Expedition Oklahoma

The Pleasure Pier in Galveston

Oh, how nice it would be to be swimming in the ocean today.  Except I'm tired. My husband and I headed out for more kid free fun after a quick shower at the hotel and a change of clothes.He likes amusement parks and roller coasters.  I tolerate them, but I love the look of this one on the pier and I love photographing amusement parks because of their bold, bright colors and happy atmosphere. 

See those swings?  See them - up there in the air.  Yeah, no way in hell would I go get on one of those things.  Nope, never.  

And here we are, only $20 park entry and you could leave and re-enter the pier for the day.  We got there at a time when there were relatively few people there and there were no lines for the rides. It was great. 

A photographer approaches a couple playing on the beach with their dogs.  

It's a pretty neat place to go if you get the opportunity.  

Go on the pier win your sweetheart a stuffed snake. 

or ride the roller coaster...

Another ride I have no desire to ride on. 

 

I just found a video of the Tornado coverage that I was watching on Monday afternoon which is in my hometown of Bray.  Tornado in Bray Oklahoma.  But the photo above is of the ferris wheel, one of the few rides which I will ride at amusement parks. 

Here are some views of Galveston from the Ferris Wheel. 

I didn't mind being this high up on the Ferris Wheel.  

It amazes me that we have miles and miles of coastline in the United States and yet people fly off to islands or go to Mexico to experience their beaches.  Being raised in a landlocked state going to any beach is a treat. 

Last weekend was great. My sunburn is finally to the itchy stage.  I'm still tired but allergies make me miserable this time of year anyways. 

These are the swings that I rode on.  

These are the swings my husband rode on.  Not in a million years will I swing that high at forty miles an hour. 

Nope, still no thanks. Oh, here is the official website for the Pleasure Pier

That doesn't even look fun to me.   But I guess there are alot of people that like rides like that.  We won't talk about my viking boat experience, no it wasn't cute. 

The beauty queens were out in Galveston on May 17th. 

More beauty queens on the pier. 

We went in the candy shop.  

I found a big Sugar Daddy in the candy shop.  

One more shot. We were there until dark but the camera went to the car about this time. I was too exhausted to bother with night shots of the pier by the time we left.  

 

 

 

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Oklahoma is Our Home

What can I write about today?  What can I say?  I could write about the tornado that struck Moore and the incredible outpouring of help and compassion shown by not only other Oklahomans but the world.  I, as a photographer really am fascinated by natural disasters and the power of mother nature, but I have little desire to photograph other's devastation or pain. As Oklahomans we all know that the disaster could have been any one of us.  We all live our springs on the edge of danger, carefully watching the clouds and monitoring the weather like it were a great athletic championship game. We teach our small children where to go in a storm and what to watch for in the clouds.  We take Gary England seriously when he says to get underground and take cover.  He's our local weather superstar. But, despite the risks of the weather we still love Oklahoma, our home.  

The storm continued and by afternoon the rain moved on and we headed out for a drive to see how full the creeks were.  

I am not going to write a post about tornadoes and Oklahoma and the damage that has already been done.  I will show you what my part of Oklahoma looked like today.  The earth brought to life by the drenching rains, the flowering earth and the air that was filled with the sweet smell of spring.  We needed this rain.  Oklahoma is a beautiful state if you've never been here.  It is a land of plains, forests and mountains, desert and water. Oklahoma was a scary place yesterday as tornado sirens blared outside of my home and my shaking, scared children feared they too, could lose their home.  But our fear quickly passed and we spent the evening obsessing over the news and seeing the tragedy that unfolded just an hour away from us.  

Moore was devastated.  If you're interested in donating to the Tornado relief please check out this website: Tornado Relief Information from OU

It is a beautiful site seeing the water fill our often too dry creek beds.  I do believe that some of our drought problems are man-made.  We have dammed our rivers and creeks to make man-made lakes and resevoirs and forget that we have changed the earth, we've taken water that for millions of years that carved its way throughout our world in it's channels and streams and stopped it.  We've altered the environment, yet we don't speak of this because we need our water and we can't imagine the world without our lakes which are the product of man.  

