The Pink Moon, a couple days before it was full. It is called the Pink Moon not because of its color but because of a pink colored phlox that blooms in April.
Late afternoon trees at Lafortune Park.
The Library at Lafortune Park. I’ve always loved the big windows and swooping modern design.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
The other day I was feeling a little owly at the end of the day so I grabbed a camera and headed to Tulsa’s Lafortune Park to walk around it. They have a nice walking track of about three miles which is just right. It winds around a library, a high school, gardens, two golf courses, baseball fields, ponds, and several playgrounds. It’s a popular spot for walking or running in Tulsa and there is always something to see.
The high school has this geodesic dome. I don’t know what they use it for but it is a cool sight.
They also have this sailboat parked next to their band trailer. The boat never moves. I don’t know what the story is.
I captured this golfer out playing a few holes. Back in the day I used to pack up my clubs and go play some. Lots of fun but it takes too much time for me. I already have too many hobbies. Plus I never was any good. I love watching the game on television.
I ran into this trio of friends. They asked if I would take their photo so I did and sent it to them. They said they were going to get enlarged copies for their rooms. It was one of those nice interactions on the trail.
And the back side of a public library. I love the big glass windows and swooping roofline.
So I would have to say that I had a good walk. I captured more images of animals and I’ll be sharing those on Saturday’s Critters later.
Captured a grackle shadow on our back fence earlier this month as one grackle moved another off a feeder. Grackles are noisy, aggressive, invasive birds but sometimes a lot of fun to watch.
I was on a hike here in Tulsa and scared up a group of about three deer. We had a little faceoff for a while. All I had was my phone camera so you have to really look hard to see the deer. I love seeing deer on a hike!!
I captured a squirrel and some birds on my backyard trailcam a few weeks ago.
My sister Ellen, her husband Irv, and my son Logan took a little trip to Woolaroc’s Museum and Wildlife Preserve about an hour or so from Tulsa. We saw lots of critters including some bison.
They had some juveniles, “red dogs” but they wouldn’t group up. Come on guys, how about some cooperation. Move together. Look at the camera.
I have no idea what they are looking at.
And a group of deer at a Preserve Lake.
They had an animal barn and with this sad little donkeys. All donkeys look a bit sad don’t they.
And a sad little pony.
And maybe the saddest story. This guy was a longhorn cow that lived at Woolaroc and got moved to southeast Oklahoma for a time. His proud horns drooped because the grass didn’t have the minerals needed to keep them up. He’s immortalized now.
Taylor Swift dropped her new double album “Tortured Poets Department” the other day. Kodi and I listened to most of it on the back patio. Kodi loves catching rays and grooving to new tunes. I think he may be a Swifty.
I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.
Earlier this week I headed out to the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow to find a specialized geocache. It was a space based Adventure Lab Cache. No container to find, just information you need to look up. It was at the Voyage Solar System Walkway. A collection of displays set up along a street showing the relative sizes and distances of the planets to the sun.
Here is the sun, looks like an overgrown basketball.
Just a few feet away is Earth. Barely bigger than a pin prick and its even smaller moon.
And 2000 feet down the street, all by itself, is Pluto. Stripped of planet status recently but still proud.
And I got a virtual postcard proving that I found it. If only virtual anything proves anything. The installation starts at an elementary school which I think is great.
And I went hiking recently on Turkey Mountain. This flyover are still scary to me. They are not for hikers, they are for bicyclists. They really do fly over them. I think all that steel would hurt if you fell off your bike.
My sister and her husband came to town. We had a fun time. One day we went Woolaroc, wildlife preserve and art museum started by Oklahoma oilman Frank Phillips who started Phillips 66 Petroleum way back when. We saw some bison and other critters. My sister is a former Park Ranger at Yellowstone so it is kind of hard to impress her.
The liked the art a lot. Lots of western artists works are hanging at Woolaroc.
I love this stained glass window.
We went to the nearby town of Bartlesville to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Price Tower. Built for a pipeline construction company, H.C. Price who did a lot of work for Phillips 66.
