Final 2025 June Day Windy Sikes Lake Walk Anticipating Thunder

With the temperature, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, 88 degrees, with the humidity making those 88 degrees really feel like 93 degrees, according to my phone's weather monitoring application, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured on this final day of the 2025 version of June.

On Saturday, two days prior to today, I was also at Sikes Lake, but on that day the dead calm had turned Sikes Lake into a motionless mirror.

Today was not dead calm. As you can see via the view from the rocky shore on the east end of Sikes Lake, wind is whipping up some wave action. 

I do not know if my phone's weather monitoring application factors in the wind chill factor when calculating what the temperature really feels like.

According to my home-based weather monitoring application, as in the AccuWeather forecast information acquired via a website, some thunderstorming is on the weather menu for this afternoon.

21 mph wind gusts do not sound too daunting. When the wind gusts get over 40 mph it can affect the ease of staying vertical. A wind gust can hit like a slap.

I have read nothing about a downtown Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade. It seems like previous years I would read details of this well ahead of the parade date.

If I remember right, and sometimes I do, the Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade was cancelled one of the COVID years. I do not remember if I watched the parade last year. 

HOT Humid Saturday Sikes Lake Prickly Pears & Geese

On this final Saturday of the 2025 version of June, with the temperature, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, a HOT 86 degrees, with the humidity, and lack of wind, making those 86 degrees feel like 93 degrees, according to my phone's temperature monitoring, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured for some much needed salubrious endorphin acquisition from aerobic stimulation.

I sure do like a long run-on sentence.

In the photo documentation, above, you are looking west, across Sikes Lake, from the lake's eastern shore. The lake is being mirror-like, due to that aforementioned lack of wind.

A few wet drops dripped on me whilst I was enjoying the outer world.

Soon after walking from the location of that first photo, we come to the colorful scene you see photo documented above. A patch of prickly pear cactus, minus their flowers and most of the resulting prickly pears, along with a colorful red bush.

A couple years ago Sikes Lake was the shocking scene of the mass murder of hundreds of geese. The executions brought multiple protests. The outrage slowly seemed to abate.

And now, a couple years later, the Sikes Lake goose population seems to be growing again. The new geese do not seem to be as skittish as the ones who were executed. Maybe no one has chased these new geese or done any other bad deed which causes the geese to fear the humans.

One would think the geese have rational reason to fear the humans, after that mass execution.

Maybe the new Sikes Lake geese are not aware of what has happened previously at this location.

I have no idea if geese have good memories or can communicate with one another regarding the history of what has previously happened to their species at this location.

Friday Lucy Park Humid Aerobics

On this final Friday of the 2025 version of June, it was back to super shady Lucy Park I ventured for some much-needed salubrious aerobic stimulation in the outer world.

When the sun arrived this morning to begin its daily illumination duty, I was surprised, when I looked out my bedroom window, to see water drops dripping from the sky. I did not think such was in the weather forecast for today.

The drippage did not last long enough to cause any annoying puddling.

As you can see via the look across the Lucy Park suspension bridge, the Wichita River is still running high.

Fast and high.

Obviously, you cannot see the water flowing fast in a photo.

If the river is still running high on my next Lucy Park visit I shall try to remember to take video. That should make me extremely dizzy, trying to shoot video whilst walking across the swaying bridge with water moving fast below me.

It may have rained harder at the Lucy Park location than it did in my home zone, this morning, which would explain all the Lucy Park puddling I saw today.

The dose of rain amped up today's humidity, making the 88 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method, really feel like 93 degrees, according to my phone's temperature monitoring.

A week from today is the 4th of July.

Have not decided if I'm going to go downtown on that day to watch the parade. It's a fun parade. I think it's been a couple years since I've watched it.

Chauffeuring Senior Citizen To Walmart Drug Pusher For Daily Walk

Yesterday I volunteered to be today's chauffeur for a senior citizen who should no longer be driving who needed to see three local drug pushers to get vitally needed prescriptions. 

