Labor Day Rolling To Wichita Wires With No Hot Dogs

This Labor Day morning I decided to do some laboring via pushing my bike's pedals in circles for an hour or two.

My route today took me first to Sikes Lake where there were more people enjoying that waterfront venue, and its flocks of geese, than I've seen any day previous.

Then I left Sikes Lake via crossing Midwestern Boulevard to the campus of Midwestern State University, which was abandoned, for the most part, except a lot of guys engaging in some sort of exercise like routine whilst wearing what appeared to be football uniforms. This exercise engagement including a lot of shouting and whistle blowing.

The shouting and whistle blowing wreaked havoc with the peace and quiet I had been enjoying.

I rather enjoyed rolling around the largely abandoned university campus.

Eventually I came upon something I had not seen before whilst rolling around this location. I refer to that which you see above. I am assuming this is yet one more piece of Wichita Falls art, in sculpture form.

No identifying plaque was attached to the tangle of lines. I am opted til informed otherwise to call this work of art "Wichita Wires".

Looking at Wichita Wires right now, in picture form, not the in person view, I am wondering if this is some sort of abstract depiction of a tornado.

On what is known locally as Terrible Tuesday, one of the most deadly, destructive tornadoes ever to strike the world struck Wichita Falls back on April 10, 1979. twisting by Sikes Lake and the south end of the MSU campus.

Ironically, coincidentally, when I returned to my abode today, right at noon, the tornado sirens started screaming. Usually testing the sirens happens on Wednesday. Maybe today's lengthy siren blasting was some sort of Labor Day homage.

No hot dogs today for me on this Labor Day. Chinese is the food theme for me today...

A Salty Labor Day Swim With Kimchee

It being Labor Day today I decided to start the day off by laboring in the pool, which would explain the bad selfie of me partially submerged in water that you are looking at here.

I have sort of grown to sort of like this new pool. It's the saltwater part of it that I have grown to sort of like.

The water being salty renders added buoyancy. Not ocean-like saltwater added buoyancy. And certainly not Salt Lake-like added buoyancy.

My one and only time in Utah's Salt Lake was not a pleasant experience.

For one thing a long distance of wading was required to finally reach semi-deep, swimmable water.

By that point the salty water was causing a bad chafing reaction between swimsuit and skin. This was partially mitigated by removing the swimsuit and placing it atop one of multiple conveniently located poles which I assumed were installed for that purpose.

The saltwater in my current pool causes no chafing reaction, so the swimsuit can remain in place.

After having myself a mighty fine time in the pool I drove to Lake Wichita to climb Mount Wichita, again. I've been thinking I don't get enough exercise. I used my phone to shoot a video of the hike from the summit to ground level.

YouTube has just finished processing that video. I will stick that video in a blogging after this one. But first I have to have my Labor Day lunch.

Kielbasa on Kaiser rolls, with Kimchee. KKK.

A very international cuisine....

A Labor Day Morning Swim In The Rain With Mosquito Bites

This Labor Day morning I was surprised when I unblocked my view of the outer world to look out my bedroom window to see blue sky had been replaced by gray and droplets of wet were falling, covering the ground in water.

So, I had myself a really fine time swimming in the rain this morning.

As I pushed my way through water I saw flashes of light in the distance and heard thunder rumbling. But, it was a long ways away, so I had no worry about getting electrocuted by a lightning strike.

I do worry sometimes that I might get electrocuted by the pool's underwater lights. Something just seems not right about pools having  underwater lights.

The past week, give or take a day, I have been getting buzzed my mosquitoes whilst swimming. Most of these days of getting skeeter buzzed I have gotten one bite, always in the same location, resulting in a big red bump on my right cheek. That's the cheek to the right of my nose, just to be clear.

Speaking of getting mosquito bites in an unfortunate location. In Gar the Texan's extensive coverage of his most recent honeymoon, last month in Jamaica, Gar reported that he'd suffered multiple Jamaica mosquito attacks. Gar claims that Texas mosquitoes have never had a taste for him, but the Jamaican variant would not stop feasting on him.

