Sunday Thunderstorm Weather Drama In Wichita Falls

What you see above is what I saw when I opened my front door, this first Sunday morning of the 2026 version of June.

Of late predicted thunderstorms have failed to materialize, so often failing to materialize it sort of seemed pointless to check in on the weather forecast.

But, last night the weather forecast delivered, producing a much more powerful, much longer lasting storm that what had been predicted.

Around 3 this morning I made note of the first lightning flash of the storm, with that lightning strike so distant I barely heard the thunder rumble.

By the time the sun arrived to begin its daily illumination duty, the lightning was striking near, and the thunder was booming loud. A couple times the lightning flashed, and the thunder boomed simultaneously, shaking my abode and causing the lights to flicker.

The rain fell in downpour mode for a couple hours.

But now, about an hour before noon, mostly blue sky has returned, evaporating rain is making for high humidity. And the next storm prediction has it scheduled for next Thursday. 

Wichita Falls Times Record News Local Reporting You Cannot Count On Every Day

Every morning I start the online part of my day checking various news sources, beginning with the local newspaper online, the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

Upon moving to Wichita Falls I soon subscribed to the Times News Record. I continued that subscription for several years, til it finally dawned on me that there is not much news, of the local sort, in this local newspaper. 

So, I cancelled my subscription.

I regularly get emails with discount offers trying to lure me back. Each morning, I still start with clicking on the Times News Record, but only because I can still click the weather tab without the click generating the "only available to subscribers" message.

And each morning when I click that link to get the weather report I see that which you see above, trying to get me to subscribe. What totally galls me is the part of the lure which claims, "Local reporting you can count on, every day."

Growing up in Washington, we always subscribed to the Skagit Valley Herald, the Burlington Journal and the Bellingham Herald. In college I subscribed to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, more commonly known as The P-I. Post college I continued subscribing to The P-I, til moving to Texas.

Til Wichita Falls I never lived in a domicile that did not get a daily newspaper delivery.

Upon moving to Texas, I soon found myself subscribing to a Texas newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

And this was the first time in my life I found myself reading what I came to consider to be a terrible newspaper. And then I moved to Wichita Falls to soon find myself subscribing to a newspaper even worse than the Star-Telegram.

The Wichita Falls Times Record News is part of something called "The USA TODAY Network."

Click on the Times News Record link and you'll get a good idea of what a bad newspaper this is.

When you click on today's issue, on the front page you see the following as today's major headlines, with the headlines being links to reports detailing this important 'news'...

Searchers find body of missing man in Lake Buffalo in Iowa Park.

Devean Isaac turns injury into academic victory

Interactive summer art exhibit and classes opening soon

WD-40 debuts limited-edition 'King of the Hill' can

Texas Republicans can't move past Paxton impeachment in Senate race

If you click today's NEWS tab you go to a "NEWS" page with headlines leading to more in-depth reporting of important local issues...

Photos show dancers of all ages at Square Dance Land in Wichita Falls

Texas Lottery results post: winning numbers for June 2, 2026

Wichita Falls councilors hear Eastside flood mitigation report

Texas Lottery results post: winning numbers for June 1, 2026

An audit revealed more than 700 failures in Wichita Falls siren system

Texas has never picked an unmarried senator. Both candidates are in 2026

Trump renews promise to campaign in Texas for Ken Paxton in interview

In Wichita Falls racing rubber ducks raise revenue for charities

The Frank & Joe's coffee house in the Hospital District will close

Republicans still lead Texas governor, attorney general races

Wichita Falls' Premier High School celebrates largest class ever

Wichita Falls City Council to mull police station plans, worker influx

MSU graduate turns grief into a tribute for her father

Texas commercial truckers testing only in English, per DPS rule change

Wichita Falls woman dies in Archer County crash

Searchers find body of missing man in Lake Buffalo in Iowa Park.

Devean Isaac turns injury into academic victory

Well, that should give just about anyone a good idea of why it was a good idea to cease subscribing to this sad excuse for a local newspaper...

Enjoying June 1 Lake Wichita Natural Air-Conditioning With Vehicle Mystery

What with this first day of June predicted to be HOT, as in 100 degrees HOT, I thought a breeze blowing across Lake Wichita might make for some pleasant natural air-conditioning, rendering doing some nature communing to be a pleasant experience.

Well, I thought right.

The wind blowing across the lake did have a pleasant cooling effect.

Upon arriving at the Lake Wichita Dam parking lot I saw the vehicle you see photo documented above, parked next to the Circle Trail. A fence is between the Circle Trail and the parking lot, so the only way this vehicle arrived at its parking location was via the Circle Trail.

But, there were no humans to be seen who might have been the vehicle's driver. By the time I hiked to the top of the dam, that being the structure you see behind the mystery vehicle, I looked back towards the parking lot and saw the mystery vehicle was now gone.

Who drove it away? All is out in the open. No hiding places. Maybe it was one of those new-fangled AI controlled robot vehicles.

Continuing on.

You can see the wind was making some wave action. Sufficient wave action that the floating dock had the sort of rocking rhythm which can make those prone to the condition a bit seasick.

You can barely see Mount Wichita on the horizon at the west end of the lake. Is Mount Wichita shrinking?

