The main purpose of this page is to show foreigners (folks from out of state) that Oklahoma does not look like the cowboy movies. The cowboy movies were mostly filmed in Arizona, which is mostly desert. Oklahoma is not. Not at all. It has dry spells, but generally it receives plenty of rain for growing lush vegetation in the spring. Of course, we have two dormant periods (winter and summer) but we also have two good growing seasons.
All of the following photographs were taken between 2005 and 2007, and all were within a few miles of my home in Norman, Oklahoma.
A monarch butterfly and a bumblebee alight on two of the hundreds of Cosmos flowers. Cosmos blooms in the late summer and fall here, and can handle our hot summers with ease. Distance from home: out the back door.
This is our backyard in the winter time, with real, actual snow on the ground. Also note that there are trees.... Distance from home: from my bedroom window.
The administration building at the University of Oklahoma, where I went to school. A typical December snow--a few inches that melt off in the afternoon. Nice. Distance from home: about 9 miles.
One of the views few outside of the plains states get--a late evening thunderstorm in the east. Awesome cloud formations like this are common in Oklahoma--usually accompanied by unpleasantness like lightning (another photo op), hail, and strong winds. At least we get rain with them. One of the perks of living in Oklahoma is the spectacular weather--that's why Norman is home to the National Weather Service. We live in meteorologist heaven. The most famous television personalities in Oklahoma are the weathermen. Distance from home: 0.3 miles.
Our driveway in the spring. Note the luxuriant foliage of the Virginia Creepers hanging down--one could almost imagine this were a jungle. It's not. We have to cut the grass. Distance from home: look at the picture--you can figure this out.
A great place to be in Oklahoma--on the golf course. This is a view of the OU golf course, which is a beautiful and difficult course--it is championship caliber. In 2009 this course is hosting the Public Links championship, one of the three most prestigious amateur events. This is one of my home courses. Distance from home: 9 miles.
A panorama of a typical crosstimber field. This is on the highlands between the Little River Valley and the South Canadian River Valley--thus the view barely visible in the distance. Distance from home: 2.5 miles.
Oklahoma natural beauty. This is what the real Oklahoma looks like--rolling hills with fields and forests. Distance from home: 2.5 miles.
The Little River Valley. The river (which would be barely a burn in the northeast) is in the trees at the right. We have little flowing surface water, unless it rains. At this point, the river usually runs some 8 feet wide and 1 foot deep. Unless it rains. This part of the valley is owned by a famous country singer, hence the nice fence. Distance from home: 1 mile.
Sledding in our back yard. Usually we can't sled on this hill, but we received an inch of ice before the snow piled on. This was a pretty fast ride with the ice underneath. Distance from home: 125 yards.
A panorama of part of our back yard in the spring. The clear area is for football and golf--fruit and nut trees line the edges. Distance from home: out the back door.
A sunset panorama looking the opposite way from the crosstimber field above. The clouds are some of our greatest scenery. Distance from home: 2.5 miles.
An apple tree in bloom, with the honeybees making their rounds. Distance from home: 50 yards.
Our front gardens after a spring rain. In bloom: daylilies, hostas, coreopsis, and salvia. With good rain, our front garden gets very lush. Distance from home: not very far.
The bottomland of the Little River Valley in spring. Another good view of the crosstimbers countryside. Distance from home: 0.5 miles.
The Little River after heavy rains. The spring of 2007 had tremendous rainfall and considerable flooding. The river here was some 20 feet deep (it usually flows at the base of a deep ravine) and some 40 feet wide. Further up stream, many roads were flooded, though near our house the river almost never floods. Distance from home: 0.5 miles.
Hopefully, these pictures have shown a good glimpse of the real Oklahoma countryside. Everything shown here was in northeast Norman, Oklahoma--except the photos of OU, which is on the south side of Norman. We live in the crosstimbers of Oklahoma, where the mountains and forests of eastern Oklahoma collide with the rolling pastures and plains of western Oklahoma--thus, we have hills and plains, forests and fields, streams and lakes all within a few miles of our house. The real Oklahoma is a beautiful place.
A little hot in the summer, but still a great place to live.