[Goodpasture]

We were in Cherokee Oklahoma on Thursday and Friday, so we stayed another night and drove down to Okeene on Saturday, for the Rattlesnake Roundup. We took Highway 8 south through Fairview. At one point we had a detour because of a washed out bridge, but we came across the Marshall McCully sod house. It is the sole surviving soddy that was built by a homesteader in Oklahoma. It has had a building built around it to protect it, and it has been restored, but it was really neat none the less. It was built right after the 1894 land run and is about 12' x 24'.













Note the flour sacks on the ceiling. They were used to keep the bugs and dirt from the sod roof from dropping on people. It also became a home for spiders, rodents and snakes..........





We finally made it to the Roundup. It was a typical carnival type thing with over priced rides and concession stands, but we did find one older guy who made rattle snake things. Schousse got some rattlesnake earrings



and a hatband





Then we went into the tent where they played with snakes.........They wouldn't let me pet this guy.........



AS you can see, there were quite a few snakes there





We got a picture of the butcher shop, but I won't post it......we did bring some meat home and tried it baked, last night......not bad, a little tough and stringy, but it had a pretty good flavor.

[_redbird_]

Sounds like fun. I would eat it. I am not one of those people who turns their nose up at gamey food.

Don has a snake phobia really bad. I tease him by making my arm go back and forth like a snake and then grab his leg. He hates that.

[Goodpasture]

I probably should mention that just before we saw the snake handlers, one of them (the most experienced one) was bit by a copperhead and was taken to the hospital. At the time we were there, they didn't have a prognosis.....seems he had had some heart problems recently that complicates things.