May 9, 2013 - Tahlequah Project Ending

Today was our last work day at Circle of Care Children's Home in Tahlequah. We say goodbye for now to the great staff and to our fellow Nomads for this project. We have accomplished a lot in our 3 weeks of work. These are some "before" and "after" pictures of the clothing co-op. It's hard to get good photos of the remodeled bathrooms, but they look really great and should be really be comfortable and functional for those who live and visit here. Looks like the decision has been made and we are going on from here! We will take off Sunday or...

May 6, 2013 - Monday Chapel and Indian Heritage Center

Each Monday we attend the staff chapel service in this beautiful little chapel on the grounds. The staff here are truly God's people, quietly doing His work every day. They are really remarkable. Also, this Monday was our "day off" since we had worked on Saturday. So we took the opportunity to visit the Cherokee Heritage Center here in Tahlaquah which included a replica of a native village from the 1700-early 1800s, and a museum mostly dedicated to the story of the Trail of Tears. It was all very interesting, including the fact that unlike...

May 4, 2013 - The Legacy Event

Friday and Saturday this week were dedicated to "The Legacy Event". This is a graduation ceremony for Circle of Care students who are graduating from high school, tech school or college. It was held at a beautiful local church and was a wonderful event. Circle of Care works very hard to make this a lovely, special celebration for the students and their families. Our group's task for this event was to prepare and serve a really nice dinner for the graduates, the staff, and visitors. (about 110 people) The menu: roasted pork loin, Italian...

May 2, 2013 - Indian Tacos, Continuing Work at Circle of Care, Boys Home Visit

It's been a busy week here in Tahlequah. It has been cold, freezing at night, 40s during the day. We have had lots of rain. I'm guessing that's how this area got to be called "green country" in Oklahoma. It is REALLY green and beautiful here. Our group has been working really hard on remodeling the bathrooms in two buildings and working on the clothing co-op. Barbara and work partner Patty have been painting, painting, painting, . . . I think you get the picture! . . .Painting trim pieces for the bathrooms and priming and painting many,...

Apr 30, 2013 - Cherokee Church

On Sunday, we went to a Cherokee Methodist Church. The writing on the sign in the picture is Cherokee. Some of the songs and prayers were in Cherokee, some in English. The choir sang a beautiful song in Cherokee. The people of the church are very welcoming and friendly. Surely, the presence of the Lord is in this place! We are going back Thursday for their famous Indian Taco Dinner. They use fry bread instead of taco shells. Yum!

Apr 28, 2013 - Red Fern Festival

Our group went to the Red Fern Festival yesterday in downtown Tahlequah. Wilson Rawls, the author of Where the Red Fern Grows was born near Tahlequah and uses this area as the setting for the story. You may remember this heartwarming story of a boy who works and saves his money to buy two coon hounds and then trains them to be champions. The highlight of the festival is the coon dog trials. Even though it was COLD, dogs and handlers splashed through the stream, following the "coon" scent. There was another competition to see which dogs were...

Apr 26, 2013 - End of Week 1

Time Flies! We are already at the end of week 1. Our team has made a lot of progress painting 3 bedrooms, remodeling 2 bathrooms in 2 residence halls, and organizing clothing donations to form a clothing co-op. Last night we were invited to a pot luck dinner hosted by the Children's Home staff. Great food and company! A little about our host facility--Circle of Care Methodist Children's Home has two main focuses. There are several buildings dedicated to foster care children. There is a house mother or couple in each one who can take care...

Apr 21, 2013 - We have arrived

We have arrived this morning at Circle of Care Children's Home in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where we will be volunteering for the next 3 weeks. We joined the NOMADS, a volunteer RV group with the United Methodist church. This will be our first assignment and we are anxious to get started! We got a pretty late start yesterday driving up here. We were hoping to leave at 8:00 Saturday morning so we could arrive Saturday evening, get set up and ready to go. Welllll, when we finally left home at 2:30 p.m., we knew we weren't going to make it all the...

May 20, 2012 - Tahlequah, Oklahoma

We went to Tahlequah, OK to visit with our non-retired friends Wes and Tonia Williams. They are HitchHiker people, but pretty young (compared to us), they are in their 40's. Both are computer people and the work for the Cherokee Nation. They love the toys, electronics and ATV's. While there, Big Greg and Judy joined us for a while. And we even had a HH person come to visit us (Bulldogrver). We have had lots of meals out and has been a real disaster for my diet. While I have not had deserts or sweets, I have put on 5 pounds, but I am trying...

Jan 30, 2012 - Pam's, Tahlequah, OK (Jan. 24 - 27, 2012)

We left January 23 from Valli and Brad's, north through St. Louis (saw the Arch), and stopped in Cuba, MO for the night at the Ladybug Campground. Yes, there were ladybugs everywhere and it was almost empty with plenty of room to walk-run Soleil and run by a very nice couple. So, a good night, then the the next day, one of a long drive to Tahlequah, OK. We got in late to Tahlequah and thought we were at the right state park, but couldn't find the campsites, so pulled over in a parking lot, set up, and slept the night. The next morning a...

Oct 8, 2011 - Capital Of Cherokee Nation.........Tahlequah, OK

From Chicken Creek COE Recreational Area – Cookson, OK Located at the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and almost center of the Cherokee Nation in northeastern Oklahoma is the Cherokee Capital of Tahlequah. Founded in 1838 to welcome those Cherokee forced west on the Trail of Tears today remains the capital of the modern Cherokee Nation. The city also has the distinction of being the capital of the United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians as well. As you drive through the city you see evidence of the Cherokee and Native American heritage....

May 8, 2011 - Tahlequah, OK

We are on our way North and then East. This leg took us from friends in McKinney to friends in Tahlequah, OK. We plan on staying here 5 nights. First stop in Tahlequah was dinner at Sam and Ellas Chicken Palace. Our traveling chickens really like it there as it was home for them when they went to college at NSU right next door. Yesterday Susan went with Tonia to get her daughters room cleaned out as she just finished her freshman year at the University of Alabama. While that happened Wes and I checked out Chicken Creek Campground and Lake...