Flock Of Sikes Lake Goslings May Be My Final Blog Post

Well, since I last did the blogging thing Google has totally altered its Blogger app. I do not like the change. This may put an end to me doing this blogging thing. Unless I get used to it. Near as I can tell one can no longer edit in HTML mode. Nor can one align a photo to the left of right. Stuck in the middle is the only option.

Anyway, yesterday, before buying a bag of cheeseburgers from McDonald's and driving west to Electra, the Pump Jack City of Texas, I took a morning bike ride around Sikes Lake, where I saw the large family of goslings you see above. Near as I could tell this was two sets of parental units with their babies.

Okay, I am thinking this drastically changed Blogger app marks the end of me doing the blogging thing. The novelty has long worn off anyway. I don't understand why such a drastic change is made, particularly when the change is not even remotely an improvement.

UPDATE: Praise the Lord, after hitting the publish button I saw an option to go back to "Classic Blogger". So, this may not be the end of my blogging thing...

No Coronavirus Rock & Roll On Stormy Lake Wichita

With the wind way too blustery for a pleasant riding of my bike, I opted instead to go for a seasick experience, driving my motorized motion device to the base of Lake Wichita Dam, then boldly angling into the wind until I made my way to the rocking and rolling Lake Wichita stormy sea simulator, often used as a floating fishing platform during calmer times.

Whilst bobbing up and down and getting splashed repeatedly by the crashing wave I managed to take a photo across the bow of the floating dock, aimed at the newly opened Lake Wichita Boardwalk.

Eventually I took my sea legs back to stable ground, knocking against the rails of the gangway as I slowly made my way off the floating dock.

Back on solid ground I made my way to that aforementioned Lake Wichita Boardwalk, upon which I'd rolled my bike a few days ago.

Now in the above photo we are at the end of the Boardwalk, looking slightly northeast at that floating dock we were rocking and rolling on a few minutes prior.

The wood skeletons you see through the Boardwalk railing are the remains of the original Lake Wichita Boardwalk and Pavilion, built way back near the start of the previous century, lost in a fire over a half century ago.

So, that has been my staying in place social isolating for today. For the most part not that much has changed in a daily way. However, I am currently out of new reading material due to the library being off limits. I have not gone to ALDI for several weeks, due to it being pretty much impossible to maintain a six foot distance in that store. 

And my plans for the coming summer on hold, that is just about the biggest impact....

Biking MSU Ghost Campus Wondering About Wichita Falls Hotter 'N Hell 100 & COVID-19

This final Sunday of the 2020 version of April my bike took me north on the Circle Trail, then west through the Wichita Falls Beverly Hills to the MSU campus before crossing Midwestern Boulevard to ride around Sikes Lake with a lot of other refuge seekers.

The MSU (Midwestern State University) campus is a ghost campus these days, way more so on a Sunday. Thus I roll along locations I normally avoid on campus due to there being way too many students with whom to share a paved path.

Today my bike stopped me at the statue on campus which pays homage to the annual Hotter 'N Hell 100 bike race.

That got me wondering, what with the 2020 Tokyo Olympics cancelled due to the Coronavirus pandemic, has the Hotter 'N Hell 100 been cancelled.

I Googled "Hotter 'N Hell 100 cancelled?" and found no instant answer to that probing question.

So, I clicked on the official Hotter 'N 100 website link and quickly found the following answer regarding this year's biggest annual Wichita Falls event...

Both of us, here at the Hotter’N Hell Hundred office, are well and working remotely to comply with our local government “Shelter in Place” guidelines. Planning continues to progress for the 39th Annual HHH Weekend – August 27 through August 30, 2020!  Registrations are currently over 1300 and continuing to grow daily.

We fully expect that by the end of the summer the threat from the virus will have come to conclusion so that we can proceed with our weekend of events. That said, we will be reviewing the situation weekly and may make some adjustments as required for the safety of participants. 

Since I have been aboding in Wichita Falls I have only attended the Hotter 'N Hell 100 event at the MPEC (Multi-Purpose Events Center) once. It was a fun thing to attend, way bigger than I expected, with way more to see than I expected.

But, it was so HOT.

If the HNH 100 takes place this year methinks I shall make an effort to attend. Being there when the winner crosses the finish line was way more fun than I thought such a thing would be, followed by seeing 100s of others cross the finish line.

