I had a nice mini-tour of County District 1 with District 1 Commissioner Jeff Moss, recently.

We visited the new Kingfisher Creek Bridge on Lemon Road northeast of Kingfisher.

The old bridge, which is two years shy of 100 years old, has been out of commission since November 2019 after safety concerns showed up.

The new bridge has a load rating of 45 tons and is already being used by many, including the big rigs that are so prevalent these days due to the county’s oilfield activity.

Cost of the bridge so far is $1.76 million with a final price of $1.9 million after a few touchups are completed to the approaches.

Sewell Brothers Construction is completing the project on time and below the estimated construction cost of $2,862,946.40, approved during the first Trump term under a public works improvement program, plus assistance of the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.

Jeff also drove us over the four miles of new paving on the Big Four Road north from S.H. 33.

Several additional asphalt roads are scheduled this summer in all three commissioner districts.

Steady Improvement Continues Across Kingfisher County

District 1 employee Raymond Farrar was busy on the Lemon Road further east of the bridge, using a digitally- powered sextant on an area being prepared to install a culvert. Also engaged there was Marvin Savage, who was trucking gravel to the location.

The Lemon Road will be paved for seven miles from U.S. 81 to its junction with the Big Four Road in the coming warm-weather months.

Jeff praised the cooperation of landowners in the vicinity who helped create a quick completion of the bridge project, including Hugh Branscum, Justin and Roger Post and Ed and Cheila Evey.

All this road improvement reminded me of our family not leaving home when it rained in far southwest Oklahoma.

The county roads there were all dirt at that time as was the lane leading up to our farmhouse. When heavy rains came along, as they sometimes did, the bottom went out of the roads, metaphorically speaking.

In our area the school buses didn’t run their regular country routes when the roads got bad. That part wouldn’t have bothered me except… Wouldn’t you know that my dad, a confirmed “fun hater,” would drive us the mile or more through deep, muddy ruts to catch the bus at the highway stop so that we wouldn’t miss a single day of school.

Away we go to a graduation

By the time you read this, Christine and I will be flying to Michigan to attend the graduation of our daughter, Ellyn, from Nurse Practitioner School at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

She and her husband, Bruin Bourgeois, live near Kalamazoo, where Bruin is engaged in an engineering career.

Ellyn, a 2013 graduate of Kingfisher High School and a 2017 graduate of Oklahoma Christian University in Edmond with a Registered Nurse degree, has been working in an emergency care clinic while she completed her Nurse Practitioner degree.

After visiting Ellyn and Bruin, we’re going to Missoula, Montana, to visit our son, Robert, whom we haven’t seen in almost a year.

Robert is attending the University of Montana. I have wondered why these kids are living so far away in very cold and snowy regions.

At this point, it looks like they are gone for good. We also have some other good news to report. Grandson Conner and his wife, Kristina, are the new parents of a daughter, Olivia Jane. She was born April 19.

They live in Maryland where Conner is an architect, and Kristina operates a Physician Assistant’s practice.

Olivia is the first grandchild of Barry and Mary Reid of Kingfisher, who have already made the trip to welcome the new arrival.

Looking back over what I’ve just written, I notice all the states begin with “M.”

Should I mention to them that Missouri, which is a lot closer, also begins with an M? (Maybe not cold enough or not enough snow, hmm?)

Just a wee bit about politics

I can’t help myself. I’m including a little political commentary.

I recently read that Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, the barmaid-Democrat congressperson from New York, has become a favorite for the Democrat presidential nomination in 2028, according to polls.

Jacob Adams, a journalism fellow at The Daily Signal, recently commented: “‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ is a proverb that Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has apparently taken to heart when it comes to the rich in the United States.

“The New York congresswoman was caught lounging in a first-class seat on a JetBlue flight March 19 to a rally dubbed ‘Fighting Oligarchy’ and headlined by millionaire Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.” Both are far leftists.