Morning Shadows at Bluestem Park

4 Replies

Early last month the family ventured to Keller, Texas for a family affair down there. I noticed at the hotel we stayed in that there was a park nearby and also found out that there were several geocaches there. So the next morning, I got up early (I always get up early), go dressed and went out to search for them. It turns out that there was a trail system connected to the hotel’s ground. Sweet!!

So off I went onto the paved trail into the trail system.

The name of the park where the trails are located is Bluestem Park. It is only about 14 acres and it appears to be a public private partnership to recreate a bluestem prairie ecosystem like what was there before white people showed up with their wagons and air conditioning. I love any sort of trail I can find but trails that interconnect with other trails are deluxe. The Bluestem Park trails are interconnected with other trails and it looks like one can wander for miles if they wished. I love Urban Wildernesses like this.

A shadow selfie. One of the advantages of shadow selfies is that no one else can tell your age. Am I right?

Morning Glories, in the Morning at Bluestem Park

Google lens tells me that these are morning glory flowers. I think most morning glories are alien invasive species but they sure are pretty.

Unfortunately the geocaches were not right off the trail. I’d have to get off trail in the grasses and shrubs. If I were home I would be ready for that, here though I didn’t have the right clothes or shoes, nor any bug spray. So I just enjoyed the views. Didn’t really want to show up at a family function covered with burrs and seeds, nor chiggers, ticks, or fire ants. Years ago I got a bunch of fire ant bites geocaching in an area near here and I didn’t want to tangle with them again. I had a great walk though of a couple miles.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday and this coming week’s Skywatch Friday.

Imaginary and Real Critters in Tulsa

6 Replies

Mother Goose at Lafortune Park in Tulsa

Peter Rabbit and Alice at Lafortune Park

Peter Rabbit with Alice (who has a regular sized rabbit)

A real deer at Oxley Nature Center here in Tulsa.

And a bison painting at an art show that Heather and I attended last month. (That is my beautiful bride Heather checking the art out.)

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters

Skywatch Friday – At Home and on the River

13 Replies

From late September to early October

A sunset drone shot from 50 meters above the backyard looking west.

Another sunset on a different day from my across the street neighbor’s driveway.

Another sunset from the curb on the street in front of our house. That’s our mailbox!

Downtown Tulsa from across the Arkansas River

The downtown Tulsa skyline from across the Arkansas River while on a bike ride.

Williams Crossing Bridge Across the Arkansas River

Another bike ride shot of the Arkansas River with Zink Dam, with a bunch of fisherman, and the Williams Crossing Pedestrian Bridge.

I am linking to Skywatch Friday

Tracking Down the King of Western Swing (and some of his Friends)

5 Replies

So to start, this is the King of Western Swing

Bob Wills, a Texan who had a band called “Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys.” They were big in the 1930’s and 1940’s playing Western Swing Music. They played at Cain’s Ballroom in Tulsa.

This is Cains Ballroom in Tulsa and they still have lots and lots of concerts, western, rock and roll, almost everything.

Wills died in Fort Worth in 1975. He is interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Tulsa. His grave and others are part of a Adventure Lab Geocache that I attempted in late September.

Roy Clark Grave Marker at Memorial Park in Tulsa

Roy Clark is buried there as well. You may remember him from Hee Haw back in the day.

As is the Godfather of Tulsa music, Leon Russell. He grew up in Tulsa. I personally know several people that went to high school with him. All report that he was a great guy, very personable and generous, also uber talented. Played several instruments on the band, sang choir in both at school and at his church.

You may remember Sam Kinison. He was one wild performer back in the day. His grave marker was also part of the geocache.

Not part of the geocache but a great sculpture anyway.

A remembered child.

I always wondered what these buildings in a cemetery are called. I asked the interwebs and it says the technical term is “Private Family Mausoleum.” So now I know.

So I finished the adventure lab cache and got this certificate.

I love cemeteries. I always feel at peace in them.

Sharing with Through My Lens and Wordless Wednesday

Chasing Shadows at Lafortune Park

4 Replies

Lafortune Park is big piece of land in south Tulsa that is just packed with attractions: A 3 mile walking path, two 18 hole golf courses, several playgrounds, a high school with a football stadium, baseball and softball fields, little league baseball fields, a pony league baseball stadium, a huge tennis center with indoor and outdoor courts (and pickleball), a community center, public swimming pool, and a public library. I’ve spent a lot of time there and in early October I grabbed my camera and went in search of shadows one nice sunny day.

Shadows on a bridge.

What I call “EKG Shadows” of weeds growing along the top rail of a chain-link fence.

Shadows of a bison herd.

Architectural Brick Shadows at Lafortune Park

I love these midcentury modern style concrete blocks.

Another bridge with shadows.

Guardrail Shadows

And handrail shadows on steps.