The final drug pusher was the Walmart pharmacy.

I knew yesterday such would be the case and agreed to chauffeur duty if the Walmart part would also be the location of my daily brisk walking constitutional.

Which explains the photo documentation, looking down an empty aisle in the massive Walmart store.

Walmart was not as empty as the photo documentation suggests.

Due to privacy concerns, that and fearing triggering someone getting irrationally upset if they saw a camera phone aimed at them, I had the camera turned on, and as soon as I saw an aisle free of human occupation, I snapped the photo.

Walmart in the morning does not provide as many anthropological observations of unique versions of humans as I see on my later in the day Walmart visits. I did see some unfortunate tattooing on elderly persons today, but no odd piercings in body locations one would think a person would not want pierced. 

It was nice doing my daily brisk walk in air-conditioned comfort, particularly after yesterday's blistering bout on the Wichita Bluffs...

Early Summer Wichita Bluff Nature Area Being Naturally Green

A couple days into Summer of 2025, with the temperature sizzling towards the 90s, rather than the time of my regular pre-noon daily constitutional, I opted to try and escape some of the HOT heat by entering the outer world earlier than is my norm.

It was to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured, hoping the Bluffs would be catching some nice cooling wind gusts. That proved not to be the case.

In the photo documentation, at the top, we are at the highest point on the Bluffs, looking east towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls, with the brownish Wichita River showing up a little bit, surrounded by lush green foliage.

Due to the deluges of this past Spring, green foliage seems to be lasting longer than it has lasted during the past several drought years.

If more rain does not arrive in a timely fashion, I expect the browning of the green to soon begin...

Monday Back At Sikes Lake Surrounded By Wildflowers

It was back to Sikes Lake I ventured on this next to last Monday of the 2025 version of June. The temperature was pleasantly in the mid 80s, with a chilling wind blowing, making those 80 degrees feel cooler.

This year's, so far, above normal amount of rain, has made for a bumper crop of wildflowers, rendering the landscape much more colorful than the past several years.

In the wildflower view above you are looking south, barely able to see a smidgen of Sikes Lake.

That structure you see above the wildflowers is known as the Sikes Lake Pavilion. It is a sort of stage where small music type events take place.

The long-range forecast for my Wichita Falls, Texas location is for day after day after day of it being HOT. With some possible thunderstorming, with 100 degree plus days arriving in July.

I am not much in the mood for 100 degree plus days....

HOT Windy Saturday Return To Sikes Lake

With the temperature, like yesterday, in the 80s, but feeling HOTTER, due to high humidity, like yesterday, I was back at Sikes Lake to get myself some aerobic stimulation and accelerated calory burning.

As you can see, via the photo documentation of the clear blue sky, above the bridge at the north end of Sikes Lake, the outer world looks HOT.

What you cannot see, via the photo documentation, is a strong wind is blowing today. A steady wind of 18 mph, with wind gusts reaching 40 mph. A couple of those gusts almost rendered my horizontal.

I need to amp up my exercising and reduce my food consumption, to lose about 20 pounds by the end of July, so that I can fit into my one and only pair of dress slacks, which I have not fit comfortably into since pre-COVID.

I am currently not at liberty to make mention of the reason I need to stuff myself into dress slacks. 

If shrinking, via excess exercise and calory intake reduction fails, my fallback solution will need to be to go the bother of getting a new pair of dress slacks which I can comfortably fit into, via the clothes shopping method, an activity of which I am not fond.

Maybe I should start hiking to the summit of Mount Wichita multiple times, which is an activity I frequently found myself engaging in, pre-COVID...

Back At Sikes Lake With A Tesla Cyber Truck

With my phone telling me the outer world was heated to 88 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method of temperature measuring, with the humidity making those 88 degrees really feel like 93 degrees, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured, again, for my almost daily constitutional and its resulting endorphin acquisition via aerobic stimulation from high-speed walking.