Gar the Texan further shared the fact that many of the Jamaican mosquito bites were in nether regions of a delicate nature, regions with important honeymooning functions, which rendered the honeymooning painful at times.

What with the weather outside having the potential to become frightful I will have to be flexible with my Labor Day Picnic plans.

Later today blue sky is predicted to return, along with an extremely humid HOT high of 98.

Pondering A Labor Day Weekend Visit To Turner Falls Park In Oklahoma With A Stop For Coffee At WinStar World Casino

In the picture you are looking at the biggest waterfall in Oklahoma.

Turner Falls.

In Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma.

That is my little head barely out of the water, directly under the raging water of Turner Falls.

The visit to Turner Falls Park that found me getting wet was during a very HOT August day in the year 2000.

A couple years after that visit to Turner Falls Park I returned, with Gar the Texan, on a cold winter day, with that cold winter day being the first Saturday of the new year of 2002.

I know the precise date of that winter visit to Turner Falls because I just looked at the Turner Falls Park in Winter webpage I made documenting that visit.

On the winter visit to Turner Falls there was a lot more water raging over the falls than there was during the August visit. So much water was flowing through Honey Creek that it was flooding over one of the creek crossings one crosses to get to Turner Falls.

The reason Turner Falls Park came to mind this morning is I noticed a HUGE jump in visits to my Turner Falls Park webpage when I checked my website stats.

For a second or two I wondered why there was a Turner Falls Park webpage visitor's spike. Then I remembered this is Labor Day Weekend.

Turner Falls Park will likely be packed with visitors this Labor Day Weekend, to the point access may be denied to late comers. It is a big park, but there is only so much parking in the park.

A Labor Day Weekend drive up to Turner Falls Park sounds like a really fine time. With a stop at WinStar World Casino on the way north, or the way back south. WinStar World Casino has one of the best buffets I have ever buffeted at. With what may be the most tasty coffee I have ever tasted.

Walking With My Sister & The Village Creek Natural Historical Area Indian Ghosts

Next Monday, September 2, is Labor Day.

There has been a Labor Day, or two, since I have been in Texas where I have had trouble finding myself an unoccupied picnic table on which I could barbecue my Labor Day barbecue.

The Labor  Days where I have had trouble finding a picnic table have been at various parks in the Lake Grapevine zone.

On Monday if I want to find myself a picnic table I now know of a place I can go to, close to my abode, with plenty of picnic tables, with very few people ever using them.

The plentiful picnic table place of which I speak is Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area. Those are a few of the Village Creek NHA picnic tables you see above. As you can see, big fire pits are included.

An additional attraction to a Village Creek Natural Historical Area Labor Day picnic is you get to share the space with the Indian ghosts who haunt this particular place.

My sister who spends most of her time in Arizona walked with me and the Indian ghosts today. We walked for about an hour. My sister gave me an update on my mom's post knee surgery status, among other things.

With one of those other things being my sister planting in my mind the idea of flying up to Washington in October to help with a complex babysitting project. I have multiple reasons why it might be a good idea to fly up to Washington.

It has been over 5 years since I have done so.

Most of the painful residue of that fateful month during the summer of 2008 has dissipated, or faded to irrelevance.

Changing the subject from painful residue to something else.

This morning I looked in my refrigerator to be reminded that on Saturday I got a 5 pound bag of broccoli crowns at Town Talk. So, this morning, with an almost fall chill in the air, I decided to make broccoli cheese soup.

We are currently scheduled to have several days in a row over 100, starting tomorrow, so hot soup seemed like a real good idea. That and barbecued chicken.

Time for lunch now....

Labor Day Pedaling In River Legacy Park With The Holiday Hordes

The West Loop/Bypass Junction

Today I drove my 4 wheeled motorized motion device to River Legacy Park to pedal my 2 wheeled un-motorized motion device under the shade that chills the River Legacy Park mountain bike trails.

A lot of people drove their 4 wheeled motorized motion devices to River Legacy Park today. A lot of walkers, joggers, bladers, skateboarders and bikers.

I can be real dense sometimes. No, really, it's true. Today I was pedaling along, totally perplexed as to why River Legacy Park had so many people, including the picnickers I forgot to mention, enjoying the outdoors today.

