With COVID Over Is It Time To Build A Sandcastle With Theo?

I almost lost something valuable, to me, today, returning books to the library.

I almost forgot to retrieve that which I use as a bookmark, before sliding the book into the "RETURN" slot.

My bookmark is getting a bit threadbare. It has been in use since early on in the time of COVID.

I do not remember the reason, Birthday, Christmas, Halloween, or what, but an envelope arrived in my mailbox. And in that envelope, among whatever else was in that envelope, there was a note from my Favorite Nephew Theo, also known as my Favorite Theo Nephew.

The note said...

When COVID 19

is over I want

you to come

over to build

a sand castle

Theo

Just a sec, I shall go find a photo which shows why Theo was thinking of sandcastle building with his Favorite Uncle.

In August of 2017 I spent several days at Birch Bay with Theo, his big brother, David, twin sister Ruby, parental units, Michele and Kristen, and Theo, David and Ruby's other favorite uncle, my little brother, Jake.

On one of those days at Birch Bay, when the tide was low, exposing a lot of sand, Theo, Ruby and I had a mighty fine time building a sandcastle. 

In the photo documentation above, Theo has not yet given up in the battle to stop the incoming tide from breeching the castle's walls.

The next morning, I discovered the elevator, accessed near the door to the rooms we were staying in, went up a few flights, to a rooftop deck, with a view. I elevatored back to get Theo to take him to the view from the rooftop deck.

From whence the remains of our sandcastle could be seen, in the center of the sandbar, to the left of Theo.

Now, just looking at this photo of Theo, you can tell this is one fun kid. 

Hard to believe it has been 8 years since I have been in Washington. Since COVID I have only been out of Texas once. And that was just to go across the border to Oklahoma.

Time flies by way too fast.

Just yesterday something caused me to calculate how old my Jason nephew is. The last time Jason and Spencer Jack went to Disneyland, Jason told me he now gets why I said it wore me out the last time I did Disneyland.

Well.

Yesterday I figured out Jason is now five years older than I was the last time I did Disneyland, Christmas Day of 1995. I stayed til Disneyland closed that Christmas Day. It was fun, but exhausting, even with a mid-day break back at the motel...

Remembering Rolling Mom In Arizona With Green Chile Relleno Quiche For Lunch

Ever since I have been again receiving Microsoft OneDrive Memories of this Day, via email, it has been Memories from way back in March of 2019.

Among today's Memories is the one you see above. My niece, Ruby, leading a parade down Buena Vista Drive, the road in Chandler, Arizona on which Ruby's Aunt Jackie resides. 

Ruby was leading us to a park. Neither Aunt Jackie nor Mama Kristen is in the photo, which would seem to indicate one of them was the photographer.

In the photo I am wheeling mom, brother Jake is in blue on the left, with Jake's (and my) nephew Christopher with a leashed dog, then redhead nephew David between the dog and me. Right behind me is the mom of two of the kids in the photo, friends of Ruby's who had moved from Tacoma to Maricopa, Arizona. Next to the Maricopa mom is my niece-in-law, Christopher's first wife, Carissa (that may be spelled Carrisa), with nephew Theo holding a basketball in front of my littlest sister, Mama Michele.

That was one fun day, that day in March, way back in 2019. So much has happened since then.

Now, let's go from the past to today, the second Tuesday of the third month of 2025, and check out what's for lunch.

A few days ago, Florence Jean Halbert's mom posted, on Facebook, a photo of something which looked tasty.

I then commented "Recipe Please."

Soon thereafter, Florence's dad Facebook messaged me the recipe.

I altered the recipe a bit. Instead of roasted green chiles I air-fried three poblano peppers. Instead of a cup of heavy cream I used a cup of non-fat yogurt. Instead of a pie crust I stuck a 12 inch whole wheat tortilla in a cast iron skillet, instead of a pie plate.

The result was tasty, though the plated result may not look all that tasty, what with that big glob of salsa covered refried beans and spinach plopped haphazardly on the plate.

I'll make this again, maybe doubling the number of poblanos the next time...

Microsoft OneDrive McDonalds Memories Of Horse Riding Pool Mesa Parks With David, Theo, Ruby & Mom

Til a couple days ago, when a Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day arrived in my email, I had not realized I'd not been receiving the OneDrive Memory emails for quite some time.

When I saw these current memories, I thought these can't be from this day, as in a day in March.

And then I remembered, these memories did happen in March. In 2019.

That March was the most recent time I have seen my Tacoma nephews and niece, David, Theo and Ruby. Or their parental units, Michele and Kristen.

That March was also the last time all my siblings, but one, and all the nephews and nieces, but two, plus my mom, were all together at the same location. As in, we were all in Arizona.

