Tag Archives: Tulsa

Checking out the Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium

Son, Logan and brother Bob in front a Spartan 7-W -Executive

It was Thanksgiving weekend and brother Bob came to visit from Corpus Christi. We usually go hiking or running together outside but it rained and rained and then rained some more this weekend. Plus I have dragged him to the Gilcrease and Philbrook museums several times so, time to hit the Tulsa Air & Space Museum & Planetarium.

Logan in front of the Spartan 7-W Executive

The place is packed full of airplanes of various types and there are all sorts of helpful but not intrusive volunteers to answer questions or just chat.

Spartan NP-1

Tulsa has quite an aviation history. American Airlines has a major maintenance base here. According to the Oklahoma Historical Society, Air Force Plant 3, also known as the Tulsa Bomber Plant manufactured during World War II: A-24 Dauntless Dive Bombers, B-24 Liberator Strategic Bombers, and A-26 Invader Medium Bombers. Peak employment during the war was over twenty three thousand people. During the Cold War up until 1957, the plant built B-47 Stratojet Strategic Bombers and B-66 Medium Bombers.

Spartan C-2-60

Tulsa is also home to Spartan Aviation. An 87 year old company started by oilman W.G. Skelly in 1928 and then later by another Tulsa oilman, J. Paul Getty. Spartan was a manufacturing company in its early years and later a pilot, technician, and mechanic training organization. According to Spartan’s web site, Getty sought an officer’s commission when the war started but was told what he needed to do was hand over his oil company concerns to others and to concentrate his talent on Spartan because the military was depending on Spartan to train military pilots. They are still in business today and have trained over 87,000 pilots. They advertise that they can get you “airline ready” in 33 months. If interested check their website. Financing available, tell them Yogi sent you.

Aeromet AURA (“Autonomous Unmanned Reconnaissance Aircraft”) One of the first Military drones built in 1986 for the US Air Force by Tulsa Company Aeromet. This aircraft is considered to be forerunner of the drones now in use.

I don’t think any airplanes are being manufactured in Tulsa any longer but American Airlines and its associated contractors are still a major contributor to Tulsa’s economy. Any big bond issues generally have some millions of dollars of goodies in there for American to keep from moving their jobs somewhere else.

Oh yeah the museum has fun stuff like a model airplane flight simulator also as Logan found out.

Brother Bob tried it out also.

We bought tickets for the Planetairium. They have a bunch of different programs offered frequently during the day. The one we watched was “Earth, Moon, and Sun” and they also had a short program on the status of the former planet Pluto and another program on Light Pollution.

Anyway we had a good time. Go check it out if you are in the area! Their web site is loaded with good information.

I’m linking with Our World Tuesday

Our World – My Favorite Street

Most mornings after I go to the gym I head up to the Panera on Cherry Street for a bagel, coffee, and the morning newspaper. Afterwards I drive past this street on my way to work. Friday I looped back around to take a pic. It was pretty bright with the morning sun on the autumn leaves. Me, being me, couldn’t leave well enough alone so I ran the photo through Topaz Impressions backed off about 60%. The photo quite a bit off level and after correcting it, I I undid the correction. I love all those tall trees right on the street.

So that was Friday, Saturday was cold and windy and I bet many of those leaves are down on the street now.

Linking with Our World

Geometry on a Rainy Day

Last week I was coming out the Subway on Denver Avenue when this bicyclist came riding by and I snapped the pic. Later on I realized how much I liked the geometry of the pic the stripes in the road, the curbs the cars lined up, the lines of the parking garage across the way with the rectangular openings. The trees even have geometry. The bottoms of the canopies are lined up and the tops of the canopies form a big wedge and the white Oxy Building with its lattice design. Against this we have the bicyclist with his green helmet, the bright red car, and if you look carefully, the gas lights across the road.

Have you ever liked a photograph but then had to figure out why?

Courthouse Shadows

Friday mid-afternoon I took a break from work by walking down past the courthouse. We are having a slow transition from Fall to Winter here in Tulsa and as part of that the sun keeps getting lower and lower which makes for more interesting shadows like these as I went walking by the Tulsa County Courthouse. I love those big trees but I know that theoretically they shouldn’t even by alive so at some point they are going to be cut down and replaced with something smaller. Until then, I’ll enjoy them.

I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2 today.

Shadow Shot Sunday – The Gardens of Philbrook

I spent part of my day off Friday roaming around the Philbrook Museum of Art Gardens there are lots of shadows there. One of my favorite trees is above. It has a very long branch that snakes horizontally and then splits. It makes for a great shadow.

There is a bridge across a creek that makes a great shadow also.

American Hippo by John Kearney

There is this car bumper sculpture of a hippo. For this I used the “In Camera HDR” function on my Nikon. I had an “aha moment” while working in the gardens on how it is supposed to work. This sculpture was kind of lost in the shadows and the HDR was able to pull it out so we can see it.

“Negative Tree” by Menashe Kadishman

This is one of my favorite sculptures in the Philbrook Gardens but it is a bear to photograph on the shady side which is what I wanted to do because I wanted to put a real tree inside the negative space. The HDR function has maybe five settings so what the heck, lets max it out and I did. Maybe next time I’ll back it off a little bit. Maybe not though. Moderation in all things is itself excessive is what I say. Plus I can honestly say that this is SOOC. I am not sure that means much in this day of super capable cameras.

Linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

My other Philbrook Posts over the years

Veteran’s Day

Today is a day we hold special for honoring our Veterans. I’ll be attending Tulsa’s annual parade. If you live and can make your downtown I highly recommend it.

One of my favorite things about the parade are veteran’s who just show up wearing an old jacket that doesn’t fit them any longer and they just join in. Nobody minds. The other thing is all the Junior ROTC cadets that will be there from area schools.

