Category Archives: Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Socially Distant Bike Ride

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Here we are still sheltering in place, along with most of the rest of the world. Here we can go out on errands like grocery shopping and such including outdoor exercise as long as we practice social distancing. I went out on a bike ride along a bike path close to the house.

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I’ve ran, walked, biked and geocached along this path dozens of times over the years.

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Generally I have this 20 plus mile trail to myself but not any longer. Lots of people are looking for a little exercise to make our stay at home more bearable.

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I had never seen so many people on this trail.

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But there is still wide open spaces.

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And when we were passing each other we all got way over on the edge of the trail.

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I’m actually kind of hoping that people make this being outside a permanent part of their lives after the crisis is over.

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I saw an interview with our latest national hero Dr. Anthony Fauci explained about the seasonality of viruses. He says it is not the heat, its the ultraviolet light from the sun that kills the viruses. I killed a bunch of them yesterday. But because I am skin cancer survivor I slather on the sun block very heavily. Can the viruses hide under my sunscreen? Just thought I give fearful something to be afraid of (not really.)

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And that is a wrap as I turn off my Go Pro clone.

Are you spending time outside, fully in compliance with whatever orders you are under? Tell me about it.

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Bike Riding on the RiverParks

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I’ve been working from home during this novel coronavirus situation and my wife Heather is out of work as a fitness instructor. We are trying to get our exercise in a legal, ethical, and responsible manner so we have been walking the dog, family hiking, and such. The other day we fired up our bicycles and headed to the RiverParks for a ride.

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The RiverParks are popular but I doubt that they have ever seen so many people on a Tuesday afternoon. It wasn’t crowded though. Maintaining separation was easy.

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The weather was nice and cool and the skies were spectacular. There was a pretty good breeze from the north that made riding into it challenging but coming back with the wind at our back we were flying.

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One thing that helped was the Gathering Place is closed so all the people who are new to the parks and do not yet understand to stay on the right but instead wibble wobble here and there and everywhere were not present. For the most part. There are always wibble wobblers. That’s okay, they just don’t know, I used to be one.

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The bike traffic was pretty steady.

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We came across friends Jay and Tracy who were walking on the trail. It was funny, we maintained our distance. Jay and I did jokey elbow bumps. We talked for a little bit and then we each went our way.

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A great safe time was had by all.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – A New World

A new world was born for me this week.

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Heather and Rascal – they leave me behind when I start take photos, I don’t blame them. Nothing more boring than watching other people take photos.

Social distancing, remote working, hunkering down fell down on us in the US quickly as our national leadership finally acknowledged the reality of the Corona Virus and started treating it as a public health problem instead of a public relations issue.

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Yep, I edited this heavily. Topaz Studio is my favorite right now.

Better late than never orders are out to shut down restaurants, schools, gyms, almost any public place. The RiverParks authority has even requested that we maintain six feet of space if come upon somebody while running or bicycling on their trails.

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It rained heavily this morning and was threatening more is the reason I didn’t go to Turkey Mountain. Yep, this is edited also with Topaz Studio to get an impressionist type feel.

I’m kind of worried about my brother who is in a rehab hospital. I try and visit him every day but I worry about putting his and other patients health at risk. Nobody else visits him though so I show up every day during the restricted visiting hours and visit with him. Phone communication has worked out very well with him.

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For some reason I am loving taking photos of lichen lately. And yes, I edited this photo as well. True Confessions.

From what I read, we may be hunkering down for quite a while so figure out a way to survive and thrive. I went on a walk with my wife and one of the dogs in the neighborhood with my camera. I am looking at familiar things in new ways, trying to determine what my new normal is going to be.

So be safe, make sure that you double check your sources of news, wash your hands and lets be kind to one another. We are all each other have.

Skywatch Friday

Oklahoma Spring Skies

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We have had some strange weather in Oklahoma lately. Except that all the weather in Oklahoma is strange. It makes for some nice sky scenes. The above is from south Tulsa looking north. You can just barely see downtown Tulsa in the left center.

