Duncan

Yesterday, my wife and I decided to take a little drive. We headed northwest to Duncan, Oklahoma, the crepe-myrtle capital of the State of Oklahoma. I have to say, I was unimpressed with their showing of crepe-myrtles (or, rather, severe lack of). Many other things failed to impress me about Duncan, too, including the town's failure to make note in any visible way (that we saw) that Duncan was the birthplace/hometown of Hoyt Axton (late singer/songwriter/actor), Ron Howard (actor/director), and Jeanne Kirkpatrick (former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations).

But, Duncan had some redeeming values. Jonny's at Oak Tree had better-than-average chicken-fried steak. We saw some beautiful birds...brilliant yellow bellies with dark wings...on the site of a museum as we drove through. And the price of real estate in Duncan is very, very attractive.

The Convention and Visitors Bureau website is abysmal and badly outdated. We had intended to eat at the Cornerstone Grill, which we found on the CVB website. The place appeared to have been long closed. The Chamber of Commerce site was a bit better, but neither site seemed to say a word about Ron Howard or Hoyt Axton. Instead, the pride seems to be in the fact that: 1) the town was a prime stop on the Chisholm Trail; 2) Halliburton has a large facility just east of town; and 3) the town is deeply associated with the oil industry.

The one highly redeeming feature of Duncan, Oklahoma was something we stumbled onto on our way out of time: J & M's Fried Pies. If ever you go to Duncan, you must try the fried pies. They have a very nice selection of fruit pies, including sugar-free fruit pies. And they have superb selection of meat pies, as well. We had fruit pies for dessert and took a couple of meat pies home with us (two different types) for an evening meal. Very, very good, in my estimation! In fact, the fried pies were good enough to warrant a return trip to Duncan.