We woke in Texarkana and toured around which you can see from the pics I posted. Then Greg drove to our next destination, Guthrie, Oklahoma. It was a wholly uneventful drive. We sang to some classic songs like Love Song and A Milli.
Let me take a moment to explain this destination. It will help if I use names, so try to follow along. If you can’t, whatever. My mom’s father, Papa, got remarried to a woman who I call Mimi. Mimi had already had a son named Mark at that point, making Mark my mom’s step-brother. Mark married a woman named Karen when they were young and had several children. Mark and Karen then got divorced and Karen got remarried to a man named Scott shortly thereafter. Karen and her two daughters, Tera and Sage, moved in with Scott and the couple had 7 more children (I think). That family was raised in Guthrie, OK, and that is who we were visiting.
To be completely honest, I was a little apprehensive about the whole trip. Our hosts, the Naylor family, are born again evangelical Christians. All the kids were homeschooled and they all live on a farm together. Here we are, two Jews and a Catholic, all from Yale, all from big cities, and we really didn’t know what to expect.
We arrive at the farm, park and Sage comes out to meet us. I have met her many times, and certainly feel more comfortable with her and her sister Tera than with anyone else. We walked into their house and put our stuff down. Tera said hi. We met Karen and Scott, and chatted a little. The conversation was perfectly normal, and I felt myself fitting in very quickly. We moved to the kitchen, where dinner was basically ready. Two of the younger siblings, Anna and Caleb, arrived from a golfing adventure and were introduced. We all sat down to eat enchiladas, prepared by Anna I think. They were delicious. We prayed before the meal, which I have of course done many many times. Other than that, religion never came up. We talked about jobs, about the Hartges (my family), life, Seattle, Oklahoma and lots of things. Everyone seemed very happy, the travelers included.
After dinner, Tera, Sage, Anna and Caleb took us into town and gave us a tour of downtown Guthrie. We saw the Massonic temple, the train tracks, the old capital, and some more historical stuff. It was nice to get a local tour, which we have found to be the best part of each city we have seen.
After the tour we saw the family band’s recording and practice studio, and Greg played us a few songs on the guitar. I was slightly worried at the content he chose, but he appeared cognizant of the situation, and managed not to offend. We signed the wall, which I admit was kind of cool.
After singing, we played a little volleyball on their lit court. We did well I think, and more importantly, everyone had a lot of fun. After that we all showered and then my cousins, Tera and Sage, and Greg, Seve and I stayed up talking about more serious things. They asked us questions about our religions, and we asked them about being homeschooled, what it meant and how it worked. I won’t relay those conversations, but they lasted about 2 or 3 hours all told, until we had to go to sleep around 1:30am. I found it intensely stressful but also highly informative. Greg and Seve’s presence allowed us to ask questions that I should already have known the answer to, but don’t, which was great. We hit the sack around 2 am I think.
We awoke and hung out with the whole family minus Caleb and Scott, who had gone to work (on the farm?) already. We chatted a lot more, this time with everyone. We had the best scones I have ever had, for which I have asked the recipe. Anna made some eggs which were also delicious. We talked about life some more, and I felt the entire time like we could talk to these people forever. Eventually though, we had to leave, so we took some pictures, and took off.
I haven’t been reflecting much but I think for Guthrie I will. I have never felt more welcomed into a home as I did in this one. Within minutes I felt calm, and easy even though this was potentially the oddest stop of the trip. I don’t agree with the Naylors on many subjects, I think, but still I was shocked at how much I wanted to stay and live their life, completely opposite from mine. Day to day living, finding pleasure in daily activities, never rushing, not overthinking; they certainly have figured something out. I am very grateful to them for that.
Location: Guthrie, OK
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