Lovely Linda Lou Takes Us To Daffodils & Mount Rainier

 A couple days ago I posted a blog post titled Seeing Real Islands From Summit Of Washington's Mount Erie in which I made mention of the fact that a time or two I had been surprised to see Mount Rainier, to the south, from the Skagit Flats.

And then yesterday, the Skagit Valley's lovely Linda Lou, text messaged me the photo you see above.

The Skagit Flats ablaze with the yellow of thousands of daffodils, with the Mount Rainier volcano hovering in the distance.

I surely do miss living in a zone of multiple scenic wonders...

In Washington Looking West Across Daffodil Fields At The Olympic Mountains

Many a time I have made mention of the fact that at my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, in Western Washington, no matter what direction one looks, east, west, north or south, one sees mountains.

At my current flat location no matter what direction I look there is nary a mountain to be seen.

I have frequently shared photos of my old home zone showing the mountains one sees from that location. 

Those photos I have previously shared have only shown the mountain view looking east from the Skagit Flats, usually with the Mount Baker volcano in the picture.

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw the photo you see above. In that photo we are not looking east at the Cascade Mountain foothills, we are looking west, with that line of snow covered mountain peaks being the Olympic Mountains, located on the Olympic Peninsula.

Those land masses you see sticking out above the daffodil fields may be islands. I am not sure about the land masses on the left or right, but I am almost 100% certain the land mass in the middle is Fidalgo Island. That is where the town of Anacortes is located, and where you can find one of Washington's best hamburgers at the Fidalgo Drive-In.

In Anacortes you can hop aboard a Washington State Ferry and float to multiple islands.

For those reading this in Fort Worth, Texas, these are real islands, surrounded by real water. Not imaginary islands that might one day become an imaginary island if a cement lined ditch is ever actually dug, with river water diverted into the ditch.

I have not read anything about Fort Worth's imaginary island and that cement lined ditch in quite some time. The three little bridges, built over dry land, have been finished for quite some time, waiting for that water filled ditch to turn the bridges into the connection of the Fort Worth mainland to that imaginary island...

Newspaper Daffodil Delivery To Skagit Valley Jones Family Compound

Email from FNJ (Favorite Nephew Jason) this morning, with the daffodil newspaper photo above, and the text below...

First arrival of the largest local newspaper at the Jones family compound. I set this up for my incoming father who is set to arrive just a few days into the next month.

He should receive the print version of the SVHerald, 5 days a week, along with the weekend version of the Seattle Times and the weekly LaConner Weekly News (which is the best weekly newspaper I have ever ran across. Seriously). ((If some blog writer wanted to give them a plug on a blog site, It would be well justified)).

I support local journalism, as might you, and hopefully your brother will enjoy his reading material.

________________________

I checked out the online version of the LaConner Weekly News, I can see why Jason is impressed. This online version of La Conner's newspaper is way better than the online newspaper version of the town I now live in, that being the Wichita Falls Times Record News, or the Texas town I lived in prior to Wichita Falls, that being Fort Worth and that town's pitiful excuse for a newspaper, the Star-Telegram.

La Conner is one of Washington's tourist attractions. This time of year, when the flowers are blooming all over the Skagit Valley flatlands, La Conner is a traffic jam of tourists. The town has multiple restaurants and art galleries and a famous bridge over a channel one can use to float your boat to one of the town's restaurants.

Linda Lou has told me that when next I visit the Skagit Valley she will take me to a restaurant in La Conner which Linda Lou says makes the best fish and chips and clam chowder in the Puget Sound zone.

Seeing Skagit Valley Daffodils With A Few Daffodils In Wichita Falls

This morning, on Facebook, the Skagit Valley's Miss Carol BD posted a photo featuring some daffodils.

I commented regarding that photo, saying I seldom see such things as daffodils and tulips at my current North Texas location.

But that yesterday I did make note of driving by a small patch of daffodils, and that I might photo document that daffodil patch today, if I remembered to.

Which I did. Remember, that is.

Below is that rare North Texas daffodil patch, spotted near the intersection of Midwestern Boulevard and Maplewood.

That photo at the top, that is a field of Skagit Valley daffodils in a photo from the Seattle Times.

That big white thing hovering above the daffodils is the Mount Baker volcano.