And then I remembered. It's a holiday. Labor Day. The informal end of summer, even though the actual end does not come til September 22, with the arrival of the Autumnal Equinox.

It is HOT today. 97 degrees right now, with the humidity making it feel like 104. One does not get HOT whilst pedaling the shaded River Legacy Park mountain bike trails.

Til one stops for a water break.

Moisture quickly begins to seep, which then is very cooling once one is back pedaling.

My first waterbreak today came at the trail junction you see in the picture above. As you can also see, the trail is nicely shaded. At this junction I had the option of taking the West Loop, or the West Loop Bypass. I chose the West Loop. This goes by Fun Town. I do not go into Fun Town. Fun Town looks too scary to me.

River Legacy Park's new playground for kids is now open and ready for business.

The playground is sort of exposed to the sun, except for the mesh bridge that is back in the trees.

This is just about the best looking kid's playground I have ever seen. When I was a kid playgrounds, such as this, did not exist.

I was tempted to be a kid, then I saw the "NO GROWNUPS ALLOWED" sign. I do not think it is fair to discriminate in this manner. Who is to say who is a grownup?

The Labor Day Weekend First Day Of September In Texas

Looking out at the outer world on this first day of September it appears this 9th month of 2012 is beginning with a pleasant blue sky Saturday at my location, currently heated to a semi-chilly 83 degrees.

The first of the four 'ber' months usually starts warm and then with each subsequent 'ber' month, by the 4th one, that being December, ice and snow becomes possible.

Ice and snow hardly seems possible at the current time.

I don't remember if it at the end of September I start being surprised to be able to still be swimming, or it is the end of October? I know by December, last year, it was too brrrr til February to get in the pool.

Today I think I will pedal the FWMBA mountain bike trail in River Legacy Park and then go to Town Talk. Town Talk is very close to Gateway Park.

Yesterday I mentioned Marie's topographical adjustment problem. I suggested Marie check out River Legacy Park. Marie amusingly commented on that suggestion, among other things.....

Marie has left a new comment on your post "I Took My Handlebars To River Legacy Park Today While Worrying About Marie's Topographical Adjustment": 

Hey, Durango - you're killing me with Pacific Northwest memories. I too remember being grateful that traffic had stopped so that I could take in the view! The floating bridge was great - so was coming south on I-5 on a sunny day and seeing Mt. Rainier standing in front of you as big as God. Or the Alaskan Way Viaduct at sunset. And the lack of garbage - yes! What gives here? Garbage makes my forehead wrinkle. On the other hand, I do appreciate many things here. Gas is cheaper. Everything's cheaper. There is no state income tax (none in Washington either, but Californication takes a hefty bite.) And many nice folks. Like aerobic bloggers who point the way to shady paths for the topographically challenged. Loved the tree pics on River Legacy Park's site - I shall head over. Many thanks! 

It is quite true that that which one buys is usually cheaper in Texas. When I return to the Washington zone I have sticker shock at times.

A Semi-Chilly Labor Day In North Texas With Lobster Tacos

I am up well before the sun on this 5th day of September, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at an outer world currently heated to 70 degrees.

I had been led to believe, by the temperature predictors, that this morning would be chilled to 61.

This morning the temperature predictors are predicting that the low for this first Monday of September will be 56. With the high being only 83.

I suspect I will have temperature disappoint again today.

Currently I have my windows open. No A/C running, with windows open. Labor Day is starting off nicely.

I have no idea what I am doing this particular Labor Day, besides going swimming now that the sun has begun its daily illumination process, then likely enjoying the chilly air on the Tandy Hills. After that I'll be making my usual Labor Day Lobster Tacos. I will not be going to Town Talk today. Town Talk is closed for Labor Day.

Below you can see the chilly temperature predictions for my zone of North Texas for the next 5 days.

Visiting Big Bend National Park and Terlingua While Getting Hot Hiking & BBQing Labor Day Hot Dogs

After swimming in the almost cool pool this morning I took a virtual trip to Big Bend National Park and Terlingua.

In 2 months, in November, the International Chili Championship takes place in the former ghost town of Terlingua. Terlingua is the Chili Capital of the World, ordained as such by those who ordain such things.