The crossing the finish line thing happens for hours. I think, if I remember right, I watched for about a half hour before I needed to seek shade...

Wichita Falls Lucy Park Suspension Bridge Coronavirus Lock Down

Feeling the need to commune with nature, whilst vertical in the old-fashioned way, as in walking, not biking, this final Saturday of the 2020 version of April, I used my motorized motion device to drive to Lucy Park to join others escaping social isolation whilst still maintaining a safe distance.

Swaying across the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River I came upon this symbol of our current locked down status, locked near the middle of the bridge.

There were two other locks joining the lock you see here, symbolically six feet apart, I think. I did not have a tape measure with me and so had to guess the distance.

As you can see the Wichita River is currently featuring my favorite shade of reddish brown, which always reminds me of the redrock zones of Utah.

I am not totally certain, but I have reason to believe the Wichita Falls Public Library is going to re-open on Monday, while requiring those in search of books to be masked and to maintain the six foot distancing rule.

I am desperate for new reading material. When I finish my last remaining piece of reading material all I have left is three of those awful 50 Shades of Gray books my sister Jackie gave me when I was desperate for reading material when I was in Arizona. I made it part way through the first of those books a couple years ago, appalled while doing so, thinking how can this be a publishing phenomenon, with multiple books and movies?

Anyway, it was nice to go for a long walk on this last Saturday of April. Perfect temperature of 70. Soon it will be too hot for a mid day walk to be pleasant...

Long Ride Down Lake Wichita Boardwalk Pier

The long awaited completion of the 2020 version of  Lake Wichita Boardwalk has arrived. The anticipated Grand Opening event has been postponed until the Coronavirus Pandemic has subsided making it safe to encourage crowds to gather in close proximity.

The Boardwalk seemed way bigger than I had anticipate it would seem after months of watching it be constructed.

In the view above we are at the end of the Boardwalk, looking at Lake Wichita Dam and the mainland.

Above we are on the aforementioned mainland, looking west across the finished Boardwalk. To the left of the Boardwalk, in the water, that is a two man kayak with some sort of pedal mechanism propelling the watercraft. I do not recollect seeing such a thing before. It looked fun, and seemed to be making easy headway against the strong wind and waves.

A Lake Wichita Boardwalk monument has already been installed, making note of how this Boardwalk came to be. That is Mount Wichita you see in the distance, hovering above the horizon and the lake and the monument.

I have no idea what is up next with the Lake Wichita Revitalization Plan. This plans seems to lumber along in slow motion.

But not nearly as slow as that town to the southeast of Wichita Falls known as Fort Worth, a town which has been limping along with a Trinity River Revitalization Plan called the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, for most of this century, so far not completing anything as complex as this new Lake Wichita Boardwalk.

With, for example, three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, being stuck in slow motion construction mode, for no sensible reason, for six years, which originally begin being built in 2014, with a then astonishing four year building timeline, now stretched well into this new decade.

There is another construction project underway in Wichita Falls, the completion of which I look forward to. There are three gaps in the Circle Trail which circles around Wichita Falls. One of those gaps is the project underway, connecting the Wichita Bluff Nature Area section of the Circle Trail to the Lucy Park section of the Circle Trail.

One of the other two Circle Trail gaps involve building a bridge over some railroad tracks. I believe that section is already designed and ready to build. The other Circle Trail gap is between the southwest end of Lake Wichita Park and the existing Circle Trail which runs alongside Barnett Road. There has been some talk of building this connector out over Lake Wichita. Methinks that is the best solution, an elevated trail above the lake.

What I can say with almost 100% certainty is that Wichita Falls will finish its Circle Trail long before Fort Worth finishes up with its long troubled Trinity River Vision Boondoggle..

Has COVID-19 Lost Us Our Freedom To Wonder About Trump & Romans 8:38-39?

A few days ago I took my driving lunch of McDonald's cheeseburgers to Archer City.

Driving around the thriving metropolis which was the location for The Last Picture Show, along with Larry McMurtry's bookstores, I saw for the first time those giant banners proclaiming "KEEP AMERICA Great TRUMP 2020", which in the days which followed I saw also at those embarrassing Liberate America protests where herds of right wingnut redneck yahoos identify themselves as moronic idiots.

I have yet to see one of those banners stuck on someone's house or in someone's yard here in Wichita Falls. I suspect if I drove around enough I would see one. Or two.