After a short search I found I made a blog post of David, Theo and Ruby on a horse riding expedition into the desert at a Dude Ranch in west Chandler, Arizona, with additional photos, in addition to the one above.

That was one super fun day.

After the horse riding, we went to a nearby McDonalds, where Uncle Jack had arranged a special tour for David, Theo and Ruby. Along with an all you can eat McDonalds lunch for all of us.

That would be my mom, with three of her grandkids, and their Happy Meals. After this we headed north, to the town of Mesa, to have fun in the two best city parks I have ever experienced.

The OneDrive Memories included photos of the Mesa parks. I shall see if I can find the blog post I made of that day and those parks.

Found the Mesa Parks blog post...

David, Theo & Ruby In Mesa's Riverview & Pioneer Park

The photos in that blog post give one a good idea why I thought these to be great city parks.

And then, this morning's OneDrive Memories from this day were memories from a day following the day of the horse riding, McDonalds and Mesa city parks.

There were multiple pool pics, including this one of me hoisting Nephew David.

This was in Aunt Jackie's backyard pool. Prior to the party Jackie thought the water would be too cool to pool. I thought otherwise. The kids all agreed.

I must have made a blog post of this, and the parade to a nearby park which followed.

 Be right back.

Yes, found the pool party and park blog post. Forgot it includes an amusing video of Theo driving grandma's van...

Cool Arizona Pool With Theo Driving Ruby On Handlebars

That concludes our look at Microsoft OneDrive Memories, for today...

Chilly Sunny Sunday Wichita Falls Walk Around Sikes Lake

The sky has begun to clear over North Texas, as evidenced by the view you see here of the Blue Lagoon of Sikes Lake, looking westward.

Yesterday's day long deluge of rain was the first such has happened at my Wichita Falls location for quite some time.

Along with some thunderstorming.

I do not know if last night's predicted snowflakes materialized. There was zero evidence of such when the sun began its daily illumination duty, an hour late, due to that annoying switch to Daylight Savings Time.

Hiking around Sikes Lake was cold, real cold, on this second Sunday of the third month of 2025. This required insulated sweatpants, hooded sweatshirt, and gloves. I thought we were done with this type chill for a few months.

On the plus side of the weather, we are forecast to get into the 80s in a couple days. 

Today I thought the Sikes Lake waterfall would be falling a lot of water due to the copious amount of rain which deluged the last 24 hours.

But, such was not the case.

There was a litle water falling over the dam, making for the only waterfall in Wichita Falls, due to, I learned this morning, the fact that the official Wichita Falls waterfall is currently turned off. 

The official Wichita Falls waterfall is an artificial waterfall which gets its water to fall by sucking it from the Wichita River. A river which currently is running too low to make it easy for the artificial waterfall to suck up enough water to fall. That and the low river level has caused debris to clog up the water intake.

I have opined previously that it might behoove Wichita Falls to send some sort of task force to Chandler, Arizona to make note of that town's multiple artificial waterfall water features, finding out how such was funded, then replicate it by installing multiple artificial waterfalls all around Wichita Falls.

I have no clue how the current one and only Wichita Falls artificial waterfall came to be, only that it happened in the 1980s.

Slava Ukraine Via Watercolor From Washington

That which you see here is the work of a Pacific Northwest artistic creative sort, whom I have known for decades, showing support for Ukraine, via a water color, painted, and then installed in a window, for all passersby to see.

All across America, and the world, similar shows of support for Ukraine are showing up.

"Slava Ukraine" is a Ukrainian phrase that means "Glory to Ukraine". It is a national salute and battle cry that symbolizes Ukrainian sovereignty and resistance to aggression. 

A day or two ago on my Washington blog I made mention of Seattle's example of support for Ukraine.

I wish I had the talent, of some sort, to show support for Ukraine...

March Roars In Like A Thunderstorming Snowy Lion One Week Late In Wichita Falls

It was only a couple days ago I looked at the long-range forecast for my North Texas location and was pleased to see nothing but warm days ahead, well into Spring.

Yesterday, day 7 of the third month of 2025, the outer world was heated well into the 80s.

Last night, around three in the morning, a thunderstorm boomed into town, downpouring copious amounts of precipitation.

And now, today's forecast for tonight.

SNOW!

With the temperature predicted to be a low of 37 degrees, as measured via the Fahrenheit method, I don't understand how precipitation can be falling in the form of snow. Unless that wind chill factor making those 37 degrees really feel like 26 degrees, as indicated via the forecast, can somehow freeze the falling rain into snowflakes.

What I do know, for certain, is I will not be engaging in any outer world nature communing today, unless one counts going to Walmart as nature communing, which I often do, what with such being a bit of an anthropological expedition observing multiple examples of human extremes, such as excessive tattooings, piercings and odd clothing choices, such as Walmarting in one pajamas...

