Taking a break after yoga class at the Y.
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Weekend Reflections – Downtown Tulsa
Downtown Tulsa as I was headed to my car after getting released from Jury Duty. We had lots of breaks and so I got to wander around downtown. I worked there for twenty eight years and walked almost every working day at lunch. I was always looking for something I never saw before and almost succeeded. I knew people that worked there there whole careers and didn’t know where the post office was and had the impression that downtown was dangerous.
How can people be so uncurious?
I’m linking with Weekend Reflections. Those people are curious!! Almost all photobloggers are I think.
Our World – Perpetual Motion Machine
A little bit more from my trip to the Oklahoma History Center last week.
I graduated from Engineering school back in the 1970’s and took a job with Mobil Oil Corporation at a big oilfield they operated called the West Ranch Field right near the Gulf Coast of Texas. First thing new engineers find out is that when they start work, they don’t know the first thing about how engineering is actually done. You don’t spend time solving equations, you spend your time solving problems or building stuff. There is a lot of technology these days and you don’t learn anything about the technology in school. You can click here to learn about the recent developments in this field when you start work.
The piece of equipment above is a Kimray Pump by a company called Kimray. And what it does is pumps a liquid from low pressure to high pressure for processes where you need a recirculating liquid, which there are lots such processes in industry. It does not require any additional energy such as electricity or an electric motor or anything else.
So how does that work I wondered. Such a thing is impossible and yes it is. What happens is it used for dehydrating natural gas with a chemical. The chemical gets pumped up to the pressure of the natural gas, mixes with the gas and then is run back through the machine to low pressure, where the liquid is heated up releasing the water vapor, and then cooled off then pumped to high pressure again. The secret is that a small amount of gas is absorbed in the liquid and is also released at low pressure. That small amount of gas going from high pressure to low pressure is what keeps thing going. It took me forever to make sense of it!!
So this is Garman Kimmaell, the guy who invented it. I think he is a genius. How in the world did he figure it out? The Kimray pump is still in use today. There are modifications. For one the gas released is no longer just vented to atmosphere. It contains methane which is a lot worse actor in global warming than carbon dioxide by a factor of 40 to 50 and the process also emits lots of Benzene, Toluene, and Xylene (known as BTX) which are really bad cancer causing agents. So the emitted gases are burned in fuel system for the remainder of the process.
So, I am sure that this is more than what you cared to know. I’m linking with Our World Tuesday, came check it out.
Our World – Back on the Trails
So Sunday afternoon was great, temp in the low 50’s, sunny, a little breezy, no football. So I decided to go running on the Tulsa’s Riverparks trails on the Arkansas River. I prefer trail running but with all the snow they are going to be a bloody mess for a week or so.
Almost all the snow is gone. Better hurry if you want to see some.
Turkey Mountain across the river. I’ll be there Sunday morning for a hike with some people I know.
My run went pretty well. It has been a while since I ran-ran, if you know what I mean. So this was a walk run. I’d trot a little bit and then walk a little. Did that for about three miles. I had forgotten how nice it was and I was thankful that the other aerobic stuff I had been doing on the stationary bikes and elliptical machines left me with some aerobic fitness.
I had a bike wreck back in the early Fall which made it hard to do anything but hike and the machines. Things seem all better now. I did about three miles the slow way but that is okay.
Son Logan is doing better also from his ankle sprain. We have been doing the “RICE” thing (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation) with him. So he is king for a day or few. Heather is taking him to orthopedic doctor today. He has classes but they are online. So until about Wednesday or so we are waiting on him. Bringing him food, doing his laundry, all that stuff.
I’m linking with Our World Tuesday. Come join the fun!!
Tulsa’s Woodward Park
We have had some really cold weather in Tulsa the last week or so. I hadn’t felt like going out and freezing with my camera so I have been using my archives. That is wonderful in a way. I have 78,000 plus photographs so I got lots of images to draw from but you know I like taking new pictures!! So one day late last week I went to Tulsa’s Woodward Park.
This is the south side of the Tulsa Garden Center which used to be known as the Snedden Mansion. It’s a pretty cool place and is also an event center for weddings and such. My wife Heather used to work there in different capacities, so I got to work there too every once in a while for special events.
This is “Appeal to the Great Spirit” by Cyrus Dallin. This version was cast in 1985. The original was cast in 1908 and is at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. A miniature plaster version stood at Tulsa’s Central High School from 1923 until 1976 when the school closed.
I don’t know the name or history of this statue but it is a long term favorite of mine. Have to tell you though I got cold just looking at it.
This is one of favorite sculptures ever, “Poems and Promises” by Rosalind Cook. It is very peaceful looking to me. Doing my research I read where Ms. Cook says she gave it a spiraling movement by the placement of the legs, shoulders, and arms. Now that I read it, I can see what she is talking about. Artists just amaze me.
This is the Woodard Park Conservatory. It is open to the public most of the time and is very interesting with all the plants in there. It is also nice to go into on a cool day as it is generally very warm and humid.
On other matters, it has got even colder and snowier since my outing to Woodward Park. Minus two this morning.
Abby and I are sharing this throw. She’s kind of a hog though.
Our plump kitten Lizzie is whiling away the hours snoozing.
Here she is on her 180 degree abdominal twist. Front feet and head pointing one way, back feet pointing backward.
We’ve had all sorts of birds hanging around also. Rascal the dog tried to bring one inside this morning. It died soon thereafter. I don’t think Rascal hurt it, it was injured or sick. Sad deal.
I am linking with Our World Tuesday.
