Early Morning and Beyond

I rise and shine much too early. Even in this summer season of long days of sunlight, I still find myself driving around in the dark every morning because I can't sleep past 4 a.m. and I like to be out and about by 5:30 or 6 a.m. I've been this way all my life. I'm convinced that the sweetest part of life happens in the wee hours of the morning. It's the best time to get things done quickly without competition -- grocery shopping, gassing up the car, having a leisurely breakfast at the few all-night or early-opening diners in town. It's also the best time for roaming around and just appreciating the solitude. This morning, I did just such roaming before picking up Ron M. and heading for Afton.

This is an all-too-common sight for me -- filling my gas tank! Because of the long commute to Afton, I get gas about three times a week. Ugh! Today, I had the a/c cranked up in the car, and when I stepped out at the QuikTrip to fill 'er up, my camera lens hazed over in the torrid humidity, resulting in this etherial take on a common filling station shot. I drove over to the Golden Driller, Tulsa's signature statuary which stands at the Fairgrounds. To give you an idea of his size, a person standing next to him would come up to the cuff of his pants. He's a big guy -- 76 ft. tall, built in 1953. Again, my camera was not handling the low light photography very well. By the way, the Driller is a representation of a worker in one of the oil patches that brought riches to the Tulsa area during the oil boom of the early 20th century.

And now, on to what you came for -- Afton Station news. It was kind of a strange day today. Sundays are usually quiet in the morning and busy in the afternoon. Today, that was flip-flopped. We had a surge of visitors around 11, followed by a fairly quiet afternoon. Tattoo was there, and Betty W. came for a visit, too. Wonderful Reuben Tipton brought us some more of the tasty corn from his vast garden. We remarked how all of our visitors today seemed to be in wonderful, jovial moods. Lots of talk, laughing, fun.

Those happy folks came from Paola KS, Renton WA, Harrisburg PA, Hearst TX, Osage IA, Tulsa OK, and N. Platte, NE. This cute and well-trained pup sat up and offered a hand in return for a dog biscuit. He was a beauty, and I believe he was in a great mood today, too!