Category Archives: SuperPizzaBoy

A Little of This and a Little of That

Our young man is getting all grown up. I used to call him SuperPizzaBoy. It doesn’t seem to quite fit any more. He is growing into a young man. I’ll have to think of a new nickname for him.

(He is kind of handsome I think.)

He is a busy guy. A sophomore in high school now. He also does chess club and the lego club at school and singing lessons, and other stuff also. He has a full schedule so he has to budget his time to make sure that everything is done. This past weekend is a good example.

(Around and around we go. If the weather is good he rides outside, which is much nicer)

He has to get up early, get dressed, have breakfast and after a fast stop at Starbucks we drive 36 miles one way to therapeutic horseback riding. He has come a long way and is getting more comfortable all the time with his horse.

(He has a great sense of humor, most of the time.)

We drive back into town and then he changes, has lunch and then we head to his weekly Improv Comedy class. This past weekend was a double dose as he had to go back in the evening for their first show.

He loves improv and is pretty good at it. I’d find it really tough. There are guidelines to improv but you really have to be on your toes and think fast. Two things nobody has ever accused me of doing.

(Take a bow kids for a job well done. The adult leaders also, talk about a handful!)

The show was great. Many of the kids have been together for several years. They are really a lively and energetic bunch and can be very funny.

(Poor kid, he has a Dad who just has to try all the Hipstamatic combos)

Today, we got up and went to church. After lunch son had some homework to do. He doesn’t find geometry near as much fun as I do, but he is getting good at writing papers for his English class.

(How much farther Dad! About 20 minutes Son! That’s what you said 20 minutes ago!)

And then for a little outside time. We ventured up north Tulsa to Oxley Nature Center and hiked the Northern Woods loop for an hour and a half to get a little fresh air.

(How come teenagers don’t like lily pads?)

He doesn’t like near as much as his old man does but he indulged me.

(They don’t like the sun shining through trees either)

We saw a deer and enjoyed the silence. We didn’t see anybody else the whole time we were there.

(Poor kid, his Dad dresses like such a dork.)

And then home, and some video game time, dinner, a chore or two and the day is used up.

He is a busy guy and his Mom and I are really proud of him.

Wordless Wednesday – A Fisheye View of Therapeutic Horseback Riding

Wordless Wednesday

Back to School and Off Work

I’m on a 9-80 schedule at my office. That means that I work 80 hours every two weeks over 9 days and get every other Friday off. I love the schedule. It gives me an extra day off every two weeks, all year long. During the summer when SuperPizzaBoy is not in school it gives us an extra day together. It is really nice though during the school year. Then I get my day off with Sweetie. I mean I love SPB but I like spending time with just me and Sweetie also.

So Friday was my first 9-80 day since school started. Sweetie and I didn’t do much. We helped set up the lower school book fair. SPB is in the upper school but hey, we are helpful folks. Actually Sweetie is the helpful one and I was just tagging along.

Then we went to see Woody Allen’s new movie Blue Jasmine. Oh, it is a great movie but also very raw and heavy. But hey, the theater is in the midst of a renovation and they are installing these deluxe recliners in the auditoriums. I’m taking my snuggie next time! Do you have these where you live? I much recommend them.

Then we went to lunch at Kosmos on Peoria in Brookside.

We picked up SPB from school and brought him home. Sweetie is in making dinner and of course I’m in the yard playing with my Ipod Touch Hipstamatic App. It has a multi-exposure setting so I did the old hand in the sky covering the sun trick and then took a picture of our crepe myrtle blossoms.

And then a straight double exposure of the same thing at a slightly different angle. Kind of gives it a dreamy look is what I say. You’re no help in getting dinner ready is what Sweetie says.

Then we packed up some chairs and the kid (along with his DS of course)(if you don’t know what a DS is, count yourself as being very lucky, take my word for it!) and headed downtown to see the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra play at Guthrie Green. They played a variety of music from waltzes, to broadway tunes, to movie music. It was great. At the end they played some patriotic music and the there were fireworks!! (We love fireworks.)

And even better it was against the Tulsa skyline.

I’m so glad I figured out how to use the fireworks mode on my camera.

I do feel bad though because I broke my rule against reading the manual. Manuals are for Democrats don’t you think, not hard working Republicans. (Mainly because most Republicans can’t read) (But they do have strong opinions) (I’m just joking folks. I heard rumors of a Republican in Massachusetts who can read. I mean if you choose to believe that there is a Republican in Massachusetts then I guess that it is not hard to make the leap that he or she can read.)

