Hank Frank's First Easter Photo Documentation

Incoming email this morning after Easter, from the Skagit Valley zone, where apparently Hank Frank Jones has learned how to use a camera. 

In the photo that would be my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Cindy, sitting next to her eldest son, Jason, who is sitting next to his eldest son, Spencer Jack, who is sitting next to my little brother, Jake, who is also Spencer Jack's grandpa. I forgot to mention, Cindy is Spencer Jack's grandma.

The explanatory text accompanying Hank Frank's photo...

Thought you’d enjoy this picture.

Henry’s mom and dad cooked a delicious ham and bbq rib luncheon for his favorite uncle, cousin, grandmother and step grandfather, along with his new neighbor known to him as Papa Jake.

The photographer was a young man, who goes by the name Henry. 

He took this picture prior to an Easter egg hunt which was held in less than ideal weather, as Skagit County had a blustery Sunday.

Nonetheless, he was excited to partake.

Hope all is well in TX. 

Hope you can visit soon. 

FNJ

Happy Easter Morning With The Lucy Park Throngs

I set out for Sikes Lake, this fine Easter morning, then changed my mind and headed north to Lucy Park to join the throngs in Easter picnic mode, most having hauled in barbecue grills. Such making for a fine atmosphere of barbecuing smoke perfuming the air.

As you can see via the Lucy Park photo documentation, the Lucy Park backwoods zone is now in full green mode, soon to turn into what looks like jungle, where snakes and alligators may slither and lurk.

Gray is the dominant sky color today, with a few blue patches...

Lucy Park Easter Bridge Suspense With Alligator Alley

 

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured, in the noon timeframe, on this Easter Sunday of 2022, joining throngs of fellow Easterites enjoying a perfect temperature in the 60s, with zero wind blowing.

In the above photo documentation we are standing in the middle of the renovated Lucy Park Suspension Bridge, looking south at the mighty Wichita River

Yesterday, at Lucy Park, I shivered as I fast walked trying to warm up. A day later and there was no shivering, whilst wearing pretty much the same outerwear.

For lunch today I made that Easter staple of chicken rice tomato soup, with whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches. For dessert I had an orange.

After taking that photo from the middle of the bridge, I continued on to the east bank. 

From the east bank I eventually reached Alligator Alley and then found a trail to the edge of the river for a view of the suspension bridge as a couple kids tentatively made their way across, unnerved by the swaying bounciness.

When I made my way back to the bridge, to cross back into Lucy Park, there were four more people making the crossing. The semi-elderly pair of the four seemed real nervous, with grandma tightly clutching the top cable as she meekly made her way across. While they crossed I stayed stationary so as to not increase the swaying into even more of a Galloping Gertie mode.

Galloping Gertie was the nickname given the first Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge. Bad design caused that bridge to oscillate severely when a strong wind blew through the Narrows. One day Galloping Gertie galloped so severely that it destroyed itself, crashing into the saltwater below.

I suspect the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge will never come to a tragic end like the first Tacoma Narrows bridge did...

Happy Easter Look At North Cascades National Park

 

That which you see above fits in with our current ongoing theme of people in the Pacific Northwest sending me things via various means which tend to make me homesick for my former land of scenery, clean air, clean water and a well educated progressively thinking population.

I found the above in my mailbox this first Saturday of the 2021 version of April. An envelope with a postcard inside.

The photo on the postcard is a mountain peak in the North Cascades National Park. It looks like it may be a peak ones sees on the Cascade Pass hiking trail. The photographer is Andrew Porter of Sedro Woolley, Washington. Andrew Porter is not the sender of the postcard, his name was on the postcard's back indicating is was he who had taken the photograph.

Part of the message written on the back of the postcard...

Happy Easter, Durango---

I hope Texas still lets the Easter Bunny come hopping through. But you never know about Texas...

There were several paragraphs following the above two sentences, but they had nothing about Texas which was amusing. The paragraphs following the above two sentences were about March Madness and the finals being dominated by Pac-10 teams, particularly Washington's Gonzaga.

There was also mention made of the wild Washington weather day which ended March, that, and getting COVID shots.

I have yet to make any effort to get a COVID vaccination. I probably should quit procrastinating on that.

Hope one and all have themselves a might fine Easter today...

Wichita Falls Goslings Find Tacoma Easter Egg Hunting David, Theo & Ruby With Hopping Henry

On this 2019 version of Easter Sunday I opted out of anything to do with ham, instead making Polish tacos with Kielbasa.

