BA_Joker's A Photo A Day

Pictures from Edmond

2010-05-01T17:28:00.001-05:00

These pictures were all taken in Edmond, where we're visiting family this weekend.This first picture was a wildflower I snapped with my iPhone while riding my bike.

This is a peach colored rose from my parent's backyard. There was a tiny grasshopper perched on it when I snapped this pic.

I snapped this picture with my iPhone while I was taking a bike ride. They has several large sections of railroad tracks stacked here. I'm sure it took some heavy equipment to move and stack them.

This was a white Gerber daisy in my parent's backyard.

First post of week 2

2010-04-29T21:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a picture of one of the flowers on our climatis.

In this picture, I caught a squirrel walking along the top of a fence.

This is one of my favorite places to eat.

Flowers and Animals

2010-04-25T23:09:00.001-05:00

The azaleas are in full bloom right now. These are some pink azaleas I snapped at Woodward Park.

Here's a shot of a pink rose.

Here's a rabbit I spotted who didn't bolt and let me snap a few pics of it.

Here's a nice shot of a sqirrel.

This is a carving from a tree trunk I found in a front yard.

I'm reviving this blog!

2010-04-20T00:45:00.001-05:00

I've decided to revive this blog, but I'm changing up the rules a little. I found it very hard to always take a picture every day and get it posted that same day, too. I'm still planning on taking at least 365 photos over the next year, but I'm going to make about 2 posts a week that contain at least 7 photos. It may not be exactly one picture taken every day, but in the end, there will be at least as many photos.

Here's a picture of some baby geese I took near my office:

Here's a picture of a bird:

Here's a picture of a bus stop on a busy street that I noticed had been taken out by an out of control vehicle. It looks like it was quite an accident.

To see an example of what this bus stop may have looked like before the accident, click here.

Geese Crossing

2009-06-01T14:18:00.002-05:00

I've been a bit lazy in posting to this blog lately. I have been taking some pictures, and I'm going to start posting them, and eventually get myself caught up.

Here's a picture I took, near the pond in from of my building. I always like to get a few pictures of the baby geese, when I can. Here's a shot of them all starting to cross the road.

Shawn, Alyssa, Nadia, & Louanne

2009-04-11T23:55:00.001-05:00

Today we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo with our friends from Ft. Worth. This is a picture of all the girls in an old horse carraige.

Unusual Mailbox

2009-04-11T00:22:00.000-05:00

We spotted this mailbox, while we were in Norman, OK, looking for a Starbucks. This mailbox looks like an electric transformer.

Grain Elevator

2009-04-06T23:29:00.000-05:00

This is an old grain elevator located in downtown Broken Arrow, OK.

Chevelle SS

2009-04-03T23:32:00.000-05:00

The other day, as I was driving home from work, I came across a car show that was getting ready to start. This was by far, the sharpest car there.

Broken Water Line

2009-04-02T19:13:00.000-05:00

I spotted this on my way home from work. The water was shooting way up into the air and I snapped this from my car window as my light was turning green.

Dandelion

2009-04-01T22:58:00.000-05:00

For a weed that many people despise, it has a really pretty flower.

Snow

2009-03-28T23:19:00.000-05:00

Today, we got some snow, so I'm posting a couple of pictures of Alyssa playing in the snow. You'll notice in the first picture Alyssa is making a snowball. It didn't take her long to learn about making and throwing snowballs.

The Grouting Is Done!

2009-03-25T14:55:00.001-05:00

I can finally say that I've finished grouting my new tile in the bathroom. It's taken quite a while, but I can now move on to other projects. Here's a picture that shows the border and some of the accessories, now with the grouting completed.

Eastern Redbud

2009-03-24T22:49:00.000-05:00

This is an Eastern Redbud. It is the state tree of Oklahoma. It is the easiest to recognize at this time of year, because of it's red buds.

Hockey Action

2009-03-21T16:14:00.000-05:00

My oldest son and me went to see the last home game of the Tulsa Oilers. This is one of the pictures of the hockey action I snapped during the game.

