The next best thing to hiking a remote forest trail is driving a remote back road seeing where it goes. I never get tired of it. Back when I was building natural gas pipelines in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi I drove all sorts of back roads, many of them ruts. I got stuck several times and I had to get myself out. That was back before cell phones. One had to be resourceful and have a shovel in the trunk. It was a grand time. I met a lot of really nice people. My strategy on buying right of way was to just not leave until I was asked to do so. I learned all about farming crawfish in south Lousiana, grass turf farming in Texas, and importance of blackland prairies in Mississippi.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
Skywatch Friday - Driving the Backroads Edition 19 December 2024
The next best thing to hiking a remote forest trail is driving a remote back road seeing where it goes. I never get tired of it. Back when I was building natural gas pipelines in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, and Mississippi I drove all sorts of back roads, many of them ruts. I got stuck several times and I had to get myself out. That was back before cell phones. One had to be resourceful and have a shovel in the trunk. It was a grand time. I met a lot of really nice people. My strategy on buying right of way was to just not leave until I was asked to do so. I learned all about farming crawfish in south Lousiana, grass turf farming in Texas, and importance of blackland prairies in Mississippi.
Thursday, December 12, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 12 December 2024 Edition
From back before I retired. A fridgid morning at the gym. I hope everyone is doing well.
Thursday, December 5, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 5 December 2024 Edition
Another month starting up with Skywatch Friday. Thank you to everybody who participates!! Used to be in Oklahoma that we got a lot of snow in November and December (and the rest of winter as well.) Now we hardly get any. But don't worry, global climate change is supposed to be a hoax. Actually I worry about it.
This photo is from my front porch ten years ago. And yes I modified it with a filter. I do that a lot in case you hadn't noticed.
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 2024 USA Thanksgiving Edition
It's Thanksgiving Day in the USA today. Time for families to gather, share a meal and express gratitude for their blessings. Maybe also watch some football, take a family walk and maybe eat too much, watch some football.
Thursday, November 21, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 21 November 2024 Edition
I hope everybody is having a good week. Next week is the USA Thanksgiving. I'm thinking every day should be a Thanksgving Day.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 14 November 2024 Edition
Fall is a wonderful time for skies. Skies with Fall Color is a double bonus. Here in Oklahoma the fall color lasts until a big wind appears, and if Oklahoma has anything, it has wind.
Thursday, November 7, 2024
Thursday, October 31, 2024
Skywatch Friday - Halloween 2024 Double Edition
From a family fall break trip years ago to Kansas City. We went to Powell Gardens and they had lots of Halloween oriented displays.
My son and his friend at their school years ago. It was a non-denominational private school and they went all out for Halloween. I guess all the kids are okay, not a devil worshipper one among them, as far as I know.
I love Halloween, it is the perfect holiday. You don't have to buy anybody anything, the weather is still decent most places, and nobody feels sorry for you if you can't make it home for the holiday.
Thursday, October 24, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 24 October 2024 Edition
This photo is from a campout on Tulsa's Turkey Mountain about ten years ago. They used to do that as a fund raiser. I volunteered that particular year. I spent all day directing traffic in and out of the parking lot, chasing down spears, arrows, and other projectiles in the children's area, stringing up lights in the "enchanted forest walk" and other duties. At night they had music groups and bonfires. Some guys in a drumming circle climbed up to the top of the mountain and drummed. The next morning there was yoga and coffee. It was fun. I never did it again just because of scheduling conflicts with other things I was doing. I think they quit during covid and haven't started up again nor do they plan to do so. There other similar campouts in some of the other Tulsa parks. It's okay, I got rid of all my camping gear. Camping is fun, but not that much fun. Here is my post of the event in case you are interested.
Thursday, October 17, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 17 October 2024 Edition
Fall color is just barely beginning to appear here in Oklahoma. This past Wednesday is the first day since Spring when we didn't run our air conditioner. Warm days and cool nights goes on for a long time here in Tulsa, sometimes well past Thanksgiving.
Thursday, October 10, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 10 October 2024 Edition
An Autumn Skywatch Baseball Field Shot at my son's high school baseball field in Tulsa back in 2014.
