Category Archives: Oklahoma

The Blue Whale on Route 66 for Blue Monday

A few weeks ago I found myself with a few minutes to spare in the Tulsa suburb of Catoosa. So, of course I went to the Blue Whale of Catoosa. Right on Highway 66. A tradition since 1972 when it was built.

So, you will just have to grin and nod like I do when people talk about how they used to stop here in in the 1940’s, 50′, and 60’s when the old timers (“most of whom are younger than me!”) used to stop here when travelling cross country with their parents. I have yet to mention that it wasn’t built until 1972. And they in turn are supportive my illusions. Live and let live is my motto.

It is free. I don’t know how, but the place is well maintained, but they don’t really want you swimming there anymore.

Even the restrooms are sparkling clean. In over 1800 posts I have only posted the inside of a restroom once and talk about the uproar. You’d have thought they had actually found a live Democrate in Oklahoma. So you’ll have to take my word for it.

They stock the pond with fish. This guy came trotting through, all “excuse me sir” and of course I was all “excuse yourself sir.” Catch and release only.

I didn’t spend long, but I always love a trip to the Blue Whale. What is your favorite Route 66 attraction?

Blue Monday

I have posted several Blue Whale posts including:

Our World – The Blue Whale of Route 66

Scavenger Hunt Sunday Cooling Off

Weekend Reflections – Blue Whale

And several others.

Our World – Contrasts inside the Museum at Woolaroc – Part Deaux

Last week I posted about SuperPizzaBoy and I driving to Woolaroc as part of a road trip and it was kind of crowded because of the Phillips Petroleum Employee picnic. That post was focused mainly on the critters of Woolaroc. Woolaroc is the former ranch, country home, and private museum of oilman Frank Phillips, founder of Phillips Petroleum Company.

This week’s emphasis is on the museum and other inside displays at Woolaroc.That is the the thing about Woolaroc, it has a great museum planted in the middle of what is essientially a working bison and longhorn cattle ranch out in the middle of nowhere. Don’t count on too many bars when you are there.

I’ve been to Woolaroc many times and I still find new stuff at the museum. It takes several trips for me before I figure out what a museum is all about. What struck me this trip was the contrasts I saw. Especially that of Native Americans.

There is the Native American as great and feared warriors.

And as a defeated people longing for the wonderful past.

There is the Native American as the friendly, spiritual guide to children.

And as savage warriors kicking some major Custer butt at Little Bighorn.

As participants in wild pagan dances.

And performing fine arts in bucolic settings.

These are all romantic views and I think the truth is lost somewhere in there. I didn’t think about it at the time but I don’t recall too many, if any, art pieces by Native Americans on display at the museum. I can tell you that Native American culture including is alive and all about the now.

The other contrast I noticed were in the Pioneer Woman statues. Back in 1927, E.W. Marland a wealthy oilman commissioned twelve sculptors to come up with representations of a Pioneer Woman. The twelve entries were displayed all around the USA. I didn’t take pictures of all of them but the winner was something like this one. A schoolmarmish tough woman. And, I’m sure those pioneer women way back when were tough. You know, no facebook, no pedicure places, or mothers day out or any of that other stuff.

Below gets my vote evvery time. Don’t ask me why.

The other thing about visiting museums often is that after a while you start seeing things you never noticed before. For example three things that will put me to sleep real fast in western museums are displays about guns, barbed wire, and spurs. I mean really who cares? Well I noticed the spurs this time. For example the following. Okay stay awake with me okay. I know it is a real snoozer.

The below was called a “Gal Leg” Spur. I didn’t get it right at first.

I had passed by that display 20 times over the years and never noticed it. So now, you and I both know about Gal Leg Spurs. There are dozens of varieties.

That’s all for now folks.

Our World Tuesday

Friday Fences – Old Fence at Woolaroc

I’m a fan of old wooden fences. Modern fencing with either barbed wire or welded pipe I’m sure is a lot easier and cheaper to install than wooden fences but they just don’t have the same look to them. I mean, I’m a blogger so the whole world is about me right?

Woolaroc, in northeast Oklahoma has lots of old wooden fence remnants. The ranch has bison and cattle so the ranch has some very stout fencing to protect wandering bloggers from the the critters, or maybe the other way around perhaps. The ranch was busy that day because Phillips Petroleum Company was having their employee picnic that day and traffic was heavy so the ranch had all these guys in four wheelers going here and there making sure traffic was flowing. I was stopped on the side of the road taking some pictures of these fences when one of the friendly guys drives up and says: “You don’t need to park there, we have plenty of parking further up.” and I said “I know, I was just taking pictures of this old fence of yours.”

