Winter Shadows – End and Beginning of the Year

The first day of the year is a big deal for hikers and geocachers. I went to a private park to find a first day geocache. And I got a “souvenir.”

I went looking for another geocache close by. The area it is in is a mess.

Lots of spray can graffiti. I hate it the colorful mess.

It is quite popular. I found the cache but I cannot count it.

It was way up in a tree. Do you see the black tube at the top of the photo. In year’s past I would go ahead and climb the tree. I could probably do it now but I am 69 years old and the penalty for falling could be bad. (Maybe I couldn’t climb the tree. My orthopedic doc says I need a complete new right knee. Soon, I am going to enlist my wife to come with me to go visit him and get it scheduled.) So I can’t count it as a find because to do that you have to open the container and sign the log. I’m kind of a stickler for that.

I went on a first day hike as well. I went on a one mile loop at Turkey Mountain. The trail was named by the Muskogee Creek Tribe. I am not sure what it means.

Winter is a time for either no shadows during long periods of heavily overcast days or long shadows. I love the long shadows of winter.

I went for a walk near the new Zink Dam and Williams Crossing Bridge on the Arkansas River. There was a long bridge shadow on the water. Don’t remember too many water shadows.

The playgrounds that are busy when it is warmer are empty in the winter. This looks like a fun place to play. The ground surface is ultra spongey to keep little ones from getting hurt.

I walked over the Gathering Place and checked the shadows out there as well.

I am wishing everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year 2025!!

Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Backyard and More

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A flock of sparrows mobbing our feeder

Cardinals don’t seem to mind sharing

Squirrels want it all for themselves

A squirrel getting a drink and scrutinizing the trailcam

Catching Kodi, the Pomeranian, in the back yard

I went on a hike at Ray Harral Nature Center. Most of the critters were elusive. This fat little guy watched me while I walked by as he ate his lunch.

I could hear birds but didn’t see them except for glimpses of the cardinal.

I still haven’t seen a Carolina Wren in real life. I don’t add birds to my life list unless I see them and get a photograph. I think I am up to eight birds on my list. Don’t laugh at me.

I went on a walk along the Arkansas River and saw these. I think they are seagulls.

That’s a wrap. I’m wishing everyone and their families a Happy and Healthy New Years.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters.

Skywatch Friday – First Day and More

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I hope that everyone had a great New Year’s. 2024 was a year of blessings and also trials and tribulation for us and we got through it. Back when I started blogging, there was a friend of mine who also started and quit because she said people only put the positive parts of their life online so it was dishonest. So I guess I am dishonest. Sorry about that and I don’t feel bad about it all. I’m a blessed man, what can I say. I have this irritating trait that no matter what the situation, I think things will be okay. I couple that with a sense of realism about what okay looks like.

I have always loved New Year’s. It’s like a fresh start every year. We didn’t do much, stayed home, had a nice dinner, watched some television.

In late December after weeks of monotonous gray skies I saw that things were shaping up for maybe a good sunset so I got my drone in the air and captured a bunch of images. I put them in a video and here it is. It is only twenty seconds long so do not panic!

New Year’s Day morning I went with Heather to a class she is starting at a nearby YMCA. It is cardio drumming and twenty people showed up to take it. Not bad for a brand new class. She is already teaching it weekly at another YMCA here in town and monthly at our “home gym.” It is lots of fun, you have drumsticks and you drum on an exercise ball in time to music. She leads the different moves. It is lots of fun, she loves upbeat music and so do her students. She also teaches Zumba at two different gyms, and a couple water classes, aquazumba and aquastrength. I take both of those classes. She stays pretty busy. She has been teaching for years and is very good at “reading the room” providing alternative moves for those who need them.

Afterwards, I took off and found a geocache and hiked a short distance. If you are a geocacher, New Year’s Day is an important day to find one and if you are a hiker you should go on a First Day’s Hike. So I did both. Yeah me, hah!

And then we went home and had our New Year’s Day meal featuring chicken quarters and baby back ribs that I smoked on the day before New Year’s Eve. That red stuff on the meat is a very spicy rub use. It brings the heat.

Meanwhile, I did another jigsaw puzzle on my ipad. Great way to stay busy while we watch our streaming shows. The one I am working on now is a Canyonlands scene with lots of tan colored desert and skies. Very challenging.

Again, I wish everyone a Happy, Heathy, and Prosperous 2025!

I am linking with My Corner of the World and Skywatch Friday

December Shadows from Long Ago

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This view of Christmas lights on our house is from ten years ago. I am impressed with my energy and ambition from back then and lack of respect for gravity. I put up old school bulbs and “icicle lights” on our gutters and the roof peaks. Those are old school bulbs so one could only put string together strands of three or so. I’m a chemical engineer, not electrical, so the strand limitation made for some strange geometry with extension wires and such. These days with the led’s, you can put as many strings as you want in series. And now, I don’t get up on ladders, period. Me and gravity are not friends, never were really. So if I can’t reach it from the ground I don’t worry about it.

I’m really bad about diverging. Sorry, I like the intricate shadows that the lights along with the tree shadows on this photo. December 2024 was a lousy month for shadows with all the overcast skies we’ve had so I reached deep back into my archives.

I continue to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday.

Saturday’s Critters – Art on the River

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In early December I was on Tulsa’s RiverParks trails working on an art themed Geocaching Adventure Lab. I posted about it earlier and saved the critter themed art for this post.

Wolves are always a good subject.

I’m thinking this is a great blue heron. These murals were not part of the cache project but they are also beautiful and animal themed.

I believe this also is a great blue heron.

And this sculpture. I see lots of great blue herons while out on the trail. They are beautiful animals but they make the most awful squawk as a vocalization.

And right near the sculpture is a real life great blue heron.