And then yesterday I rode my bike to Sikes Lake. On the way, pretty much almost right across the street from my abode I saw that which you see above stuck to a local's house.

COVID-19 HAS CAUSED US TO LOSE OUR FREEDOM
BUT WE STILL HAVE FAITH HOPE & LOVE
BELIEVE IN ROMANS 8:38-39

Biblical scholar that I be I immediately knew the content of the bible verses being referenced. Okay, truth obviously is, I had to Google it to find out that...

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

I admit I am an extremely stupid person and that I have no clue what the point is which the above bible words are trying to convey, or what they have to do with COVID-19 or our supposedly lost freedoms, the loss of which is supposedly caused by the viral pandemic.

I guess it has been a tad inconvenient not to go the grocery store or a restaurant whenever the whim strikes. Or get my haircut. Or a new tattoo.

But, for some reason I do not feel any less free than I felt before the pandemic began to impede upon my mobility. I do feel real free to be part of helping stop the spread of this pandemic, so that we can get back to what passed as normal in pre-pandemic times.

Trump regularly reads my blog, among all the other regular reading he does. So, I expect at today's Trump Show he will now cite Romans 8:38-39, pompously, arrogantly, as if making some sort of point, and thus cause yet more Americans to come over to the side which thinks our Dear Leader to be insane with obvious mental health issues of the malignant narcissistic personality disorder type.

Meanwhile, stormy weather is preventing any bike ride discovery of any other embarrassing house ornaments today...

Puget Sound Kayaking With Deer Tacoma Trio

Incoming email last night from Washington. Specifically incoming from the Tacoma Trio and their parental units from Harstine Island in the south zone of Puget Sound.

That photo above documents a beautiful sunset on Harstine Island's north beach. In the shadowy sunset it was slightly difficult to identify the beachcombers, but I am fairly certain that is Ruby on the left, mama Kristin next to Ruby, with David between mama Kristin and Theo, on the far right.

When last I heard from sister Michele she had ordered a kayak as her happy birthday present to herself. Since then, which is about a week ago, apparently that new birthday kayak arrived.

Actually, judging by the below photo two kayaks arrived.

That looks to be Theo on the left, with mama Michele on the right. Can you see how crystal clear the water is?

It seems everyone was having such a mighty fine time with the two kayaks that it was decided that everyone needed to be kayaked, so three more kayaks were ordered, and arrived, so all can now be on the water at once.

That would be Ruby closest to you, then David, then Theo, ready to shove off to float the wild waves of Puget Sound.

Again, can you see how crystal clear the water is?

It looks like David and Ruby are playing bumper kayaks, whilst Theo makes a clean escape.

Long ago I had an inflatable kayak. It was fun. I do not remember if that kayak made the move to Texas, to be replaced by another inflatable. But I do clearly remember my last inflatable watercraft was not the kayak.

Since the Tacoma Trio has been social distancing on Harstine Island they have made friends with the herd of Harstine Island deer. Well, more accurately, Ruby and Theo have been adopted by the herd, whilst David remains leery of having close contact with wild animals of that sort.

Above we see Ruby having her morning visit with two of her deer friends. I do not know if Ruby has named them yet, or not.

It is only a matter of time til Ruby totally tames a deer or two and has them joining her and Raven for the nightly slumber time.

We are closing in on the time I have long expected to be in Washington. That is looking increasingly unlikely, unless the world changes for the better soon...

Freezing Cold Mid April In North Texas

I foolishly thought I was done with winter, with winter not returning til next December.

Well.

I thought wrong.

Mid April, with the outer world scheduled to be chilled to below freezing tonight.

What happened to March roaring in like a lion and leaving like a lamb? And April showers bringing May flowers.

Okay, we do already have that flower thing happened. Will the blooming wildflowers survive being frozen tonight?

Happy Birthday Sister Michele

On this date, many decades ago, around 9 in the morning, using the Burlington-Edison High School office phone, I called United General Hospital.

I do not know how it happened, or remember precisely, what with it being so many years ago, but the hospital's head of nursing, who we knew as Mrs. Chatt, answered the call, or maybe the call was directed to Mrs. Chatt. Like I said, it was a long time ago and I only remember clearly some of that day.