The water was rushing under this bridge, I thought it was impressive until we drove down the road to another bridge. Here is another facebook page which is compiling information about Moore: Moore Tornado Facebook Page - It is heartwrenching and then seeing all the images of devastation paired with lost pets. So many of us were in paths of storms yesterday and yet these are the people who once again beared the brunt of the fury of the earth.  I remember May 3, 1999 vividly and living in Rush Springs- storm chasers were sitting on the county road next to my house watching storm clouds - as they formed to the north.  Once again we in Grady county were fortunate, while it headed off towards the city.    

The loud, roaring water rushing madly through the stream is a more welcome sight than our long, hot summer of 2011. Where the grasshoppers dominated the fields and 115 degree days became our norm for a short period of time. We don't know what this summer will bring, but hopefully these rains and future rains will help sustain our Oklahoma during the dry season.  

The power of this rushing creek could be heard and seen.  The power of the earth is stronger and will outlast that of man.   But, isn't Oklahoma a beautiful place in the Spring?  You can see why we live here despite the worrisome weather we can sometimes have.  

This creek is where another creek is merging into it creating a river that is not a "river" it is still Wild Horse Creek.  The creek that Fort Arbuckle was built upon in the 1840s by the US Government to provide protections to the Chickasaws who were forced to relocate here from Alabama.  

My tour guide disappeared down into the creek bed.. almost.  I would like to say "don't EVER try this at home.."  -- so I climbed on down beside him.  Briefly, but not that close to the water.  

But close enough to get this shot. 

I do love seeing our creeks filled with water, this looks to be what creeks everywhere should look like. 

I just found a Moore Lost and Found page on Facebook. It's heartbreaking.  I can't imagine losing a loved one to a storm.  

But I think despite the tragedy this week, so many of us will say that Oklahoma is our home.  

I believe that no matter how bad things may get there is something good in every single day. You have to believe it and find it.  But, in my heart I know it will be a long time for those who lost their children.  So those people need your thoughts and prayers for healing.  

 

 

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We Are Fine

It was getting stormy around here about 2:30 pm, around 2:45 I decided to pick up my youngest child at school, just as they were about to take them to the storm shelters in our small town.  The school was filled with nervous parents arriving early to pick up their kids.   We arrived home and a few minutes later the storm sirens went off in our town briefly. Fortunately nothing hit, and we sat and watched the news and prepared the cellar in case the storms got worse.  I didnt' think much of picking up my son early because I trust the school to do what is right, because I also know they have a community shelter.  But upon hearing the tragic news from Moore I'm so glad I got him home.  

I didn't even know about the storms in Oklahoma City Moore, I was busy watching our local Southwest Oklahoma news.  But after our threat passed I began watching this:   Channel Four Live Feed on Breitbart 30 square miles of devastation.  I can't imagine as I remember watching the weather on May 3, 1999.  

Unfortunately for the people of Moore this was not the case... this is a tragedy of a scale that I cannot imagine as much time as I've spent in the Norman area the last two years - I really can't imagine what it looks like or what happened to people.   Pray for Moore and Oklahoma. 

On a lighter note...  we fortunately have a cellar, so we gathered up our animals 

My boys gathered the cats right away and they spent a couple of hours in the cellar,  as you can see they are trying to burn through the bars with their lazer eyes.  But, I'm leaving you with five cats in a crate.  

 

 

 

Galveston Getaway Part One

So what better thing to do after a tiring weekend finishing graduate school and a crazy three days of graduation ceremonies than to head to the beach for a relaxing weekend.  Except weekend getaways are usually anything but "relaxing."  They are expensive and tiring, but well worth it.  Just my husband and I on this weekend trip.  We almost went to Missouri but the allure of the coastal waters was too much. 

I struggle to take my children to the beach because my neurotic motherly instincts.  So, this was pretty much my idea of a perfect vacation.  The following photos were all taken Friday May 17th. 

