I love the reflection of the sun off the tile of the old Y. This is a three year old photo. The building is now all boarded up awaiting its fate.
Category Archives: Tulsa
Skywatch Friday – Boston Avenue Moon
Weekend Reflections – Tulsa’s Cesar Pelli’s Duct Tape
Reflections off Tulsa’s BOK Center featuring a 600 foot long and 103 foot tall glass panel tilted at 5 degrees that wraps partway around the building. It’s always good for reflections.
The building was designed by Cesar Pelli and of course he used all sorts of local influences such Tulsa’s Native American and art deco heritage. He won’t admit but I think he was thinking about tornadoes that frequent tornado alley. Personally I love the building even though it reminds some of my fellow Tulsans of a roll of duct tape coming undone or maybe even a big old hubcap. Speaking of tornadoes, I hope that one never hits that glass panel. We’ll have glass all over Tulsa when that happens.
Weekend Reflections – Old Building
Walking around at lunch with my Ipod. Lots of windows in this old building. Each window tells its own story.
Our World – Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area Cleanup Day
Saturday morning almost a hundred people showed up at Turkey Mountain for a cleanup day.
It was organized by the Tulsa River Parks Authority and sponsored by Hammerhead Bicycles and Tatur Racing. Anytime you can get the mountain bikers and the trail runners working together it has to be important.
Lots of trash was picked up along with old worn out grills, a camo recliner and couch, and several mattresses. Four meth labs were found.
An extremely rare photo of Yogi actually doing anything. I stole this photo from Trail Zombie’s facebook page. If he sues me, I’m going to depend on you to contribute to my legal defense fund. Sweetie is going to think this was photoshopped. Trail Zombie reported on the cleanup on his blog.
Several of us went to an active campsite to dismantle it and haul it off. In addition to the tent, tarp, sleeping bags, and other stuff, we filled up two or three contractor size garbage bags with the garbage strewn in all directions around the site. By the time we left there was no trace that anybody had ever been there. Before you start crying tears over the lost home of whoever I’ll just say the contents of the tent might have indicated that he was up to nothing good.
We loaded it all up on a wagon we had and hauled it off.
There is still a lot of work left for the next clean up day. This is a non active homeless camp with garbage spread in all directions.
Weekend Reflections – Glass
Signs, Signs, – The Vault
The Vault is a new restaurant in downtown Tulsa that opened up in a re-purposed motor bank. It has a mid Century Modern theme. I don’t know if the food is any good but I love their sign.
Signs, Signs
Weekend Reflections – Blue Whale
Skywatch Friday –
Our World – The Blue Whale of Route 66
The New Year is almost here. Have a happy and safe New Year’s Eve!
Just before Christmas SuperPizzaBoy took a one day road trip. As previously reported we went to see the World’s Tallest Totem Pole. On the way back we stopped at the Blue Whale on Route 66 in the city of Catoosa.
The Blue Whale was built by Hugh S. Davis, a former Tulsa Zoo employee, starting in late 1960’s and finished in 1972 as a gift to his wife.
(SuperPizzaBoy Photo)
A welder friend of his welded the pipe framework and Mr. Davis applied the concrete one five gallon bucket at a time.
He built slides off the whale into the pond and a diving platform off the tail. He opened up the whale and pond up to the public for swimming, picnicking, and fishing. Mr. Davis is gone now and the property is owned by his children.
(SuperPizzaBoy Photo) – Notice the potbellied, bald headed, old man that looks like he is getting swallowed by the whale? That is SPB’s father.
It is now maintained by the Catoosa Arts and Tourism Society. It is free of charge and they allow catch and release fishing but they don’t really want you swimming there.
Mr. Davis also built other attractions on the property that are in disrepair and off limits but the remains can be seen from the parking lot.
This is the Ark that he built, he also had an alligator ranch and a praire dog village. Stuff like this intrigues me.
So if you are ever in the Tulsa area check out the Blue Whale in nearby Catoosa, right on Route 66.
Swimming Hole