The Swervin' Ervins: Centennial Land Run Monument

Recently, our fantastic neighbor introduced us to what I think she called the "Statue Walk" down at Bricktown in Oklahoma City. According to the sign we found, it's officially known as the Centennial Land Run Monument. And according to this website, it's not complete yet. When it's done in 2015 it'll have "45 heroic (life and one-half size) figures of land run participants, frozen in motion as they race to claim new homesteads."

It's amazing how much history you learn when you move to Oklahoma. I don't think I ever really learned about the whole "land run" thing before we moved here.

So anyway, I had to see a man about some fresh rhubarb, and since we were going to be downtown anyway we turned it into a field trip to go see the statues. We've only been there one other time and it was so freezing that we didn't stay long and the kids couldn't climb on the statues. Which, by the way, the sign tells us that we shouldn't be climbing. Oh well. We didn't know it at the time...

Here we are in the parking lot. Connor has been making the darnedest faces lately...

The dog statue was the only one he even tried to climb. It was too big.

I put Connor on top of the statue since he couldn't climb. He kept slipping off, so I had him put his feet behind the ears to hold himself on. He didn't feel very secure... can you tell?

Maddox seemed so small among the statues.

Since the girls couldn't really get on the horses, they moved on to the one they were pretty sure they could climb: the wagon. Success!

We made it!

Oh, look! What's that?

Just some ducks and geese in the canal...

And now it's time to get down. Not as easy as getting up, is it?

At least someone was enjoying the show. I love that little half-smile!

The last time we were there, we didn't make it across this canal to see the statues on the other side.

So we set off to find the bridge. On the way, we passed these crazy-looking mounds in the grass that seemed to be some sort of hive for a HUGE flying insect. Bee, maybe? All I know is that they were well over an inch long. Maybe even an inch and a half.

See what I mean? Can you see it there at the opening on the mound?

And just so you can get the big picture... this is where we have already been:

On to the bridge! (That's where we found the sign.)

Note the face.

Pretty, innit?

The kids thought so, too.

Kelsey picked me some pretty wildflowers.

And I got the kids to pose for a picture on the wall.

Note the face.

You know, all these pictures of Connor's face remind me of a phase Kelsey went through when she was about 3 or 4. She would cross her eyes every time someone snapped a picture.

Finally we made it to the other side. This picture really gives you a perspective on just how big these statues are. Can you see the kids? They are right by the lead horse in the rear pack.