Speaker and reunion

This morning we dressed warmly and made our way to downtown Tulsa to hear a Dutchman, Harm De Blij, speak as part of the Tulsa Town Hall series. The temperature was cold. As we drove to Tulsa, the reading on my dashboard was 9°.

To keep warm, I wore my new thermal underclothing given to my by cousin Vicki in Houston. I also wore the Tommy Hilfinger socks she gave me. The wind was light, so it wasn't too bad outside.

The speaker was first-rate. From the time he stepped out from behind the curtain, he spoke without using a note for close to a hour and a quarter. He was a geographer and knew his subject well. He kept the audience enthralled as he related his various experiences and talked about the importance of a knowledge of geography in understanding the world.

My attendance at the Town Hall was happenstance. My friend Bill had to be out of town, and he gave me his tickets. A half dozen speakers are selected each year for speak at Town Hall. Tickets are sold by subscription for something like a hundred dollars per season. Since Bill was going to be out of town, he gave me two tickets which Bill and his wife would have used had they been here.

On the way home, I noticed the temperature had risen to 15°. I left the house again, heading this time for Luby's Cafeteria, venue for the old retired railroader's monthly luncheon. This group gets together once a month to socialize with each other. Today was the first time I attended. There were 20 to 25 retired railroaders. I knew eveyone of them, since I had driven each of them about the train yard. Some of them had retired a number of years ago. Leroy was there, and I had not seen him in nine years.

The temperature is supposed to get down to 1° tonight. I hope our pipes do not freeze.