It is interesting to note that non-church-members are only allowed inside a Mormon temple before it is dedicated. Back in 2000, Denisa had visited this same temple before its original dedication. Because water damage caused a major renovation, the building is once more open before its rededication, and we decided to take their tour.
No pictures are allowed inside, but we can verify that the interior is very beautiful. Only Mormons with special referrals from their local church will be allowed inside after the dedication. That dedication was scheduled for two days after we had our tour.
No expense was spared on the hand-made rugs and furnishings. In order to protect the light-colored carpeting, volunteers placed shoe covers on our feet before we entered, and then removed them on our way out. They have already had 19,000 guests during this short open house period, so that is a lot of foot traffic.
The grounds were already planted with flowers so the outside would be as beautiful as the inside.
Another day, Denisa got to take a quick walk through the Oklahoma City Zoo with her sister. We saw lions, and otters, and bears (oh my!) But the only good picture she took was of a roaming peacock showing off those amazingly colorful feathers.
Another afternoon included a walk around the University of Oklahoma campus in Norman.
We walked through the library, one of our son's favorite places to study when he was an undergraduate here.
It is a lovely campus for a walk, with most of the buildings repeating something they call "Cherokee Gothic" style. Luke remembers the ice storm that splintered many of the beautiful old trees on campus. So we were glad to see the new trees are now getting big enough to once again shade the sidewalks.
It was a nice day for a walk on campus with our children and granddaughter. Our family is certainly a "house divided." This son with two degrees from OU married a woman with a degree and solid roots at OSU. Our younger son graduated from OSU, and is married to an OU alumni. So we may see major competition when our grandchildren are deciding where to go to college.
In this picture of both grandfathers and Carter, we're guessing that "Pops" (wearing the OSU orange shirt) does not relish the idea of his granddaughter getting comfortable on the OU campus.
Since we like strolling on college campuses all over the country, this was not an unusual stop for us. Our walks always include a football stadium picture, so we had to snap this picture of the north entrance to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
On another day, we made the drive across Oklahoma City to Lake Hefner. A 10-mile biking/hiking trail that surrounds the lake is a favorite with Oklahoma City residents. The walk out to the lighthouse was also popular on this beautiful weather evening.
But we're not here to walk this time. We're here to celebrate Mother's Day with our youngest son and his wife. They are treating their Mothers to a meal out at the lake. This area is a great place to watch the sunset at the outdoor seating area of several upscale restaurants on the lake.
A delicious meal at the Redrock Grill was topped off with the best Key Lime pie we have ever tasted. What a great celebration!
Most of our time in the Oklahoma City area included fond memories of eating, playing games, and spending time with family. But it was also fun to spend a little time playing tourist with our family as well.
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