Wednesday, October 28, 2009

My Favorite Fall Place

Memorial Park Cemetery

Today I unwittingly spent the morning at my favorite place to soak up the season - Memorial Park Cemetery, in southeast Tulsa at the corner of 51st and Memorial.

Memorial Park Cemetery

See, I don't routinely spend my morning hours wandering around historic cemeteries snapping photos. It's just that, today, I drove by Memorial Park and was floored by the color bursting forth from the place. I just had to pull in and set off through these gorgeous trees on foot.

Memorial Park Cemetery

Wow. Can you blame me?

Then, as I was leaving, my car died. In a cemetery. The week of Halloween. Oh, the irony.

Memorial Park Cemetery

I thought that while I was waiting around to find out what the heck is wrong with my wheels, I'd share these loverly - *sings "loverly" a la Audrey in My Fair Lady* - photos of what is, in my opinion, one of the best places for a short drive, stroll, meander, weather balloon ride or whatever else strikes your fancy when you're craving some serious fall foliage viewing.

Memorial Park Cemetery

Plus, Memorial Park Cemetery is a pretty rich place when it comes to Tulsa history. This cemetery, which sprawls over 260 acres that were well outside the city in the year of its founding during the oil boom in 1927, is now the site of some 54,000 graves. Some of the city's oldest names - Helmerich, Marshall, Mayo and Mabee, just to name a few - are found there, immortalized in stately mausoleums, statues and monuments. Plus, Memorial Park is reportedly the resting place of the larger-than-life Bob Wills, as well as comedian Sam Kinison.

And you thought 51st and Memorial was a cultural dead zone. Ha! Pun totally (and shamefully) intended.

Where in the area do your falltime drives take you?

5 comments:

karen said...

I just discovered this place, too, on Saturday - I was going to Akins Health Food Store and drove by the cemetary. Had to go in. Saw a few others taking photos, too!

We've had some gorgeous trees in Brookside. Twitpic'd a photo from this morning - 25th/Peoria. Couldn't resist. Breath-taking!

Wish I could have met you at PW's book signing last night! I wasn't there very long ... books were sold out already. And I fell in the parking lot. Uh, 'nough said.

Jennifer Chronicles (jenx67.com) said...

this reminds me of fairlawn in okc

Mom Mayhem says: said...

Great pics! Ooh that is ironic!- Car died in a cemetary Halloween week -At least it was during the day =D

Holly said...

You came ended up with some gorgeous photos! I'm sorry to hear that your car died though, that would have been scary...

I lol'd at the weather balloon reference. :-)

Tasha said...

Um, Karen? Are you okay? Falling isn't fun. I hope you're on the other side of it now.

Mom Mayhem. I KNOW. If that had happened at night, I might have had a chance to put to use all those times I practiced the Psycho scream. Yikes.

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