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Published: March 28th 2004
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Staples Remodel--Bartlesville, OK2004-03-28
Hey Everyone,
I just got back from working 12 days in Bartlesville, OK, doing a Staples Office Supply store re-model. I know I said I'd never do a Staples store again, but the last on I did was almost 6 years ago and I thought I'd give it another go. I'm glad I did. This was alot of fun. Our project leader was Valerie and she was training another co-worker, Joe, to be a project leader. It was so nice to work with them. They were both laid back and pleased with all of our team's work and told us so several times.
We didn't have a lot of time to go sight-seeing because we worked almost 10 hour days and then were too tired to do much else. On Sunday, our only day off, Valerie, Joe, Donna, and I went to the Will Rogers musuem in Claremore, OK. He was a renaissance man of his time. He was born in Claremore, OK. His father was an actor, so early in Will's life he became an actor too. Will was in 71 movies before 1935! He was also a journalist, radio peronality, governor of California, and made
at least 3 trips philanthropic trips around the world and reported what he saw and raised support for people in poorer countries. I enjoyed watching his lasso-ing moves. They were awesome! I enjoyed the museum very much.
Friday, we finshed the store and afterward went to Garfield's and had appetisers and a couple drinks. Valerie bought a round for everbody. She bought my Mudslide. I bought myself a Choclatini, my first ever, and it was very good. It cost me almost $8 for that one drink not including the tip! I was in shock, but I did enjoy it. While we were celebrating, Donna told us about her married life. It was very sad, but she's come along way. She is a very sweet, very hard working grandmother who is raising her son's 2 children. I like her alot. She was my roommate on this trip. I met her a year and a half ago when we worked in Omaha opening Albertson's stores. We also talked about where we were on September 11th, 2001.
Saturday (yesterday) I got up early and went to Wal-Mart and got 2 new tires on the front of my car and checked out of the hotel and Donna and I went sight-seeing. First we went to the Price Tower, the only sky scraper (18 floors) built by Frank Lloyd Wright. Outside is copper and glass. The copper has turned green. Inside it has offices, an art museum, and a luxury hotel and restaurant. Donna and I paid the $3 enrty fee and went to the art museum. The featured artist right now is Gerald Leslie Brockhurst famous for his portrait etchings. I wish I was that good! On the 2nd floor there was furniture and dishes and rugs designed by Frank Lloyd Wright to go with the architecture of the tower. I hadn't known that he designed dishware and rugs before. All of his furniture pieces were angular. His dishes were interesting too.
Then we went to the Frank Phillips Mansion. ($3 suggested donation.) Frank and his brother L.E. started the Phillip's Petroleum Company in 1906. He had the house constructed in 1908-1909 and moved in shortly after with his wife Jane and young son John. The house has most of their original furntire and set up pretty much as it was when they lived there. Pictures were taken after Jane had remodeled so you could compare how is was now to the photos. It is remarkably the same. The three story home is gorgeous with very spacious rooms, beautiful rugs, and chandeliers. In the very large library on the first floor there are two panic rooms in which the family could hide in case of emergency. Frank and his wife had their own separate bedrooms on the second floor. The room of their two adopted daughters are on the second floor too. Along with two guest bedrooms. Each room has its very own complete bathroom. There is a barber chair and refridgerator in Frank's bathroom. There were intercoms set up in various places around the house to call the servants. The whole third floor was their son John's room. He had his own intercom system in his room to call the servants too. After touring the house we went to the museum in the garage where it tells more about the life and times of the family. Very interesting. We bought some postcards using the honor system they have set up there.
After that Donna took me back to my car and we both left to go to our homes. Me back to Wichita and her to Iowa. I took a different way home than I took going there and I was glad I did. It was very beautiful. The landscape was hilly and pretty with first blooms of spring. The grey sky made all the colors pop out even brighter against the plainer background.
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