Exploring the Old House on the Hill

Wilburton, Oklahoma, November 6th, 2010.

Ashley, Jordan and Hailey decided they wanted to see the house on the hill. Where is that house on the hill? What was Rock City? Mike and I decided to venture to the hill country. North hill that is. The hill side had decided to reclaim the lot. You could barely see the house from the road. We drove up to the top of the hill. The girls explored the house. Ashley said, "This house is small.". Small? This house was huge growing up. What was she talking about? We went upstairs to check out the bedrooms and explored the rest of the house. The ceilings on the second floor seemed low. I don't recall them being this low growing up. We walked outside and we went to the bank behind the house. This is where I spend my after school time. I built streets and buildings for the inhabitants of Rock City. Built the paper box plant to provide jobs to the citizens. This is where Rock City existed. There was nothing left. The streets and rock buildings of the past, gone. As with all cities abandoned by time nature had reclaimed Rock City. The walking path down to the junk house had been taken over by vines (you couldn't see the path). The path from the junk house to the road was gone. Elm shrubs had taken over the path. This was the short cut we used to walk to school.


The junk house was looking to be in sad shape. The pre-fab building Dad had started to put up was still standing but with no walls. I remember walking home from lunch to see the bulldozer clearing out the road to the junk house. Mike talked about the cement truck delivering the cement up to the split level. The cement truck on backing down that steep drive way lost control. The truck zoomed down the hillside out of control and luckily headed into the trees across the street. The cement truck took out several trees before stopping. No one was hurt. Memories of the house on the hill.


The girls decided they wanted to walk back to NeeNee's. Uncle Mike walked with them. They went further up the hill to take the old school steps back to the house. The house on the hill. Memories of the past. It too would eventually be reclaimed by the hill side.

NeeNee's 80th Birthday

NeeNee, Grandma, Mom (Fern Duncan) celebrated her 80th birthday on November 6th, 2010 in Wilburton, OK. To celebrate we had three cakes to choose from: a white cake, a red velvet cake and a caramel cake. I think that is enough cake to cause a sugar attack.

Ashley and Jordan decided to make presents for NeeNee.

Check out the video on the girls unique gifts to NeeNee.

Cruise to Mexico

October 16th, Saturday. Sailed out from Galveston, Texas on the Carnival ship Ecstasy for five day cruise. Sailed to Yucatan Peninsula. Day three in Progresso Mexico. On Monday took an hour and half bus ride to Uxmal. There got to climb a Mayan temple and see Mayan ball game court. You don't want to be the winner in Mayan ball games. Third day the ship travels to the island of Cozumel. Take a submarine 100 feet down to see the coral reef.

On the ship there is food , food and more food. Four buffet lines in back of ship. Ice Cream 24/7. Girls loved Camp Carnival. Thursday back to United States and customs line. Hey they let us back in.

Our cruise director was not named Julie but Brad.

Oh and yes Hailey did get her stitches out on the ship. The doctor took them out and did not charge us for her services.

Hailey Attacked by Concrete Floor

October 12th, 7pm. Tuesday. Open house today at Fletcher School. All the girls had their fair share of energy power bars today. I didn't see them eat today but then again they never eat much and always have tons of energy. Hailey decided to run around her classroom. As she was making the turn around a table her feet went out from under her. Her chin decided to be first hitting the classroom floor. That is when the blood starting coming out of the inch or more cut in her chin. 7:30pm visit to AM/PM clinic. Sorry but you need to go to the ER the doctor tells us. Five minutes later Comanche Memorial Hospital ER. Eight o'clock in to see doctor. Six stitches later and a $650 bill (before insurance). The doctor informs us that the stitches need to come out Sunday or Monday. Uh, we will be on a cruise ship in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico.

Hail Storm Hit Lawton

October 10th, 2010, Sunday, started out as a quite evening. Then at nine o'clock something unseen for months appeared. Rain wait that's not just rain that's hail and more hail. It looked like it snowed outside. The hail came down so hard that it caused the rain to back up into the garage. Great, another inch of standing water flowed in. Emergency action required a causeway to be created for the water to flow past the garage.
The girls slept during the hail storm.

