family tree part two.

So I am really feeling a connection from my past. My kin folk really got around. Dad's family moved in and around every state that connects to Oklahoma. Mom's folks did too. Although Mom could not trace our family back as far as Dad did I still get a strong connection to them. Through their love of story telling, and traveling. My Grandpa Ray had to ride the rails during the Depression to find work. Sleeping at strangers houses, living day by day and moving on when work dried up. There are also several stories to tell right here in Tulsa. My grandad helped build the Golden Driller, worked in the Gilcrease home and museum and some of the buildings down town. I took a walk on a break today and tried to imagine the hustle of Tulsa during those days.


I regret that my grand dad's both passed before I could appreciate their love and the wealth of knowledge they could have passed on but hearing tales from my parents has drawn me closer and made me more curious.

When I asked what mom thought her dad would like to share with my son she told me how insistent he was on safety. "Hit the metal nail, not the thumb nail."