I sure do like a good, long, run-on sentence.

I've seen the Tesla Cyber Truck you see above, previously, parked on the Sikes Lake parking lot. I do not remember if I photo documented any of the previous Tesla Cyber Truck sightings.

This time I saw the driver of the Tesla Cyber Truck, who arrived back at his vehicle right after I arrived back at my vehicle, which is not a Tesla Cyber Truck. The Tesla Cyber Truck driver did not look at all like a deranged wackydoodle crazy person.

Apparently, I am a bigoted prejudiced person regarding a Tesla Cyber Truck owner, what with me thinking that such would look wackydoodle. I suppose my erroneous prejudging, assuming Tesla Cyber Truck owners would look wackydoodle, comes from thinking a Tesla Cyber Truck looks totally wackydoodle.

I cannot imagine wanting to drive something that looks like a Tesla Cyber Truck, let alone buy one...

Is Fort Worth's Panther Island One Of America's Top 50 Most Beautiful Islands?

On Facebook, this morning, I saw the above list purporting to list the Top 50 most beautiful islands in the United States.

I was almost 100% sure that Fort Worth's beautiful Panther Island would be on this list. 

Several Texas islands are on this list of 50, including Galveston Island, South Padre Island, Padre Island and Mustang Island.

But not Panther Island.

Shocking.

Several islands in my old home state of Washington are on this list of 50, including San Juan Island, Whidbey Island, Orcas Island and Lopez Island. 

Apparently, Washington's Whidbey Island is so beautiful it is on this list of 50 twice. At #16 and #45.

Maybe the fact that Fort Worth's Panther Island is not yet a chunk of land surrounded by water, is what kept it off this list, even though that chunk of industrial wasteland, known as Panther Island, is quite beautiful.

Several years ago, Fort Worth took seven years to complete the building of three freeway overpass-like bridges, over dry land, long now in place, waiting for a cement-lined ditch to be built under those bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch, thus creating the imaginary island.

It has been awhile since I have heard anything about the current status of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision. 

Have saner souls taken over leadership of Fort Worth and put a stop to the madness sold as a vitally needed economic development and flood control scheme, where there had been no flooding for over a half century thanks to levees the Army Corps of Engineers installed way back in the 1950s?

This ridiculous imaginary island, vitally needed project, has been limping along from the start of the current century. Should be obvious to all, by now, that this clearly has never been a vitally needed economic development or flood control project...

Hot Walk Around Sikes Lake With Regulation Fishing

When I began my walk around Sikes Lake, this morning, my phone was telling me the temperature was 88 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method. With the humidity making those 88 degrees really feel like 95 degrees.

However, my phone did not seem to know about the strong wind blowing, causing a wind chill factor to make those 88 degrees feel way cooler.

There were several groups of fisher people at various locations around the lake today, including the group above, I zoomed in to on the west side of the lake, from my vantage point on the east side of the lake.

I saw one angler successfully hook a lake creature. Of what variety, I have no clue.

I think I likely noticed the Community Fishing Lake Regulations sign previously, but don't remember, for sure. Age-related memory issues.

The regulations sign lists the types of fish one might catch in this lake. Several types of Bass, along with several types of Sunfish, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish and Crappies.

I do not think I'd want to be eating a fish called Crappie.

The regulation sign details regulations, such as a fishing license being required for those 17 and older, how many fish one can catch in a day and how big a Black Bass must be.

In all the years I have been walking around Sikes Lake, I have never seen any hint of a game warden.

NO Kings Protest In Burlington Washington

The day of the No Kings Protests I learned of the protest in the Skagit Valley town of Anacortes.

This morning, I read a report about the protest in the biggest town in the Skagit Valley, Mount Vernon.

And now, tonight, also known as Monday night, I heard from my Favorite Nephew Jason, about Saturday's No Kings Protest in the town I grew up in, a couple miles north of Mount Vernon, the town known as Burlington.