Hello, Sara? Get me the sheriff's office.

We needed an old fashioned desktop telephone for a film project we're working on for church. I told Melissa I'd take care of it. After collecting a handful of odds & ends, gluing them together and spray painting the whole thing black, here's what I came up with. You can call me "Propmaster Tim"! :P

Letters From A Nut #5

Speaking of letters to the editor, this one didn't get posted last year in response to a previous letter. I believe it was published September 26, 2009 in response to this letter which was a response to this letter. Whew! At least I think that's what happened.

Editor, The Transcript:

I feel compeled to write to you in response to a recent letter published in your fine publication from Ms. Joan Kozalowski. She questioned my truthfulness concerning a letter I wrote you about my neighbors. I can assure you that it was completely true. I do have neighbors and they are not figments of my imagination nor characters from a movie or television program, though I often enjoy watching television and movies.

I wonder if this response is a result of the growing cynicism in society. No one can be trusted. Everyone is out to get your money or pull a “fast one”. No one is willing to help their fellow man anymore!

I have seen a man at a busy intersection in Oklahoma City with a cardboard sign “Veteran Needs Money!”. Do I assume he’s not really a Veteran?

Someone in Nigeria e-mailed me an urgent message that his money was tied up here in America and needed my help. Should I assume he's trying to con me?

If we can't trust what is written in our local newspaper who can we trust? Who is Ms. Kozalowski going to tell us we can't trust next? Our own government of this great country that we live in? Shame on you Ms. Kozalowski!

If Joan Kozalowski (if that is her real name) does not believe me, I invite her to join my wife and I in my front yard. We've been watching the neighbors for weeks and we still don't know what they're up to.

Thank you,
Tim Duncan
A concerned citizen

Letters From A Nut #4

Published in Norman Transcript July 18, 2010 -
Link here. But here's the original:

Dear Editor,
I have a suggestion for the Norman developers who are striving to improve our fair city and I hope that you can pass this suggestion on to the appropriate city council member, clerk, alderman or whoever makes these decisions. If not, perhaps they read your fine publication or someone who knows who makes these decisions reads your fine publication and can pass on the information.

The road construction at Robinson and Stubbeman has brought a growing concern to my mind that has been there building like the continued development of Norman. This construction, like similar construction in various locales around town, has caused a serious bind in traffic. There's hardly a time I travel to Wal-Mart without feeling that there are far too many people on the road and most of them seem to end up at Wal-Mart. These various construction projects don't help.

I propose we build a cross-town ramp that bypasses the traffic altogether. We could have one end begin at the East-side Wal-Mart and the other end at the West-side Wal-Mart. In this way we can expedite travel to and from Wal-Marts without interference from construction on the various streets and thoroughfares in between.

It can be called the Norman All-City Bypass. Or you can name it after me.

Thank you,
Tim Duncan
A concerned citizen

Who do you write like?

Paste a sample of your writing and find out what famous author you write like based on statistical analysis. It's very scientific, I'm sure!

I write like
Douglas Adams

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

Kitty Cat Crisis!

For those not in the "know", two weeks ago we took our little three-legged kitty, Seven, to the vet. She was very lethargic, clingier than usual and had little head tremors every now and then. After blood work showed slightly low electrolytes, the vet gave her some fluids and we took her home. Saturday night she couldn't hold her supper down and Sunday morning she began some very disturbing seizures every half hour or so!

After a trip to the emergency clinic, more inconclusive blood tests, and another trip to her regular vet, she was prescribed phenobarbitol for the seizures. Her situation got worse, she couldn't stand, her equilibrium was gone, her eyesight seemed to have gone, she barely ate and we scheduled an appointment to have her put down.

But, then, after a web search, we found other people with cats that had similar symptoms. Their cats had strokes. And many, with time and help, recovered! We canceled our vet appointment and after a week and a half, Seven has made an incredible recovery. She's still a little weak and unstable, but she can jump up and down from the bed, cries to be fed in the morning with the other cats and seems more like the old Seven every day!

Hopefully she'll keep up the recovery!

New C&H:ITC!

