Tag Archives: Every Point on the Map

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Boley, OK

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The bar stools in Pookie’s restaurant have born much more than the weight of those who have sat and eaten “burgers made with love” years on end.

They have born the weight of conversations about Boley exchanged by their occupants.

About the school closing three years ago.

About how to help people feel safe even when there is an occasional prison escapee in the area.

About whether Willie Williams’ bucking bull will be of such quality to draw a premium price at sale, and how they need good counselors at the substance abuse treatment center down the road.

About how the history of their community is best told by some of the oldest, and how they wish those elders were present to talk about Boley instead.

About how good last year’s rodeo was, or about planning the next one.

Willie and Tyrone

About their town’s dwindling population, and “what kind of ideas can we come up with” to encourage the “young folks to move back and raise their families.”

Those bar stools have stood as silent witnesses Continue reading EPOTM: Boley, OK →

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Criner, OK

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_DSC0096(click photo at left for full view) -CRINER, OK.

When we were driving into Criner the only thing my mom had been able to find out about the town from a quick LexisNexis search was that they had a Superfund site, and that there was a lady who got in an argument with her neighbors because her goats were…ahem, fornicating in her front yard and the neighbors didn’t much care to see this particular act of nature.  So heading into town we were sort of hoping to talk to goat lady because we thought that story was hilarious, but as it happens we found someone else in town to tell us her story.

Usually (I say usually, but we’ve only done ten towns. I don’t really know how often you have to do something to justify using the word “usually.”) when we enter a town we scope it out before trying to track down someone who is willing to talk to us while we’re lugging around equipment, asking a billion questions, and also being complete strangers.  We like to drive down whatever the main street seems to be, look for interesting architecture, count the churches along the main street, and then look for a place that might have someone interesting and willing to talk.

So as we drove into Criner we passed a house with a gate and some sort of signage that said something about goats so we got excited and said “Hey! We maybe found goat lady! Let’s come back to her if something else doesn’t come up.” Then we went and found the Superfund site, met a few friendly dogs that wanted to come along for the ride, and then drove by a cute fence that had an “Eggs for Sale” sign.

We then had a debate about if we wanted to go find out about egg lady or goat lady, mams (mams is what I call my mom who you probably know as Red Dirt Kelly, Kelly Marie, or Dr. Kelly M Roberts with some extra letters that I haven’t committed to memory) finally asked who I wanted to talk to since she had chosen in Dibble. Well I wanted to see the chickens and love farms eggs, so I chose “Egg Lady.” Continue reading EPOTM: Criner, OK →

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Meeker, OK

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_DSC0126“You could probably just talk with anyone here.  We’re all like family…that guy just had a horse kick the valve stem off the tire on his trailer, so I helped him fix his flat.”

Rachel and I had stepped outside the car to find out what the assembly of hundreds of trailers, horses, and people was all about.  The man explaining the flat tire scenario had been looking at us with anticipation as soon as we told him about our project.

I’m not sure what it is about a split-second decision and all that goes into that moment.  For some reason, I wasn’t in the mood to talk with a guy who wanted to be the one we talked to.

I thanked him, glanced at Rachel, and understood she was in agreement to move on as well. If we were at a National Barrel Horse Association event, we wanted to find some racers.

It was a windy day. Hot, dry air swept through the camp, chapping lips and making those who had circled the wagons seek out their stores of cool water.  We pulled our small VW Jetta through the rows of trucks and trailers, looking for a better spot.  Soon, we had found our own makeshift “campsite” and parked the car.  Walking along the  fence line, we watched several riders warm up their horses for the next competition.

As we returned to our car, Rachel spotted a family who seemed approachable.  They appeared to be a mother and two daughters, and their relaxed, easy-going demeanors helped us know they might say yes to our standard question: “We’re traveling to every town in Oklahoma, and we’d like to have at least one conversation with someone in each of those towns.  Would you be willing to talk with us for a while?”

They said yes. Our equipment partially worked.  And, our video tells the rest of the story.

If you’re short on time…click here for a 30 second intro video.  Otherwise, this five minute video will give you a peek into the world of Melissa, Lauren and Brooklyn.  Precious people – living life and learning as they go.

Meeker, Oklahoma Wiki     Meeker Facebook Page   History of Meeker

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: IXL, OK

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_DSC0215Mother’s Day Eve, 2014, was full of more emotion than I would have liked.

