Tag Archives: Oklahoma

Skywatch Friday – Spider Island

Spider Island - Oxley Nature Center

I had a few hours to myself last week so I went to Oxley Nature Center north of Tulsa’s airport. I only found one cache but the enjoyment is mainly in the looking. I walked up to one of the lakes and too this shot. If it looks familiar it is because it is taken from near where my blog header shot is taken. I’ve probably got two dozen pics of the same scene over the years, summer, winter, fall, spring, cloudy, clear, cold, hot, with Heather and Logan, mostly without. If there is a law against repeat photographs then I’m in for a long sentence.

I’ll have plenty of company though if I’m sent off to blogger jail. The bloggers I regularly read do similar things. A pretty or attractive scene tends to stay that way. What about you, do you repeat yourself a lot? Going back to the same scene I mean.

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Harbinger of Autumn

Cottonwood Tree

Oxley Nature Center – Tulsa, Oklahoma Topaz Impressions

It is getting to be late September. Pretty soon the weather will break and Tulsa’s long wonderful Fall season will be upon us. You can already tell that things are changing. Although still hot, the sun is a little lower. The mornings are a little cooler. The sky gets a little bluer. There is something subtle about a cottonwood tree that heralds the coming of Fall. I don’t know if is a subtle change in the color of its leaves or just what, maybe my imagination, but I can tell that things are changing.

How can you tell that the seasons are changing?

Weekend Reflections – Pepsi Lake

Turkey Mountain Pond May 2015

This is Pepsi Lake on Turkey Mountain from back in May. Great year on the mountain with all the rain that we got plus it got saved from an outlet mall that was proposed and then cancelled. There was a huge surge in popularity that resulted with all sorts of new people tromping all over the place. Things have died down quite a bit with the heat of the summer and school starting so I’m back to seeing very few people during my weekly run.

Last week’s post on Turkey Mountain was taken from across the lake from this photo and a little to the right.

Where is your go to place to relax?

Linking with Weekend Reflections

Our World Tuesday – Pond

Turkey Mountain Pond

Late afternoon last Wednesday on Tulsa’s Turkey Mountain at a small pond. I just love running the trails there. Once I get more than a quarter mile from the parking lot I have the whole park to myself. One thing about the area is that there is not a whole lot of money budgeted for maintenance. We depend on volunteers to show up and do everything from clear downed limbs from trails and pick up trash. But if a tree falls over into a pond. So be it! It is part of the wildness that we love about it.

Linking with Our World Tuesday

Yogi Takez an Art Clazz

Friday night Heather and I met with our friends Jim and Leanna for dinner and drinks. Afterward we headed over to Pinot’z Palette on the Jenkz Riverwalk for an “Art and Wine” clazz.

My art needz a little polishing up. To the best of my recollection my last art clazz was in 6th grade at Harding Elementary School in Price, Utah which was not too long ago. I mean 1966 is just like yesterday, right. I think one should take a refresher course every 50 yearz to keep their Art Skillz sharp. UntitledAnywayz (I’m liking the z’s instead of s’s at the end of wordz right now. That’z allowable in Oklahoma if you are good at football. I’m not good football but I wish I waz.) This waz almost easier than paint by numberz. The instructor got up on a pedestal and basically told uz what to do every step of the way and they had already pencil sketched the owl shape we were working on that night.

It waz fun! We got to wear apronz so we didn’t have to be too neat. We mixed colorz and used three different brushez and even used the butt end of jthe brushez a little bit. They had wine available and we indulged and everybody had a great time and the resultz were good.

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So here are Heather and I (yez, I am smiling so shut up). I tried my best to make my owl not so feminine. And I wanted pluz sized eyez and a big beak. You know, not az big az mine but bigger than most.

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And here iz Jim and Leanna with their work. You can tell they both have true artistic tempermentz.

Anywayz, I think I’ll be having another session before another fifty yearz come. And I’m done with z thing at the end of wordz. I am not sure what why started but it iz irritiating the bejeeberz out  of me, and I’m sure you but once I the idea popped into my head halfway through writing thiz, I just had to do it.

Skywatch Friday – Countryside Skies

Porter Skies Adjust Restyle

Last Saturday we went drove out to country to fetch peaches. We parked across the street from the fruit stand and I just had to take a photo of the view with the blue sky and big ole fluffy clouds. Everybody in the city needs to get out in the country every now and then just to see what things look like without powerlines.

When was the last time you were out in the country?

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Weekend Update

We had a lot going on this weekend.

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Logan had his first riding lesson in a long time. He sprained his ankle back really badly back in May and had been in a boot and then on restriction since then. He was glad to get back in the saddle on a hot Saturday.