Thursday, October 3, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 3 October 2024 Edition
Downtown Tulsa from my old office, complete with internal reflection. I took this photo ten years ago and have never used for it anything so here it is. Lots of my photos have imperfections like the reflection but hey I am not a photographer, I'm a picture taker.
I took the photo in 2014. Below is a similar photo taken in 1929. It is a US Navy Dirigible, the USS Los Angeles flying over Tulsa. A popular urban legend in Tulsa is that the buidling to the left was designed to be a dirigible docking station. However there is no evidence to support that. I find it remarkable though that almost all the buildings in the 1929 photo are still standing and being used.
(Photo courtesy of The Beryl Ford Collection/Rotary Club of Tulsa, Tulsa City-County Library and Tulsa Historical Society.)
Thursday, September 26, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 26 September 2024 Edition
Finally! We have morning jacket weather here in Oklahoma. We'll get some relief on our electric bills because the air conditioner isn't running all the time. We will have high 70's to 80's in the afternoons so it will still be shorts weather for me. I will wear shorts until the highs are in the 50's.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 19 September 2024
My life now is completely different from my working life before I retired. I used to get up and 5:15, go to the gym or run outside, and then dash to my favorite coffee shop for a bagel and a cup of coffee before going to work to start at 8 am. This shot is from ten years ago from the front door of the coffeeshop. No getting up early for me any longer!!
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 12 September 2024 Edition
The "old" Pedestrian Bridge over the Arkansas River as it looked in 2014. It was deemed unsafe and torn down and now we have a brand spanking new bridge. It's okay if I liked the old bridge and the new one isn't it?
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 5 September 2024 Edition
Here in Oklahoma summer is starting to give way to autumn. The morning temperatures are declining along with the humidity. The highs are down in the low 90's and mid 80's. Autumn here, especially with the globar warming we are seeing, now lasts into early December. It's my favorite time of year.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 29 August 2024 Edition
A grain elevator in Flandreau, South Dakota. These are scattered all over the plains states from the Dakotas down to Texas. There are less of them every year. I took this photo in 2014 and
Thursday, August 22, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 22 August 2024 Edition
A summer storm spinning up near Denver International Airport in August 2014.
Thursday, August 15, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 15 August 2024 Edition
Another week, another Skywatch Friday. I wasn't able to visit and comment on the entries the last two editions. We went on a family vacation up in the mountains and it just wasn't conducive to blogging. I am back home now and in business.
Thursday, August 8, 2024
Thursday, August 1, 2024
Thursday, July 25, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 25 July 2024 Edition
This photo is from ten years ago. It was shot through a dirty windshield while driving on my in-laws ranch in western Oklahoma. I called it a Cowscape. Western Oklahoma has some big skies, and lots of cows.
Welcome to Skywatch Friday. We start up every Thursday at 12:30 USA CDST and keep it going until 12 noon the following Thursday. The only thing we ask is to play nice, or at least try. And put a backlink to this site in your post.
Thursday, July 18, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 18 July 20187 Edition
The above is a photo from ten years ago of the running trail on the west bank of the Arkanas River as it flows through Tulsa, Oklahoma. Lots on the river as changed but this area, shown in the photo, is pretty much unchanged.
Welcome to another round of Skywatch Friday. We start up every Thursday afternoon at 12:30 local Tulsa time. (Central DST as of now) and keep it open until 12 noon the next Thursday. Everybody is welcome as long as you play nice.
Thursday, July 11, 2024
Skywatch Friday - Wyoming Statehood Day Edition
I missed by a day, Wyoming became a state on July 10, 1890. I think it is fitting. Wyoming with all its mountains and prairies, forests, and lakes sure has lots of opportunities for Skywatch photos. The photo above is from 2019 at Taggert Lake in the Grand Teton National Park. That was the last time I was there. I would sure like to return. The contributors to Skywatch are from all over the world and I would like to visit those places as well.
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Skywatch Friday - USA Independence Day 2024 Edition
So July 4 is a special day in the USA. It's Independence Day where we celebrate our Declaration of Independence back in 1776. I love Independence Day and all it stands for. I am all for any nation that breaks the bonds of imperialism and starts out on their own.
