LBJ Photography Blog
This blog features travel notes and photographs.
The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
January 4, 2019
National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Oklahoma City, OK
We got lost in here! Literally. How do we find the exit? Each gallery led to another and another and another! To describe the plethora of memorabilia from the REAL West to the fantasized (of the movies) West would be a weak attempt. For example, there was an entire gallery of barbed wire types. Think of this gallery as a huge kitchen with vertical thin cupboards. Pull out the hand pull, and you are looking at one of 1,300 different types of barbed wire. Talk about detail! Within the museum was a fabricated town from the frontier days. How could we not take a picture of the photo studio?
The City Museum of St. Louis, MO
January 3, 2019
The City Museum of St. Louis
What gives the impression that this is going to be an unique experience? Could it be that the bannisters of the staircase are made of painted auto shock absorbers? This museum is one of found objects. Buildings long gone and torn down but their artistic architecture are saved on its walls. Walls made of bottles, printers' die cuts, mirrors, muffin tins, warming dishes, and old photographic slides. By the way the entire museum is a child's playground including the roof. Unique!
Ark Encounter
January 2, 201
The Ark Encounter
Williamstown, KY
Massive, impressive, probing, mission driven—that's the Ark. The displays are a wonder in themselves, and they are numerous. To think that the myriad lines of cages holding life-size extinct species are all made from styrofoam gives the mind pause especially viewing the final product with fur, hair, whiskers, eyes. Much to see and much to process!
Calgary Stampede
The Calgary Stampede
“The Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”
July 11-12
Attendance at the Calgary Stampede for Summer 2018 = 1.27 million over a 10-day period! Yes, it is the biggest rodeo in the world. 17,000 people pack the grandstand daily for each afternoon rodeo show and another 17,000 for the evening chuck wagon races followed by the grandstand show and fireworks. Not only do the grounds house the grandstand, but a midway with rides and concessions which rival the Ohio State Fair lure old and young alike. Pavilions house dog and horse shows; musical entertainment abounds; and the Indian Village which has been an integral part of the Stampede since its inception in 1912 is vibrant with demonstrations and performances. The Young Canadians, a group of youths ranging in age from 11-18, are featured performers of synchronized routines throughout the grandstand show. The Calgary Grandstand Show is full of glitz and talent, and it rivals many Vegas shows we have seen on the Strip. Cowboy boots and hats abound at this venue!
Exploring Banff National Park
Banff National Park
July 7-9
Millions of conifers, powder blue streams, and emerald green lakes fill Banff National Park. Through the knowledge of Hugh Southee, one of our guides, we discovered that the different water colors are from the tiny granules of quartzite silt, and that water color—whether powder blue or emerald green—was determined by the swiftness of water movement. The slower the movement--> more green the water; the faster the movelemt--> the more powder blue. We also learned that the beauty of these mountains comes from their origins as sedimentary rocks turned metamorphic.
From glaciers, visible along road travel, to thundering canyons to emerald-green lakes to majestic mountains to lady slippers and orchids, the scenery was eye candy.
Can you believe that the park has overhead bridges for the animals to cross the road? Do the Canadians think of everything? In order to keep the animals from getting hit, fences line the the highway, and the bridges are a means for animals to cross from one side of the highway to the other.
At Lake Louise a young, third generation traveler (mother/daughter/granddaughter) within our group brought out her ukulele and played a melody echoing her voice through the beauty of the scene before us.