Favorite Things & "Eye of the Quilter" 2012

How does that song go, "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, da da da da...these are a few of my favorite things?" Well, if you know me just a little bit you know that 1) Oklahoma is my FAVORITE place in the whole wide world; 2) I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the wild horses; and 3) I cannot RESIST a dirt road (hence my love of my Jeep)! This afternoon I opened my e-mail to discover three messages from the International Quilt Show informing me that all three of my entries into this years "Eye of the Quilter" photography exhbit entitled "Favorites" had been selected to be shown!! I am so honored and so excited--especially because this years' photos are three of my favorite things! Each photo had to be accompanied by a short story/essay of what/why the photograph portrayed the theme. SO--I will let my photos and essays explain:

The Dome: I am an "Okie." Coming home to me means coming home to Oklahoma. I grew up a "military brat" which meant traveling and moving all over the world--an experience I would not change for anything. But home leave meant "Oklahoma." When it came time for me to graduate from high school, my father was to be stationed in Vietnam, so my parents let me choose where I wanted to attend school for my senior year...I chose Bixby, Oklahoma! There are many images I could find that would depict Oklahoma, but this is one of my favorites. Being a quilter, my eye is drawn to patterns, color and light. The Oklahoma State Capital and its "new dome" (it was dome-less until 2002), represents the strength and fortitude of this great state. The dome, still shiny and new is much like Oklahoma (we've only been a state since 1907): The twinkling stars like those on a prairie sky, the golden color of a field of wheat at harvest time; the light of a bright summer sky...and even the dizzy feeling you get from spinning 'round to see it all like an Oklahoma tornado.

The Horses: I wish, I wish, I wish--that I could capture the sound for you of the wild horse herds in the Osage Hills of Oklahoma. Close your eyes and picture green, rolling hills covered not with herds of cattle, but herds of horses. You can hear the soft blowing of their breath--the poof of air. It is simply magical. When the light is right and the horses are out--I can't help but stop by the side of a road to grab a quick shot. I tell myself that I am going to drive from "Point A" to "Point B" without stopping...but then there are these horses in a field by the road...just beckoning me to pull over. Then I hear them and once again I am lost on the side of the road with my camera and 50 shots later I remember that the ice cream I bought is melting and I must go home...but just one more shot....!

Where the Roads Come Together: When I was little girl, my Mother would have me sit in the passenger seat of our car and we would go "exploring." It was my job to read the maps and help direct us to our final destination. To this day, I love to turn down a dirt road and see where it leads. In life, we often don't know where the road we are travelling will take us and who will cross our paths. We've all travelled different roads, but now we have found a place where our lives have intersected once again. So which way to go--the fast lane on the rails...or the dusty road less travelled? You go your way and I'll go mine--but I'll meet you up the way!

Wild Horses

A quick drive today from Bartlesville, OK to Sedan, KS could have meant driving our usual route of Hwy 75 to Caney and over to Sedan.  Not a bad drive...but one we make a couple of times a week.  Today was one of those just pretty days and when the intersection with Hwy 75 and Hwy 10 came up...the pick up truck just almost turned west on Hwy 10 on its own.  

Its a fun road--better driven in the Jeep but the pick up had to do for today.  First you go over the Copan Lake Dam (which is high because of recent storms).  Then curves and up and down the hills and into the valleys.   A motorcyclist's dream road.   Everything is so green and wild flowers are in every ditch and gully.  The fields are yellow with mustard.  Another curve and across Hulah Dam!

And then there are the horses!   Many of the large ranches here in Oklahoma are home to the Bureau of Land Management's wild horse program.  There's controversy about this program--but there are no words to describe the beauty of a wild horse herd.  To see them running and drinking from the ponds is truly breathtaking.  

But the best is the sound.  Stop the truck.  Get out and listen.  You can hear the wind...the caw of a crow...and the horses--soft blowing of their breath, a whinny...thank  you, Lord, for the horses and for those that keep them and care for them.