The Lawton Blog (hitching hottie)

This is the weekend of the Mayors Blues Ball in Medicine Park Oklahoma. Great music, good food and lot's of frosty adult beverages for those so inclined. Three days of free blues music.

Our mountains are on fire just west of here and the scanner traffic has been filled with epic battles of our fireman trying to save homes. Sadly they lost seven in one subdivision but anyone familiar with the mountains knows that this is a brutal place to fight a fire. No access and rough terrain.

It's ongoing today as I type, but the Blues Ball went off without at hitch last night.

I spent part of the day just riding the Harley around the hills but staying out of the way of the gallant efforts of the emergency personnel. Hot but bearable in the wind.

Took off the back seat and the sissy bar and just planned on a solo day and evening. Little did I know how that would turn out.

I have gone to this for years but this time I was one of the corporate sponsors. That's funny since I have no corporation but that's what I got on the list for with my donation. It puts your name on the event shirts and on the banners. I didn't really need any more publicity so my contribution went in the name of my lovely 580 Roller derby team.

They got all the perks and a booth and they were all over the place last night. They are very pro family entertainment and promote a stronger female in all aspects of life.The kids love them as do I.

So the the first band started playing.

I was wondering around, shaking off the heat from the days ride and stopping now and then under the misters that sprayed out from the trees lining bath lake. Such a nice thing.

Watching the sunset on the bath lake falls. So serene even with the sounds of the blues coming from up the hill. I just wanted though to take a peaceful walk in the beauty of the lake.

Now somewhat cooled off and relaxed then I went to check on our ladies. The 580's Roller Derby Team.

The booth looked mighty good.

And they also worked the cold adult frosty booth. The guy in the middle is not a roller jammer. He's the doorman as that is a much safer occupation.

And our area while populated is pretty small when it comes to people. Everyone knows everyone. I ran into a friend that used to work at our Harley shop. She is now my fashion consultant. Such a little darling.

Such great tunes and I had a friend that said "I want to ride". I said "I took off the back seat and the bar and only have the rear pegs". She said "No problem" and grabbed a bar towel, folded it up and wrapped her legs around my waist. And that is the tie in to the video. No place special. Sometimes rides are like that and sometimes you find someone that just loves the wind as much as you. We rode and found places to stop and relax and then we found a nice place to watch the sunrise.

And now it's time to start it all over again for tonight. This is going to be a great weekend.

Oh my, how very nice & peaceful.

You give me hope for life after surveying.

Thanks for these blogs my brother Deral!

they lost seven?

houses or firefighters?

Deral- Speaking of music, one of my old high school friends plays in a local band down there called "Soldier Creek". Ever hear of them?

Looks like some AmerInd heritage in some of those youngsters Deral.

You know you are right up there with Perry as an official "Dirty Old Man".

:}:

Deral, you da man! I'm glad that you are enjoing retired life. Can't wait till the Sooners and Cowboys play.

The Lawton Blog-Day Two

Took off early yesterday to head into the hills for a morning ride and then back to the second day of the Blues Fest in Medicine Park.

Saw a helo with a water bucket heading across our town. Maybe back to our airport for fuel or maybe to fight yet another fire.

The fire near here has now consumed some 30,000 acres and 11 homes. They are reporting injuries to one police officer and two fire men but no serious ones, at least not yet. Some people were running the road blocks to try and get to their homes to retrieve pets or belongings.

And this area just suffered a pretty big fire that threatened the entire city of Medicine Park just a few weeks ago.

This is a shot of what eventually stopped that fire. The lake itself and thank goodness the wind helped keep it blowing until it hit the shoreline instead of blowing it in another direction where it would have had open terrain to burn.

I didn't know how yesterday or last night would turn out so I tossed on the bed roll just in case. Had to make a couple of fuel stops with all the riding but they were nice as I chugged down water at every stop.

Todays stage for the bands was just west of the Old Plantation, where all the 20's and 30's gansters used to stay when vacationing. The first band is tuning up and people were already getting out the lawn chairs. I think this was around 11:00 am and the sun was still pretty hot out in the open.

I opted to go sit under the misters and eat on the patio overlooking Medicine Creek. Such a nice meal and the misters didn't get you soaked but did provide a nice cool feeling.

After lunch I strolled along the road and went to visit my mountain lion friend that lives on the west side of Medicine Park. Yep, he is still in the same place. There are 11 of these over sized sculptures in Medicine Park and all are outstanding works of art. Sadly, the artist passed away last year and he did not have an apprentice.

And of course my friends with the 580 Roller Derby team were all set up for day two. Some were even skating up and down the street. If you have seen the road in Medicine Park then you know what a feat this is to accomplish.

Another great day but it did have one sad note. Some of the Medicine Park fire fighters were returning to their station to get some rest. They just plopped down outside against the station wall and they all looked so tired and wore out. The wolfed down some eats and water and then after about 20 minutes got back on the truck and headed back to battle the flames.