We have a lot of drama going on in the USA but we'll get through it. One way or another.
In the meantime we'll take the day off and go see some fireworks. Wednesday night a Tulsa suburb is having a drone show Wednesday night so maybe my SWF post will have some of that. I have never seen one and I expect it will be very cool. Plus storms are predicted for Thursday night so the July 4th fireworks shows may not happen.
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 27 June 2024 Edition
Sorry for the blurry image. One of these strange looking skies we get in Oklahoma when it is best to have a shelter handy in case you need it. This one is from ten years ago so I guess I survived.
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 20 June 2024 Edition
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| Work being done on Tulsa's Riveparks Trails, June 2014 |
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Skwyatch Friday - 13 June 2024 Edition
Welcome to another edition of Skywatch Friday. This is a shot from Orange Beach, Alabama where we often go on our family vacation. We are going somewhere else this year. Don't know where yet but maybe in the desert southwest or the mountains or something like that. Just for a change. I took a couple trips last year one to Arizona and one to New Mexico and it hit me that I really miss the southwest. I grew up as a forest ranger's son in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The Gulf Coast is great but I feel the need to see the west. Stay tuned to see where we go.
Thursday, June 6, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 6 June 2024 Edition
Summer's here, maybe not officially but effectively. School's out, lets go somewhere. We did that ten years ago when we went to the Beach for our vacation in June. Sometimes we go early, sometimes we go late. We are going to try and figure out something else for vacation this year. You have any suggestions?
It turns out I tagged this photo with "beach squalor." Not far from the truth. No editing done to save this masterpiece.
Also, in setting the linky up for the next SWF I notice that I closed it a day early in the linky. Sorry for the inconvenience! I feel bad about it.
Thursday, May 30, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 30 May 2024 Edition
A skywwatching graffiti shot, complete with powerlines. Tulsa has a "permission zone" for graffiti at a local liquor store that seems to be open for a while and then closed for a long while and then open again. The graffiti artists just keep doing their thing regardless of what the store does. The power lines are always there. Skywatchin in the suburbs, well you just have to accept the lines in the air.
Thursday, May 23, 2024
Thursday, May 16, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 16 May 2024 Edition
Another week, another Skywtach Friday. Unlike some years we have had lots of weather this month and last here in Oklahoma including a few deadly ones including an F4 tornado that struck nearby Barnsdall, Oklahoma early this month. I have friends here in Tulsa who had relatives in Morris, Oklahoma which suferred a tornado last month, thankfully despite lots of property damage there were no fatalities.
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 9 May 2024 Editionj
My son, Logan riding a horse from back in the day at a stable north of Tulsa.
Thursday, May 2, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 2 May 2024 Edition
A view out my office window from ten years ago before I retired. My window looked west toward the Arkansas River and over the years I took lots and lots of photos out of it especially during the non-daily savings time months. Now, I use a drone flying straight up out of my backyard to get the photos from an elevation.
We have just finished a wild and wooly several days in Oklahoma starting last Saturday when we had twenty five tornadoes scattered from one end of the state to the other. Last night we had another round of storms move through although I don't think we had any tornadoes. Springtime in Oklahoma is wild, wooly, and wet sometimes.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 25 April 2024 Edition
Last week I posted about a trip to Woolaroc. This is a photo of a trip our family took nine years ago. (I used a filter on it.) It's a timeless place.
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 18 April 2024 Edition
Sunrise in April, twelve years ago. I have no rembrance of what I was doing up so early. It is totally unlike me.
Thursday, April 11, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 11 April 2024 Edition
A view from my bike cam a few years ago during a ride one evening on the Katy Trail west of downtown Tulsa after work. The Katy Trail is a former railroad right of way converted for pedestrian and bicycle use.
Thursday, April 4, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 4 April 2024 Edition
Photo from a few years ago during one of my walks in Tulsa in April. April is such a hopeful month. It's generally warm but not hot so it is time to get out and walk a little bit. Everything is fresh and green and baseball starts. What more can one ask for in a month.
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 28 March 2023 Edition
I can't tell you how many hours and miles I have spent on Tulsa's Turkey Mountain over the years. I never get tired of it. Before I retired, I used to run and hike their after work at least once a week in all kinds of weather. I never get tired of it. This photo is from ten years ago when I captued a sunset after work.
