Monthly Archives: June 2009

Happy Father’s Day

The dashing Forest Ranger above with the cowboy hat is my Dad. The good looking kid sitting on the wall with his Smokey Bear is yours truly. This is my favorite picture of he and I together. I always thought that Dad being a Forest Ranger was pretty cool. He worked his whole career in the United States Forest Service and retired productively in Idaho years ago.

He did all sorts of cool things like fighting forest fires all over the west, going on pack trips in the mountains, stuff like that. He also could build and repair anything. Most importantly, he was and is an interested and involved Father. What else is there?

Happy Father’s Day Dad!

Camera Critters – Island Park, Idaho

On a recent trip to Idaho to see family we stayed at a lodge out in the middle of nowhere. There were critters all over the place.

Horses running back to their pasture in the evening from the corral after several trail rides. In the morning they run they other the way. I guess its their daily commute. The trail boss herds them with a four wheeler. What’s up with that?

From the same perspective, a fuzzy picture of a what I’m told is a Mountain Bluebird. The State Bird of Idaho. He spent a lot of time perched there.

We found out why that night. We heard a terrific commotion going on outside. A squirrel was looking for a new place to live and was checking out the bird’s nest and the bird was having none of it. It finally ran the squirrel off a long ways.

A fuzzy picture of hawk, looking for dinner. It spent a lot time patiently waiting on that perch. Note the moon toward the upper end of the photograph.

A well cammo’ed toad in the woods.For other pictures of critters from all over. Check out Camera Critters.

Skywatch Friday – Idaho

Last week we ventured to Idaho for a family reunion. We stayed in the Island Park area in the southeast part of the state near Yellowstone Park.

View to the east at sunset.
About the same time to the west.
For other pictures of the sky from all over the world check out Skywatch Friday.

Family Reunion Time

Late last week the Yogi family traveled up to Idaho for a family reunion. The weather was supposed to be cold and wet but it gave us a break.

We had a great time. We did a little bit of everything. Below is my cousin Merri Ann and my brother-in-law Irvin getting ready to go on a ride.
SuperPizzaBoy and cousin Shiloh horsing around.
Somebody else (not a relative) horsing around.

SuperPizzaBoy and Sweetie.

Cousin Merri Ann organized the event and of course did an excellent job. We stayed at a Lodge in Island Park area of Idaho, very close to Yellowstone Park. The lodge was wonderful. All the amenities, set in the woods but with great vistas.


Still more horsing around. My Dad, “Gramps” and SPB.

SPB and some cousins.

A great time was had by all. We decided to do it again next year, same place.

Jerry – I’d Rather Have a Playoff Win!!!

The Yogi family was in Las Colinas, Texas last weekend attending an Oklahoma oil and gas producer’s convention (don’t ask). While there SuperPizzaBoy and Sweetie indulged me by letting me look at the Mustangs and Las Colinas, a sculpture by I forgot to write down who. Of course, Sweetie and SPB were glad that there was not a geocache involved. You think you are tired about reading them. You should see how they feel about looking for them

Dallas Cowboy Fans are very familiar with this sculpture. The networks cut to it late in the game when the Cowboys are getting killed by somebody. Especially the post season.

Now, I appreciate Jerry Jones, the owner of the Cowboys building a brand spanking new one billion dollar football stadium. I’d like it better if the Cowboys could win a playoff game. Something that they haven’t done since 1996. Do you realize Jerry, that my one and only son, has never seen the Cowboys win a playoff game, ever!!! AHHHHHH!!!!

Sorry
I know this a culture blog, whatever that is.
SPB hates football anyway. He can’t figure it out. Watch the TV, drink malted beverages,
yell at the TV,
Sulk
He doesn’t understand the attraction.

Yogi, you have always been bald, now you are getting fat!
I thought you said you ran. Ummm

Oh Yogi, they don’t deserve you

Yep, they deserve so much more!!

Pretty coool sculpture,

Indications are Cowboys fans will be seeing a lot of it again this year,

Especially if the Cowboys make the playoffs,

If.

Save Our Strippers!!!!!


Yep, the State of Oklahoma is concerned about our strippers. The oil business depends on strippers. We don’t know what we would do without them. There are only 65,504 of them in Oklahoma and they are going fast.

Here is where you can go to see the facts and perhaps see how you can help preserve a key element of the energy business. Please help save a stripper.

Savannah Cats


I was at an oil and gas convention in Dallas last weekend. I don’t usually go by the booths, they are mostly software and service companies and I have a lifetimes supply of trinkets. We passed by one booth though. They have a product named “Navigator” and a “Savannah Cat” named Navigator also.

Navigator was one cool cat, he was also huge.

I found out on Wikipedia that Savannah Cats are a recent hybrid of the African Serval cat and a housecat. They are getting very popular. Maybe so, but I had never seen nor heard of them.

I guess I’ll have to check the convention booths more often. See what else I can see!

Scarecrow by Michael Connelly

Jack Fogerty is a crusty reporter for the Los Angeles Times. The opens with him getting laid off because he makes too much money. He can stay for two weeks if he agrees to train his new fresh faced right out of college, and much cheaper salaried, replacement.

After that things turn bad, real bad, involving … I don’t want to spoil it for you. But this is a book that I read clear through in day. I loved it and strongly recommend it.

Four stars out of four. Yeah!!

Dallas Geocaching

In Dallas for the Oklahoma Independent Producer’s Association meeting at Las Colinas. (Don’t ask me the Okie’s have their convention in Dallas, they just do.) Monday afternoon is the golf tournament. I went geocaching instead.

Score: 7 geocaches, 3 ticks. I win.

This is out in the middle of nowhere. I bushwhacked about a half mile to get to it.

Fake bird feeders. I liked it. I’m not sure the birds did.
Very clever, hanging geocache. Sometimes you have to look up!


After seven it was too hot. Went back to hang out with Sweetie and SuperPizzaBoy.

Sweet Dreams at Orpha’s Lounge

Downtown Tulsa is really pretty clean compared to a lot of downtowns. There are hardly any places to get in trouble. Urban renewal and the police have gotten rid of many of the dives.

There is one holdout though. Orpha’s Lounge. I walk by it regularly and one of my running routes takes me by it quite a bit. Over the years I have seen all sorts of people stumbling in and out the place.

A friend and I were walking by the other day and saw this scene. I guess one of the patrons was sleeping it off. I’ve never seen that before. Most people pick the alleys and overpasses to sleep it off. I guess this guy just couldn’t wait.