So I got some exercise and found a few shadows on the three mile trek around the park.

I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday.

I hope everyone survived Halloween last night and the time change this morning. We don’t pass out candy at Halloween because it upsets our dogs too much so we turn off the porch lights and pull the bulbs out of the driveway lamps, shut the front room shades and keep the lights off and we still have people coming up and ringing the doorbell. Just a few though.

We also had the time change this morning. I have so much digital stuff that I have to go looking for an analog clock to make the sure the digital time pieces worked right. There is a move afoot in the USA to have year round daylight savings time. I’m good with the present setup and if we are going to have a year round time then I think it should be standard time year round. Otherwise it is pitch dark at 7 am in the cooler parts of the year. I’ll survive and not fuss regardless of what the powers that be decide.

Saturday’s Critters – From Everywhere

7 Replies

A motley collection of ducks, some of whom might be escaped or released household pets, at Hunter Park in Tulsa.

Some geese on a large pond at a cemetery here in Tulsa during a geocaching outing. Yep there are lots of geocaches in Tulsa. One advantage is that the residents are going to call the cops on you. This cemetery has Roy Clark, Oral Roberts and other celebrities at rest on the grounds.

And a native pollinator doing its thing with a wildflower.

Turtle and Frog at Ray Harral Nature Center

A turtle and a frog forever frozen in place at Ray Harral Nature Center in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow.

Sculpture with Dove at Utica Square Shopping Center

And a pair of doves with a little girl at the Utica Square Shopping Center in Tulsa.

Scissortail Flycatcher Utica Square "Art in the Square"

And some more birds including a scissortail flycatcher and a bunny at Utica Square during an art show there.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters.

Skywatch Friday – Halloween, Home and Beyond 2026 Edition

20 Replies

I found this scary dude while hiking the other day, or maybe it found me. I survived though by promising it that it would be on the blog.

The family went out to the Tusla Botanic Garden the other day. We found some scarecrows.

In late September I started another year of reading tutoring at this school. The little person I am helping this year is a hard worker. I am loving not having to bargain, beg, and threaten them to settle down.

I am mowing two yards now. This is my former mother-in-law’s house near where we live. Her neighbors are begging us to move in. It’s a nice house but a long ways from where we like to go. Nice pool. we got to use it a few times before it got too chilly. We have some legal hoops to jump through before we do anything with it.

I love stoplight sunset photos. After months of not much rain we had a lot at the end of September.

And a neighborhood sunrise looking east from my front yard.

And a middle of the day, cloudy, skywatch looking the same way.

I am linking this with Skywatch Friday

RIP Jeanette

6 Replies

Jeanette Grave analog efex pro 2 October 2026

My Mother-in-law, Jeanette, passed away peacefully in her home, with Heather and I there, in early September. This past weekend she was put to rest in her beloved western Oklahoma with her husband Charles who died eighteen years ago, and alongside her mother and father and her older brother who passed away at three years old a long time ago.

Heather spoke at the services and described Jeanette’s life as a play in three acts. Her growing up years, her life with Charles, her husband, as they grew their small pharmacy in southeast Oklahoma into a destination with a gift store, fudge counter, sweet shop, a catering business and other lines of business. And her last eighteen years alone living an active retirement and moving to the Tulsa area to be closer to us.

Jeanette’s pastor was the officiant, and said that Jeanette was the playwright, director, and lead actor of this play. Jeanette told me several times that if you wanted to get something done you had to get an old broad to do it.

She was bigger than life and we all miss her.

Rest in Peace Jeanette.

Skywatching from the Neighborhood

The Full Harvest Moon on September 26

An opposite sunset (looking east). I love how just the tops of the clouds are in the sun.

A glowing cloudless sunset

Clouds add such drama to a sunset.

Check out Skywatch Friday.

Almost Wordless – Trail Work Day at the Y

In late September the Tulsa Urban Wilderness Coalition, of which I am a member and a Board Member, had a trail workday at the Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA on Turkey Mountain.

Rain and Clouds at Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA

It was starting to sprinkle but it was too late to postpone the date as we had already done that once already for this event.

We got our canopy and tables set up and got waivers from everyone so we were ready to go. It was kind of a light turnout that day. But that’s okay.

Here is an action shot of me, that I have stolen from the TUWC. We were clearing the trails that day so I have my loppers. There was lots of poison ivy so I didn’t wear my usual tshirt and shorts for long sleeve shirt, pants, and gloves.

Cleared Trail at Herman and Kate Kaiser YMCA

Here’s a shot of a cleared trail. We lopped the brush and poison ivy back. The YMCA has their own trails on Turkey Mountain that are extensively interconnected with the more well-known Tulsa RiverParks trail system.

I am linking with Wordless Wednesday

YogisDen.us

Welcome to my world