In front of Mount Baker, those are what are known as Cascade Mountain foothills.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival will soon be happening, with the Skagit flatlands carpeted in multiple colors, from multiple types of flowers, but, primarily tulips.

Over a million visitors descend on the Skagit Valley during the Tulip Festival.

Seeing Blooming Daffodils Has Me Wondering Where The Texas Bluebonnets Have Gone

I saw what you see on the left on my old hometown newspaper online this morning.

Daffodils blooming. Lots of daffodils.

Apparently spring sprang on schedule in my old home zone, with the Skagit Valley in multi-color mode with acres upon acres of fields of daffodils, tulips and other bloomers.

Meanwhile, at my location in Texas, where spring has also sprung, we are currently over two-thirds through the month of March, with nary a colorful wildflower to be seen.

Where have all the bluebonnets gone?

Daylight Savings Time Had Me Finding A Yellow White Wildflower Blooming In Gateway Park

Today I decided to repeat last Sunday's venture in the outer world by returning to Gateway Park to roll my wheels over that location's mountain bike trails.

A surprise surprised me at the entry to the mountain bike trail.

That surprise would be the big yellow and white wildflower you see in front on the FWMBA TRAIL sign.

FWMBA is the Fort Worth Mountain Bike Association.

The big yellow and while wildflower surprised me due to the fact that it has been well below freezing of late where these flowers are sprouting.

Back in my old home zone of the Skagit Valley, in the state called Washington, there is a flower that is commercially grown called a daffodil, which resembles this yellow and white wildflower blooming in Gateway Park.

In March and April many acres of the Skagit Valley flatlands are covered with daffodils. And other flowers. Like tulips. At the flower sprouting time of the year one will also see daffodils and tulips blooming in all sorts of landscaped locations in addition to the commercial bulb farmer fields.

Changing the subject from daffodils to something else.

I really do not like Daylight Savings Time. I think Texas and the rest of America should follow the lead of the part of Arizona which is south of the Grand Canyon and stay on Standard Time all year long.

Snow In Fort Worth Forecast For First Day Of Spring While Daffodils Bloom & Nerd Gang Battles In Veterans Park

Today is the last day of Winter, despite what you may have read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Tomorrow, Sunday, is the first day of Spring. And, as you can see, snow is in our forecast, here in Fort Worth, for the first day of Spring.

I got gas today. My one longtime reader may remember that when I get gas I call my mom in Phoenix. So, I called and told my mom about our latest incoming blizzard. Mom thinks it is time I move back to a mild climate, as in, return to the Northwest.

I called my mom from Veterans Park, in Arlington.

Veterans Park reminded me of the Northwest today. I'm not referencing the cold wind and gray sky.

It was all the daffodils that reminded me of where I lived in the Northwest, that being in the Skagit Valley, which is one of the world's top flower bulb producing areas.

In March and April, sometimes earlier, the Skagit Valley turns into a blaze of color, with fields of tulips, daffodils, flags, irises and I forget what else, coloring up the place.

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival lasts for a month while the bulbs are blooming, drawing in an incredible number of flower gawking tourists. I believe this is being all messed up, up there, this year, due to the record breaking warm Winter.

Also at Veterans Park, today, I saw a Gang of Nerds enjoying a gang fight with what looked like baseball bats. The Gang of Nerds was battling when I arrived and still battling when I left, about 45 minutes later. The high wind had the Wind Chill Factor having it feel somewhere in the 19-20 zone.

Maybe Nerds are impervious to cold. I know I am. I'll have to ask Gar the Texan if he is impervious to cold.

Speaking of cold, I went in the pool this morning. It'd gotten into the 70s yesterday, so the pool was significantly warmer than the air. I did two laps.

When I left Veterans Park I went to that new ALDI German grocery store again. The aforementioned Gar the Texan asked if you had to stick a quarter in a slot to get a grocery cart. I told Gar that I just started pushing a cart, with no quarter impedence.

Well, I don't know how I managed to get that cart my first time at ALDI, but this time a quarter had to be entered into a slot in order to free a cart. Somehow this keeps the carts all lined up and nice and orderly. It's the most German type thing I've noticed in this store. If you don't have a quarter, and really, how many people walk around with a lot of change in their pockets, an ALDI guy while free a cart for you.