Tag Archives: Skywatch

A Man on the Moon, and Other Views

The other day, the moon here was 99% full and we had some scattered clouds so I took some photos. This one looks like the moon has a face, featuring a split lips. Reminds me of a cat actually so I guess this isn’t a man on the moon it’s a cat or man in the moon kind of thing.

We had some color in the sky the other day so I launched the old drone. This is looking roughly south of northwest from our house. About 40 meters up.

And this is a similar view looking straight west at the same elevation.

And this is roughly southwest.

And looking straight east. One can see the faintest tints of pink in the clouds. I love reverse sunsets.

And that is it this week. I am linking with Skywatch Friday. Come check them out.

Shadows on the Trail

Saturday I took a short walk on a bicycle path to look for a geocache.

Across this funky enclosed bridge across Mooser Creek.

Next to this tree bunch casting some cool afternoon shadows.

The cache is somewhere in the rocks to the left of the tree. Ididn’t find the cache. It’s about the third time I’ve looked. Everybody else is finding it pretty easily. Oh well, I had a nice walk.

I’m linking with Shadow Shot Sunday 2.

Skywatch Friday – Dronephotography Sunsets

For a while we had weeks and weeks of either clear blue skies or heavy overcast with rain, neither one of which lends themselves to using a drone to take photos. Lately though we have had some interesting skies so I have been launching it a little bit to see what I could find. I did all of flying over my backyard.

Looking southwest over the local elementary school. Some pink in the skies.

On another day, looking straight west

Another day looking west. That tall building on this and the previous photo used to be Oral Roberts University’s hospital and medical school.

Looking northwest from the backyard.

An overcast day, I launched the drone anyway and got this shot. The clouds were too heavy for color in the sky so I just got some brighter sky further up.

More color in the northwestern sky.

Another view of the northwest sky.

I have a lot of fun flying my drone although I don’t develop much flying skill just going up and down from my back yard.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday. Come check them out.

Skywatch Friday – Snow Moon

Here’s is the almost Snow Moon from my back yard. I usually take it in the front yard but our neighbors across the street had some sort of ruckus going on that sounded like I needed to avoid. I think it is pretty much the same as the front yard offered at a lot lower sound level.

I went on a walk in a city park here. I love the trees against the blue sky.

More blue sky! We are supposed to have storms tomorrow (Thursday) and cold weather so be thinking about us.

F10FF0B8-2187-4309-AE81-457FA7199A39 — Not my Photo!!

And I finished another online jigsaw puzzle. I’m loving this relaxation induced anxiety. All this stuff in Canada, and the Ukraine, and life in general, just rolls away while working jigsaw puzzles. Actually, the concerns don’t go away, I just escape having to worry about them for a while.

I hope everybody is having a good week. I’m linking with Skywatch Friday. Please join in!!

2021 Tulsa State Fair

_DSC0073 — Something about Ferris Wheels!

I was going to pass on the Tulsa State Fair because of the pandemic but I thought I go early on a weekday and stay outside as much as possible and wear a mask when I go indoors. So that’s what I did Wednesday. I got there early before the midway opened up the rides so I got to see a lot of things without being around too many people.

They had a double decker merry-go-round. That is something you do not see every day.

A lot of younger kids were showing off their livestock.

And some older kids as well.

Cows were well represented.

And for a brain teaser, how about table with chains for legs. The chain links are not welded together. They are just regular chains. And the table is pretty stable. I had to study on it a little bit.

And there were lots of awards for the various crafts they made.

So I spent a couple hours, walked three miles, saw lots of stuff, drank a couple of beers and went home. (I’m not into so called fair food.)

Do you to fairs where you live?

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday. Join us!

Special Bonus Photo!!

A drone photo from over my house at sunset looking north. So its really kind of a reverse sunset.

Skywatch Friday – Vintage Oil and Gas Skies

I took the kid back to college on Wednesday. He got a sprained ankle last week so Heather and I did an evacuation to back home and got him in to see a doctor, fed him, did his laundry and got him rested up to go back. It’s just a sprain says the doc so we got him a brace and some ibuprofen and so back to school he goes. On the way back from dropping him off I stopped at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. I had not been there in ages. Turns out that they have a lot of new stuff to show and I’ll post about that later. Today I am showing what they had outside, underneath a big blue Oklahoma Sky with some wind. (If it is Oklahoma, the wind is always blowing.)