BIL Irv got his photo with a big 66.
Sister Ellen did as well.
I did several years ago when I turned 66 years old.
And a few years before that I got my brother Bob’s photo on his 66th birthday.
Speaking of birthdays, I had one early this month. You can tell I am getting kind of old. I just started my 70th year.
As a treat Heather and Logan took me to see the the Van Gogh Immersion exhibit here in Tulsa. It was very cool.
And I got a cornhole game. Stop by if you are in town we’ll have some beverages and play a few games.
And I end with yet another Lego animal from the Tulsa Botanic Garden.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World. Thank you for stopping by!
Here is a view of shadows on our north fence of our backyard. The shadows come from the left from our west fence. It almost looks like our fence is translucent. It took me a while to figure this one out.
I am linking with Lisa’s Shadow Shot Sunday. Go check it out!
I went on a bike ride along Tulsa’s RiverParks trails the other day. I took my SuperZoom camera with me hoping that I would see something. It turns out that American White Pelicans were on the river that day. This is a group I spotted near where I started at 71st street. They were on a sandbar near the other side of the river.
Here is a closeup of them. I find them kind of comical on land. They are very graceful in the water and flying.
And here is five miles north at the newly reconstructed Zink Lake Dam. They were paddling around fishing.
Another closeup.
And maybe 50 yards downstream of the dam this group of pelicans and great blue herons were trying their luck in the shallows.
The pelicans and herons seemed to tolerate each other’s presence pretty well.
In the calm waters up stream of the dam a flotilla of geese were cruising.
I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters. Go check it out.
I went on a walk one evening and found this sunset at the end.
We got a new backyard fence a couple months ago. I finally got my weather station reinstalled.
My sister and her husband came to visit. One day we had an eclipse party in the backyard. Everyone had the special sunglasses except for Kodi the dog but he doesn’t care about eclipses so it was all good. After this shot, I wished I had thought to launch my drone. Not to look at the eclipse but looking down at this group as it went up in the air. It would have simulated the rapture for me. Don’t worry, I’m not a rapture but I thought it would have been fun to simulate it.
I took a short bike ride and checked out the water behind the new dam on the Arkansas River here in Tulsa. The river sure looks like nice full of water.
I feel kind of guilty because the Arkansas River is braided prairie river. They have sandbars and multiple channels and support lots of wildlife. So I am conflicted. But the “new” river sure makes nice photos.
And another Lego animal from our trip to the Tulsa Botanic Garden a few weeks ago.
So that is it for this week. I am linking to Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.
The wind blows here in Oklahoma and with a motion sensitive trailcam I can get hundreds of photos of nothing really fast if I point it to a hanging bird feeder or trees. Wind the wind blows I point it at our bird bath or a stationary feeder.
We get a lot of robins showing up for a drink.
And doves
At the stationary feeder we offer whole peanuts and sunflowers seeds. Those are popular with squirrels, grackles,
and blue jays.
Not in our backyard but from the Tulsa Botanic Garden a monochromatic lego lion!!
I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters
Went on a hike on Turkey Mountain this week. (Like almost all weeks)
Checked out the new trail construction going on at the “String of Pearls.” Three ponds that used to be inaccessible because of thick shrubs and thorns.
Checked out the panoramic view at “The Hub” – the highest point on Turkey Mountain and has several trails going in and several going out including two wicked bicycle downhill runs.
We had a decent sunrise the house the other day.
I went to Philbrook Museum’s gardens and checked out the tulips.
And a perfectly formed maple tree.
Made a photo of tulips, a redbud tree, the Tempietto, and the sky.
I told my wife Heather all about it.
So I came back with her the very next day.
The tulips and everything else and more was still there.
Son Logan came with us and we checked out the Cabin.
And had some ice cream at a nearby place. A good time was had by all.
And yet another Lego critter, this time a zebra from our earlier trip to the Tulsa Botanic Garden.
Sharing on Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World