Such as I clearly remember a large crowd had gathered around me, knowing what I was calling to find out. When Mrs. Chatt told me I had a new baby sister, I looked at those around me and said "It's a girl".

This caused a sort of group groan. Apparently the consensus was hoping for a boy.

Mrs. Chatt told mom it sounded like I was calling from an assembly of some sort, that it sounded like a large crowd.

Later that day I drove to the hospital to check in on mom and meet my new sister. Linda Lou went with me. When I found mom the first thing she said to me was something like "Mrs. Chatt said you called from a pep assembly".

Linda Lou and I looked at each other, puzzled, wondering what mom was talking about. In October of 2018, Linda Lou flew to Phoenix, where we had fun for a couple days wondering what mom was talking about.

In August of 2017 Linda Lou and Betty Jo Bouvier drove north to Birch Bay for a visit. If I remember right when I introduced Linda Lou and Betty Jo to Michele I told Michele that Linda Lou was the first of my friends to meet her, on the day she was born.

When we found out there was going to be a new baby in the house we all had input as to what the name would be. Eventually it was decided Joey if a boy, Michele if a girl.

The summer before Michele was born that year's vacation trip was to Southern California. That included going to Hollywood and what was known at that point in time as Grauman's Chinese Theater.

That fall we poured cement in the backyard for a patio. On part of that patio we made a squared off section, replicating what we has seen at Grauman's Chinese Theater. We all etched our names and handprints into the wet cement, along with etching "Joey or Michele". We never updated this after Michele was born.

I forgot to mention, that is baby Michele on the picnic table on that aforementioned cement patio. I made that picnic table in shop at school. I did not get a good grade for my shop project. That is sister Jackie reaching out to baby Michele. The only other face I think I may recognize is that may be Barbara Brown on the far right.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHELE!!!

On Harstine Island Sand Castle Building With David, Theo & Ruby

Incoming via phone last night from the David, Theo and Ruby's mama Kristin, with the text message accompanying three photos saying...

"Wish you were here."

I wish I was there too.

I have not been on a beach since the last time I was on a beach with the Tacoma Trio and mama Kristin, back in August of 2017, with the beach being the one one finds at Birch Bay, in Whatcom County, a few miles south of the border with Canada.

At that point in time I had myself a mighty fine time building a sand castle with Theo, Ruby and mama Kristin. The David part of the Tacoma Trio was engrossed in a solo project, so was not part of building the massive Birch Bay sand castle.

Since that time at Birch Bay, David, Theo and Ruby have had professional sand castle building training whilst in San Diego.

Currently the Tacoma Trio and their parental units are riding out this period of social isolation at their cabin on Harstine Island, which would make these three photo Harstine Island beach photos.

That is Theo standing inside the sand castle fortification he and David and Ruby built to try and keep out the incoming tide. As you can clearly see, at the above tide level the sand wall fortification is successfully keeping the castle dry.

That white snow cone you see in the distance is a volcano which goes by the name Mount Rainier. The original locals called this volcano Tahoma, which is the source for the name of the town David, Theo and Ruby live in when they are not on lockdown. I do not know why the 'h' in the name was switched out with a 'c'.

Eventually the incoming tide became too much for the sand castle's fortifications to hold back. Above Theo and David are no longer able to keep dry behind their castle's wall.

For months now I have been looking forward to this summer and returning to Birch Bay with David, Theo and Ruby and their parental units, and all but one of my other siblings.

However, heading northwest in July is starting to seem like an increasingly bleak prospect...

Texas Wildflower Evening Primrose Explosion With Linda Lou & Coronavirus

Today has been the first day in well over a month where I have felt back to 100% okay, health-wise. The first week of March I began ailing, with that ailing going on and on, week after week, to the point I began to forget what feeling okay felt like.

Being sick sort of coincided with the period when the Coronavirus first began to show up all over the country. Some of my symptoms matched Covid-19, but I thought I was being some sort of hypochondriac to think that such could explain my ailing.

And then in the past week or so I have read more than one account of others having a similar experience and now wondering if Coronavirus is the explanation. Such became more so to me when I read that it is now known that loss of the ability to taste and smell is a Coronavirus symptom.

Oh, now this is just bizarre. Just as I hit the period button on the above paragraph, about a half hour ago, and the phone rang. Linda Lou calling. During the course of the how you doing conversation I made mention of my symptoms of the past 30 days, including the loss of taste and smell part of it.

