Looking At Flying Saucer Water Tanks In Hurst While Waiting For A Little Hotpepper

Around noon I was sitting on a bench next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hurst, waiting for Elsie Hotpepper's little sister to show up so we could go have lunch at the Panera Bread that is on the north end of the Wal-Mart parking lot.

I looked up and saw the blue flying saucer structure you see in the picture.

It is a Hurst, Texas water tower. There are dozens upon dozens of various forms of these structures in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

You reading this who live in the D/FW zone, or in Texas, are likely thinking, so what? You reading this in other locations, like the state of Washington, for instance, are likely thinking, how bizarre.

You see, Washingtonians, there are no mountains here, some slight hills, but no mountains. So, water has to be pumped up to a tank hovering above where it is to be delivered, so that gravity can do the delivering. I have no idea where the massive pumps are located that pump the water up in these tanks.

When I lived in Washington, in the town of Mount Vernon, water came from a protected reservoir/lake called Judy Reservoir. This reservoir is surrounded by chain link fence, with, if I remember right, concertina wire at the top.

My memory of things in Washington grows hazy, but I believe Judy Reservoir supplied the water needs of several Skagit Valley towns, besides Mount Vernon.

Except for Anacortes. Anacortes sucked its water out of the Skagit River, treated it, and then pumped it to Anacortes. There are hills around Anacortes, more hilly than hills here in Texas, but, I don't think the water is pumped up to a storage lake on a hill. I remember no big water tanks in Anacortes, like I see in Texas.

So, how did that water move to homes in Anacortes, without the Texas style giant flying saucer water tanks?

Very perplexing.

Anyway, as I sat pondering my perplexation, Elsie Hotpepper's little sister, Kelsie, showed up. At Panera Bread we both had the Signature Macaroni & Cheese with a Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich. It was good. But I like my own cooking better. Kelsie does not have quite the colorful vocabulary of her older sister, in case you are wondering.