Lighthouse

2009-03-20T14:29:00.001-05:00

I spotted this the other day, while riding my bike. It seems like quite a few people are hiring someone to carve something from an old tree, rather than having it cut down. This tree was carved into a lighthouse. It probably would have looked better if the tree had been straighter. This tree might have been better suited for carving the Leaning Tower of Pisa.

Stacking Cards

2009-03-18T22:56:00.001-05:00

We went to the Tulsa Home and Garden Show last weekend. One of the exhibits there, featured the Guiness World Record holder for card stacking. He was stacking cards at the show to make a big display. Here's a picture of what was built when we went to see it. Notice the concrete blocks on the right, with playing cards between them.

In my next picture, he's moved into the middle of the display to stack cards there, and you can see him at work.

Daffodil

2009-03-15T12:53:00.001-05:00

This is a picture of a daffodil I snapped on my way home from work the other day.

Alyssa, Her Doll, and Matching Dresses

2009-03-14T12:58:00.001-05:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted a picture, but I've been dealing with a death in the family, cars that won't start, and trying to finish my bathroom tile. Today, I'm posting a picture of Alyssa with her doll and they're both wearing matching dresses.

Alyssa's Hand

2009-03-03T17:23:00.002-06:00

Here's another image shot with my macro lens. This is a picture of Alyssa's hand. I tried to get one without anything directly behind it, close enough to still be in focus, but she wouldn't cooperate enough for that. I could only get her to keep it open like this, with it resting on the bed.

Hockey Fight

2009-03-02T11:10:00.001-06:00

Here's another picture from the hockey game. This is a picture from one of the many fights. This fight was a result of previous fights, the frustration of being 2 points behind, and the puck being jammed along the boards for too long.

Hockey Action

2009-02-28T21:11:00.000-06:00

This was my best picture of the action at the hockey game. When you view this full-sized, you can see the puck, you can tell what just happened, and can guess what will probably happen next.

BOK Center At Night

2009-02-27T23:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I went to the hockey game with my son. I snapped this picture of the BOK Center before going in.

Sleeping Beauty

2009-02-26T21:00:00.000-06:00

I snapped this picture of Alyssa sleeping in her car seat, when Shawn got home from work. On the inset picture, you can see how she was resting her one leg on the seat in front of her with the other leg crossed over it.

Alyssa's Eye

2009-02-25T22:49:00.001-06:00

I saw some pictures someone else did with their new macro lens and decided I should try some similar pictures.

Static Electricity

2009-02-24T21:04:00.000-06:00

Tonight, while Alyssa was playing in my chair, I noticed all the static electricity making her hair stand out straight.

Today vs. 1 Year Ago

2009-02-21T14:32:00.000-06:00

Today, I wanted to redo the picture I took of Alyssa with beads, exactly one year ago. Here's the picture I took today:

And, here's the picture I took one year ago:

Old Barn

2009-02-20T20:30:00.000-06:00

This is an old barn that I've been wanting to snap a picture of for a while. My biggest problem was that there isn't any close place to park for this.

Lazy

2009-02-19T21:16:00.002-06:00

Our local paper is delivered to EVERYONE. Even those of us who don't subscribe to it. I never even look at mine. It always gets picked up and thrown straight into the trash. I guess, by delivering it to everyone, they can claim a larger circulation, and charge more money for advertising. My neighbor down the street isn't too keen on picking them up and throwing them away. There are at least 8 papers scattered across his lawn and driveway.

Alyssa's Dress

2009-02-18T21:55:00.001-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of Alyssa in her dress. She really loves this dress, and likes to spin around when she wears it, because of how it flairs at the bottom when she does. My mistake was to snap this in the evening, after she got a chocolate ice cream stain on it, rather than in the morning, when it was clean.

Ducks

2009-02-15T21:12:00.000-06:00

Today, we stopped in Stillwater for lunch and to let Alyssa feed the ducks and geese. These pictures were taken at the duck pond on the campus of Oklahoma State University. Here's a picture of one of the many ducks.

In this last shot, I've got a large portion of the duck pond with many of the ducks and geese in it.

