Flipping Out of Running

I took my Flip Camera Phone with me on my 4.5 mile run at noon today.

First up, one of my favorite fountains at a church downtown. I've been running by this for 17 years. Its always a welcome sight, especially when its 100 degrees outside. Especially when the sprinklers are running also.



Now, you get to see why I hate the sound of my own voice. One of the strange things about Tulsa is that two of the biggest Methodist Churches in town are separated by a 30 foot wide street.



Now, everyone please realise that there is no conflict between the churches. I was just kidding.

I ran by the Arkansas River. I love the old railroad bridge converted over to a pedestrian bridge and the low water dam. It masks the sound of the thousands of cars that drive up and down Riverside drive every day.



In the old Riverview neighborhood somebody has had a very nice water feature going for years. Its like a little rocky stream in their front yard and I just absolutely love it. With winter coming they will be shutting it down but I always look for it in the spring.

Taylor Swift - Fearless in Tulsa and the Hanson Brothers were in the House

Sweetie and I ventured downtwn to the new BOK Center to see Taylor Swift in concert as part of her Fearless Tour.

OK, what's the deal? She is supposed to be a Country Western singer right? Where's the hats? Not just hers but everybody elses. I only saw two cowboy hats all night, neither one of them hers and in fact none on the stage. Tim McGraw wore one in a video segment and I saw one other hat. The cowboy garb seems to be boots. She had several pairs. Lots of the girls (Yes, I mean girls, in a half dozen years half of them will be women the rest of them will still be girls.) wore boots with their short dresses. Kind of a strange look, but it has been around a few years and I guess that I'm used to it. I think the rule is that those who look good in short dresses can wear what they want. If they don't look good in a short dress then the boots are not going to either help or hurt.

OK, now the other thing, are not Country Western singers actually supposed to sing Country Western songs? I mean, have they changed the rules. There were no steel guitars, no blue jeans, no yee haws, no "heidy yall," no flags, no horses, no salute to mommy and daddy. What up? Also, at the very end, she took a shower on the stage. Don't get excited, she kept her clothes on, check out in the collage below. Are all Country singers going to start doing that?

All I know is that she put on a hell of a show. Tulsa loved her, they loved her a lot. I thought it was great. She got a bigger ovation than Oklahoma's own Carrie Underwood last year and pretty close to Garth Brook's shows at Driller's Stadium back in the 90's. For somebody so young she is so accomplished yet comes across as unspoiled and real. She is certainly talented. She writes the songs, she sings the songs, she plays the guitar and the piano. How can somebody be that talented?

I'll be watching young Ms. Swift. I hope that she can stay centered and grow and prosper in her career and develop as a person. She is off to a great start.

Check out her web site here.

Check out the Tulsa World review complete with slide show here.

Oh, by the way, Tulsa's own Hanson Brothers were in the House sitting about 3 rows down from us. They had better than your average Tulsan's haircuts but were just like regular people with wives and kids and all that. Sweetie noticed them right away. Nobody else  seemed to be paying them any attention until a plus sized gal flashed about six inches of butt crack clambering over seats to get to them to get a picture.

I have to say they were very gracious about her and the subsequent rush of female fans. They put their arms around each of the fans and posed and even took the camera and did the old self portrait thing a few times. All the while they looked very relaxed and friendly and eventually they were left alone. I was very impressed.

Hunger, Patience, Anticipation

Poor SuperPizzaBoy. We went out to eat after church yesterday and he was hungry. He hates to wait. Bad combination.









Finally, he gets it half eaten before I get my camera back out.




(Sorry for funky coloring, it came this way out of the camera and I'm doing this post on my lunch break.)

Baloney Sunday Challenge - Psalm 57:8

Awake, my soul!
Awake, harp and lyre!
I will awaken the dawn. (NIV)

Check out That's Baloney for perfect pairings.

A Day Off, a Fight, and Yogi Flips Out, Again

My employer started a pilot project this past summer to test a 9-80 work schedule. We work 80 hours over 9 days and get every other Friday off. My group was one of the groups that tested it. It met with near unanimous approval from the employees and the middle managers and executives didn't think it negatively affected the work we were doing or relations with customers so they have extended the pilot until February or so when they intend to make it available to almost the whole company.

