Author's posts
Apr 20 2021
Tiki Tuesday: Remembering Les Baxter
Les Baxter is one of the two most prominent figures from the world of exotica lounge music of the ’50’s and 60’s, along with Martin Denny. Baxter was born Leslie Thompson Baxter in Mexia, Texas on March 14, 1922. As a young man, he studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory, and then attended Pepperdine College …
Feb 17 2021
Soviet Film Wednesday: The Tree and the Cat
February 20th is National Love Your Pets Day, so be sure to lavish some extra attention on your fur babies today and show them how much you appreciate the love they bring. For this special Soviet Film Wednesday, here’s a heartwarming tale about a cat left on the side of the road. The cat wanders …
Feb 05 2020
Soviet Film Wednesday: Introducing Larisa Shepitko
This month the Criterion film channel is featuring Soviet director, writer, and actress Larisa Shepitko. You can now watch two of her most acclaimed films, Wings and The Ascent, as well as the full introduction to the director on Criterion. The 1966 film Wings (Krylya) concentrates on a highly decorated female fighter pilot in World War …
Sep 07 2019
Wonders, Soda Fountains, Hot Springs, and Kitsch on Route 66
Some of the best places to see on the long Rt. 66 stretch between Tulsa and Los Angeles This summer my daughter, her boyfriend, and I took our longest Route 66 road trip yet: from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Los Angeles, California, tracing the route that many Oklahomans took in the ’30’s, as fictionalized in The …
Aug 28 2019
Soviet Film Wednesday: The Sounds of Tarkovsky
The independent film streaming service Fandor has put together a mesmerizing compilation of audio moments from Andrei Tarkovsky films, showing how the director emphasizes particular sounds as one of his many creative film-making techniques. The films shown in this two minute collage are The Steamroller and the Violin (1961), Ivan’s Childhood (1962), Andrei Rublev (1966), …
Dec 18 2018
Discovering Route 66: Tulsa’s Mother Road Market
I always say that there are two things that I like best about living in Tulsa: the friendly people and the architecture, and the former proved to be true once more when my family and I took a walk through the Mother Road Market this weekend and were greeted by the friendliest of vendors! When …
Mar 12 2017
Downtown Tulsa’s Modern Architecture Tour
This weekend my friends and I enjoyed a rainy yet amazing tour of downtown Tulsa’s Modern architecture guided by the Tulsa Foundation for Architecture. I always tell people that two of my favorite things about Tulsa are the friendly people and the architecture, and many of my favorite T-town buildings were covered in the tour. …