Saturday at Exploration Place

2009-02-15T21:07:00.001-06:00

On Saturday, we went to Exploration Place. This was like a big kids museum, with lots of cool things for the kids to do. My first picture was taken at the water pool. Alyssa is throwing a duck back into the pool in this shot.

In my last picture, Alyssa is standing inside a big bubble.

Which Way Do I Go?

2009-02-13T14:56:00.001-06:00

I spotted this sign while I was riding my bike over the lunch hour. Which way does the bike route go from here? Will I be out of luck and end up lost, if I choose incorrectly?

A Beaver's Work . . .

2009-02-12T22:25:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a beaver dam that I found during my lunch hour. This is a dam they built, which was pretty impressive. The water above the dam was about a foot and a half higher than that below.

Here's another picture I snapped of their tree cuttings.

Bamboo Forest

2009-02-11T22:44:00.000-06:00

I snapped this picture in a patch of bamboo growing in a city park near my office the other day. I really like bamboo for some reason. Maybe it has something to do with having a daughter from China.

Black Widow

2009-02-10T19:04:00.001-06:00

When I got home from work yesterday, I found this Black Widow spider near the front door.

I thought he'd make a great picture for this blog, so I scooped him into this jar.

Here's a closeup of the spider.

Our New Building

2009-02-09T19:09:00.002-06:00

The reality of moving into our new building really sank in today, with people starting to box up all their belongings for our move, that will take place on Wednesday of this week. I thought I'd snap a few pictures of our new building to post. It doesn't really look like the building is ready to move into, but we are moving into the lowest level, which was all they were going to construct, initially. That construction was almost finished when the decision was made to build it to it's full height now, with interior construction that could be delayed somewhat.

Here's a pic snapped from the Northeast:

And, here's another shot taken from the Northwest:

My last picture was taken of the entrance that we will be using for now to access the building. There's lots of scaffolding in this area. I'm not sure what it's there for, or for how long it will be there. This should be very impressive to any VIPs we bring into the building. I hope they don't make us wear hardhats to come in and out.

I've posted pics of this bulding previously. If you want to see them, they are day 85, day 225, day 256, and day 289. If you want to see the construction cam, you can see it here.

Pile Of Bricks

2009-02-06T21:01:00.000-06:00

This is where a house once stood. The bricks are about all that remain now. I suspect that if they are not disturbed, they will still be here for many more years to come.

Today vs. One Year Ago

2009-02-05T21:40:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I took another picture similar to the one I started this blog with, slightly more than one year ago. In all this time, we've only given her hair one light trimming and her hair is starting to get really long. And, even though we thought she was the cutest baby ever back then, she just keeps getting cuter all the time!

And, here's the picture I took last year to start off this blog.

Day 366

2009-02-04T23:06:00.002-06:00

Tonight, we went to see The Peking Acrobats.The show was great and we really enjoyed it. They didn't allow flash photography, so I had to meter all my shots manually, and use a much slower shutter speed. This pic included 3 lions and a giant ball, that later on, had 2 of the lions balancing upon it.

Since this is day 366, I have completed a full year. My plan for this blog is to continue posting pictures here, on a frequent basis. But, I'm not going to go to extremes to make sure I post everyday. In the future, I plan to post some larger pictures with bigger thumbnails, and will sometimes post more than one picture, changing the format of my posts, somewhat. I'm also planning on taking another picture similar to my day 1 post, to show the difference in how Alyssa looked one year ago compared with how she looks now.

Day 365

2009-02-03T23:07:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of Alyssa in the bathtub. In this picture, she's leaning her head back in the water, to get it wet, so Shawn can wash it.

Day 364

2009-02-02T22:26:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a complete set of 50 state quarters. I've collected 4 sets in all. One set is for Alyssa. I've saved one for each of my 2 boys. And, the last set is for Shawn and me. We plan on travelling to every state, and spending each one, in the state it's from.

Day 363

2009-02-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I snapped a picture of Alyssa's messy face, after having some ice cream.

