History Lesson

We found out this week that we won't be leaving here until next Friday.  It's amazing how just a couple of extra days can feel like torture.  So in the meantime, we're trying to keep ourselves busy.

Today we headed into Lawton to the The Fort Sill Historic Landmark & Museum .  Wow.  We just heard about it last month, but we had no idea how awesome it would be.  If we have to stay here any longer, we'll take another trip to see things that we missed the first time.  You could almost envision the soldiers, indians and families moving around the fort.  It has been so beautifully preserved. I was charmed.

Oh my, the stonework!

The fort even has working horses!  That was Elsa's favorite part.

They have an interpretive center with tons of native american and military historic facts, photos and antiques, including an area dedicated to the "buffalo soldiers" who were black soldiers (named so by the indians because of their hair) serving even before slavery was outlawed, and then after the civil war.  I didn't get any good pics of that area unfortunately. :(

LOVE this banner.  There were quite a few like this all over the museum.

One of the most interesting things for me were the areas dedicated to women. How they kept their homes, how brave and determined they were. Both native american and the soldiers wives.

A very valued and famous native american woman (I forgot to write her name down, oops ) here imortalized in bronze in a beautiful pose nursing her child

In the same display, there was an authentic cradle board with a photo.  Gotta love Babywearing in any form!

My close up of the action pic didn't come out, but I'll show it anyway.

They had a "cannon walk".  That was pretty amazing.  The kids loved it. 

It was VERY hot.  I think about 105 degrees with 70% humidity.  Hard to handle being outside for any length of time.   Poor Isaac had about had it here. 

Then we headed into the artillery museum.  They have photos, weapons, displays and descriptions for artillery from 1900 through WWII

Depiction of one of at least 2 known women that jumped and manned the "gun" when they were needed.  Both were honored and given a small retirement stipend from the military.

Reinactment of a scene in WWII.  Too very real for words.  You could almost feel the cold. :(

What a great day we had. The kids were super tired afterwards. A rest was needed.

Ephraim in his favorite shirt

Adin with his corny 9 yr old posed smile ;)

Then off to the kids' favorite place to eat.  A den of gluttony I tell ya...and it was delicious.

This pic is a special request from Adin to his cousin Noah.  See the whole catfish on his plate?  Bones, tail and all (thank the Lord, not the head too)

The day ended with a drive home at sunset.  As much as I don't care to be here in Oklahoma, the sunsets are pretty incredible.  It often puts me in awe.  The shape of the clouds and the colors?  Amazing.  It's impossible to ignore the beauty our Creator has set before our eyes.  It restores my soul.