Sepia Scenes - North American T-28B Trojan

Built as the North American T-28B Trojan this was at one time the primary trainer for the Navy and Marines.  Also known as the Navy VT-2 "Doerbird" it was put into service in 1960 as a trainer for the U.S. Armed forces and is still used as a flight trainer.  See this blog post by a Navy aviator in training.  For a history of the aircraft during the Vietnam war and afterwards see Wikipedia.  This aircraft and others were on display at the Oklahoma Air Guard's Family Day September 11, 2010.

Wordless Wednesday - Doors to Vandever's, Tulsa

The Vandever's Dry Goods later Vandever's Department Store was the first big department store in Tulsa.  Established in 1912 sold in 1970, and closed several years later.  The last surviving Vandever brother "Bill" died January 2, 2010.  See the article in the Tulsa World.

Photo courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.

Ruby Tuesday - Bartlesville Buffalo

We were in Bartlesville Friday showing Sue's brother and sister-in-law the sights when I spied this Bison.  Brightly colored beasts are all over town to raise money for the Mary Martha Outreach, a local charity that provides assistance for the needy.  This sort of thing started in Chicago with large cows purchased and decorated by various groups.  Tulsa did penguins to support a new exhibit for the zoo.  Bartlesville is having a Buffalo Stampede.  Fun Stuff.

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Macro Monday - Squash Bug

Squash Bug looking for dinner.

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SOOC Sunday - Artistry Rose

Artistry:  Modern large flowered Hybrid Tea Rose,  All America Rose Selection 1997.  Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden.

Straight Out Of the Camera

Weekend Reflections - Swan Lake at Woolaroc

Crossing one of several lakes in the Woolaroc Museum and Game Park west of Bartlesville, Oklahoma.

Skywatch Friday - Tulsa Rose Garden

The Tulsa Municipal Rose Garden was constructed as a series of terraces using hand labor and teams of horses as a W.P.A. project from 1932 and 1935.  The panorama was created with Autostitch.

Older photos courtesy of the Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.

The Rose Garden's five terraces begin at the top of a gentle slope and end 900 feet west at Peoria Avenue.  English ivy-covered stone walls and steps connect the different levels.  Pools or fountains are found on most levels.  Junipers,  deciduous holly,  and magnolias are all found amidst the wide array of roses in the gardens  It is an All-American Rose Society test garden containing 6,000 individual rose plants in 250 varieties.  Location of each type of rose may be found at the Rose Garden map link. 

Smokey and I spent several hours on Wednesday visiting four of the five terraces and took lots of photos of the beautiful roses which have survived the heat of summer.  I think I may make Sunday "Rose Day" to share some of the varieties.

Sepia Scenes - NA T-6: Tulsey Town Chief

This is a North American T-6 "Texan" operated by the Oklahoma Air National Guard.  It is nicknamed the "Tulsey Town Chief".  Tulsey Town being a very old name for Tulsa.  It was on display at the Air Guard's Family Day September 11, 2010.

The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is a single-engine advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces, United States Navy, Royal Air Force and other air forces of the British Commonwealth during World War II and into the 1950s. Designed by North American Aviation, The T-6 is known by a variety of designations depending on the model and operating air force. The USAAC designated it as the "AT-6", the US Navy the "SNJ", and British Commonwealth air forces, the Harvard, the name it is best known by outside of the United States. It remains a popular warbird aircraft.  See Wikipedia.

Wordless Wednesday - Doors to Holy Family

Front Doors to Holy Family Cathedral, downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma. Holy Family is the Cathedral Parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tulsa. The parish has served the people of Tulsa since 1899. The current church was built in 1912-1919.

Ruby Tuesday - Moss Rose

Now that we have extended our rear deck past the back door of the garden room it functions like another room, albeit an outdoor room.  The old and new sections have been stained a matching gray and we have a new umbrella for the patio table.  With the addition of some potted flowers it looks very nice.  We like to eat breakfast out here and imagine that we are in a resort hotel on the French Riviera.  We have two big pots of moss rose that add a nice splash of color.  It is a deep rose rather than a bright red, but should be close enough for Ruby Tuesday.  Stop by and join us for a cup of coffee on the deck.

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Macro Monday - Green Grasshopper

In some places this is a Locust but in Oklahoma it is a big green Grasshopper.

SOOC Sunday Puzzle - Garden Gate

Yet another view of the Gardens behind Philbrook Art Museum, Tulsa.

Weekend Reflection - Koi Pond

Koi at play in the Philbrook reflecting pond.

 

Skywatch Friday - Take Off

American Airlines Super 80 taking off from Tulsa International.

Sepia Scenes - Stearman PT-17

Boeing/Stearman PT-17 "Kaydet", also known as a Stearman Model 75 on display at the Tulsa Air National Guard during a special Family Day held on September 11, 2010.  I attended as a guest of my son Master Sergeant David Miller.

The Stearman (Boeing) Model 75 is a biplane, of which at least 9,783 were built in the United States during the 1930s and 1940s as a military trainer aircraft.  Stearman Aircraft became a subsidiary of Boeing in 1934.  It served as a primary trainer for the USAAF, a basic trainer for the USN (as the NS & N2S), and with the RCAF as the Kaydet throughout World War II. After the conflict was over, thousands of surplus aircraft were sold on the civil market. In the immediate post-war years they became popular as crop dusters and as sports planes.

Wordless Wednesday - Doors to Philbrook Art Museum

Doors to the main entrance to Philbrook Art Museum, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Ruby Tuesday - All American Harley

The All-American Harley Davidson motorcycle.  Made in the USA and flying the red, white, and blue.

