OMG From Singapore's Miss Mali

A post this post-election morning, or mourning, from my best Singapore friend, Miss Mali Cheng, simply reacting, as many have, with a loud OMG.

And that is all I have to say about this particular subject...

Dry Lucy Park Walk Under Thunder Threatening Sky

Between thunderstorms on this first Sunday of November it was to Lucy Park I ventured for some cloudy nature communing.

After last night's downpours I was expecting the Wichita River to be running more water than it was flowing today.

As you can see via the photo documentation, the Lucy Park suspension bridge is nowhere near being submerged by a flooding river.

My regular way to my motorized means of motion was flooded this morning, making for a longer than the norm walk to vehicular transport.

Currently the sky is growing dark again, and my phone just beeped with an imminent storm warning.

Apparently, in addition to the expected thunderstorming and heavy rain, possible hail and tornado action is on today's weather menu of possibilities. 

I have never heard the tornado sirens go off in this town due to an actual tornado. I experienced that several times whilst living in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone. 

I suspect a nap is in my future today, what with sleeping last night being highly problematic due to the thunder booming...

Thinking Of Cascade Mountain Drive After Night Of Texas Thunderstorms

I saw that which you see here, this 3rd November morning, on Facebook. A look at some mountain scenery on Highway 20, on the last day of the previous month of October.

Highway 20 is a road which traverses through the valley in which I lived prior to moving to Texas, traversing from Anacortes, through the town I grew up in, Burlington, and on east, through North Cascades National Park, before making its way to Eastern Washington.

At my current location I could drive hundreds of miles in any direction and not find any snow-covered mountains.

At my current location, Wichita Falls, Texas, last night, I got to experience one of the wildest storms I have ever experienced. Rain began pouring down about an hour before midnight. And then from midnight on, til daylight, almost nonstop lightning lit up the night and disturbed the possibility of sleep with booming thunder.

A few miles north, across the Red River, in Oklahoma, last night's storm produced multiple tornadoes

Thunderstorming and heavy rain is currently scheduled to start up again in about an hour. 

I currently do not know if my regular outdoor endorphin inducing aerobic activity is going to be doable, due to weather woes, requiring walking in Walmart, instead, which never is even remotely aerobic....

Second November Day In Texas Totally Cloud Covered Whilst Adjusting Time

Looking out my computer room window on this second day of the 2024 version of November, for the first time in a long-time clouds are totally blocking the usual blue sky.

Today is looking like a stereotypical Fall and Winter day in my old home zone of Western Washington.

Rain and thunderstorming is on the Wichita Falls, Texas weather menu for the next several days.

So far, I have seen only slight dripping and have heard no thunder booms, nor seen any bright flashes of light.

This drought plagued part of the planet is in dire need of some excessive precipitation.

I have already turned back time an hour on the four devices in my interior space which require such to be done manually. Only the clock in my motorized means of motion remains to be returned to standard time.

The TV, phone and computer all do the time switch automatically. Why is such not universal?

November's Scenic Wonders Of America Takes Me To Bryce Canyon National Park

I flipped my Scenic Wonders of America wall calendar to November, this morning, to see that this month's scenic wonder is one of my favorite American Scenic Wonders.

Bryce Canyon National Park.

I have only been to Bryce Canyon twice, with the most recent time being Easter weekend of 2096.

Unlike Grand Canyon, and other canyon, Bryce Canyon is not actually a canyon. Why the canyon word is in its name, I do not know.

What I do know is Bryce Canyon is quite similar to Grand Canyon in one aspect, that being that one begins those canyon hikes from the "canyon" rim, hiking far below the "canyon" rim.

Going down is easy. The hike back to start is not so easy, what with the high elevation of both hiking venues making oxygen more scarce than what one is used to.

I remember the Grand Canyon hike to the Colorado River, via the Bright Angel Trail as being so easy, heading down, and so brutal heading back up, with the final hiking hour in the dark.

I remember the names of the Bryce Canyon trails I hiked, the Peekaboo Trail and Navajo Loop Trail. I recollect going down a long series of switchbacks to get to the trails. Going down those switchbacks was easy, hiking back up those switchbacks required a lot of heavy-duty breathing, trying to get oxygen.

I wonder how well, at my current elderly age, I would handle hiking into Bryce or Grand Canyon? It is highly unlikely I will ever find out...

Sikes Lake Tesla Cyber Truck Sighting

With this Happy Halloween last day of October being chilled to barely 60 degrees, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured this day before the start of November, for some nature communing.

Upon arrival at the Sikes Lake parking lot, I saw something I had not previously seen, in person, a Tesla Cyber Truck.

Upon seeing this I reacted thinking photos do not do justice to how totally weird this vehicle looks. Why did anyone think this was a good idea?

I looked in the window and saw two rather ordinary bucket seats, a rectangular steering wheel, and a big glass screen in the middle of the dashboard, which looked like a bad idea, way too big with sharp edges, like the vehicle's exterior.