So he gives me that look that country people all over the west give idiots, bloggers, tourists, democrats, and other people of questionable worth, he smiles, starts to say something, stops, then says okay, shakes his head, waves and drives off.

Friday Fences

Water Tower Wednesday – Woolaroc

SuperPizzaBoy ventured to Oklahoma’s Woolaroc last Saturday and spent some time hiking the trails, photographing the critters and perusing the art in the museum. The ranch was built in the early 20th century and is totally old school including this water tower.

I just love Woolaroc. It started out as the ranch of oilman Frank Phillips who kept all sorts of exotic game animals there and a private art collection that just grew and grew until he built a museum to house it. It has all sorts of wonderful old rock buildings. It is out in the middle of nowhere about twelve miles from Bartlesville.

I’m a follower of Out and About in New York City and FashhionistaNYC, the author, features the building top water towers in that city of which their may be thousands. We have very few building top water towers in Oklahoma but we have lots of free standing tanks.

Oklahoma Ubiquitous

Waiting for SuperPizzaBoy’s riding lessons to start I walked outside the arena to see what I could see. I could see a lot and didn’t move more than ten feet from where I started.

A fence made of fence panels. You can make a corral, or gate or just a plain fence one day and then change your mind and rearrange next week. Nothing like fence panel’s flexibility.

A horse trailer. You have to have one, or be good friends with somebody who has one, if you have horses or cows and need to move them from one place to another. I’ve seen people haul hay and lumber in them also. Most of the ones I see parked have a flat tire or two. This one is actually in good shape.

Oil wells, northeast Oklahoma has some of the oldest oil wells in the state. With the emergence of horizontal drilling technology northeast Oklahoma is getting some of the newest wells also in the state. Many of them are completed in the Mississippi Lime formation. ( How come you don’t hear about Mississippi Lime wells in Mississippi?)

So what is ubiquitous where you live?

Dang good WWF or Scrabble letter I think if you ever get stuck with a lot of U’s and I’s is what I say.

Our World – Road Trip to See the Will Rogers Memorial Museum

SuperPizzaBoy and I took another mini road trip Saturday.

First up was his riding lessons in Ramona, in Phillips 66 and Pioneer Woman territory. After that we drove over to Claremore, Oklahoma.

Home of the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Will Rogers (1879-1935 was born nearby to a prominent Cherokee Indian Family (the guy at the front desk said, with a twinkle in his eye, that Rogers was a “spoiled rich kid.”) Will Rogers was a big celebrity way back when, he starred in movies, vaudeville, radio and wrote a newspaper column carried nationwide.

He had a down home, good natured, style and he could poke fun at everybody, politicians of both sides, corporate bosses, union bosses, gangsters, generals and nobody would take offense.

The museum has lots of relics, statues, paintings, posters, and other artwork of his life and times but what is the most fun is that they show his various movies, shorts, and radio broadcasts. Listening and watching those make you realize just how special he was. He was down home alright but also a very smart and well versed man.

So if you go, plan on taking some time and sitting in a theater and a scene or two from his movies. Watch a news conference, listen to a radio broadcast.

He was a common sense guy with a sense of humor.

The museum has a children’s area down in the basemenet with a western town, interactive videos, and all sorts of information.

All in all we had a great time

RIP Will Rogers

Our World

Republican Congressmen and Half Naked Women

We’ve been gone for a few days. We were chased out of Oklahoma by the weather and the helicopters.

Sweetie and I dropped the kid off at Nana’s, the world’s greatest MIL and boogied down to Texas for an industry convention.

This guy was there, Eric Cantor an up and coming whippersnapper congressman for Virginia.. For $5000 you could have a private meet and greet. If you are an oilie you could wax on about deducting Intangible Drilling Costs and that the Depletion Allowance is in the Bible somewhere and he would give you empathetic nods. For $1500 you just get a photograph with him, a shake of the hands, and shove in the back. I’m giving you a photograph for free. Go get your own depletion allowance!

(Hawaiimagazine.com)

This guy,Mick Fleetwood, was also staying where we were staying. He was at the pool, right behind where Sweetie and I were sitting. I thought and thought about a way to take a picture of him without him knowing it. Couldn’t do it. I have a feeling that he would have given me a handshake for a lot less than $1500.

We played blackjack with play money. Loads and loads of fun.

Dallas needs us Okies descending on them for our conventions. It gives Dallasites a chance to check out the latest fashions.

See what I mean?

We had room service breakfast one morning. What a treat.

This is the spa, Sweetie tells me that there are all sorts of naked women on the other side of this window.