Macro Monday - Buckeye on Lantana

The Common Buckeye.

Weekend Reflections & Sunday Puzzle

Another beautiful day at the Philbrook Gardens.

My Friend David is 60.

My old friend David is 60 today and like any good Irish Catholic celebrated the occasion with a party. There were refreshments and an Irish band. It was fun.  Happy Birthday my friend.

Black & White Weekend - Half-Off Auto Parts

 Everything Half Off.

Skywatch Friday - BOK Center

The newest venue on the Tulsa Skyline is the handsome BOK Center; the BOK being the Bank of Oklahoma of course.  It is state of the art and can go from Rodeo arena to Ice Rink overnight.  For an idea of size please note the automobile in the far lower right corner.  It is very nice inside with 20,000 seats on 3 levels.  The interior is completely open so there are no bad seats.  

Theme Thursday - Reveal: Album by R.E.M.

Reveal is a 2001 Album by the band R.E.M.

Click here for a Youtube Video of "I've Been High" from the album REVEAL performed live by R.E.M.


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Wordless Wednesday - Tulsa Union Depot

The Tulsa Union Depot was the grand railroad depot in downtown Tulsa.  It is now the home of the Tulsa Symphony and a venue for a weekly Sunday night jazz performance.  It is now known as The Tulsa Jazz Depot. 

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Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle - South Boston Avenue

Looking south on S. Boston Avenue. The spire in the distance is the Boston Avenue Methodist Church.

Weekend Reflections - New Tulsa City Hall

Near Left is the old Frisco Railroad Terminal, upper left is the New Tulsa City Hall, reflected in the City Hall is the Mid-Continent Building, upper right is the Williams Tower.

Since this is being posted on September 11, the anniversary of the infamous bombing of the World Trade Center bombing, an interesting thing to know about the Williams tower is that  It was built in 1975 and designed by Minoru Yamasaki & Associates, the same architect who designed the World Trade Center in New York. This structure is very similar to the New York City WTC towers in appearance and construction.  


At 203 m (667 ft) in height, the 52-story tower is the tallest building in any of the five "Plains States": Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota, as well as the surrounding states of Missouri, Arkansas and New Mexico.  It is now called the BOK Tower.  The 52 Story BOK Tower anchors the north end of South Boston Avenue  .   

Skywatch Friday - The Rain Came

It started raining yesterday morning and it rained all day and all last night.  I'm not complaining as we needed the rain.  We have a little frog who sits bravely under his umbrella and measures the rain for us.

By noon today the rain had fizzled to a drizzle and the little rain gauge said about 8 cm or 3 inches.  The nice thing was that it rained slowly and steadily so the water had time to settle in rather than all run off.  It was a good rain.

The sky?  It was a solid gray and not very photogenic, but the rain that fell was very nice.

Theme Thursday - Reason: Unreasonable Rain

We have had a little rain off and on over the past week or so but today it got serious and has been raining all day.  Looking out the back door onto our deck I decided no reasonable person would go out in the rain but it might make a nice picture.

Opening the back door gave me a clear shot of the deck without getting wet.

Just for fun I took  multiple views covering the whole deck then used Autostitch to put them together.  It did a nice job of showing the whole deck and I didn't get wet.  Here is a bit of doggerel from long ago.

Indian Summer


Cool damp air moves past my face
carrying a gentle sweetness.
The grass lies dark
under gray skies
heavy with rain.


The hot dry days of August
have given way to September
and the break in the weather
that signals the beginning of Autumn.
There may be a few more hot days,
but the season has changed.


For awhile will come rain
to fill the ponds
and refresh the gardens.
Then it will clear and begin
what in Oklahoma is called
the Indian Summer.


Day after day of bright warm days
and cool crisp nights.
Days that call for football,
and long quiet walks,
and cookouts under the oak trees.


      Bill Miller, September, 1991

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Special Link: America in Color from 1939-1943

These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.  Link courtesy of The Denver Post.  America in Color from 1939-1943.

Wordless Wednesday - Doorway Arbor

This doorway to a little candle shop at 29th and South Harvard is framed by an arbor of Yellow Trumpet Vines.

Ruby Tuesday - Flower Pots

Some wonderful red pots from Southwood Nursery.

Macro Monday - Turtle Guiro

I do the percussion for my church's music group.  Normally I use a big Djembe drum for a variety of sounds but have some other things as well.  This little guy is a Guiro (pronounced WEE-roh) carved in the shape of a turtle.  The wooden rod or striker is used to run back and forth over the ridges along the back of the shell, or strike the body which is hollow.  It makes a nice bright cheerful sound.  Sam. the 2 year old son of our cellist (cello player) was playing it today.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle - Smokey Recuperating

We took Smokey to the veterinarian on Friday to have his teeth cleaned.  It seems that 3 were bad and had to be pulled.  Poor Smokey was recuperating in the sun this morning.  If only we could get him to brush.

Weekend Reflections - Pool in B&W

Just south of our church is a nice housing addition with two large ponds astride the entrance.  Last Sunday I drove just inside to take a closer look and took several photos.  With the stonework around the entrance it is quite lovely.


For those who asked about the source of the ripples, here is the original in color and the fountain .  It might have been better in color, but a little mystery is fun.

Skywatch Friday - Here Comes the Sun

Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right

Little darling
It's been a long cold lonely winter
Little darling
It feels like years since it's been here

Here comes the sun, do do do do
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right .... (more)

The Beatles, George Harrison on  lead guitar

Click for a YouTube video.