A Walk Through The Tandy Hills Jungle With Multiple Hoodoos & No Cicadas

Due to the Hoodoo, well, actually, Hoodoos, you can likely guess that I was back on the Tandy Hills on this 13th day of August.

Have I been on the Tandy Hills already in August? I don't remember.

I headed to the hills today because the relatively chilly temperature in the low 80s had the concept of getting some endorphins via aerobic stimulation sound appealing.

Early this morning I had already had some endorphin acquisition via a long bout in the pool, starting soon after the sun arrived to share illumination duty with a very big  moon.

As you can see there were duo Hoodoos at Hoodoo Central today on the Tandy Hills.

One short stubby Hoodoo with a taller Hoodoo tower towering over the stubby Hoodoo.

I prefer my Hoodoos to be tall, rather than stubby.

The last time I was on the Tandy Hills I was surprised by a new Hoodoo erection on the east side of the hills.

That east side Hoodoo still stands, as you can see above. Have we not had any Hoodoo toppling winds of late?

One thing I noticed today was no cicada noise.

Cicada noise is a good sound effect for a jungle, which had me missing the cicada insect symphony in the video below of today's hike through the Tandy Hills jungle zone.

A Walk In Arlington With A Village Creek Cicada Before Biking With The Indian Ghosts

No, that is not an artist's rendering of what Fubbo the Hut would look like as an insect.

What that is, I think, is a cicada who has finished his mating duties and so, with nothing left to do, died.

I can see where maybe the patterns of the textiles which make up the cicadas clothing may have been an inspiration for Indian garb.

I like the color scheme. I would wear it.

I came upon this cicada corpse today in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area, near the overlook which looks over the formerly Blue Bayou which is now green and brown.

There were several cicada corpses in the pool with me this morning. I prefer the cicadas to be alive and making their distinctive cicada mating calls, rather than swimming lifelessly with me.

After I took several pictures of the cicada corpse, motion in the corner of my left eye caught my attention. Looking left I saw what appeared to be a cicada in its death throes.

I switched the camera to video mode and stealthily made my way to the BIG bug. By the time I got to the cicada it was no longer moving, so I used my cicada prompting stick to try and prompt some action.

The cicada prompting stick worked, the resulting action is documented in the YouTube video below.....

Having Indian Food For Lunch After Walking With Village Creek Indian Ghosts & Noisy Cicadas

In the picture we are looking at one of the sign designated Wildflower Areas in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

I have seen this particular Wildflower Area look more colorful than it is looking today.

Currently at almost 3 on this Sunday afternoon, at my location, it is 93 degrees, with the humidity making it feel like 113.

The temperature was a bit cooler when I went walking with the Indian Ghosts.

Speaking of Indians. Indian food was what I made for lunch today. Chicken Samosas, Curry Rice with carrots, onions, chicken, garlic and peas. And spinach. Usually I am not much of a fan of anything I cook. But, today I found it all quite tasty.

Changing the subject from Indians and Indian food to cicadas.

The cicadas are out in force. Millions of the beasts. In mating mode. This makes for a cacophony in the morning whilst I'm trying to enjoy peace and quiet in the pool.

The Village Creek Natural Historical Area cicadas have been being particularly rambunctiously noisy this mating season.

I only saw a few dozen cicada bodies today, laying on the pavement. I don't know if they die in the throes of passion or of old age or murdered by a jealous husband.

This morning there were a few cicada corpses in the pool with me. Cicadas are quite large when still alive and quickly bloat when dead in a pool. Eventually the cicada corpses sink. More than once I've stepped on a cicada corpse and thought it to be a rock, which I then fish out of the water to be mortified that I've got a big dead cicada in my hand.

Below is a short video I shot today while walking with the Indian Ghosts, prior to having Indian food, in which you can hear the cicada cacophony and see how nicely shaded the Village Creek trail is...

Sunday Walking With The Ghosts & Cicadas Along Village Creek In Arlington

I was not in the mood to get superheated today via my daily aerobic endorphin stimulating activity. That means no Tandy Hills.

So, I decided to go to Village Creek Natural Historic Area to walk in the shade among the ghosts of the many Indians murdered in this location, a location which was once one of the biggest Indian villages in America.

Til the Texans came to town and used a primitive version of eminent domain abuse to evict the land's rightful owners.

I saw the bird you see in the picture, intensely scouting for fish in Village Creek, below the spillway of the first dam/bridge across the creek.

Is this bird a Blue Egret? It looks like an Egret. But I have only seen White Egrets. This bird was not at all skittish. He or she did not seem at all bothered by me being there.

The cicadas seem to be being particularly noisy this year. I am hearing them right now, in the trees I see through my computer room window.

The cicadas have been being very noisy on the Tandy Hills, of late. I don't recollect such a loud cicada cacophony on the Tandy Hills in years past. .

In years past I have heard the cicadas make a racket with their mating rituals at Veterans Park.

And in the  Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

Today the Village Creek cicada population was being particularly busy. That is a cicada corpse in the picture. I saw several cicada corpses today. A cicada is a very big bug.