After the concert and fireworks we went to Braums for a little ice cream.

And that is that!!

What did you do today?

Our World – The Fricking Frackers, Bison, and Longhorns of Woolaroc

Son and I went on another road trip Saturday.

First, SuperPizzaBoy does his weekly session with All Star Therapy Group. Here he riding the barrel racing pattern with Seven. Then it was off to Frank Phillip’s Woolaroc (Frank is the guy who started Phillips Petroleum way back when. He has been gone since 1950 or so but his company goes on. Woolaroc is his old ranch and museum. It is a heck of a place.)

When we got to the entrance it was a zoo. I’d never seen so many people. They told us at the gate that Phillips Petroleum was having their annual employee picnic. So we paid our admission and joined the fricking frackers of Phillips Petroleum at Woolaroc. (Note, I’m a big fan of fricking frackers.)

It was stop and go from the highway to the parking lot. The bison were wondering what the heck is going on.

Well at least some of them were. The rest were like ho hum.

This guy is all depressed looking for some reason.

There were some Texas Longhorns at the ranch.

I mean if you were a Texas Longhorn confined deep in Oklahoma Sooner country you’d be depressed also.

In the barn, the llama was bemused. He had never seen so many fricking frackers and fricking fracker family members.

The deer were on point also. If the bambi’s are not afraid of fricking frackers why should you be?

Later, I’ll post some pics from inside the museum. If you love western art, you’ll love Woolaroc.

Our World Tuesday

Our World – Road Trip with SuperPizzaBoy to Ride Horses, see some Bison, and Save a Turtle

Saturday Sweetie was going to spend some time with a friend so me and SuperPizzaBoy had the day to ourselves.

First stop was All-Star Therapy in Ramona, north of town. SPB rides there almost ever week. Here he is with “Seven” doing some rounds outside.

SPB worked under the direction of Lisa who should slap me silly for this pic. There was a daytime moon I was trying to get in the pic and didn’t even notice what Lisa was doing until later. You can just barely see the moon about right in the middle of the pic.

After All-Star SPB and I loaded up and went further north to the Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Praire Preserve north of Pawhuska, Oklahoma. I just love it up there for a number of reasons. You can really see a long ways. 39,000 acres of tallgrass praire. The largest remaining tallgrass praire on earth it is claimed.

You really are out in the middle of nowhere up there. You barely have cell phone coverage. An investor group wants to put a bunch of windmills up there to generate some so called “renewable” energy. They would sure ruin the view. But it would sure make investors rich! You are not one of them are you? What are you going to do with the money? I bet you are not going to build a home near any windmills.

We didn’t see any bison on our way into the preserve. We stopped and did the short loop nature trail. They have loops from 1/2 to 3 miles.

It was about as nice a day in July as you are ever going to get. It was in the low 80’s when we got there. See how lush and green the grass is. Usually everything is sun bleached, beat down, brown this time of year.

The wildflowers were pretty also.

SPB really liked the trail. He announced it was too short so we we walked a little on the longer trails.

On the way out the bison made an appearance. Here is a momma with two calves.

And then these two guys came straggling past along with a bunch of others.

In another part of the preserve we saw some cattle. Cows are more sociable than buffalo. They always stop and look where bison just barely acknowledge your present. I love these three.

And there were some white cattle also. You can tell that I really know my cows. You see you have white ones, black ones, multi-color ones, and so on. Anything else you want to know?

Very pretty coloring.

On our way out I almost ran over this dude. He was right on the edge of the ruts taking a nap.

I moved him to the side of the road. Hopefully it was the side he was wanting to go to. He was about to be turtleburger if I had left where I found him.

And then, SPB headed to Bartlesville for some barbecue and then “Home James” to the house. We were near the Pioneer Woman’s ranch but just were not in the mood to go say hello.

I love road trips. What did you do Saturday?

Our World Tuesday

The Adventures of Me and SuperPizzaBoy on our trip to the Tulsa Zoo with a Canon Canonet

It was my 9/80 day off Friday. I work 80 hours over nine days and get every other Friday off. Son, SuperPizzaBoy and I decided to take a fast trip to the Tulsa Zoo even though we had some on again/off again rains. It turned out to be perfect, the weather was cool, and the zoo was deserted. That suits both SPB and I. We are almost anti-social at times. I mean I like people but when it is crowded, the stupid people are the main ones who show up, or at least make their presence known the most. I don’t want to step on any toes in case you happen to be a stupid person. I mean stupid people don’t decide to be stupid, they are born that way. They can’t help it. Oops Sorry, I digress. And besides they were no stupid people out and about Friday morning, or at least the ones that were well were dispersed. That may be the solution for stupid people, dispersion. You know how some companies, and many present day politicians, ~~used to~~ think that the “Solution to Pollution is Dilution” well maybe it works for stupidity. Maybe not though.

