Hello, 114 degrees. . . now please go away!

That blob just above the rising sun in the photo below is a cloud.  I  just had to photograph it this morning  because I haven't seen one for quite some time.  The heat continues to be oppressive and just plain yucky.   My energy level is slightly below zero.

Here's my life since I last met you here.  Last evening I had a very nice dinner with Denny Gibson, a member of our Route 66 family who is traveling across the country from his Cincinnati, OH home to attend the Route 66 Festival in Victorville, CA next week.  It's always great to see Denny, and Ron Warnick and Emily Priddy joined us for a Dilly Deli (downtown Tulsa) meal.     

 Intrepid travelers continue to stop at Afton Station, but not in quite the same numbers as before the sun decided to broil us alive.   Dean Kennedy from Mooresville, IN is another of our Route 66 family who came to visit today on his way to the Victorville festival.   I'm getting quite jealous that I'm not one of the lucky ones, but I must resign myself to the fact that I need to remain at home this year.    It was nice to see Dean today, however.

Tim Metcalf, of Radio Station KRPS  FM 89.9 in Pittsburg, KS came to interview me for a radio show that can be heard in a portion of the 3-state area (OK, KS, MO) on Friday, once in the the morning and once in the afternoon.  So if anyone is in the Joplin/Pittsburg area, you might want to tune in to hear me make a fool of myself.   The program will also be broadcast on the KRPS website after Friday.

There's a red barn on Route 66 in Claremore, OK.  On the roof, in huge letters, reads COL. SUE DULANEY.   For years and years I've passed that barn several times a week and have wondered who Colonel Sue was and why the letters are on the roof.   Today, Col. Sue herself came for a visit, along with her nephew from Vista, CA.   Sue explained that "Colonel" is an honorary ranking given to folks in the auction business, a business she's been in for over 30 years.  She runs it out of that barn. I truly enjoyed their visit.

We also had visitors from Santa Fe NM, Jay OK, Martville NY, and Milwaukee WI.  A satisfying day all around.

Ron M. is improving a lot, and yesterday was to be taken out of the ICU and put into a regular room.  However, they had to leave him in place because there are no available private rooms.  Why?  The  hospital is overrun with folks with heat-related illnesses.   This heat wave has GOT to stop!