This winter with both Amy and I retired, we have spent a lot of time in Tulsa following the Tulsa Golden Hurricane men’s basketball team. It gives us an opportunity to see our son, Allen at work. How many people get a chance to “go to work” with their son.
The real joy of our visits to Tulsa has been spending some time with Allen and his wife, Elizabeth. We love our Tulsa visits, it has become our second home.
When we found out the American Conference Tournament was to be held in Birmingham, we decided to take a road trip. We couldn’t pass up watching our Tulsa Golden Hurricane. And my nephew and his family also live in Tulsa. So we decided to have a family reunion.
Minnie and Nellie were ready to go.
Minnie and Nellie’s get the backseat all to themselves. Nellie barks the first five minutes then sleeps most trips. Minnie never sleeps and just looks around.
When we arrived at Birmingham, Uncle Mark came over to see the dogs. He is partial to Minnie, so he shunned Nellie from the picture.
Our AirBnB had a beautiful front porch to have morning coffee.
And there was always an option to take a nap on the front porch.
In the afternoon, the dogs and I would relax in our backyard.
Mark’s and my father was a U.S. History teacher, so we learned as kids that every trip involved doing something with history. We had been to the Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham before. If you have not been there, you need to go. This trip we set up a tour of the 16th Street Baptist Church.
In 1963, the church was bombed by white supremacists, killing four young girls who were in a basement restroom at the time.
Across the street is a park with statues to honor the four girls who were killed, and two other young boys who were killed in other incidents the same day. This park is a place where fire hoses and dogs were used to over-power protestors.
The tour makes one pause and think about the tragedy of hate and prejudice.
At our family reunion, this is a picture of me with my brother, Mark and his grandson Ford. (Unlike Nellie, I made the cut for the picture.)
We got to see two Tulsa games. The Hurricane defeated North Texas in 3-OT’s. As you can imagine, it was grueling for the players.
The next day (Sunday), the Hurricane lost to their rival, Wichita State.
We had planned to come back to Galesburg on Monday. Sunday evening, we found out Tulsa was selected to play in the NIT on Tuesday night in Tulsa. So Amy got on the AirBnB app to find a place in Tulsa.
While we planned the next leg of our American Road Trip, Nellie and Minnie decided to rest up for the trip.
We love Tulsa. The skyline in the evening shows the beauty of the downtown.
One of my favorite places in Tulsa is Marshall’s Brewery. Often I go in the afternoon to talk with some of the regulars, and even do some blogging. Nellie or Minnie are welcome in Marshall’s.
We love to go on walks. On game day, the dogs wanted to go to the gym to see if they could get tickets. Sadly, they were denied tickets.
There was a great atmosphere and a loud, energetic crowd.
Tulsa shot only 15% from 3’s in the first half and got down by 13. As you can see, I don’t hide emotions well.
They stuck together, roared back to win in OT behind freshman, Jaylen Lawal’s huge game.
When Tulsa wins, the players go crank the “Hurricane Warning Siren.”
Obviously Amy and I are so proud of our boy!
We didn’t know whether Tulsa would play again on Saturday or Sunday, but needed to get back to Galesburg. So the dogs loaded up for the trip.
Minnie and Nellie’s Great Road Trip had been over 1,800 miles in 9 days and gone thru 8 states. The next day, the dogs needed to rest.
News came out that Tulsa would be playing UNLV in Tulsa on Sunday.
As soon as Nellie and Minnie heard that, they knew there was only one thing to do- pack their bags!! I can’t wait for Minnie and Nellie’s Great American Road Trip- Part 2.
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