Tag Archives: Downtown Tulsa

Negativity and More with my Takashi Special Effects Camera

Holy Family Cathedral

When I was rummaging around Saturday looking for my generic Go Pro camera and I found my Takashi Special Effects Camera. It is kind of strange little camera with only 5 MP but it has various special effects built in such as negatives, black and white, sepia, and so forth. Check here for a list of my previous posts. Anyway I found it and fed it the AAA batteries it chews up like candy and took it for a walk at noon in downtown Tulsa.

I love the negative effect. It makes me see old sights in a new way.

It also gives scenes a spooky feel. I kind of like that.

The camera also has no shutter. When you press “the button” the camera just scans the photocell. So if you are moving the camera while it is scanning it distorts the image in ways that are pleasing to me. It is called the Lartigue Effect after a Frenchman named Jacque Henri Lartigue who discovered the effect in the early 1900’s. It can make buildings look kind of wavy.

I went down to the temporary replacement library for the Tulsa Central Library to pick up a book that I had on order and found out that that since they are closing it to move back to the regular library they moved it to another library, miles away. Oh well.

I love our library and the staff and have known a couple of them over the years but the present administrator I kind of worry about. The library gave him several months off to finish his PhD and then we come to find out that that he spends a huge amount of time and money flying to conferences here there and yonder. Much more so than libraries of similar sizes both regionally and nationally. He says that is where he found out about automated book checkout machines. Wow, I remember those from the last century. Oh well. I go to one conference a year and I think I’m pretty much up on what is going on in the natural gas industry. Oops, off topic.

My favorite sidewalk in downtown Tulsa on Denver avenue.

So I walked back to the office taking pics along the way. Isn’t it wonderful that electrons and photons are still free?

Downtown Tulsa in a negative mode.

The entrance to a downtown apartment complex.

Anyway I always dragging my lowfi funky Takashi out, feeding it some batteries and taking it for a walk.

Ruby Tuesday Too – Blooming All Over

It is Spring here in Tulsa, lots of rain mixed with sun and warm temperatures and things are blooming all over like these roses at Lafortune Park.

And these begonias (I think, let me know if I am wrong of course) at the Mayo Hotel downtown.

And this lonely assemblage of flowers near the Williams Tower. In Williams fight with Energy Transfer on their proposed merger I guess the flower budget got shorted. Ever more money for lawyers is the rule these days. What do you think the world needs, more flowers or more lawyers? I vote for flowers!!

I’m linking with Ruby Tuesday Too

Downtown Update

Sometimes it seems that different sectors of the economy out of synch with each other. The energy industry has gone down the tubes (although indications are that a recovery is in progress) and the building industry in Tulsa is booming. For full details, Looking out a window at work there are three different projects going on. The closest one is a new hotel going up. There are several hotels going up downtown now.

And then if you follow the street alongside the hotel you can see that they are extending the street to the high rise on the right. That is our former city hall that has been converted to a hotel. Part of the deal with the hotel to meet code is that they needed a street going to it because the city likes hotels to have two streets for firetrucks and such to use. It is a pretty expensive road project because it is on top of a parking garage.

And then just this side and to the right of the hotel is on lazy $50 million renovation of our Central Library. If you want to construct or do renovation for the full run down building, you need to contact a reputed construction company like Preserve services. From what I can tell they are going to store most of the books off site and put in lots more computers. I’m sorry but I think what they are doing is turning our library into an internet cafe for the homeless, methheads, and K2 addicts. Also, the library’s director hornswaggled the board of the library into giving him a paid four month leave of absence to get his PhD. The guy makes over $170,000 per year plus a $450 a month car allowance, plus, plus, plus. He makes more than the Governor of Oklahoma! Do you really need a library director who is gone for four months? Poor use of taxpayer funds I think.

Oops, I digress, what is happening where you live?