Rachel and I had just finished our conversation in Boley and were cruising north on Highway 48.  We were running out of daylight, and had thought we might get to Bristow in enough time to find a good dinner.  We needed to debrief; our heads were full of pieces of life that needing sorting.

Mine was full of the past 48 hours.  I had been to two hospitals evaluating a human being who had not yet finished high school but wanted so badly to end his/her life they nearly succeeded.  Rachel had finished an event for a non-profit the night before; they had been working on it for quite some time. Fundraisers tap a person’s energy reserves.  And, after having spent time in Boley I was extremely aware of how towns in Oklahoma are just hanging by a thread, and entire communities can turn on a dime…or the closing of a school.

I tell you this because the thoughts in my head were fading my peripheral vision as I drove north.  I barely noticed the “CASTLE” sign, and when I read the “IXL” sign I wasn’t even sure it was a town name.  For just a moment, though, I had been scanning the east and west wondering about IXL, Oklahoma when I noticed a man on the side of the road as we passed.

His white beard shone in the dusky light.  Seated in a recliner in the middle of a make-shift front yard, his presence intrigued me.  I mentioned him to Rachel.

“You know, our conversation with someone in IXL was right there.  We should have stopped.”

“Well, do you want to go back?”

“I don’t know.  I’m a little tuckered out.  Not sure…”

“Mom, if you WANT to talk to him, then this is your chance.  Don’t pass up something that’s right here…you might wish you had later.”

This was the difference between youth and age.  I was allowing my body to prioritize my thoughts, the first being: “I’m tired.”

“You’re right,” I answered.  “Let’s go back.”

Continue reading EPOTM: IXL, OK →

Every Point on the Map, Music Scene

EPOTM: Dibble, OK

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_DSC0038A grade school friend of mine who lived across our pasture used to tease our classmates then use “Dibble, OK” as the punch line.

“If you DO graduate high school, I’m sure you’ll have nice career at the Sonic in Dibble.”

“You’re getting on my nerves.  I think it’s time for you to move to Dibble.”

And so on.

I have no doubt that a similar personality type made the same jokes about “Tuttle, OK” while growing up in Dibble.  Dry wit, after all, is an Oklahoma pastime.

So until a few weeks ago, Dibble was a mysterious and greater-than-fiction community imprinted into my fifth grade brain as a place where punchlines finished and I would never go.

That changed when Rachel chose Dibble as the headliner for our second pilot run. And my impression of those who occupy the town has now evolved from fiction to fact by two sisters we met, sitting on their porch on a breezy Saturday morning.  They were both sporting flannel pajamas, drinking coffee, and taking in the cool morning temperatures. Wind chimes danced above their heads and serenaded their thoughts until we interrupted the scene.

Just a few minute prior, we had chosen this vintage abode as our target interview:

_DSC0017

The mid-century, flat-roofed home invited Dibble visitors to knock on the door, and to check out the burnt orange loungers while waiting for someone to open it up.  But no one answered; not after the first knock nor the second.

Continue reading EPOTM: Dibble, OK →

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Preview of Dibble, Criner and Payne, OK

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As Rachel and I sat on a porch in Dibble, on another porch in Criner, and in the living room of a couple who had been married 65 years in Payne, we weren’t aware of something that had been happening.  Our brains had been filling up with stories of the Oklahomans with whom we were interacting.  They were filling up with the histories, and mysteries, of those we had just begun to know.

Throughout the night and into the next afternoon we continued to process all the information we had gathered on our Saturday trip to south-central Oklahoma.  Here is a sneak peak of that day, and a tiny glimpse of those conversations we’ll be sharing over the next couple of weeks.

Our hope is that we provide YOU with food for thought as well.  Thanks for coming along for the ride!

Every Point on the Map

EPOTM: Next Steps for the Team

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Okay, so we completed our pilot run.  I mentioned we had a few hiccups.

That was probably an understatement.