Egg Drop Soup

Cassie's 8th grade science class had an end of the year Egg Drop Project in which they had to design a container for a single egg that would be dropped from the top of the school football bleachers.

The container had to use certain criteria (no "padding" or wings, had to be less than 12" wide, etc.) After several brainstorming sessions (including one involving her uncle Mike at The Library) Cassie came up with "The Sphere". The Sphere was created from a styrofoam ball hollowed out, encased in Dixie cups for force distribution and air resistance. The egg was suspended in the center of the sphere by a nylon hose.

After assembling the package on Monday night, Cassie & I performed a test run on the church front lawn. It failed. But after discussing possible improvements, Cassie pressed on and took The Sphere to school for The Egg Drop Tuesday afternoon. We ventured by the school to check out how it went. The teacher saved Cassie's for one of the last to be dropped (it was one of the coolest looking designs). After several promising drops from other students' designs, and a few very disheartening crashes, slams and splooshes (one used water as a cushioning system) it was Cassie's turn.

We held our breath. The Sphere plummeted to earth. Cassie timidly cracked it open to examine the damage... and plucked the perfect unbroken egg from within! The Sphere was a success!

Thanks to Mike from some inspiration and Sir Isaac Newton, without whom we wouldn't have these silly projects at school!

Happy Iron Man Day!

Cassie has been anticipating the next Iron Man movie ever since watching the first one. He's her new number two hero (her father being number one of course, right?) and as soon as tickets were available online we purchased them for the midnight show. Today's the day and the entire family has Iron Man fever.

I still contend that the first in the series was the definitive "comic book movie", combining the best of action film making and comic book sensibilities. Hopefully Robert Downey Jr. and crew will be able to maintain the feel of the first without falling into the typical snares of these kind of things, keeping away from the hokey but still staying true to the spirit of the original.

To add to all the Marvel Magic, they've now released the first glimpse of Thor from the next Marvel blockbuster! If you're unfamiliar with the God of Thunder then check out your Norse mythology at Wikipedia, the Marvel character actually stays pretty true to the original fabled version. He's a noble son of Odin the All Father, king of the Norse pantheon and wields his trusty hammer Mjolnir to deal out justice! In the Marvel story he's been banished to earth by Odin to learn the lesson of humility (being a nigh omnipotent god tends to go to your head) and must live a dual life as a humble disabled human Dr. Donald Blake and The Almighty Thor!

It's going to be hard to stay clear of the hokey in this one! The film makers have a difficult task but with master Shakesperian thespian Kenneth Brannagh heading the production there just might be a chance. And so far, the look of Thor seems to fall into a good place. Like Thor and Dr. Blake, it seems to be precariously balanced between the classic look of the comicbook and something that could actually exist in the real world (or as real as a superhero tale can possibly get).

And I understand we might get a little tidbit of Goldilocks after the credits of Iron Man II so stick around and cross your fingers!

Vacation Report #17

On the Friday of Spring Break we awoke to a disturbing weather report. Nothing devastating, no tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis or giant, mutant bipedal dinosaur attacks. Just your average first-day-of-Spring snow storm, that's all.

We were faced with a choice: stick to the plan of leaving Saturday morning after breakfast and face chancy-at-best road conditions - or - skip our last set of vacation sites and leave early to try and beat Snow Miser to the punch. After weighing the two possibilities, debating the merits of each and flipping several coins we finally came to a decision.


We decided to compromise. We'd do some last minute sightseeing, eat out at Incredible Pizza for dinner and leave in the late afternoon/early evening on Friday. That would put us back in Norman excrutiatingly late (or the wee early hours of Saturday morning) but the only thing we'd really miss would be miscellaneous roadside photo opportunities.

After visiting Laclede's Landing Wax Museum it was time for our last St. Louis attraction. Our resident co-host Ralph suggested we visit the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis located in the heart of the Gateway City.

Construction of the monumental structure was begun in 1907 and it wasn't completed until 1988! And it's not like they were goldbricking the entire time - well, they sort of were... The building, if you can call it simply that, is a throwback to European cathedral's of the Middle Ages. It is huge. Whether you have a spiritual bone in your body, are christian, muslim or buddhist, believe in a greater power or not, it is a beautiful and inspirational place! It's complete with golden mosaics, giant rose windows, amazing marble sculptures... and a gift shop!

