Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Dia De Muertes (Day of the Dead) at Tulsa’s Living Arts

November 1st I got a kitchen pass from Heather and headed out to Living Arts in the Brady District to check out their Day of the Dead celebration. I first went two years ago and I thought it was wonderful. Dia De Muertos (Dia De Los Muertos is a back translation from English I read) is a day where people in Mexico honor and remember their relatives and close friends who have died.

Often the dead are remembered via Ofrendas (Offerings) which are altars built to honor the dead person. It may have photographs of the deceased or possessions and often contain favorite foods or beverages and if it is a child, a toy. Living Arts in their “Altared Spaces” Exhbit displayed Ofrendas made by people for their loved ones. In fact they solicit the public to put up Ofrendas.

Some were for people who had a long life and many children and grand children.

And others were for people who passed away way too young.

They were all works of art.

The Ofrenda above is for those people who died while trying to cross the border.

I love the concept of honoring lost ones with an Ofrenda.

Living Arts also had murals painted just for the event. I love them for their humorous macabre riff.

Dancing skeletons

Here is one in honor of dogs. Our dogs just don’t live long enough if you ask me.

The murals are beautiful. Even the ones with gas meters in front of them.

There was dance also. Ballet Folklorico Sol Azteca of Tulsa put on a great performance of folk dances.

The costumes were colorful

And the dancers were lively

It was beautiful and I had a front row seat for some reason.

And there was all sorts of other things going on. Food vendors, crafts, other performers. You can bet that I’ll be back next year!

In Search of the Rid(dle)diculous Geocache

I have been after a geocache named “That’s Just Rid(dle)iculous!!!” by a geocacher named M5. (Geocachers have names, I’m known as YogiABB.) Its puzzle cache which means one has to solve a puzzle to find the cache.

This puzzle involves arithmetic and some baffling wordage about the three kids and the sum of their ages, and the product of the their ages, and one’s a muggle and oh my. I don’t know what is going on.

Ithought I had it so I went out the area and bushwhacked to what i thought was ground zero and looked here and there and up there and down here and around and around. so I didn’t find it.

I didn’t find the cache but I had a pleasant hour in the woods, Plus One for ME! And found a new secret trail!! Score One More for Me.!! It is not very long but it is sweet.

So I’ll take that.

Skywatch Friday – Evening on the Arkansas River

Evenings on the Arkansas River this time of year are very peaceful. The weather is mild and pleasant and there are lots of people out strolling with the kids, bike riding, running, and skateboarding. Its the place to be.

I cheated on this and used a texture backed off about 75%.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Last Long Run Before the Race

Saturday I made my last long run before the Tulsa Run 15K coming up this next weekend. My training is not going like I thought it would.

Basically I have been running only one day a week because i have a sore back every morning. Weekday mornings is generally the balance of my training where I do my resistance traiining (essential to successful running) and my shorter runs.

My back is killing me in the morning in one particular spot about midway down my left side. And it disappears about 20 minutes after I wake up in the morning. No, the bed is not uncomfortable but the pain is not quite excruciating in the morning.

So I get up and make coffee and read the paper and check up on what is going on online.

So anyway, the Tulsa Run is 15K and I’ve only trained about 11. Things will be okay though. I know how to stretch things out. I first ran the Tulsa Run in 1994 and ran it every year through 2014. Last year I injured a knee and so I walked the 5K but I’m running the 15K again. It will be my 22nd time.

How about you? I bet you know how to stretch things when you have to.

Weekend Reflections – Sand Creek early on Sunday Morning

On my weekend geocaching/camping trip last Sunday to Oklahoma’s beautiful Osage Hills State Park, I got up early Sunday morning, struck camp and went down to Sand Creek and took a few pics. Fall is not very advanced here but that didn’t matter. The light Sunday morning was magical so I walked and hopped the rocks along the rapids of the creek taking pictures. With this one I was going to crop the the shadow selfie out but what the heck. I’ll leave it in.

I’m linking with Weekend Reflections

Skywatch Friday – Lookout Lake

Lookout Lake at Osage Hills State Park. The weather was windy and very warm but we still had big fluffy clouds and blue sky.

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Fall Color in the Osage Hills

We still don’t have too much Fall Color here in Oklahoma except for certain pockets like I found this past weekend. True confessions I applied a texture to cheat a little bit. I hope that you don’t mind.

Twenty Four Hours in Osage County

Those of you who know me, know that I’m a Geocacher. The Tulsa Area Geocachers have an annual event in the Fall that they have at various State Parks in Oklahoma and this year they went to one of my favorite spots in Oklahoma, Osage Hills State Park up in Osage County. It is a beautiful wooded, hilly location with lots of camping spots and a friendly accommodating staff.

Heather and Logan stayed home. They hate geocaching. Hate might be too mild a word for their feelings about it. So I went by myself.

