This is the second and last part of our trip, where we get to start heading back to California. After leaving Arkansas we continued on toward Oklahoma to visit Ed's family. First stop was Okemah, located in the eastern part of Oklahoma. Ed has a sister-in-law there. I felt bad when we started to leave, as she said she wasn't through talking and wanted us to stay longer. Normally, when you travel on Interstate 40 through Oklahoma the grass on either side of the highway is green and the state has to keep it mowed. Not this time, it was brown and looked dead. That always amazed me, as here at home the grass in green in the winter and brown in the summer. Then I realized; it rains there in the summer and here in the winter. They have not had rain since October and did not get hardly any snow in the winter. We traveled on to Elk City, Oklahoma where Ed's two sisters live. Ed's brother and his wife who live in Austin, Texas came up for the 4th. It was so nice to see everyone. There was one place we had to visit that was on my 'to do' list. I had to go out to eat at the Simons Fish House, located outside of Elk City. One of my most favorite places. I always make a point to go there at least once. The fish is caught on the ranch. For one price you can have all of the catfish you can eat. It was so delicious and you won't leave there hungry. It is also a sanctuary for wild animals. They have zebras, donkeys, deer, elk, one small elephant and an emu. The deer and elk do not the leave the grounds; all of the animals seem to sense the place is a safe haven for them. When I was taking their pictures they stood very still, did not run away and posed for me. On the Saturday before the 4th we saw a beautiful fireworks display at one of the Indian Casinos from the home of a sister-in-law who lives in Arapaho, Oklahoma. Since they are not in the city limits and they are governed by their own tribe, they could have the fireworks display. The cities all around had canceled their fireworks' display until Labor Day, hoping to have some rain by then. The word was no one was to shoot off any fireworks. The country is so dry; lawns have turned brown and are dying. You can feel the grass crunch under your feet as you walk across the lawn. Gardens are not producing, even though they do get watered a little. Fires were burning and the sky was very smoggy from the smoke. Cattle have no grazing grass. The wheat crops were not even ankle high. Some of the farmers had turned their cattle out onto the wheat fields, as they were not going to harvest. The situation is very sad. One good thing about Oklahoma, their unemployment rate is only 3 percent. Help Wanted signs everywhere, ads in the paper showing 'Help Wanted.' The jobs are mostly for work in the oil fields. We left Oklahoma behind and continued back to California. All across Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and even Arizona, still the same. Dry, dry and drier. If you saw the news about the dust storm heading toward Phoenix, Arizona, on July 5th, we thought we were going to get caught in it. But luckily for us, it was ahead of us and we made it to Flagstaff for the night. We kept a close eye on it and wondered what it could be. I have never seen anything like it. The news the next day, said the dust cloud was 3000 feet high and 60 miles wide. The monsoon season had started. Typically, Arizona monsoon storms start with heavy winds sometimes resulting in a visible wall of dust hundreds of feet high moving across the Valley. Leaving Arizona behind, we made it to California. We decided to travel on Hwy 99 in California, since it is the closest highway to Farmington. Never again. We will travel on Interstate 5. Hwy 99 goes through every town in its path. Slow downs, traffic coming on and the semi trucks passing slower vehicles. Those last four hours traveling home were the longest of our trip. We used a GPS; Ed called it Mabel. We knew the way, but thought we would see where she would take us. It would have to recalculate the route, since we didn't listen to it sometimes. If you have a GPS, I know you talk to it, especially when it wants you to make a U-turn when you have gone the wrong way. We made it home safe and sound. It is always thrilling to plan a trip and get going. But, it's so wonderful to get back to 'Home Sweet Home.' Ed and I were reflecting back on our trip and recalled the lush landscaping and then the dry landscaping. It is, as if it forms a horseshoe. From California up to Utah and Wyoming, across Missouri, Nebraska and down through Arkansas has had plenty of water (some places too much). In Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, no water. It is terribly dry, it's hot and humid. I am so glad we live in California.

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Happy Birthday goes out to Bob Ladiges on July 29th and to John Henry Kalebaugh on Sunday July 31st.

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Deepest sympathy for the family of Chester Cook, who passed away on July 5th.

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I would still like to hear from you. Have you taken a trip? Have you had out of town visitors? Let me know of family birthdays, anniversaries and new arrivals to your family. Whatever you want to add to the Farmington News is welcome. Please contact me if you have items for the Farmington News column. E-Mail me at farmingtonnews@gmail.com or phone 896-6697.