Going into a project as a novice, I knew there would be corrections.  In order to be completely open about our learning curve, here’s the list:

  1. Problem #1: I ordered an HD camera I thought was a good deal.  The camera was high quality, but didn’t have the capacity to record directly onto a SD card.  It used tapes, and had to be converted to digital files.  This would have cost us a huge amount of time in transferring files.  So, we sent it back.  That mistake cost the project $70 is shipping penalties.  OUCH.
  2. The fix for #1: The first video was shot completely using an iPhone and a condenser mic.  We were actually pretty pleased with the quality, but we may also order a GoPro Hero 4.  I’m not ordering it until I make sure we can get the sound we want, because evidently they don’t have a portal for lapel mics and we’ll need to make sure our condenser mic will work as well as it did on the iPhone.  If we rule that out, we’re back to the drawing board on a larger Sony HD camera again.  I just found that it’s laborious setting up so much equipment, and timing is a key issue.  However, with larger cameras, you can set them on your shoulder and take video while walking without bounces.  You might notice several bounces in our first piece.
  3. Problem #2: Rachel’s first try at the large format film may not have worked.   Continue reading EPOTM: Next Steps for the Team →
Every Point on the Map, Man Cave

EPOTM: Carney, Oklahoma

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The learning curve was steep.  Our final cut isn’t where I’d like it to be.  But, our first documentation piece for Every Point on the Map has reached the “good enough” standard.  Now, we’re ready to share it with you.

We’re grateful to Assistant Volunteer Fire Chief Robbie Clark, and self-described “rookie” Micheal “June Bug” McCorkle for their time and thoughts.  And, we hope you enjoy this glimpse into the lives of two citizens of Carney, Oklahoma.

[kelly]

If you’d like to read more about Carney, check out THIS LINK written on Carney history from OSU.  To read demographics about the town, and other general information, here is the Wikipedia link.  And, here is a KOCO video of the tornado from last year.

For other Every Point on the Map posts, click here.

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: Varuca Salt We’re Not, But Maybe We Are…

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veruca-salt-2The cyclothymic process of rolling out our “Every Point on the Map” project is wearing me down.

To begin, we followed the Kickstarter suggestions to the letter.  They suggested we run our campaign for no longer than 30 days so as not to wear down those who might support the project.

Okay, well…we probably DID wear our friends down, but we got it done.

But then, there was the matter of the fine print.  The fine print which eluded me.  The fine print which was evidently on one of the several pages…of the several agreements…wherein I clicked the “Yes, I agree!” box.

Oh, the limits of what a person will click know NO bounds when they want something good to happen.

So, somewhere embedded in that fine print was this message:  You don’t get your money until 16 business days after you’ve completed your Kickstarter campaign.

Meh.  I have begun to identify with Varuca Salt in the 1970s Willy Wonka movie:  “I want it NOW!” 

I want to order our equipment.  I want to roll out our pilot run.  I want to see what it’s going to be like for the next ten years.  I want to see how hard it is to approach a stranger and ask them to open up to someone they’ve never met.  I want to see Rachel’s photographs.  I want to hear the stories. And…

I want it NOW!

But, we’ll have to wait three more business days.  And THEN, we’ll begin making progress.

Love, kisses, and cyclothymic tendencies…

[kelly] & Rachel J. Apple

P.S.  We thought our pilot run would be this upcoming Saturday, March 1.  Evidently, it won’t.  It will most likely take place 1-2 weeks after that date that we wanted NOW.  However, we DO know that Carney, OK is our first stop.  We know that won’t change…right?

Every Point on the Map

EPTOM: What is a Sonic ID? Why do we care?

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rachel selfie sonic id storyFive minutes into our meeting with Rachel Hubbard of KOSU, I had almost finished my oatmeal.  I glanced at Rachel Apple sitting next to me, and she had barely started her flaxseed banana bar.  She was listening.

(see photo at left: Rachel Apple)

Rachel Apple, my daughter and partner in the “Every Point on the Map” (EPOTM) project, excels at listening.  Her large brown eyes fixate on the source of information, and there is no breaking that “listening-beam.”  At this moment, her listening beam was directed toward Hubbard talking about the art of sound gathering.  And, about “Sonic IDs.“

Sonic IDs are a format developed by Atlantic Public Media.  They are a derivative of the wildly popular Moth Radio Hour, only very very brief.  Generally, 60 seconds or less.

Public radio stations have begun to use them for small fillers between regular spots.  They’re stories told at “sonic” speed.  And, they were the initial thought Hubbard had when she considered how we might partner with KOSU once we begin our journeys.

We learned about particular microphones we might order and attach to our iPhones.  We learned that video files can be used for audio files if necessary.  We learned that the new KOSU studio on Historic Film Row in Oklahoma City has a cool vibe.  And, we learned that there might be something of value we could share on the radio from our project.

That’s what Sonic IDs are.  That’s why we care.  And here’s how you can help us raise our last $450 dollars in the next 62 hours to fund our project…so we can begin sound gathering.  And listening.

[kelly] and Rachel “Listening Beam” Apple