Monthly Archives: November 2011

Philbrook Museum Festival of the Trees

Tuesday I met Sweetie and world’s best MIL, Nana at the Philbrook Museum here in Tulsa to check out their Festival of Trees. Also it is Nana’s birthday! This is from last year, darn me I don’t have a picture of them together since then. Take it from me, they both get better looking ever year.

The Festival of the Trees is all about Christmas. So of course they had a Santa.

And all sorts of trees made by local individuals, classes, and other groups. You can buy these works of art.

If I had a cabin in the woods, I would want this tree for that. It needs a little color though. I’m thinking some red strands of some sorts.

This was my favorite tree. I loved it.

Nana liked this one. Of course she is decorating for a tropical Christmas this year.

This is what she has in her living room. You should see what her tree is.

I liked this frame full of balls.

This I found plain disturbing. I’m going to have nightmares.

I think this is the Blair Witch Project tree. That is also very disturbing.

I don’t find this disturbing at all.

They had gingerbread houses also. I loved this little red school house. I reserve the right to repost for Ruby Tuesday, anybody mind?

This was the most joyous house. I love how they glued the kids faces to each of the cookies. Or maybe, maybe that might be a little disturbing also. What do you think?

A “Cars” themed post. Love it, love it, love it. Second best movie ever made.

And for you Christmas lovers from the People’s Republic of Kansas. A special “OZ” gingerbread house. I love the ruby slippers underneath the house.

And Hogwarts, I love Harry Potter. Those movies are all tied for about 6th on the alltime best movie list.

And this was my favorite gingerbread house of all. I like how it is at an angle and whopperjawed and all that. Whopperjawed is an Oklahoma technical term. I have a lot of readers from Canada and Great Britain who need some translation sometimes.

Anyway, we looked around and then I had to leave. Helping America solve her energy problems and all that you know.

Our World – Muskogee, Oklahoma

My Dad came for a short visit from Idaho for Thanksgiving. He likes historical type stuff and I wanted to show him something new so we headed down the turnpike to Muskogee.

First we went to the Five Civilized Tribes Museum. It is not that big but it is powerful. It has displays on the five tribes that were forcibly resettled from the southeast USA to Oklahoma. No photos are allowed but they have a dynamite display on Native American Medal of Honor awardees from the Five Civilized Tribes. Upstairs they had an art show going on. Check it out when you are in town. Very inexpensive admission charge.

The building it is housed in is the original Agency Headquarters from the 19th century. Very handsome in it own right. Gotta remember to stay off the grass if you go!

Next we went down to the Port of Muskogee to check out the USS Batfish. The Batfish was a submarine that sunk fourteen enemy ships during World War II. Unfortunately the museum was closed but we could look at the vessel through the fence.

There were some other things to look at also. Some anti-aircraft guns.

And this. It looks like it could ruin somebody’s whole day downrange.

And a little bit of humor.

It was an overcast day with no color. So how about a photo of my Soul.

Then we toured the port a little bit. I’m in the natural gas business. We are always looking for pipe. Our engineers can’t ever find any. We found some. Come and get it guys.

We found this cool machine. Dad and I love looking at this kind of stuff. Sweetie and SPB can’t stand it.

So, we had a pretty good road trip.

Our World Tuesday

Hugo – the Movie

Watched Hugo the movie on Sunday. The family loved it. Entertaining enough for kids, meaty enough for the parents. I loved it. I recommend you go see it. We saw the 3D version. Here is our latest family portrait.

Have you seen a good movie lately?

Today’s Flowers – Poinsettia

Sweetie wanted to get some poinsettias for some friends and family members so we headed out to A New Leaf in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. It is a not for profit organization that provides, among other things, job training services for individuals with disabilities, and they had Poinsettias in all sorts of colors and patterns.

There is no such thing as popping in and out of a greenhouse for Sweetie. She is the gardener’s gardener.

I think she wanted one of each. We finally picked a few out. Is there anything better than flowers for Christmas? (Or any other occasion?)

Today’s Flowers

Did you know, according to TLC

Poinsettia’a are not toxic.

They are originally from Mexico.

They were introduced to the United States by Dr. Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first US ambassador to Mexico.

Black Friday Geocaching

SuperPizzaBoy and I decided to celebrate Black Friday by Geocaching.

