Tour of Tulsa

The Cancer Center has a lot of activities each month.  Last week I went on a Tour of Tulsa.  I was the only one on the tour, had a driver and the tour guide, Jerry.  It was a really nice tour and I learned a lot about Tulsa.  Here's some of the pictures of the day:

These praying hands are at the Oral Roberts University in Tulsa.  They were huge!  They are the "world's largest praying hands", standing 60 feet tall and weighing 30 tons, it's apparently the largest bronze sculpture in the world.  Isn't that something?

This is a cool building, but I can't remember where it was or what it was.  It may have been the tallest building in Tulsa.

At one time, Tulsa, Oklahoma sat atop the world's largest-known ocean of oil. Drilling derricks were everywhere, even on the lawn of the state capitol. The city called itself "Oil Capital of the World."

But Tulsa did not build Tulsa's giant oil man. It was built by an oilfield supply company out of Texas, which set him up in 1953 for a trade show at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds. Dubbed "The Golden Driller," the giant roustabout resembled an oversized brass statuette, with a broad grin, a tin helmet tipped back at a rakish skew, and a gloved right hand raised in a kind of limp-wristed OK sign. The statue proved so popular that the Texas company returned six years later with a second temporary giant.

A third giant, tallest of all at 76 feet, took up permanent residence at the Fairgrounds on April 8, 1966. This version still stands today. He's very different from the original Golden Driller, with a slender waist, muscles ripped on a bare chest, mustard-colored rather than gold, and a face that's a chiseled mask of Teutonic invincibility. He was designed by George S. "Grecco" Hondronastas (1893-1979), a Greek immigrant to Tulsa who viewed the Driller as his greatest artistic accomplishment.  (I didn't write all that, I stole it from Roadside America). 

We also stopped at a Glacier Confections, a neat chocolate store at Utica Square.  I bought a couple of pieces of chocolate and managed to get two of them home to Mark and Kasey, but they didn't like them for some reason.  I should have just eaten them and never told them.  :)

At the Cancer Treatment Center, they were having a 5 year survivor party.  This was the new tree they put up in the hallway and put up the 5 year "leaves" on the tree.  It was a nice celebration for the survivors.  I'll have my name on the tree someday!  Looking forward to that.

On my way home I stopped in Joplin to visit with my dad and his friend Tom.  They were at the big "Guilty by Association" Truck Show.  It was a really big truck show with lots of big trucks that had a lot of chrome and amazing paint jobs on them.  It was pretty hot so I didn't stay very long.  On Saturday evening, they were having a "truck parade" down the streets of Joplin with all their lights on.  I asked a couple of people if the "truck parade" was going to be on Twitter or streaming on social media.  They all quickly corrected me "you mean the convoy?"  Well, yes, I guess so, although it sure sounded like a parade to me!  I forgot all about it and didn't check it out on Saturday night.

There's my dad and Tom checking out an engine on a truck, umm, let's go guys!