Summer Flowers

Zinnias and Marigolds - summer favorites.

Wordless Wednesday

First Street and Elgin Avenue, Tulsa, Oklahoma

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Killdeer

I was in a church parking lot trying to get a good angle on something across the street when I startled up a couple of Killdeer. These energetic birds always seem to be where you don't expect them. They way they were hopping around I imagine they had a nest nearby. I had to look up a bit of information about them

Killdeer are shorebirds you can see without going to the beach, Killdeer are graceful plovers common to lawns, golf courses, athletic fields, parking lots and even gravel bars. These tawny birds run across the ground in spurts, stopping with a jolt every so often to check their progress, or to see if they’ve startled up any insect prey. Their voice, a far-carrying, excited "kill-deer", is a common sound even after dark, often given in flight as the bird circles overhead on slender wings.

Killdeer have the characteristic large, round head, large eye ringed with rusty red, and short bill of all plovers. They are especially slender and lanky, with a long, pointed tail and long wings. Brownish-tan on top and white below. The white chest is barred with two black bands, and the brown face is marked with black and white patches. The bright orange-buff rump is conspicuous in flight.



Killdeer spend their time walking along the ground or running ahead a few steps, stopping to look around, and running on again. When disturbed they break into flight and circle overhead, calling repeatedly. Their flight is rapid, with stiff, intermittent wingbeats.

Look for Killdeer on open ground with low vegetation (or no vegetation at all), including lawns, golf courses, driveways, parking lots, and gravel-covered roofs, as well as pastures, fields, sandbars and mudflats. This species is one of the least water-associated of all shorebirds. (Excerpted from The Cornell Lab of Ornithology)

Trinity Episcopal Church

501 South Cincinnati Avenue - Rear view from Detroit.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

Bank of Oklahoma, 31st & Harvard, Tulsa

Progress on the Ball Park

Sue and I went to the Blue Dome Diner for breakfast this morning. Since the new ball park is only a few blocks away we decided to check on the progress. Despite a lot of rain recently it is begining to look like a ball park. The overall structure of the stadium is up and the infield is laid out. It is supposed to be complete by the start of the 2010 season and it looks like they are on track.

Knock Knock, Who's There?

Why it's my friend Smokey at my back door. Come in Dog.

Bare Bones Dune Buggy

Joe and Ann say their Volkswagon Dune Buggy is a lot of fun to drive. I have no reason to doubt them. It looks like fun to me.


This nifty little dune buggy is basically a Volkswagen drive train mounted in a custom built tubular frame. Very impressive. This is the kind of toys that we boys dream about.

Wordless Wednesday

Bird On A Wire

Oh like a bird on the wire,
like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.

Leonard Cohen

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Saint Jerome Anglican Church

Saturday afternoon Susan and I attended an open house sponsored by the Tulsa Preservation Commission. It was held at the Parish Church of St. Jerome at 205 West King Street in Tulsa. The building was formerly a Presbyterian church and is one of the oldest in Tulsa. This beautiful window is behind the altar.

The open house was of great interest to me because it allowed me to meet some people from the Tulsa Historical Society, the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture, and the Tulsa Preservation Commission. These organizations share my interest in Tulsa history and can provide information that allows me to post to my Historic Tulsa Blog.

Crepe Myrtle, Au Naturel

Here is a Crepe Myrtle strong, tall, and in full bloom. There was a bad rumor spread around that Myrtles ought to be severely pruned back every year to prevent them from becoming tall and ungainly. The counter argument is this healthy specimen which has grown tall and lush with a full head of bloom. You see, the Crepe Myrtle is actually a tree rather than a shrub, and it feels ill-treated if pruned too harshly. Let the poor thing grow and it will thank you for it.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

One of many lovely Tulsa homes.
An easy puzzle this week.

Wild Clematis

I have wild Clematis growing up and over my Rose of Sharon bushes. When I first noticed the vines growing over the Rose of Sharon I intended to pull them down but procrastinated. Now I'm glad I let them grow.


It has made a lovely crown of white blossoms which contrast nicely with the purple Rose of Sharon. They also attract hummingbirds which I enjoy very much. Besides being pleasant to the eye, they are lightly fragrant.

Woolaroc - The Museum

Woolaroc was the 3,700 acre (1,498 hectare) ranch of Frank Phillips, one of three Phillips brothers who founded the Phillips Petroleum Company in 1917. This ranch and the lavish log cabin mansion which he called his "Hunting Lodge" was begun in 1925. As Frank acquired artifacts and interesting animals the museum and animal park evolved until in 1938 a professional museum director was hired to oversee the collection. Although Frank died in 1950, the museum has continued to grow and expand under the direction of the Frank Phillips Foundation.


The main part of the museum is faced with native sandstone. It has been expanded several times and features a two story display of the historic Woolaroc airplane that flew non-stop from Oakland, California to Honolulu, Hawaii in twenty-six hours, seventeen minutes on August 24-25, 1927. There is an excellent Woolaroc website which is well worth reading. The section with the history is HERE.


Native sandstone was very commonly used as a building material around the time that the museum was built. I have never seen stones pieced together so tightly that almost no mortar is visible.


The large bronze statue is titled "Giving Thanks for Rain". It is a recognition of the disastrous drought of the dust bowl days of the 1930s.


This is a recent addition to the several museum buildings on site. It combines the log cabin and sandstone style of the older buildings. This is nice stone work but does not have the tight fit of the originals. This kind of stone work is visible all over the ranch, even on road drainage and culverts.

But where are the pictures from inside the museum you may ask? Well, the truth is that we didn't go inside, we just drove around the ranch and took pictures of the animals. It was too hot to leave Smokey in the car and Susan did not feel up to pushing me around in my chair so we did all our picture taking from inside the car. You will have to wait for another time.

