In October, I went back to my small home town in Oklahoma, where many generations of my family have grown up. We go way back in this little town on the prairie!
For those who may not know, this is where Ree, the Pioneer Woman, goes when she heads to “town”. You’ve seen her photos of the prairie, so I thought it would be fun to show you a bit of the city life. So put on your boots and let’s go to town ya’ll!
With a total of about 3,500 people, you can see how bad the traffic jams can get. I did get stuck behind a blue haired lady who kept stopping and going again. This caused my trip to town to take an entire five minutes instead of two!! The nerve of some people!
My friend, Pete Lacker, shot this photo for a musician’s CD cover. You can see how wild it gets a night.
One thing for sure about a small town is you usually know everyone and some are even related. Meet one of my cousins, Phillip. Don’t you just love his style?
We saw Cousin Phillip on our trip to the best hamburger joint in town.
Not much room inside, but my kids got the best spot… right in front of the grill! They had a ball sitting at the bar. Very different from the bars in Dallas! I think the 5 customers enjoyed having them there too:-)
This is what I miss most about small towns…
Oh yeah, look at that homemade chocolate pie! yum!
Of course my mom had to show off her cute grandkids at work.
My son had fun playing mayor and eating M & M’s from the candy machine.
Here’s the house where I grew up and where mom still lives. See the tree in the top right corner? I have a photo of all the neighborhood girls wearing prom dresses next to that tree and it was shorter than us. Wish I had that photo, but it’s in this house you’re looking at now.
The kids got to pick veggies in Grandma’s garden.
Then it was time to get in our costumes and go to Halloween night at the Kiddie Park!
The Kiddie Park is in a nearby town and has probably been around as long as me.
All rides are only $.25 each!
Lots of really old rides that go VERY fast. My kids love it!
One of the man clowns made my 80 year old Grandma a balloon way too nasty to put on my blog. Can you guess what it was? I don’t think I’ve seen her blush like that in a long time! ha. Hint: it looked like a mini sword… I really couldn’t look at my son’s sword the same way all night:-)
This is my son’s attempt at taking the four generations of women photo. See what happens when you’re 5 and have been eating sweets at Grandmas all weekend!
I took advantage of the grandmas and escaped to my alma matter, Oklahoma State University, for some homecoming fun. It was great to be without children for a day and see old girlfriends!
Hope you enjoyed a quick tour of my hometown.
Thanks mom, Aunt Tricia and Grandma for making our trip so much fun. We hope to come back again real soon.
I loved your tour! I am sure it was a great place to grow up in. Thanks for such a great post.
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Love your tour. I just love small towns. Looks like ya’ll had a great time. Oh I hopped over from BATW and glad that I did.
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That was great! I love small towns like that. My dad grew up in one even smaller – Watson, Arkansas. Population: 425 or something. They lived right across the street from the Baptist Church and two house down from the Methodist Church.
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I luv’ your house!
Your town seems such a pretty nice place to grow up in:)
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I just loved this tour! Thanks for sharing – and what gorgeous kids you have.
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Oh my goodness! this was so much fun.
I loved the part of the tree and prom dresses. I would love see that picture.
Thanks for the tour!
Darcy
via BATW
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Anonymous was me. Whoops!
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Oh my. What a delightful place! I love that quaint street – looks like something out of a movie. And Phillip’s vest? I soooo want one of those!
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That chocolate pie looks yummy! I love small twon diners. I love small towns. Thanks for sharing.
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What a great tour! I loved it! I would love to call that town home.
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Thanks for the tour. Small towns have such great charm.
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it’s still downloading….still, still, still, but the ones I have seen (down to the choc pie.mmmmm)…are great! Like Donna, I love that “pie shaped” building. Good to see you my friend!
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Reminds me of my own small town (though mine is slightly larger). I always run into someone I know there, but here in the city I live in virtual anonymity. Of course each has its pros and cons, but I’m always a bit homesick when in my hometown.
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How far a drive is it for you to head home? I love small towns. I grew up on a ranch outside of Kerrville, Texas, which is small but not as small as yours.
Very cool it’s the same town PW features. I love her blog. I’m obsessed with it! Great photos! Love the history. and the kiddie park. Your kids are so cute.
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Absolutely beautiful! I miss the small town I come from! This reminded me of being back home.
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I LOVE LOVE these pictures! I just love small towns and all the charm they hold.
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I love that little town! Especially the diner, who doesn’t love a diner? Fun tour and photos, your kids are so cute and I really enjoyed my visit!
Bella
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Like Julia, part of my family is from broom-corn country in Illinois. Looks just like this. Visited as part of a family reunion, checked out the old homestead(s) ate some local grub.
I couldn’t get over how flat it was!
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I love small towns! I live in a very small town and we really enjoy it. 2A school and knowing everyone here does have some perks! Your pics are great, what a fun visit!
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Looks like so much fun! I love visiting small towns, but I’m a little too city to live in one that doesn’t have a decent size city nearby.
That kiddie park is SO cool! Wish we had one nearby!! And you and and your kids are gorgeous!
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Cute pics! That kid’s park is great.
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I enjoyed the small-town tour! I spent all of my summers and holidays in a small town in Southern Illinois where my parents grew up (we went back to visit family a lot). It looked a lot like this! We even had a very similar hamburger joint where we’d go and I’d always order a slice of homemade chocolate pie with meringue on top. Yum.
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Thank you for the great tour. Your mother’s house is charming. I like that porch very much. And I think that downtown picture with the pie building is really cool.
It just feeds your soul to go home doesn’t it?
That is how I feel about Chicago.
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Your hometown is so cute! Our small town consists of a post office and an antique store…I wish we had the cute “downtown” atmosphere that your town has (now isn’t that funny…saying that your small town has a “downtown.”) Hee!
That picture of your little gal in her costume looking up is GORGEOUS. What a doll!
Angie
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Looks like you and the kids at a great time “back home”. ! They look like they were having a ball on the old rides. Reminds me of our famous Fair here. Have a good day.
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