As soon as we checked into our hotel we headed out for a walk on the beach.  It was kind of cloudy and cool outside.  

He's busy walking in the waves, but not for long.  

I took a turn walking in the waves and then it was time to head back to the room and get ready for an afternoon on the beach. 

After the gulls came to visit us on the balcony we headed back to the beach.  I grew up on the northern plains, our vacations were always trips to visit Grandma in Oklahoma.  We didn't go to places with the ocean or beaches.  The first time I ever got to see the ocean was in 2004 on a trip to Disneyland.  So, I've had less than 10 years of visiting the coast in my life.  

That's all for now.  I love the coast, whether it is Galveston, Padre or Biloxi. I would love to live closer to the ocean, not sure how I feel about hurricanes though.  But there is no better treat than being able to absorb into your senses the sound, smell and feel of the ocean and the beach.  The waves washing over your body pulling you out and pushing you back into the shore, the smell of the aquatic life, the gritty sand and the taste of the salt in the water. It is a sensory experience that far supercedes almost any other in this life, there is a reason people have been, for centuries compelled to go to sea.  

 

 

 

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Just a quick shot of this lovely fish on Galveston beach this morning.  What a nice weekend I've had, more images to follow... soon.  

Graduating From The University of Oklahoma

I graduated this weekend with a Masters  of Arts in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma.  A long desired goal finally accomplished.  Today is Mother's Day and I'm feeling relieved. 

Graduation week consisted of depositing the final draft of my thesis in the University Library and a banquet.  The next day was the American Indian Graduation ceremony and commencement followed by convocation of the college of Arts and Sciences on Saturday morning. 

We were presented with these beautiful etched glass awards.   

Such a nice banquet to see all of these faces that I've had classes with the last two years and to see people graduating with the same degree.  People who started in Fall of 2011 with me, graduating.  

Honoring Dr. Watkins who is leaving for a new adventure this year.  

Dr. Bread and his economic development and tribal government classes have been my favorite classes in this program.  Plus, we all love Dr. Bread.  

My friend and I.  Let me tell you about an amazing woman, she has completed a dual degree in our program and law school.  She has a baby and five children under twelve in her household. She also fosters children.  

 

Kiowa Black Legging Society at Commencement.  Hau!  

Commencement night, only the PhD's were recognized individually while the Masters and Bachelors degree candidates sat and watched.  We did walk across the field.  

Our speaker Fareed Zakaria.  He gave a great speech.  

Commencement ended with fireworks. 

What a beautiful end to a great two years at the University of Oklahoma.  

After the commencement we were headed home to sleep and get up early to return to campus for the convocation.  

Convocation.  

The Lloyd Noble center was packed, and hot, and miserable.  

As we walked in our major was announced on the big speakers.  

walking into the arena. 

My good friends... 

Finally walking to the stage to get our diploma covers. 

More of our awesome, amazing Native graduates!  

With my older sister and brother after the ceremony.  It was definitely time to go home and take a nap.   Last week was quite a week after the stress of finishing the school work and then graduation. 

 

 

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So As I Sit Here

Feeling as old as the paint slowly fading away on this house.  A process of growing older, vibrant and then accepting our fate and slowly fading away into memories.  Fading into nothing, the beloved places turn into forgotten rusty barns and houses falling in.  Our stories become their history. 

Someday we will become their ancient mystery, a forgotten legend an ancestor to worship or bones to study. 

We will be the door without a key, no one will be able to unlock our mysteries. Our descendants will study us and won't know who we are or who we were, they may have a picture.  They will make conjectures about us and take the words of our politicians, our movies and our writers and all these fragments from our world and try to figure out who they are because of our histories.  They will be wrong, they won't know anything about who we were because we are not like our writers, our historians or our politicians.  We each have our own story that we tell, but we don't tell many- because only a few earn the right to hear our voice.  

Just as we don't know the secrets and stories of our parents. We don't know all they have to tell us, they don't tell us.  Like a slow running stream, we slowly glean these stories of the past of our Grandparents that we don't have, of their childhood and their experiences as we have our own experiences.  

