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Published: July 25th 2010
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Registration
We had a table in the hotel lobby for family members to register. My daughter Susan, granddaughter Rachel and niece Danette are pictured from left to right. July 15—I stayed at the Family Camp at Tinker Air Force Base the last couple of days and called my cousin John Conner to let him know I was here. He came by and picked me up for dinner in Bricktown which is the new shopping/entertainment area in Ok City. The hotel for our family reunion is located there, so I got to see where I will be. I had chicken fried steak at an old brewery which has been turned into a restaurant. They still have the old copper kettles and pipes where the beer was brewed. The meal was good and so was the company. It was nice to be able to talk with John before all the crowd came in.
July 16—I took my RV over to my Aunt Joan's house to park during the reunion. While there I got to see my Uncle Jerry whom I hadn't seen in many years. John then took me to the airport where we picked up Susan and Rachel and then on to the hotel to check in. I won't put a lot of reunion stuff in this blog. For those interested in more detailed information about it, along with
Souvenier!
Darn, how do you spell that word, anyway? My cousin Rosie is holding up one of our t-shirts. family pictures, go to http://henryandsuziedavisonfamily.shutterfly.com .
Tonight some of the family members went to a baseball game while the rest of us met in the hospitality room and decided where we wanted to go to eat. I went with a group who opted for bar-b-cue. Before and after the meal we had fun silk-screening our own souvenir t-shirts.
July 17—This morning we took a water taxi canal ride around Bricktown. We were told that Ok City was doing quite a few things to help the old downtown turn around. Engineers had replaced one of the downtown streets with the canal, diverting the water from the Canadian River. They also put some dams on the river and now about 5 miles of the river is officially named the Oklahoma River. There rowing races held along the river, among other things.
Apparently, the city planners have done successful work. The area is called Bricktown due to the old brick streets, some of which are still present, and the old brick warehouses which have been transformed into trendy shops, restaurants, hotels, lofts, etc. The landscaping is beautiful and lends itself well to pleasant walking and bicycle areas. There were a
Water Taxi and Canal
We rode a similar boat in the Bricktown canal in OK City. lot of people out and about. We passed an arts and crafts fair on one street. (Yes, I went back to it after the boat tour.) The only problem was the heat. It was in the 90s with a heat index of over 100. The moving boat created a bit of a breeze, but it didn't help much.
There was a lot to see on the tour. There were several life-size bronze sculptures depicting the land runs and early settlers of the state. They were beautifully detailed and realistic right down to horses' hoof prints in bronze “mud” leading into the canal. The whole series is to be completed by 2014 and will have 45 figures. For those who may not know about the land runs...Several areas of the Indian Territory was opened up for settlement of white people by allowing them to participate in a race for homestead land. These sculptures depict the races.
The whole group, over 80 altogether, met at a Mexican Restaurant where we enjoyed lunch together. My granddaughter ordered a drink and they brought out this huge glass which must have been about 8 inches wide at the top. We really teased her
Bricktown Canal
A pretty part of the canal with a waterfall and flowers. about being a lush! It was so big, she couldn't and didn't finish it, even with help!
Later in the afternoon some of the group visited the Oklahoma History Center. They have a genealogy library there which has a book written by one of my aunts. We got pictures of her holding the book, with two of her sisters and one brother standing by here. There are only four children left of the Seven Brothers, Seven Sisters, the subject of the book and my mother's family. Unfortunately, my pictures were blurry!!
After we left the library, we explored the rest of the museum which traces Oklahoma's history. It was all interesting, but I especially enjoyed the section of the Native Americans and their contributions not only to the state, but to the country and the world. Another fascinating exhibit involved the state runs for land settlements. Our great-grandfather was in one of those runs.
On the way to the museum we passed by the state capitol building. For many years it was the only capitol building without a dome, but that was corrected a few years ago. It is the first time I have seen the capitol
Bricktown Mural
One of many attractive murals along the canal and around the area. with the dome and I was very impressed. On the way back to the hotel we passed by the Oklahoma City National Memorial where the Federal Building was blown up. It is a lovely memorial with a reflecting pool and sculptured chairs aligned in rows across the grass, like crosses, to commemorate the people who died in the bombing. Most poignant are the 13 child-size chairs for the children who were killed.
July18—This morning the family had breakfast together and a worship service. By then it was time to check out of the hotel and go our separate ways. It was hard saying goodby. I will not see some of these people until next year, if ever again. Danette drove Susan, Rachel and I to the airport to see them off. I probably won't get to see them again until I get back to Colorado next year. Joy and Dan took me over to Aunt Joan's, back to my RV and then they headed back to Claremore.
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Berry Davison
non-member comment
Davison family reunion 2010
Marty - you got some great pictures of some of the OKC sites. It was GREAT getting to see so many relatives and especially aunts Lucy, Betty and Joan as well as Uncle Jerry. Met several cousins I had never met before and got re-aquainted with many I already knew. Thanks so much to Chairman John Conner and the entire Davison re-union committee members. I know how much work is involved by each of you to prepare for a re-union this size, as well as the continuous duties that needed doing during the re-union. I don't know about anyone else that attended, but I personally felt the re-union was a resounding success.