7.1.16

Things I have learned in the past week:

-Dual citizens are unwanted. At least when it Comes to applying for jobs on US Military bases in Germany.

- American food Quality sucks. A lot of my weirdness (Skin rashes, Panic attacks, etc.) has disappeared. I Attribute this to the good food and the even better Beer here in Germany.

-One must have Patience and follow specific protocols. Hello German bureaucracy.

- German Keyboards want to capitalize all words perceived to be nouns.

And lastly:

-I never knew how awesome Oklahoma´s air Quality was.

Maybe I should start at the beginning. With another degree in my Hand, I packed my bags (one suitcase, actually) and hit the air. I crammed all of my precious belongings and a couple of clothes in that suitcase and was surprised that I still had a couple of Pounds to spare before I hit the sell-some-organs Limit.

At this particular Moment, I should be creating a German resume. Something I could have done months ago, but procrasinator Habits die hard. So here we are, you reading this and me debating whether or not to have that 7th Cup of coffee.

You know, I always thought Oklahoma weatherwas bipolar, but, Boy, this German weather is worse. Take today for example, the sun was shining in all it´s glory as I sped down the forest paths Stripping away the layers. Before I knew what happened, the sun had done gone and left, the temperatures plummeted, and the Clouds done started to cry.

Out of so many impressions it´s hard to choose which one left the greatest mark. Since I´m missing the Stone Turtle, I´m gonna say it´s the taste of home I found this week:

Missin´ that fresh Okie air,

D
P.S. More Pictures can be found on my Facebook Page.

Summer Lovin', 'cause winter blues just sounds sad

An ode to summer:

O, summer! How fair thee were,
Thy nights so fine
Sky starry lined.
Thy days so toasty warm
That sweat rolling in my eye
Did lest dull my love for thee.

Nor sweat drenched hair 
Which clung to my lid. 

Visor up, my steed and I
Would ride
Yonder fields sweet wildflowers bloom
Where buffalo charge
And longhorns chase
On long straight roads
The heat would rise 
And melt my toes
As we ride

The paths of travel
are empty
For
Few souls brave
Thy love
But those knights
in leather armor
Ah, and the pages
In their gear
Of Oakley shades
And flipper-floppers

The water pack
melted to my back 
I sip something weird
Which chemical is that?
Water line gone awry, my steed and I
are freshly bathed

Thy gusty gale dries us out
With a lovely coat
of good ol' red dirt.
Thy scorching heat simmers up
Thy heat waves drift about
Causing my steed
To get all hot and bothered
As it overheats

We arrive a detour later
In thy gracious presence
All disheveled
How you move us so
I touch my skin
It's aglow ten shades darker
Forty degrees warmer
I rip my lid from my head
It's been transformed;
A ten gallon cowboy hat 
Full of salty water
Evaporated before it graces
The sizzling pavement

Upon dismount
my riding boots are locked
in passion with the tar

Yet thee tease
My sweat drenched hair and gear
thee refuse to dry

Alas, then thou leaves!
After all we've had!
The sweet smiles and laughs,
The ten pounds lost in thy sauna
The tan lines no one understands
The kittens in my pack
And sweat stains on my back

You disappear into the night
Not a word nor a gusty hot gale
to kiss my cheek one last time
But, what's this I see?!?

SNOW!


O, summer! How I miss thee so
Please
Come back to me

--Truly Yours,
                                  Wanderings of a Girl Ryder
This blog is brought to you by the lovely (biased opinion, we know) Stone Turtle – Lodging, a small family owned and operated hotel / lodging business near Lawton, Oklahoma, Fort Sill,  the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge, Meers and Medicine Park. Yeah, that’s right we’re a small lodging business close to all the awesomeness Oklahoma has to offer!!

Another Amazing Year

Hello, 2014! And, hello lovely readers!

Looking back on 2013, it was an amazing year filled with many wonderful people and impressions. November and December are a blur, but the year ended and started with many adventures (some with Blueberry and some without) and good times. 

So my first thoughts for 2014, besides the never-ending, fun, work related stuff, include the following:

1. Possible riding destinations.
2. Blueberry TLC.

In the past, I've just been randomly exploring small towns and different locations. We're doing things a little differently this year. I'm thinking themes! So the following themes will possibly become my obsession this year: geocaching (geocaching motorcycle adventures!), doors, and mailboxes. Yep, the photographing nut in me has developed a crush on doors and mailboxes. Soooo....suggestions? Tell me about some awesome doors and/or mailboxes!

Besides being my longest, and best, relationship, Blueberry has been a God-send these past years. From learning to be a better rider and driver, having Blueberry has honed my ability to see small details (and in record time) while providing many interesting adventures. It's high time I paid back.

What are your riding plans for 2014? Tell me about one place you'd really love to check out this year; I'd love to hear about it!