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After the riding lesson we loaded up in the car and headed off to Livesay Orchards out in the boonies about 45 minutes southeast of Tulsa. We hadn’t been there since Logan was a baby and man is it popular. We ended up in a group of nine cars headed out there and when we got there we found out there was a line to get in. The line moved fast though. I mean they are selling mainly peaches so it doesn’t take long for people to pick out what they want and move on.

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And man where their peaches, bushels, pecks, half pecks anything you wanted as long as it was peach related.

 

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After that we headed cross country to the ‘burb of Bixby to Dotson’s Produce and picked out some Amish Tomatoes. I never did figure out if that was a type of tomato or the religion of the farmer that grew them.

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Dotson’s had all sorts of other produce. We tend to go crazy in a place like that.

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We decided to counterbalance all healthful vibe of the produce with some Hawaiian Ice which is Okie for ice cream cone at a place nearby. Part of the fun is waiting in the heat. Is it against the law for those places to provide shade for their customers?

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Sunday was church, seeing the movie “Ant-Man” with one of Logan’s friends and then an historic occasion. Logan left with his friend, with his friend driving. First time that happened!

Then Heather and I had dinner and drinks with some friends and then out to pick up Logan out in the country.  IMAG0078

So we ended the weekend with a nice crescent moon.

So our weekend was great, how was yours?

Linking with Our World Tuesday

Skywatch Friday – Western Oklahoma Skies

Custer County Clouds - glow

Using Topaz Glow

Western Oklahoma is defined by its wide open spaces and big skies. It is like you can see the weather coming two days in advance. It seems flat until you actually spend time there. It is rolling with deep gullys for the creeks and rivers. The land makes you feel free and ready for anything.

Linking with Skywatch Friday

Related articles

Our World Tuesday – Crashing a Pool Party

This past weekend we ventured out to the big skies of western Oklahoma.  We had lots of fun but let me tell you about one thing that happened. And I swear that it all happened just like I say below, more or less.

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We drove a long ways down a dirt road. A red dirt road. We have lots of red dirt in Oklahoma, and it doesn’t wash off.

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And then we turned off the dirt road and made our own road. You know why….??

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To crash a pool party!!!

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Hmmm, have you ever felt not really totally welcome at a party?

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So rather than jump in, we started taking pictures. Here is Sue Carol and Glenn.

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And here is Logan, Nana, and Heather.

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Well here is….well here is trouble is what this is: Sue Carol, Heather, Nana, and Cheri Lou (aka the ring leader.)

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And here is the ring leader with her husband Joe. Everything was going along great and then…

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This happened!! Whoa, slow down guys. I know I told you guys to act like you like each other. But hey, slow down I said. Easy!

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Things happened fast after that. This one stomped off first.

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And then the rest of herd stampeded off. Who knew that cows could be such prudes.

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And here is Juliette leading off Roscoe, “…in front of a child..” Juliette was heard muttering. You know, when the donkeys shun you, it must be bad.

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But we kept on clicking. With all the rain at least they didn’t leave a cloud of dust.

And I swear this all happened just like I said, more or less.

Linking with Our World Tuesday

Hot Weather Run on the River

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Hot weather means less people running and cycling on the Trails.

While we were in Hawaii the weather here in Tulsa got hot. We are now approaching full blown summer weather. Last Wednesday I went for a run after work in the 96F heat. I know how to run in the heat. Run slow, which comes naturally to me, carry water, take lots of breaks and listen to your body is what I do.

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With the construction of a gathering place going on, running is limited on the east side so I cross over to the west side of the river. With all the rain we have had the river is up and there are lots more fishermen that what I normally see. I don’t know what they are fishing for but they are hard at it.

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I found a little cross stuck in the ground. A memorial to somebody obviously. I don’t know who and there were no names. I say a little prayer for peace to whoever put it there and move on.

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The main function of Tulsa Power Station is to bolster the rate base. I think it is the last unit on and the first one off during the summertime heat loads. It sure seems to fire up during smog alerts in the summer.

I only went about a mile and a half down the river to the PSO Tulsa Power Station and went down to the long forgotten kayak run (now visited only by geocachers I think) to where you can right down on the river.

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180 degree panorma

The river is up several feet and was pretty wild. It would be easy to drown in this water if you were not careful.

A 12 second video of the water. Loud and fast. Thank goodness and the Corps of Engineers for Keystone Dam upstream of Tulsa or things could really be interesting. Tulsa used to have bad flooding way back when before the dam was put in.

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Running back I got this subtle reflection of the river of a condo across the way. You can tell why we call northeast Oklahoma “Green Country.” Everything is greening up this year with all the rain we have had.

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The shadows are longer. Time to go home, shower, eat dinner and down a cold one ( or two.)

Have you gone any adventures yet?