Tag Archives: Lafortune Park

Saturday’s Critters – Geese and More

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I took a bike ride along the Arkansas River and found these geese swimming in a backwater of the river.

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I took a walk at Tulsa’s Lafortune Park and found these two geese grazing.

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And on the other side of the park I saw these geese resting.

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And this mallard duck paddling around.

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A dove sitting on a fence at the park. Dove are the ideal critter models. They generally stay put if you don’t get too close.

And a moose sculpture near a pond.

And not too far away, this sculpture of a mother bison with a red dog (bison calf) stay on her heels.

I’m linking with Eileen’s Saturday’s Critters.

A Shadowy Walk Around the Park

We caught a dry sunny spell a while back so I took the opportunity to walk around Lafortune Park here in Tulsa. The walking path is three miles long and encircles two golf courses, a tennis club, a public library and several little league baseball fields. Three miles is my sweet spot and I bet I have done hundreds of laps in the over thirty years we have lived here.

I love the netlike shadows that chain link fences make.

Trees always have great shadows

I don’t remember pursing my lips like this I didn’t notice it until afterwards. So this is my shadowy face, with a strange expression. Don’t worry, I’m not going to kiss you.

I’m linking with Lisa’s Shadow Shot Sunday. Come check it out.

Exploring “The Herd” at Lafortune Park

I had some time so I went to check out the “The Herd” at Tulsa’s Lafortune Park. The county parks department commissioned an installation of a herd of bison at Lafortune Park. They had been there forever but wrapped up in plastic so I noticed that the plastic had been taken off so I went to check it out.

Here’s the little red dog or calf.

Here’s the dad. A huge old bull.

And the mom. As with all species the hardest working family member of all. I didn’t get very good photos. Taking photos of bronzes in full sun is some thing I need to work on.

So I sneaked off from the Herd and around the side of the little league ball parks.

And found a geocache. This is unique because it was actually 3D printed from a computer app. That takes geocaching up a notch from the recycled Bismati Rice plastic jars that I like to use.

And then I went by this pond on my wat back to the car. I can’t go by a fountain or pond without taking a photo. This one has a bit of a rainbow on the left side.

I’m linking with My Corner of the World.

Check out Geocaching.com if you are curious about what that is about.

Skywatch Friday – A Presidents Day Walk in the Park

Went for a walk on Presidents Day around Tulsa’s Lafortune Park. It is a little over 3 miles around so it is perfect for a walk or a run or whatever you want to do. The trail winds around two golf courses, a tennis center, a library, a playground, and some little league baseball fields so there is a lot going on.

It has several ponds which make for great reflections when the sky is decent.

The trees near water make for great reflections.

Trees in the winter can be spectacular.

Ditto

The library has a hip modern design, but it was closed. You can get their wifi in the parking lot though. They started that during covid. That was handy.

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And a Bonus!!

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I got a new cell phone that I am still “messing with.” I took this shot the other day in my front yard. A crescent moon, with Jupiter nearby, and Venus underneath. The moon is kind of fuzzy but I am still okay with it.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – August Happenings

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The heat is down just a slight bit nowadays so I took a walk around Lafortune Park. I’ve taken around a thousand pictures of the pond with the trees in the background. The water was clear and still and there were some clouds and some decent reflections.

I’ve been launching the drone again from the backyard. This is looking west.

And on another day looking north.

The software on my drone is a bit of a nag and very bossy. Like when our previous president flew into town for his rally the drone wouldn’t even get off the ground. Good thing to as the guy had Air Force One make a slow and low pass over south Tulsa before landing at the airport. I bring it because one recent evening it was pretty dark out but still some color in the sky and the drone wasn’t really in the mood. Said it was too dark so I had to affirm that I was flying at my own risk before it let me send it up. I liked the result.

And on another day it fussed at me again but I still sent it up and got another decent shot.

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And this is not my photo. It is a jigsaw puzzle that I put together on my ipad. It took me weeks to complete. About drove me crazy. What I love though is that there is a tipping point in a puzzle where you have enough pieces down that the remaining pieces go very quickly. My next puzzle is going to be of the Mouton Barn at Grand Teton National Park.

Anyway that’s it for this week! I’m linking with Skywatch Friday – come join the fun!

Saturday’s Critters, Springtime

It’s the love season for dove. Here’s a couple doing some mixed bathing, almost concealed because the blend in so well with the fence.

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Mr. Squirrel gets kind of thirsty also.

And we have another cat roaming the back yard at night.

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We have lots of sparrows stopping by.

I love the cardinals.

I was walking at Lafortune Park the other day and saw this goose checking everybody out. As I approached it he started acting restless so I backed off so he could chill down.

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Grackles everywhere. I run them off whenever I can.

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And a brief kerfuffle between a sparrow and a cardinal.

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And I completed another jigsaw puzzle on my ipad. I am really slowwwww on these. But they are fun.

I am linking with Saturday’s Critters hosted by Eileen.

Lafortune Park Skies

We’ve had some dreary weather here recently, cold and rainy. Which I really don’t mind except I like a little blue sky for my skywatch posts.

We lucked out this morning. A front blew through and we got some great blue skies with big ole fluffy clouds. So I took a few shots at Tulsa’s Lafortune Park during my short walk there.

I like this one because of the two weeping will trees across the pond from each other.

So far, not much fall color quite yet except in spots.

A closeup!

I hope everybody is having a great start to November. Come join the party at Skywatch Friday.

October Shadows

I went walking around Tulsa’s Lafortune Park. Saw this tree, half in the sun, half shaded. I loved it. I did an edit with the iphone app ArtCard.

And then later on my walk encountered this big ole thing the parking lot. It looks very official.

And this is from my back yard yesterday morning. It looks warm and sunny and it was 44F. Not warm in my book.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2 by the Magical Mystery Teacher. Check it out!!

Weekend Shadows – Hot on the Trails

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It’s hot here in Oklahoma. I am still running and hiking but I live for the shady routes like above on Turkey Mountain. It’s all shade there but you have to watch out for ticks, chiggers, and snakes. Deet works wonderfully for the bugs, snakes, just keep an eye out if you can. My biggest problem is tripping on the rocks and roots.

My other route is Lafortune Park. No bugs, snakes, rocks, or roots there but a lot less shade except in certain areas.

It borders a golf course which makes it kind of scenic.

This is my favorite post workout drink (after I down about a liter of water.)

My advice for running or hiking in the heat is to take it easy and take lots of water.

I’m linking with ShadowShot Sunday 2. Come check it out.