Spending the afternoon in an abandoned house won't reveal the secrets of the owners.  A day in an abandoned house won't tell us anything but the material culture of the time period.  The wallpaper used, the details, the sinks. It doesn't tell us that much.  

What brings us meaning to life? Why do some of us desperately pursue goals and desire accolades, attention and accomplishments and others are satisfied to live a so-called simple life as workers. Why do some people want to be more than others?  Why be a writer, a photographer, an artist, why bother. What drives me.  What drives you?  Why create and share, is it for me or is it for all the people who find it online.  Is giving of myself why I write this blog or is it selfish so I know a part of me is out there being found by others.  This blog represents a fragment of who I am.  

The photography is interesting, because up until a few years ago I believed I was a talentless person. I was talentless. I was smart, but I rejected the humanizing aspect of writing within literature. I separated fiction from history and art was only for arts sake.  Now, I see how important it is, how the human voice brings reason to history and there is truth within everyones story.  I found art through photography and my discontent with teaching.  I found something I enjoy doing as a hobby in solitude. 

In the last year I found something else that I can do.  I enjoy refinishing cabinetry. I love the sense of "I can do that."  I love to sand down a piece of wood and restore and bring it back to life.  I like being able to do things that I didn't know I could do.   Isn't that what life is about? Learning and growing, and as long as we are learning and growing will we ever fade away?  If we continue to grow and learn new things doesn't that keep us young?  Eventually we will just be a memory but that doesn't matter as long as we live for our now, our present.  Thinking of the future can drive us crazy in its uncertainty but living for now will always keep us busy.  Living in the past is just as dangerous because we idealize it and perfect it in our mind. 

What matters anyways?  What makes something or someone worth mattering to you? What makes someone elses thoughts and ideas imprint into your soul? What do you do that makes you worth remembering?  So I still sit here. Knowing none of the answers but finding more questions.  Does nothing matter or does everything matter and why does it matter? It doesn't because we are nothing more than stardust in an infinite universe. 

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The Monday Morning My Electrical Box Got Fried (Updated)

So, this is more of a blog type post than a photography one.  But, it is definitely a Monday in my house.  I actually got up early enough to cook breakfast and felt pretty good and then about 7:45 the power started doing really weird things.  My lights started browning out in the kitchen and a few of the other rooms (not all).  I then waited for them to come back on (we had a community wide power outage a couple of weeks ago).   So,  no luck, continuing the brown my thermostat started blinking and I decided to shut off the power to house at the main breaker.  I'm not one to wait on a house to burn down.  But, the thought of needing an electrician was something I didn't want to think about (not after having a plumber here a week ago and being in the middle of remodeling a bathroom and finishing school this week).  Apparently we were not in any danger of anything happening as I updated below.  But, burnt electrical wiring is unsettling. 

I called my husband and he told me I should take photographs of the electrical box while the workers were gone, so I went inside and got  my camera.  Which the workers were at my house less than an hour after I called the electric company and I appreciate their very quick response and faster repair.  

I didn't really look that close, I was just taking a couple of shots in case our furnace was fried or other electrical issues.  Now seeing this is disturbing but after I initially posted this a friend sent me a message telling me what happened.

Although it was disconcerting seeing this, I snapped these as the workers went to get what they needed to fix it.  Their office is not a mile or so away.  

I did have a friend whose house caught  on fire do to problems originating from his pole and the electrical company.    If your electricity starts doing freakishly weird brownouts in one room while your television is running just fine shut the power off and call the electrical company.  

