Tag: OK

Oklahoma State House..

RJ Walters

I need another ISOA post to take my mind off this very stressful week.

For this week’s ISOA (in search of America) post lets go to the Oklahoma State house in Oklahoma City and focus particularly on the paintings and sculptures there.  This was one of the most lavish state houses I have been in and it was also the most paranoid as far as security is concerned.  It was my feeling that they didn’t really appreciate people taking pictures. When a young Asian couple were taking pictures of the unoccupied House chamber a guard came up and confiscated their memory card from their camera.  I try not to let that experience blunt the memory of the great paintings there.  I guess I looked a little less threatening than those Asian kids did as he didn’t take my card…

As usual click on any picture to see a larger slideshow view

I’m Dreaming About … Folk Music

RJ Walters

I guess you could say that folk music is an acquired taste and it seems to have fallen out of favor these days. In my earlier hearing years I almost lived and breathed folk music.  One of the original founders of that music genre was Woody Guthrie and one of my favorite museums is the Woody Guthrie Center in Tulsa OK. The museum is small but packed with the archive of all his music.

Woody Guthrie-2.jpg

 

His most famous song “This Land Is Your Land” should be our national anthem. It relates more to the character of America than a naval battle some one hundred fifty years ago.

Oklahoma State House..

RJ Walters

OK Statehouse ceiling

The picture above is of the ceiling of the senate chamber of the Oklahoma Statehouse. I have quite a story to tell about it. I have probably visited about 30 statehouses in my travels and this is the only one that tried to restrict pictures being taken.  I guess fear of terrorists is at the core. I did manage to get several pics before I was warned that “pictures are not allowed in this area”. The building is such a beautiful place its a shame they don’t want you to have a lasting memory of it.

Tulsa…

Tulsa…

RJ Walters

In the past when I thought of Tulsa Oklahoma I mainly thought of cows and indians. After visiting there for the first time  recently I have changed that view. Now the first thing I think of is the Woody Guthrie Center and maybe secondly its architecture.   Compared to many it is a small city of about 400,000  and has a relatively short history but is rich in architectural detail. Oklahoma was where we pushed all the Native-American tribe that we wanted out of our way in our quest for “Manifest Destiny”. Happily there is a lot of Native-American heritage and history celebrated in Oklahoma.
Here are a few pictures that I took in my three hour walking tour around the city.


Click on any of the pictures above to see larger gallery views.

The YMCA building caught my attentions for it shear magnitude. I’m not sure if the plan is to salvage the building or tear it down.  I hope it is repurposed for other things…

Oklahoma History Center

Oklahoma History Center

RJ Walters

The Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City is an impressive building on the capital grounds of the State government. Since I have Pawnee blood in my heritage I am always looking for info about that tribe. Of course they, like almost all native American tribes had a presence in OK.  Here is some info about that found in the center.

Woody Guthrie Center – Tulsa OK

Woody Guthrie Center – Tulsa OK

RJ Walters

I was so excited to see that Woody Guthrie finally had his own museum I couldn’t wait to visit.  Here is a gallery of pictures for your pleasure. There wasn’t any Internet in Woody’s day so the two men wearing placards trying to find word during the Depression was the best they could do. If you are ever in Tulsa plan on a visit to this museum and take the time to stroll through the rest of the Brady District where it is located.

Click on any image of the gallery to see a larger version of the pictures.