It’s been just over a month since we’ve posted anything to the travelogue. It’s not that we don’t think about it…there just hasn’t been any travel!
Indi and I both started our new jobs on May 3rd and have been working 8-5 Monday-Friday ever since. Weekends have been time for catch-up and reflection. I tell you, as the days go by I miss the open road more and more. I see Facebook updates from friends abroad and wonder what it would be like to experience new places…or even old places in new seasons. The heat is finally starting to set in here and I’m looking down the barrel of another Oklahoma summer. Speaking of Oklahoma…
I was in the kitchen a few minutes ago, minding my own business and putting away dishes when the dog started going bananas. I looked over and noticed the front door was closed. “What’re you going crazy about, dog? You can’t see anything!” I figured it was a weird sound or something. Mike (Indi’s brother and our roommate) looked up, at the small window in the entryway, and said, “No, she can see SOMETHING.” I walked over and looked out the window to see this:
Yes, friends, there were three horses on my property. One of Mike’s friends (+2) had been out riding nearby and thought they’d say hi. The exact sight I saw when I looked out the window was the horse’s backside up next to my glass storm door. Evidently, they were trying to ring the bell with it. Mike and I walked outside to greet our guests and talked for a few minutes. I couldn’t help but gawk at this strange sight of Man on Horse (and Woman, of course) next to it’s replacement, the automobile. They were so tall and regal. There was also a sense of uncertainty. After all, it was a living creature. If it wanted to take off in a gallop, well, it just might. It was exciting.
After a few minutes of “OMG” and neighbors starting to come out to see the show, our guests took off on down the street. It was nice of them to drop by. The sight of the three of them clomping down the asphalt road amidst suburban cookie-cutter homes was surreal. The rhythmic sounds of their hooves echoed off the brick and siding. I watched until they were out of sight.
I want to travel again. I know I’ve said this. Monetarily we should be able to afford a little R&R soon, even if it’s just a road trip to a small local town. Anything to get my camera back out in the wild and the experience of walking ground that I am unfamiliar with. Home is nice and comfortable, but that is not what life is all about to me anymore.
Rhys Martin was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1981. In 2009, he sold everything he owned and left the country, living out of a backpack for ten months. He discovered a passion for photography while traveling throughout Southeast Asia and Europe.
After returning home, he looked at his home town and Oklahoma heritage with fresh eyes. When he began to explore his home state, Rhys turned his attention to historic Route 66. As he became familiar with the iconic highway, he began to truly appreciate Oklahoma’s place along the Mother Road. He has traveled all 2,400 miles of Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles. He has also driven many miles on rural Oklahoma highways to explore the fading Main Streets of our small towns. Rhys has a desire to find and share the unique qualities of the Sooner State with the rest of the world.
Cloudless Lens Photography has been featured in several publications including This Land, Route 66 Magazine, Nimrod Journal, Inbound Asia Magazine, The Oklahoman, and the Tulsa World. In 2018 he published his first book, Lost Restaurants of Tulsa.
Rhys loves to connect with people and share his experiences; ask him about enjoyable day trips from Tulsa, locations along Route 66, and good diners or burger joints along the way.
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Rhys' Pieces 