Just hanging out

A few weeks ago my Son-in-law had a Birthday.  I didn't get to see him cause he was working two jobs.  Last week my Son-in-law and my baby Girl had their first Anniversary.  I didn't get to do any thing with them cause my Son-in-law was still working two jobs.  The work-a-holic got a new job working nights and he kept working his day job for a bit.  He did finally turn in his two week notice and finished with the day job.  So yesterday we picked them both up and took them out to eat BBQ.  We were going to go to the zoo but it has been so long since we have been that we did not realize that they closed so early.  So we went to Chandler Park instead. 
The place brings back a few memories for me from my childhood.  Way back before my mother got sick we lived in some apartments on the West side of Tulsa.  Not too far from there was Chandler Park.  Tulsa always put on the City's Fourth of July fireworks celebration in the park.  There was a huge stage built out of native stone that they used.  The grassing field in front of the rock stage was full of people there to see the show.  Most had blankets that the kids would lay down on and the parents had lawn chairs.  It was very crowded but there was a festive feeling as everyone waited for full dark so the show would start.  I remember laying on our blanket and holding my breath waiting for the loud boom to go off and send the fireworks skyward.  If the firework was a dud it made an extra loud boom that would shake the ground and could be felt all through my body.   The duds scared me.  But the ones that flew skyward were magical.  I remember clinching my muscles waiting for the next boom, afraid it would be a dud but hoping that it would fly up and light up the sky. 
The City no longed does the fireworks at Chandler, they moved the show to Riverside.  You can not get close enough to feel the ground shake any more.  The huge rock stage has been torn down.  It was too tempting for kids to stay off of it and like most stages you could fall off of the front of it.  It was also very big so it was a long fall.  I was sad to see that it was gone. 

I have been itching to get out and take pictures.  I was really itchy yesterday cause I got a new tripod.   

There is a place in the park that has a nice view of the river and downtown.  It sets right on the edge of a cliff and there is an old concrete structure that you can stand on to get a good view.

Mattie and James climbed up and had a seat in the shade.  It was a warm evening and the shade felt good.

For those of you reading that are not from this area, that is the Arkansas River in the back ground.
(I love her smile!)

I learned something about Mattie and James.  Mattie USED to be a monkey and would climb everything.  She is no longer interested in climbing things.  James IS still a monkey.

While these photos were taken they are talking about how dumb Mattie thinks James is for wanting to climb down the cliff.  She is telling him that it is a long way down.

That is Mattie's "I am not agreeing with you" look.  James didn't spend too long trying to convince her.

He just started climbing down.

Mattie was not impressed.

He couldn't get very far.  He would need a rope to do a proper job.

So he came back up and started climbing up the cliff. 

This is where Mattie couldn't take watching any longer and went back up the path.  I stayed and took pictures.  If he fell I might have been able to get some nice action shots. 

That is not a mean mother-in-law statement.

It is what I said to get a smile so he would look cute in the pictures I was taking.  See he is smiling, don't he look cute?  I love them dimples!

One of our group stayed up top side the whole time.  He is not a fan of heights and hated it every time Mattie got close to the edge.  He wasn't fond of me climbing down the path.  He really did not like James' extra climbing. 

I don't know how he puts up with all of us.  Thank goodness he does!

As usual I was the last one ready to go.  I was walking around trying to find things to take pictures of.  This is what I saw when I turned around.

They were all waiting on me. 

Am I the only one in this family that has a hard time leaving a place.  What if there is something cool around the corner that we haven't seen?  Isn't anyone else worried they will miss something? 

There is just never enough time to do every thing that I want to do. 

While waiting on me they were all talking about going to Woolaroc.  It can't be this next weekend, other plans have already been made.  So maybe the first weekend of June?  I sure hope so.  I could spend the whole day at that place.