Gotta Get to Guymon

Here I sit in the heart of the Oklahoma panhandle -- in the midst of miles and miles of miles and miles. This is amazing country -- enough sky to cover a continent -- and it's blue, a veritable ocean of air. The terrain is so flat that you can see past beyond. Yesterday Jack and I spotted a magnificent male pheasant, a prairie dog and an antelope. It's antelope season and I wonder how hunters get close enough to take a shot. Since I'm an unabashed bambi-lovin' tree hugger, I hope they don't! We've spent two nights at the Willows Inn Bed and Breakfast here in Guymon (while I was attending a conference) and it's better than a home away from home. It's cleaner than my house and the breakfast, which I didn't have to fix, was awesome. Check www.thewillowsinn.net to see pictures. There are several good restaurants in Guymon and several chain motels in addition to the b and b. Guymon boasts a nice park with a one-mile walking trail around a little lake and a wildlife refuge with buffalo and elk (who were hiding out when we visited). I'll be writing about this trip in the Edmond Sun. Got to hit the road to Goodwell. More later.

WaterFire

What's a writer to do with an indescribable event? I'd be chewing my pencil if I weren't on the computer! Jack and I "did" Kansas City this weekend capped off with one of the most enjoyable spectacles I've seen in a long time -- WaterFire. Copied from an event back East, WaterFire combined music, performance art and 85 bonfires blazing in Brush Creek Canal on the Plaza. I thought the music was canned until Jack pointed out a singer not six feet away on a bridge over the canal. I don't know her name, but will find out. She sang a glorious Dvorak aria "Song to the Moon." The selection of music was outstanding for the free event. Definitely not aimed at rockers or headbangers, the choices soared over the crowd, a fitting accompaniment to the European-feel of the setting. Later in the evening, performers did things with fire that surely sent their insurance rates skyrocketing. There will be a second presentation of WaterFire on October 13 -- definitely a do-not-miss event.

The young lady in the photo is soprano Sylvia Stoner-Hawkins.