It was great during the summer but it has really been great since SuperPizzaBoy started school. Isn't that selfish? Sweetie and I drop his little hiney off and then we go run and do. Yesterday we drove to downtown Tulsa to the Blue Dome Diner and I had their blueberry pecan pancakes. I big stack of three, each as large as a dinner plate. I get a box and put half of them in the box, so as soon as I finish this post, I'm having more pancakes.

Then we did some errands and shopping. We went to Gardner's Used Books at 4421 South Mingo in Tulsa. SPB hates the place but we love it so we got to spend some time there. Check out their link. They have about 10,000 items you can order online but they are listed in no particular order. Fun for browsing. The store itself has its books very well organized and the staff are readers and know instantly where something might be if you ask.

I found the hulk at Gardners. Notice Captain Kirk's chair behind the hulk. I tried to get my Trekkie wife to sit in it so I could take a picture. But she wouldn't!



While we were out and about my wife Sweetie, who loves me very much, bought me a new Flip camera phone. Isn't she a darling? My one or two readers may remember that a therapist at SPB's school loaned us a camera for a little while. I took it in under protective custody but Sweetie and the therapist made me give it back. I planned on giving it back, eventually, sometime, but they got very rude about it. But now, thanks to my wife, who I love very much, I have my own. It is still a solution in search of a problem for me and I'm experimenting with it.

A fountain at Hunter Park during a walk with our dogs yesterday.



SPB looking for a video yesterday.



Our dog Ginger



Speaking of Ginger. She and our other dog Abby are pretty good friends. They sometimes get a little cranky with each other but they always make up.



Our two cats don't get along at all. We have a big old fat cat, Chrissy who is queen of the household. She doesn't put with much from anybody, especially me. We have a male kitty, LJ who will be a year in November. He puffs up and tries to exert himself but he gets no respect from anybody, especially Chrissy. Chrissy will just stand up and go over and kick his butt just to show that she can. I didn't have my Flip handy when the latest blowup occurred.







Poor LJ.

Skywatch Friday - the Sun Returns

It has been raining a lot in Northeast Oklahoma. Today the sun came out and gave us a show when it set.


Check out Skywatch Friday for more photographs of the sky from all over the world.

Julie and Julia - the Movie

Sweetie and I went to see Julie and Julia. What can I say its a great movie. Its about food, love, blogging,  perserverence, and loving life. The only way they could make it any better is if they could have thrown in the Dallas Cowboys and a geocache.

Meryl Streep steals the show in her portrayal of Julia Child. She is full of life, very animated and not ready to take no for an answer from anybody. I think that Meryl Streep could win an Oscar for this performance. If I had an extra one laying around the house I'd mail it to her. Stanley Tucci plays the perfect, patient, understanding, supportive husband. Amy Adams does a great job as the frustrated young wife and blogger who seeks to do all of Child's recipes in the course of a year. Chris Messina is the supportive, but sometimes, not so patient husband.

The story is beautifully done and it is wonderful how the two stories parallel each other years apart.

This movie gets four stars out of four. Even absent football and geocaching.

Grab your spouse and go see this movie.

A Homeless Guy, Leviticus 23:22, and my Lunch

One day early this week I went over to my Subway on Cheyenne in downtown Tulsa and got my usual: 6" roasted chicken on wheat, no cheese, pickles, onions, olives, with apple chips as a side and a Diet Doctor Pepper. It being a nice day I ventured east to our new park to eat and watch the goings on.

On my way there I was accosted by an old black man. Oh no, I said to myself here we go.

"Sir", he said. That is how they all start out.

"Yes," I said as I kept on walking.

"Could I talk with you just a second?"

"What about?"

"I noticed you just came out of the Subway."

"Yep," I'm still walking. Stopping is a no no.

"I was wondering if you had any spare change?"

"No, actually all I want to do is eat my lunch."

"Sir, I need to get to Oklahoma City, because I want to go to Phoenix to see my sister and the ticket is $23." and I'm thinking why do they all have to go somewhere to get somewhere else to see their sister? I've quit asking them.

