My mother-in-law is in town this weekend. I am thankful that these visits do not come with the stereotypical hand-wringing and stress; I'm always happy when Cindy comes to town from New York. She's a great lady. Additionally, Samantha is on Cloud Nine the entire time; they usually spend most of the time junk-store shopping anyway. … Continue reading Backroad Bridgehunting
Last weekend was the first (hopefully annual) NeonFest in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Several of my roadie friends decided to put on a small festival dedicated to the iconic roadside signage that has lined the Mother Road for decades. People were coming from all over the US to check it out! Arcadia is a town of ~250 and … Continue reading A Buzzing in the Air
When people think of Oklahoma, it's not often their first mental image conjures up a lot of blue. Perhaps the golden tones of the waving wheat, the orange or crimson of our primary college sports teams...or perhaps the emerald tones of the farmland in our northeast corner (locally known as 'Green Country'). However, we do have … Continue reading Okie Blue
I love getting to experience my city for new visitors. I also really enjoy showing people what's so special about Route 66. Today, I was able to do both AND showcase some of Oklahoma's unique landscape for my friend Rose. I met Rose in 2010 when I attended my first DragonCon. If you've never heard of that, … Continue reading Sooner State Show-Off
The last few weeks have been hectic in the Martin household. In fact, the Martin household no longer includes a house! We listed our home for sale in early March...and it sold in five hours. We found a house we want to move into, but, the schedule just didn't work out. We've been spending nearly every … Continue reading A Much-Needed Escape
Back in October of 2014, I took a little roadtrip into southeast Kansas. I had never visited the town where my father was born and it sounded like as good a destination as any. I was reminiscing a bit tonight and noticed I never shared the experience here. My writing was a lot different back … Continue reading A Look Back in Southeast Kansas
Friday morning, I woke early. 5:00 AM early, in fact. I had a decision to make. Should I drive straight home, or should I map a full day of driving? I had a few locations saved that I could detour to see, including a theatre in Poplar Bluff that's been on my list for YEARS. It would … Continue reading The Poplar Vote
When I hopped on the highway this morning, I didn't head to the office like normal. At least, not to MY office. My employer sent me to Columbia, Missouri to do some job shadowing at a satellite office. I love traveling for work! Though I was sad to leave Samantha behind for a few days, … Continue reading Winding Through Missouri
All last week, the local weather stations have been warning Tulsa residents that a potentially crippling ice storm would arrive this weekend. The big question mark revolved around the actual temperature: in every weather model, Tulsa sat RIGHT on the freezing mark. So it could be a big mess or it could be no big … Continue reading Having an Ice Weekend
Although I haven't been on the road much lately, I've been working on a few projects. The one I'm most excited about is a presentation I'm giving a week from today in downtown Tulsa at the newly renovated Central Library! The Tulsa City-County Library hosts a series of talks annually where local folks share their travel … Continue reading Travels with Tulsans – Route 66
Rhys' Pieces 