Goodbye To February With Hot Walk Around Sikes Lake

Above you are looking west across the rocky beach at the east end of Sikes Lake, on this final day of the second month of 2023.

Today is being the most pleasant, weather-wise, so far in 2023.

Almost 80 degrees, a cooling breeze blowing, nary a cloud in the bright blue sky.

Seems like just a couple days ago we were freezing with a coating of ice. It seems like that because a couple days ago we were freezing with a coating of ice.

That icy nonsense should be over til next winter, at my location.

I hope...

Clear Blue Warm Walk With Linda Lou In Lucy Park

Warmth has returned to the outer world at my location. Yesterday's chilly fog eventually lifted, along with the temperature. By the time I drove to Walmart around 5, Sunday afternoon, the temperature was over 80, and I was over dressed and over heated.

Around 10 last night all weather hell broke loose with a sudden extremely strong wind burst, with a downpour of rain. This only lasted a few minutes. I expected to see a lot of wind damage this morning, particularly at Lucy Park, what with all the trees.

But, I saw no wind damage anywhere.

The walk with Linda Lou in Lucy Park was extremely pleasant today, back in cargo shorts and t-shirt.

Back to the subject of going to Walmart yesterday. A week or two ago, Madame McNutty rode to Walmart with me. Upon parking I was surprised to see two vehicles, parked next to each other, both with Washington license plates.

During my entire time in Texas I have seen very few Washington license plates. As I sat there one Washingtonian came back to his car, with a kid holding a helium balloon. They drove away before I could say howdy.

When I came back out of Walmart a guy was standing by the other Washington license plated vehicle, which was a large pickup truck. I said something like "You from Washington?" To which he said he was not, that it was his girlfriend's truck. To which I said I am from Washington and seldom see Washington plates in Texas.

So, a couple days ago I park in the same Walmart location, and that same Madame McNutty rode to Walmart with me. And I again looked at that same pickup with the Washington license plates parked at the same location.

And, then, last night, that same pickup was parked in that same location again. This time I photo documented the license plate.

So, I am thinking this Washingtonian must work at Walmart. Either that or this Washingtonian spends a long time in Walmart, shopping, because the pickup was still there when I left to head back to my abode...

Foggy Semi-Warm Nature Communing Walk In Lucy Park

On this final Sunday of the second month of 2023, it was to a foggy Lucy Park I ventured today for the first instance of nature communing in several days.

I have mostly avoided the outer world the past few days due to the temperature being below freezing, along with a strong wind blowing.

Today the outer world was heated to 54 degrees by the time I arrived at Lucy Park, about an hour before noon.

With absolutely no wind blowing.

A little rain and some thunder is on the weather menu for the rest of today. So far I have seen no drippage, other than fog, and no thunder booms.

I expected Lucy Park to be visitor-free today, due to the foggy chill.

I was wrong.

There were multiple disc golfers, and fellow walkers enjoying the foggy conditions which are very reminiscent of a winter day in my old home zone of Washington, where one expects such due to the proximity to large bodies of ocean water. 

At my currently location there are no large bodies of water in any direction for hundreds of miles...

Snowy Daffodil BBQ Swimming Invite From Nephew Jason

Incoming email from FNJ (Favorite Nephew Jason) this morning, with an BBQ swimming party invitation...

Hello FUD --

Thought I'd send you a picture I took yesterday of some snow dusted daffodils across the street from your brother's soon to be residence.

[Hank Frank's house is pictured just to the right]

We are having a late winter freeze here, like much of the country. Tonight's temperatures are predicted to be in the teens.  

Changing the subject, I had a nice visit with Judy, Jeff and Pam on President's Day when they made their annual trip down to my restaurant for Fish and Chips with Ivar's Clam Chowder.   

Perhaps we can all get together this summer to celebrate a septuagenarian's birthday. I think that would be fun. Perhaps a BBQ at Birch Bay State Park. 

Does the 2nd Friday in August work for you? Low tide is at 8:30 am that morning, and high tide is at 4:30 p.m. So, I figure we can all go swimming around 2, when the water is bath like and then have a potluck afterwards. And a campfire on the beach.

 

Just an idea.

A warm summer's afternoon sounds delightful right now.

Hope all is well,

- FNJ

_________________________

A warm Washington summer day does sound delightful right now, with the outer world chilled below freezing at my Texas location, with a gusty wind making it really feel way colder than the current 30 degrees.

I have not been to Birch Bay State Park since August of 2017. The Judy, Jeff and Pam to which Jason refers are my Aunt Judy, Cousin Jeff, and Jeff's current wife, Pam. August of 2017 is the last time I saw Judy, Jeff and Pam...

Back In The Deep Freeze In Icy Wichita Falls

Two days ago the outer world was heated to nearly 90 degrees at my location. The night which followed that HOT day chilled to below freezing by morning. 