The first thing you see is the narthex decorated with a golden mosaic depicting the life of Louis IX of France (St. Louis). As we entered into the nave we were greeted by the angelic voices of a children's choir that really resonated in the huge space of the church. We pretty much just wandered around from there in awe of the structure and the amazing art that filled the place. The Cathedral Basilica was a great way to finish off our visit to St. Louis!

Next up: There's no place like home!

Sole Mates!

New t-shirt design - and I think the best one yet!

Cassie & Hannah: In The Cave

Cassie & Hannah filmed a quick episode while at Meramec Caverns!

Vacation Report #16

My daughter, the mad scientist!

Madame Tussaud's is the premier museum for wax sculptures. Expect to see amazingly lifelike representations of actors, politicians and historical figures that could seemingly walk out of the displays at any moment.

Laclede's Landing Wax Museum in St. Louis, MO however is a different story! Some of the figures are laughable, some with fingers missing and most miss the mark of their intended portraiture by a St. Louis mile! Not to say it wasn't great fun to visit! This is the sort of thing we live for! Cheese in every direction and fun for the whole family (though Hannah was terrified of the Chamber of Horrors and decided to opt out of the basement with the more "scary" figures.

Cassie's most frightening moment was in front of the Nightmare On Elm Street exhibit. Another couple were trying to pass by her, making a sort of scratchy noise while squeezing between her and the wall. She pretty much freaked out, jumped a foot off the floor and paused clutching her heart ala Redd Foxx. "Elizabeth! I'm coming ta join ya!"

Providing some presidential advice.

Next up: Do these pants make my buttresses look big?

Video Killed The Radio Star!

The latest in our t-shirt design project! Go vote!

Vacation Report #15B

Despite reports of his death in 1882, in May of 1948 a man came forth and proclaimed that he was, indeed, the notorious outlaw Jesse James! He claimed to be 101 years old and to make it even more interesting, he had moved to Lawton, OK to escape justice.

That's where all the outlaws I know live.

That bastion of truth, the local newspaper The Lawton Constitution, dedicated their May 19, 1948 issue to the discovery, guaranteeing the veracity of the old man's claims! And you can purchase reproductions at Jesse's Hideout Giftshop at Meramec Caverns just like I did! Though there are still questions surrounding the death of the famed bandit, unfortunately it seems the Lawton reports were all a big hoax, perpetrated by a man named J. Frank Dalton.

Disappointing, perhaps, but Jesses's brother, Frank James (often considered the more bloodthirsty of the two), did actually live on a farm in Fletcher, OK from 1905 to 1911! One of his best friends in town? The local bank president, of course!

And this concludes your history lesson for today.

Next up: Waxing nostalgic!

Vacation Report #15

Oscar Wilde once wrote:

"Americans are certainly great hero-worshippers, and always take [their] heroes from the criminal classes."

We do like our anti-heroes: Dirty Harry, Bonnie & Clyde, ninjas, pirates and outlaws! And there were plenty of outlaws in the Old West, none more famous than Jesse James! And Missouri is Jesse James country. You can find museums, the family home, his purported gravesite (more about that later) and his hideout, Meramec Caverns!
A little less than an hour west of St. Louis, located on Rt. 66 (natch) Meramec Caverns is a 400 million year old, almost 26 mile labyrinth of meandering limestone caverns. And the shining jewel in the tourist trap tiara that is Rt. 66 roadside cheese. Mixed metaphors aside, we do like our cheese more than our anti-heroes.

The story goes that back in the James Gang's heyday, after a big job robbing yet another train, lawmen followed in hot pursuit, led by a tenacious young sheriff. They hunted the outlaws down, riding all the way back into James' home territory where he and his crew led them deep into the woods along the Meramec River where they mysteriously disappeared. The sheriff suspected the band of thieves had rode into a wide mouthed cavern and decided to wait them out. They would eventually have to leave the safety of the cave for food, supplies or at least another bank heist. The lawmen waited patiently. They waited. And waited. And waited some more. But no Jesse James.