So, Linda Lou then tells me her cousin had the same experience. Only more so. In that Linda Lou's cousin's wife was in the choir of that nationally notorious Presbyterian Church in my old home zone of Mount Vernon. And that Linda Lou's cousin's wife was sitting right by two of the people who died after contracting the virus whilst singing in church.

And then, while Linda Lou's cousin's wife did not get Coronavirus symptomatic, Linda Lou's cousin did, including that lost of taste and smell thing. Linda Lou's cousin's symptoms eerily matched mine. Linda Lou's cousin was so sure he had Coronavirus he went to get tested, but the medical professionals would not test him because his temperature did not meet the requirement.

Anyway, so nice to be feeling so much better. Today was the first actually fun bike ride I've had since this misery began. I rolled three times around Sikes Lake. Due to the current nightmare the paved trail around Sikes Lake has become a promenade of people, many masked, lots of kids.

At one point I opted to stop and get down on the ground to take the Evening Primrose photo you see above. The Evening Primrose is just about my favorite Texas wildflower. I see way more of them than any other Texas wildflower, including bluebonnets...

Rainier Looms Over Blue Guarding Grandma & David With Grandpa's Fishing Poles

Incoming photos last night from the quarantined Tacoma Trio currently exiled on Harstine Island with their parental units.

As you can see, the mountain known as Rainier is hovering big and clear, thanks to the diminished air pollution side benefit of the Great American Lockdown.

I find it surprising that Mount Rainier looms high enough to be reflected in Puget Sound, viewed from Harstine Island.

If my calculations are remotely correct, Mount Rainier is about 60 miles southeast of Harstine Island. And, apparently, at a 14,411 above sea level elevation, high enough to be reflected on Puget Sound, even at that distance.

Makes for an extremely scenic picture of The Mountain.

A couple weeks ago I was informed that transportation north to Washington, from Arizona, had been arranged for my mom.

Mom was secreted in a container containing things the Tacoma Trio's Mama Michele had requested, items which had been at mom and dad's house in Sun Lakes. I was pleased to learn, yesterday, that mom had made it safely to Washington, and is now in the care of the Tacoma Trio and their parental units, along with Blue, the guard dog poodle.

Blue always sought a lot of attention from mom, which mom enjoyed giving. I saw this myself way back in August of 2008.

Now that mom is temporarily residing in the Tacoma Trio's cabin on Harstine Island, Blue has taken up the guarding mom job. Dogs have spooky extra sensory perception, at times, or so it seems.

Blue is getting old. If I remember right I was told sometime ago that Blue has gone blind, like mom did. Well, I don't know if Blue's blindness is precisely like mom's, which was due to macular degeneration.

With the current state of affairs I do not know when, or if, for sure, we are going to be able to re-unite mom with dad, in the manner currently planned for this coming July.

Like I said, a container was delivered to Washington with stuff from mom and dad's, such as that which you see below.

Dad's fishing poles. These were hung on a wall in the Arizona room in the Sun Lakes house.

That is David practicing reeling the line on one of his grandpa's fishing poles.

Dad always had a bamboo pole which had been his dad's, my grandpa Cornelius, who died before I was born.

I can not tell if the grandpa Cornelius bamboo fishing pole is one of the three with which David is practicing.

I sure am looking forward to this summer, and the possibility of possible roadtripping to Washington for the first time since 2001.

I prefer the roadtrip method to the flying method I have used every time since 2001...

Dawn Walmart Shopping Fun With MSU Sun Watching Wildflowers

Winter has once again retreated at my location on the planet.

Closing in on 90 degrees mid afternoon on this 7th day of the 2020 version of April.

And, I saw today, whilst rolling my bike's wheels around town, that we do not have to wait for April showers to bring May flowers.

I saw big tulips blooming today, along with my favorite Texas wildflower, the Evening Primrose, pink version.

I do not see many tulips coloring the Texas landscape, nothing like what colors up the Skagit Flats of my old home zone in Washington. But, these tulips today where doing quite well in this inhospitable climate. Huge blooms.

I did no photo documenting of the huge tulips because they were blooming on private property. People can get all worried if they see you taking photos of something on their property, even if you are doing the picture taking from the public street. Best not to risk antagonizing anyone during these troubling times.

Speaking of which. This morning I joined the throngs descending on Walmart soon upon opening.

