At Sikes Lake With No Parade Or 4th of July Firecrackers Cracking Yet

I did not get horizontal til way too late on 4th of July Eve.

So, I got up this 4th of July morning too late to make it to downtown Wichita Falls for the 4th of July parade.

With the temperature barely 90, at 11 am, with a cooling breeze busy blowing, I drove the short distance to Sikes Lake for some 4th of July nature communing.

This was my first return to Sikes Lake since learning that 343 Sikes Lake geese had been exterminated, with a small population of around 40 geese left alive by the executioners.

Some of those survivors of the goose holocaust are what you see above, peacefully lounging in the shade of a gazebo and a couple trees.

This 4th of July I have yet to hear a single firecracker crack.

When I moved to Texas I figured Texans would be way more gungho exploding things than I was used to in Washington. My Mount Vernon location turned into a war zone on the 4th of July. 

Fireworks stands are plentiful in Washington, mostly on the Indian Reservations. Texas only has a couple Indian Reservations. And thus, few fireworks stands.

And thus Texas is not nearly as loud on the 4th of July as my old Washington home zone.

I suspect, though, before today is done, I will have heard at least one firecracker cracking...