Burlington's population is only a little over 10,000.

Judging from the video, the No Kings Protest turnout in Burlington was way bigger than the Wichita Falls turnout, a town over 100,000 in population.

I hope the link to the Go Skagit (Skagit Valley Herald) VIDEO: 'No Kings' protest in Burlington article and video works.

Relaxing Hot Humid Monday Walk Around Sikes Lake

After a wild weekend of protesting, pool partying, pork barbecuing and thunderstorming, it is a pleasant Monday to be beginning the second half of the 2025 version of June with a clear blue sky, free of clouds blocking the sun, thus allowing the sun to heat up the outer world, well into the 80s, when I returned to Sikes Lake to get some much needed aerobic activity and its resulting endorphin acquisition.

No wind was blowing whilst I walked around the lake. As you can see evidenced by the lake view, looking west from Sikes Lake's rocky eastern shore. Yesterday's copious rain has amped up the humidity. So, 86 degrees feels way hotter than it should. Made even hotter feeling due to the lack of wind.

After several years of being in drought mode, the Wichita Falls area is blooming much more colorfully and greener than has been the case the past several years.

An example of this is the patch of wildflowers I photo documented above. The wildflower patch has sprouted since I walked by this location just a few days ago. 

The current weather forecast for the next 15 days is no rain, no thunderstorms, temperatures in the 90s and low 100s.

Happy 2025 Father's Day!

That's my dad, you see above, long long ago, with a really happy baby, who was me.

I have little memory of this photo being taken.

I look to be less than a year old.

Which, I think, would make dad 23 or 24. 

They married young, way back then...

Sunday Morning Turns Extremely Stormy With Warning To Watch For Flash Floods

This Sunday morning's unpredicted rain has now been dripping for a couple hours, and has now turned into extreme downpour mode, the rain so copiously thick that visibility is about zero, as evidenced by the view above, looking west from one of my living room windows.

A Flash Flood Watch Warning for Wichita Falls has just arrived on my computer screen, and my phone. 

I strongly suspect I will not be doing any outdoor aerobic endorphin inducing activity today.

But, maybe the outer world will lighten up by the time when my regularly scheduled fast-walking time arrives.

If such is the case, it will be to Sikes Lake I shall venture.

Sunday Morning Thunderstorm Look At Yesterday's No King Protests

The early Sunday morning zoomed view from my kitchen window. Rain is downpouring, thunder is booming. 

It has now rained, hard, for almost an hour. 

I have greatly enjoyed seeing all the photo documentation on the various news sources documenting how HUGE yesterday's world-wide NO KINGS Protests were.

Well, more precisely, enjoyed news sources other than FOX News, which has a alternative reality version of yesterday, including not letting the FOX propaganda recipients know what a low attendance debacle Trump's embarrassing parade turned out to be. 

I could only take a couple minutes of watching that parade. It looked ridiculous. Big tanks rolling by Trump's viewing stand, where he did not look like a happy birthday boy, sitting next to his bizarre Secretary of Defense and his wife. To be clear, the wife I refer to is Trump's, not the bizarre Secretary of Defense's current wife.

I blogged about my NO KINGS Protest experience yesterday in Downtown Wichita Falls Texas No Kings In America Protest. That blog post has had an unusually high number of page views.

The Wichita Falls Times New Record online version had zero coverage of yesterday's downtown Wichita Falls well attended protest. 

But, the Texoma Homepage did report the protest. The Texoma Homepage is the online version of the local NBC affiliate, KFDX Channel 3

Compared to elsewhere in America, the turnout protesting in Wichita Falls was not as big. The hundreds gathered seemed like a large crowd to me.

My old home zone's Skagit Valley Herald had zero photos or reporting about yesterday's NO KING Protests in any of the Skagit Valley towns. I know large crowds were expected in Mount Vernon and Burlington.

