Mud bar?

Big news in Afton! A bar and grill has opened up in a building that once held another bar and grill but had been closed for several years. It ain't much to look at, but for the first time in quite a few years there's a place to get a sandwich and beer in beautiful downtown Afton. The parking lot, however, makes visiting the establishment a bit dicey, unless you're wearing your hip boots. I'd like to think that they'll be correcting this flaw, but this is, after all, Afton.

Presumably, their signature drink will be a Mudslide. . .

The other good news is that it was a busy day at Afton Station today, much busier than I had anticipated. We had a total of 9 visitors, all of them locals. It was the kind of day when local folks, having been pent up by recent unpleasant weather, wanted to get out and stretch their legs, I guess. Visitors stopped in from Langley, Bartlesville, Afton, and Grove, Oklahoma. Our friends Ron Warnick and Emily Priddy from Tulsa drove up and stayed for an hour or two. Ron M. was with me today. Betty B. met us at the door when we first arrived this morning and brought with her another treasure trove of very, very neat things she crafted herself. If you are in the area, you MUST stop by Afton Station and check out the cool stuff Betty makes. Because she searches the whole country for fabric, she uses some uniquely patterened Route 66 material that you won't see anywhere else to make tote bags and other items. She also works with old license plates and unusual "found" items. Everything is Route 66-related. Come check it out!

We arrived this morning to find the remains of our snow "Mr. Bill" -- just a pretzel mouth, one grape eye, and two plastic knife arms. R.I.P. Mr. Bill!

Last week I said I'd keep you up to date on the progress of the Extreme Makeover home that was being built just off Route 66 in Tulsa. Well, it was finished on Wednesday and the family moved in on Thursday. I never got close enough to take photos during the building project, but we drove past this morning and snapped this photo of the finished product. Remember, this home was built, decorated, furnished, and landscaped in a bit less than ONE WEEK, even after great delays caused by the weather. I still find that remarkable. Over the course of the week, we were able to hear some "inside info" on how the whole project works and I know that much of the planning for the build is done far in advance, but that doesn't alter the fact that the actual construction is honestly done in 6 1/2 days. There were thousands of volunteers involved in the project, and some auxiliary charity events were held in conjunction with it. Interesting. Here's the house. It's very nice.

I'll be in Afton again tomorrow, hoping it will be as busy and varied as today.