Category Archives: Signs

Much ado about Signs

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Saturday I was doing my favorite activity, hanging with my wife Heather. We were running errands having to do with Mother’s Day. One place we went @Home. A giant box store crammed full of stuff including a bunch of signs for the home. I loved the one above. I got and we will be taking to the condo we are renting on the Gulf Coast later this summer.

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Hmmm, do mermaids read what you write in the sand? That’s an intriguing idea. What about sirens, do they read also, or do they just sit on the rocks singing songs luring sailors to their doom? Do you know the difference between a mermaid and a siren? Well, if you are really interested in the subject read this post of mine from almost ten years ago that explains it, and ties in Esther (you know from the Bible), and loops  around Starbucks as well.

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I love this sign also. I remember when I had hair.

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Yep, I like this one as well.

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Or rather, “Her Roost, Her Rules!” Doubt me?

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Here is another sign, at a local brewery. After years of being a beer desert, Oklahoma is coming into the 20th century with more modernized liquor laws. Next step is the 21st century.

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Here is a whole bunch of signs. I am a “Sign Abatement Volunteer” with the City of Tulsa. Me and about 61 other folks have been trained on what signs are legal, which or not, and the value of using good judgement, discretion, and restraint despite what the law says. So I have been gathering up signs all over south Tulsa. They are mainly for sketchy crap businesses that don’t have a physical address. So, I am doing by bit for cleaning up the city. So far I have found around 70 or so. I guess I could start a referral business for the likes of Heavenly Hands Magic Massages, Loans for Businesses, Instant Weight Loss, and guys that will buy any house.

How about you? Have you found any good signs lately?

Signs, Signs – The Lululemon Ladies and their Signs

LuluLemon Ladies

Sorry, I’ve already posted this pic on Instagram and Facebook.

The women (and the occasional guy) of the local Lululemon clothing store really go all out on race days and cheer people on during the local runs and we runners love them. I even love the two people updating their facebook status. Or maybe snapchat, like “This really old, fat, ugly thinks he’s a runner dude come by, it would be funny if he weren’t so gross.”

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Here they are during a cold Route 66 Marathon a couple years ago.

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And the token Lululemon guy.

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And the Lululemon kids

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And this is the first time I saw them, at the 2012 Route 66 Half marathon. I didn’t know who they were back then but I loved the signs. This is the only pic that I have ever had go halfway viral. I posted it on the race facebook site and it was seen by thousands of people. My favorite signs were “You’re the Sh*t” and “Go Random Stranger Go!!!” I’m sure that they got discussed. You know the old corporate “Do you really think that that is the image we should be sending out there about what we are about.” You fellow corporate drones will surely recognize that. I kind of hope that the the Local Lululemon Ladies (and guy) pull them out of the closet for the next race. But if they don’t, that is okay.

I can’t afford their clothes but I love their signs.

I’m linking with Signs, Signs this week.

Abandonment – II

Abandoned Gas Station

Monday, after work I took Logan to his voice lessons. The studio is in an old strip shopping center and I like to walk around rather than sit in the waiting space. Last week I featured a recently abandoned Shell Station at the center. Well guess what, there is another abandoned Gas Station a couple hundred yards south of the Shell Station. I think it has been boarded up ten years or so. I forget what chain had the site.

They left their old sign up and I always get a chuckle out of it.

Abandoned Gas Station Sign

Since the station went out of business the prices listed have sometimes seemed like a huge bargain or a big ripoff. Right now they are just a moderately good deal.

Linking with Signs, Signs

Signs, Signs, – Tulsa’s Librarium

#librarium #tulsa temporary central #library #oklahoma #signs

The Tulsa City County Library has closed their main library downtown to undergo a rather leisurely paced, not totally funded, multi-year overhaul. In the meantime we have a converted Homeland Store that has great wi-fi and a helpful staff. It is called the Librarium.

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Signs, Signs

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Somebody Needs to Explain to Me Why….

Christian Science Church

I like to go walking around downtown at lunch and check stuff out. I see lots of stuff that I don’t get. For example the First Church of Christ Science on Boulder Avenue. I love the building, it is beautiful and they have not crapped it up with additions or a “Family Life Center” or other trendy additions and checking out their web site they seem to be pretty active. Tulsa’s downtown churches, unlike lots of downtown churches in other cities, actually thrive.

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The front of the building is nice. So what I don’t get and maybe one of you can explain to me is…

First Christian Church Signs

Why don’t they spend a little more on their signs?

Do you know why?