Day 362

2009-01-31T20:19:00.000-06:00

Tonight, we attended another Chinese New Year celebration with the Oklahoma City GWCA families. This is a picture of Alyssa with 2 other girls she met tonight.

Day 361

2009-01-30T14:41:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a strip mall that is being demolished to make room for the expansion of Interstate 44 in Tulsa.

Day 360

2009-01-29T22:28:00.001-06:00

Tonight, Alyssa and Shawn are back home, after spending the last 3 nights in Wagoner due to the ice storm and Shawn's crazy hours at work. I snapped this picture of Alyssa, as Shawn was putting her to sleep. (As you can see, she's still wide awake.)

Day 359

2009-01-28T13:45:00.001-06:00

Today, I took advantage of the icy coating on everything and our streets, that are getting much better for driving on. This is a branch from a pine tree that is still coated in ice.

Day 358

2009-01-27T16:36:00.001-06:00

Today, we got more sleet and freezing rain. Only about half of the people in my office came to work today. I snapped this picture of 2 boys playing in the strret, on my way home from work.

Day 357

2009-01-26T19:10:00.000-06:00

Today, we had an ice storm start to dump precipitation, that's begining to form a thin layer of ice on just about everything. I snapped this picture of some tree limbs, from my front yard.

Day 356

2009-01-25T21:39:00.001-06:00

I spent part of the day yesterday removing wallpaper from the bathroom walls. We had talked about adding texture and paint to them, but now we may decide to put up new wallpaper. Here's a picture of the walls without any wallpaper.

Day 355

2009-01-24T21:31:00.000-06:00

Today, we went to 2 different Chinese New Year celebrations, having lunch with the Chinese American Association of Tulsa (CAAT), and having dinner with our Families with Children from China (FCC) group. I took this picture at our FCC dinner, while the kids were doing a lion dance at the restaurant.

Day 354

2009-01-23T18:29:00.001-06:00

Today, I noticed that the construction crew, on our new building, had placed a port-a-potty on the scaffolding used by the bricklayers. I guess they're trying to save time by not coming down to go to the bathroom, or maybe they're making them stay up there until they get to the top of the building.

Day 353

2009-01-22T20:35:00.001-06:00

Today, I spotted this tree on my way home from work. I positioned myself where the sun was directly behind the trunk of the tree to shoot this picture.

Day 352

2009-01-21T21:34:00.001-06:00

Shawn broke out a package of Mega Blocks for Alyssa tonight, and I've been on the living room floor building lots of cool stuff with her.

Day 351

2009-01-20T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today, I took a few pictures at night using my tripod and a long exposure.

Day 350

2009-01-19T21:37:00.001-06:00

These tracks probably haven't seen any trains in many years. Despite the appearance in this picture, it was taken in an industrial area in the heart of mid-town Tulsa.

Day 349

2009-01-18T21:35:00.000-06:00

Today, we went to a birthday party in Bartlesville for another girl who was also adopted from China. It was held in a gymnastics center, where they had all kinds of equipment for the kids to play on. There were a couple of trampolines, a rope swing, several balance beams, a couple of pits filled with foam cubes, and the floor was padded everywhere. This is a picture of Alyssa swinging on the rope swing.

Day 348

2009-01-17T22:27:00.000-06:00

Tonight, we went to the Chinese American Association of Tulsa's Chinese New Year Celebration at the Performing Arts Center of Tulsa Community College. This is one of the many pictures I shot during the show.

Day 347

2009-01-16T16:03:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a race car that was on display at the QuikTrip Center, where they are currently holding the Chili Bowl Nationals.

Day 346

2009-01-15T23:06:00.000-06:00

Today, we had a little bit of snow, and it's been really, really cold outside. I snapped this picture at a local bank on my way home from work this evening.

Day 345

2009-01-14T21:03:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of the sun setting over my neighborhood.

Day 344

2009-01-13T19:06:00.001-06:00

I found this wooden indian statue, in front of a business, here in Broken Arrow, OK. This is like the ones you used to find in front of cigar stores.

Day 343

2009-01-13T00:01:00.001-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of something my parents brought me home from Alaska.