So it was fun finding the various temporary caches placed by the participants. Some of the people are diabolically clever.

Osage Hills is known for having the remnants of a Civilian Conservation Commission camp built back in the 1930’s to house young men who helped build the facilities still used at the park.

Here is a link to an interesting short blog post about the history of the CCC at Osage Hills. I learned that the camp was active from 1935 to 1941. Its amazing that so much remains 75 years after the camp ceased operation.

Mainly I wandered the trails. I didn’t encounter many other geocachers as I started with the furthest removed caches and worked back and was more interested in taking pictures anyway.

I found the camp dynamite hut. It looks solid enough still, except for the roof.

I loved Lookout Lake. No geocachers here, just fishermen.

Found me a little critter. He told me he wasn’t a geocache.

The next day I got up early and went out to Sand Creek to take some photos. One of the prettist places in the state as far as I am concerned.

And then I drove out to the nearby Nature Conservancy’s Tallgrass Prairie Preserve. I always love the wide open spaces with rolling hills and the bison.

I’ve never been able to photograph the feeling of exapanse of this place. It is almost 40,000 acres.

It is huge and goes on forever.

And then I drove down to Woolaroc, Frank Phillips’ (of Phillips Petroleum) country place. Woolaroc is an acronym for “Woods, Lakes,and Rocks”. He has a first class western art museum, a buffalo herd, and all sorts of other stuff that an oil gazillionaire needs.

And a barn for the the critters. I love the barn.

And the landscaping (rockscaping).

And the Native American design motif. I know its cultural misappropriation but I still like it.

And then I went home. But I had a great time.

Oklahoma Sugar Art Show and Grand National Wedding Cake Competition 2016

One event I try to never miss is the Oklahoma Sugar Art Show at the Tulsa State Fair. it is only two days so if you snooze you lose. This year I couldn’t go Saturday so like a pagan heathen I went Sunday. Lots less pushing and shoving if you you Sunday I found out but there is still a lot of people.

The theme this year was “Mad for Metallics” so there was a metallic theme to the entries. My favorite cake was this Steam Punk themed cake. All sorts of gears and pipes and such.

Here is a detail. Marvelous is what I say.

I loved this gardening themed piece with the butterfly.

And this Winnie the Pooh themed item with the Pooh and the bee hive.

And this was absolutely gorgeous.

And these gears,

And these happy flowers. I wonder if they are a bit creepy though.

And there were a couple of Day of the Dead pieces also. That day is fast becoming my favorite holiday. Now I am sounding creepy.

And a mask, I love masks. There used to be lots of mask entries but they are so fragile.

And a classic beautiful piece.

I love the lattice work. How do they do that?

And a Victorian themed cake.

Our World – Tulsa’s Renovated Central Library Opens

On Saturday the Tulsa Central Library reopened after a three year renovation. They had speeches and presentations and all that. I missed them, but you and I know what they said probably.

I was happy with what they did. They opened the structure up, added lighting, and all sorts of whiz bank technology. They still have lots of books but the emphasis is more on computers and education now. The days of patrons wandering through the stacks looking for books is over. Most of the books I get from the library are digital downloads to my Kindle or Ipad. If I need a physical book I order it and they deliver to the library of my choice. Plus libraries are storing more of their books offsite in non-public buildings. Lots cheaper than using expensive downtown real estate.

They knocked out the center parts of the second and third floors to give the building a more airy open feel. It works.

Plus they have all sorts of new furniture to facilitate what patrons do these days. The old library had tables with chairs and rows of chairs. Many people bring their laptops and so now they can sit in semi privacy with a laptop table and plugs and a place to stow their backpack.

Or they have these cool chairs. I don’t like semi-privacy cuz I like people watching and listening in their conversations. You better watch what you say when you are around me because I have big ears. I like that the furniture has a midcentury modern “feel” to it in tune with the building it is in.

One of the coolest things are these study spaces that they have extended off the second floor onto the balcony. They are climate controlled and have windows on all four sides, three of them to the outside. They are of various sizes and configurations. I think they are wonderful.

And here is a view of one such study space looking to another. I think these are fabulous.

And speaking of the balcony they have opened it up again and there are more seating out there. What a way to spend a lunchtime in nice weather.

They have computers for the regular clientele plus they have computer education rooms of different types. They have literacy education spaces. It is all pretty exciting.

As for the books they have new undershelf lighting. I don’t know about you but sometimes the lighting is dark in libraries the few times that I have tried to find a book rather than order it.

I got all excited, a card catalog!! Alas, it appears to be a catalog of obituaries from way back when. Remember the good old days of searching through card catalogs and making notes with little stubby pencils on little pieces of paper and then going off to find the book. Yeah, I remember those days and they sucked. Give me a digital search any time!!

See that glass and granite building over there? That is where I work, one block away. I’ll be resuming weekly visits to the library to sit and read, people watch, and listen in on your conversations.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday

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