I launched the drone the other day. It wasn’t sunset time but there were clouds and light so off I went. This is 40 meters over my backyard in Tulsa, Oklahoma, looking west.
And then I turned the drone 180 degrees to the east and pointed the camera closer to the ground.
And, as you can tell, I played with the photos a little bit. I used a program called Dynamic Auto Painter and used one of their watercolor presets.
I’m linking with Skywatch Friday
Tulsa Tough is a big huge bicycle party in Tulsa. It includes three days of closed loop short distance races (called criteriums) in three different locations in Tulsa and two days of bike rides in the countryside in and around Tulsa.
I typically go to the criterium on the last day of the race. The course includes part of Riverside Drive and loops up steeply on a brutal hill called Crybaby Hill. I used to go up to Crybaby Hill but I’ve declined the last few years. It is very crowded and kind of outrageous in some respects but all in fun. So maybe next year when my knee will be fully healed.
The criteriums start early in the morning and go into the evening. There are sorts of races segmented by age and gender, especially for the amateurs. The professional races are later in the day and those guys and gals are amazing.
So I only saw a few of the amateur races but they were fiercely competitive.
It was hot. I don’t think I could ever do one loop going up that hill.
It’s a big party for the cycling community which tends to be kind of close knit anyway. Me, I’m just a recreational rider. Twelve miles is my sweet spot on level ground.
I actually did one of the rides years ago. The shortest one that they had at 32 miles. Great right? Nope, I had never ridden that distance before. It was kind of fun until it wasn’t and I got off the official course and so I just went to my car, loaded up the bike and went home. Ironically, I ended up riding a little more than the official course distance. Read about it here.
I am linking with My Corner of the World.
So last Saturday afternoon my bride, Heather, and I loaded up and went downtown to check out Tulsa’s spring arts festival, Mayfest. Mayfest has been going on forever and we used to go to it years ago when it was in the core part of downtown. Heather would come down for lunch and we would walk around looking at the arts and crafts for sale, get something to eat, and listen to music. In the 90’s Hanson would play on one of the side stages. A talented group of youngsters who became famous and are now all growns up with their own children and they still live in the Tulsa area. We’ve seen them from time to time.
The University of Tulsa took over Mayfest some time ago and somewhere along the way they moved out of the core downtown area to the Arts District which is where all the cool kids go for restaurants and bars.
So we walked along checking out the arts and stuff for sale. I didn’t take photos of any of that as I have learned that artists and craftspeople don’t necessarily appreciate their work being photographed and I respect that.
This was the first time since before Covid that we attended the event and we were amazed at the quality of everything we saw.
After a while we got hungry and thirsty so we stepped into Cabin Boys Brewery for some refreshment.
Craft Beer and Nachos were just the thing.
Afterwards we drifted over to Guthrie Green to listen to the music which was also great. I amused myself by taking photos of people taking photos. Hey we are all in this public space and I didn’t take any photos that anybody could find embarrassing.
I’m ending with a flashback to 2016 when I was invited to submit a couple of my instagram photos to an art gallery at Mayfest. Mine were the top two on the top right hand corner. That was my peak artistic experience. I’ve gone downhill every since. (Not really.) I’ll tell you what though the world sure has gone through some topsy turvy things since then.
I’m linking with My Corner of the World
Last Thursday it rained and then late in the day the sun came out and I happened to be driving by to see this church with some great golden hour light so I stopped and got a photo.
Earlier last week during a cold wet miserable day I was on the RiverParks Trails here in Tulsa and captured this image of downtown Tulsa. It’s kind of grainy but I like it.
At local park on a sunny day I got this pond and skies.
I went to the Tulsa Boat Show last Friday. On nice days the Tulsa Driller is always a must do photograph.
Expo Square is where the Golden Driller is, right on Route 66. The county has made some improvements
And a backyard skywatch photo looking east.
And again in the backyard looking northwest.
And from the front driveway looking down the road to the west.
And that is about it.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday and My Corner of the World.
Somebody published a geocache within walking distance of the house. Well, i’ve walked over there twice and can’t find it. It’s in a tree just to left of this scene. I didn’t find the cache but I’ve got two walks over to look for it and a not bad photo.
A full moon in October. Not the greatest I’ve done but here it is.
And a better rendition of a half moon, also in August.