Skywatch Friday – Ice Storm Edition
It’s been cold and icy here lately. So these are from the archives. Above is the River Parks amphitheater from several years back. It was demolished and removed years ago. I never saw anything there but back in the day they had lots of concerts there. The old timers talk about it a lot.
This is from several years back. The Arkansas River during a period of low water.
This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It sits adjacent to the Snake River. It may be the prettiest building I’ve ever seen.
This is this morning (Thursday). The pups slipping and sliding on the back patio coming from their morning potty break. They also like to chase the squirrels and update their barkbook status with our neighboring dogs.
We finally turned the fireplace on last night. LJ the Cat and Abby appreciated it.
Heather and I finally got our fancy drawer and cabinet pulls on in the kitchen the past couple days. I think they look nice with our repainted cabinets and new floors.
So my doctor prescribed a regimen of exercise involving both stretching and strengthening of my backs and legs after my recent whining about back pain. It has helped tremendously. I’ve also restarted yoga classes and resistance training at our gym. A friend of Heather’s told her about the Silver Sneakers videos on youtube and we tried them. They are great!! They are kind of oriented toward the older crowd but they have quite a range from like beginning chair yoga to some challenging Pilates workouts. And they are free!!! You don’t have to join anything or sign up for anything. If you have youtube you can access these. So we have been doing some of these at home and they really help.
That is it for this week. Stay safe everybody!!
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
Random Wednesday
At Sprouts, we found this strange vegetable. Apparently everybody but us has heard about Romanesco. I like the logarithmic spirals but it looks very unappetizing. I’d try it though.
It’s calving time at the ranch owned by Heather’s relatives in western Oklahoma.
My sore back is getting better via yoga, strength training, ibuprofen and a heating pad. If I leave the heating pad on, Abby claims it. This is she during the Super Bowl. How about the Buccaneers and Tom Brady?
MIL had a leak in her house and she called a plumber who does sewer line repair Carroll county as well. A couple young guys came out. One of the manhandled an augur up on her roof during a strong cold wind. I get so tired when I hear certain people talk about “….kids today don’t want to work.” I know that’s wrong. I see hard working young people almost every day. Make sure you have a peek at this web-site where you find all the plumbing services required.
One of the curious things you find in old parks. This is a tribute to Shakespeare at Tulsa’s Woodward Park. Designed by notable art deco architect Adah Robinson and erected in the 1930’s I believe. I love random stuff like this.
Critter Videos for a Pandemic Age
Sometimes when looking at animals I do short little videos. A still photograph is okay with critters who are stationary but sometimes I like to provide a glimpse of the movement of the subjects. Don’t worry, none of these videos are longer than fourteen seconds.
These are the flamingos at the Tulsa Zoo. I love flamingos for the Florida vibe plus even when they are not doing much that are moving around. I find it very comical. These birds were locked up because it was too cold for them outside. It kind of reminds me of recess in grade school when it was too cold to go outside so we were in a cramped room and repeatedly told to not make so much noise.
Giraffe’s are the most ungainly animals but they are fun to watch if they are in an energetic mood. The energy here is the youngster, all full of piss and vinegar.
Sea Lions are very graceful and beautiful. We were just getting glimpses from them in the murky water the other day.
These geese I saw on a golf course were hilarious. They were definitely headed somewhere. I glitched the video a little bit.
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Back in the real world here in Oklahoma new Covid-19 cases per day have been in a sustained decline since the first part of January. But…
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Deaths per day have increased tremendously. Hopefully they will start trending down as well.
So stay safe folks. Wear your mask, maintain distance, and stay home whenever you can. Our son just got over his infection early this week. My wife and I were tested and found negative and we isolated as well to be extra sure that we didn’t infect anybody. I got my first vaccine shot yesterday and will get the booster in three weeks. I am so happy that the new administration is taking steps to streamline vaccinations and ordering enough medicine to have everybody vaccinated by the end of the upcoming summer.
I am linking with Saturday’s Critters, come join the fun!
Weekend Reflections – from the Mundane to the Sublime
Here is the mundane
I like trying different kinds of beer. I’ve been doing most of that at home.
And the nerdy
My regulars know that my computer crapped out. I had a one terrabyte solid state hard drive that was okay. So I pulled it out of the computer and bought a gizmo for about $12 that turned it into an external hard drive. You know it works perfectly!! I don’t archive photos on my own hard drive, I do that in the cloud but I had thousands of songs I had ripped into itunes off of cds. I didn’t want to do all that again. So I installed itunes on the new computer, told it where to go find the music and it works!!!
To I don’t know, maybe this is sublime..
From the archives. The gardens at Tulsa’s Philbrook Museum of Art are sublime. I am not sure my photo is. The museum is closed until the middle of February. They are taking a little breather. Covid has been hard on all of us.
I found this kind of cool
This is some people standing in front of the reflection of the Tempietto in the Gardens at Philbrook. I love the word Tempietto although I admit I spell it a half dozen different ways. I’m getting older and crankier so just think of me as a phonetic speller.
My wife and I got our brother moved into assisted living from long term care. The staff at the long term care are proud of them, that kind of move is extremely rare so they see him as a success story. He is adjusting well to his new digs. Lots of more freedom and more activities to choose from as well as more people to talk with. Brother is very social.
I’m linking with Weekend Reflections, come check it out!!
Skywatch Friday – Back in the Day
This is from the archives. I’ve been so busy getting my brother into an assisted living place that I forgot to take a sky photo this week. So this is from where I used to work in downtown Tulsa looking out to the northwest along the Arkansas River winding its way back to Colorado. Thank goodness for archives is what I say.
I’m getting my first covid-19 vaccination shot today at the Tulsa Fairgrounds. Wish me luck!!
Stay healthy my friends. Come join the fun over at Skywatch Friday