The first one we tried was “Mental.” My GPSr said it was in the middle of this road. The description of the cache said to grasp with both hands. We couldn’t find it. If you spot it, let me know.

The second was not too far away by one of the best geocache hiders in Tulsa. I’m not going to say who he is or where we were because I don’t want to give it away.

When I’m frustrated finding a cache I always wonder if eating the berries would give make it easier for me. I’ve never tried it.

I looked everywhere. SPB took this picture of me up in a tree. It was quite a ways up there, fifteen or twenty inches maybe. Sometimes I think maybe the young earth creationists are right. I mean if I had any relation at all to a primate I would have at least one climbing gene. Don’t you think? I can sure put a death grip on a branch though.

SPB found the next cache nearby.

The fake snake is a nice touch. I’ll have to try that sometime. Back in the day, that was a favorite office prank to play on somebody. Put a rubber snake in somebody’s desk. Nowdays you’d get in trouble for doing that. Of course, HR departments now don’t have any people so you have to log into their web site to see what your self service punishment is.

The last place we went to was pretty popular. There was a group on the right of the tree and the guy on the right. It was getting cold so SPB and I decided to go home and try it again some other day.

What did you do on Black Friday?

Great Day

Well we had Thanksgiving over at my Mother-in-Law’s house.

There was a whole houseful people. And a little bit of food. It wasn’t exactly like feeding the multitudes with a few fish and loaves.

We had lots to eat and lots to talk about. And of course everybody was happy that the Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins… well at least I was happy:)

Below is Sue Carol. She is Sweetie’s aunt and a retired school teacher.

My favorite were these pots. It’s kind of a double self portrait.

What was in them was good also.

Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving. How was your day?

Thanksgiving

Whoever you are with,

and Whatever you are eating,

Have a great Thanksgiving,

from our family to you and your family

Curiosity and Mars

I just found out this morning that NASA is about to launch a new Mars rover vehicle named Curiousity.

Curiosity weighs over a ton and is loaded with all sorts of scientific instruments. It is so big that they are going to lower it on the surface via a crane from a hovering craft above the surface. How NASA can do that from a gazillion miles away is beyond me!

Once there it will roll around on it’s six wheels, collect samples and engage aliens.

One thing I’ve never understood is how such a fragile machine that has to be assembled in a clean room can survive a thundering ride aboard a Saturn V rocket.

Used to be everybody was excited about space exploration, especially kids. We all wanted to be astronauts or scientists. Now most of the kids I talk with want to be video game designers.

Check out the NASA Curiosity site, lots of good stuff there for grownups, kids, and teachers.

Oklahoma Autism Conference

Sweetie and I attended the Oklahoma Statewide Autism Conference last weekend in Norman, Oklahoma.

The conference was about the nuts and bolts of autism and its treatment. Not about what causes autism or what is going to cure it. It was about basic information on therapies and interventions. Plus how to deal with the ongoing war that parents have with public schools trying to get the education and help that their children have a right to.

(I got a bad case of “conferencitis” and had to get outside and get myself centered. The conference was held out in the middle of nowhere. Nothing like good honest grass, trees, and skies to get my head back on straight.)

I attended three dynamite presentations. Dan Coulter gave the keynote address. He He got diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome in 2009 at age 59. He gave us Aspie parents hope about our kids future as he discussed his career as a public relations executive with AT&T and later Lucent Technologies and the business that he started and runs.

(I saw lots of places to place an “Autism Conference Geocache” next year. To help other folks with conferencitis who have to get outside and get some fresh air.)

Registered dietitian Elizabeth Strickland gave a great talk about nutrition and gut problems in kids with autism and what can be done about it.

(A general aviation airport nearby. I love the control tower, I love what I call “Okie mid century modern red brick” architecture. I hope the mid century modern Nazi’s stay off my butt. Then can’t even agree among themselves what mid-century modern but they jump all over my butt. whenever I venture a comment on the subject.)

Dianne Twachtman-Cullen, PhD, editor in chief of Autism Quarterly presented on the importance of Executive Function supports in the school setting. It was very eye opening.

There were many other presentations. It was nice to get away and learn new things. There were other Autism parents from Tulsa that we hung out with.

Check out my first link above. It will take you to links where you can download the presentations and notes.