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 21 March 2024 Edition
It's officially Spring in the northern hemisphere and we are warming up nicely in northeast Oklahoma.
Thank you for participating. We open up Thursdays at 12:30 PM USA CDST and stay open until noon the next Thursday.
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 14 March 2024 Edition
A view of a sculpture at a place called "Top of the Rock" near Branson, Missouri. Taken while on a spring break trip a few years ago.
Welcome to Skywatch Friday. I appreciate your participation. We open up Thursdays at 12:30 USA Central DST and stay open until the following Thursday at noon.
Thursday, March 7, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 7 March 2024 Edition
Late in the evening a few years ago on an after work run on the trails along the Arkansas River.
Thank you for participating in Skywatch Friday. A gentle corner of the internet where never a discouraging word is heard.We start up ever Thursday at 12:30 PM Central US time and stay open until noon the following Thursday. Next week we have Daylight Savings Time in Oklahoma so keep that in mind.
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 2024 Leap Day Edition
Hey it's Leap Day today. I read that people born on February 29 are called Leaplings and regard themselves as being special. Of course they are! I think everybody is special. Are you a leapling? Do you know anybody who is? I can't say that I do. Anyway, Happy Birthday to all the Leaplings out there. I salute you.
Thank you for participating. Try and visit as many other skywatchers as you can. We open up a new edition every Thursday afternoon at 12:30 Midwest USA time and keep it going until noon the following Thursday.
Thursday, February 22, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 22 February 2024 Edition
Thank you for participating in Skywatch Friday. We start a new edition every Thursday at 12:30 PM US Central Time and keep it going until noon the following Thursday. All are welcome. If you are an instagram user, you can post instagram posts here as well. I've been known to do it from time to time.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 15 February 2024 Edition
The Prayer Tower at Oral Roberts University in Tulsa. Designed as a futuristic three dimensional cross in a style known as Googie Architecture. The whole campus is an architectural marvel.
Thank you for participating in Skywatch Friday. We open every Thursday at 12:30 USA Central Time and keep it open until noon the following Thursday.
Thursday, February 8, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 8 February 2024 Edition
Back when I worked, I was on the 17th floor of an office building that faced northwest, right down the Arkansas River as it come into town before it turned south. So twice a year, the setting sun would line up with the river, and I worked until 6 when it was dark so I would try and catch the sunset. So now I am retired and I don't have a good view of the river but I have a drone so I can send it aloft to catch sunsets from about the same height.
Thank you for participating in Skywatch Friday. We open up every Thursday at 12:30 PM, local Tulsa (central US) time and keep it open until the next week at noon.
Thursday, February 1, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 1 February 2024 Edition
A grainy image made by my pinhole camera of the iconic Praying Hands sculpture at Tulsa's Oral Roberts University. (Many ORU students and alumni prefer to call the image "Healing Hands." A pinhole camera has just a small pinhole for a lens so you have to use a tripod and a manual shutter along with an exposure meter. This probably took about two seconds of exposure. The images are very grainy but I love them. I haven't used my pinhole camera in a long time.
Thanks for participating in Skywatch Friday. One of the gentle photoblogger corners of the internet. We open every Thursday at 12:30 US Central Time and keep it going on until the following Thursday at 12 noon.
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Skywatch Friday - 25 January 2024 Edition
January's weather so far has been blah here in Oklahoma! The only thing keeping
me going is our fellow skywatchers in the southern hemisphere posting photos of the sunny beaches and warm weather. Keep it up!!
Normally I get outside no matter the weather but this year is different. It got bitterly cold, then it go wet. After my "Leave No Trace" training I don't hike in the mud any longer and didn't feel like walking on a paved trail so I've been hitting the gym's elliptical and stationary bike machines hard. All this to say that I am not out photographing the outdoors like I usually do. Plus I got exposed to covid so I couldn't even go to the gym for five days. Oh well!!
I appreciate your participation. SWF starts up on 12:30 PM Tulsa time on Thursdays and it stays open until 12 noon the following Thursday.
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