We left Amarillo and drove to Fairview Oklahoma on Route 60. This takes you through the true USA landscape of fields of prairie, rolling red hills, old cattle drive trails, the smallest of towns (think “Cars” movies), freight trains traveling with goods, grain elevators and oil rigs. Willie Nelson’s rendition of “The City of New Orleans” unexpectedly erupts on Sirius/XM; perfect road music for the day. There is never a lot of traffic and the road is good driving at interstate speed limits.

Arriving in Fairview, we drive down main street to the new Best Western hotel. Wow, what an improvement! Our purpose this year for the stop over in Steve’s hometown is to pick-up flowers for the cemetery, have dinner with friends and then leave tomorrow for the interment of the ashes of Steve’s brother and sister-in-law in Jet, Oklahoma.

We stop and pick up flowers to take to the Jet Cemetery and place on family graves.

Funny song to come on the radio while we are leaving the cemetery. And did we mention how hot Oklahoma can get?!

Dinner of the best Chicken Fried Steak in the Southwest at Kathy and Butch’s. Great to visit and enjoy a home cooked meal together.

The next morning we arise and drive out to the cemetery to check on the gravesite since a storm came through last night. Funny, one of the flower pieces is gone! Steve thinks it blew away and after looking for it down the road and in the next field, it must have been “drop kicked to Jesus” because it is no where to be found! Another funny on this day of internment is rain in drought-stricken Oklahoma and a bull is bellowing at us from across the street. Liz says Barb is making it rain and I say that Joe’s spirit came from the bull talking to us. LOL

The members of both sides of the family of Joe & Barbara Blackledge arrive and visit at the Community Center. Then we all drive out to the cemetery and thankfully it has stopped raining. I lead a short service at the cemetery while Steve and Barbara’s brother Wayne, commend their ashes to our Heavenly Father through mixing them in the soil of their native Oklahoma. Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.

Afterwards everyone heads back to the Community Center in Jet where the ladies of the community have prepared a delicious spread of food – barbecue beef, green beans, scalloped potatoes, pasta salads, cole slaw and FOUR different home-made desserts. So nice and hospitable for this small town of 250 people.

The visiting goes on until around 1:30 pm before everyone leaves in their cars for different destinations.

Our next stop is Stillwater, Oklahoma to visit Steve’s Aunt June and Uncle Dick. They were going to come to Jet but due to an illness, they were not able to make it. We are able to visit with them in their lovely home for awhile. Great to see them after so many years.

We leave their house and drive to Eskimo Joe’s, a famous bar and grill in Stillwater in the midst of Oklahoma State University. Of course, burgers and a beer are in order. Perfect ending.