But, before that gourmet feast there was no way I was not going to have some outdoor fun on this most perfect day yet of the year.

It does not take much for me to think I am having fun. Today that meant I had fun rolling my non-mechanized wheels north on the Circle Trail, then taking the Wichita Falls Beverly Hills route to the Midwestern  State University campus, where I stopped in the shade near the MSU fountain to check incoming text messages which had been making noise as I rolled along.

Among the text messages was one inviting me virtually attend a Tacoma Easter Egg Hunt with David, Theo and Ruby, plus a couple dozen more egg hunters.

But, before I virtually went to Tacoma I rolled my wheels around Sikes Lake, where I saw the Easter appropriate scene you see above. A couple of goose parental units with their newborn flock of goslings.

A few days ago I made mention of the fact this goose family has been the victim of a heinous crime, that being the Murder of Uncle Fynn.

So far no one has been arrested for the shooting death of Fynn.

Now, on to that virtual Tacoma Easter Egg Hunt, before we do some Hopping with Henry. I think I forgot to mention we would be Hopping with Henry today.

Above we see the 9th Annual David, Theo and Ruby Backyard Easter Egg Hunt moments before the ribbon was cut to start the hunt.

There were 32 Egg Hunters this year. Ranging from not quite one year old, to one teenager of 13.

It appears David's basket is empty of eggs. This photo must have been taken early in the hunt. As you can see David is a University of Washington fan. I don't know if he is already taking classes. He is a bit of a Sheldon, if you know what I mean.

Of course Ruby excels at finding Easter Eggs.

Ruby's Uncle Jake and I were masters at this when we were David, Theo and Ruby's age.

Many a Golden Egg we would find in the Easter Egg Hunt which took place across the street from our abode, in Burlington's Maiben Park.

Binoculars, along with parental units who did not tell us it was cheating, may have helped with those Golden Egg discoveries.

And then there is Theo.

Of course this Egg Hunting speed demon managed to fill his Easter Egg basket. I

And then a few miles north of Tacoma, in the Skagit Valley town of Clear Lake, we have Spencer Jack's cousin, Henry, doing some Easter Bunny Hopping.

When Henry's Great Aunt Jackie was Henry's size she did her hopping in a device we called the Jolly Jumper. I do not remember if the Jolly Jumper was still around by the time David, Theo and Ruby's mama Michele was of the Jolly Jumping size.



Easter is barely half over and I'm already worn out, what with miles of bike riding, visiting goslings, virtual egg hunting and hopping with Henry.

It's time for a nap. Or another Easter Taco...

Good Friday Lake Wichita Flying Fish Following Fishers Of Men To Easter

This morning I took my motorized means of conveyance to the doctor for an oil change.

While that was happening I found myself a new portable computing device.

As soon as the fog lifted this morning I felt a surge of energy which had been absent for a couple foggy days.

Rain the past few days has left some puddling in its wake.

Even with some remaining puddling, around noon I decided my bike needed some wheel time, so I rolled it to Lake Wichita where eventually my bike and I stopped at the Lake Wichita Flying Fish.

A plaque of the inspirational sort, at least I am assuming that is the intention, has been added to the Flying Fish since I last stopped at that location...

"THE FLYING FISH"

SCULPTOR

PATRICK GIRAULT

AND JESUS SAID,

"FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN"

MATTHEW 4:19

DONATED BY

THE ROBERT SEABURY FAMILY

It is so amazing that it is known what Jesus said all those many years ago, what with there being no recording devices available at the time, except for memory and and words written long after Jesus said them, if he did say them.

I think today is the anniversary of that day, long ago, when Jesus died for a couple days, murdered by evil Romans, only to come back to life the following Sunday, which came to be called Easter.

I think I have that story right...

Happy Easter Bunny Bertha Inspired Questions

This is a combo Bertha and Happy Easter Bunny blogging due to the screen cap I capped from a Seattle Times article about Bertha included a chocolate Easter Bunny.

Happy Easter, one and all.

Just remembered, in addition to being a combo Bertha and Happy Easter Bunny blogging this is also yet one more of those popular bloggings about something I read in a west coast online news source, usually the Seattle Times, about something I would not be expecting to read in a Texas online news source, usually the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, about something going on in Texas, or Fort Worth.

I think I have mentioned previously that Fort Worth is currently host to America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision. The vision is a bizarre pseudo public works project the public has never been allowed to vote on, which claims to be a much needed flood prevention plan,  preventing flooding where flooding has not happened for well over a half a century due to levees the rest of America helped pay for way back in the 1950s.

