It has been a wild week here in Oklahoma, a bunch
Tulsa’s Woodward Park
We have had some really cold weather in Tulsa the last week or so. I hadn’t felt like going out and freezing with my camera so I have been using my archives. That is wonderful in a way. I have 78,000 plus photographs so I got lots of images to draw from but you know I like taking new pictures!! So one day late last week I went to Tulsa’s Woodward Park.
This is the south side of the Tulsa Garden Center which used to be known as the Snedden Mansion. It’s a pretty cool place and is also an event center for weddings and such. My wife Heather used to work there in different capacities, so I got to work there too every once in a while for special events.
This is “Appeal to the Great Spirit” by Cyrus Dallin. This version was cast in 1985. The original was cast in 1908 and is at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. A miniature plaster version stood at Tulsa’s Central High School from 1923 until 1976 when the school closed.
I don’t know the name or history of this statue but it is a long term favorite of mine. Have to tell you though I got cold just looking at it.
This is one of favorite sculptures ever, “Poems and Promises” by Rosalind Cook. It is very peaceful looking to me. Doing my research I read where Ms. Cook says she gave it a spiraling movement by the placement of the legs, shoulders, and arms. Now that I read it, I can see what she is talking about. Artists just amaze me.
This is the Woodard Park Conservatory. It is open to the public most of the time and is very interesting with all the plants in there. It is also nice to go into on a cool day as it is generally very warm and humid.
On other matters, it has got even colder and snowier since my outing to Woodward Park. Minus two this morning.
Abby and I are sharing this throw. She’s kind of a hog though.
Our plump kitten Lizzie is whiling away the hours snoozing.
Here she is on her 180 degree abdominal twist. Front feet and head pointing one way, back feet pointing backward.
We’ve had all sorts of birds hanging around also. Rascal the dog tried to bring one inside this morning. It died soon thereafter. I don’t think Rascal hurt it, it was injured or sick. Sad deal.
I am linking with Our World Tuesday.
Nomadland by Jessica Bruder
Jessica Bruder, a journalist, wrote Nomadland, a book about the (almost) hidden army of people who have decided for one reason or another to abandon permanent homes in favor of a life on the road. They don’t have real estate, they have “wheel estate.” they are not homeless, they are “houseless.” Many of them made this choice to follow a dream that doesn’t entail a house, maintenance, insurance, rent, and all the rest. I know a few of those people. Others made the choice because staying in a house or apartment did not add up. The type of arithmetic when you take your income and subtract food, medicine, insurance, other bills, and you don’t have enough for rent. They did it out of necessity. They are being squeezed out by the high cost of housing.
Where do they live? Many live in RV’s, new and old, travel trailers, truck campers. Some even live in their cars. Where do they park their vehicles? In RV parks, and on BLM and Forest Service land in the west. Walmart parking lots are popular, in commercial areas where their rigs blend in, public parks. Anywhere they are allowed to, and a few places where they are not. There are apps that guide them to free camping spots.
What do they do for money? Some live off their savings or in whatever jobs they can find. Thousands work for Amazon during the peak pre-Christmas season at their gigantic fulfillment centers. Amazon has a name for them, they are the Camperforce. Amazon loves them because of their work ethic and willingness to work for not very much money. Others work seasonally as camp hosts for National and State forests. They work the sugar beet harvest. All sorts of things.
Where do they go when they are not working. Thousands head to Quartzsite in southern Arizona where they boondock in the public lands surrounding town. The meet up in groups, learn the tricks and rules of the road from each other and enjoy the warm winters.
The author Jessica Bruder spent three years and researching this lifestyle. She even got her own van in order to embed even closer with them. You can tell she kind of fell in love with the lifestyle and the people. She tells the story with great empathy and insight.
I loved this book. And hey a movie is coming out starring Frances McDormand.
Skywatch Friday – Ice Storm Edition
It’s been cold and icy here lately. So these are from the archives. Above is the River Parks amphitheater from several years back. It was demolished and removed years ago. I never saw anything there but back in the day they had lots of concerts there. The old timers talk about it a lot.
This is from several years back. The Arkansas River during a period of low water.
This is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple in Idaho Falls, Idaho. It sits adjacent to the Snake River. It may be the prettiest building I’ve ever seen.
This is this morning (Thursday). The pups slipping and sliding on the back patio coming from their morning potty break. They also like to chase the squirrels and update their barkbook status with our neighboring dogs.
We finally turned the fireplace on last night. LJ the Cat and Abby appreciated it.
Heather and I finally got our fancy drawer and cabinet pulls on in the kitchen the past couple days. I think they look nice with our repainted cabinets and new floors.
So my doctor prescribed a regimen of exercise involving both stretching and strengthening of my backs and legs after my recent whining about back pain. It has helped tremendously. I’ve also restarted yoga classes and resistance training at our gym. A friend of Heather’s told her about the Silver Sneakers videos on youtube and we tried them. They are great!! They are kind of oriented toward the older crowd but they have quite a range from like beginning chair yoga to some challenging Pilates workouts. And they are free!!! You don’t have to join anything or sign up for anything. If you have youtube you can access these. So we have been doing some of these at home and they really help.
