Partly Cloudy

The sun comes out, then goes behind a cloud.  Yesterday it snowed a little, this weekend is supposed to be warm.   The weatherman just can't make up his mind.

Moon at Sunset

The good news is that it did not freeze last night and the spring flowers are unharmed.  The bad news is that I am down in the back and did not get out of the house today so I took no pictures to share with you.  

However, I do have this nice photograph that Saint Susan took when we stayed in a cabin on Lake Greenleaf over last New Year.  She stepped out of the cabin just after sunset and took a picture of the rising full moon.  I think it is a very nice photograph and I hope you enjoy it.

Spring Flowers

Bradford Pears. These are great trees in many ways and have been planted by the thousands in lawns and down center medians of city streets. They were thought to be the perfect city tree; fast growing, beautiful in the spring and turn a nice red-orange in the fall. Unfortunately they have not altogether lived up to their promise as they tend to be brittle and are often damaged by ice and wind storms. Nevertheless, they are a handsome tree and form a spectacular show in the spring.


Redbud. This tree is native to this region and can be seen dotting the hills where ever they are allowed to seed. The leaves are glossy green and heart shaped. They do not grow large but are very hardy and thrive in our hot dry summers. There are a few improved varieties but the native tree is the best.


Forsythia. Originally from Asia, this bright yellow shrub is enjoyed the world over.


Japonica, or Flowering Quince. This is a relative of the apple and very hardy. Trim this with care as it protects itself with thorns.


Blue Pansies and white Hyacinth. Hyacinth come in many colors and many are quite fragrant.


The first bedding plants are blooming. Pale yellow Daffodils and blue Hyacinth. The names Daffodil, Narcissus, and Jonquil are often used for the same flower. I think that Jonquil is what Americans call a yellow daffodil. I am not an expert. Perhaps someone can enlighten me.


It was cool but sunny today so I took a little detour home to drive through a nice part of midtown Tulsa and look for spring blooms. At 33rd Avenue and S. Delaware is a pretty addition surrounding a small lake and called Charlane Estates.

Everything is so beautiful right now. The forecast is for freezing and snow tonight. I hope we are lucky and miss it.

Jigsaw Puzzle No. 3, Arromanches

I don't mean to turn this into a jigsaw puzzle blog but I want to get this right. Here is one more, a photo I took in the little village near the American Cemetary in Normandy. This loads in one click although it can be a little slow. Once the puzzle is displayed, click on "Image" to show the original in the lower left corner, or click "Ghost" to faintly show the full size image in the background. The pieces are already turned the right way to make it an easy puzzle. I would really appreciate your comments.

Click HERE

Jigsaw Puzzle Number 2

Here is the Railroad Station is Tours, France. I am hoping this one will load easier. Give it a try.

Click HERE

Jigsaw Puzzle

I intended to create a jigsaw puzzle for yesterday (Sunday) but could not work out a simple technique. After a number of bad solutions I think I have come up with a good one. Please give it a try and tell me how you like it and if you would enjoy puzzles on a regular basis. Enjoy!

Click HERE

David from McAlester

As we were enjoying our lunch yesterday a gentleman rode up on his 3-wheeled Motorbike. This had to be the slickest thing I have seen in a long time. It is custom made by Thoroughbred Motors and this model is call a Stallion. When we admired his ride he introduced himself as David from McAlester Oklahoma and told he was on his way back home after picking up the nifty trailer he had ordered custom made from the dealer up in Afton. We did not have to encourage him very much to tell us all about it.

The drive train is all made and maintained by Ford. It has a 4 cylinder engine, 4 speed automatic that gets 45 miles to the gallon, heat, air conditioning(!), and a fine stereo sound system. I think it has other features but I can't remember them all. David is a scuba diving instructer and he showed us how all his gear will fit in the trunk of the trike and in the new trailer. He was very proud of his rig. He said that after riding it for 300 miles during the day he had decided to have a new seat fitted with gelfoam for comfort. He seemed like a very nice fellow.

