I went into town the other day. Took the family to the new Devon Ice Rink downtown. The kids had a great time, I wound up a little sore from using unfamiliar muscles. There were a lot of people on the rink, and the atmosphere was quite pleasant. It was a pleasant sunny day, and we all could leave our coats on the nice new benches. We had had a freeze and some ice and snow a few days before, but now the rink was kept frozen by powerful cooling elements under the surface.
All this is new, and very nice. This whole plaza surrounding the Crystal Bridge, in the front yard of the new Devon Tower skyscraper, just got redone last year. It's a beautiful urban park with lots of nice features, thanks to generous donations from Devon, Chesapeake, and other major employers here in Oklahoma City.
Life is relatively good here right now. Unemployment is among the lowest in the country. Housing prices never went up before the crash, so there was no real estate bubble to burst. There has been a continual growth of new projects and developments in and near downtown. There are whole residential blocks and shopping districts where abandoned lots sat just a few years ago. We now have a pro basketball team, the Thunder, and they've done pretty well. Chesapeake and Devon have each built nice boathouses on the river, and we've turned into a major location for kayaking, regatta, and the like. It's been exciting to watch.
Like I said, we had a great day, in a nice place. So why, you ask, the title? Follow me, readers, beyond the orange twizzles...
Read More