That is it for this week. Stay safe everybody!!
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
Random Wednesday
At Sprouts, we found this strange vegetable. Apparently everybody but us has heard about Romanesco. I like the logarithmic spirals but it looks very unappetizing. I’d try it though.
It’s calving time at the ranch owned by Heather’s relatives in western Oklahoma.
My sore back is getting better via yoga, strength training, ibuprofen and a heating pad. If I leave the heating pad on, Abby claims it. This is she during the Super Bowl. How about the Buccaneers and Tom Brady?
MIL had a leak in her house and she called a plumber who does sewer line repair Carroll county as well. A couple young guys came out. One of the manhandled an augur up on her roof during a strong cold wind. I get so tired when I hear certain people talk about “….kids today don’t want to work.” I know that’s wrong. I see hard working young people almost every day. Make sure you have a peek at this web-site where you find all the plumbing services required.
One of the curious things you find in old parks. This is a tribute to Shakespeare at Tulsa’s Woodward Park. Designed by notable art deco architect Adah Robinson and erected in the 1930’s I believe. I love random stuff like this.
Our World – Mall Walking
I am trying to stay active these days and I was all set to go walk somewhere the other day when it started raining. So not wanting to get wet, and possibly melt, and also not wanting to do the gerbil thing on a treadmill I decided to go mall walking so I set off to Tulsa’s remaining shopping mall, Woodland Hills Mall.
It was surprisingly busy but not overly so. Most everybody was wearing a mask and it was easy for me to socially distance. So off I went. It has two levels so I did a loop on the lower level and and another loop on the lower level. I also looped into the three major department stores.
Anybody besides me think that carousels are spooky. I do, I was scared of them when I was a kid. Son Logan rode this one plenty when he was little. He seemed to like them.
The Apple Store is still closed. You have a problem with your iphone, you are basically on your own. I always found the people at the Apple Store to be helpful. The Microsoft Store is also closed, but who cares right? Unless you worked there, then you care plenty.
At the far end of the mall I came across these dudes. All staring at their phones. What are they looking for? Time drags when waiting on somebody else shopping. I always find something else to entertain myself.
The department stores sell furniture. We buy furniture from time to time but it has never occured to buy furniture there. It would seem that the overhead was pretty high. Right before this section I passed some recliners. A woman was in one of them fully reclined. I told her that she looked pretty comfy, She said that she was thinking of buying one. I told her that I bought a recliner exactly like that one and loved it. She said, “really.” I said yes, it has worked out well. I was lying to to her big time but I learned in MBA school that it was important for people to be happy with their purchases.
They had this bar for sale also. It’s kind of cool.
Way back when, when work clothing was more formal, coats and ties. I used to love buying and wearing that stuff. What made it work was experienced clothes salesmen who could figure out what kind of clothes looked best on a particular person. They got replaced by people who were selling lawn mowers last week. All they could say, no matter how bad something looked, was “that looks good.” The good places always had a good selection of ties and one particular person that could match ties and shirts to a suit. That was the best part. You could tell those places by their displays. I found the displays of ties and shirts on my mall walk to be pretty dismal. Oh well, I don’t have to worry about any more.
This was a welcome sight. Are short skirts and dresses making a comeback? I was in high school during the golden age of short skirts back in the late 60’s and early 70’s. It was wonderful. I’ve read that hem lines go up and down with the economy. Is this a forerunner of better times then?! I hope so.
The perfume counters, I hate those things. Somebody wants a particular brand of cologne then you had to search around these areas forever.
Bath and Body Works. How do people stand working in there. So many scents and smells that all meld together in a ugh.
Jerseys. I don’t have any sports teams jerseys. I think it is creepy to get a jersey with somebody else’s name on it. I have Dallas Cowboys shirts but they don’t have any player’s name on them. I actually pop in here to see if they have team caps on sale. I got a very cool Mexican national soccer team cap in here one time for $5. Nothing on sale today though so time to move on.
Ah yes, my favorite sporting goods store, Victoria’s Secret.
The mall has a new (to me) store featuring Native American themed goods. All very nice and very colorful. I’ll be back, I like that kind of stuff. Photos are free!
This shirt doesn’t apply to me. I am as white it gets. Anybody else do the DNA thing with Ancestry.com? I got mine and it is fun and interesting and all that but what gets me is how they send updates to your ancestors origins. Mine has swung all over the place. Used to be a lot of Danish involved, the latest one has no Danish but lots of Irish, British, northern Europe generic, Sweden, and Norway. Used to be rumored that there was a little Native American but nope, not a drop. Don’t worry I am not a white supremacist, I hate those people, just stating facts. Oklahoma has lots of Native Americans and many of them are blue eyed and whiter than me so I think the shirt is aimed more toward them. The various Tribes all have the right to determine who is member of the tribe and who isn’t so one has to be careful claiming to be a little bit this tribe or that tribe.
So anyway, I did my laps and got about 1.6 miles in, and stayed dry! Didn’t buy a thing either.
I am linking with Our World Tuesday.
