Ruby Tuesday - Europeana Floribunda

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Macro Monday - Magnolia

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Black & White Reflections - Tulsa Riverfront

The Pedestrian Bridge and low water dam on the Arkansas River at 2970 Riverside Drive in Tulsa Oklahoma.

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Skywatch Friday - I 44 North to St Louis

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Thursday Challenge - Tulsa River Trail

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Wordless Wednesday - Old Man Band

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Ruby Tuesday - Tulsa Mayo Hotel Logo

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Macro Monday - Portulaca

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Black & White Reflections - Tulsa City Hall

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Skywatch Friday - Rain Clouds

We have been experiencing a drought here in Eastern Oklahoma for the past year or so.  But in the last 30 days we have been blessed with 5 inches of rain which is a lot for us.  Everything is green and lush and the temperatures have been mild.  We hope it lasts.

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Thursday Challenge - Bright Colors

The challenge for this week is "Bright Colors".  Yesterday's photo would have worked, but here is another.  This is Painted on a wall at 3rd and Kenosha in downtown Tulsa and denotes the boundary of an area designated as the Eastvillage.

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Wordless Wednesday - Canopy

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Ruby Tuesday - Sue's New Car

Susan has a pretty new 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe.  It is nice inside and out, rides good, handles well, and has that wonderful new car smell.  She likes it a lot.

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Macro Monday - Smokey is 14!

Saturday June 7 was Smokey's 14th birthday.  Sue and I took him to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant where we sat outside and he enjoyed his very own beef burrito.  He licked the platter clean.  Smokey came to live with me when he was 8 weeks old and has been a delight every day since then.  I am an old guy and have always had a dog for a companion.  I have had some really good dogs but Smokey is the best.  An American Bull Terrier (Pit Bull),  he is the gentlest most well mannered dog I have ever had.  

Pits get a bad rap.  They are by nature calm and gentle.  They are also very powerfully built.  When abused or neglected they can become dangerous, especially if allowed to run loose.  When raised gently their best qualities are apparent.  Dogs are like our children, the way they turn out depends largely on how they are raised.  Smokey was never spanked with anything, my hand, a newspaper or anything else.  When he was corrected it was by a voice command.  He understood a sharp "no" as well as any swat.  When someone comes to our door, Smokey never barks.  He trots to the door and wags his tail assuming that whoever is there has come to pet him.  To know him is to love him.  

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June 6, 1944, D-DAY

June 6, 2014 was the 70th annversary of the Normandy invasion.  The Normandy American Cemetery is located on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach and the English Channel near the village of Colleville-sur-Merlies. The cemetery covers 70 hectare (172 acres), and contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead, most of whom were killed during the invasion of Normandy and ensuing military operations in World War II. Included are graves of Army Air Force crews shot down over France as early as 1942.  The names of another 1,557 Americans who lost their lives in the conflict but could not be located and/or identified are inscribed on the walls of a semicircular garden at the east side of the memorial.

France has granted the United States a special, perpetual concession to the land occupied by the cemetery, free of any charge or any tax. This cemetery is managed by the American government, under Congressional acts that provide yearly financial support for maintaining them, with most military and civil personnel employed abroad. The U.S. flag flies over these granted soils. The graves face westward, towards the United States.

Here is a summary of a longer article from Wikipedia. 

The Normandy landings were the landing operations of the Allied invasion of Normandy, also known as Operation Overlord and Operation Neptune, during World War II. The landings commenced on Tuesday, 6 June 1944 (D-Day), beginning at 6:30 AM British Double Summer Time (GMT+2). In planning, D-Day was the term used for the day of actual landing, which was dependent on final approval. The assault was conducted in two phases: an airborne assault landing of 24,000 British, American, Canadian and Free French airborne troops shortly after midnight, and an amphibious landing of Allied infantry and armoured divisions on the coast of France commencing at 6:30 AM.

The operation was the largest amphibious invasion in world history, with over 160,000 troops landing on 6 June 1944. 195,700 Allied naval and merchant navy personnel in over 5,000 ships were involved. The invasion required the transport of soldiers and material from the United Kingdom by troop-laden aircraft and ships, the assault landings, air support, naval interdiction of the English Channel and naval fire-support. The landings took place along a 50-mile (80 km) stretch of the Normandy coast divided into five sectors: Utah, Omaha, Gold, Juno and Sword. 11,590 aircraft were available to support the landings. On D-Day, Allied aircraft flew 14,674 sorties, and 127 were lost.