This bizarre public works project is also an economic development scheme designed to line the pockets of multiple players in the Fort Worth oligarchy, including Fort Worth's Congresswoman, Kay Granger, and her son, J.D., who, as America's Biggest Boondoggle's Executive Director is responsible for the non-progress of this project which has been limping along for most of this century.

The current symbol of just how bad this boondoggle has  become is a bridge building project which began way back in 2014,  with an astonishing four year bridge building project timeline, with bridge construction now stalled for over a year, with no explanation as to why the simple  little bridges being built  over dry land are no longer being built.

Recently the Trinity River Vision Authority released its Spring 2017 Trinity River Vision Update with no update as to what has stalled the bridge construction. We blogged about this in Spring 2017 Non Existent Trinity River Vision Bridge Debacle UPDATE.

Which brings us to what I read in the Seattle Times today about the Bertha Tunnel Project in an article titled Inside the Highway 99 tunnel: Bertha’s done digging, but the roadway work rolls on in.

Bertha began her tunnel boring about the same time the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle began trying to build bridges over dry land. Bertha ran into a snag which stopped boring for around two years. But, Bertha eventually got back boring and is now leaving the tunnel behind her, with road decks now being added and the tunnel expected to be open to traffic in early 2019.

Apparently the Highway 99 Alaskan Viaduct Replacement Project is well engineered by qualified adults who know what  they are doing. Part of the project design  took into account the possibility of a boring delay.

Three illustrative paragraphs...

Joe Hedges, state Highway 99 administrator, recently said the completion of the tunnel itself represents halftime for the project. Nonetheless, workers were busy installing roadways even during Bertha’s two-year breakdown, and some 600 people remain on the job.

That by itself prevented delays from getting worse, said Brian Russell, vice president for HNTB, which wrote the technical designs for the tunnel structures.

The tunnel’s relatively new “design-build” contract, which hands final engineering to the bidders, gave Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) flexibility to juggle its work schedules so the upper deck and walls kept advancing north, behind the tunnel machine. Under conventional bidding, where the state writes the design, the decking might be done by other companies, and might not begin until after the underground tube is finished.

Okay, why do we not read anything similar to the above in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the problems with the Trinity River Vision project? Who designed the project? Who are the contractors? Why is whoever is  the bridge building contractor not asked what the problem is which has stalled  construction?

Read the Seattle Times Inside the Highway 99 tunnel: Bertha’s done digging, but the roadway work rolls on in article and notice how detailed the information is. Including animated graphics showing each stage of the ongoing tunnel construction. Why do you not see anything even remotely similar in the Fort Wort Star-Telegram about any aspect of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Why do the Fort Worth locals whose town is being impacted by being the host to America's Biggest Boondoggle not demand answers as to what and who has caused this mess? What causes a population to be so passive? How can Americans in one part of America be so different from Americans in another part? Better education?

I have no idea what the explanation is. All I know for sure is the toleration for incompetent corruption in Fort Worth, in various forms, is extremely perplexing...

At Fosdick Lake Hanging An Easter Bunny With Five Little Dogs

Pre-Easter dinner of Chinese food I drove to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdick Lake.

Easter is reliably an interesting day to walk around Fosdick Lake, due to all the people in Easter festivities mode, with a lot of barbecuing smoking up the air.

I did my walking before Easter day church servicing was over, hence not many people had yet arrived to sit on the many seats which have been set up.

But, the people in charge of the barbecuing apparently were allowed to skip church so as to do the cooking. There was a big barbecuing operation going on in the Oakland Lake Park Pavilion, with only one guy doing the smoking, that I saw. He'd already barbecued an enormous platter of meat products.

Upon arrival at the east side of Fosdick Lake I saw that which you see above. An Easter Bunny hung in apparent effigy.

After taking the picture of the hung Easter Bunny I walked by the nearest group of Easter picnickers where one of the picnickers asked me if I wanted to take a whack at the Easter Bunny. I was carrying my whacking stick, which I usually do whilst on one of my ubiquitous walks. I declined the kind offer to whack the Easter Bunny.

On the west side of Fosdick Lake I came upon that which you see below.

Five cute little doggies leading a nice lady around the lake. I stopped to chat a bit with the nice lady. All but one of the doggies were strays which she rescued and restored to good health. I told the nice lady that two of her doggies reminded me of my ex-sister's doggies, Rosie the Rat Dog and Bean the Wiener Dog. That would be the Rosie the Rat Dog  lookalike on the right, and the Bean lookalike on the far left. I told the nice lady that Rosie had a snaggle tooth and Bean had one bad eye, just like her dog on the far left.

