The morning of July 4th found us in Amarillo, TX with plans to drive into Oklahoma City. West Texas was expansive and windy -- so, what's new? Well, perhaps the fields of wind turbines.
These turbines were closer to the road than many we have seen along the way -- usually in the distance lining a high mesa -- and filling the fields as deep as we could see. No audible sounds to us in the car. I still do not understand the hoopla in opposition to these structures.Closer to OKC we stopped at a "trading post" -- after all we were in Oklahoma by this time.
There are treasures in these "trading posts" -- many items made by Native Americans. At this "post," a stately Indian stood guard at the entrance. 
Along with this Indian, outside there were impressive murals depicting the forced march, two painted buffaloes, and a real buffalo in a corral. Lots of local color -- literally and figuratively. The bison is Oklahoma's state animal. Many communities over the world have "painted" objects to represent their areas -- cows (Chicago and Prague), doors, Palmetto trees (SC). Oklahoma decorated bison.
On the way into OKC, we stopped at Jonette's favorite Native American artisan's shop. White Antelope, the owner, and her son, Mario, make wonderful jewelry and art...as well as presenting the work of other Native Americans. The shop is a lttle art museum. White Antelope is an interesting woman wth spirit and humor. A few years ago Jonette had her make me a fetish-heishi necklace which I cherish.
When we finally settled into Jonette's home, the bottom fell out of the heavens with 60 mph winds, rain, and power outages all around us -- all fireworks canceled in the area. Throughout our road trip we NEVER encountered a rainstorm or severe weather. (We did have a little bit of a hailstorm going over the last mountain pass before Durango.) We have been SO fortunate in our travels! So, when the rains hit Saturday night --and we DID NOT lose power as 16,000+ others did in this vicinity -- we did not feel slighted for missing the up-close-and-personal fireworks. Instead, we settled in for the Capitol's celebration and the Boston Pops' traditional fare in HD. We slept soundly Saturday night finally "off the road."
SUNDAY
Neither of us awakened early today -- it actually was the first morning we both slept in. After a lovely brunch, we headed for the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum here in OKC. This sculpture stands at the entrance.
This museum houses an incredible collection of art -- paintings, sculpture, exhibits of the early West, a re-creation of a circa 1900 Western cattle town and way of life. James Earle Fraser's magnificent and powerful sculpture "The End of the Trail" create s dramatic first impression (18 feet tall weighing over four tons) in the entrance. Sorry the lighting is poor for the picture -- if I took it from the other side, you could not see the face and other features. 
The Native American exhibits depict several tribal worlds through design elements on clothing, tools, and utensils. Set in a lifelike 1950s area, the American Rodeo gallery showcases artifacts and memorabilia of history and champions. Another gallery features Western performers/actors, artwork, and more memorabilia from early Westerns (including the John Wayne Collection). There is much more here than can be seen in one visit!
Everyone recognizes this iconic statue by my favorite sculptor, Glenna Goodacre who also created the Sacajawea model for the one dollar coin; she makes Ronald Reagan almost look alive. Her work is remarkable. (Hopefully, you will have -- or have had -- the opportunity to see many of her originals at the Nedra Mattuchi Gallery in Santa Fe.)
We enjoyed our relaxed day.
Still working on flight plans home....
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