Jesse at Cherokee Nation offices in Tahlequah. We were on our way to lunch at Restaurant of the Cherokees next door.

Jesse and I made a whirlwind trip to Tahlequah, OK., for the Cherokee National Holiday this weekend. Just drove back in to the Twin Cities this morning and thought I’d post some pictures before I take my nap. I’m also uploading some low-res videos from the stickball game at Sequoyah High School on Saturday night, which was a lot of fun.  I’ll add the link here when they finish uploading.

Below is a photo of Principal Chief Chad Smith speaking at the 10th anniversary of the Cherokee Free Press Act in front of the historic Cherokee Supreme Court building on Saturday afternoon. We had a chance to visit with friends from the Cherokee Phoenix (the oldest native newspaper in North America and the oldest bilingual paper as well) and to tour the Supreme Court building.

On Sunday, we went out to the arts festival at the Cherokee Heritage Center and toured the old Cherokee Village, which is looking pretty worn around the edges. I hope Jesse had fun seeing the sights in Oklahoma (I know she enjoyed the frybread — she ate four pieces at each meal.)

Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chad Smith speaks at anniversary of the Cherokee Free Press Act.

Here are some photos from our visit to Robert Treman State Park in Ithaca on our way to eat at the famous Moosewood vegetarian restaurant and to visit Cornell University (Jesse’s first college visit as she begins high school). After the visit to Cornell, Jesse is even more sure she wants to go there to study psychology. College recruiters, let the bidding war begin…

Jesse, Katie and Allie enjoyed a free outdoor concert by Thriving Ivory at the Hard Rock Cafe in Niagara Falls, NY, on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2010. Jesse is a huge Thriving Ivory fan and had the chance to meet with the lead singer, Clayton Stroope, and guitarist, Drew Cribley, before the show.