Regarding the doggie with only one eye the nice lady then told me that that was her only dog which was not a rescue dog, that she'd bought the one-eyed dog. After about six months she had grown frustrated with the one-eyed dog's failure to learn anything. She took the one-eyed dog to the doctor and learned that in addition to being blind in one eye the little feller is also deaf.

The little doggies were very well behaved and sort of rushed up to me with tails wagging to get petted. That's the Rosie the Rat Dog lookalike staring right at me.

I told the nice lady that Rosie the Rat Dog had a website. Just Google it, I told her. I got back to my computer and Googled "Rosie the Rat Dog" to find that it seems Google no longer indexes those webpages. Probably because they have not been changed since the last century.

The Rosie the Rat Dog webpages still exist, via clicking Rosie the Rat Dog. While Google apparently does not index the Rosie the Rat Dog webpages, Google does index two blog posts I wrote about Rosie the Rat Dog that I do not remember writing.

Easter dinner in Arizona is a 3 in the after barbecue at my sister Jackie's in Chandler. Both my mom and dad and sister asked if they can expect to see me there....

Nephew Jason Asks Why Unlike Jesus I Did Not Rise On Easter Sunday

For the first time in several decades.

Well, years.

I went a day, that being yesterday, Easter Sunday, without blogging on my Durango Texas blog. Or any other of my myriad collection of blogs.

By the time mid afternoon arrives on any given day if I have not done my regular blog spewage I get text messages or phone calls asking me if all is okay in Durango World.

But to go absent for an entire day, well, this was basically unprecedented, resulting in messages such as that which you see here from Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew, Jason, inquiring as to my failure to arise.

Well.

There was more than one reason for my Sunday blog retreat.

Probably the number one reason is that Easter is a particularly traumatic holiday for me.

Years ago, back when I was around 12, maybe 13, at Sunday School, I had all sorts of abuse heaped upon my young, innocent, naive self when I asked, in my bum puzzlement, what was up with the whole Easter thing. I could not understand why it was a big deal that Jesus died, when a short time later he becomes un-dead, walking amongst the living. So, where was the sacrifice, I asked? He did not die. He lived. And how does believing in that somehow absolve us earthly sinners of our sins? And thus give us ever lasting life, just as it gave Jesus, who was not actually human, but was the Son of God?

And why in the world would any kind hearted God send his one and only Son to Hell on Earth where he eventually ends up nailed to a cross? Where he dies. And then comes back to life. To eventually ascend to Heaven to join his Dad? So that the few people who witnessed this would pass on this tale to others, so that they might also believe in this miraculous resurrection of the Son of God and thus be absolved of their Earthly sins?

As a young kid none of this made any sense to me and seemed just, well, totally ridiculous.

And now, all these decades later, I still yearly relive that Easter trauma of long ago, of being called a heathen, a sinner, a bad boy for doubting the Word of God.

That Word of God concept got me in even more trouble, when I asked how men on earth could possibly know the words of some heavenly God?

This all continues to perplex me to this day, but I have come to terms with it as just one more thing about the world that I basically do not understand.

But.

The main reason I did not get around to blogging yesterday was I had finally reached, I think, the culmination of an aggravation that has been vexing me for several months, with that aggravation being making the hundreds of webpages on my Eyes on Texas website sufficiently mobile device friendly to make Google happy enough not to cause me grief on April 20 when Google's new mobile website rules apparently, maybe, go active.

In the past three months I have pretty much totally re-built around 400 webpages. This has gone through so many iterations that I have lost track of all the changes made, and mistakes found that needed fixing.

The final, well, I hope final, fix, is a piece of code that seems to have turned what had been hundreds of webpages getting a failing grade and red-flagged, to hundreds of webpages getting a high passing grade and green-flagged.

Whether any of this will do any good in the long run remains to be seen, but, as with all things, time will tell....

Easter With A Crowd At Oakland Lake Park Pondering The Make Fort Worth Livable Initiative

For the third year in a row part of Easter, for me, has been driving to Oakland Lake Park in East Fort Worth to walk around Fosdick Lake and be impressed by all the big family units and their Easter BBQ Picnic setups, many hauling in big wood burning smokers, along with tables and chairs.

And music. Lots of music. Very cheerful sounding music that I think originates south of the border.

