To Be a Kid Again

Lurking somewhere beneath a 54-year-old exterior is a little boy just itching to play. Randy got his chance last Friday at Turner Falls, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City.

We went to Oklahoma for a wedding on Saturday but left a day early for a mini vacation. Randy & Brent had visited Turner Falls on a father-son trip several years ago.

Randy said he thought I'd enjoy photographing the falls. But I think there was an ulterior motive hidden somewhere there.


Randy was ready to dive into some summer fun.

Look at that form!

Or, he could slide into some summer fun.





For the record, the TV weathermen informed us that Friday was the hottest day of 2010 in Oklahoma. As the person who was not in the water, I will concur.

The area with the diving board and slide was called The Blue Lagoon. (We decided that was more appealing than the Green Lagoon, which would probably have been more accurate.)


Turner Falls Park is nestled in the Arbuckle Mountains. (Again, probably a more accurate depiction would be the Arbuckle Hills, but as a fellow flatlander, I can understand the sentiment.)

Turner Falls Park is the oldest park in Oklahoma. As early as 1868, Turner Falls, located near Davis, Okla., has been a popular recreational area. Springs from the Arbuckle Mountains form Honey Creek, which cascades down a 77-foot waterfall to a natural swimming pool.

And, for the record, I did enjoy photographing the falls.



I just wish it had been about 20 degrees cooler!

Oh My! Pie!

Pie isn't exactly known for its health benefits. Of course, there sometimes is fruit involved. (Minor detail: The fruit is usually doused in sugar.)

So what could make pie even more nutritionally challenged? How about frying it?

It's not even state fair time yet, but we found the mecca for fried pies on our weekend trip to Oklahoma.

We went to Oklahoma City for a wedding on Saturday. But we were able to leave a day early for an extra day of fun in the sun. At Exit 51, 75 miles south of Oklahoma City, we stopped for ice before heading to Turner Falls (more on that tomorrow.)

With the giant old Sinclair dinosaur on top of the building, we just figured it was like any old convenience store, cozying up to a tourist attraction.

While gas, pop and ice were definitely big sellers, they couldn't hold a candle to the real attraction at Exit 51 - fried pies.

We avoided temptation before going to Turner Falls. But Randy couldn't resist stopping there again as we headed back to Oklahoma City.

Arbuckle Mountain Pies makes and sells 2,900 fried pies a day. That's more pies than the population of Davis, Oklahoma, the closest town (Population 2,665).

They sell pies for breakfast, lunch and dinner and have the flavors to attract customers at any time of the day.


We bought a peach pie and shared it like we usually share desserts: I ate 1/4 of it and Randy ate 3/4.


Nancy, the Fried Pie Lady, uses her grandmother's secret recipe for the sweet treats. The recipe has been in the family since 1893, when Nancy's grandma made pies for cowboys caring for cattle during a cold Oklahoma winter.

More than cowboys like the pies now. People were literally carrying boxes of pies out the door. They are cheaper by the dozen, you know. (And, no, we didn't test that theory!)