The Paseo

Whites Barber Shop

On NW 23rd St

Back to Work Monday Buildings

I don't know anything about this building, but I was amused by its one round window.

Put a Cork in It

This winery is in bricktown, in between the Red Dirt Emporium and the Red Dirt Marketplace, both of which feature Oklahoma businesses, artists, and products. Unfortunately, this winery was closed when I took the picture so I didn't get to sample any! You'll have to tell me how it is.

Red Earth Parade

The Red Earth Festival is the largest Native American cultural festival in the world. These pictures are from last week's opening ceremonies parade.

Freaky Friday

This picture was taken at a downtown OKC intersection

Chihuly No. 2

This is my Chihuly glass picture taken a few years ago at the Oklahoma City Museam of Art.  My blog partner's is Chihuly pic is here.

Stockyards City

OKC hosts the largest stocker and feeder cattle market.  --I don't really know exactly goes on in Stockyards City, but this years is it's 100th year anniversery and this weekend they're celebrating by having a "Wines of the West Festival."  It's like a cowboy central in that area.  It's home of the the famous Cattlemen's Steakhouse and Langston's Western Wear.  I'm not much into the cowboy thang, so I probably won't be there.  If you decide to go let me know how it is. 

Reaching for the Sun

A flower pic taken at the OKC Zoo. 

Lauren Zuniga

I fell in love with a poet at the "When Your Strange" event at the Red Cup.  Her name is Lauren Zuniga and she is pictured below.

Personally, I don't think there is enough poetry in the world.  So here is some of her's.  Enjoy.

 things to do in an ice storm

Hold your body out for stranded passengers.

Live in laundry baskets.

Weave blankets out of past conversations

You’ll need a loom as sturdy as every lie

and thread as slick as every promise.

Cut out your flaws into intricate patterns.

Be a paper snowflake, hang yourself up,

let everyone see through you

Your flaws are much prettier than theirs.

Restock your pantry with convenience store food.

Eat the dark and the quiet, like honey buns.

Lick every drip of its shame and icing from your fingers.

Until you become The Nothing and the Nothing becomes you.

Do price checks on a generator strong enough to power

20 more years of marriage.

He says that’s all you need, 20 more years

then you can leave. A family is concrete.

You’re the one holding the wrecking ball.

Dream about warmth.

Give up being a poet so it can’t be held against you.

Laugh rollercoaster songs.

Change the pillowcases.

Do science experiments.

Sift through seven years of shallow compliments.

Forget that he’s a good man

Forget that good men are hard to find.

Forget that your mom has been married six times

and none of them were worth their weight

in imported beer, so she kept the last one

like a $2 scratch off ticket, terrified to

scratch off the last square.

Buy antique dishes on eBay.

Because you once heard your

Grandmother say that she knew that if she just had

the right set of dishes, she’d have a happy marriage.

Forget that your grandmother is old and alone now.

Read the poems of empowered women.

Stand naked in the mirror.

For the first time, really look at your body.

Covered in tree skin, your roots diving

through red dirt, trying to find warmth

Your trunk hunched,

your limbs have been reached

out for so long they are tingling and numb, coated

with slick and gleaming glass, snapping

under the weight, you can not hold everyone together.

Begin packing.

Take the bundle of dreadlocks, remnants of a man

who used to value art more than structure.

Take the pinked lined pregnancy test, a reminder

that you always know more than you think you do.

Take the two most beautiful gifts of forgiveness

you could ever offer each other

and

take

You.

Watch your reflection bend and drip to the earth.

Re-introduce yourself to the sun.

 

Cool Tiny Plane

The Tinker Air Force Base was having an even called "Star Spangled Sulute" over father's day weekend.  Unfortunately it was freaking hot, so I didn't stay long enough to get any cool aerial shots of any planes.  But I like this shot because it has two big planes and some nice fluffy clouds.  I used to want to be an Air Force pilot, but then I got pregnant and decided against it.  LOL!  Below is a pic of the kids next to what they called a cool tiny plane.

 

BTW, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

BellyDancing

Behind the Red Cup Cafe is a little outdoors "well-shaded" performance area.  Today they had an event called When Your Strange.  There were poetry readings, musical performances, and belly dancing. 

These ladies were from the AALIM BellyDance Academy.    They were pretty awesome and the first class at their studio is free. 

Play Time!