Day 342

2009-01-11T22:13:00.001-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of Alyssa, standing on top of a chair, so she could reach the top of her kitchen, while she was wearing her sunglasses.

Day 341

2009-01-10T22:33:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of all the family playing a dice game after dinner.

Day 340

2009-01-09T21:23:00.000-06:00

Today, we're in Edmond for my dad's heart procedure. We've been at the heart hospital most of the day and haven't had much time to take any pictures. Alyssa has been so good all day. On our way back to the house, she fell asleep in her car seat and I snapped this picture of her.

Day 339

2009-01-08T17:28:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of my new mountain bike. I spent a bit more money on this bike than I have in the past and I can really tell a big difference. I've been dieting and riding my bike for exercise, and I really enjoy riding this bike much better than my last one.

Day 338

2009-01-07T21:27:00.000-06:00

Today, I spotted this in someone's front yard. Around here, you'll find plenty of OU Sooner fans. Everyone is pretty excited about the BCS National Championship game between Oklahoma and Florida, this Thursday night.

Day 337

2009-01-06T21:46:00.001-06:00

Tonight, I went to buy some new shoes for myself. Alyssa found some shoes that she liked too. She liked them so much, she had to wear them home.

Day 336

2009-01-05T19:09:00.000-06:00

I snapped this picture in a local park. After having such a nice day on Saturday, with temperatures in the upper 70s, It's been back to temperatures in the 30s, for the last 2 days. You can tell it's cold by the heavy clothing on the fisherman. You have to be pretty hard-core to fish on a day like today.

Day 335

2009-01-04T21:09:00.001-06:00

Today, I got out the macro lens for my picture. This is another one of those, "Guess what this is?" posts.

Day 334

2009-01-03T20:57:00.000-06:00

Today, we took Alyssa to the zoo. The temperatures were in the 70s, and it was a perfect day. This picture was snapped, while we were letting her play on the jungle gym.

Day 333

2009-01-02T21:31:00.000-06:00

Today, I spotted this truck, on my way home from work. It wasn't the design on the truck that caught my attention, but the size of it. I'm wondering if this guy is compensating for something else, that's not so big.

Day 332

2009-01-01T21:22:00.000-06:00

Today, we exchanged gifts with Shawn's family. It was like Christmas all over again for Alyssa. This is Alyssa with a double stroller that she got for a gift.

Day 331

2008-12-31T23:59:00.001-06:00

The champagne is on ice, ready to celebrate.

Day 330

2008-12-30T23:13:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I snapped a picture of Alyssa with her new baby doll. She likes to push it around in it's stroller, and she was extra cute wearing her sunglasses.

Day 329

2008-12-29T21:32:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of an almost completed building, being constructed by the Broken Arrow Public Schools. This will be their Performing Arts Center and their Education Service Center. You can tell, by the equipment, that work is still being done. But, it's due to be completed soon.

Day 328

2008-12-28T21:04:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of the watch that Shawn and Alyssa gave me for Christmas. I was told that Alyssa was given the choice of which one to buy. I think she did an awesome job because it's beautiful.

Day 327

2008-12-27T20:52:00.001-06:00

Tonight, I snapped a picture of the lights at a neighbor of my parents. You might notice that he has a "JOY" like the one in front of my house.

Day 326

2008-12-26T23:09:00.001-06:00

Tonight, I snapped a picture of some trees at Chesapeake Energy in Oklahoma City.

Day 325

2008-12-25T21:28:00.001-06:00

Today, I'm posting a picture of Alyssa with one of her Christmas gifts.

Day 324

2008-12-24T23:07:00.000-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a Christmas ornament that we bought when we went to Germany. We keep this in the bag it was in when we bought it, that says, "Gut ist nicht gut genug". This translates to, "Good is not good enough".

Day 323

2008-12-23T22:44:00.001-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of my bathroom that we're remodelling. I finished installing the cement board the other day. Once I fix all the seams, I'll be ready for the tile.