I brought along the fifty year old, plus or minus/ Canon Canonet that my Dad gave me last month. It is a solid hunk of metal, glass, and not much plastic with a light sensor which sets the fstop for a given shutter speed but otherwise is manual focus, film feed, film speed setting, and almost everthing. It sure is silky smooth to operate and the shutter is so quiet that I wondered for a while if it was working. I love it. It’s a real gem.

We saw some Siamangs. I had never seen them so active out on their island. It looks like the zoo staff had put their food in the white plastic jugs strung along the rope so the animals were moving out and across fetching and eating their food.

Here is SuperPizzaBoy with the Zoo’s statue of Ganesha, a Hindu god with an elephant head placed next to the elephant building which is closed for renovations. Some of my fellow Tulsa citizens periodically make a big deal about the statue saying that its presence at the city owned Zoo means that the city is trying to establish Hinduism as an official religion. These are people who really do need a life or a new hobby or something.At least in my opinion.

We saw a tiger, who was pretty loud. Sorry no zoom on my camera and I’m not cropping the photo. The pics today are all SOC!

And a lion who was also mouthing off. I’m wondering if the big cats had their breakfast yet.

These guys, within earshot, seemed pretty nervous. What do they feed those big cats anyway? You ever thought about that? I think these goats have thought about it plenty.

We saw some African Penguins. they are only about a foot tall. They are cool though.

SPB tells me that the penguins are his favorite critters at the zoo.

On the way out we passed the flamingos. Talk about lazy, they were still sleeping. Lazy or smart, I’m not sure. What are the going to do when they wake up? Sure is cool how they can sleep while balancing on one leg. Can you imagine how hard that is? Especially here in Oklahoma where the wind never stops.

So we went home, with a stop at Walgreens to get the film developed. I’m pretty happy with the results.

So what did you do on Friday.

Saturday, if the weather is good SPB and I might be going to Pawhuska (where the Pioneer Woman lives) to look at the Tallgrass Praire Preserve and the the bison who live there. Too bad Sweetie can’t make it, we could stop in and see Ree Drummond (aka “The Pioneer Woman”). She is a great cook but I think she’d lose in a cooking throwdown with Sweetie.

Home from Camp

We drove down to Texas and fetched SuperPizzaBoy from Camp.

His counselors all said that he had a good time, behaved himself, and made lots of friends.

SPB said his fellow campers in his cabin were wild and unruly. Imagine that, high school kids acting up. Never heard of that myself. You?

This was the look he rocked most of the week. He was in Texas after all. When I lived in Houston years ago my next door neighbor wore cowboy boots with his shorts all the time.

Sweetie, being the great “boys mom” that she is waited until SPB was in the car before she kissed him.

I think that he had a great time but was sure glad to get home.

We’ve been traveling a lot this summer. To Texas for a convention, to Alabama for our beach vacation, Idaho for a family reunion, and then camp. I’m ready to stay around home a few days.

Picking up the kid

SuperPizzaBoy has been at camp this week.

The week is almost over.

We are headed down to Texas to pick SuperPizzaBoy from camp early Saturday.

I guess that I’m beginning to wonder,

will he even want to come home?

Wordless Wednesday – Fishing

Seven year old photograph of SuperPizzaBoy fishing during a Cub Scout outing recovered from a crashed hard drive.

Thanks Staples for bringing back the memories for one seventh the cost of the other data recovery businesses and doing it in two hours.

Wordless Wednesday

Water World Wednesday – Fun on the Water

From our recent trip to Idaho.

Canoes make great photographic subjects, interesting shapes, bright colors, and nice reflections.

But really they are meant to be used. This is our family flotilla during our recent outing in Idaho.

BIL Irv really looks good by himself in the canoe. He really looks like he know what he is doing.

A little bit later grandson Mr. Beans and my sister Ellen joined them. Notice Irv’s technique of sitting in the back and letting the other two do all the work. That is how we guys do it.

And there is Sweetie and SuperPizzaBoy. I joined them a little later.

After a stern warning to SuperPizzaBoy to not overturn the canoe. Nothing tickles his funny bone than topping dad into the deep. I had the good camera with me. We paddled around a bit. Of course nobody else had a camera, so you will have to take my word for it.