Skywatch Friday - Look Across the River

We have had rain off and on for the past week. Today was partly sunny. These clouds played hide and seek with the sun all day. We who live in Oklahoma learn to be flexible in our plans for the weather.

Thursday Theme Day - Bicycle: Oklahoma Freewheel

Oklahoma Freewheel: For the past 32 years a thousand of more happy bikers spend the second week of June riding 400 miles in six days from Texas across the state of Oklahoma to Kansas.    All brag, no sag!

If you check the photo archive for Freewheel 1993 you will find an old friend.

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Wordless Wednesday - Doors to First Presbyterian Church

First Presbyterian Church, 709 South Boston Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
First established 1885, current building 1911.

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Ruby Tuesday - My Dog Smokey

What good is a pit bull?  Willy can tell you he makes a great pillow whilst playing a video game.  Smokey is pleased to oblige and is wearing his red collar for Ruby Tuesday.


For other shades of red from all over check out Ruby Tuesday.

Invasion at the Bird Feeders

We love to feed the birds and leave feed out for them all year around.  The feeders have wire cages around them to make them "squirrel-proof" but the squirrels don't know this and work on them anyway.  They are fun to watch too.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle - Tall Ship in San Diego

Tall ship in San Diego Harbor.  A last dip into the archives of a nice weekend in San Diego.


Click for puzzle, 80 pieces,
right click to rotate. Enjoy!

Monochrome Weekend - On the Beach in San Diego

Susan and I on the beach in San Diego some years ago.  A friendly passer-by volunteered to snap our picture with my camera.  We visited the zoo, ate good Chinese food, and walked on the beach.  It was a beautiful weekend.

Skywatch Friday - San Diego Sunset

Susan and I enjoyed a weekend in San Diego some years ago and watched the sun go down behind the clouds as we walked the beach.  Nice memory.


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Sepia Scenes - The River is Low

Tulsa is built on a bend in the Arkansas River.  When the river is low it looks more like the Arkansas Sandbar.

A low water dam near 21st Street keeps the river filled from bank to bank above that point.  Here just below the 51St Street (I-44) bridge it dwindles according to the amount of rainfall upstream.  There are plans to build two more low water dams near 51st and 71st Streets which will allow a more consistent water level in the river.


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Wordless Wednesday - Nice Day for a Walk

Everything is turning green, the air is warm and soft, and it is a perfect day for a walk down Tulsa's Riverpark.

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Ruby Tuesday - Fireworks at the Ballpark

Fireworks at the Ballpark

For other shades of red from all over check out Ruby Tuesday.

Oklahoma City Bombing, April 19, 1995

Fifteen years ago today the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma was devastated by American terrorist Timothy McVeigh.  This memorial was constructed on the site of the bombing which took the lives of 168 people including 19 children at a day nursery in the building.  The time was 9:01 in the morning, the time inscribed at the top of the arch.

Sunday Jugsaw Puzzle - Dogwoods and Azaleas

My pink dogwood amd my azaleas are blooming


Click to play jigsaw, 80 pieces,
right click to rotate. Enjoy!

Monochrome Weekend - ONEOK Field, Let's Play Ball !

The Brand New home of the Tulsa Drillers Baseball team is ONEOK Baseball Park in the heart of Downtown Tulsa.  Lets Go Tulsa !!   

The Tulsa Drillers are the Double A affiliate of the National League Champion Colorado Rockies and play in the historic Texas League.  The new ball park enjoys a fine view of Tulsa's Skyline.

Skywatch Friday - Riverpark on Arkansas River

It is a beautiful day to walk, run, or bicycle down the trails of Tulsa's Riverpark.

The trails have been resurfaced this year with new lighting and improved landscaping.  The Tulsa Parks Department has made a good thing better.

Natureworks Along the River Park - Bear Family

All along the Riverpark are heroic-sized, realistic bronze wildlife monuments created by Natureworks for the City of Tulsa. There are nearly 2 dozen of these monuments prominently located throughout the Riverpark area. These bears are fishing in a waterfall located in the northwest cornet of the intersection of 71st Street and Riverside Drive.

Wordless Wednesday - Doors to Old Central High School

The Main Doors to Old Central High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Central High School in downtown Tulsa was opened in 1917 and expanded in 1922.  It replaced an earlier building built in 1906.  As Tulsa grew, additional high schools were built farther from the city center and by 1976 Central was closed as a school and purchased by the Public Service Company of Oklahoma (PSO).  After a complete renovation and extensive interior modifications, it now  serves as PSO's headquarters.   In November 2007, PSO received the  Foundation Landmark Award from the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture for  preservation of the building as a significant part of Tulsa’s heritage.


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Ruby Tuesday - Japanese Flowering Quince

One of the early colorful shrubs is this Japanese Flowering Quince also known as Japonica.

This is very hardy and can grow quite large if left  untrimmed.  It sometimes bears small red fruit and protects itself with thorns.  It is a Chaenomeles and part of the same Rosaceae family as apples, strawberries and roses.  This particular variety is correctly named Chaenomeles Superba.

For other shades of red from all over check out Ruby Tuesday.

Play Ball! New Driller Stadium

If there is anything better than a baseball game it's an afternoon Baseball game on a beautiful spring day.  Susan's brother Alan and his wife Virginia are visiting us from Maryland. Sunday afternoon we took them to see the Tulsa Drillers and the San Antonio Missions play ball in the brand new ONEOK Field.  Opening night was Thursday evening which was a sellout.  It was a gorgeous day.



When you walk into the new field you are on the main concourse level with the playing field laid out below ground level.  This is where the handicapped seats are located which could not be more convenient.  This row of open seating extends all around the stadium which means that anyone can sit there.  This is much better than the old stadium.  The concession stands are on the back side of the concourse which means that food and drinks can be purchased while keeping an eye on the ballgame.

The most impressive part of the new location is that the great downtown Tulsa Skyline is visible from all over the park.  This will be even more spectacular during night games when all the lights are on downtown.  I have to admit that my first reaction to building a new baseball stadium was "what's the matter with the old one?"  Now that it is built and we see how nice everything is we are converts.  This is great!

What made it even better was that Tulsa won by a score of 9 to 6. Tulsa usually does well but it really doesn't matter that much to me who wins. I love the baseball experience. The field is beautiful, the stadium food is good, and I love baseball. There is plenty of excitement but the pace is relaxing enough to carry on a conversation with your friends while watching the game. We had a great time. And did I mention that the seats were only $10 a person? What a bargain!

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle - Spring in Full Bloom

Driving through Tulsa's older neighborhoods is a celebration of spring color.

This lovely garden has both white and red Azaleas starting to show, a white Redbud tree (yes, they come in several colors), and in the distance a yellow Forsythia.  Later in the season that big Magnolia tree will bloom.

When the spring weather warms gradually we see flowers appear in a particular sequence. This year with some late cold weather followed by unusually warm weather everything seems to be blooming at once. As my friend Yogi said, we are having a simultaneous instead of a sequential spring this year