The Cutters' adventures in Oklahoma include a trip to an industry museum.

Recently, Bess and I flew to Oklahoma City where we visited Bess's 92-year-old mother and older sister. Sister Mary and brother-in-law Perry were shocked when we knocked on their door - we didn't tell them we were coming. They took us to see the Oklahoma City Federal Memorial Museum (dedicated to the victims of the Federal Building bombing). While there, they drove us by where Bess and Mary had attended Bible college and where they had worked while going to college.

We then traveled to Edmond, Okla., where we visited an old Failing friend, Julian Stetnish. Julian is 981⁄2-years old and in excellent health. Julian was the manager of George E. Failing's junior ball team during the war and for many years after. We discussed much of George E. Failing's history and I'll be writing about some of those stories in the months to come.

Then we drove to Enid where we attended the annual Cutter family reunion. There were some 55 relatives there but only four with the name of Cutter. Most of the Cutters are farmers or farm-related people and don't travel much. Porky's the world traveler.

While in Enid, I wanted to see the original Failing Drill built by George E. Failing. I understood the original drill had been restored and is on display at the Cherokee Strip Museum in Enid. Unfortunately, the museum is closed on weekends and Mondays. We were only in Enid over the weekend and Monday. What a disappointment that we missed it again!

We then drove to Lubbock, Texas, where I trained for my new sales job for two days. I have a new job traveling and selling an innovative product that has been out there for several years, but like myself, many water supply people don't pay much attention to new products at a well exposition unless it catches their eye, such as a magician or race car and driver. But I don't write about specific products in “Porky's Hole Thoughts.”

We traveled through Elk City, Okla., to see a windmill museum and the oil museum. The Windmill Museum had windmills from the oldest to the newest solar panels. Apparently, the oil museum was gone, but in downtown Elk City, the oil-drilling rig, “Parker Drilling Rig #114,” was on display. This is a large electric oil-drilling rig, complete with everything except the power generators and mud pumps. If you ever get near Elk City, you should be sure to see both displays.

Along the way, we saw oil wells being repaired with large pump service rigs and several oil rigs drilling new wells. Halliburton Cementing and Fracturing Co. equipment was in the area. All types of drilling equipment were traveling the highways. There was a lot of oil and gas drilling activity from Enid to Lubbock.

We saw cowboys wearing cowboy hats, cowboy boots and cowboy belt buckles. Most were driving big dually 4-by-4 pickup trucks with flatbeds towing a big horse trailer or a long hotshot trailer (an oilfield term meaning to expedite delivery of oil tools to oil rigs). Most of the cowboys wear their cowboy hats while driving their trucks, on the streets, in the restaurants and they never take them off. I wonder if they wear them to bed?

It was great to be back home in Oklahoma and in the wide-open spaces, but to move back home … I don't think so - not now!

In the coming months, I will be traveling to Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio and Michigan, calling on drillers, pump installers and suppliers and, I'm sure, finding new stories for National Driller. ND