The last time I took the time to sit down and write a post here, it was January. The Drive Home tour had just come through Tulsa. I had spent a few days in Arizona and was marking the anniversary of my father's passing. It's been about two months since then. I just marked the … Continue reading Accelerating Through 2026
What happens when a hockey team adopts the famous Blue Whale as their identity? An exciting weekend of Route 66 celebration!
The last few months have been incredibly busy!
More than seven years ago, I was wandering my Uncle Andy's property in Barnsdall with my mother when I came across an old restaurant sign. It piqued my curiosity, as I'd always had a fascination with brands and logos, but my aunt and uncle didn't have a lot of information about it aside from the … Continue reading A White Knight Comes Home
An old family photo leads to a little-known piece of Tulsa history
In 1927, the town of Red Fork on Tulsa's southwest side was incorporated into the city. It's where Tulsa County's first oil discovery was made (Sue Bland Well No. 1) and is still home to a large, active rail yard. There were several communities in what is now Southwest Tulsa, actually; all still home to … Continue reading Tulsa’s Crystal City
For decades, the giant Skateland neon sign stood near the corner of 11th and Sheridan in Tulsa. The roller rink there just off Route 66 was a Tulsa mainstay for decades. Ed and Wanda Enlow, who had been teaching skating at the Continental Roller Rink near 11th and Peoria, opened the family skating rink on … Continue reading Saving Skateland’s Neon
I love it when I come across an unusual postcard; it always encourages me to look a little closer. Sometimes, it is tied to quite a story. Such as this postcard for a grocery store in north Tulsa: I'd never seen a postcard for a grocery store before. The cars in the image are quite … Continue reading Mann’s Grocery
In war, a foxhole is a space in the ground that troops use as a shelter against enemy fire. When you're on the line, leaving that foxhole is a dangerous and potentially fatal action. The COVID-19 Pandemic isn't war - but I feel the risk when I leave the house. I have to have a … Continue reading Out of the Foxhole
It's odd how the days in 2020 seem to stretch on forever, yet at the same time they become a compressed, jumbled mess in my memory. A lot of that is COVID, sure, but part of that is grief and other stresses. The last few months I've done some scattered traveling but all of my … Continue reading Pieces of the Road
Rhys' Pieces 