No need to sneak in the women’s room to see naked women. There were plenty of practically naked women out by the pool. This is the only picture I took the whole two days we sat by the pool. I didn’t hardly even take my camera out. I felt like a creep even thinking about it. Seriously ladies, cover up a little bit!! I can’t believe that I’m saying it.

We had fun playing shuffleboard. Turns out Sweetie is a cuthroat player. I’m not going to say she cheats or anything, you understand.

Oh yes, and had to stop and get stocked up on Fat Tire beer. The people who run Oklahoma are not going to let us be exposed to the evils of Fat Tire beer. Am I breaking a law transporting it across state lines? No wonder the helicopters were after us.

Our big old fat cat Chrissy was glad to see us. She spit up a hairball just for the occasion.

Speedy, my trail running buddy came by and wanted me to go run with him. I was too tired. One of these days I’m going to beat him. He breaks away too fast at the start for me to catch him.

So, what have you been up to?

How did you like the title of my post? I’m taking a cue from Michelle Bachman on making outrageous word combinations for fun and profit.

Skywatch Friday – Oklahomans and Our Sky

The Moore tornado has thrown me for a loop this week. I apologize I just hadn’t felt like posting or visiting other blogs. I have been glued to twitter and facebook and news sites reading about the tornado and its aftermath. CNN.COM has an essay by Oklahoma Today Editor Nathan Gunter that really spoke to me. He writes about the relationship between Okies and the sky.

“Oklahomans have a special relationship with the sky. We know how to look up. On the prairies of western Oklahoma, the skies are so big, and so full, it is easy to feel you may begin to fall upward, or even fly. To live underneath this unbroken expanse of heaven can be at once inspiring and terrifying.”

“Our identity is in softly rolling prairies giving way to forested hills, in long stretches of horizon that make you feel like you could see almost to eternity, and in big skies stretched tight above it all. We have learned to watch those skies — for blessings, for rain, for sunshine, for wind and for signs of danger.”

“Green-tinted clouds are never a good sign; a hook echo on a radar — the telltale swirl at the edge of a storm pattern indicating strong rotation — means take cover.”

“In Moore, it began almost as soon as the tornado touched down. Teachers at Plaza Towers and Briarwood elementary schools threw their bodies over their students to protect them from debris. Survivors flooded the streets helping to dig their neighbors out from under collapsed homes. Trucks filled with supplies raced to the scene.

We help. That is how we begin. It’s what we know how to do. Word just came from Red Cross Oklahoma that Oklahoma City Thunder star forward Kevin Durant has donated $1 million to disaster relief efforts; Devon Energy, headquartered in Oklahoma City, donated $2.5 million. Thousands more from all over the country have donated what they can.”

“For Okies, this is what home is about.”

I can’t really add anything else.

Skywatch Friday

Moore, Oklahoma Tornado

(Back side of storm system that developed into the Joplin, Missouri tornado of May 22, 2011, 158 killed)

We have had some bad weather today in Oklahoma. A huge tornado went right through Moore, Oklahoma and as I write this post, there have been 51 confirmed deaths, including 21 children, and a large number of people unaccounted including 24 in an elementary school.

(Canadian County, Oklahoma – aftermath of tornado of May 24, 2011 – 6 killed)

We get a little antsy here in Oklahoma when the weather is warm and humid here in Oklahoma and the winds get a little swirly. There is too much energy in the air. The storms seem to in west Texas in the heat of the afternoon and set out in a roughly northeast direction across Oklahoma. The television stations go nuts with their storm radars and cameras and their weather chasers. It’s all very anxiety producing.

(Weatherchaser car, 2012 Chickasha, Oklahoma)

To some it seems to be a sport and lots of fun. I even read reports of tourists paying to ride with tornado chasers. I think they are nuts.

(More Canadian County, Oklahoma tornado aftermath)

We clear out our saferoom and hope and pray for the best. Most of the time nothing happens and we bitch about missing the playoff game, or the last holes of the golf tournament although we are not too serious about it.

(Leedey Tornado Monument, May 31, 1947, seven killed)

Today though, we are not complaining about anything. We are shocked by the loss of life, especially that of children, and hope and pray that that twenty four unaccounted for children at Plaza Towers elementary school made it home.

Ruby Tuesday 2 – Centennial Park Clock

A strikingly red clock in Centennial Park near the Pearl District. I’m guessing the downtown employers may have installed it to make sure their lunchtime geocachers, bloggers, and runners don’t take too long to get back to work at lunch.

I doctored the photo up a little with some of the tools available at ipiccy.com. I amped the color, darkened the edges, and added a little fabric texture. SOOC is lots of fun but hey so is playing with the effects. (Notice that I didn’t call it “enhancing.”)

Ruby Tuesday 2