Former Burlingtonian, Miss Tamara A, currently residing in the Skagit Valley town of Anacortes, last night Facebook messaged me the following, documenting the NO KINGS Protest in Anacortes.

1,000! Now that is a big turnout.

But, not quite as big as the turnout in another town in my old home zone.

Other photos of the Seattle NO KINGS Protest gave a better look at the crowd size than the one I screen capped from the Seattle Times.

I have not yet seen an estimate of the total number estimated to have participated yesterday, worldwide in the NO KINGS Protests. The number has be in the millions. The number of millions is the question not yet answered.

Downtown Wichita Falls Texas No Kings In America Protest

The temperature was well into the 80s when I arrived in downtown Wichita Falls a few minutes past 10 this Saturday, June 14, 2025 morning, to participate in my local version of the National and International "No Kings In America" protests taking place all over America and the World today.

I did not know what to expect, crowd-size wise. And found myself pleased to find the protest so well attended so early in the three-hour protest.

The large number of clever signs also impressed me.

The mood of the crowd seemed upbeat. Passing vehicles honked horns and waved thumbs up. You can see and hear that in the video below.

My reaction to this was surprising to me. It was the first uplifting feeling I have experienced, at the level experienced today, since that absurd election result, last November.

Eventually I joined the others sitting under the shade of a heavily branched tree. Wind gusts brought some relief.

After several minutes of shade sitting the taco truck you see above showed up.

Before the taco truck driver could get totally parked, that lady with the sign was asking a guy to take a photo of her, with her phone, whilst she stood in front of the taco truck.

Why?

I don't know.

Show of support for our Mexican neighbors?

By the time I got my phone back on she was no longer holding the sign, straight up, in front of her. But you can still read the message on her sign.

And below is the previously referenced video. It has been awhile since I have made a video and uploaded it to YouTube. The process seems to have been made simpler than when last I uploaded a video.

Text message from Linda Lou, soon after I arrived at the protest, The message said, "Now Minnesota. I am so upset."

I had no clue what Linda Lou was talking about, so called her and learned what had happened in Minnesota.

At the downtown Wichita Falls protest today I saw absolutely no police presence. No police vehicle. No police on foot.

Wichita Falls is a peaceful town...

No Kings In Wichita Falls America Protest Event

Above you are looking at the location, in downtown Wichita Falls, of tomorrow's Saturday, June 14, 2025, No Kings in America protest.

The protest will taking place in a park across the street from that big blue building.

I expect a large crowd.

The last time I participated in an anti-Trump protest, in Wichita Falls, was at the start of the first Trump presidency. That protest was in the form of a march from Sikes Lake to a parking lot near where Kemp and Kell Boulevard meet. That protest march was a rather festive affair, with a lot of supportive horn honking from passing vehicles.

The article from this morning's Wichita Falls Times Record News, from whence I attained the above photo, and the below text...

Several organizations will join in an event 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at 815 Scott Avenue (815 Scott Avenue is also known as Central Park) in downtown Wichita Falls.

The event is billed as "We the People Say No Kings in America" and is hosted by the organizations Indivisible, Red Wine, and Blue and the Wichita County Democratic Association.

"We are speaking out against the authoritarian tactics of this administration, the executive's current misuse of power and resources, and the violation of our constitutional rights," organizer Carroll Wilson said in a news release.

The release said the event will have speakers, music, signs and a children's area.

It said the local event is aligning with other rally movements across the country.

Hot Humid Thursday Sikes Lake Nature Communing With Gray Ladies

On this second Thursday of the 2025 version of June, with the outer world heated into the low 80s, with humidity extremely high, it was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured for some salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation in steambath-like conditions.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, wildflowers are still blooming, impervious to getting sunburned or heat wilted. I do not know what this purple and yellow wildflower calls itself.

Soon after visiting the purple and yellow wildflower, I found a group of four ladies coming towards me, pushing baby strollers, with babies onboard. All the ladies were dressed in gray, with all but one wearing skirts, two of which were ankle length. The overall effect was sort of cult-like.