Today marked the first time I've seen any sort of food vendor vending in Oakland Lake Park. The vendor seemed to be doing a lot of vending. As I walked around Fosdick Lake I came upon an unopened bag of pork rinds which was not of your usual commercial variety. I assumed they'd fallen from the food vendor's vending apparatus. I picked up the bag and gave it to a girl sitting solo at a picnic table, guarding her family unit's Easter picnic setup.

A short while later I saw the food vendor pushing his cart on the opposite side of the lake. That is that scene you are seeing below.

To the right of the picnic table you see above I saw the scene you see below, that being a group sitting on the ledge of the park's picnic pavilion watching a barbecuer barbecue. All that barbecue smoke wafting about today would have made me hungry had I not been overfilled by this morning's whole wheat pancakes & scrambled eggs breakfast.

As you can see below, by looking at Fosdick Fountain, wind is doing some gusting today. Blowing from the south. This had a slight mist hitting me as I crossed Fosdick Dam. I thought rain was beginning to do its predicted fall til I came to the view of the fountain you see here and saw a gust blowing mist towards Fosdick Dam.

If you look carefully at the far middle right of the above picture you will see someone has set up a tent. There is no camping in Oakland Lake Park. I suspect the tented person got drenched in last Easter's downpour and came prepared this year with a water-proof covering.

Below you see the solo girl I mentioned earlier, to whom I gave the bag of fallen pork rinds. To her right a guy is fishing for fish you are advised not to eat.

And finally we come to one of the collection of outhouses which were moved in for this very special Easter occasion. I mentioned a couple days ago on a previous blogging seeing park workers dropping off extra outhouses.

I also mentioned in that previous blogging how ironic I find it that the town some easily duped locals believe to be the Most Livable City in America, has city parks with no modern restroom facilities, and no running water of the potable, drink and wash your hands sort.

To my simple mind, parks without restrooms and running water are sort of like allowing restaurants to operate without restrooms and running water.

That same simple mind of mine thinks Fort Worth should have itself some sort of Make Fort Worth Livable Initiative. You know, a public works project which the public actually gets to vote on and which actually does something that helps the general public, like adding restrooms and running water to Fort Worth's parks and sidewalks to Fort Worth's roads, you know, like most livable cities did decades ago.....

Walking On My Wounded Knee With Arlington's Village Creek Indian Ghosts The Day Before Easter

If looking at the picture on the left you guessed you were looking at two kids playing on the snake infested log/litter jam on the down creek side of one of the Village Creek dam bridge crossings in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area, you would be guessing correctly.

My right knee is still in recovery mode, slowly hurting less after taking a strong hit in a middle of the night battle with my bedroom's wall.

And so, with knee pain remaining intermittent, I opted to take a sedate stroll with the Indian ghosts today.

I do not recollect seeing so many people out and about in the Village Creek zone, previously, as what I saw today.

Bikers, walkers, picnickers, butterfly hunters, lots of dogs, adult tricycles, wildflower photographers, fishermen and women.

Plus one sad scene of a young girl rolling on wheels which belonged in a roller rink, as in, not outdoor friendly inline roller blades, but instead those indoor type skates with four wheels on each skate, arranged like wheels on a car. The young girl was not having an easy time of it, trying to roll those wheels on a paved trail.

Spring has now sprung enough that walking through the Village Creek Natural Area is back seeming like walking through a jungle. Or what I imagine a jungle walk to look like, since I have never actually walked in a jungle, that I know of.  Do rainforests count as a jungle? I've walked in many a rainforest.

I walked to the Blue Bayou Overlook. Then when I was done looking over the Blue Bayou I walked back from whence I came (from whence I came? I'm not sure that makes sense, but it sounds right to me) and saw the scene you see below.

A small family appearing to be stranded on an island in Village Creek. I hope they make it off the island before the next flash flood arrives.

Soon after I left that small family stranded on a Village Creek island I was passed by what you see below.

An adult tricycle. The tricycle you see here was the last in a group of three. It takes me a moment or two to get my camera turned on.

I pedaled a recumbent tricycle once, years ago, back in August of 2001, at Ocean Shores in my old home state of Washington. The Ocean Shores version was more of a mountain bike trike, designed to pedal on the beach.

I have absolutely nothing planned for Easter besides the usual possible sunrise service. I don't think that has actually happened since some point in time in the last century when I agreed to go to an Easter sunrise service with my mom  and dad, at Roozengaarde, that being Tulip Central in the Skagit Flats. I do not remember much about this occasion except for it being cold. And maybe going to the Farmhouse Inn for breakfast afterwards.