"Like I said, I just want to eat my lunch."

"You can look at my ID, if you want." That's another common statement. What would that prove?

"No, I just want to eat my lunch in peace."

"I just need some money sir. I need to get something to eat."

"I'll give you my lunch, but I'm not giving you a penny."

"I don't want your lunch sir."

"If you are hungry, you can have my lunch."

"Uh, ok," so I hand him my lunch, and then I said, "Here take the drink too."  and he gives me the best line ever.,

"You didn't drank from it did you?"

(I didn't, I wouldn't have offered it to him if I had.)

Now, I've done similar things before, not too often. A hungry man will not exactly snatch a bag of food out of your hand but you can tell somehow by the way they they put a grip on it when you hand it to them. This guy just stood there as I walked off.

I got clear of him on the other side of the park and turned to watch him. He walked over to the campaign office of one of our mayoral candidates and walked in. "What the heck?" I don't even want to speculate.

The whole experience left me out of sorts and irritated. I bought another lunch somewhere else and managed to eat in peace.

I've always liked the scripture Leviticus 23:22:  " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God.'"  (NIV)

I'm not a farmer of course but I like the idea that you are to leave a little bit for others. I can afford to donate a lunch every third year or so is how it turns out.

The homeless situation really puzzles me. I don't want to make light of the situation. It looks totally miserable and dangerous to me. I can tell you that I cannot stand to be hungry and hate that some people especially children go to bed hungry at ngiht. It just seems to me sometimes that maybe the homeless are enabled by the enterprises that support them.

I mean just in one area north of downtown Tulsa we have a homeless ghetto" The Day Center for the Homeless, the Salvation Army Shelter,  John 3:16 Mission we also have the Iron Gate Ministry at Trinity Episcopal Church and of course the City County Jail.

I don't mean that these organizations are explointing the homeless or are not genuine. I am just wondering if we are supporting the lifestyle a little too much? Should we be trying to get them employed and in an apartment rather than just feeding them and kicking them out for the night? I was trying to do some research for this post and I found it almost impossible to get unbiased hard information about how many homeless there are. Their are widely differing statistics out there most of them by homeless advocacy organizations.

I don't know what do you think?

By the way, I think I was totally scammed. I wanted my lunch back as soon as I gave it to him. Know something else, I don't think he wanted it! I think he threw it away. We were like mutual victims of the conversation and couldn't take it back.

WWOD? (What would Obama do?)
WWGBD? (What would Glenn Beck do?)

Ruby Tuesday - Downtown Tulsa

I thought it about time for my first Ruby Tuesday Post. Be gentle!!

Something about this building reminds me of painting "treatments" that people pay a fortune for these days. The couldn't afford to replicate this on a new building.


McNellies is the place for draft beer and cheap hamburgers Wednesday nights. McNellies Sidebar is the place for martinis.



This place is open only on Sundays and special occasions, no cover.


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

On the road to Western Oklahoma - Gas Wells, Geocaching, Battlegrounds, Golf Courses, and Jim and Tammy Baker get a night's rest

My favorite mother-in-law Nana had her 50th high school reunion in Clinton, Oklahoma last weekend. Sweetie was going to go with her to keep her company. SuperPizzaBoy and I were staying home. Huh, no way, if Sweetie and Nana are going on a road trip, so are SPB and I.

Team Sweetie and Nana got a head start on us Friday. I left work early and grabbed SPB after school. It took an hour or two longer for us get to get going than what I planned, but hey, who is on a schedule? Not me, not on a road trip.

So off we went.


By the way, see the little gizmo on the lower right. That is Sarah. It is a Garmin Nuvi 500 navigation GPSr, with special geocaching features. SPB and I have given it an English female  accent that drives SPB into hysterics. We call it Sarah after fellow blogger Sarah of Brit Gal in the USA. Check it out, it is one of my favorite blogs. We might have been able to meet this weekend but she was a little under the weather. Maybe next time.

We got to Clinton, kind of late, everybody had already eaten and was either that the football game or the casino. We visited with some of Nana and Sweetie's relatives and then went to bed. SPB was tired.



