The Silver Dollar

Mom always wanted us to go to the Silver Dollar in Collinsville when we visited Tulsa. So, we all went in order to honor her wishes that we enjoy this great place she wanted to share with us. It's in one of those old-fashioned downtown buildings you still see in small towns: narrow and deep, with buildings on either side. It is made of red brick aged almost brown, and has one of those decorative embossed metal ceilings. The restaurant isn't fancy, but is sure has atmosphere! The dining area has heavy wooden benches and tables. There is a very large gift-shop area that sports everything from collectibles to whimsicals. Magnets, posters, dishes, lights, knick-knacks, display cases of Indian jewelry and ornate knives, leather items, pottery, paintings, toys, wall-hangings, and here and there, all kinds of fortune-telling arcade machines to let you know if your love life is steamy or sour, or your luck is one star strong or several. I purchased a small, carved, jade elephant as a momento of a place Mom went and enjoyed.
The food was great. Some of us ordered the Patty Melt, which was Mom's favorite, and I could sure see why. The beef was a cut above any burger joint I've been to, and the onion was grilled so flavorfully that I can see how you would get hooked! We also had some Bloomin' Onion, which was also a great favorite of hers, along with the Fried Mushrooms. Those dudes were as big as a child's fist, the biggest I've ever seen. We missed Mom being there, but it was a good feeling to think that she was there in spirit, seeing us at her favorite restaurant, happy we went there in memory of her. And it made me glad to know how much she enjoyed herself when she went there. There were some 17 of us. The ones you don't see in the picture are Brian Gaskill, Michelle, Michael, Irene, Herb and Ada, their daughter, and her two children. Herb and Ada are former neighbors who informally adopted Michelle into their family. You can also see Margaret and her son Alex.
On the way there and on the way back there was a terrific storm on almost all sides of us. Instead of going home, some of us stopped on a hill where you could see Tulsa spread out all around us, and watched the lightning.