No 4th Of July Firecrackers Cracking In Texas While I Drink Beet Juice Lemonade

It is almost 4 in the afternoon of the 4th of July in Texas. I have yet to hear the crack of a single firecracker or any other noisemaker.

Those of you reading this in Washington, particularly those reading this in the Skagit Valley, know why I find this 4th of July quiet so strange.

Before moving to Texas and experiencing the reality of Texas, had you asked me what I thought the 4th of July would be like in Texas I would have guessed that the noise level would be greatly louder than Washington.

Instead it is very, very quiet.

The Tandy Hills Bamboo Tepee is still standing. It has been months since this mysterious piece of Guerrilla Art appeared deep inside the Tandy Hills.

Why did someone go to the effort of hauling 14 long bamboo poles, over difficult, rocky trails, up and down hills, to this particular location? And then build a Bamboo Tepee?

I may not be hearing any firecrackers cracking, but I sure am hearing a lot of cicadas cracking.

Speaking of wildlife. I have not seen a single lizard on the Tandy Hills this year. Last year I saw many lizards, including one very big one. Where are the lizards?

Wink has no 4th of July celebration of the city organized sort. But, apparently a group skinny dipping 4th of July party is planned for one of the Wink Sinkholes. I learned this from the Queen of Wink who was thinking of dipping in the Wink Sink today.

I had a tasty 4th of July lunch today. Pizza, pulled BBQ pork, beet onion salad and beet juice lemonade.

You are what you eat...

Celebrating Goober Twin Birthdays While Thinking About Saloon Hopping With Elsie Hotpepper While Cicada Mate

You are looking at the very deep blue view from my patio a little before the sun fully rose this next to the last Saturday of July 24.

It being July 24 it is the Happy Birthday of the Goober Twins, Big Ed and Wally. Big Ed is 47, while Wally turns 67 today. Due to some sort of complicated genetic difference the twins aged at different rates, starting from the time they were birthed, decades ago.

I thought about going saloon hopping with Elsie Hotpepper Friday night, doing the hopping in her Bartmobile. But, I was too tired for a long night of Hotpepper saloon hopping.

Maybe I'll be more energetic tonight.

I was not the only one in my D/FW Metroplex zone of Texas to make note of yesterday's storm causing a quick 20 degree temperature drop that was quite refreshing. Steve A was pedalling his bike in the Alliance/Gateway zone when the temperature drop hit him.

Steve A's bike speedometer/odometer has a thermometer. I did not know that was an available option. It's like me and cell phones. I've fallen way behind the times.

It is only 78 out there right now at about half past 6. Something has gotten my herd of cicadas all riled up. I've seldom heard them in such a mating frenzy. The Angelina Jolie/Marilyn Monroe/Elizabeth Taylor (in her prime) cicada equivalent, must be being busy flirting in the Magnolia trees that surround my pool.

The cicadas have now gone dead silent, replaced by birds tweeting. A bug must have gotten lucky with Jolie/Marilyn/Elizabeth.

The sun has now almost totally lit up the place. Time to go swimming for an hour or two.

Monday On The Tandy Hills Listening To Traffic Noise & Mating Cicadas

As you can see, looking west from the Tandy Hills at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, it is cloudy here this last Monday of June.

So far, no rain has dropped.

I enjoyed the hill hiking very much today. For the most part. For some reason, the noise from the I-30 freeway seemed way louder than it usually does.

Maybe the cloud cover was bouncing the traffic noise back to earth today. There are locations in the Tandy Hills where usually I hear only the sounds of nature being natural in the Tandy Hills Natural Area. But today I heard traffic noises all over the hills.

It's the mating season for cicadas. It was only during heavy duty outbreaks of the cicada mating noises that the traffic noise was blocked out today.

I was also serenaded by mating cicadas while I was in the pool this morning.

A new noise is now assaulting my eardrum. I hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

The Cicadas Seem To Have Vanished From Texas For Now

Mister Twister pointed me to a very interesting BBC YouTube video this morning, all about Cicadas. I had no idea there were so many of them making all that noise, that currently seems to be silenced for the year. After watching this video I am perplexed as to why I have not seen the remains of at least one of the little beasts.

The most important information I got from this video is when the male Cicadas are making their mating noise do not snap your fingers. Unless you want to have a Cicada try to mate with you.

The Silence Of The Cicadas & Mark Twain

Yesterday I blogged about the epidemic of noisy cicadas. This morning I was in the pool soon after the sun arrived. There were no cicadas making noise. I have the windows open right now, due to it being a chilly 73 out there. I hear birds chirping, but no cicadas cicadaing.

Yesterday Mister Twister commented on my Blogging about the cicadas, including a link to the picture you see here. I think I have seen these on the ground, dead. They are big. They sort of remind me of my pet cockroaches.

I wonder if it is the chilly temperatures that have rendered the cicadas mute?

I get to go to West Fort Worth today, well, west of downtown, to some place on University Drive. I think I'll go to Forest Park and take a picture of Mark Twain. I don't think I'll be riding the miniature train at Forest Park today.

Over and over again this Blogger thing is flagging words as being misspelled that are correct. This started a couple days ago and is very annoying. One of my few thrills is to get a "No Misspellings Found" message, and now I'm being robbed of that. It just told me I misspelled "robbed".