The next day, Sweetie and Nana headed off for reunion activities. SPB and I hit the road.

We passed by a natural gas processing plant that I work with now in my job.



And one I worked with in a past job. This one I helped start up in April 1984. Then I got to drive through all the way to Lake Charles, Louisiana and start it's sister plant up.



I was way confused back then. I lived in Houston, my office was in Dallas, I took care of stuff in Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Missisisippi.  Life is much simpler now, Oklahoma and the Peoples Republic of Kansas.

We saw drilling rigs.


We found geocaches


Checked out the Washita Battlefield National Historic Site


While there, SPB, filled out a workbook and was sworn in as Junior Park Ranger. He is very proud of that badge. His Grandfather, my Dad was a US Forest Ranger in New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah.


Now, I've saved the best for last. You see I used to work out here back in my field days. In Cheyenne, Oklahoma the local golf course doesn't have grass on their greens. They use oil soaked sand. Why? because it is hard to grow grass, that's why. I cannot tell you how many times people have called BS on that story. Well here is documentary evidence.



It looks like this year's tournament has passed. Sorry I didn't let you know earlier. The phone number is listed if you want to enquire about next year's tournament or if you would like to see they can work in a tee time for you. I'm not sure what kind of reciprocity they will have with your club. Especially if your club isn't quite "top drawer."

Here, is the bar and lounge, members and guests only please. Ladies are welcome on Tuesday.


Here is the green on the 9th hole.


Have we got this settled? Everybody satisfied? You guys going to back me up?

Now on to the next item, remember these folks, from a long time ago?

Remember how old Jim got in trouble, he eventually went to prison. Tammy Faye left him. Jim is out of prison and is back in the televangelism business beaming from Branson, Missouri. But the local legend in Elk City, Oklahoma is that after his disgrace,but before his trial, when Jim and Tammy had to load a Uhaul to move cross country back to their home. They spent the night in the old Holidiome in Elk City, right off Interstate 40.

I have no idea if the story is true but everybody says it is,

Then, it was time to head home.



We were home 27 hours after we left. Not bad for a road trip, huh?

Baloney Sunday Challenge - John 14:2

As my one or two readers know I love geocaching and especially cemetery geocaches. SuperPizzaBoy and I were in far western Oklahoma yesterday on a road trip. We looked for a cache in a little country cemetery literally out in the middle of nowhere. Actually we drove past nowhere to get there. I absolutely love cemeteries, especially old ones. They give me a sense of peace. Like, I'm going to die and the world is going to go on without me, somehow. Strange I know, but still.

We didn't find the cache, but I didn't care too much. I found this tombstone. If you will click on picture you can read that it marks the grave of Annie A. Hitt who died in 1917, age 43. I don't know a thing about her, (but I do know that Hitt is still a common name in that neck of the woods.) (Listen to me, you are going to have to click on the picture to see what I'm talking about, do it, now!!!)

Above her name, just barely recognizeable, is the enscription: "In my Father's House are Many Mansions."

Look just above that and you can just barely make out a big multi-turreted mansion. Boy, that's strange, what you hear mostly is "rooms" not "mansions". I checked the King James version and sure enough it says "mansions."

I'm not too interested in the original Greek and blah, blah, blah about true meaning of this and that. All I know is I always liked the "rooms" version, but the "mansions" almost stopped my heart. I love it also! I love both of them and lay claim to both versions! So here is is my verse:

"In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you."  John 14:2  (KJV)

Like I said, I don't know a thing about Annie A. Hitt, but she almost stopped my heart 92 years after her heart stopped. I don't know if anybody from her family remembers her, but I'll remember her for quite a while.

Check out That's Baloney for perfect pairings by Baloney and her friends.

Rough Justice by Lisa Scottoline

Rough Justice is a backwards murder mystery. The book features hot shot (and just plain hot) defense attorney Marta Richter and a host of other female attorneys who are defending the Philadelphia millionaire slumlord Elliot Steere on a murder charge that he killed a homeless man in cold blood.

