Two Missouri couples joined us Sunday morning at the bed & breakfast. During out breakfast conversation, I mentioned that we’d spent three days in Oklahoma City. I said there wasn’t much to do in OKC, but that the city had some great steakhouses.

“Oklahoma thinks they know how to do barbecue,” one of the guys said. “For real barbecue, you need to go to Kansas City.”

Aha, a rivalry. I guess Missourians have spent decades getting clobbered by Oklahoma football and basketball teams, so some resentment has built up. They’re obviously inferior to Sooners when it comes to sports, so they resort to claiming superiority in something more subjective.

But then, I’ve not had Kansas City BBQ. Maybe I would agree.

Here, for my own record, are the steakhouses we’ve eaten at during this vacation:

• County Line BBQ in OKC. Terrell Sanders, head of MinistryCOM, took the workshop leaders, speakers, and sponsors here last Wednesday night. Terrell told me, “County Line is where Oklahomans go.” It was certainly excellent.
• Longhorn Steakhouse. This place, near our hotel, had been open just two weeks. Amazing service, excellent food. Added a skewer of grilled shrimp, which was a good move.
• Earl’s Rib Palace, in Bricktown (downtown OKC). Big ol’ juicy-tender ribs with lots of fat surrounding the meat. Supposedly the best ribs in OKC.
• Shorty Small’s Steakhouse in Branson. What an amazing meal! Very meaty ribs. Definitely a place I’ll revisit during return trips to Branson.
• Santa Fe Steakhouse. That’s where we just finished eating. Right across the street from our Hampton Inn. Tough, overdone ribs. But I got the ribs in combo with coconut shrimp, which came close to redeeming the meal. But overall, the weakest steakhouse we tried on this vacation.

Now it’s back to Indiana. Not a steakhouse wonderland.

Before 9/11, in airports, you could accompany someone to the gate even if you weren’t personally flying. A wife could wait with her husband until he actually boarded the plane.

Can’t do that now. But on Wednesday, as Pam and I waited to fly out of Fort Wayne’s airport, I noticed several serviceman, clad in their fatigues, waiting with spouses or kids. An exception had been made. Nice to see.

Last night, Pam and I ate supper at the County Line BBQ with other workshop leaders and sponsors of MinistryCOM. A fellow from Willow Creek sat at our table.

He told of being in an airport restaurant getting a bite to eat. Four military guys sat at a table. This guy thought he would buy their meal for them. Least he could do.

He motioned the waiter over. He pointed to the servicemen and said, “Will you give me their check?”

The waiter leaned down and said, “Get in line.”

How great is that?