Gina's Pizza, Laguna Beach

One of my traditions after visiting Crystal Cove State Beach is to enjoy some pizza with some good friends. Gina's has a nice outdoor cafe situated along Highway 1, but with plenty of parking well away from the traffic. The food is excellent, as is the atmosphere. There are plenty of heating lamps if needed. The night we were there was actually quite nice. There is a section of the patio reserved for those who prefer beer or wine with their meal. Depending who is with me, I get to indulge a bit. Laguna Beach as a city has changed tremendously since I first visited it back in 1986. I will have to look through and scan images to document those changes as time permits.

College Corner

When I first moved to Goodwell, OK in 2000, there were two gas stations: College Corner and 54 Gas n Go. About halfway through my tenure at OPSU, College Corner stopped selling gasoline and became strictly a convenience store. My kids would stop by there to pick up a soda or some snacks on the way home from school. Folks there were still friendly when I stopped in back in 2015.

Downtown Guymon 2015

Here is a photo of downtown Guymon, OK just as I was getting ready to head back home to Arkansas on a quiet Sunday morning in late July 2015. Though not obvious in this photo, there was a fair amount of renovation going on downtown that year. Although many communities in the Oklahoma panhandle region have experienced significant population losses in recent years, Guymon has remained stable and even grown a bit. Its largest employer is Seaboard Farms, which helps, as does having Oklahoma Panhandle State University just a few miles down US-54. Quite a few new businesses had sprung up since I had moved away in 2010. Hospitality industry seems to fare pretty well, which makes sense since two major highways (US 54 and US 64/US 412/OK State Highway 3) intersect near the northern portion of the city.

I am planning another trip out that way either in 2019 during the summer or 2020. The route I take brings me through Watonga, Seiling, and Woodward just to the east and south of the panhandle region, and I am always curious to see how these communities are faring. Watonga took quite a hit last decade and never recovered. I may take some photos documenting some of its abandoned structures. I am also hoping to see a still-healthy Guymon and Goodwell.