All in all, a nice start to the new month...

Sunny 102 Degree Sunday In Wichita Falls

On this last day of the 2026 version of May the local weather predictors are predicting we will be getting heated to over 100 degrees on this extra sunny Sunday, for the first time this year.

I got too HOT yesterday whilst outdoors nature communing.

I may skip getting even HOTTER today and stay inside in air-conditioned cool comfort.

HOT Humid Sikes Lake Saturday

On this final Saturday of the 2026 version of May, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured today, for the first time in a week or two or three, for some HOT humid nature communing.

The photo documentation is the view from the rocky shore of the east side of Sikes Lake, looking southwest.

There was some cooling wind action today, as evidenced by the ripple of waves on the lake. But, the cooling wind was not of sufficient strength to counteract the HOT humidity.

Thunderstorms are on the weather menu for this afternoon.

Final May Friday HOT Hiking Wichita Bluff Nature Area

It was back to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured on this final Friday of the 2026 version of May for some HOT nature communing. Even though it was before 10 in the morning the temperature was already well into the 80s, heading to a possible record-breaking high today of nearly 100 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

In the above photo documentation, you are looking northeast. One would never know that at this location you are near the center of a somewhat large city. One sees no signs of human habitation.

Hiking the Wichita Bluffs has greatly gained in popularity, judging by the surprising number of fellow nature communers I have come across nature communing this past week. 

The second photo documentation is looking the same direction, but with me in the view looking consternated. 

Trying to take a selfie photo with the phone always seems to make me look consternated.

I was feeling way HOTTER than I look in the photo documentation. One sees no evidence in the form of beads of sweat.

I think I am gradually getting to an improved level of fitness which will make for doable Cascade Mountain hiking next summer.

I hope....
 

Finding My Long-Lost High School Senior Annual with Janice, Lori, Beth, Linda Lou and Others

The past couple days I have been puzzled trying to remember how it was I had a photo from my high school senior annual, among the thousands of photos I have saved. 

Puzzled because I remember throwing my annuals away, years ago, and I had no memory of extracting photos from annuals before discarding them.

Then it occurred to me that maybe I somehow had blogged photos from annuals before I threw them away. Because I remembered a photo of myself depositing Janice Jackson into a garbage can. But, I could not find that photo on my computer.

So, I clicked on my Durango Texas blog and entered "Janice" into the search function. And this quickly came up with...

Finding My Long Lost High School Senior Annual With Linda Lou & Others

And thus the photo mystery is solved. That blog post has the photo of me placing Janice in a garbage can, and other photos that I sort of remember.

Day Three Hiking Wichita Bluff Nature Area

This final Tuesday of the 2026 version of May, it was back to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area for the third day in a row.

Making today Day Three of my ongoing campaign to get to a sufficiently improved shape level so that hiking Washington Cascade Mountain trails, this Summer, is pleasantly doable, like it used to be, way back when I still lived in Washington, and hiked those mountain trails every hiking season.

In the above photo documentation, we are at the summit of the Wichita Bluffs, looking east at a small glimpse of the Wichita River and part of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls.

Today's bluff hiking was from the western entry to the bluffs. 

Hiking the Wichita Bluffs has become surprisingly popular, judging by the number of fellow hikers I have encountered.

The past two days I figured the large number of hikers was due to it being a three-day weekend holiday. But, today, just a regular Tuesday, saw more hikers than the previous two days. Perplexing.

I think I shall take a day off from bluff hiking tomorrow. 

Memorial Day Wichita Bluff Nature Area Return

It was back to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured this Memorial Day. This time opting to enter from the east parking lot, which is a different route to the summit, than yesterday's route from the west parking lot.

There were a surprising number of fellow nature communers today. For me, yesterday's aerobic overload and the resulting endorphins greatly mitigated the chronic pain I'd been feeling for several weeks.

Hence, the return to the bluff today, for some more salubrious endorphins.

As you can see, the vegetation is jungle-like. This ultra-green color scheme won't last long after the HEAT of Summer arrives. There is so much vegetation you cannot see the Wichita River., which is clearly visible from this location when not shrouded by the temporary jungle.

 I forget the names of the greenery you see on the right. Cat-o-nine tails? Is that it? I don't know. Whatever it is it is about a dozen feet tall.

Memorial Day Remembering Mom & Dad

 Remembering the last time mom and dad came to visit their eldest son, in Texas. In January of 2009.

Above mom and dad and their cowboy hats are in Fair Park, in Dallas. That is where the State Fair of Texas takes place.

I wish I had a blog, starting back in the previous century. It's like a personal historical record, or a diary. 

I could not remember for sure when it was mom and dad last visited. I remembered the first time was October of 2001, a month after that notorious 9/11 date. I did not do the blogging thing at that point in time. 

So, here are the blog posts I made when mom and dad were last in Texas.

Mom & Dad Are Here In Texas

Mom & Dad & The New Dallas Cowboy Stadium

Mom & Dad Won't Take Off Their Cowboy Hats

Mom And Dad Do Dallas

Mom & Dad Are Heading West Away From The Ol' South

Mom & Dad Made It Out Of Texas