Of course, I waited til the gray ladies were well past me before I recorded them in photo posterity.

The above is the serene scene I saw after turning around after photo documenting the gray ladies. This view is looking west. The sky does not look too threatening, but turn around and look east, the view with the gray ladies, and the clouds look ominous.

Thunderstorming is on the weather menu for today. Of late the weather predicting locally has not been too accurate.

Saturday there will be a No King's Day Protest in downtown Wichita Falls. I have not yet decided if I will be participating...

Microsoft OneDrive Memory Takes Me To Wichita Falls Tulalip Casino Waterfall & Orcas

Interesting Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day showed up in my email this morning. Interesting due to being timely regarding news I read this morning about a similar thing in my current Wichita Falls location.

Wichita Falls is named after a waterfall on the Wichita River which disappeared way back in the late 1800s. Wiped out by a flood. One can walk by the location of the former waterfall via the Circle Trail. There is a sign letting you know you are at the location of the former waterfall.

So, after the Wichita River waterfall disappeared the town did not opt to remove "Falls" from its name, and just go by Wichita. Perhaps not wanting to be confused with the Wichita in Kansas.

After a century of visitors to Wichita Falls asking where the waterfall was the town decided to spend a few million bucks building an artificial waterfall. The artificial waterfall is prominently seen whilst driving by on the main freeway which passes through Wichita Falls.

However.

The artificial Wichita Falls waterfall is frequently turned off, which sort of defeats its purpose. The problem is the water for the artificial waterfall is sucked from the frequently super muddy Wichita River. The mud mucks up the pumping system, hence the frequent maintenance shutdowns.

So, the waterfall news referenced in the first paragraph above is the Wichita City Council is considering hiring some sort of engineering firm to analyze what needs to be done to renovate the Wichita Falls artificial waterfall.

Which takes us to the photo at the top which showed up this morning in my emails. That is a view of the entry to the Tulalip Casino Resort, in Marysville, in my old home state of Washington. The entry features a big realistic looking waterfall.

The Wichita Falls City Council should find out who built that Tulalip Casino waterfall and hire them to upgrade the Wichita Falls artificial waterfall.

Changing the subject, slightly, if you are ever in Washington, driving north of Seattle on I-5, it is well worth it to get off the freeway when you come to the Tulalip Casino exit, clearly visible from the freeway.

The interior of the casino is made to make it seem like you are underwater.

The exterior of the Tulalip Casino has water features in addition to the waterfall.

Such as Orcas, also known as Killer Whales, frolicking in the replicated sea. 

And a large statue of a Tulalip tribe member spearing salmon, by another waterfall.

There are a couple casinos a few miles north of my Wichita Falls location, on the north side of the Red River, in Oklahoma.

I have been to the closest one, the Apache Casino. There is a large parking lot in front of the casino, but nothing of the spectacular sort one sees at the Tulalip Casino in Marysville, Washington....

Tuesday Wichita Falls Public Library Visit Leads Me To Ultra Green Lucy Park

On this cloudy second Tuesday of the 2025 version of June I found myself needing to drive to downtown Wichita Falls, to the library, to replenish my supply of reading materials.

And, since it was nearby, and I was in need of some salubrious outdoor aerobic activity, to replenish my endorphin supply, leaving the library I headed west to Lucy Park.

I do not remember the outer world at my current North Texas location previously looking so lushly green as it currently looks. The past several years Wichita Falls, and the surrounding area, have been in dry drought mode. Resulting in a landscape shaded more towards brown, than green.

The above green view is looking north at the area of Lucy Park I call the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle. Currently looking more jungle-like than I ever remember it looking.

Due to the jungle recently being flooded, mud remains, even though the flood has receded.

Hence, walking the Backwoods Jungle is not yet doable.

Continuing on I walked the Circle Trail, which runs parallel to the Wichita River at this location. The green landscape almost looks over saturated, almost not natural.

