Passow's Camel Farm near Perry OK

 A recent visit to Perry OK for a Red Carpet Country board meeting included a tour of a camel farm near Perry. There we met some really interesting folks whose occupation is raising and selling camels. The camel farm is out in the country, about three miles off the paved highway, so plan for that when you make a visit. You can find information at this site http://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.14653

This is Ralph, the camel man. He and his wife Winona operate a camel farm near Perry OK. Ralph was a fount of good information and what I call a "real character". 

They raise Dromedary Camels, or the one hump kind. The two hump camels are Bactrians and according to Ralph, not as much fun! In fact, he classified the Bactrians as MEAN! Camels have a 25 to 50 year life span. Ralph and his wife have had as many as 45 camels on the farm, and currently have about 18.

Winona Showed us that the camels are pretty tame, they don't bite and you can hand feed them. They were a little edgy when we visited because they are used to being outside in the pasture area. Camels are nervous animals and do not handle stress well according to Ralph. They, like some people, don't like strangers and are a suspicious breed. 

Camels are pretty valuable! In addition to being good "tree trimmers" and "pasture clearers" (they eat thistles) the camel milk is highly sought after. Females have a 13 month gestation period and calves can be weaned at 2 months. Female young sell for around $3500 and males are bringing up to $4500. A mom with calf can bring as much as $15,000 to $20,000. Color has a lot to do with determining value. White camels are more valuable that their darker color mates.

This is Karen Wilcox from Perry.  The farm also boasts some other interesting creatures like this mini donkey. They are very friendly and like to be petted!

This is a baby mini!

The trip was a lot of fun and the folks were memorable! Other things to do in Perry include visiting their Core of Engineers Lake, a nice place for a little fishing, hiking or camping and probably a great place to have a family event. They have some nice pavilions around the lake. And a visit to downtown Perry is fun too! Lots of history from the Land Run in this community.

Waynoka Snake Hunt 2014

Every year Waynoka hosts it's Annual Rattle Snake Hunt the first weekend after Easter.

measuring snakes on Sunday to award the prizes!

This is my great grandson catching his very first ever snake! Thanks to Terry Bixler and his grandson for taking him and teaching him the art of snake catching! And, yes, if you know the right folks, you can get someone to take you hunting as well. 

Snake Hunt is not just about snakes! Some great entertainment is going on most of the time during the event.

And of course there are fun things for the youngsters too. This is my great nephew and my niece with his first ever merry-go-round ride! 

Bryce, Hannah and Ashlyn enjoyed getting to know one another and learning a little about snakes. I thought this was a little too close for comfort, but they were smiling. The snakes are kept in a pit area so visitors can see them and watch the handlers during the weekend.

Brandon Eslick, a snake hunter and handler as well as one of the team that brings the successful event to Waynoka every year, and his young son with one of the BIG rattlers!

July 4th 2013 visit to Shattuck Windmill Museum

July 4th started in Laverne at the centennial parade after pancake breakfast with Jim and Darla Waldrop. Then it was off to Shattuck in our Ford Retrac's for a quick lunch and then on to check out the Shattuck Windmill Museum.

Darla's checking the place out with her ever present Dr Pepper!

This old Soddy was really cool! This is a water wheel from an old mill and it seemed right at home with the windmills!

 From the dirt floor to this old bed, the soddy offered all the comforts of home; well, maybe 100 years ago!

Jim decided to take a break on one of several benches placed throughout the park area. 

The tour guide showed up to get us inside the Soddy. He was full of information in a fun way!

Don't they look like a honeymoon couple?

What on earth is that on the roof? Well, besides earth, there are some cow skulls and cactus!

Lots of windmills, each with a story to tell about the pioneer days in Oklahoma.

I was amazed at the size of some of these! 

This we were told is the Windmill Museum B and B and for a mere $3.60 per night you can get a room. There was no mention of amenities such as a bath room or air conditioning. The guide told us that is this was out of our budget we could get the Soddy for $2.00. I know where the bathroom was there!

The Shattuck Windmill Museum was well worth the stop. If you park out front you can tune your car radio in to hear all about the windmills, we enjoyed it a lot and will probably make a return visit in the fall when it's not quite so hot!