After he rode off I commented to Susan that David was likely to be single. How do you know she asked. Well, he has a custom made tricycle and trailer, he spends his time traveling and scuba diving and he looks very happy. No wife would let him get away with that. Then is when Susan slapped me.

Illinois River

Of course Smokey had a great time sniffing everything. Lots of new smells.

This time of year the river is very quiet and we have the rest areas to ourselves. In the summer the river is full of canoes. There are a number of places that will rent you a canoe and drive you upstream to float and paddle your way back to where you started. This is a very popular activity in the summer.

The fresh air gives me an appetite and makes everything taste better.


Scenic Oklahoma Highway 10 runs parallel to the river for about 20 miles. Tall bluffs are to the West and the Illinois River is to the right. The trees are bare this time of year and it is a cloudy day, but this is beautiful country any time of year. Notice the big smoker standing next to the road. This man is prepared to do some serious Bar-B-Q.

Susan packed up a picnic lunch and we drove east about 75 miles to Tahlequah and the Illinois River. Sue did not grow up in this area and was not familiar with the river. There is a new 4 lane bridge over the river now. The old bridge is a wreck but is a great place to fish.

Limestone Quarry

This limestone quarry is part of the Lafarge Tulsa Cement Plant. Limestone is dug up from this quarry and ground to dust. The powdered limestone is then mixed with a number of other raw materials and processed into cement. The cement is used for constructing roads, buildings, and all sorts of things.

The quarry is located northeast of Tulsa, due east of the airport and the American Airlines facility where I worked for almost 30 years. They occasionally used dynamite to loosen large sections of limestone. I remember hearing a loud "Whump!" and thinking to myself, "there goes some limestone".

Bed Partners

Susan is resting from her travels. Smokey is snuggling with her. Talk about a spoiled rotten dog. He is convinced he is a person not a dog.

An Afternoon at Chandler Park

Before we left we had to visit my favorite Sycamore tree. I love the light and dark of its bare trunk. I played with the image a little using Paint.net.

This is the wooded picnic area where Smokey likes to explore. Even though it is late winter there is still lots of color even if subdued; the rust-brown leaves, the pale yellow grass from last year, the new green grass starting to come up, the rough brown of the bare trees, the light and shadow on the bark and in the brush beyond. There is a quiet beauty in a place like this.

Smokey likes corn dogs. If there is anyone who does not know what a corn dog ie, it is a hot dog (small balogna sausage) dipped in a cornmeal batter and deep fried.

I pulled the stick out of the corn dog and gave it to Smokey. He did what he always does, which is to set it down and sniff it. It passed the sniff test and he chomped down on it.

As you turn to go up the hill you see CHANDLER PARK spelled out in White stones. This has been there as long as I can remember, and that's awhile.

Smokey and I had a nice afternoon outing. We drove by the Sonic and picked up a burger and fries for me and a corn dog for Smokey, then went up to Chandler Park. Chandler is a big park up on a hill just outside Tulsa. On weekends there are lots of families and picnickers, and in the evenings there are romantic couples preferring privacy, but on weekdays I can let Smokey off the leash so he can explore and sniff around.

Sue on the Move

There was a terrible accident 100 miles down the road that stopped traffic for hours. Two semi-trailers, and deisel truck and several cars piled up. All along the way other cars had slid off the road with many minor accidents. Snow plows came through and made everyone pull to the sides so emergency vehicles could get through. I read later that there were several injuries but no fatalities. Fortunately Susan was only inconvenienced. It took her 6 hours to drive from Tulsa to St. Louis but 10 1/2 hours to get back.

Molly is looking grown up.

Willy and his friend Coco.

Susan drove up to St Louis last Thursday to see her daughter Jennifer, son-in-law Jeff and grand kids Molly 10, and Willy 8. She drove back Saturday and was caught is a terrible snow storm. Fortunately she didn't have any problems but accidents down the road stopped traffic on the interstate long enough that she was delayed over 4 hours. Here are a few of her photos from last week.