Eventually they gave up and moved on, but it's a wonder they didn't figure out it was Jesse's secret lair, considering the entrance is lit up with a great big neon sign that spells it out for them: "Meramec Caverns: Jesse James Hideout"! At least it was when we were there. The caverns themselves were pretty awesome, and the idea that some regular Joe could stumble on something so incredible makes the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn in all of us scream a little girl's scream of joy. Maybe it's just me.

In 1941 that regular Joe who made Meramec Caverns what it is today, Les Dill, discovered the hidden alcove that held lockboxes from the James Gang's heists and the backdoor passage they probably used to elude those lawmen all those years before. From there he found more and more passages, underground rivers, bizarre and wondrous limestone formations and a great way to make boocoos of money! He'd make Jesse proud!

The hokiness of the tour is fun, complete with other stories about Art Linkletter, Lassie and Kate Smith, arguably the hokiest part of the tour. It's the Grande Finale, as you sit in the "Theatre Room" before one of nature's wonders, a giant mass of stone draperies formed over millions of years. Majestic? Yes. One of God's magnificent creations? Absolutely. A prime opportunity for some Roadside Cheese? You bet your sweet Bippy! As we sit in the dark, Kate begins wailing "God Bless America" and the cheesiest light show displayed on one of God's great works of art begins. Imagine taking the Mona Lisa and covering her up with hot melted cheddar. Sweet, sweet cheddar.

After the tour we made the requisite visit to the gift shop with the added bonus of finding an errant cute-as-a-button bat hanging from the ceiling.

It was here that I discovered the thing that made it all make sense. The missing link between a van full of vacationing Okies and a gang of antisocial, reprobate old west outlaws. It made sense. It felt right. So I purchased it.

Next up: More on Jesse James? Really?

Vacation Report #14

After reviewing man's inhumanity to man one needs to restore one's confidence in the state of humanity. Where better to find that confidence then in the happiest place on earth? Even though it's a happiness brought on my a drunken stupor. That's right, it's the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and it's like Willy Wonka's Candy Factory if Barney Gumble, Otis Campbell and W.C. Fields were in charge. We're not drinkers in any way, shape or form, but it turned out to be a fascinating tour. And you get to see the Budweiser Clydesdales to boot.

I'm a little disappointed I didn't see any of those talking frogs, though.

Vacation Report #13

Most of our vacations tend to land on the silly side. But occasionally we throw in something educational or even significantly emotional. That would include our visit to the Holocaust Museum & Learning Center. There's not much I can say about the museum that would give it justice.
We kind of piggy-backed onto a guided tour with a local school group and then sat in on a Holocaust survivor's talk afterwards. Her story was an amazing one, a Polish Jew who went from a Polish Ghetto to Concentration Camps, losing her mother and separated from her father during the process finally ending up in Bergen-Belsen by the end of the war where she was found on the brink of death.

Hearing her story and seeing how she made it relate to the kids in the room was something I'm glad we got the chance to experience. It certainly makes something that you normally just read about in history books, watch on TV and see in museums become much more real!

Next up: Back To The Lighter Side!

Vacation Report #12

At 630 ft. the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, MO is the tallest monument in the United States, commemorating the country's Westward Expansion. It was built over the course of three years, between 1963 and 1965, by men without safety harnesses of any kind, who held on with one hand and smoked their cigarettes with the other.

We arrived at the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial just in time to get tickets later in the afternoon to go up to the observation deck of the monument since one side wasn't running that day. It takes approximately 4 minutes to get to the top via two trains of capsules that normally go up both legs of the monument, a sort of crossbreed of elevator/cable car/ferris wheel that rotates as it rises to compensate for the arched structure. And you can hear the screams of the passengers in the next car over.

We found how much two skinny little teenage girls really weigh!

After the scare of losing 3 teenage girls in an area swarming with the huddled masses we all ventured into a darkened theater, watched a 43-year-old documentary (that needs a major restoration), wandered the museum (including creepy animatronic old west dudes), visited the gift shops and ate fudge. Eventually our ticket time approached and we stood in a long line, waited some more and then finally boarded the capsule or as Melissa calls it "The Elevator of Death". It was a little claustrophobic. Our fellow travelers rode up elevator #3 while Melissa, Cassie & I stepped into #4 with two young ladies from Kentucky with matching white knuckles. Four agonizing minutes later and we were looking out the observation windows with 600 some odd feet of air beneath us!

