This is a floating stage on the west bank of the Arkansas River. The stage has not been used in years and is apparently too expensive to dismantle and impossible to move so I guess it will just sit there until a tornado takes it out. Back in the day, a lot of big names played on it Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Leon Russel, and others played on the stage. In the meantime it is biding its time with its memories in a little backwater off the Arkansas River. I don’t know how many dozens of photos I have taken of it, morning, night, noon, all four seasons. I love it.
Category Archives: Skywatch Friday
Skywatch Friday – Winter Solstice
The Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the beginning of Winter was yesterday. So on the plus side the days are going to get longer! And on the downside the weather is going to get colder before it starts getting warmer. So I can go run in the woods and go geocaching without worry about ticks, chiggers, spiders, and snakes. Winter is when I can really relax in the woods and not worry about what I am about to step on or find underneath a rock.
Hey, plus Christmas is just a couple days off. Christmas is great but what I really like is the week between Christmas and New Years. This year I’m going to take the days off and we’ll go to some movies and just kind of chill. In early January we are all going to fly up to Idaho and go visit my Dad. Now southeast Idaho, that is where they have real winter. I don’t anticipate moving up there, ever!!! If anything I want to move south.
This time of year is special because this is around the time of my late Mother’s birthday. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her. I don’t have very many photographs of her but this old faded polaroid is my favorite. She was smart and sassy and tough as nails and really loved her family. The wife of a Forest Ranger and the daughter of a copper miner and a dyed in the wool old school Democrat with an Irish twinkle in eye. I wonder what she thinks as she is surveying all that is going on these days in America.
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Skywatch Friday – Pond Reflections
My favorite go to 3 mile walking/running loop is Lafortune Park just a few miles from the house. The trail goes around a golf course, tennis courts, and a playground, and by a several ponds so there almost always moments to rest a little bit and snap a pic or two. I’m always wanting to yell “You the Man!” or “In the Hole!!” at the golfers but never have, probably never will. I used to work with a guy who when we played golf with the CEO of our employer would say, when the CEO hit the ball, “Oh my gosh, look at the ball go!!” He even said it when I hit it, or whiffed it as mostly the case. I always thought it was funny.
We were celebrating my wife’s birthday yesterday and when we got home I noticed that we had a full moon. So I dug out my trust Canon SX40 Superzoom and took a few pics of the moon. I an one of them through Topaz Textures and then uploaded onto my Ipod Touch and used DistressedFX to further process the image to bring out the features of the moon. This moon doesn’t have a cool name like some of the other moons. It is called the Long Night Moon.
Skywatch Friday
Skywatch Friday – Where are the Leaves?
Tulsa’s Lafortune Park
From the archives last January. I love how we can see the bones of the trees after the leaves all fall off. Fall and Winter are seasons of short days but great light and the opportunity to see familiar scenes differently. Here in Oklahoma it can get cold when a front blows through but generally there is a sunny warming period for a few days afterward where we get a short respite from Winter. It makes a big difference.
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Skywatch Friday – Thanksgiving Edition
Skywatch Friday – Road Trip
I have to brag that no filter was used in this shot and have to confess that it is from my archives. five years ago while on a trip to see my sister and her family in Colorado. I also suspect that I may have posted it back then. Hey, I never claimed to be a Boy Scout, even though I was. Well maybe I tell to much.
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Skywatch Friday – Orange Beach Sky
This week for Skywatch Friday I’m going back to our summer vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama. I can sit and look at the Gulf of Mexico for hours, and have especially when there is a little color in the sky. Our Fall here in Oklahoma has been way too dang warm. I know the cold and ice is coming. I’m hoping we get back to the Gulf next summer.
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Skywatch Friday – Evening on the Arkansas River
Evenings on the Arkansas River this time of year are very peaceful. The weather is mild and pleasant and there are lots of people out strolling with the kids, bike riding, running, and skateboarding. Its the place to be.
I cheated on this and used a texture backed off about 75%.
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Skywatch Friday – Lookout Lake
Lookout Lake at Osage Hills State Park. The weather was windy and very warm but we still had big fluffy clouds and blue sky.
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Skywatch Friday – A Sunset From the Old Office
It’s October and the sun is getting lower so when I left my office I took the elevator up to the 17th floor to my old office. (Which is still empty by the way!!! After almost two years!!!) And I took this photo. If you look not too hard you will see a reflection of my bright red camera. I thought about knocking the window out so I could take the pic without the reflection but I decided not to do so. Maybe next time, but probably not.
The weather is getting milder, the temperatures cooler, and the humidity lower. Pretty soon the leaves will start changing and the various Fall races that I love will happen. Yep, things are looking up.