Midwestern Whale Tale

Last week we set off on a summer adventure to visit Rob's sister Christine in Texas. The Tulsa area is about half-way on our journey, and so it's usually where we take a break for lunch. When the kids were smaller...pre-E3 smaller...we stopped at a rest area along the turnpike and had a picnic lunch. But as the girls have gotten older we've tried to find interesting sites along the way.

Two years ago we stopped at the World's Tallest Totem Pole near , Foyil, Oklahoma. This year, we stopped at The Catoosa Whale near The Port of Catoosa, Oklahoma. Both of these are considered 'sites to see' along Old Route 66.

He's a smiley old chap, isn't he?

Rob and I stopped here on our way back from Tulsa this Spring and the place was quiet and peaceful. Last week when we stopped it happened to be the same day that a local daycare decided to come by for lunch...and even after they left there seemed to be quite a steady stream of visitors stopping to visit .You can't tell it from the photo, but he is one lucky dude to be lounging in that water because it was a HOT day.

That didn't stop the girls from climbing up his internal ladder for a chance to peek out his nostrils.

Whale boogers

After we ate our lunch in the hot, hot, shade and got the lowdown on what the upstairs was like, I did what any good MomBlogger would do - sent them back up in the hot whale skull so I could get some shots of them all peeking out the portholes.

Then the girls fed some bread crusts to the resident fish from atop the whale's tale before we continued on our trip.

One thing Rob and I decided this year: before making a picnic lunch stop we will check the thermostat in the car (which shows the exterior temperature) and if necessary, make an executive decision to cancel the picnic in favor of an air conditioned dining room.

Air Conditioning. Amen.