Things are going pretty smoothly for the Marta. She and Steere have been playing footsie during the trial and after the acquittal they are riding off in the sunset together.

That day dream lasts until the end of the second paragraph of the book. Her bubble is popped. Her client may not be innocent, he is definitely not taking her off into the sunset. She is mad and you don't make a hot attorney mad.

What happens after that is pretty wild. There is a huge snow storm, cross country skiing, murder and killing, mayhem, horse shoeing, poisoning, stalking, geocaching (kind of!), jury tampering, Marta making a conjugal visit to one of the juror's (that's a new one, the visit is G rated by the way), voting scandals, organ donations, and a race to the courthouse. This book has it all.

The book was written in 1997 before everybody and their hot attorney had cell phones. Some of the predicaments that the characters found themselves in could have been resolved if they had a cell phone to call for help.

This is a darn good book. The writing is very smooth and draws you into the story quickly. I rate it 3 stars out of 4, which is very good..

Being originally published in 1997 you'll have to get it in paperback or at your library. I'll be keeping my eye out for more Scottoline novels. Scottoline is a prolific author. Check out her website.

Many thanks to Baloney for loaning me the book.

Skywatch Friday - Cloudy Days

We are about to get rained out in northeast Oklahoma. When we don't have rain, we have clouds. I'll take it.

I don't know about the sky, but I would love to have this as an office window. I love how big it is, the shape, and the color. The whole building is vacant, buy it and you can have your pick of this window or a couple dozen others just like it.

It cleared up a little bit, for a little while. This is reflecting off the glass curtain at Tulsa's new BOK Arena downtown.

For images of the sky from all over the world check out Skywatch Friday.

Book Fair!! - but no Donuts for Dads

Big day for Yogi yesterday (Can I refer to myself in the 3rd person? Will Obama call me a jackass? Am I a jackass?)

First up is that it is Book Fair at SuperPizzaBoy's school and Wednesday was Donuts for Dads. So SPB and I loaded up and got to school early. You see, he thinks a corollary to Donuts for Dads is Donuts for the kids also.

Oops, somebody dropped the ball. No donuts. Uh oh. SPB starts to talk about it. Mrs. Denise, the Head of the Lower School, tells him that she scrounged up some muffins and he should grab one and pretend that it is donut. That didn't go over very well and so SPB starts yakking about it. Mrs. Denise takes pride in the fact that they never tell the kids to shut up. Its true, they don't. The kids are liable to say anything, at anytime.

Anyway, he managed to shake it off and pick out a few books. I got some also. I love Book Fair.

First up, for early readers is "Dirt on My Shirt" a book of poems by Jeff Foxworthy. I love poems, I don't get  most adult poems so I read kid poems. More my level if you know what I mean. Here is the poem that moved me to buy the book; it reminded me of geocaching!

"Dirt on My Shirt"

There's dirt on my shirt
And leaves on my hair
There's mud on my boots
But I don't really care
Playing outside is so much fun
To breathe the clean air
And feel the warm sun
To stomp in a puddle
Or climb a big tree
Makes me quite happy
Just look and you'll see

I got a buzz from just typing it in.

And then I got a book for preteen girls, "the Ultimate coke or pepsi". Its a questions book, for me and my friends. Are you my friend? Then answer me this.

• Would you rather:   Glow in the Dark? ___ or Shimmer in the Daylight? ___

Personally I think the shimmering thing would be very cool.

And then I got a book for preteen boys, "Dude - The Book of Crazy, Immature Stuff" Answer me this:

• Which is more disgusting:   Nose Picker?____ or Scab Picker? ____

Nose picking is more disgusting by a mile! to me.

Next, "The Encyclopedia of Immaturity - How to Never Grow Up, the Complete Guide"

Sweetie thinks that I could have written the book. Maybe I did! How about this:

Do the Bubble Gum Nose Bubble

Chew a wad a bubble gum very thorughly.
Remove from mouth.
Place over nostrils (hold in place)
Inflate, remove, seal, pass around for inspection.

You know with the seasons changing, its always nice to load up on good literature for the coming snowy days ahead.

