while eating alone in a cracker barrel
Monday, August 15, 2011 at 3:34PM I am such a huge, huge winner.
I am now at a stage in my life -- namely, the, I don't care if you think I'm a weirdo stage -- that I can tell you this.
On Sunday, I ate alone (ALONE!) in a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Oklahoma while reading Elle Decor magazine.
I believe that is the single definition of winner.
I don't often eat alone in restaurants. It's lonely. And I don't often eat in Cracker Barrels. They serve meatloaf.
One of the reasons I don't like eating alone is that people like to talk to me. They like to stare at me. They like to talk to other people about me when I'm in earshot.
I would rather just eat.
But I'm used to it now. I have coping mechanisms like Elle Decor and laptops.
When i finished my magazine filled with overpriced home furnishings, I turned on my computer to edit some of the photos I'd taken while visiting Oklahoma.
The couple at the table next to me began to talk about me as though I couldn't hear them.
"Must be such a lonely life to have to eat dinner alone with only a computer to keep you company."
"People are just so much happier when they have a person to talk to instead of a machine."
"I think I'm going to have the blackberry cobbler."
When the waitress came to take my order, she saw this on my screen.
"Oooh, look at that!" she remarked. "Is that in Rome?"
"No, it's here in downtown Tulsa," I told her.
"Wow. Are you a photographer?" she asked.
"Not really. I just like to take pictures," I said.
Which then prompted the person sitting behind me -- a woman who looked to be in her 60s -- to join in the conversation.
"What are you taking pictures of here in Tulsa?"
I explained what I was in town for, and she said, "So you are a photographer, then."
"Well, not in so many words," I answered. "Photography is just one small part of my job. I don't do it professionally."
"Honey, you just need to call a spade a spade."
Oh, Oklahoma, I do love you, despite your ridiculously too hot weather. Your people are charming. People here call you ma'am and run to open doors.
(And the couple talking about me as though I couldn't hear? They later drove away in a truck with out of state license plates. So there.)
I asked several people from Oklahoma what they would like the rest of the world to know about them.
World, the good people of Oklahoma would like you to know that yes, they have actual buildings and cities.
That no, they don't all live on cattle ranches or in tee pees.
Not everyone wears a cowboy hat. And they have actual motor vehicles, not just horses.
They have a couple of amazing yarn stores.
(Did you know Amy Butler now makes knitting bags? Want.)
These yarn stores, Loops, are owned by an adorable family. And I do mean adorable.
And fun. And funny.
We can talk for hours about things like being attacked by bats while out for an evening swim, or which roads you would take if you wanted to take a little jaunt to Morro Bay, California, or the birthplace of Nicolas Cage.
Everyone in Tulsa was very pleased that the temperature had dipped to a mere 95 F. 95 is a vast improvement over 115.
It was cool enough -- and by cool, I mean staggeringly hot -- to take a portion of our Yarnography class outside to get a little practice time in.
We learned about taking still life portraits of your yarn stash and projects.
We learned about camera settings and how to adjust them.
We learned how to sweet talk your yarn into posing nicely for the camera, and how to edit the apples and bananas on your kitchen counter out of your finished photo. I could have jabbered all day about yarn photography.
But then, Diana had to do THIS to me.
A two week old little boy with a blonde mohawk.
So unfair.
The babies! They smell too good! They are too kissable!
What's a girl to do?
While I was pulling up these photos, I heard the couple sitting next to me -- the ones talking about me in a normal tone of voice from three feet away -- say incredulously, "She came all the way down to Oklahoma to take pictures of babies!"
All right, fine. I'm willing to call a spade a spade. Just this once.
Reader Comments (22)
Awww. Look at Diana and little Neyvn! Did she dress him in some of the prolific TIG handknits he owns?
LOL that's funny about the buildings. I quit answering when asked over the internet if we still rode horses everywhere and lived in teepee's. Love your photo's they are so pretty!