I got a new action camera recently. It’s a GoPro clone at literally one tenth the cost. About seventy percent as good as a GoPro, so I’m ahead the way I figure it. I attach it to my bike’s handlebars and set it to take a photo every ten seconds. Most of the photos are of nothing memorable so I delete them. I love vintage power plants and this is Public Service Company of Oklahoma’s Tulsa Power Station. It hardly ever runs but it still on the rate base making money for PSO whether it runs or not. I used to work for a sister company to PSO that supplied the gas to all the power plants. We had a systems that would show us graphically all the gas the power company was burning to make electricity. It was cool watching the load go up during extremely hot or cold weather. Lots of people worked hard to make sure the lights stayed on.
Here is another action camera shot of this person riding an escooter on the RiverParks trails.
And somebody else walking their dog and a guy in an electric wheelchair crossing the river on the new pedestrian bridge. A big variety of people use Tulsa’s RiverParks. I’m always amazed.
A sunset drone shot from 50 meters above my back yard.
And a stormy weather drone shot about 30 meters above my back yard. Stormy means windy and my little microdrone doesn’t like wind.
That’s sall this week folks. Sorry I don’t have a theme besides skies.
I’m linking with Skywatch Friday
Monday was Veterans Day so I went to downtown Tulsa to see their annual Veterans Day Parade.
The Tulsa Police Department opened it up with their motorcycles and right behind them was a Junior ROTC Marine Color Guard looking sharp in their uniforms.
And then dignitaries in vintage military vehicles.
And then the floats. This one was done by my former employer. ONEOK (pronounced One Oak) always shows up big for the Veterans Day Parade.
And then a bunch of ONEOK employees followed the float. Other companies had floats as well.
And then another JROTC color guard.
The Booker T Washington High School Marching band shows up for the parade looking snappy in the uniforms.
And the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Department shows up with one of their armored vehicles.
And if you know tornado belt culture you know that Storm Trackers are celebrities. When they are not working they go to events and will sign autographs for you. Here is Van Castor’s pickup truck. These guys follow the storms and tornadoes as they develop. Here in Oklahoma we don’t run for shelter when the tornadoes come, we run outside to take a look at them.
One veteran didn’t make the parade. Here is my brother Bob.
Twenty years in the Navy and more afterwards as a civilian employee. This is his door wreath put together by our sister Ellen.
He is in assisted living here and living life. Left to right, Irv (Career Army Vet), his wife (and sister to Bob and I) Ellen, son to Heather and I, Logan, and kneeling my wife Heather.
A photo I took of Bob several years ago when he turned 66.
Here he is in Tulsa several years ago. He used to visit and run in our local half marathon. He’s run over a hundred half marathons and over fifty full marathons. He doesn’t run any longer but he gives life everything he has.
I’m linking with My Corner of the World
I had some time to kill the other day so I went walking around Tulsa’s Gathering Place and found this combination fall color and shadows.
Here’s a sunrise one morning from our driveway
And a sunset from the same driveway on a different day
And some trees changing color at Pepsi Lake on Turkey Mountain.
I’m linking with Skywatch Friday
It’s only 35 seconds long.
I start out looking straight west and then go to the right. Not often you get color everywhere one looks at sunset.
I am linking with Skywatch Friday.
Last Monday, I finished my morning reading tutoring at an elementary school here in Tulsa and decided by gum I was going to go kayaking.
So I ventured to the Arkansas River, upstream of Zink Lake Dam and rented a kayak for a couple of hours from the vendor there. I helped her carry it down to the new kayak launch that the city of Tulsa had installed. It was pretty cool. You put your kayak in slot where it is partly in the water and then you push against the handrails and you are launched!! No wading in the murk to get going.
I’ve been kind of in a funk lately. One knee is giving me problems and I got a steroid injection a month ago. It worked great for a week or so and then it started aching again. So think I do too much but then I don’t do anything which is not good. Well Kayaking is very knee friendly!!
I cruised past some redone murals on the river shore.
I thought the kayaking was cool. I’ve been running, walking, and bicycling both banks of the Arkansas River and Zink Lake for over 30 years. Now I was in the water and seeing things I’ve never seen before. A completely different perspective.
I love this view. It is cathedral like. A cathedral with graffiti.
There was hardly a breeze, the temperature was slightly on the cool side and the sky is beautiful.
The new Williams Crossing pedestrian bridge.
Headed back north with a view of downtown Tulsa where I worked for 30 years. I was waving at my former coworkers.
The very beginning of the vegetation changing color.
One of the two boat ramps on the west side of the lake (or river.)
Headed back under the 21st street bridge.
Checking out the RiverWest Festival Park. RiverParks is having their annual Oktoberfest soon.
And now back to the Kayak dock. I had a great time!!
I’m linking with My Corner of the World