I don't think this vehicle is going to become a big seller.

With no back window I am guessing that big screen in the middle of the dashboard serves as a rear view with a camera providing the image.

I would not like driving a vehicle without a rear window.

Changing the subject back to the weather.

Last night, right before midnight, the predicted thunderstorm arrived, for a short duration, with a slight downpour which left no noticeable precipitation remaining in the form of puddles by dawn's early light.

More precipitation and thunderstorming is on the menu for the next several days. An end to the drought would be nice...

Remembering Bobcat Cove Almost Getting Mauled In The Lotus Pose

Another Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day which I actually remember. And this memory did happen in the month of October. Which day in October, I have no idea. As for the year, it was either 1994 or 1995.

The location is Lake Powell.

That is me atop a red sandstone cliff, in the Lotus yoga pose, in a location we came to call Bobcat Cove. The first docking location on a four day houseboat float on Lake Powell. 

This docking location was erroneously named Bobcat Cove. It should have been called Cougar Cove. During the first night on Lake Powell, all the floaters, but me, slept on the roof of the houseboat. I slept inside.

The houseboat's sliding door was left open. In the middle of the night, I awoke to see the glowing eyes of a big cat. I let out a blood curdling scream which had the rooftop sleepers rush off the roof.

I was scorned for the bloodcurdling screaming. And it was suggested I imagined the big cat. Come morning, with sun illumination, cat tracks were clearly visible at the entry to the houseboat. Heartfelt apologies for doubting my veracity were forthcoming.

Here is photo documentation of the cat tracks.

At the point in time when I was nearly mauled by a giant cat I had never seen an actual bobcat. It was not til experiencing Texas that I had actual bobcat encounters. And thus realized bobcats are much smaller than that big cat that came onboard the houseboat.

And so, Bobcat Cove should be renamed Cougar Cove, or Panther Cover, or Mountain Lion Cove...

Rocking & Rolling With The Lake Wichita Wind

The weather forecast for Wichita Falls on this final Tuesday of the 2024 version of October predicted "Winds gusting past 50 mph; very warm with times of clouds and sun; strong winds and dry conditions can lead to an elevated fire risk and blowing dust."

So, what with a strong wind predicted, I thought heading to the Lake Wichita Dam and walking the Circle Trail across the dam, and out onto the Lake Wichita Boardwalk, and floating fishing dock might be fun.

Well, it was more fun than I anticipated. To walk one had to lean into the wind, walking vertical was not possible.

The photo documentation of the floating dock does not do justice to depicting how strong the wind was blowing.

The pimple you see on the horizon, at the far side of the lake, is Mount Wichita. I suspect climbing to the summit of Mount Wichita today would be a bit treacherous.

Just walking out on the Lake Wichita floating fishing dock proved to be a bit treacherous.

Above we are on the dock, wet from splashing waves, me getting splashed a time or two.

I do not recollect being on such a rocking floating venue since years ago on the Port Townsend ferry, from Port Townsend back to Whidbey Island. A big tidal change and strong wind made for a rough ferry crossing, so strong it was borderline impossible to walk.

The rocking and rolling Lake Wichita floating fishing dock was not rocking strong enough to render walking difficult.

As I made my way off the dock, back to the mainland, a couple teenage boys arrived, with fishing poles. Their fishing attempt did not last too long.

I suppose today's strong wind is part of the weather change which is coming, supposedly with rain.

I cannot remember when last I saw a raindrop drip...

Soon To Be Likely Wetter Than Normal In Wichita Falls

Forecast forecasting the possible incoming rain in a couple days.

The area in the darker green apparently is predicted to get the wettest, as in 'LIKELY WETTER THAN NORMAL', including drought-stricken Wichita Falls.

I can not remember when last any rain dripped on my location. I think we have been dry all of October.

This month we had one short bout of fall-like cool weather, followed by the return of summer-like HOT weather.

I am looking forward to being cool way more than I remember any time previous...

Windy Monday Walk Around Sikes Lake With Donald Trump Jr.

It was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured on this extremely windy final Monday of the 2024 version of October. The wind whipped up some good wave action, but not enough wave action to create whitecaps.

In the view of the lake you are looking slightly southwest. As you can see, there is a little cloud action today preventing a totally clear blue sky.

The longer range forecast has changed as of yesterday. No longer is a month of continuing day after day after day of no clouds in the forecast.

Beginning with the new month of November several days that first November week are now forecast to have thunderstorms and rain.

As I walked around the lake, listening to my radio, at times the blustering wind made it difficult to hear.

At one point as I channel chased, I came upon an unpleasant voice spouting utter idiotic nonsense. I listened for a couple minutes before I learned it was Donald Trump Jr. once again playing the clueless fool. 

This idiotic nonsense was being broadcast on the Rush Limbaugh replacement Buck Sexton/Clay Travis Show, or what I call the Buck and Cluck Show. 

Eight days til hopefully this current election nightmare is over with a non-nightmare result...