Signs, Signs, – Stokely Event Center

#stokelyeventcenter #signs #tulsa #oklahoma #igersok where Logan's school is having their #prom tonight

The best place in Tulsa for taking pics of signs is the Stokely Event Center. I’ve been there a few times taking pics of their outside signs but had never been inside. It is a cool place. They have their own geocache so you know they are cool, right?

Logan is looking sharp for his #prom #igersok #tulsa #oklahoma

Logan’s school had his prom there. Here is all spiffed up. I think he even liked his outfit. And that is saying something.

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Heather helped with the event. (I just have to brag on her. Isn’t she beautiful? What does she see in me? That last was just a hypothetical question that you don’t need to answer!) I just got to drop off Logan and his buddy and then go home. I was ill you see and didn’t need to be getting the youngin’s sick.

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I snuck inside anyway for a little while (yep snuck is a word here in Oklahoma. ) Talk about signs, the inside of the place is is a riot. Signs of all kinds everywhere. Many of them neon signs.

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I liked the soft drink section. I’ve had most of these except I have never heard of Delaware Punch or Dandee. Anybody out there have those?

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I was eyeing the shuffleboard table. Heather and I did a lot of our courting playing shuffleboard. It is still our game. But, I could only stay a few minutes and she was working and the event was for the kids. I thought about coughing on it and announcing a quarentine but decided not to.

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I bet not too many of the kids knew what this is. I bet you most adults who knew, don’t remember. Oh, and then I had to go home.

LJ the #cat is trying to be friends #catsofinstagram  #igersok

Where me and LJ watched a few episodes of Breaking Bad. My newest obsession. (I’m telling you for one last time to quit looking so stumped on what she sees in me!)

Signs, Signs.

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Signs, Signs – White Dog Hill

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Up high on a hill overlooking Clinton, Oklahoma right on Route 66, just off Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma sits a restaurant called White Dog on the Hill

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Heather’s family gathered in Clinton a couple weeks ago to celebrate her aunt and uncle’s 60th wedding anniversary. We had a reception at a church followed by dinner at the White Dog.

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The White Dog has been a restaurant for several years by now but before that the building was long abandoned and even further back it used to be a country way back when. My Mother in Law told of high school sorority dances at the club and her father’s standing tee time Sunday afternoon’s at 1:30. I just love history like that. I also old buildings being brought back to life.

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Especially by owners with a sense of history and a respect for local traditions.

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And you know something else they know how to cook the food was good. And even further they provide good service and really are committed to you enjoying yourself.

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We have a few years to go but maybe Heather and I can celebrate our 60th anniversary there. What do you think? 

Signs, Signs

Signs, Signs, – Tulsa’s New Librarium

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(Pic taken with my Sardina 35mm film camera. Nothing beats film, sorry, no offense)

The Tulsa City County Library just shut down their Central Library for a two year renovation at a cost near $50 million. Now, they don’t have that money in hand but they are hoping that they get it. Personally, the hope method of raising money has never worked out very well for me. But what do I know!

Tulsa's Temporary Central Library for the next two years, former Safeway Store,
(The grocery store closed in the early 90’s. I was witnessed a tug of war in the parking lot between a store employee and a customer pushing and pulling on a roast. Finally the customer gave up and jumped into a getaway care took off. Stuff like that is why they used to call the store the “UnSafeway.”)

To provide downtown users a library, they renovated an old Safeway Grocery store and loaded it full of books, computers, and lots of places to sit. They call it the Librarium.

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(I took this pic before I went in the Librarium for the very first time. That is when I found out that there is a long bar along with window with stools for work stations. Everybody was looking at me.)

I think it works very well. It is a large open, well lit, space with a great feel to it. It is a little bit of a walk to it but not bad especially since the weather is turning cooler.

#ipadlounge at #librarium #tulsa
(Don’t ask me how I know but it is impossible to disengage those dang ipads from the mounts. Take my word for it.)

It even has an “Ipod Lounge!” Reader Bill aka “The Tulsa Gentleman” tells me that Leon Russell used to work at this Safeway way back when. (I don’t hear any questions about who Leon Russsell is.)

Anyway I’ll be spending a lot of time at the Librarium for the next two years.

Signs, Signs

Signs, Signs, – Fire Danger

Fire Danger Sign - early 1960's

Anyone who drives through our National Forests will see signs similar to the above reminding us to be careful. These signs have been around a long time. This photograph was taken by my father in the early 1960’s and I scanned it from a slide that he had made. The sign was just outside Payson, Arizona on the Tonto National Forest. Dad was the Tonto District Ranger for the United States Forest Service at the time.

Signs, Signs