Skywatch Friday – Downtown Sky

We had some stormy rainy weather on Tuesday when I went to my car on the roof of the parking garage I liked the view to the south with the big clouds and the wet streets. I also noticed that four of Tulsa’s major churches were in the view. From left to right we have the tower of the Bruce Goff designed art deco masterpiece, Boston Avenue Church, then the green domed First Christian Church. Then to the right the twin spires of the First Methodist Church and then to the far right, Holy Family Cathedral. Tulsa is unique in major cities in the US in that the downtown area are really thriving and maintaining their membership. The churches and businesses stayed downtown when everybody left and now the people are coming back to live, as well as work and worship. Exciting times we live in is what I say.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – YMCA Sunset

YMCA Skywatch Sunset Impressions Cezanne II 58 pct

I used Topaz Impressions software on this to give it kind of an impressionistic effect and then dialed it back about 40%. I also cropped out some annoying features.

We are having some colorful skies lately here in Tulsa. I liked how the color was shining through the windows of the old downtown YMCA. A developer demo’d the interior and has the project on hold pending higher oil prices probably. I also like the reflections on the building on the left, the old Amerada Hess Petroleum building. They bugged out for Houston back in the 90’s during another oil downturn, and insurance company occupies the structure now.

Will the last person in Tulsa please turn out the lights?

I’ve been told by numerous people that the energy companies manipulate the prices of oil, natural gas, and gasoline. That may be, if so they are doing a really poor job of it. What do you think.

In the meantime I’ll be enjoying the sunsets.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday!

Lunchtime Walkabout and an Indulgence

Lunchtime Monday was cold but I grabbed my camera and went walking for just a few minutes. I got to what I call the “Old Chamber of Commerce Building” and took a photo of some of the Bas Relief sculptures on the facade. They are in kind of an art deco style and there lots of images in the panel. The one above of a mother and child is my favorite.

Right next to it is a depiction of Tulsa’s role as the “Oil Capital of the World” way back int eh day. It’s got and oil well obviously as well as refineries, pipelines, tank farms, trucks, railroads, and airplanes.

I went walking around the corner over to Holy Family Cathedral and saw this door labelled Porta Sancta. Of course, not being Catholic, I had to google it and it has to do with Pope Francis declaring a Jubilee Year of Mercy where believers are to learn about and practice mercy in the daily lives. The Porta Sancta has to do where a believer who meets certain requirements can receive an indulgence where an “..indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven…” It all starts by going through the door which is open at certain times. The church’s web site describes it.

I don’t really understand it but you know, we could all use a little a mercy in our lives right and we could all practice a ~~little~~ lot more mercy also toward others. (And by the way if I’ve got any of this wrong, please let me know!)

And then it was time to get back to work.

What did you do today?

Lunch Breaking in Downtown Tulsa – Sights, Mysteries, and Discoveries

I assure you that our buildings in Tulsa do not lean to the left.

I’m one of those guys who has to get outside for at least a little bit every day regardless of the weather. So many of my coworkers over the years just stay inside, and surf the net or work or whatever. I couldn’t stand that. I have to get out. Over the course of a month or so I tramp all over downtown. I always take my camera.

The old Sun Pipeline Building.

I’m not satisfied with just one photo of something and then I’m done. Nope, there always different sides to things. The weather is different. The surroundings are different. I’m always amazed how much things change.

I like to visit old sights. These windows for instance. If I wont the lottery, which I won’t because I won’t spend the money on a ticket, but if I did. I would have bought this former AT&T building and put in a room with big comfy couches right under these windows. I don’t have to worry about it now. A church bought the building. I hope that these windows are put to good use. I’ll keep you posted;.

Here is a recurring mystery. This little lookout has been here for years. What is it for? Guarding and empty parking lot? Perhaps. I’d like to have a little look out, especially with air conditiooning. Wouldn’t you?

And old vintage gas station now an Avis dealer. I love old buildings put to good use.

I find remnants of Tulsa being the “Oil Capital of the World” such as this divider of some sort made out of oil well casing pipe.

And I found where somebody has started up a lending library of sorts in the East Village area.

What about you? Do you like to explore, tell me about it.

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.

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.

Downtown Tulsa Sun, Shadows, and Color

Downtown Fall Color Impressions Van Gogh II 55pct

True confessions I used Topaz Impressions Van Gogh Filter on this backed off to 55%

I love the light this time of year and the Fall color. I found a tree still somewhat conflicted about Autumn. I love the conflict and I also love how the sun and shadows work together. Autumn is my favorite time of year.

Linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

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