Philbrook Museum: Matching Up the Abstract and the Real

Shadow Shot Sunday – The Sun is What Makes Shadows

Last week I had to use photos from my archives for my Shadow Shot Sunday post. Why is that? It was because I wasn’t getting outside very much in this heat. Usually when I am outside, walking, hiking, in the backyard, etc I take pictures of almost everything and almost everything outside, during the day, casts a shadow. If nothing else, I cast my own shadow. Now as I write this, it occurs to me that this is the lamest Eureka moment ever. I’m almost embarrassed for myself. But that is alright. I embarrass everyone I know my mere presence, its okay if I embarrass myself every once in a while.

So with my newfound comprehension I went in the backyard and took a photo of this spinner casting a shadow on our fence. I kind of like the light on the spinner also.

A few days later I was at Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum looking at an exhibition and afterwards decided to go on a spin around their gardens even since it was a little early and the heat had not showed up. First thing out the door is this shadow of a decorative feature on the cast iron rails.

And then I turned left and went down this long “tree tunnel” with its shade along the whole length.

And out into the gardens and first thing is this shadow cast by a planting.

Shadowy Garden Chairs at Philbrook Gardens

And some restful chairs in the shade of the a large tree. I think it would be cool to take a book and read there once it gets a little cooler.

Philbrook recently opened their Tandy Pavillion out in the garden. It is mainly an event space but I love how much shade is on three sides of the building. Plus the air conditioning is heavenly and they have restrooms. When you are in your 70’s it’s nice to have handy restrooms instead of trudging back up the hill to the main building. They also have a small exhibit of bird photographs on display.

Shadowy Art at Philbrook Gardens, Talisman by Oded Halahmy

They have all sorts of art on display in the gardens. I’ve always loved this. It is called Talisman by Oded Halahmy

I’ve always loved this structure in the gardens. It has a fountain to the left and it is always shady and restful.

And headed back into the main building I found this shadow on a bit of a patio. I love the contrasting pattern of the shadow and the pavers.

So anyway I have resolved to spend more time out of doors during the day even though my dermatologist tells me that the sun is trying to kill me. Sunscreen and wide brimmed hats are my friends!

And to be clear, many of my fellow photobloggers make great shadow photos indoors. I’ve done a bunch myself.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Two is Company, Three’s Crowd Edition

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We got out of the habit of taking the dogs on a morning walk this summer because it has been very hot, very early in the day. We got a temporary break in the weather a couple weeks ago so I took Sadie out for a morning jaunt. She was kind of unsure about it and kept her tail down and looking back over her shoulder.

Two red tailed hawks on a tall power pole in our neighborhood greenway.

I put my trail cam up on the fence and pointed it at the feeder cam. Some birds, like the mourning doves, don’t look good on the feeder cams because the wide angle lens make them look like short, fat, and squatty. A second look from a few feet away make them look awesome. Here it looks like dove is fighting off a sparrow.

Here we have two doves on the feeder with a third coming in hot. I don’t see room for him. Two’s company’s, three’s a crowd is the saying.

Squirrels are the bane of my existence on a feeder camera. Oh well, they have to eat also I guess.

And closing with the Welcome Bear at my former MIL’s back yard.

I’m linking with Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – Rainy Days and Cloudy Times Edition

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Hey Look, a concert about to get going on the beautiful Jenks Riverwalk. We’re all there and minutes after I took this photo everyone was dashing for our cars. You can kind of see in the right margin that something was coming.

https://flic.kr/p/2spoCng

This is just a few minutes after we left, the storm had passed, the sun was shining, and a rainbow appeared. I love rainbows.

And another pic, from a bike ride. The Tulsa Skyline under some clouds.

At home, you can see the front passing through from left to right.

And a neighborhood shot of clouds.

Reverse sunset in the neighborhood looking south.

Reverse sunset looking east.

And a sunset looking west. I get asked if I used a filter on this shot. The answer is yes, I brought to bear every filter I had on this. Just so you know, I am not a purist.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Shadow Shot Sunday – 13 September 2026 Edition

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One morning during a dog walk

Eleven years ago when I was still working in downtown Tulsa. Many of the older art deco buildings were empty. They were not abandoned just empty. Many of them, including this building were remodeled extensively for apartments and condos. Downtown Tulsa used to be abandoned after 6 pm and on weekends. It is a hopping place now.

Son Logan on a hike with me on Turkey Mountain eleven years ago. He finally got old enough to “just say no” to hiking with me. I miss those days. I used to give him a steady dose of dad jokes which I loved and he didn’t appreciate.

Some old water infrastructure on Tulsa’s Reservoir Hill. I hid a geocache close to that building. The building is still there but now there is a razor wire topped security fence around the whole area. So that is a no go now.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Home and Around

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This is sweet Sadie, our rescue terrier.