The river level has dropped significantly since my last Lucy Park visit. So, I was able to walk out on the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge without fast moving river water, below the swaying bridge, making me dizzy.

The bridge deck's wooden planks look to have been rendered a bit warped from being submerged under river water. Though the warped deck boards look a little dangerous, I carefully stepped on a couple warped planks and found them to be safely solid.

Saturday Morning Wichita Falls Horizontal Tornado Appearance

This first Saturday of 2025's version of June is starting off with some weird cloud action, looking like a horizontal tornado, as viewed from my kitchen window.

A thunderstorm was on the weather menu for a couple hours after the sun arrived to light up the day. But, no thunder was heard. Some rain did drop, soon after the above photo was taken.

It is now an hour after the above photo was taken, and the horizontal tornado has moved on. Or dissipated. 

Another thunderstorm is on the weather menu beginning the hour before noon. Which is my regularly scheduled endorphin acquisition time of the day.

The thunderstorm a couple days ago knocked out power to over 1,000 Wichita Falls homes. And one radio tower. 

My location has not suffered a serious power outage since the notorious multi-day outage a few Februarys ago, when the outer world chilled to below zero. 

I hope to not learn which is worse. No power, and thus no heat when the temperature is below zero. Or no power, and thus no air-conditioning, when the temperature is in the 100-degree zone...

Friday Sikes Lake Catfishing

On this first Friday of 2025's June, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for some nature communing under a cloudy gray sky.

Of late the weather has been a bit frightful, what with random lightning bolts, hail balls, downpours and wind gusts with enough force to turn walking vertical to horizontal. Along with the need to dodge various projectiles sailing in the wind.

Soon upon beginning my high-speed walk around Sikes Lake I came to the scene you see above. Three kids fishing. Hoping to hook a catfish. For dinner. 

The three kid's means of motion, to bring them to the lake, was three scooters. Modern day scooters are a huge upgrade from the scooters which existed way back when I was a kid.

I took the above photo of Sikes Lake a minute before I came upon the three kids fishing. In this view we are on the rocky shore at the east end of the lake, looking west. The three kids fishing were about 50 feet to the left, or south, if you prefer compass type directional information.

That gray sky looks a bit menacing. Looking like lightning bolts or a tornado could come from those clouds.

Thunderstorming is on the weather menu for later today... 

Linda Lou Takes Me To Spencer Jack's Scholarship Award

Incoming text message this morning whilst I was driving.

When I got to my destination and pulled the phone from its pocket location I soon saw it was a message from Linda Lou, currently residing in Mount Vernon, in the Skagit Valley of Washington.

Linda Lou and I both originally came from another Skagit Valley town, a couple miles north of Mount Vernon, called Burlington.

The text in Linda Lou's message said she had had the opportunity to be on a committee choosing scholarship recipients.

And, that yesterday was Mount Vernon High School's Scholarship Awards night.

Followed by saying, "This is who I saw, had to take a photo and send it off to a proud uncle."

The who who Linda Lou saw (in the above photo) was my Nephew Jason's first born, Spencer Jack.

I can never remember if Spencer Jack is my Great or Grand Nephew. Or if I am Spencer Jack's Great or Grand Uncle.

What I do know is recently Spencer Jack's dad told me that in the Fall Spencer Jack will be attending Flight School at Central Washington State University. I assume this is what the scholarship is for.

I have not seen Spencer Jack since August 13, 2017. If I remember right, and seldom I do, at that point in time Spencer Jack was 10 years old. Maybe 11. Which would seem to make Spencer Jack around 18 years old now. 

I met Spencer Jack for the first time in August of 2008, at Bay View State Park, in Washington. I next saw Spencer Jack in, I think, March of 2012, at his Aunt Jackie's in Chandler, Arizona. It took me some looking to find a photo from that day...