Here is what happened per my friend who knows far more about this than I do: 

That is a big pain in the ass but you weren't in nay real danger. That was caused by a loose connection at that terminal where the meter plugs in. What happens is that loose connection causes it to need more amperage. You can tell it was a loose connection by the white or gray powdery looking stuff built up around the burned up terminal (on the left).
That rise in amperage has been cooking that wire for a while and it set off a chain reaction. Amperage creates heat which creates resistance which then requires more amperage which again creates more heat. It eventually just created a big electric arc welder in there. The metal in the terminal began to slowly erode away, again requiring more amperage. That increase in heat ate away the insulation and started to burn the wire. When that wire began to melt, the other wire, which was in contact with it started to burn as well. That was the brown out. The power went completely out when the wire BOTH burnt completely thru. When the first wired burned up, you lost power to half your house and all your appliances that required 220 volts. Then while the wires were temporarily connected, there was moment where that one remaining wire tried to carry both legs of power till they became disconnected when they burned up. You weren't in any real danger. That box did it's job, which was to contain the reaction until it broke it's own circuit, which it did when the wires burned thru. What they were doing on the pole was replacing the wire and disconnecting the lines so they could replace the meter base. These things get loose over time thru thermal expansion. There shouldn't be any damage to any of your stuff. Your breakers should have tripped if there was a significant rise in voltage in any of those legs.
You should have you breaker box checked for loose terminals, especially if you have aluminum wiring or old cloth insulated wiring. That can really cause major problems.

 

So I went to the duck pen and snapped a photo of the workers checking the line up to the top of the pole which thankfully was fine.  They also told me what happened and that it burnt out at the box.  

Look at how big Squawkers is getting!  It's sad I cooked myself eggs for breakfast which I never do and I only ate half of them and couldn't enjoy them because of the power.  This is probably a sign from God that I should never cook breakfast.  I'll remember that tomorrow. 

 

I appreciate the information about why the power browned out and what was happening.  So, I thought I'd update what I wrote this morning.   

 

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Spring has been slow to arrive this year, we've had a few hot days with many cooler than normal days this year.  I haven't been out as much in March and April like I normally am, but I made it out for a run today.  I finished my four miles and loaded up my dog and got in the car to head home and decided to stop and photograph some of the wildflowers in the ditch.  

Frame after frame they are always lovely, yet what was once an exciting shot to capture is now a routine event.  But, I still enjoy their beauty.  They sit quietly on the side of the road just a yellow blur for passing vehicles.  

The sun is in this image.  It amazes me that modern people seem to have a sense of "amazement" that ancient people had such an intricate knowledge of the sun, moon, and stars.   I believe the amazement of the ancient people's knowledge is that it is knowledge we, overall, as a culture lack.  Most Americans aren't aware of the sunrise and sunset and how the sun moves upon the horizon through out the year.  We, don't think about this as we lock ourselves up indoors with our computers, televisions and artificial world.  We will sit and be "amazed" that ancient people, possessed this knowledge yet we don't think about why they knew the world so well.   It is because we do not, we are a large populace of dependents who are out of touch with the living world around us.  

The ancient people would be amazed at how most of us know nothing about the movement of the sun, moon, and stars.  They would be amazed because the sun was their calendar and datebook. Gatherings would happen with the movements of the Universe and this went on for centuries, without writing, without paper, without cars, without the wheel.  The people of ancient North America were fare more sophisticated than many people know.  

I wonder if the ancient people would feel sorry for us.  They would think that we are lacking something in our lives.  We communicate without our voices, we make connections without the spoken word. 

I can share these images with you, but you can't smell the dust, the wind, the sweet smell of the budding greenery.  You can see the world through my eyes but you can't sit down in the dirt and feel the earth.  You can't appreciate the subtle changes year after  year without watching the earth come to life, yet even in the winter the earth is alive.  

A world without bees is a world we do not want to live in.   

I was sitting in the ditch photographing these flowers when I heard a rustling. I jumped back immediately thinking "snake."  No, it wasn't a snake, it was something I hate being stung by though. 

I don't like being stung by scorpions, it hurts far worse than a bee or wasp sting.  Please hide your eyes for the "wild America" section of this post is coming next.  I left and continued down the road on my way home and two huge rabbits bounced across the road. I had my camera in my lap and was ready to photograph (although I didn't have my good telephoto lens on).   I stopped and thought I could get a shot or two.  

By the time I got my camera ready to shoot, I realized that they weren't "chasing" one another.  This was the call of the wild.  