Return to the Wichitas

this is a story in pictures. The Wichita's where the buffalo roam free, and yes, we got this close; from the car.

John, Misty and Robert checking out one of the many small lakes hidden in the middle of this wildlife preserve area.

Guess what they are looking at? believe it or not, it is lady bug mating season, and they were doing their thing on the rocks! 

John and Robert at the top of Mt. Scott, one of our favorite places.

From the education I got at the visitor center, I declare this to be a longhorn STEER. so here's something you probably don't know; steers, cows and bulls grow their horns differently, with the steers having the widest span. if you want to know more, go check out the visitor center at the Wichita Mountains in Oklahoma.

one of several dam areas within the reserve. water levels seemed to be in pretty good condition in spite of recent drought.

My dear friend Misty Burdette just taking a break and enjoying the beauty at the top of the mountain. Misty is an avid nature photographer; bet she took 100 pictures today.

Robert commented on the serenity near the small lakes in the reserve. below is what he was seeing!

Ponies were our mode of travel today, well Mustangs anyway. There were supposed to be three, but our friends Jim and Darla had to cancel out. Theirs is red and a convertible!

view of the lake from the top of the mountain. We drove on around that lake and over to Medicine Park after a stop for our favorite burgers and cobbler at the Meers store. Check past posts for more on that place!

saw this coming around the corner and had hopes Jim and Darla had decided to show up after all, but it was the wrong color! visited briefly with them and they were enjoying the beauty of the Wichita's as much as we were. 

Jackson Minnesota's Flower Market!

Last weekend I went to visit my Mom for her birthday, May 9 and for Mother's Day. My normal routine is to call the local flower shop there, Jackson's Flower Market, and order something to be delivered every year. Since I was going to be there in person, it seemed a good time to visit the place and see for myself all that they had to offer.

Normally Dave Stubbe or one of his crew makes the selection for me, a relatively easy task, or so I imagined. Well, when I actually made that on site visit I quickly found out how difficult it could be! The green house area seemed endless to me! This is just one side! On the other end was what they called the "selling room" where customers could take a stroll and make selections.

This beautiful selection of a mixed masterpiece of blooms was my final choice. My hat is off to this business. They make that difficult decision for me every year and choose the perfect  gift for Mother's Day, according to my Mom, and she's the one whose opinion counts in the end. As for me, I plan to continue to use this shop for many (I hope) years yet to come, and visit when I can. Thanks to the Flower Market in Jackson Minnesota for the great customer service!

They do have a facebook page and you can go and like them at 

https://www.facebook.com/Jacksonflowermarket

Gettin' Our Kicks!

In October of 2009 we set out on an adventure with our friends Jim and Darla Waldrop from Laverne Oklahoma. They own a beautiful 1959 Ford Retractable. The weather was cool so the top stayed up this day.

Along for the day our friends Carl and Pat Collins from Woodward. Carl built his Ford truck himself and he's a crazy as the plum color! 

John and I took our 1958 Ford for the day on the road. 

Robert and Misty Burdette owned this pretty little red Ford at the time. They are also from Woodward. 

Our destination for the day was the Route 66 museum in Clinton Oklahoma. Old route 66 made its way from one end of Oklahoma to the other and Clinton is just about in the middle of the route. 

Our gang (minus me the picture taker) getting ready to explore the museum. 

 Memorabilia abounded in the museum like these old gas pumps and John spent a lot of time checking out the relics in the Garage!

This map on the wall shows the route from one end to the other.

The dust bowl days on Route 66 had a great story to tell. 

There was a mock diner inside and Jim, Darla and John were quick to grab a booth were the burgers were. Carl opted for the cake!

Misty checking out the menu at the diner!

remember the flying red horse? don't see many of these any more. 

my favorite display was this old juke box! Oh, the memories this brings!

all four FORDS parked in front of the museum.

Back inside Carl and Pat found a comfy seat in the back of a caddy! Not like when they were kids; Carl wants to nap instead of neck!

Jim took a short rest here. we found a lot of interesting things to see at this museum, everything was nicely arranged, clean and easy to get around. It was a fun time with good friends.