“The Sentinel” by Lee Child and Andrew Child
I just finished The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child. It’s another Jack Reacher story. Lee Child has written a bunch of books featuring Reacher, an ex-Army MP officer who is big and tough and travels around the country and runs into many bad guys harming good people. This is another one of those books and this one falls flat on its face. I am not going to tell you the plot, but there is not a whole lot of action in this book. It’s mainly narrative and dialog. Boring narrative and boring dialog.
I hate to say it but maybe the book falls short because it has two authors. Lee Child collaborated with his younger brother Andrew Child on this book. Apparently this is the first book of a four book deal struck with the two authors. I’ve never really enjoyed fiction with two or more authors. This was a quick read and I am glad that I did not buy it. Thank goodness for our libraries!!
Anyway, that is how I feel.
The Sentinel by Lee Child
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
Innocent Bystanders – What Do We Do Now?
One of my guilty pleasures is people watching and taking photos of other people in public spaces. I call them “Innocent Bystanders.” I’ve been at it a long time but since Covid that hasn’t happened too much since I am doing my best to stay from people. I don’t take photos of my people that might embarrass them or show them in a unflattering light. I put a lot of them on instagram and more than once I get a comment like, “Hey that’s my girlfriend!” And I respond with something like “Well you are a lucky dude is what I think.”
The photo above is from the late 1980’s when Heather and I went on a cruise. They had a midnight buffet one night with all these ice sculptures. Heather had me take photos of all the sculptures but truth be told I don’t care about sculptures. I loved the people watching. This couple were kind of like the rest of us, all dressed up and don’t know what to do next.
The photo was taken in dim light with a film camera so it is quite grainy.
I have no idea what happened to the couple. The ship were on was Royal Caribbean’s “Song of America.” It has been sold and renamed several times and served various duties including a stint as a hotel ship during the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi, Russia. It is now known as the MS Celestyal Olympia owned by Louis Cruise Lines. It has been inactive the past year due to the pandemic.
Skywatch Friday – Ominous
I’m doing lots of walking these days. I haven’t run at all since last spring. I still think as a runner though, strangely enough. The above was taken last week here in Tulsa. It was kind of an ordinary color photo and but then I “messed with it” added some hdr and turned in black and white and it looks very ominous. Oklahoma is the king of ominous skies. With global warming there is a “lot of energy” in the atmosphere as the scientists put it. That’s not a good thing.
And here is a patented front yard sky shot from the house. I also “messed” with this photo. At least it is not ominous.
I injured my back last week and the doctor gave me some exercises to do. It’s basically yoga and all told between the stretching, the strengthening, and the stretching again it takes about an hour and 20 minutes and it is pretty strenuous but I get that feeling of well being afterward. The critters love that I am down on the floor with them. Which is fine but you know they need to get their own yoga mats. What do you think?
I am still geocaching. I will never stop. I am going to have a geocache hidden in my gravestone when my time expires here on earth. I might get it set ahead of time to make sure its done right. Anyway I digress again. This cache was at a park and I posted the video on instagram and one of my Igram buddies said hey, his grandson put that out as a scout project. I love the gentle fuzzy corner of the internet I am in with photobloggers and instagram. It makes the world a little smaller and kinder. Just so you know though I get rough and rowdy on twitter and I’m kind of in between on facebook. I have been unfriended by scores of people on facebook.
I’m on linkedin as well. Mainly the oil and gas part of it. Right now they are all swooning because Biden is going to destroy the oilfield and our economy is going to die and blah, blah, blah. Those two things didn’t do too well unde the last guy. Presidents come and go, and energy prices go up and down, and I don’t think there is much correlation. The oil and gas guys don’t want to hear that though.
Oh well, I’m getting off topic now. Everybody stay safe and post lots of great photos.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday
Our World – From Here to There
We’ll start here, Lizzy up on top and LJ on the bottom. We converted our dining room to a sitting room. It’s got a huge south facing windows and two leather chairs. The cats have made it their room. They can snooze while keeping an eye on the goings on in the neighborhood.
Here’s Abigail on my heating pad, or in her reckoning, our heating pad. I’m kind of down in the back the past week. I went to the doctor today (Monday) and he says I might have a touch of arthritis. We talked about various exercises so he gave me some illustrations. And you know what?? They are yoga poses he proposes!! I’ve missed yoga and it shows. I haven’t been to a class in a year. I’m evaluating my options. Yoga is good for you folks, and no yoga is bad for you.
My wife’s cousin Cheri Lou is sending my photos of the goings on at the 3G Ranch. Calves are what is going on. Calving season is ultra important at any ranch. My advice is to not name them.
Heather and I are a couple of wild and crazy people. We took the plunge and got a Costco membership. Woo Hoo!! Kind of like Sam’s Club really. Don’t get mad at me!!
Sore back and all I found a few geocaches this past weekend. Fun, fun, fun. In my book. There are two types of people in the world. Those who love geocaching and losers, I mean people who don’t.
To learn more about what it is watch this video.
Sign up for a free membership, check it out. Let me know what you think.
I’m linking to Our World Tuesday today.

























