Over 425,000 Allied and German troops were killed, wounded or went missing during the Battle of Normandy. This figure includes over 209,000 Allied casualties, with nearly 37,000 dead amongst the ground forces and a further 16,714 deaths amongst the Allied air forces. Of the Allied casualties, 83,045 were from British, Canadian and Polish ground forces, 125,847 from the US ground forces. 

 

The losses of the German forces during the Battle of Normandy can only be estimated. Roughly 200,000 German troops were killed or wounded. The Allies also captured 200,000 prisoners of war (not included in the 425,000 total, above).

Today, twenty-seven war cemeteries hold the remains of over 110,000 dead from both sides. The American Cemetery at Normandy contains the remains of 9,387 American military dead. Of this number, some 307 are unknowns, three are Medal of Honor winners, and four are women. In addition there are 33 pairs of brothers buried side by side. The families of the deceased were given the option of having the dead returned to their homes to be buried. About 60% asked for their return. The remainder are buried at Normandy.

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Ruby Tuesday - Salute to Veterans

The Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame hosts an annual salute to veterans each year on Memorial Day.  For the past several years the event has been produced by Bill Wilkinson shown here in a red blazer.  Bill also plays piano and sings as part of the show.  At age 90 he says this will be his last year to organize the show but seemed ageless as he performed at Monday night's concert.  Sue and I attended and can witness that it was an excellent show.  Read about it in this article from the Tulsa World.

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Macro Monday - Caution, Bee at Work !

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Black & White Reflections - Tulsa, Old and New

Yogi Towers

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Skywatch Friday - The River's Edge

The River's Edge was where Riverside Drive ran down to Denver.  It is now part of the new Blue Rose.

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Thursday Challenge - Disrepair

The place may be a little rough but someone has done the wash and hung it out to dry.  It works for me.

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Wordless Wednesday - Pattern on Panel

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Macro Monday - Sea Anemone

Monterrey Aquarium

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Black & White Reflections - Lake Greenleaf

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Skywatch Friday - Sun Peeks

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Thursday Challenge - Music

Christ Church Episcopal, Tulsa, Oklahoma, September, 2005

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Wordless Wednesday - Halifax, Nova Scotia

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Ruby Tuesday - Red Delicious

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Skywatch Friday - Late Evening

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Thursday Challenge - Cherokee Fancy Dance

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Wordless Wednesday - Tulsa Athletics Goooooooooooooooooal!

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Ruby Tuesday - Play T-Ball

I drove over to Wagoner Saturday morning to watch my son Luke's little girl Wren play her first game of T-ball.  Three year old T-ball is an interesting game.  The ball is hit from the top of a waist high rubber tube. There are no outs, no score, and every batter gets on base.  The idea is to teach the kids about being part of a team and gain a general idea of baseball.  Each player can have a helper (dad, mom) who is on the field with them to keep them pointed in the right direction.  It is a bit chaotic but highly entertaining.  Wren did great.  She is the only girl on the team and not in the least intimidated by that.  She has her very own pink glove, a pink bat and she had a ball (pun intended).

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Macro Monday - Don't Get too Close

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Black & White Reflections - Sweet & Savory

Sprouts in Tulsa

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Skywatch Friday - Clouds Over Tulsa

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Thursday Challenge - Gus

The challenge this week was for a small animal.  My son Luke's dog Gus was small for a little while.  Gus is an American Bull Terrier, also known as a Pit Bull.  He has the typical Pit Bull temperament - sweet and mellow.

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Wordless Wednesday - Tulsa Baseball

We arrived early.  The stands were packed after the game started.

Minor league baseball is back in season so we went to see the Tulsa Drillers play the Arkansas Naturals on Saturday night.  Our beautiful new ballpark is on the northeast of the downtown area and provides a spectacular view of the Tulsa skyline from the grand stands.  Of course I wore my Driller ball cap and enjoyed a nice hamburger and cold Pepsi.


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Ruby Tuesday - Roses at My Door

Climbing Blaze

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Macro Monday - Chickadee

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Black & White Reflections - Tulsa - Old & New

Downtown Tulsa contains a variety of architecture both old and new.

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Skywatch Friday - Spring Sky

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