The Black Eyed Peas - "The End"

I don't get a lot of hip-hop. I try every now and then on Sirius XM but I'm not really a hip-hop kind of guy. I'm more of an alternative rock - thrash metal - jazz kind of guy. But I finally gave in and purchased The Black Eyed Peas new CD "The End." I may be the oldest, fattest, baldest guy to ever buy the CD and sign up for their fan club.

To me its not really hip-hop its more of techno pop type thing with heavily synthesized vocals and instruments. Hey if Peter Frampton and Cher can do it so can other people.

I love the beat. You can dance to it. You can, I can't dance to anything, just ask Sweetie. I like it because most of my ipod listening is while I'm running and this is easy music to run with.

And the lyrics. Gotta love the lyrics. Even I can understand them, and they are so happy.

From "Party all the Time."

If We Could Party All Night

And Sleep All Day

And Throw All Of My Problems Away-Ay-Ay

Eaaaasy

My Life Would Be Eaaasy

Life Would Be Eaaasy

Party All The Time [x7]

If If We Could Party Party Party (Heyy)

Make That Body Down

Ladies Don't Stop It

Shake It Round & Round

Feel That Bass Bumpin

And Rock To The Beat

This Beat Is Steady Bumpin

They Jumpin Off Their Feet

Check It Out

Ladies Got Their Hands in The Air

Shake It Like You Just Don't Care

Party It Down Like Yeah (Yeah)

Somebody Say Yeah (Yeah)

I just love these songs. They are just straightforward silly, no irony, just stuff to listen to.

The big single on this is "Boom Boom Pow"



Their web site is http://www.blackeyedpeas.com/

I rate this CD 4 stars out of 4.

Tip, buy the clean version at Walmart if you have kids. I bought mine at Target, I will not play it with a kid in the car.

My World - Tulsa's Philbrook Museum of Art

Last week Sweetie and I celebrated our 20th Anniversary. One thing we did to celebrate was spend an afternoon at the Philbrook Museum of Art. We started with lunch in their restaurant, la Villa. It's a very nice little lunch spot with a light menu. We each had the Grilled Chicken Salad. It was very nice. It was almost too pretty to eat. Sorry for the blurry photograph.



We then toured the museum. They had an exhibition titled "Auspicious Vision - Edward Wales Root and American Modernism." It was pretty interesting in that it showed how American artists moved from Early Modernism (like Impressionism) to Total Abstraction like Jackson Pollack. I'm not going to pretend that I "get it" or even halfway understand it but I enjoyed the exhibit.

Then we toured the rest of the museum. I had enquired about the rules for photography. They said that the use of personal cameras was allowed, without a flash, in the entire exhibit except for the Auspicious Vision exhibit. So I took some photographs.

This is my favorite. I call it the "little arms" statue. There is nothing quite like little arms around your neck!




Those of you with little ones, especially little boys, enjoy this phase. When they get to be 11 and think that passing gas is funny, you still love'em, but things are not quite the same.

They had a Thomas Moran work or two. (uh, he's a lot better painter than I am a photographer.)



They have a collection of objects entitled "Better Living by Design" from the George R. Kravis II Collection. Lots of everyday items, including a couple of ipods.



Some art from the Southwest.



Just as nice as the Museum gallerys are the grounds of Philbrook.

They have extensive plantings and very nice landscaping including water features.



One area had quite a collection of vegetables planted. Okra, squash, eggplant, and tomato. It turns out that they could not afford to plant about 3600 square feet of beds because of the economic downturn. So they turned the space over to a local food bank who was growing the vegetables. Man what a guilt trip for the donors! Really, I think that it is a nice program



Anyway, we had to leave to go pick SuperPizzaBoy from school.

Visiting Philbrook is a great way to spend an afternoon.

For other sights from around the world check out That's My World.

