Saturday In Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle Hunting Hidden Treasures

This third Saturday of the 2026 version of September is currently predicted to be the last 100 degree day of the year.

So, with the temperature in the low 80s, this morning it was to Lucy Park I ventured to commune with nature and to get myself some tranquilizing endorphins.

And to Search For The Lucy Park Hidden Secret.

No, that is not the rumored Lucy Park spring fed turquoise colored pond you see photo documented. That is a look at the Wichita River at the entry to what I call the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle.

A steady breeze made of a little wind chilling making the high-speed hiking easily doable without overheating.

I am looking forward to next week and its promised temperatures well below 100. With rain.

Thursday Nature Communing Around Relatively Cool Sikes Lake

The Wichita Falls outer world natural air-conditioned temperature was pleasant enough this third Thursday morning of the 2026 version of September to negate the need to do my nature communing and endorphin acquisition in Walmart. 

The temperature was in the upper 70s when I exited my abode. I keep my interior space cooled to 80 degrees. So those 70 degrees felt relatively chilly.

As you can see via the photo documentation from the rocky east shore of Sikes Lake the sky is totally blue, totally free of clouds. That should be the case, maybe, til Sunday, the first day in a long time not predicted to go over 100 or above. 

Sikes Lake is in desperate need of having some rain fall, as you can see via the below photo documentation.

That blue in the distance is the part of Sikes Lake you saw in the first photo. The above view is what Sikes Lake looks like from the bridge that crosses this currently dry section of the lake. 

In Wichita Falls Searching For Lucy Park Hidden Secret

That which you see above, showed up on Facebook this morning, purporting to show a quiet hidden secret hiding somewhere in Lucy Park.

I have been all over Lucy Park, including the off-trail section I refer to as the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle.

I have not seen anything like what you see above.

The text accompanying the photo...

Most people who visit Wichita Falls never make it to the back corner of Lucy Park.

Past the disc golf course and the walking trails, there's a spillway pond fed by a natural spring, tucked beneath limestone ledges and shaded by old cottonwoods. The water runs a strange, clear turquoise that catches everyone off guard the first time they see it, especially given the flat, dry country surrounding the city. It's not swimmable, but it's absolutely worth the short walk just to stand there and look.

And then someone commented, asking the same thing I wondered, but knew could not be.

Ashley Hood---

Wait, is this the duck pond area?

Yes, I agree, seeing this would absolutely be worth the alleged short walk, just to stand and look. If it actually existed.

No Snakes Today Nature Communing In The Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle

With the temperature in the relatively chilly low 80s, it was to Lucy Park I ventured this second Monday of the 2026 version of September, for some salubrious nature communing and endorphin acquisition.

Shade and a strong breeze added to the relatively semi-chilly comfortness.

The above photo, near what I think of as the start of the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle, years ago, I saw at this location the biggest snake I have ever ssen in the wild. So, I always amp up my watchfulness at this location.

Ironically, if my memory serves me correctly, and sometimes it does, this was the last time I have seen a snake in the wild in Texas.

I used to have snake encounters regularly when hiking the Tandy Hills in Fort Worth. Or the Cedar Hills in Dallas. The Cedar Hills is where I had my one and only rattlesnake encounter in the wild, in Texas. That was on the mountain bike trail in Cedar Hills State Park.

In the above photo documentation, we are deep in the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle. As you can see, there is plenty of shade, which helped with making this the most pleasant time, outdoors, I have spent in a long time.

I had the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle all to myself today, which is not unusual, since that is usually the case.

But there were other nature communers walking and biking the paved Lucy Park paved trails.

Currently, only a couple more days are predicted to go over 100 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method. Highs in the 90s, with rain and thunderstorms are predicted, currently, in a few days.

Theo's Garden Triggered Me Remembering My Washington Rooftop Garden

Yesterday my Favorite Theo Nephew sent me photos of his Tacoma garden.

I was impressed. I sure never was any sort of horticulturist when I was 15.

But I was by the time I was 17, sort of, when I was the teacher's aide in an ornamental horticulture class at the location I matriculated high school at, Burlington-Edison High School, in the town of Burlington, in the Skagit zone of Washington state.

Way more things grow in the Skagit zone of Washington state than I see growing in Texas. 

Giant tulip fields come to mind. Along with other flowers.

Strawberry, raspberry and blueberry fields. Pea fields. Bean patches. And other fields of other fruits and vegetables I am not remembering.

Seeing Theo's garden photos caused me to think back to all the greenery I grew at my Mount Vernon, Washington, home location, before moving to Texas.

I knew I had photos of my old home location, on this computer. It took some looking before I found them.

In the photo above you are seeing flowers I kept blooming on the stairs leading up the main entry, the covered patio, and my rooftop garden.

In the next photo we have gone up the stairs, and are standing under the covered patio, with the rooftop garden to the right, with only a little the roof top garden's greenery visible.

I do not remember spending a lot of time watering plants, but I must have.

In the next photo we are out in the rooftop garden.

The rooftop garden and patio was the roof of the carport, plus the roof over the work room, the weight room, and the lower entry hallway. In the above photo we are out in the garden, looking back at the entry and the covered patio. I had a hammock there on which I spent many hours swaying in the breeze. And a barbecue on which I barbecued many chickens and other meat products.

 Above we are under the covered patio, looking out at the rooftop garden.

Growing greenery like I grew in Washington is not possible in Texas. A sad fact my next-door neighbor found out this summer when all the plants she had planted, all withered and died in the nonstop Texas HEAT.

Nephew Theo's Tacoma Garden Photo Documentation

Yesterday, Friday, 9/11, I made mention of my Favorite Theo Nephew's Garden in a blog post titled Semi-Cool 9/11 Nature Communing Around Sikes Lake With David's Birthday & Theo's Garden, in which I indicated I'd been unable to get the Theo garden photos off my phone.