And now, today, we are fully back in Winter mode, with today getting chillier as the hours pass, with a wind chill real feel temperature of 19 degrees around the time I usually do my daily nature communing.

So, there will be no nature communing today, unless I opt to go to Walmart this morning to observe the wildlife one sees on display waddling down the aisles.

Incoming email this morning from FNJ, also known as my Favorite Nephew Jason, with photo documentation of current snowy conditions in my former home location of the Skagit Valley. I will blog that photo and its accompanying text after I hit the publish button on this...

Hot Breezy Lucy Park Nature Communing

Yesterday, that being the day known as Tuesday, I did no nature communing, even though the outer world was heated to 88 degrees by the time the sun left for the day.

Today, with the temperature scheduled to get almost as HOT as yesterday, with wind gusts predicted to blow over 50 mph, I opted to do some breezy nature communing at Lucy Park.

Which would make that the Lucy Park backwoods you see in the above photo documentation.

In about a month this view should look like a lush jungle.

I managed to have the correct level of outerwear on my surface today.

Cargo shorts and t-shirt.

The steady wind seemed to be in the 50 mph range, with strong gusts which required leaning into the blow, lest one finds oneself blown over.

A cold front arrives tomorrow, but not a freezing level of cold front...

Chilly Windy Nature Communing Lake Wichita

I opted for Lake Wichita Park for my nature communing today. Yesterday's nature communing turned out to be chilly, with me wishing I'd worn sweatpants and a hoodie sweatshirt.

Today, when I left my abode the temperature was 69 degrees, which should have been warm enough for cargo shorts and t-shirt to keep me sufficiently warm.

But it wasn't.

A strong wind brought the dreaded wind chill factor into play. And a cloud covered sky blocked any solar radiation warmth.

In the first photo I am out on the tide flats, looking north at Mount Wichita.

From the tide flats location I zoomed in to Mount Wichita when I saw someone was at the summit. At first I thought the person had pushed a mountain bike up Mount Wichita, but that turned out not to be the case. I couldn't figure out what it was which was by the summiteer.

It would be extremely treacherous to try and mountain bike down the steep slopes of Mount Wichita.

Looking west across the Lake Wichita tide flats. Recent rain has not raised Lake Wichita's water level.

Another look at the barren Lake Wichita tide flats.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to be heated into the 80s. I should manage not to be too chilly, even if a strong wind blows...

Chilly Grayscale Sunday At Lucy Park

It was back to Lucy Park, I ventured, for some nature communing, on this third Sunday of the second month of 2023.

Today's was a chilly commune with nature. The temperature prediction had predicted the outer world air being warmer than the reality of only 59 degrees.

I was expecting it to be in the 70s. 

A total gray cover of the usually blue sky made for zero solar radiation warmth.

And then you add the blustery wind and I was totally underdressed today in cargo shorts and t-shirt.

Walking fast I eventually warmed up. A little.

Under a gray sky, with zero blue above, it makes for photos which look grayscale, black and white, with clicking the grayscale filter. 

I'll click the grayscale filter on the same photo and see how close the current outer world reality matches an old black and white movie.

Clearly, my world is colorless. That should be changing by next month, with leaves sprouting green on the trees, and wildflowers adding color to the ground, with grass turning from brown to green...

It's A Boy!!!

This morning of the third Friday of the second month of 2023 I woke up my phone to find a text message with the above screen shot. 

My Favorite Nephew and Neice-in-Law, Christopher and Carissa, are well on their way to becoming a mom and dad.

When I talked to Carissa's Mother-in-Law, several weeks ago, I was told there was to be a gender reveal in a day or two.

I called Carissa's Mother-in-Law a couple days ago, intending to ask what the gender reveal revealed, but I forgot to do so.

And so, I text messaged a couple days later, asking what the gender reveal revealed, hence this morning's text message screen shot answering that question.

It's a Boy!!!

It took me a moment or two to think I figured out what is happening in the photo. Apparently, the gender reveal was revealed via smoke signals.

Pink if it is a girl. Blue if a boy.

That is Christopher with his arms in the air, in the white shirt in the center right of the screen shot, likely erupting in shouts of joy as the boy news was delivered via blue smoke...

Lucy Park Pagoda Mysteriously Reduced To Ashes

On this third Wednesday of the second month of 2023, I returned to Lucy Park for the first time since, I think, last Monday.

I was overheating whilst walking fast, wearing only shorts and a t-shirt. Well, and shoes. A strong wind was blowing, which was not all that cooling, in the almost 80 degree heat.

And then I saw an aggravation which made me even hotter under the currently not existing collar. I don't think the top part of a t-shirt is called a collar. I'm probably wrong about that.

Anyway, the thing that made my blood semi-boil was suddenly coming upon the burned naked Lucy Park Pagoda.

I have not read of this travesty in the local newspaper. Or heard of it on the news. Was the Pagoda struck by lightning? Or did an arson ignite it? It looked to have been a hot fire, burning the flower beds at the base of the Pagoda.