Oklahoma Blessed with Springtime Weather

Okmulgee Lake Country
Originally uploaded by FreeWine.

I hope you have plans to get out and enjoy the Oklahoma outdoors this week. The forecasts are calling for a rainy weekend, but for now we are seeing temps in the upper 60's and low 70's. Local lakes like Okmulgee Lake (pictured here) offer plenty of privacy in the off-season making this a great time to get out and take some pictures.

Speaking of photography, my favorite photography website: Flickr.com has announced a great new feature: Comment Notifications!

If you've ever wondered,"Wouldn't it be grand to be notified when someone comments, tags or adds a note to my photos? "Well, wonder no more -- we've added a couple of new email notification options to your Account page.

You can now set up immediate alerts or receive daily or weekly email digests about new activity within your photostream, as well as set up an email alert when your contacts upload new photos.

To set up notifications, head over to your Account page. - Flickr Blog

Dianne and I love sharing our photos on flickr. It has introduced us to many new friends and improved our skills a great deal. In addition, it makes adding photos to our blogs and websites much easier and more efficient. Give Flickr a try sometime, we would love to have you as a contact!

Oscar Nominee Films in Tulsa

Oscar nominees for the category of Best Short Film will be shown February 16-22 at the Circle Cinema in Tulsa. The short films will be grouped into two sessions (live action and animated) with an intermission in between.

You can purchase a combo ticket for $10, or watch either session for the normal ticket price (evening: $7.75; matinees: $6).

Circle Cinema, 10 S. Lewis Ave. More Info: http://www.circlecinema.com/

Spring Turkey Season Opens April 6 in Oklahoma

Wild Oklahoma Turkeys
Originally uploaded by FreeWine.

Spring turkey season opens April 6, so prospective hunters should enroll now in one of several hunter education classes offered in the months of February and March by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

"We've got plenty of classes scheduled before turkey season opens," said Lance Meek, hunter education coordinator for the Wildlife Department. "Taking a class is a great first step to getting prepared for turkey hunting, but people should be scheduling the most convenient classes now so they will be ready to go when the hunting season arrives."

Hunter education classes cover a variety of topics including firearms safety, water safety, survival, archery, muzzleloading, hunter responsibility and wildlife conservation, management and identification.

Anyone born after Dec. 31, 1971 must successfully complete a hunter education class before purchasing a hunting license, unless exempt. For a list of exemptions, consult the "2007 Oklahoma Hunting Guide." Youth under 18 years old have the option of participating in the spring youth turkey season open March 31-April 1. The limit is one tom turkey, which counts toward their regular spring season limit. Hunters under 16 years old are exempt from purchasing a hunting license and fishing and hunting legacy permit. Unless exempt, youth turkey hunters must possess a turkey license while in the field.

Hunter education classes are free and are available as either an eight-hour classroom course or home-study course. Classes are scheduled at locations all across the state during February and March, so hunters planning to hunt turkeys in April or early May still have time to enroll. To see a complete listing of available courses, log on to the Wildlife Department's Web site at http://www.wildlifedepartment.com/hunted.htm.

Spring turkey season runs from April 6 to May 6 and offers a generous season limit of three tom turkeys. Hunters who are willing to travel can harvest their limit in one day, but they must be aware of which counties in Oklahoma have either a one- or two-tom limit. Turkeys thrive at many wildlife management areas across the state, giving hunters several choices on where to hunt.