Woolaroc Animal Park

Woolaroc has a rather rare cross between a horse and a zebra. Is it a Zorse? Is it a Hebra?



These are young Elk.



Japanese Sika deer. A Llama.



Brahma Cattle


This is a Watusi bull. These horns can grow to weigh 100 pounds. This is a youngster.

Wordless Wednesday

Japanese Sika Deer, Woolaroc, Osage County, Oklahoma

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Woolaroc: Woods, Lakes, and Rocks

Woolaroc was established in 1925 as the ranch retreat of oilman Frank Phillips. The ranch is a 3,700 acre wildlife preserve. Here a spring makes a lovely waterfall as it empties into one of the lakes.




There are actually 3 lakes stepping across the property.


The white buffalo was onsidered sacred by the native Indians who first lived here. This is actually a cast fiberglass buffalo. There are 15 of these to be "adopted" by various organizations as part of the Bartlesville Buffalo Stampede. Each is painted in a distinctive manner by the organization with the proceeds going to a charity. The Tulsa World had a nice article on the Buffalo Stampede.

Smokey and the Ostriches

The gounds of Woolaroc are an animal park with many interesting animals not native to Oklahoma. One of the fenced off areas holds a number of Ostriches. Several were standing near the fence and we pulled over for a better look.


Most of you know our dog Smokey. Despite the fact that he is a pit bull terrier, he is a contender for the title of Worlds Mellowest Dog. He very seldom barks at anything and I have never heard him growl. He loves to ride in the car and usually stands behind the center console and lies across it so he can look out the front window to see where we are going. When we stopped to look at the Ostriches he stepped back to look out the side window at what he must of thought were exceptionally large chickens.


They looked at Smokey and Smokey looked at them, then he began to bark and growl. I can honestly say that I have never heard him growl before. He was not sure what these creatures were but he was prepared to protect us from them. The Ostriches did not seem particularly impressed by Smokey but were hoping we had something for them to eat. I think these were young birds from looking at their plumage. As we drove away Smokey gave a woof that seemed to say, "there, I guess I showed them!"

Sunday Afternoon Escape

Jeff came down from Missouri to see Jenny and the kids. After church Susan, Smokey, and I decided to give them some space and we drove up to Bartlesville to have lunch and visit Wolaroc. We had a really nice Sunday afternoon.


The last time we were up here we discovered a little Chinese restaurant that had all 3 of the most important qualifications to be one of my favorites. It has really good food, reasonable prices and nice service. I ordered shrimp with lobster sauce and Susan ordered Hunan pork. Of course we shared with each other and both were delicious. Our server Heidi was very sweet and we enjoyed it very much.


After this nice lunch we drove west from Bartlesville to Woolaroc. Tulsa is at the far western edge of the foothills of the Ozark mountains. When we drive north to Bartlesville then go west from there, we are at the far eastern edge of the Great Plains. The land is flat and rolls off in the distance as far as you can see. The farther west you go, the flatter it gets. It has an open quality and the sky looks huge. There is a lot of breathing room here.


Woolaroc is the ranch of Oklahoma oil man Frank Phillips, one of the brothers who created Phillips Petroleum. He named it Woolaroc because it contained Woods. lakes and rocks. There is a lot to see here. Frank had his home here, a log cabin mansion. There is a terrific museum with Native American and Western art and historical artifacts. Several new galleries have been added since the last time we were up here maybe 4 years ago. The ranch itself is an animal park with all sorts of exotic animals. I took so many cool photos that it is too much for one post. I will share them over the next few days. Stay tuned for Smokey meets the big chickens.

Sunday Jigsaw Puzzle

On the deck of the Holland America ship the Maasdam, just off of Halifax, NS. Enjoy!

Sycamores

A soft green tunnel of Sycamore Trees in mid-town Tulsa.

Yellow Trumpet Vine

Trumpet Vine is indigenous to this part of the country and grows very quickly. It is often seen growing on a wall or a fence. It can easily grow to the top of a utility pole. This home owner has built a little trellis and trained the vine to arch across the entrance. It is best to plant these where they are limited in where they spread as they will take over a garden.


The more common color is orange but there are yellow and red varieties as well. The flowers produce a lot of nectar and are a favorite with hummingbirds. After the blooms mature and wither large seed pods or "beans" hang down. I remember playing with these when I was a kid.

Dinner with Gavin

Mike and Amber brought Gavin over for dinner tonight and I cooked some pork steaks on the grill. It is always nice to see young Mr Gavin.

Wordless Wednesday

A mild summer evening at Tulsa's Chandler Park.

More Wordless Wednesday.

Tulsa Animal Shelter

It is a little hard to find the City of Tulsa Animal Shelter or the Dog Pound as we used to call it. It is in the far north of the city up near the zoo. This is where animals of all sorts are taken when found loose.


Several years ago Smokey got out of the yard one afternoon and before I knew it he had been nabbed by the dog catcher. I immediately ran up there to fetch him and was told that the truck with the day's catch had not returned and that I would have to come back the next day after he had been processed. I went back as soon as they opened in the morning to bail him out.

There he was sitting in one of the cages looking very sad and a little embarrassed with a big yellow number tag on his butt. No matter that my name and phone number was on his collar, or that he was wearing his vaccination and registration tags, he was out of his yard and breaking the law. It cost me $90 to bail him out and I had a hard time getting the sticker off.


Smokey was very embarrassed and promised he wouldn't do it again. I was just glad he was safe and that I got him back. Animals that are picked up by the city are only kept for a week or so. Unclaimed dogs and cats are available for adoption and the lucky ones find homes or are reclaimed by their owners.