Tomorrow morning I am planning on making whole wheat crepes and scrambled eggs with ham, but I'm not sure that counts as an Easter thing, even though eggs are involved....

Good Friday Finding Fosdick Lake Sea Monsters While Seeking Modern Facilities In Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park Before Easter

The quintet of turtles you are looking at here are basking in the sun in Fosdic Lake in Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park.

Well, I am assuming the turtles are doing some sun basking, but it also looks like this could be some sort of group mating session. I'm not sure what a turtle mating session would look like. I suppose I could solve that mystery with a little info-searching.

Fosdick Lake was a cheery shade of green today, a color which you can see  reflected on the shiny back of the turtle on the left.

The Fosdick turtles were greatly outnumbered by another species today in Oakland Lake Park, with that species being humans. I am assuming that since this is Easter weekend, schools are out, hence the large number of kids and parental units frolicking in the park on this Good Friday.

While I was taking the above turtle photo a mom passed by me with her little boy, with the little boy pointing to the turtles and asking his mom if those were sea monsters. The mother told her little boy they were turtles. I then told the little boy's mom that I was pretty sure they were sea monsters, not turtles. This seemed to greatly please the little boy, that he was seeing sea monsters.

I brought a bag of corn tortillas with me today to feed the fosducks. But, I think they were remembering not liking the whole wheat tortillas I threw at them a few days ago, because there was zero interest in my tortillas. In fact it was active dis-interest, in that rather than even look at that which I was throwing at them, the fosducks simply turned their backs on me and waddled off, quacking their disapproval as they waddled.

I shan't be bringing these ungrateful ducks any treats from this day forward.

In other Fort Worth park news.

Extra outhouses were being deposited today. I saw this both at Oakland Lake Park and Quanah Parker Park.

On Sunday, that being Easter, both parks, and other parks in Fort Worth, will be busy with a lot of picnicking and barbecuing. Hence the extra outhouses.

Now, I know you who do not live in Fort Worth and who know that Fort Worth is widely believed (by some deluded locals) to be the Most Livable City in America, must be wondering how it is that a city which is so incredibly livable can have city parks without modern restroom facilities?

Let alone potable water.

Well, that particular puzzlement has puzzled me ever since I started experiencing this part of the planet. I used to describe Fort Worth's primitive park facilities as getting to have a Third World type experience without the expense and hassle of leaving America.

But, the lack of modern facilities in their parks does not seem to bother the locals or the local public health officials. One would think it would be considered unsanitary to have picnic facilities in parks without running water.

Changing the subject from outhouses to aching knees.

I have been taking it easy the past few days, so my injured knee can recover from the nightmare incident where I kicked my bedroom wall in the middle of the night. I wanted to ride my bike at Gateway Park today, but opted for the more sedate walk with the Fosdick turtles. I've amped up the no-stress to the joints swimming in the morning to compensate for being more sedate the rest of the day.

I decided to go to Town Talk today and skip my regularly scheduled Saturday Town Talk visit. I suspect Town Talk will be a busy zoo tomorrow, what with that being the day before Easter. Usually I like Town Talk when it is a busy zoo, but not so much when I am in hobble on an injured knee mode which is not impervious to getting banged on by an aggressive Town Talk shopping cart pusher.

Today I got a lot of All Natural Tyson Chicken Legs, Extra Sharp White Cheddar Cheese, a case of Chobani Lemon Yogurt, Flatbread and White Onions.

A Happy Easter Village Creek Bike Ride

Those are my handlebars on the Village Creek Blue Bayou Overlook, looking over the Village Creek Blue Bayou on this last day of March of 2013, which also happens to be Easter.

A lot of people were in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area today getting exercise in various forms; biking, walking, roller blading, jogging, playing volleyball, soccer and sitting at picnic tables engaging in the endorphin inducing activity known as eating.

I called my mom and dad on the way to Village Creek to wish them a Happy Easter. At that point in time my parental units were not available, so I left a voice mail.

Earlier today I mentioned that I'd not heard from Spencer Jack's dad confirming that Spencer Jack was going to go to Phoenix to visit his great-grandparental units tomorrow.

Spencer Jack's dad read the blog and then emailed me to tell me that he had emailed me earlier in the week to tell me Spencer Jack was visiting Arizona, April 1 through April 6.

Changing the subject back to riding my bike.

I'd not been in bi-pedal mode for quite some time, not since an incident at Gateway Park where I saw something unseemly the likes of which I'd never seen before whilst on my bike. Or off my bike.

