Expedition Oklahoma

The Oklahoma City Zoo

Finally! After having this page about Oklahoma for nearly two years...I made it to the OKC Zoo with my boys.  The entrance prices are less than a movie and well worth the visit!  You can even bring your own coolers in.  http://www.okczoo.com/

The zoo is great but its built in loops and circles,  so if you're not used to it navigating is a challenge! 

The sweet Lorikeet exhibit which the boys loved!

I remember taking the kids to the zoo when we had to battle strollers, kids who were tired after walking through one part of the zoo and tears.  It is much easier when your "baby" is six foot tall.  You don't lose this kid in a crowd! 

Silly birds 

The boys loved the birds!

I want these! In my yard! 

I love Flamingos! 

Look at Mr. Rhino! Not a Republican in Name Only- either... 

Yup...  I'm voting for this side in 2012.

Gorillas!

 

We had a good day, didn't walk through the whole zoo but we did head next door to the Science Museum afterwards! 

 

 

Out Shooting

Yesterday my Brother...and my Sort of Other Brother...  and Sister went out shooting. I went out shooting too. I shot my Sister's gun and decided I probably couldn't use that one, but I shot the .22 and it wasn't so bad. I also took my high powered Canon out and shot that plenty, here are my targets.  

The target...  

My Sister's purple gun... I want a pink one.  But a revolver.  

My little shooter.  He can actually hit the target.  

She's a little bit crazy...and armed.  Be careful people.  That's my sister.  Ha! 

Bang!

The Boys...  the older boys..not the little boys. 

It didn't work! 

It worked for Al... 

Waurika Lake Evening

The other evening my husband and I drove out by Waurika lake near Comanche, we didn't make it in time to watch the sunset but we tried...

It was so hot last summer that we barely had any time on the lakes like we normally do...Maybe this summer! 

Waurika Lake is a 10,000 acre lake.  You may have heard of it, on that show "Hillbilly Hand Fishin'"  - which I hope to get photos of this summer... as in my Husband noodling....  He knows this, but I will remind him.  

 

Deer at Dusk near Comanche

a few shots of some deer that were out last night...

It's Not Easy Being Green

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.  ~Proverb  What a beautiful morning it was!  
Spring shows what God can do with a drab and dirty world.  ~Virgil A. Kraft

From the other evening on Highway 7 headed towards Lawton, a rain wrapped Mount Scott.  

Every spring is the only spring - a perpetual astonishment.  ~Ellis Peters

The naked earth is warm with Spring,
And with green grass and bursting trees
Leans to the sun's kiss glorying,
And quivers in the sunny breeze.
~Julian Grenfell

After a Summer of misery and horrible heat and no green grass, Spring and Winter have brought lawns to mow and a very lush, verdant March in Oklahoma.  

Now every field is clothed with grass, and every tree with leaves; now the woods put forth their blossoms, and the year assumes its gay attire.  ~Virgil

The seasons are what a symphony ought to be:  four perfect movements in harmony with each other.  ~Arthur Rubenstein

To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.  ~George Santayana

I go about looking at horses and cattle.  They eat grass, make love, work when they have to, bear their young.  I am sick with envy of them.  ~Sherwood Anderson

Cows and horses...typical photography for me.   But, I like cows, for dinner.  I like horses, but only to look at.  I don't care for riding horses, they make me nervous. 

A dog may be man's best friend, but the horse wrote history.  ~Author Unknown

Happiness is the feeling you're feeling when you want to keep feeling it.  ~Author Unknown

Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.  ~Don Herold

18 Days...

It has been 18 days since I've been out to photograph anything.  I haven't been in the mood.  Today I took my camera and went for a walk in the back pasture on our property. 

 

These guys were happy to be going today!

 

 

 

Spring is here in Oklahoma.  Winter was unusually warm and green after a summer of misery in 2011.  

 

 

I love the brand new leaves sprouting out... 

 

This is the first day I've felt like photographing anything in the last couple of weeks and that is a good feeling. 

 

 

 

Out on the back of the property is a creek and a rocky/canyon area.  Which is filled with brambles.  It is really pretty after a nice rain and the creek is bubbling over small rocky outcroppings.  I decided to go climb on these rocks.  I also decided that surely there had to be some petroglyphs or something interesting, exciting and historical. Indiana Jones I am not,  rock climber extraordinaire I am not either.   I watched my fisheye lense drop 20 feet down and fortunately not fall into the babbling brooke.  

 

Yes, I decided I wanted to climb to the top of this rock, nevermind the brambles. I figured they didn't matter too much...

 

 

 

I was almost there...I had my fingers in the weathered away places..  I was determined.  Then.. my $630  precious fisheye lens went flying out of the pocket of my hoodie...down, down, down...not into the creek.  Thank God.  **note you shouldn't carry lenses in a open pocket. 

 

 

Pride goes before a fall....  Doggies were trying to go up. Person sliding down... 

 

 

My adventure.  I'm sore now after sliding down that very steep hill.  Rock climber adventurer I was not.  

 

 

Fisheye view of the creek... a pretty afternoon. 

 

 

It is nice, if you can brave the brambles to go down to walk along the creek.  

 

by now, I gave up on keeping my feet dry.  

 

I hope you enjoy some of these photos of my world out in the sticks.