Day 322

2008-12-22T21:29:00.001-06:00

I took this picture, on my way to work this morning, on a VERY cold day in Tulsa. This was shot just before sunrise.

Day 321

2008-12-21T21:42:00.000-06:00

This big tree was found in front of a home in Bixby, OK. This was part of a Christmas display that was synchronized to music you could tune on your car radio. It was also about 25 ft. tall. It was hard to snap my picture while most of the lights were lit.

Day 320

2008-12-20T23:50:00.001-06:00

Tonight, we finally got Alyssa's new kitchen assembled and ready for her to play with. It's almost been a month since her birthday, now. We've just had a lot of things that had to get done before we could set this up. We had to find a new home for our kitchen table and chairs, clean the dining room, clean the carpeting, etc. Putting this beast together was no small chore, either. I'm not going to mention the bathroom remodel that is underway. We're just glad she can finally play with it.

Day 319

2008-12-19T21:43:00.001-06:00

Tonight, I found a nativity set, made of just lights.

Day 318

2008-12-18T22:05:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I snapped another picture of some Christmas lights. These were done by a neighbor of mine, who always has lots of decorations to display. It's bordering on a Clark W. Griswold type of Christmas display.

Day 317

2008-12-17T20:30:00.000-06:00

This is my Christmas gift from Maker's Mark. It's wrapping paper, ribbon, and gift tags, all with special Maker's Mark designs. As a Maker's Mark Ambassador, I receive a cool new gift each year. I've tried other bourbons, but I've found Maker's Mark bourbon to be far better. Try it yourself, and I think you'll agree. If you would like to become a Maker's Mark Ambassador, click here.

Day 316

2008-12-16T14:51:00.001-06:00

Today, has been just as cold as yesterday, with the temperatures in the low 20s. So, I snapped this picture of a fountain in front of the Hilton Place hotel near my office. There is water still bubbling from the top, so I'm sure the ice has been getting bigger every day.

Day 315

2008-12-15T22:59:00.000-06:00

Tonight, I snapped a few pictures of some more Christmas lights.

Day 314

2008-12-14T23:42:00.001-06:00

This afternoon the temperature here was a very comfortable 74 degrees. Later this evening it has dropped to 19 degrees and we have a nice layer of sleet on the roads.

Day 313

2008-12-13T23:47:00.000-06:00

We went to see the Swon Brothers perform tonight in Wagoner at the Community Center. This is a picture I snapped at the concert. We really enjoyed it and Alyssa got to go up on the stage, twice. I posted a few more pictures and details on my adoption blog.

Day 312

2008-12-12T22:50:00.001-06:00

Tonight, we went to a Christmas dinner for Shawn's work. One of her co-workers was receiving a pin, for 40 years of service. At the office, she's been telling everyone that she should get diamond earings for 40 years, rather than a pin. So, everyone collected money to buy them as a surprise. They presented her with the little box, and this picture was taken just as she realized they bought her diamond earings.

Day 311

2008-12-11T22:56:00.000-06:00

After putting Alyssa to bed, I found some rasberries and wine to enjoy before bedtime. Cheers!

Day 310

2008-12-10T21:53:00.001-06:00

Tonight we took some pictures of Alyssa in her Christmas dress. This was a picture I snapped of her with Shawn.

Day 309

2008-12-09T22:05:00.001-06:00

Today, I snapped a picture of a Christmas decoration that my dad made for us. Not only did he cut this out of plywood and paint it, but he mounted brackets to the back and cut some stakes from rebar to support it, and included a string of three floodlights to light it up.

Day 308

2008-12-08T21:27:00.001-06:00

Today, I took the day off from work so our new tub could be installed. Here's a picture of the new tub. Now, I can install the wall boards and prepare it for tile.

Day 307

2008-12-07T22:25:00.001-06:00

Today, I did some geocaching while Shawn and Alyssa went to a Christmas Party. This is a picture I took at Lake Tenkiller.

Day 306

2008-12-06T21:33:00.000-06:00

Tonight we drove through Rhema Bible College to see their Christmas lights. They use a crazy amount of lights each year and light up the whole campus.