I was feeling real strong on wheels today, zipping up the inclines. I think I will be adding way more bike rides to my exercise mix.

Happy Easter

In my mailbox this Easter morning I found a "Happiest Easter Wishes!" card from my mom and dad.

Happy Easter, mom and dad.

If my information source is correct, with that information source being my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Spencer Jack's grandma, Spencer Jack should be arriving in Phoenix tomorrow.

I tried to confirm, with Spencer Jack's dad, that he was going to be in Phoenix tomorrow, but I got no confirmation.

I have not called my mom and dad since I learned that Spencer Jack was going to be in Phoenix tomorrow, to find out if my parental units were aware of this. My mom always tells me about any expected incoming visitors. The last time I talked to my mom there was no mention made of Spencer Jack's upcoming visit. An incoming aunt was mentioned, but no Spencer Jack.

I will make a Happy Easter call to my mom and dad later today. I suspect I will then be told that Spencer Jack is arriving tomorrow.

Changing the subject to something else.

I had myself a long swim this morning, with some slight drippage adding some water to the pool. The clouds looked as if they were about to deliver a downpour, but no downpour poured down. And now, a  couple hours later, the sky is mostly blue.

I have not been on my bike for well over a month. I think I will put an end to the lack of bike time today.

Periwinkles & Crayon Castles Pre-Easter Blooming At Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park

A Crayon Castle has been erected in Oakland Lake Park since I last visited this location a week ago. There appeared to be one person trapped inside the Crayon Castle, bouncing up and down, as if trying to escape.

The number of people walking around Fosdick Lake was way above the norm. I suppose this may be caused by this being Easter weekend.

Tomorrow, on Easter, parks like Oakland Lake Park and River Legacy Park, in Arlington, will be seeing a lot of people having Easter BBQ picnics.

I remember last Easter going to Oakland Lake Park and seeing all the picnic tables being used, with some people bringing their own "furniture" to set up a home away from home.

At Oakland Lake Park the Easter picnickers do so with no running water available. Or restroom facilities. Unless one counts an outhouse as being a modern restroom facility. This in one of the Greatest Cities in the World.

Last year by the time I was done with my Easter walk around Fosdick Lake rain began to fall, putting a quick damper on all the Easter effort that multiple families had put into having themselves a fine time.

Today, in the vegetation that surround Fosdick Lake I saw my first non-yellow wildflower of the year. A colorful bluish purple bright wildflower who I think may be known as a Periwinkle.

After I had myself enough wildflower gazing I drove on to Town Talk where I had an interesting conversation with a guy in a Smart Car. That and I got 8 loaves of Ezekiel Bread, Orange Peppers, Rutabagas, Asian Pears and a lot of other good stuff.

So far, none of the predicted rain or lightning strikes has rained on or struck me at my location since this morning's 3 AM bursting flashes of light and big booms.

I suspect the current peace and quiet is only a temporary respite, with fresh booming and downpouring happening at some point in the coming hours.

A Thunder Booming Night Before Easter Looking For Chocolate Bunnies

Coming up on 11 in the morning on this next to last day of March the outer world, at my location, is currently heated to 64 degrees.

When I went swimming this morning, a little before 8, the outer world was chilled to 55 degrees.

Overnight a couple inches of water were added to the pool, courtesy of Mother Nature.

About 3 in the morning thunder started clapping and rain started pouring down. The thunder clapping and rain pouring did not last too long.

As you can see, via my computer based weather monitoring device, more sky-based electricity is being predicted for Today, Tomorrow and Monday.

Currently I am seeing no clouds that seem capable of generating electricity and loud booms.

Since it is Saturday, and I am a creature of habit, I will be going to Town Talk.

Before Town Talk, just like last Saturday, I will be walking around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

With tomorrow being Easter I'm thinking today should be an interesting day at Town Talk. I suspect a big box of chocolate bunnies may be in the warehouse....

I Slept In Missing My Easter Sunrise Service

The sun has risen before me two mornings in a row. This is unprecedented.

As you can see via looking at one of my favorite views of the outer world, the ground appears to be dry. I do not believe any of the predicted rain dropped to the ground at my location.

Looking skyward the sky appears to be cloudy and thus not sunny on this 2nd Sunday of April.

Speaking of the sun rising, today is the day known as Easter, celebrating the day when the alleged Son of God rose from the dead and journeyed to North America to spread the Word of God to the Indians, and eventually Joesph Smith, so he could begun the Mormon religion.

I've never understood how the Mormons are able to believe Jesus ministered to the Indians when there is not even the slightest evidence that any of the Native American tribes became Christians until the Spanish arrived and begin brutalizing the natives to save their heathen souls.