Luke Took my Cooker

Luke and Cara make a nice couple.

I seldom use my old Bar-B-Q smoker so Luke laid claim to it. I am hoping he will invite us over to test it.

When my son Luke was over here last night he was eyeing my cooker. It is a sturdy old plate iron smoker with a firebox on the side. It will cook 2 full briskets and a turkey at the same time. The wood fire in the firebox does not subject the meat to direct flame but lets it roast slowly in a smoke filled oven. There is a little damper on top of the chimney that allows it to be damped down to cook very slowly. The secret to good Oklahoma Bar-B-Q is to cook it low and slow - 250*F for 8 to 10 hours. That gives it a sweet smokey taste and it comes out juicy and falling apart tender.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Here is the angel who made my birthday so special. Thank you Saint Susan!

We all piled on the sofa for a group picture before we devoured the cake. The only person missing from this photograph is the person who did all the work. Susan is behind the camera taking the picture.

Jason and his wife Carrie, 3 year old daughter Macey, and 9 month old son Hunter.

Mike and his wife Amberlee, and son Gavin. Gavin will be 2 later this month.

My youngest son Luke and his girlfriend Cara. Of course Smokey the party dog was here.

This evening Susan made a nice dinner of spaghetti, salad, and garlic bread followed by her famous banana-nut cake. I invited my son Luke and Mike and Jason who were soccer buddies of his from back in elementary school. They both spent a lot of time at my house and are like sons to me. It was very nice to get them all together. It has been a long time since they played soccer together. They will all 3 turn 30 within the next year.

Happy Birthday to Me!

As we enjoyed the cake after the service our Deacon brought out her guitar and led the traditional Happy Birthday song. It was very nice.

This morning Susan had signed up to bring refreshments for the coffee hour after church and she brought a birthday cake with my name on it.

Today is my birthday. I am 68 and proud to have made it this far. My son David and his beautiful fiancee Renee took me to dinner last night. We went to The Brook which is an old movie theater converted into a restaurant. I had a gourmet hamburger with mushrooms and swiss cheese, and French fries (pomme frites) with hot apple pie and vanilla ice cream for desert. Yummy !

Railroad Tracks

I like trains and I like railroad tracks. I like the noise they make and the mystery of where they come from and where they go. When I look at these tracks I wonder what is just around the curve.

Spring has Sprung

My jonquils along the back fence are in full bloom. These are the King Alfred variety.  I planted these about 3 years ago and they keep spreading.  

The little purple flowers in the grass are Henbit.  They are a nuisance weed, but pretty when they bloom as they are one of the first things to come up in the spring.  They don't like heat and will die back when summer comes then reappear next spring.  In the meantime they get mowed like the rest of the lawn.

This beautiful bushy magnolia is covered with fragrant white flowers. It is a Magnolia Soulangeana, 'Alba Superba'. I looked it up.

Crocus and Jonquils are blooming and early Magnolias and Tulip trees are ablaze. With luck we will avoid another hard freeze and slide into spring. I'm ready!

Tulsa's Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel in an oil painting by Pieter Brueghel painted in about 1563.

Tulsa's new "Utica Place" at 21st and Utica which in my mind bears a striking resemblance to Brueghel's painting.

This interesting building is quite new, just finished in the last year. Utica Place is a mixed-use, 10-story tower and covered parking garage combining both office and living space. The upper 4 floors are made up of 12 luxury Penthouse Apartments . This would be a fabulous place to work or live.

Notre Dame Cathedral

A view from the East, looking across the Seine. Using Paint.Net for a soft painted effect. (Click All Photos to Enlarge)

London Bridge

Another photograph from my 2000 trip. Using Paint.Net to give an almost impressionistic look to a foggy view of London's iconic bridge.