Turkey and Taturs Trail Race 2009

"....miles to go before I sleep...." by Trail Zombie is one of my favorite blogs. TZ runs incredible distances most of it on trails. TZ runs marathon and longer distances (ultra Marathons). He runs at all hours of the day and night. He probably runs more miles on a weekend than I do in a month. He belongs to the local trail running club, TATUR, and helps mark the courses for the races they run. TZ makes the races sound fun so I decided to do their next one, the Turkey & Taturs Trail Race held Sunday. The race had three different lengths, 50K (30.1 miles, longer than a marathon which is hair over 26 miles), 25K (15.5 miles) and 10K (6.2 miles). Wimp that I am, I chose the 10K race.

I have run in lots of road races. I've done two marathons, two half marathons, a 20K race, fifteen 15K races, and a whole boatload of 10K, 8K, and 5K races. They are fun, but I'm always looking for something different. The trail race was different.

First, there are not that many people which makes it less of a mob scene, second it is pretty much an event for the 40 and over crowd it seemed to me, and second the route is very primitive. (That is why they call it a trail run, duh). Third, you can wear headphones and listen to music (Yea).

Here is a map of the course.

The course is the thin red line. The 10K basically was the top half of the map. You can see the course twists and turns so much that the map is useless. Turkey mountain is laced with dozens of different trails and hundreds of different trail combinations. If you get off course, you are toast. After just a half mile I was running by myself, so I kept a sharp eye for the pink ribbons marking the course. It would be easy to get off course and if you do, you are lost, you are so turned around it would be difficult to know where to return to the start.

Just to add to the fun, it started sprinkling just before the race and it turned into a full blown rain later on. It was not cold and I was wearing technical fabrics  so that wasn't any big deal and it wasn't lightning, which would be the deal stopper for me. The course web site said they wouldn't cancel the race for rain anyway. I think these guys like rain and mud. It was kind of fun, running through the woods splashing through the puddles with abandon.

Here are a few pictures I took during the run.


Let me tell you something I learned about the brown mud. Its slick as snot so I picked my way carefully through it. I got passed by runners doing the 25K race and they would just fly on past, as did a couple of grandmothers and a great greandmother on walkers. They can be pretty rude with their little bells.



See the darker mud, it was pretty slippery so I had very slow going on it also.


This is a water station about halfway through the race. See all those cups? I think it means that I'm not in the lead. I blame all that brown and black mud.



I wasn't getting my heart rate up enough on the course, so I stopped and did a little workout on this treadmill so I could stay warmed up. (Not really). Why the heck do people pick city parks to dump their trash? I award the people who dumped this here a poop hat award. If you live in Tulsa and have a large object you want to get rid of, you call the city and they will come get it. No cost, no questions. You don't need to dump it in a city park!!! Good grief folks!!!



Lots of rocks on the race. They were very slick when wet so I went over them slowly to avoid hurting myself.



A sight to warm the heart of a crusty gas guy. A big inch natural gas transmission line running alongside the trail. Wow, that got me all inspired!! The line must have been laid along time ago. Now days they wouldn't span a little creek like that. All the bubbas of the world like to shoot at them with their deer rifles. You say Turkey Mountain is a park there is no hunting allowed. I would say, if there are deer (and there are, I've seen them) then there will be hunters of those deer. (I also think that 99.99% of deer hunters in Oklahoma strictly obey the various laws regarding their sport.)

I didn't get a picture of it but finally ran into some good running terrain. Lots of nice grass right before the finish. I have learned over the years to be running hard when you make the final turn to the finish line. You have to finish with style. If you cannot finish with style at least finish vertically. I did my best to ignore the knowing smirks of the grannys that passed me earlier. I think they cheated, I know they did!

And now for my lady readers, a little beefcake. Control yourselves, I'm a married man, not available. Sorry.


Running in the mud is fun!!!

And by gum, I got my participant ribbon!!! I'm the king of participant ribbons. Sometimes they run out before I finish a race though.



But you know what the important thing about racing  is? The physical and mental challenges, communing with nature, rocking out on the headphones to the like of Metallica and Patsy Cline, becoming one with the universe, exploring the inner realms of your outer consciousness (or is it the other way around?)? No, none of that.

The most important thing about racing is:


Getting the Shirt!!!



I had lots of fun. I didn't get to meet Trail Zombie but I will because this wasn't my last Trail Race!


(Everybody knows that I made up the bit about the grandmother's right?)