For someone who suffers from acrophobia, the experience really wasn't all that bad. The small windows probably helped, despite being angled downward so that you can pretty much look straight down! But now we can say we've been there, we didn't fall off, it didn't fall over, and we didn't get stuck in the elevator on the way down either! I'm just glad we didn't read about this before we went. Melissa would never have gotten up if we had!

The "capsule"; Melissa at the top; the whole crew on the way down.

Next up: How 'bout a little history to go with your vacation?

Vacation Report #11

Our first major attraction to visit in the Gateway City was the City Museum! It's hard to describe the place satisfactorily. As you approach it, the school bus hanging off the side of the roof catches your attention immediately! It's a mish-mash of a museum. Think Art Museum/Ripley's Believe It Or Not/Giant Chucky Cheese Play Area with a second-hand store and an aquarium to boot! It's something that kids and adults can both enjoy, from crawling around giant hamster tubes to sliding down enormous slides to wandering through some great architectural galleries. It's very eclectic and artsy-fartsy but kid friendly (as long as they're careful!) Not only kid friendly but adult friendly, too. Donna liked the rollie slide so much she went down it 3 times!
The Aquarium has a DIY feel to it, like somebody's uncle put it together. It's very "hands-on", literally! It's just like crazy Uncle Ed to let you stick your hand in the water and let the fish swarm around it and bite your fingers and then let you pet the sharks!

We could have spent the entire day there if we hadn't gotten so worn out climbing stairs, crawling through tunnels and petting sharks! We didn't even get a chance to go outside to the amazing MonstroCity, a huge playground that includes airplane fuselages, castle turrets and giant iron slinkies you can crawl through! The City Museum is worth several vacation reports, but we're already up to #11 and we haven't gotten past Monday yet!


So... next up: Is that the second biggest McDonald's?!

Vacation Report #10

After a long day's journey across two states we finally arrived in St. Louis, the Gateway City! Donna's brother Jason was a most gracious host throughout the week, donning multiple hats as hotelier, tour guide and dinner entertainment. The house was huge! It was like staying in a Bed & Breakfast. The bedroom Melissa & I stayed in was complete with adjoining bathroom, cable television and little doorknob "Do Not Disturb" sign!

But the room that probably got the most use was the basement gameroom, complete with pool table and shuffleboard!

Jason schools Trey

in the finer art of billiards.

Lou Bear!

Vacation Report #9

It's hard to pin down the highlight of our Spring Break. There were many amazing and wondrous things on our journey during the week. Wonders wrought by man and by nature. But perhaps it was that perfect synergy of both that wins the grand prize, when man takes what nature has given him... and paints it.

We were led there by that greatest of vacation resources: Roadside America. If you've ever planned a vacation that involved any driving and you've never visited this site then you're bound to have missed out on opportunities along the way. It has become essential to our Great American Roadtrips and most of the more unusual sights you see in our vacation reports are due to the best travel website on the Information Mother Road! If there's a Giant Muffler Man or tourist trap to be seen, you'll find it here. And this is where we discovered Frog Rock located along Hwy 66 (of course) in Waynesville, MO.

The GPS system on the dash of the van would not accept a world in which Frog Rock existed. The cute little device, affectionately christened Jenny (think 'Jen-nay' from Forrest Gump... don't ask, I'm not sure there's really an answer!), had been the bane of our trip, constantly telling us to get off the highway, make u-turns and generally trying to get us lost, then suddenly getting huffy and clamming up when we would ignore her insistence that we should "Exit now!"

So like in most instances, we were on our own, armed only with the directions from RA. We turned off at Exit 159 and drove NW per our printed instructions. It seemed a hopeless cause.

But just when you think you've gone too far and you've missed it, there it is... in all it's green glory! Like some... magificent... big... frog. It's just too difficult to put into words.

I'm told Oklahoma has its own Frog Rock near Ada! Roadtrip, anyone?

Next up: Are we there yet?