By the time I was done with Big Bend and Terlingua it was time to get out of here and do some laboring on Labor Day.

I decided to labor up and down the Tandy Hills. The air was heated only to the mid-80s. A good wind was blowing. But, somehow I managed to experience the hills like it was 110.

In other words, hiking on Labor Day turned me into a sweaty, wet mess.

I was dried up by the time I got back here to barbecue my Labor Day hot dogs, well, more precisely, Labor Day Polish Kielbasa.

Up Late On A Happy Labor Day In Texas

The Texas sun woke up before me this first Sunday of September.

Labor Day.

The birds are silent this morning. Labor Day must be a holiday for them too.

I was having myself too much fun over at Miss Puerto Rico's last night. This likely was the cause of the rare anomaly of my rise after the sun.

I will need to be wearing my sunglasses when I go swimming in a few minutes.

I have no idea what labors lay ahead of me on Labor Day. Besides laboring in the pool.

Gar The Texan's Labor Day Bachelor Pad Party

You are looking at an artist's rendering of Gar the Texan's pad in Flower Mound, Texas.

Between now and Labor Day rumor has it that Gar's pad will be turned into Gar the Texan's Bachelor Pad.

Gar has invited a herd of Winkites and Kermitics to stay at his Bachelor Pad over Labor Day Weekend.

I am just a bit sketchy as to why so many West Texans are coming all the way to Gar's Bachelor Pad in Flower Mound, from Wink and Kermit, on Labor Day Weekend.

I am guessing it has something to do with Gar the Texan's reputation for being a wild party boy when he is in bachelor mode, with Labor Day being the first holiday after Gar's return to bachelorhood.

I've invited myself to Gar's Labor Day Bachelor Pad Party.

The largest number of Winkites I have been around at once is two. I am a little worried about how well I'll manage to negotiate a couple dozen Winkites. I don't know if I've ever had social intercourse with a Kermitic. Well, I think, maybe, Gar the Texan might count. He moved from Kermit to Wink, if I remember right. I guess that would make him a partial Kermitic, with a heavy dose of Wink.

Near as I can tell the Queen of Wink is the one who organized Gar the Texan's Labor Day Bachelor Pad Party. The Queen of Wink is good at organizing things.

I'm assuming there will be adult libations and a poolside BBQ. Do we need to bring swimming suits? Or is skinny dipping the swimming mode at a Gar the Texan Bachelor Pad Pool Party?

I suppose those type details will be made plain when the Queen of Wink mails out the invites to Gar the Texan's Bachelor Pad Labor Day Weekend Pool Party.

Canton First Mondays Trading Days & Labor Day

How can it already be September? As I get ever more aged, time seems to get ever more accelerated. Soon it will be the dreaded holiday season.

It's not too early to start in on Christmas shopping. The earlier you start the earlier it will provide a stimulus to the ailing economy.

The first Monday of September is on the 7th, which makes the 7th Labor Day.

The 4 days prior to the first Monday of any month, in Texas, are also when First Mondays Trading Days happens in Canton. That'd be September 3 through 6. I'm thinking of going to First Mondays this weekend. I've not been to Canton for a couple years. It's only about 80 miles east of my location in far east Fort Worth.

I've never seen anything like First Mondays anywhere else on the planet. It is like a flea market, crafts show, art show, antique market, home goods, food goods, all sortsa of goods store on steroids. First Mondays sprawls over a huge area. There is no way you could walk through it all in one day. There are covered arbors with cooling fans with a lot of vendors. Then there are outdoor garage sale type vendors, arranged along a maze of roads. There are permanent non-arbor structures with vendors and food purveyors.

There is no entry fee to Canton First Mondays. You do pay to park. When I was last there it cost $4 to park. There are buses to take you to and from your parking lot, but I've never parked far enough away to warrant a bus.

First Mondays can be very crowded, even though it is huge, there are a lot of people milling through.

People come from all over to go to First Mondays. This makes it a great people watching place. If all the walking makes you weary you can rent an electric cart to drive around the sprawling grounds and to haul your goods back to your vehicle.