Thank you Veterans.

Wordless Wednesday – The Anarchists of Anonymous

Guy Fawkes Day – Tulsa Oklahoma

Anonymous – “a loosely associated international network of activist and hacktivist entities. A website nominally associated with the group describes it as “an internet gathering” with “a very loose and decentralized command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives”.^[2] The group became known for a series of well-publicized publicity stunts anddistributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on government, religious, and corporate websites.” (quoted from Wikipedia)

Update: Anonymous has declared War on ISIS after the Paris attacks

Tulsa Run 5K – 2015

My Big run every year that I look forward to is the Tulsa Run 15K. I have run it every year since 1994 when it was the first race I ever entered. This year I did the 5K version because I am still in rehab on my knee from a fall that I had in early September. I felt bad about it for about five seconds then my motto kicked in. The motto is “If you can’t do what you want, then do what you can.” So I can walk a 5K, better than sitting on your butt is what I say. Sitting is the new smoking is my new motto.

The downside is that the 5K race starts over an hour before the 15K so I had a little bit less time to get ready. You see my office building is right by the start so historically I am able to get to the office. Make some coffee, check my email and update facebook, do some blogging, and then 10 minutes before the race head downstairs.

Since my leg was sore I had no intention of run/walking. So I made a video of the walk up to the start line. Generally in the 15K it takes about five minutes to get to the start. Psychologically passing people from start to finish. So I started at the back in this race and stayed pretty much in the back. The music community has historically supported the Tulsa Run and I love hearing them. We generally have bagpipers, rockers, rappers, and sometimes cheerleaders. I guess the Christian bands sleep in late because I hear lots of taped Praise and Worship music but not that many performers.These guys have been here the past several years playing Hispanic music. They are pretty darn good. So we go on down Boulder avenue south from downtown and hang a left and go East down Cherry street and then… Wow, look at all the people way ahead of me! And look at all the people coming back already and I have not even got halfway. Such are the joys of walking.

So I finally get down the hill, and then up the hill and turn around and head back down the hill again. Hey time for a Guiness maybe? No, they were closed.

Make the turn at the Fertility Clinic on Boston and another rock group.

Headed up the hill and hey, who are these cheaters coming on the side. I think they are the fun runners. Lots of kids hauling butt is what they were. Nice to seeing kids running is what I say.

And then here comes the back of the packers in the 5k headed towards to art deco canyon of Boston Avenue.

So I got a nice technical long sleeve shirt, a bottle of water, and little medal and a care package containing cheese spread, chips, animal crackers, a tiny twix bar, and a hand wipe. Uhhhh, thanks, where’s the beer, guys? Where are the snickers bar? Oh well, times change and so does this race. Hey, I don’t care, I love this race. I’ll be back.

22nd Tulsa Run in the books. I’m looking forward to running the 15K next year.

Thanks to the race sponsors, the race director and his helper, and the army of volunteers that it takes to put something like this on.

Lots Going on Here Lately

There has been lots going on these days. I have not been a very good blogging friend I am sorry to say.

Heather, Logan, and Nana after the play.

Let me see, first up this week, Logan was in a play at school. He plays Baloo the bear in the play “Just so Mr. Kipling” a drama based on Kipling’s characters in The Jungle Book.

It is a a great role for Logan with his deep booming voice. He makes a great bear. The kids all did great. For a one act play it has pretty large cast and you can tell the kids and the director really worked hard on it. They competed in a regional competition a couple weeks ago and won first place. So next week the State Championship so we are all loading up and heading down to Mustang, Oklahoma where the competition is being held.

And then Wednesday night was Corporate Night at Tulsa’s Oktoberfest. We took some customers to the event to drink beer, do the chicken dance, and wear funny hats. I didn’t take too many pics. Not good when you are with customers. I did get a pic of our VP of Operations holding two full beer steins. I am not sharing the pic with you guys though. At least not yet. Maybe after I retire, or he retires, or something like that.

The beer was great. This is Lagunitas IPA. Yum, yum, is what I say.

And then Thursday night the choir’s at Logan’s school gave a concert. Everybody from the first graders on up. Again they did a great job. Again, all I got is fuzzy pics from my cell phone. Sorry.

Saturday, Logan and I are heading out to the Wizard World at Tulsa’s Comicon. Fun, fun,fun exploration of the weirder side of our popular culture.. This pic is from last year’s event.

So that is what we have been doing. Kind of bouncing between Culture, Debauchery, Divine Music, and then Popular Culture. I’m really messing the kid up.

What have you been up to?

Our World – Tulsa Botanic Gardens

Saturday afternoon Heather, Logan, and I headed out north of Tulsa to the Tulsa Botanic Gardens. They were celebrating the opening of their brand spanking new Tandy Floral Terraces built on a hillside overlooking a small lake. They are beautiful especially with the large water features.

The plantings are new and need to fill out and they will fairly quickly but the terraces are a great place to visit. They have a wide asphalt pathway that covers the entire facility that appears to be accessible to powered wheelchairs.

We are very fortunate to have something like this in Tulsa.

And there is more to come. Work continues on the Children’s Gardens and they are scheduled to open in 2016.

As a bonus, the Tulsa Glass Blowing School was displaying and selling glass pumpkins and other decorative objects. They started out with over seven hundred pieces and by the time we showed up they were half gone. The pieces were gorgeous putting them out in the sun was about all the merchandising that needed to be done.

We found a couple we liked for ourselves and a gift.

They also had a multitude of scarecrows made by everyone from Girl Scout troops to Restaurants. These were some of the favorites.

Walter was my favorite. His bones were made out of musical instruments.

All in all a great day. It was nice checking up on the Botanic Gardens. It has been too long.

Linking with Our World Tuesday

YogisDen.us

Welcome to my world