What are you going to do this weekend? I plan to spend plenty of time playing with my puppies! (I said to myself, 'don't post a picture of your dog! There are dogs in EVERY city! Post something that is only in OKC!' And what did myself say? 'But look at him, he's sooo cuuuute!' I know. I'm a pushover. But look, it makes me happy just *looking* at it.)

Practice Makes Perfectish

These are some of the ladies of Kabaret Falschtanz rehearsing for performance. One of their ladies was accepted into the world-famous Alvin Ailey school of dance in NYC, so they're holding a fundraiser tonight to send her off with a bang. The show is at the Magnolia Building at 8:00pm tonight, with a suggested donation of $5.

A Useless Fence

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I really don't think this buffalo is going anywhere! This is at the Harn Homestead, an educational/historical facility that hosts several events throughout the year for school field trips, the public, and private events. As for the buffalo... you can't hardly go anywhere in Oklahoma City without bumping into a large piece of buffalo art work. They were sold several years ago to raise money for the zoo's bison exhibit. I haven't spent a lot of time at Harn, but if you like zoos, you should really see ours. It's among the top zoos in the country and constantly improving. If you haven't been there in a couple of years, you should go back, because it's changing all the time.

Chihuly Chandelier and DeadCenter

One of the big events around town last weekend was the DeadCenter Film Festival. I didn't participate in much of those festivities, but I did attend one of the movies that showed at the downtown art museum as part of the festival. Aside from having a nice theater for indie and foreign films, our museum hosts a lot of Chihuly glass work, and as you go up the stairs into the theater you can't help but notice this giant Chihuly Waterford crystal chandelier. It's over 9 feet tall and one of only two in the world.

Back to Work Monday Buildings

I hope you love this photo even half as much as I do. This is the Central High School/Farmer's Insurance building from afar at sunset.

7 Deadly Sins

So, I'm sticking with the "what I did last weekend" theme. Last Sunday, I went to see the 7 Deadly Sins burlesque revue at the Prohibition Room. Aside from being delighted by the talented and sassy dancers, I was also delighted to discover a restaurant that served tasty food until 1:00am. If you would like to see these ladies dance, their next two shows are at Underground Horror Fest in Tulsa on July 10 at the Marquee, and July 11 at The Prohibition Room at 9pm. If you want to visit the Prohibition Room just to grab a bite, it is in the gold dome building on 23rd and Classen. This photo is another guest shot by Twohare Media, taken at one of the 7 Deadly Sins shows and used with permission.

SoonerCon

What did you guys do this Saturday? Last Saturday, I went to SoonerCon, OKC's yearly science-fiction/fantasy convention. I never miss it. This is a photo of some of the contestants in the costume masquerade. Those Borg costumes are very detailed and impressive in person - the Borg show up every year and I always look forward to seeing them. Can you identify who everyone is dressed as?

Freaky Friday

Sitting on the ....

Another cool pic from the zoo.

Graffiti question

This symbol has been popping up all over downtown OKC. Does anyone know what it means? I think it means "I heart anarchy", but I doubt it. 

Attack of the Killer Kids

 I'm glad that's not my car.

Peace

Peace, Love and Drug Lawyers.

Little Oasis #2

Since I didn't attend the Paseo Arts Festival last weekend, I went to the Paseo's First Friday's Gallery Walk.  See the above pic? It just looks like any regular apartment complex, right? Well this is the center of the apartment complex below:

Beautiful, huh?  

Litte Oasis #1

Happy Saturday! This morning I went for a short jog at Oklahoma City University and then I headed over to the Red Cup Cafe for an Inner City Smoothie. Yum Yum, it was delicious. I've been here a couple of times, but I hadn't noticed until today that off to the side of the cafe is a very nice garden area (see the pic below).  It was like a little oasis in the middle of the city.  I love finding places like that.

SoundBites in the Park

I don't think I can say enough how I love working downtown. Every Friday in May and June, there are free lunchtime concerts downtown in Kerr Park. This photo is from last Friday when I went to listen to Cori and Chelsey Emmett. Hooray for the Downtown Oklahoma City Inc and Oklahoma City Parks and Recreation for collaborating to do this for us!

One more, just because they put on a good show.

More Will Rogers Park

Do you know what kind of bird this is?

Magnolia Building

No fair mentioning it yesterday without showing it off. I hear that this building is another one on the national register of historic places, but past that I know nothing about it. If you guys have history on it, feel free to share.

Back to Work Buildings

Photo of Broadway, taken from the top floor of the Magnolia Building after business hours.