We did not get in Aunt Jackie's pool that March Day back in 2012. A March Day, five years later, I did get some nephew and niece pool time. But, not with Spencer Jack, but with Nephews David and Theo, and my one and only Neice Ruby.

Kids sure do seem to grow up fast nowadays...

UPDATE: I forgot to add the link to the blog post where I found the photo of Spencer Jack. That blog post had multiple photos. And marked the final time Spencer Jack was with his Great Grandparents, also known as my Parental Units. 

Friday BBQ In Arizona With Spencer Jack, Super Hot Potato Chips & Refrigerator Slide Shows

The Anonymous comment on this blog post is amusing. I had to read the whole post to understand where the comment was coming from...

Tuesday Hails Wichita Falls Wild Windy Thunderstorm

Today's, third day of 2025's June, also known as Tuesday, is being stormy, as was predicted. 

HOT muggy heat was the primary feature from the time the sun arrived, til about 5 this afternoon. At that point in time the sky darkened, wind began to gust, lightning began to bolt and thunder began to roll.

So far, none of the predicted hail.

The view you see photo documented above, is the view looking west from my living room's large window which faces that direction.

The photo documentation does not quite manage to document how strong the wind is blowing. Or how loud it is due to the rain being blown at the window at high speed.

During my regularly pre-noon endorphin acquisition time I opted to avoid the hot humidity and instead do my high-speed walking in air-conditioned Walmart. 

Currently we are scheduled to continue being stormy, off and on, all night long. And into tomorrow.

The tornado warning sirens did their first noon-time Monday testing yesterday for the first time in several weeks. Apparently testing the tornado sirens is not done when we are under a possible tornado warning, as doing such would create a false alarm situation.

During the short course of time typing this short blog post the storm has settled into constant downpouring, not as windy, total cloud cover, not hearing thunder. 

But, hail has now loudly arrived. I will go see if I can get a photo which at all captures what the hail looks like....

Well, above is the current view out my kitchen window. A wall of hail obstructs the view. This is looking south. The hail has now calmed down...

HOT First June Monday Walk Around The Sikes Lake Prickly Pear Desert

On this second day, a Monday, of the 2025 month of June, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for some salubrious endorphin acquisition in an outer world heated to almost 90 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

After several years of drought at my North Texas location, the last couple months of copious amounts of rain has caused the landscape to be a lot greener, and more colorful, than has been the case for a long time previous.

As you can see, via the above photo documentation, the Sikes Lake Desert is blooming with bright yellow Prickly Pear Cactus flowers.

Pink Evening Primrose continues to color the ground. In the above view we are looking north, at a tree's remains, a patch of wildflowers, a blue lake and a blue, cloudless sky.

Today's walk around Sikes Lake was just on the near edge of being too HOT.

As the HOT time of the years progresses, I gradually acclimate to the HEAT. Eventually 95 won't feel too oppressive. As long as humidity stays low...

First June Day Back To Lucy Park Not Getting Dizzy On Swaying Suspension Bridge

On this first day, and first Sunday, of the 2025 version of June, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured for some nature communing with the outer world pleasantly temperatured into the upper 70s, with a cooling breeze blowing.

As you can see, via the photo documentation of the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge over the Wichita River, the river is still running high. What you cannot see, in a still photograph, is that that high water is flowing fast.

I did not walk out onto the bridge today. I learned a couple weeks ago, with the river high and moving fast, the swaying of the bridge causes me to get dizzy, like being on a bad carnival ride. The younger version of me likely would have enjoyed this sensation. But, elderly me does not enjoy any sort of vertigo sensation.

Today Lucy Park was having the most visitor action I have seen so far this year. I suspect this being the first day of June, coupled with being borderline perfect weather conditions, made it appealing to visit the best park in Wichita Falls.

May zipped by fast. I suspect the same for June. The 4th of July will soon arrive. I think I shall go to the downtown 4th of July Parade. Have not done so for a few years. It is an entertaining parade.