The Gathering Place is Tulsa’s relatively new riverside park. Like lots of other such facilities during this pandemic it has been shut down. They partially opened in late May and I went in one morning to check it out. The paths through the park and the bicycle and scooter pump tracks are open but all the buildings and play areas are still for closed for the present.
There were hardly any people there. I saw a total of maybe seven or eight people in the brief time I was there, plus a few staff members.
I had somewhere to go or I might have spent some time in one of these rocking chairs. That’s what us old retired guys do, right?
The vegetation in and around the park is kind of all natural. There are some large grassy lawns but the rest is wildflowers and other ground cover designed for low maintenance and less watering. I have a friend who lived close to the park and her yard became overrun with rats and mice, and snakes who eat them. The park was saying don’t worry, it’s all good. My friend moved and I think the park is trying to be more neighborhood friendly. It doesn’t seem quite so “jungley” any longer.
I have lots of photos of the play structures so this time I spent some time photographing the wildflowers and plants. Didn’t see any rats or snakes I am glad to report. I Id’d the plants by taking photos of the screen with my inaturalist app. If I am wrong let me know!!
I’ve been following the Covid-19 status pretty closely here in Oklahoma. New cases plunged for a while but seem to be inching back up. Deaths and hospitalizations seem to be in a holding pattern for now. June 1 marks further opening in the state and I hope that new cases don’t spike up.
Everybody stay safe and be considerate of others.
I am linking with Our World Tuesday, come join us!!
Haha … you’re not ready for a rocking chair by a long shot! Yes, we can only hope and do our bit so there isn’t a spike in cases as the world gets weary and eager to open up.
Our parks are slowing opening. None of them have those cool rocking chairs though!
am enjoying your photos. thanks for posting.
So you are officially a retired guy now? Cool, I knew you were planning it. (Maybe we should add sitting in a rocker to our retirement bucket list. Over 20 years retired and I don’t think we’ve ever done that )) …and I’m running a bit low on items I actually have a chance of accomplishing . Parks are the same here, open for use but not the buildings (including bathrooms). I’ve gotta get that plant ID app.
Hello,
I think we are seeing some new cases with the re-openings. What a nice park, the flowers are beautiful.
Take care and stay safe! Have a happy day and great week ahead.
I’ve been watching the numbers in Washington, Arizona and BC closely. Our RV is stuck in Arizona but it doesn’t look safe enough to fly down yet. We’ve been stuck in Washington State since our return from Arizona in late February. We have a condo here so it isn’t bad. We actually decided it was the safest place with good medical services to wait out the worst of the pandemic. BC is home and I miss it. We we walking in parks back in March and early April. The last time we went after the weather got better it was too crowded for our liking, so we walk about a mile a day in our own neighbourhood. – Margy
Oh, yes. What a great way to rock and read, Nice place to visit.
The Gathering Place park/playground looks like a wonderful new attraction–so sad that it had a short life before needing to close down and I hope by next spring it will be able to reopen for all to enjoy.
Many here in Colorado–mostly the younger people–are angry that everything is not back to normal. I guess they feel immune from the virus. The recent protests are probably going to make our numbers rise again. We are still being very careful as we feel vulnerable.
Hope you are enjoying retirement as much as possible during these unusual times!
I can’t wait to visit that park some day when I come to visit you all and Bob and I will definitely enjoy one of those rocking chairs.
Here in Colorado everyone is acting like things are back to normal. I don’t know what the future will bring.
I really appreciate that you highlight the beauty in Tulsa. Keep ’em coming.
I wonder how long it will take you to feel retired or whether you will find things to do in boredom? I don’t quite know how I would handle it
We’re all living under the same turbulent skies. Sigh.