Tag Archives: Shade

ShadowShot Sunday – Hot, Hot, Hot edition

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Shadows on Turkey Mountain

I look at lots of blogs every week and in the northern Hemisphere many of them mention the heat. It is hot here in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA also. We are always hot in the summer but there is something about this year that is making it worse.

I like to be outside and so I try and get out early and go hiking on shaded trails like the ones above and below.

I try to be careful. I take lots of water, I go slower, and hike shorter distances.

Backyard Tree Trimming

This is our backyard. We have lived here a long time and we have trees we planted as sapplings that are now huge. This one is on the east side of our backyard so it doesn’t really give us shade in the afternoon and it doesn’t allow enough sun to reach the yard so the grass is very sparse. We had our tree guy come out and trim it up quite a bit so things are better now.

I am linking with ShadowShot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday – Garden Shadows

Yesterday, Heather and I checked out the Tulsa Audubon Society’s annual garden tour. It featured several residential gardens. It was a cool. The emphasis is not on bermuda grass or standard flowers. There were lots of wildflowers and the grasses were prairie grasses.

Backyard Patio

In addition to the plantings, the homes had an emphasis on shady areas for people to rest outside. In the summertime in Tulsa, you need great shade.

I love a Chiminea!

One home had a very nice water feature.

It was a great tour. With nominal cost.

And a bonus feature.

I finished this shadowy jigsaw puzzle recently. I though it would be easy but the decking about ate much lunch.

I am linking with Shadow Shot Sunday

Shadow Shot Sunday – Shady Cooling

My wife and I had coffee yesterday at place that has this nice outdoor space which always has a breeze. I love the sails that they use for shade. They actually allow some light through. I’ve been thinking about something like that for our back patio which is nice but doesn’t really have much shaded area. Here in Oklahoma with our high winds I think it would be imprudent to do this as a do it yourself project. The wind loads on the sails and supporting post would be considerable. Fortunately I have a friend who is a mechanical engineer and knows how to do those kinds of calculations.

I fired up the drone yesterday to get a few photos of the midday sky. I also pointed the camera straight down to our backyard. You can see our patio with no shade. The orange object in the middle of the yard is the drone landing pad and just to the left of it is me, piloting the aircraft. This is at about 40 meters above ground level.

And I lowered it to about 20 meters and took another photo.

And this is what I was taking photos of while the camera was pointed out. Check out my Skywatch Friday post next week for more.

So, should I see what would it entail to get some shade sails over our back patio?

ShadowShot Sunday

102 Degrees in the Shade

102 F
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It’s been hot lately, 100 F or over several days in a row. We added an extra water bowl to the two bird baths plus a fountain that we already have and we get a steady stream of customers. We have a rabbit who hangs out underneath the bench most of the day from about 9 am to 4 pm and then disappears. At first I thought it was kind of sickly but it does appear robust so maybe its a doe that has some kits stashed nearby.

I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2