This triggered my memory of reading of the Jack Rabbit plague during the Dust Bowl.  

Blurry bunnies on the run, or on the chase..  waiting to be caught it appears not to be much of a chase. 

They continued their amorous adventure into the field.  Paying not attention to the voyeur with the camera.  Absorbed in their bunny mating rituals, the dance that leads to new life on this cool May afternoon.  

The chase continued for a few minutes zig zagging across the field.

A zoomed, blurry shot. 

I normally woudln't have stopped and photographed this, but I rarely see Jack Rabbits and these were two big bunnies.  I hope seeing them in the distance in a field gives you the idea of their size.  

 

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This is Why I Love OU

I'm in my last week of finishing my Master's Degree at OU.  The University of Oklahoma, those symbols "OU" are everywhere you go. You can't drive down a street without seeing "OU" emblazoned on somone's car. You can't walk into a restaurant or go into a store.  I always said that I wouldn't become a "fan" of a big state school until I had a degree from one.  Where it would have some meaning for me, rather than just being a team representing my state.  The Native American Studies program is why I love OU.  Not, football or tailgating. 

Thursday Morning I defended my Thesis for my Master's Degree. Now, if you're into pain, punishment and awkwardness I suggest going through this process.  It probably shouldn't be done sober.  Thursday afternoon I went to one of our Professor's retirement reception.   

Here are quite a few of the Professors that I've had classes with the last two years.  These people are what make a University. The sports team is great for people who have never been to college, it's nice to feel that connection to a "place" or say you've been to a game or two.  But what really makes this University is the Professors, the teachers, the students. 

One of the students hugging Dr. Hobson on her retirement.  She is the Graduate advisor.  My favorite photo of the day.  

Dr. Bread and Dr. Shotton with Dr. Hobson.  I came into this program with doubts, mainly because I had spent too many years out of school while teaching school myself.  I have had a very emotional two years and it was a lot of work.  Going to school at OU, was definitely far more challenging than the other Master's Degree program that I was in.  Unfortunately the Native American Studies program at OU, is merely a program.  It is not a "Department," it needs to be a department because students like me cannot continue to become a PhD candidate in Native American Studies ast OU, we would have to go to Arizona or California to obtain a PhD in Native American Studies.  In a state with such a high Native representation an interdisciplinary program should be in place to allow our own Native students the option for a PhD.  This program fit greatly with my undergraduate education at USAO in Chickasha, whose emphasis was on interdiscplinary studies.  Not science as a stand alone subject or arts or humanities,  the Interdisciplinary approach shows the complexity of the world through using multiple discpline in an educational setting.  

My favorite friend from the last two years, she's made Native American Studies great.  Oh, the cake that was pretty good too.  

So this week I will be finishing up my paperwork (oh, please let it end)- and attending the Graduation ceremonies.  I have had the goal of obtaining my MA since I was a teenager and perhaps looking beyond that, I am now 35 years old and am accomplishing this goal.   That is one great thing about education, there is not an age limit on it.  I enter the uncertainty of not having this goal to reach after having had it for so many years. I could have had a masters degree in special education a few years ago but I decided I didn't want to be defined by those studies, I decided I didn't want to be an expert in education, yet walk away two years later feeling as if I've had two years of observation in teaching practices and what makes education work (and doesn't).  The best teachers aren't the ones who are the best at grading and evaluating, the best teachers make the student feel important and worthy and put their energy into teaching first. 

I remember how intimidated I was when I was accepted into the program at OU. I had always went to small schools.  I found small class sizes in my program, and a personal atmosphere it was not what I expected.  One thing I like about the campus is it is a nice, safe campus. I would have no issue sending a child of mine to school here.  The University of Oklahoma is a great school and I'm proud to have went here.  This is why I love OU, not athletics.  A good athletic program that brings a sense of pride is just an enhancement to a wonderful school.  Teaching high school is a far easier job than getting a Master's degree.  A pet peeve of mine is when I hear people talking about how going to college isn't "work" or a "real job,"  well going to school at OU is more "work" and pressure than any real job that I've had. 

 

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