And this is Kodi, our Pomeranian, hiding in a corner until my wife comes home. Sometimes he howls when Heather is gone.

A Mississippi Kite on a powerline behind in the greenspace behind our house. They look fierce but what I read is that they eat mainly insects that they catch in the air.

And composite of videos from out camera feeder, featuring a starling, mourning dove, sparrow and a squirrel.

That is it for this week. I am linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – Home Sweet Home Edition

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We got home from vacation in early July. We had a great time and saw a lot but it was nice to be home.

That was before the big heat dome. We had big fluffy clouds in the sky and rain! I’m into rain.

Cockeyed neighborhood skywatch shot looking east.

And another one looking west. I miss the rain. We haven’t had any for weeks now.

This is a jigsaw puzzle I did on my ipad a few months ago. It’s the Goosenecks in the Colorado River in northern Arizona. I’ve never seen it with my own eyes. Accounts I’ve read say that some days its a zoo there with everyone elbowing and jostling trying to get the perfect shot. Anybody been there and can give us the straight scoop. Leave a comment and tell us about it.

I’m linking this with Skywatch Friday

Shadow Shot Sunday – Town and Country Archives

Today I reach back ten years ago for shadows.

Trees turning color in downtown Tulsa.

The deep shadows of Guthrie Green, a popular event space in downtown.

A shadowy guest house of some family friends out int he country. Notice the chicken!

Riding bikes on Tulsa’s RiverParks Trails. That’s my wife, Heather, up ahead of me. She is usually ahead of me in many areas besides bicycles.

A “tree tunnel” at Tulsa’s Oxley Nature Center.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Saturday’s Critters – Domestic Edition

This is Sadie, our rescue Terrier resting.

And Kodie, our Pomeranian, during a pensive moment.

And this is Lizzie, our sweet little chubby cat.

I don’t know this bird’s name but I caught him doing a little dance at the feeder. Check it out. It’s only ten seconds.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters.

Chimney Rock National Monument and the Major Lunar Standstill

On our vacation in July. One of the places we went to was Chimney Rock National Monument near Pagosa Springs, Colorado. We didn’t know what was there but off we went.

The heart of the monument are these two rocks. I am thinking the one on the right is, Chimney Rock (I think), and the one on the left is Monument Rock. The rocks themselves are very impressive but their claim to fame is that they were an important part of an ancient lunar observatory that monitored the 18.6 year cycle of the Major Lunar Standstill. The lunar cycle is a lot more complex than the solar cycle for various reasons. When the moon reached is maximum height every 18.6 years, you could see it nestled in between the two rocks.

The last time this happened was in 2025. Rather than steal a photo to show you, here is a link by Rocky Mountain Public Broadcasting Service showing a photo of the event. Below is a short video by the US Forest Service describing what the event is, how it occurs, and its importance to the various Tribes who are the descendants of the original residents.

The thinking is that Chimney Rock was originally built by Ancestral Puebloan people and then was later an outlier for Chacoan people who used the observatory for agricultural and religious purposes.

Heather getting ready.

After checking in at the Visitor Center and showing our pass we drove the road up to the parking lot at the ridge and then grabbed out hiking sticks, water, and laced out hiking shoes on.

Son Logan is ready to go.

It is a short but steep hike from the parking lot.

And then it got very steep and rocky. Watch your step. It was also hot that day.

A view back down the trail and off to one side. Beautiful vistas.

The partially reconstructed observatory. They used about two million stones to build it. All of them had to be hauled up from the valley floor by hand along with food and water for the work force. The guides said that there was some agriculture and some water from rainfall up on the ridge that they impounded by a series of dams.

Here’s the closest that we could get. Those flat rocks above the step once supported a Forest Service Fire Lookout tower that was removed in 2010. The site was opened to the public a couple years later.

So I moved off to the side and used my telephoto lens to get this view.

Valley View - Chimney Rock National Monument

You can see why this would be a great place for a fire lookout tower. You can see everywhere.

We went back down the steep rocky trail to the car and drove down into the valley.

Chimney Rock National Monument - Visitor Center

They have a small but very nice visitor center. The Forest Service partners with 26 tribes who trace ancestors to the area. They help govern the area and make sure their ancestors are honored and that their treaty rights to the area are preserved to the full extent of the law. I found the whole arrangement fascinating.

I am also fascinated by the amount of information now available. The Ancient Puebloan and Chacoan Cultures did not have a written language so the information we have is from archeological research including reinterpretation of data from past excavations. The modern ethic seems to be to limit new excavations and use old data to the maximum extent possible. They also seem to give much weight to the stories and history as told by the elders in Tribes today.

Here is some information from the Chimney Rock Interpretive Associations. And the US Forest Service also has information.

I am linking to Skywatch Friday.

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