And an American White Pelican. I see them sporadically. They are kind of touchy about people. I’ve learned I’ve had to sneak up on them.

Geese are everywhere, all year long on the RiverParks, and the whole town for that matter.

So yep, I completed the cache and got the coordinates for a nearby physical cache, and found it, so yep a good time.

If you want more information about geocaching check geocaching.com.

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters.

Christmas Skywatch – 2024

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Hey you know life goes up and down and so does Christmas. This year was a restrained Christmas in our family. My sister came to visit for a few days beforehand and that was definitely a boost. Other factors came in that kind of restrained things. So we had a quiet Christmas. The sun didn’t shine and it was kind of misty rainy so above is my Christmas Skywatch photo. I’ll take it. Not much of a sky but I love the tree. And yes that is a filter I used on my phone. About four of them in fact.

And this is a shot from our driveway a few days beforehand. I kind of liked it. A wag on instagram said that the chemtrails ruined the photo. Get this folks, chemtrails are not real. There, that is my Christmas message to the world.

Another day, same driveway, looking the other way. I used distressedfx on this.

And this is a jigsaw puzzle that I did on my ipad.

Another jigsaw puzzle.

About this time of year, if you are on social media, you get all sorts of hits about apps that will do a yearly recap for you. So I bit on one, I did a couple of 2024 rehashes, one was about my life in general and another about 2024 skies. I saved the resulting videos and then cancelled my seven day free membership. I then inputted the videos to youtube and so above is my 2024 skywatch rehash. It only lasts 30 seconds and then starts over so don’t do what I did and watch it over and over until I realized what I was doing.

I watched a couple of NFL football games including a miserable Baltimore – Houston game that ended 31-2. Tell you what though, Beyonce performed the halftime show. And what a show it was! Came in on a horse and just killed the performance. She should do the Superbowl halftime show. And I am not even a Beyonce fan!

I hope that everyone of you who celebrate Christmas had a good one.

Skywatch Friday

Christmas 2024 Happenings

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We had a nice surprise for Christmas this year. My sister, Ellen, came down from Colorado to visit us. (She is also a blogger, check out “Life on the High Plains“)That’s her on the right. We had a great visit.

We went to see our brother, Bob at his residence and had a meal with him and a little pre-Christmas celebration.

Ellen is a lover of all animals. Our Pomeranian Kodi loves her and even let her pick him up, for a little bit. He doesn’t let me even touch him. Our cat Lizzie loves Ellen as well.

We took her to the Tulsa suburb of Sapulpa to check out the Christmas Chute. We love the Chute. Talk about an extravagant display.

They block off a long section of their main street and put these steel frameworks in which they stuff with lights and decorations.

They have all sorts of various themes.

They provide a list of things to look for. They are hard to find but it gets you to looking hard at the decorations. The main one this year was Christmas Pickles. I had never heard of such a thing. We found a few of them. Check out the Christmas Chute web site for more info.

Here’s my bride, Heather, and I looking for the items. I’m holding the checklist.

It just goes on and on. The crowd had a great casual fun energy to it. They have all sorts of opportunities to shop or get snacks.

We spent quite a lot of time there.

All good things come to an end. Ellen returned to her home in Colorado. We all miss her.

Kodi was not happy at all at her going home.

I am linking with My Corner of the World

Shadow Shot Sunday – Shadows on the Trail

During a recent hike on the YMCA owned portion of Turkey Mountain I noticed that they had new trail signs. (I also noticed that I had grown taller and skinnier, I should hike more often in the late afternoon!) So I said to myself, hmm and looked on the other side of the sign.

It looks like Boy Scout Troop 20 had something to do with sign. Way to go guys (and gals as the BSA takes girls now.)

A very Merry Turkey Mountain Trail Christmas to all who celebrate the holiday.

Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Peace in the House

I was home with son the other day and all was quiet and I came upon this scene. Lizzy the cat and Kodi the dog were laying close to each other without fighting. On these cold days they both like sunshine so they were enjoying each other’s company. Usually when Lizzy is in close reach, Kodi chases her.

They stayed that way for quite a while son and I gawked over them.

Kodi is enjoying the tree. Lizzy used to climb up in the tree and we had to perform several extractions, so far no extractions this year.

Kodi has really developed a taste for beef. We were reheating some leftover roast beef the other day and he decided wanted some. His system is delicate and so as a treat I give him deli beef used in sandwiches.

Lizzie found a Christmas throw on our sectional that she has taken over.

I wish each and every one out there in the interwebs a Merry Christmas, and if you don’t celebrate the holiday, I wish you peace and happiness. I get great pleasure and fulfillment from my “blog friends.” Photoblogs are the peaceful happy corner of the internet.

Saturday’s Critters

Adventure Lab Geocaching on the RiverParks Trails

Earlier this month a nice cold, sunny, windy day, I went to Tulsa’s RiverParks trails to look for an Adventure Lab Geocache. Adventure Labs are a specialty cache where you have to visit a site and find information there. No physical cache is involved so it is appropriate for areas where they don’t really want you hiding stuff. Check out geocaching.com for more information. So this Adventure Lab involved going to several sculptures and getting information from the sculpture or accompanying plaque.

I ended up walking about two or three miles and had the parks trails to myself. At the end of the Adventure Lab you get coordinates to a “real” geocache and I found it as well.

And I took photos of all sorts of other stuff. We still had lots of fall color and the skies were really blue.

These are some sort of infrastructure and artists had painted murals on them and I really liked them.

And RiverParks installed this little musical drum for little kids and immature 69 year olds geocachers.

And I got this certificate!! I am not sure what you do with certificates. I am now up to 2287 geocache finds. But who is counting, right?

I am linking with My Corner of the World and Skywatch Friday.

YogisDen.us

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