America is such a religiously tolerant country. I believe the majority of Americans consider themselves Christian. Even so, we may elect a president who is Mormon and who believes Jesus preached to the North American Indians after rising from the dead in Jerusalem.

I don't believe we've yet had a Jewish president. Or a Scientology president. But we may get ourselves a Mormon president. Like I said, America is such a religiously tolerant country.

Happy Easter!

Hiking The Tandy Hills On Easter While CatsPaw Explains Today's Holiday To Me

I had not been on the Tandy Hills in hike mode for a few days. As you can see via the Easter noon view from the top of Mount Tandy, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, Easter is a bit overcast in North Texas.

I was erroneous when I said earlier today than no predicted t-storms had arrived yesterday. I was later informed that thunder was clapping quite loud around 10pm and then again in the wee hours of Easter.

On the way to the Tandy Hills I saw a lot of blown down tree limbs.

Apparently I slept through a couple storms. I was exhausted from being worked like a pack mule at the Prairie Fest. And on top of that that Caraway lady was plying me with some sort of intoxicating beverage from Rahr's Brewery that seemed to have the same effect on me as a sleeping pill.

This morning, in addition to saying there'd been no t-storms I asked if anyone knew why Easter was called Easter.

CatsPaw kindly alleviated me of my ignorance, telling me...

Again, we have a mixing of Pagan and Christian beliefs and practices ... the name was probably taken from the spring fertility goddess Oestre who brought the end of winter and new life at the vernal equinox.

Spring. Fertility. Now we know why those "umbrellas" were at Prairie Fest! (Interestingly, "oestre" is also the root word for estrogen, the female hormone.) Eggs, bunnies ... umm hmm.

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon that occurs after the spring equinox which is why the date changes each year. 

It took me a second or two to get CatsPaw's "umbrellas at the Praire Fest" reference from an earlier blogging.

I wonder if I am going to be conscious and sober for today's predicted t-storm?

If lightning bolts aren't striking I think I will go swimming again, after lunch. This morning's swim was quite salubrious. I won't be working on my tan this afternoon though, unless the wind blows the cloud cover away.

It Is Easter Morning In Texas With Wildfire Smoke And Ham & Eggs

Today is the last Sunday of April. It is also Easter. The last time I went to an Easter Sunrise church deal it was in the 30 degree range and foggy.

That 30 degree Easter Sunrise was at Roozengarde in the Skagit Valley, surrounded by thousands of tulips.

I don't think there is anywhere in Texas that I can go and be surrounded by thousands of tulips.

Easter Sunrise in Texas this morning was nowhere near freezing. More like 40 degrees above freezing.

I have my windows open. The smoky smell of wildfires is definitely in the air.

I don't believe yesterday's predicted t-storm arrived in my location. If it did, I missed it. Why are all these predicted t-storms not materializing?

Because it is Easter I am having ham and eggs for breakfast. But, before the ham and eggs, I am going swimming.

I forgot to ask. Does anyone know why Easter is called Easter? I know why Christmas is called Christmas, sort of, but Easter is a mystery to me.

The Dawn Of The Third Sunday Of April In Texas With A Blue Sky & One Week To Go Til Easter

I dawned about the same time the sun did this 3rd Sunday of April.

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, when I went outside to fetch my swimming suit, you can see it is yet one more clear blue sky morning in North Texas.

Except, I think there may be some smoke in the air. I can't get my eyes to quit watering. It is being very annoying.

On Friday there were big wildfires to the north, up by the Red River border with Oklahoma, and to the west of my location, in the Lake Possum Kingdom area, where dozens of homes were burned.

You mix in what the thousands of Barnett Shale Natural Gas drilling sites spew into the air that we breathe, with all these wildfires, with all the other air pollution that is allowed to be spewed in these parts, it is a wonder I am not more of a respiratory mess.

I believe today is what is known as Palm Sunday. My Sunday School days are so far behind me I don't remember what today is known as Palm Sunday. Except for Palm Sunday being a week before Easter Sunday.

Easter being next Sunday, has the 2011 Prairie Fest doing its festing on the day before Easter. I wonder if an Easter Egg Hunt is planned? An Easter Egg Hunt with the eggs hidden on the trails of the Tandy Hills might be a fun thing. Twelve and under, with a parental unit having to accompany their kid. This might make for an amusing spectacle.

It is a relatively chilly 52 degrees out there. I think I'll go swimming anyway.