I looked at a bunch of oil and gas stuff. This is known as a “Christmas Tree” with valves installed on a oil or gas well to control and regulate the flow. I have never actually seen a stack this high. Usually they are about only two or three valves. I’m guessing what happened is that somebody wanted to donate the tree and so they got all the junk valves they could round up, bolted them together, slapped a coat of paint on it and said “Here you are!” Makes for an impressive sight but I wouldn’t stand near it in a lightning storm.

This is a pump jack used for pumping oil out of the ground. They are also used on natural gas wells to pump the water out that impedes from natural gas well. There is a technical name for those kind of gas wells. They are called “sorry ass gas wells.”

An old school wagon using for hauling oil.

A portable drilling rig. Needs a coat of paint. Also something to stay from in a lightning storm.

And a red truck. I’ve loved red trucks ever since I was about two years old.

That’s enough for now!!

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday. Come check it out.

Skywatch Friday – Trees

I went on a walk at Tulsa’s Lafortune Park. The trail is 3.1 miles long and loops around two golf courses, baseball fields, a tennis complex, a high school, a public library and there is almost always something going on except it was a cold windy day and I had the place to myself. The skies were overcast so I took photos of the trees on the golf courses.

I love trees in the winter. Their twiggy fingers reaching to the sky. I love trees in all the seasons, how about you.

I got my first Covid vaccination shot this week. I think it is crazy that every state in the union has their own way of doing things. I spent two days refreshing my browser every ten to fifteen minutes. The other thing is that here in Oklahoma just because a site says no appointments available doesn’t mean anything you have to click through to be sure. I know others out in blogland have related similar stories. Anyway, I am glad we are finally getting a foothold, a beginning, to rid our earth of this awful disease.

I’m thankful for the vaccine and for the many millions of caregivers around the world who have risked their lives taking care of people who got sick with the disease.

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday, come join us.

Skywatch Friday – Tulsa for Tesla Edition

Tulsa has been buzzing since word came out that Tesla, the electric car manufacturer is considering either Tulsa or Austin, Texas as the site for its Cybertruck manufacturing plant. Our city fathers have jumped into high gear to try to land the plant, including painting a Tesla logo tshirt on the Golden Driller at the fairgrounds.

It would be a boon for the city. I’m good with it even though I know that in this day and age its pretty much a shakedown to get the local and state governments to put up as much free infrastructure, deferred taxes, training and other expenses as possible. That’s the world we live in though.

Even if we don’t get it, its been a lot of fun. Above is a short video put together by local Tesla drivers convoying their cars through various Tulsa landmarks.

How is your week going?

I’m linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Vacation 2018 Update

We are towards the end of our vacation this year on the Alabama gulf coast. The highlight so far was Heather riding a paddleboard in the open water. She teaches a pool based paddleboard class but had never ridden a paddleboard before this trip. Logan and I went kayaking during this outing.

I have been taking lots of photos. The water and surrounding area are always a rich source of images for me.

Here is a shot of Heather just starting out on the paddleboard. I am in my kayak so I guess this is a “kayakcam.”

We have been out on the beach a lot. Both sitting on it, in the water, and walking the beach.

I have fair skin so stay covered up but my feet really got burned on this trip.

We went on our first ever family bike ride. Logan has never learned to ride a bike so we rented him a three wheeled version. He did quite well. Heather and I tried it and agreed that it was a lot harder to ride than the two wheeled variety. Steering in particular was hard. The bike had a mind of its own.

We passed this sign. Lots of alligator habitat in Gulf State Park where we were. It inhibited by geocaching quite a bit.

We cooked a shrimp dinner one night. We have our shrimp place, so we boil them, and Heather prepares the sides.

And the skies. The skies have been magnificent.

I am linking with Skywatch Friday

Skywatch Friday – Sunset Across the River

I went on a bike ride Thursday night. At the end the sun was kind of low and some clouds were showing up. Not quite sunset but I love the reflections in the Arkansas River.

And then the 21st street bridge across the river and more reflections.

This is where I am almost home. I stopped the car in the middle of the road and took this photo. Pretty nice, no filters or edits, I promise.

I’m linking with other Skywatchers

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