Chilly Windy Wichita Falls Return To Lucy Park Reminder Of Columbus Day Storm & Great Depression

Today, for the first time this third month of 2025, day 5, also known as Wednesday, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured for some semi-chilly, windy nature communing.

As you can see, via the view looking at the Lucy Park suspension bridge over the Wichita River, there is nary a cloud clouding the clear blue sky.

Yesterday was one of the windiest days I have ever experienced.

My memory may have to go back many decades, to remember stronger wind, to what is known as the Columbus Day Storm, a storm which pummeled the Pacific Northwest with hurricane strength wind. Hurricane strength of the Category 5 level of strong.

My mom let my little brother and me go outside and play in the Columbus Day storm. I remember pushing our bikes west on Washington Avenue, several blocks, to Anacortes Avenue.

And then getting on our bikes, letting the wind push us back home. That did not go well. By the time we reached our block, we were being pushed so fast, braking did not slow us. We both ended our windy ride by crashing into Maiben Park.

Yesterday's Wichita Falls wind blew all day long. I drove to Walmart around five in the afternoon. It was not easy walking into the store, dodging projectiles, holding onto my hat.

Apparently, the wind was worse in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, with a dust storm coloring the sky red.

A dust storm, a cratering stock market, idiotic tariffs. Almost like history repeating itself replicating 1929/1930, when the Great Depression was getting increasingly depressing, with the Dust Bowl destroying farming, the Smoot-Hartley Tariff Act disrupting international commerce, the Stock Market crashing, with a Republican president, thought to be a successful businessman, who turning out to be inept at being President.

Big difference, though, way back then Herbert Hoover was not a stooge for Joesph Stalin...

Stormy Windy Rain Result With Wichita Falls Sikes Lake Waterfall

Last night a storm arrived, around 3 in the morning, dropping copious amounts of water, along with some of that water in the frozen form of hail. 

The D/FW Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex zone got hit with hurricane level wind gusts last night, knocking out power to many.

Such was not the case at my location about 130 miles northwest of D/FW.

By morning my abode was almost surrounded by a moat, but I was able to successfully make my way to my motorized means of motion, to drive to Sikes Lake for some nature communing, which is an activity I have not indulged in for a couple days, due to distractions distracting me from such.

The forecast for today forecast winds gusting near 50 mph. As I walked around Sikes Lake the persistent gusting made walking a bit unstable at times. And felt to be in excess of 50 mph.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, the wind was making some whitecapping waves on the lake. 

The overnight rain rendered Sikes Lake a muddy brown, instead of its usual blue hue. The threatening sky may have exacerbated that brown muddy lake color scheme.

It has been a while since I've seen a waterfall falling water in Wichita Falls. A month ago, when I walked to the main manmade Wichita Falls waterfall it was in dry falls mode.

Other than that main manmade Wichita Falls waterfall, the other manmade Wichita Falls waterfall which falls water somewhat regularly, when precipitation is at a normal level, is the waterfall falling over the Sikes Lake dam.

Today, as I got closer, the roar of falling water indicated to me that the Sikes Lake dam's spillway was in waterfall mode, as you can see, but not hear, via the photo documentation.

Due to the wind and low humidity, we are under what is known as a Red Flag warning, indicating wildfire conditions. What with that rain, last night, I don't see how it can be that humidity is low, or that conditions are still dry enough to easily start a fire.

Currently, looking out my computer room window, the outer world looks stormy, gray and menacing, a local visual metaphor for America's current status in the world...

Lamb-Like First Day Of March Hiking With Wichita Bluff Nature Area Roadrunner

On this first day of the third month of 2025, it was to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured to join the throngs enjoying March not roaring in like a lion, but instead bellowing in like a windy lamb, under a blue sky, with the temperature feeling balmy, in the 70s, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

I suspect the reason there were so many nature lovers out loving nature is the fact that last weekend, and the weekend before that, the outer world was rather cold, at times feeling as if the temperature was below zero.

It was not just humans (and their dogs) I saw enjoying the enjoyable weather conditions.

I had barely entered the Wichita Bluff Nature Area zone when I saw a bird I have seen a time or two, whilst hiking the bluffs.

A roadrunner.

My previous encounters with roadrunners have had the bird acting like I was a coyote, taking off at high speed to get away from me, thus rendering photo documentation impossible.

But, today's roadrunner seemed fearless, and almost vain, the way it was so cooperative posing for photos, of which I took around a dozen, choosing the one you see above as the best.

What with Spring-like pleasant weather having arrived, methinks I shall amp up my outdoor activity level, attempting to get in good enough shape to enjoy being more adventurous...