I figured the problem was being caused by Theo's phone being an Apple I-phone, whilst mine is a Google Android phone. And my photo programs have not been updated in a long long long time. And then, late in the afternoon, my elderly brain remembered my Google programs include Google Photos, which I do not use, but which I figured was likely updated with whatever the latest Apple format might be.

And I was right. I was able to get Theo's photos off my phone using Google Photos.

Here is Theo's explanatory text which came in with the photos...

The tomatoes are starting to die, but they have produced so many tomatoes this year. Also, we took out some of the other vegetables and are putting in new Fall vegetables. That's what the sprouts are. Also, we have some pumpkins planted. 

There are many many many things I miss that I used to enjoy in Washington.

One of those things is the fun I had each Spring planting all sorts of plants. Vegetables, flowers and fruit bearing bushes. I had four big blueberry bushes which produced so many blueberries the freezer got overstocked with them.

My main garden was basically a rooftop garden. I wonder if I have photos of that. I shall look, but not right now...

Semi-Cool 9/11 Nature Communing Around Sikes Lake With David's Birthday & Theo's Garden

Today was chilled enough that outdoor nature communing was doable and pleasant. And so it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for the first time in quite a few days, getting my daily endorphin dose whilst breathing in pleasant outdoor air, instead of that air-conditioned Walmart air which causes me to sneeze.

As you can see, via the above photo documentation, the ongoing drought has shriveled Sikes Lake to the lowest level I've seen since I have been in this town. Yesterday's predicted possible rain only produced a couple drops.

Tomorrow, as you can see. via the below screen cap, we are predicted to break a temperature record set way back years before I was born.

Today, September 11, is my Favorite David Nephew's birthday. His is one of the easiest birthdates to remember, sadly.

I texted David a Happy Birthday text, this morning. David is now old enough to vote.

Texting David, I remember I have been intending to text message David's little brother, my Favorite Theo Nephew, to ask for an update on his gardening project.

Almost instantly Theo got back to me with a message, along with three photos of his garden. It's an impressive operation. 

Sadly, I could not get Theo's photos off my phone. I think the Tacoma relative's phones are Apple I-phones. Maybe that is why I can't get them off my phone. I can see Theo's photos on the phone, but when I click to get them off the phone, like what works with photos like the Sikes Lake photo, all I get is a blank black screen. I tried each of the photo programs on my computer, with the same blank black result.

I could easily get Theo's text off the phone, though. Here's is Theo's text message about his gardening operation...

The tomatoes are starting to die, but they have produced so many tomatoes this year. Also, we took out some of the other vegetables and are putting in new Fall vegetables. That's what the sprouts are. Also, we have some pumpkins planted. 

I have not yet given up on successfully getting Theo's photos off the phone...

Unexpected Thursday HEAT Sends Me Back To Walmart Air-Conditioned Comfort

I thought, what with today's second Thursday of the 2026 version of September forecast to get heated to a relatively chilly 95 degrees, for the high, that my regular nature communing time in the morning should be well below 95 degrees.

Well, I was wrong.

When I left my abode, opening the door, I was hit with a blast of HOT. I woke up my phone to see the temperature was 92 degrees. As measured by the Fahrenheit method.

92 degrees. With absolutely no wind blowing to create any sort of windchill effect.

So, it was back to the air-conditioned comfort of Walmart I drove for my nature communing and endorphin acquisition. 

You can see, via the above photo documentation, there was not much wildlife to observe, this morning, in Walmart.

Thunderstorms are still on the weather menu for later today. Along with some possible flash flooding. It does look as if the clouds are rapidly getting more dense.

The next couple days are predicted to be back over 100. And then next week a couple days with the highs being in the 80s. That is almost an air-conditioned temperature. 

Theo & Ruby's First Day Of 10th Grade

What with the temperature heading, once again, past the 100-degree mark I opted, once again, to do my nature communing in the air-conditioned comfort of Walmart. 

I was about 20 minutes into my endorphin acquisition when my phone made its incoming message noise. I woke up the phone, saw the incoming message was from my little sister, Michele. I clicked on the message and soon saw the two photos you see here, above and below, with the following text...

First day, 10th grade. Their friends meet up at our house to walk together to school.

 I do not know if Tacoma has a three- or four-year high school system. If it is a three-year system, that means today is my nephew Theo and niece Ruby's first day of high school.

Since they are walking to school that would seem to indicate to me that their high school is Stadium High School. That is a school made famous in a couple movies.

Of late I have had way too many instances of thinking that time if flying way too fast. Theo and Ruby in high school is yet one more instance of that. Theo and Ruby turn 16 this coming December 17. 

That means Theo and Ruby will soon be getting driver's licenses. 

I have not seen Theo and Ruby since March of 2019. I remember giving Theo a driving lesson at that point in time, with Theo driving grandma's van. My best guess is Theo would have been, maybe 8, at that point in time. Complex math is not an area I am strong in.

Tuesday Air-Conditioned Walmart Nature Communing With Cowboys

With the temperature already in the 90s, heading to a predicted high today of 104 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, I again opted for the air-conditioned comfort of Walmart for my daily nature communing and endorphin acquisition.

Two days from now, on the second Thursday of this 2026 version of September, we are currently predicted to get chilled to a high in the mid 90s, followed by a few more 100 degree plus days, and then a cold front blowing in, chilling us to highs in the 80s, with thunderstorming and rain.

I'll believe that when I hear the thunder boom and raindrops hitting my windows.

As you can see, via today's photo documentation, Texas cowboys do their grocery shopping at Walmart, along with all the non-cowboys.