Remembering A Peaceful Bath Interrupted By Mount St. Helens Exploding Almost Half A Century Ago

Today, Monday, May 18, 2026, on Facebook, I have seen multiple posts making note of the fact that it was on this date, 46 years ago, that Mount St. Helens blew her top.

One of the Facebook posts, from a Washingtonian, asked people to say where they were and what they were doing when the mountain exploded.

Well, it was early in the morning, a Sunday. I was having a peaceful soak in the bathtub. Suddenly my peaceful soak was interrupted by what sounded like three loud, concussive explosions. I had just returned from a trip to Southern California where at one point I found myself camped near a military base which was doing practice stuff which involved explosions. That is what the sound I heard whilst tub soaking, sounded like.

I heard one of my roommates in the kitchen. I hollered at her, asking what those booms were. She came into the tub zone to tell me she had no idea what it was.

About 15 minutes later the next-door neighbor showed up to ask if we'd heard that the mountain had blown. 

From that point on the TV was on all day, with nonstop coverage. We were advised to prepare for possible incoming ash dust. We got masks and some other stuff I am not remembering. Maybe some special added filter on the vehicles.

Not much ash ever made it to the Skagit Valley, but other parts of Washington had to deal with a lot of falling volcanic ash.

It was to be a couple years later I first ventured into the eruption zone and looked close up at the remains of Mount St. Helens.

Then, a short time before the move to Texas, I drove a group to the newly opened Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument, stopping at each of the Visitor's Centers, ending with the final one, gazing right into Mount St. Helens gaping crater. 

If you ever find yourself driving Interstate 5 into Washington, it is well worth it to take the exit that takes you to the Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument. 

It is hard for me to believe it is almost a half century ago, 46 years, that this event happened. It had a long lead-up, with little eruptions, a large zone had been evacuated. Mount St. Helens dominated the news in Washington, before, during and after the final eruption. 

Today's Possible Record Breaking High In Wichita Falls

Apparently, the record high for this day in May is 98 degrees as measured by the Fahrenheit method. The current prediction is for today's high to be three degrees short of the record. But, the weather predictions here are frequently inaccurate, so it won't shock me if we get over 98 degrees today.

And, it is over a month til Summer arrives. I suspect we are heading towards a record-breaking HOT Summer. 

My A/C just cycled on, and is currently keeping me cool.

A few winters ago, a severe Winter storm knocked out power to most of Texas, with a couple days the temperature going below zero.

I hope I don't get to find out if it worse to have the power go out when the temperature is in the near 100-degree zone. 

Remembering Mom & Dad Visiting Texas

This morning, whilst looking through my HUGE archive of photos, I came upon a folder of photos taken the first time my mom and dad came to visit me in Texas.

I am not sure, but I think the year was 2005. I have zero clue as to the month, but clearly, judging by mom and dad's attire, this was a visit which did not happen during the HOT time of the year. 

I do recollect giving mom and dad cowboy hats and insisting they put them on when I was taking a photo of them

The location of the above photo is Lake Grapevine, that I remember, for sure. One of my favorite locations in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone.

On their first visit to Texas mom and dad were coming from Washington, I think, via their RV. I remember they stayed in an RV park in Arlington.

Their second, and final visit to Texas, took place, I think, in 2012. That time they drove a non-RV vehicle from their Yuma location in Arizona. I remember visiting mom and dad in Yuma, way back near the turn of the century, on a drive back to Texas, from Washington.

If mom and dad's last Texas visit was in 2012 that would have been after I'd begun documenting my existence in blog form. I shall see if I can find blog posts documenting mom and dad's final Texas visit, but not right now. 

UPDATE: I was wrong. It was in November of 2009 mom and dad made their final Texas visit. I blogged about it several times, with the first being Mom & Dad Are Here In Texas.

Wichita Falls Sunday Nature Communing In Lucy Park

For a variety of reasons, some weather related, some not weather related, I have not had myself any salubrious nature communing and that activity's resulting endorphins, for several days, until this first Sunday of the 5th month of 2026, also known as May 3.

In the photo documentation we are at the replacement for the burned-out Lucy Park Pagoda, looking north at the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle.

Green is currently the dominant color at my Texas location. That won't last long til the green begins to fade to shades of brown.

There were a surprisingly large number of fellow nature communers at Lucy Park this Sunday morning. I suspect after so many days in a row of chilly, unstable weather, people were eager to get outdoors under the cloud-free, clear blue sky, with the temperature in the pleasant 70s.

I have not felt the need to activate the air-conditioning system the past few days. I suspect that will change later today...