without a magnificent view like this one from Mt Scott.  I was in the neighborhood, so to speak.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Robert Frost

The Road Not Taken

 

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art

I stopped at the Mabee-Gerrer Museum on a trip to Shawnee last weekend.  The quality of this museum is one of the best kept secrets in the area.  First of all, its small size is one of the most enjoyable things about it.  You don’t have to worry about wasting the whole day there, wandering through rooms of artifacts until all of time becomes one big blur like your 10th grade history class. 

Upon entry, you’ll see the curio cabinet containing the collection of Fr. Gregory Gerrer, featuring old currency, shrunken heads, and war helmets.  It turns out he was quite the artist, as well as collector.   An official portrait he did of Pope Pius X is on display.  He also painted a copy of that portrait which hangs at the Vatican.



Going along with the religious theme, the Renaissance and Medieval art are always some of my favorites.  I love the haloed Madonna and baby Jesus images in Asian, Spanish, and Caucasian flavors.





Surprisingly, some things there are not found anywhere else locally.  Tutu, the only Egyptian mummy in the state of Oklahoma, rests at the museum.  There are also a cat mummy, 2 additional sarcophagi, and other artifacts from Egypt.

In other collections, there are some impressive ivory pieces.  The docent indicated that those are normally seen in European museums, but not in the US. 

The African masks might make you want to jump right into the suit of armor, or the native American costume might inspire you to attend a local pow-wow.  I’m sure there are a lot of notable things left unmentioned, but you really should discover them for yourself.  It’s well worth the $5 admission — or the free admission if you go in the summer.

Mabee-Gerrer Museum of Art
St. Gregory’s Campus
Shawnee, OK
http://www.mgmoa.org