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From the same vantage point to the southwest. The high rises just to the right of center is the former Oral Roberts City of Faith Medical Center, now just office buildings.

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I always say a prayer when I see an ambulance, fire truck, police car, or medevac helicopter.

And a helicopter came buzzing in to the hospital building where I shot these images. The heliport is on the top floor. My brother still has serious medical issues and your thoughts and prayers are appreciated. I am thankful for the dedicated doctors, nurses, nursing techs, therapists, case managers, and others who are in the medical field that work hard to take care of sick people.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Shannon Springs Park

More views from our trip to Chickasha, Oklahoma to see our son who is attending college there.

Shannon Springs Wicket

We spent some time at Shannon Springs Park which started out as a stop on the Chisholm Trail during the post Civil War years. The trail was how cattle got from Texas to railheads in Kansas. Shannon Springs was a major source of water on the trail.

Shannon Springs Lake

It became a city park and later enhanced by the WPA. The city has continued to add to and maintain the park and it is quite attractive.

Shannon Springs Christmas Tower

It is the site of the Chickasha Festival of Lights held during the Christmas season every year. I’m guessing the tower above is a big Christmas Tree.

Shannon Springs Strange Stuff

I puzzled over this thing for quite a while and don’t know what it is. Do you suppose it represents a Loch Ness monster of some sort only in the park’s lake? Nah, I don’t either.

Shannon Springs Caretaker Cottage

I loved the stone caretaker’s cottage. I don’t think it is occupied any more.

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To end the post, this is the Wolf Moon, or Snow Moon last week. I love taking moon photographs.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Oxley Nature Center

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The boardwalk was closed after the flooding last summer. Lots of dedicated staff and volunteers repaired it and it is now open.

The other day I had some time all to myself and I was thinking that I would go to the boat show, but it was a very nice day so, heck with the boat show, I am going to Oxley Nature Center. A day out in the woods and marshes beats a day at the boat show anytime.

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Do you see the pelicans?

I only had an hour and half before it closed but I have been out there lots of times and knew what I wanted to see so I went on a circumscribed circuit.

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Here’s the pelicans. Sorry, my big camera’s battery died so all these photos except one are from my cell phone.

The trails were very muddy in places but there are enough trails that one can get around the soggy areas.

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Oxley’s visitor center blends into the landscape.

There are lots of woods there, and lots of ponds, lakes and marshes to get around. So I finished my outing in plenty of time, all refreshed and ready to go.

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Oklahoma since the demise of the Dallas Cowboys is now College Football territory and people don’t talk much about NFL football. I did find this Kansas City Chiefs fan at a gas station. I think he’d make a great defensive lineman. He’s not very fast but nobody is going to move him off the line.

I am strange guy I guess. I love the Superbowl for the football and hardly notice the ads or the halftime show. I hear that there were lots of nearly naked women in it. I am shocked! shocked I tell you. If you missed it, check out the video with 79 million other shocked people here. After you watch be sure and log on to facebook and express your shock, everybody else is, especially those who have not seen it. Above is the one ad I did notice. Bill Murray in a “Groundhog Day” themed commercial. I loved it.

I hope you are having a great week!! I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Winter Sky

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It’s been cold here and I’ve been cooped up. Sunday morning I went for a walk around Lafortune Park, a 3 mile trek around a combination golf course, library, playground, tennis complex, and little league ballparks. One of those huge rambling urban parks that I tend to love. I’ve been around it hundreds of times over the years and of course I took my camera and I took this photo just focusing on the water and not paying attention to the sky. I was pretty happy with the result. I got a pretty good walk in also.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday.

Skywatch Friday – Town and Country Skies

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Downtown Tulsa

Monday I went to my first session as a Reading Partners tutor and I think it went pretty well. The first grader is smart, well mannered, lively and has a great sense of humor.

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Pepsi Lake

I read a story and then we went on a scavenger hunt and then I helped them with a book report. It took only about 45 minutes all told and I think we both had a good time.

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96% Waning Gibbous Wolf Moon

It was a great way to start the day.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday