Saturday At Wichita Falls Farmers Market Looking For McNutty Style Big Beautiful Buns

This morning I made mention to Thelma McNutty that I was going to the library this morning, along with possibly going to the nearby Saturday Farmers Market, if it were open, and take a walk around the block to look at, once again, the World's Littlest Skyscraper.

Wichita Falls having the World's Littlest Skyscraper may be the town's primary claim to fame.

It is an impressive structure, as you can clearly see. 

I was surprised to see the Farmer's Market totally open. I knew it had been shuttered due to COVID. Don't know how long the Farmers Market has been back up and running.

The interior space was full of vendors. And the outdoor space also had multiple vendors.

There were a lot of free samples being handed out. But, I am wary of such, in this COVID era. But I did try some lamb sausage, due to the fastidious way the lamb samples were being handed out.

 Another view of the outdoor vendor area. Live music was also adding to the festive mood.

When I mentioned I was going to the Farmers Market, Madame McNutty asked if cinnamon rolls were sold there. I replied that on previous visits I do not recollect seeing any bread products. Not that such would have left a lasting impression upon my memory.

McNutty is well known in Central Virginia, centered in Appomattox, for her Big Beautiful Buns, usually of the cinnamon roll variety.

I saw no cinnamon rolls today, but I did see a lot of similar products, because this visit I was looking for them. Above a pair of outdoor vendors had a variety of bread type products. I did not inquire to get more specific.

And then inside the Farmers Market building we had HEAVENLY MANNA selling heavenly bread.

Another look at various vendors vending inside the Farmers Market building.

The lady above could be an aged doppleganger of the aforementioned McNutty, also inside the Farmers Market building, selling a wide variety of stuff, from catnip to cookies.

So far, this has been my exciting next to last Saturday of the 2021 version of November...

Pharmacy Chauffeuring To World's Littlest Skyscraper With Bernie Sanders

This morning I found myself doing volunteer chauffeur duty chauffeuring a semi-elderly person to a pharmacy so as to acquire some pharmaceuticals. When that task was completed I asked the semi-elderly person if a walk in Lucy Park might be salubrious, even with the semi-frigid temperature.

Yes, sir, that sounds fun, replied the semi-elderly person.

The pharmacy is on the east side of downtown, across from a lot of train tracks. Heading to Lucy Park nearing that collection of train tracks, whilst looking at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls, I realized I was seeing a view of the World's Littlest Skyscraper I had not previously seen. Previous views have been up close, and from the north or west side.

It is easy to pick out the World's Littlest Skyscraper in the above photo documentation. Or so it seems to me. But, if you can not quite make it out, the World's Littlest Skyscraper is that brown structure in the middle, surrounded by blue structures., directly above the white van.

Continuing on to Lucy Park.

Above we are looking at that aforementioned semi-elderly person doing his Bernie Sanders impersonation.

The semi-elderly person forgot to bring his walking stick, but even without that support he had quite a walk, covering several hundred feet in several minutes.

So, that has been my exciting day, so far, on this final Tuesday of the 2021 version of January. I am liking that blue sky has returned, thusly greatly alleviating my SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder)...

Downtown Wichita Falls Dodging Lightning Bolts With Littlest Big Blue Skyscraper

This morning I had a book or two which needed to be returned to their place of residence, the downtown Wichita Falls Public Library.

So, with the weather outside being only somewhat frightful, what with a few lightning bolts with occasional raindrops, it seemed at the time a good idea to take a walk around downtown Wichita Falls.

It had been a couple years since I had walked by the World's Littlest Skyscraper, which is the towering edifice you see here.

I wonder why Dubai does not try to take the World's Littlest Skyscraper title away from Wichita Falls?

The World's Littlest Skyscraper is close to the Wichita Falls Farmers Market. The market was open today, with a few vendors and few shoppers.

Downtown Wichita Falls has had some aesthetic improvements since I first saw this downtown three years ago.

When one walks around the downtown one sees a lot of vacant buildings, some with what looks like good restoration possibilities.

I don't know if anything, restoration-wise, could be done with the pair of vacant buildings you see above. The open space behind the still standing storefront on the right looked like it could somehow be made into a functional space for some imaginative use. Maybe the building on the left could become a saloon with the open space on the right a beer garden.

Downtown Wichita Falls is an extremely eclectic mix of architectural styles. To my eyes the older buildings look good. The modern buildings not so much. Such as the short skyscraper you see below.

The locals call the above building "Big Blue". This building has been a work in progress as long as I have been in Wichita Falls. The exterior of Big Blue has a lot of issues in dire need of fixing.

From what I have been told this was an older building which was updated. To make the updating cost effective blue cladding was stuck on the old building so as to easily facilitate modern plumbing and wiring changes. This has never seemed like a plausible explanation to me.

Near as I can tell most of the locals like Big Blue. To my new to town eyes this blue building sort of sticks out in an obtrusive eyesore sort of way. Methinks removing the blue cladding would be a real good idea.

There is another attraction near the Wichita Farmers Market. A railroad museum.

The railroad museum has what looks like a graveyard of vintage rail vehicles, from locomotives to passenger cars.

I need to return to downtown Wichita Falls sometime soon and check out the railroad museum and maybe takes some photos of some of the impressive looking old buildings, some with explanatory historical markers.

Spencer Jack In New York City Seeking The Donald At Trump Tower

Spencer Jack sent me that which you see here, yesterday.

Spencer Jack and his Favorite Dad at a pre-election anticipatory protest in New York City outside the future American president's residence in Trump Tower.

I do not know if Spencer took his dad inside the tower and attempted to get on board the escalator or elevator.

Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, probably does not remember, as he was much younger than Spencer Jack's current age, but a time or two I took Jason and his brother, my Favorite Nephew Joey to Seattle where we'd go for elevator rides in various downtown Seattle skyscrapers.

I think the last time I took a ride on a downtown Seattle skyscraper elevator was in the year 2001. I was getting a tour of my little sister's operation in the Seattle justice department. Unlike the elevator rides of a couple decades prior, on that 2001 elevator ride we got to exit for a tour of an entire floor, including my little sister's office which had a panoramic view, from high, of downtown Seattle.

Actually, in some ways, a better view, what with being in the heart of downtown, than that afforded from atop the Space Needle, which is north of the downtown Seattle skyscrapers.

I have not taken an elevator ride in any of the skyscrapers in the current Texas town in which I am aboding, Wichita Falls.

One of the downtown Wichita Falls skyscrapers has no elevators, or escalators. I believe one reaches the top floor of Wichita Falls' World's Littlest Skyscraper via a ladder.

And when you reach the top floor of the World's Littlest Skyscraper there is not much of a view. Well, I think one might get a good look down on multiple railroad tracks....

Finding Wichita Falls Stone Palace Anticipating Spelling Bee Next Friday

Next Friday I am scheduled to be in downtown Wichita Falls at the Stone Palace.

Since I was not sure I knew where the Stone Palace was located in the downtown Wichita Falls zone I figured a quiet Sunday morning would be a good time to locate this particular palace.

I figured correctly.

And it turns out it was a good plan to find this location ahead of next Friday because it would have been possibly difficult to find when the sun was in its daily setting mode.

Why am I scheduled to be at the Stone Palace next Friday?

Well, I am glad you asked.

Somehow I got myself hoodwinked into being part of the support team for a group of spellers at the Wichita Adult Literacy Council, Inc. 20th Annual Spelling Bee.  The doors open at 6 pm, dinner is at 6;30 pm and the Bee Begins at 7 pm.

According to my admission ticket "21 t must show ID to purchase  alcohol".

Does alcohol and spelling mix well? I would think not. I guess I will be finding out next Friday.

My understanding of my Spelling Bee Team support role is I, along with a couple others, act as cheerleaders, cheering on our spelling team. There are a couple dozen spelling teams competing for the coveted Best Speller title.  I have no idea what the prize is, if any, for winning the coveted Best Speller title.

After locating the Stone Palace I decided to take a walk around downtown Wichita Falls.

The Stone Palace is just a couple blocks east of the Wichita Falls Public Library. I walked past the library and soon saw the infamous Wichita Falls World's Littlest Skyscraper scraping the sky a couple blocks to the northwest.

At the time I was doing my downtown Wichita Falls walking I thought I would document some of the interesting items of architecture one comes upon, but the bright light was not cooperative, so upon seeing what the photos looked like, once I got them off the camera, I decided to put off for another day photo documenting downtown Wichita Falls' interesting items of architecture.

Back to the subject of next Friday's Spelling Bee.

Saturday night, during a practice session with the team for whom I am scheduled to be a supportive cheerleader, my faculty for spelling became noticeable. Pressure was then exerted on me to become a Spelling Bee speller, replacing one of our Spelling Bee team's spellers, with that speller being completely happy with being replaced.

However, I opted not to become an official Spelling Bee speller. I feel I will be much more useful in a supportive cheer leading role....

Wichita Falls World's Littlest Skyscraper Con Job vs. Fort Worth's Con Jobs

The middle arrow on the sign you see here points the direction to what is known as the World's Littlest Skyscraper.

To find this skyscraper I did not need directional signage because I had already found it a week or so ago. But, at that point in time I did not stop for a close up look because I did not have my camera with me, other than my phone camera.

That and I knew I was going to be visiting the Wichita Falls Farmers Market today, with that market being next door to the World's Littlest Skyscraper.

Before we look at the skyscraper, regarding that blue directional sign. This type signage is installed all over Wichita Falls. The signage is very useful. More on that in a subsequent blogging.

Above is another example of the blue signage one finds all over Wichita Falls. This particular signage seemed a bit unnecessary. What else could this structure be but the World's Littlest Skyscraper?

The tale of how this little skyscraper came to be in an amusing story. Wikipedia does a good job of telling the tale in its World's Littlest Skyscraper entry.

Short version: Wichita Falls was in the midst of an oil boom, needing office space. A con man, some think was a Yankee, conned several local businessmen into putting up the money to build an office tower. The investors approved of the building's blueprints. Construction began, apparently with none of the investors, or any other Wichita Fallers, noticing the foundation was very small.

Not noticing the foundation was small goes along with also not noticing that the blueprints showed the skyscraper's dimensions in inches, not feet, showing 480 inches in height, not 480 feet. When the investors realized they'd been swindled they sued, but a judge ruled the deal was not a swindle due to the fact that the approved blueprints showed a building the small size of the building which was actually built.

The swindle and the little skyscraper was a big embarrassment to the Wichita Falls locals, at the time. But, eventually enough time passed that that lemon was turned into the lemonade it is today.

I think it speaks well of the people of Wichita Falls that they fessed up to something that's a bit embarrassing and eventually embrace it as part of their shared history.

I used to live in another Texas town which was prone to swindles and con man cons. The people of that town never seemed to fess up to the fact that something turned out to be a bit embarrassing. Then again, the embarrassments weren't really the fault of the people. Rather the embarrassments were brought to the locals by the Good Ol' Boy and Girl Network which runs the town in what is known as The Fort Worth Way.

During my time of being stuck in that town I saw the town swindled by a con job from a sporting goods store, convincing the local rubes in charge that this sporting goods store would be the #1 Tourist Attraction in Texas, drawing incredible numbers of tourists. All sorts of tax breaks and concessions were given to this store to land Fort Worth this imaginary prize.

Soon it was obvious that that sporting goods store was not going to be the #1 Tourist Attraction in Texas, it was not even the only iteration of that store in Texas, with another one opening by Austin a short time later. And then another opened in the D/FW Metro zone. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram never fessed up to their part in foisting this con on the town. Nor did the city government and the Good Ol' Boy and Girl Network which controls the city government.

And then there was the Santa Fe Rail Market, touted by that Good Ol' Boy and Girl Network and its mouthpiece, the Star-Telegram, as being modeled after Seattle's Pike Place and Public Markets in Europe. And that it was to be the first Public Market in Texas. This con job and its accompanying propaganda was so embarrassing to witness and so obviously grounded in pure ignorant idiocy that I made several webpages documenting the nonsense. You can find all that documentation by clicking on Santa Fe Rail Market.

And then there is Fort Worth's biggest con job littlest skyscraper type foolishness, an ongoing embarrassment known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, or, more commonly, as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

My awareness of this embarrassment was brought to me like so many Fort Worth embarrassments, by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. On a Sunday morning early this century I recollect being startled by a big banner front page headline proclaiming something like "Trinity Uptown To Make Fort Worth the Vancouver of the South".

I recollect thinking how could anything possibly make Fort Worth be anything like Vancouver.

Mountains, big bodies of saltwater, a world's fair, a big Chinatown? What? I recollect wondering if any of these fools had actually been to Vancouver and thus realize how ludicrous it was to make such a claim.

This was followed not too long later by the equally bizarre assertion that a little lame food court type thing was modeled after Seattle's Pike Place, with me again wondering if any of these fools had actually been to Pike Place.

I wonder if America's Biggest Boondoggle will one day be like the World's Littlest Skyscraper in Wichita Falls, with unfinished bridges being some sort of tourist attraction and a historical marker explaining that the bridges were part of an ill-fated plan to connect Fort Worth's mainland to an imaginary island....