That baby is truly edible.
any chance you'd offer a Yarnography class here in Duluth? :)
Oh, more pictures of Diana's wee precious one!!! And wow, Tulsa does have some pretty lovely places when photographed by you! I think I need the camera settings part of the class, too, though admittedly, I'd probably use it more to photograph the dogs than the yarns. ;-)
people are stupid. pretend you dont speak English. come to Charleston before October, or Philly after. love the yarn that Tan bought for me at Sock Summit, it's in my spreadsheet and hanging on my wall. mwah!
Having you here was so wonderful! You are an amazingly gifted Yarnista, but also a very talented photographer and teacher. Besides, spending the day with you is just a hoot! So glad you came and brought the cooler weather, the amazing yarn, and your fabulous self! It was a wonderful way to spend my birthday and something I had looked forward to for months! It was worth the wait!!!
One of the first things Brian said when I discovered Three Irish Girls was that you must have a professional photographer. And you do- it's you!! I would love to take one of your Yarnography classes. Also...I'm trying to imagine where those people were from that they haven't seen people dining alone. I see it all the time, and I've done it frequently! And what kind of Yarnista or photographer would you be if you passed up the awesome baby photos???
If you're a "spade", then you are the queen of spades. Thanks for sharing your pictures and trip.
I also, would LOVE a yarnography class in Duluth!!!
Thank you so much for making the trip despite all of the other demands in your life. You are just so darned fun to be around. You can't ever have "too much" Sharon! Must do it again next year! Thank you for counterbalancing the photo of Cracker Barrel (NOT in Tulsa) with the beautiful buildings (in Tulsa). And most of all thank you for the amazing pics of my family - looks like the makings of our best Christmas card ever! Only problem is that now I am afraid to blog on my own site because my photos will be so pale by comparison.
Too kissable is right - he is adorable! (Also love her shawl!)
Great photography, and I also want an Amy Butler bag - those are gorgeous.
The rude people nearby would so envy your life if they knew you. Amazingly talented artist with friends and fans the world over, not to mention your cool house, your family and horsedog.... ;)
On behalf of OK, please allow me to apologize for the tacky ones! I'm glad we don't have to claim that pair as our own. I'm so glad I got to see you Saturday - that you got to see downtown! It really is very photographable. There are some lovely holes-in-the-wall to eat at next time, if you prefer. :) It was wonderful to see you again. Thank you for the beautiful yarn!
Why do I see a photography spin-off in our future? I'm sad that you were eating alone (I actually fought the good fight to come to Tulsa!), but jealous that you were eating in the Cracker Barrel; after all, they serve meatloaf. Will try to get some more inspired dishes on the dinner menu this week!
I often have to eat alone, thank goodness for my iPhone now, but before that if someone would say something about how pathatic it was to have to eat alone I usually said it was quieter than at home with my 10 kids screaming. That usually shut them up. By the way, I'm single with no kids.
Oh these pictures!!!!! I knew they were going to be lovely but oh man! I'm smitten and he's my baby already! It was a real treat to meet and chat with you, Sharon!
For anyone curious about the shawl, it's a citron in fingering weight; knit picks bare dyed with kool aid.
as always, your blog is a pleasure to read. Lovely photos too!
Thanks for coming down!! I hope you come back next year! =) And for goodness' sake, we can tell you about many local restaurants that would be better than Cracker Barrel!
OK, I have to point out that Sharon did experience some more sophisticated meals than Cracker Barrel! We took her to Keo on Brookside for Asian on Saturday night, and Cafe Olé for Santa Fe-style brunch on Sunday. The Cracker Barrel incident occurred when she went "off the grid" of her own accord to explore Claremore, a small rural suburb. I myself have never had the pleasure of dining at Cracker Barrels. I actually didn't know they existed except along US interstates.
Shelley is right -- I ate very well in local Tulsa restaurants... yum! Cracker Barrel was one of those, "Oh, it's 9pm on a Sunday, and I guess I am hungry... what's nearby and open?" decisions.
there's always Waffle House.