There are now crowd control barriers like what one experiences waiting to get on what used to be known as an E Ticket ride at Disneyland.

I arrived a half hour after the actual early morning opening, so I did not get the full experience. It was described to me by the guy whose job, it now is, to hold a touch tablet people counting device to track the number entering and leaving the store. He told me the line waiting for the store to open went past the barrier, which extended for at least a couple hundred feet.

I assume the long control line was taking into account the 6 feet distancing rule.

So, I managed to get most of what I was looking for, including two sanitizing products.

And then around noon, with the outer world beginning to get HOT, I went on that aforementioned bike ride where I saw the wildflowers, and that statue you see at the top, which hovers over the MSU ghost university.

The big statue is called Sun Watcher.

Today, unlike yesterday, the Sun Watcher has some actual sun to watch...

Virtual Low Tide Washington Harstine Island Coronavirus Escape With Deer

A couple days ago I emailed sister Michele, maternal parental unit of David, Theo and Ruby, asking how the Tacoma Trio and their parental units were doing with the ongoing Coronavirus nightmare.

In addition to telling me how things were going in one email reply, a second email included five photos which made me homesick for being in a scenic wonderland.

The first two photos fit in with the recent Facebook fad of people posting landscape photos, with no humans, as a diversion from these trying times.

The text with the first two photos said "Evening low tide with cool sky colors."

I would say cool sky colors along with cool clouds.

It sounds like the home schooling has been lumbering along. The teacher's send some homework. Not graded or required. So, the Tacoma Trio spend time on something called iReady, which focuses the kids on math and reading. The kids are doing a lot of reading.

Above, for his science class, Theo is experimenting with the centrifugal force concept, turning his arm into a windmill, spinning a bucket of water fast enough to keep the water from spilling.

David has been helping mama Michele improve her tennis game. The text with this photo asked "Is there a more beautiful place to play tennis?"

There are a lot of deer living on Harstine Island. The deer frequently visit the Tacoma Trio's cabin due to knowing one of the trio, well, two of the trio, may come and give them a treat. Like an apple.

David does not participate in the deer feeding due to a morbid fear of deer.

Harstine Island is a privately owned chunk of Puget Sound.

Washington has closed all public parks, beaches and playgrounds, currently through May 4. But the beaches of Harstine Island, and the tennis courts, and other amenities, remain open, for now.

The Tacoma Trio's mama Michele has ordered a fleet of kayaks to give  them something new to do during the duration of the lockdown, which some think may not end in early May, but may continue til July.

I was looking forward to heading to Washington in a couple months. Currently that plan is on hold...

Heeding Fat Orange Pumpkin's Advice Shivering Masked Man Takes Bored Walk

I am having a little trouble not going stir crazy during this cooped up in the home cage nightmare.

So, I have been doing some escaping, usually solo, inside the protective bubble of my motorized motion device.

As you can see via the photo documentation I am heeding the Fat Orange Pumpkin's advice to be a masked man when out and about in any sort of public venue.

The bandanna scarf mask is serving a dual purpose today, what with the unwanted return of Winter.

This morning the real temperature was almost freezing, with the wind making the outer world feel as if it was below freezing.

Before lunch I took a drive to Lake Arrowhead, eventually ending up at Lake Wichita, at the dam parking lot. I did not see any infectious humans, so I decided it was likely safe to walk to the top of the dam to check out the current status of the new boardwalk being installed on the lake.

I stayed more than six feet from the man in the boat with a pole. The boardwalk looks as if it is nearing completion. I really don't quite understand the purpose of this boardwalk. Will there be a floating dock at the boardwalk's end, with a stairway down to the dock?

Or are people expected to want to fish from the boardwalk?

There has been some talk of the final link in the Circle Trail being built over the lake. Methinks that is a great idea. A floating trail might be fun, rocking and rolling a bit when the wind whips waves on the lake.

I am sort of running out of places to take a short drive to at my current location. It ain't like my old home location in Washington, where I could drive a few miles to the west and be at a saltwater beach, or a few miles to the east and be up in the mountains, or a few miles north and be in an entirely different country, or hop a ferry and float to islands in the rain shadow of the Olympics.

I think on the next warm day, if one ever arrives, I may head north to Oklahoma, where the waving wheat can sure smell sweet, or something like that...