American White Pelicans Joining The Sikes Lake Bird Population

A couple days ago I was walking around Sikes Lake and saw what looked to me to be a pair of White Swans. I was back there this morning, on this final day of the first month of 2024, enjoying the third day in a row of the return of summer, with the temperature today getting into the high 70s.

When I made mention of those Swans a couple days ago renowned ornithologist, Ralph, identified those birds...

Ralph has left a new comment on your post "Saturday Sikes Lake With Swans":

What you're calling swans look like American White Pelicans to me.

Upon arriving at Sikes Lake today I saw the American White Pelicans, which look like White Swans, had ceased floating solo on the lake and had joined the flock of other birds, geese, ducks and seagulls, roosting on the coffer dam that is falling apart and serves no apparent purpose.

I looked at the long range forecast today, well into February. It looks like we may escape the rest of winter without getting in a deep freeze, again.

Lucy Park Visit With Wichita River In Melted Chocolate Mode

I am really enjoying the mid-winter return to summer. This next to last day of the first month of 2024 is being naturally heated into the 70 degree range.

Around noon I had a mighty fine communing with nature at Lucy Park, attired only in shorts and t-shirt. 

As you can see via the look at the Lucy Park suspension bridge, there is nary a cloud in the sky. Totally bright blue.

The recent rain has rendered the Wichita River into a Utah redrock shade of brown. Looks like flowing melted chocolate.

There currently is nothing green visible in Lucy Park, Even the grass has now turned brown.

The current forecast promises many more summer-like days, before the return of winter...

Unexpected Cross Country Skiing In Texas

No. We have not received yet one more Arctic Blast, this time with snow. The snowy scene here is from earlier this century, at my first Texas abode.

I came upon this photo whilst looking for one of my brother attired like Wilma Flintstone, to no avail.

I took up cross country skiing way back in the 1980s.

In a Washington winter logging roads in the Cascade Mountains become cross country ski trails. Along with many other trails designated for cross country skiing.

I got quite good at cross country skiing. That type skiing is a bit more work than the type known as downhill skiing. I think that is what it is known as. The type skiing where you ride a lift up a mountain, and then slide at high speed down the mountain.

Prior to taking up cross country skiing I did the downhill chair lift enabled type skiing. That type skiing is a bit more challenging than cross country skiing.

With cross country skis you can go uphill. That is the heavy duty workout part of the sliding. 

I do not know why I brought my cross country skis with me to Texas. Prior to learning I was wrong, I thought Texas likely got no snow, and was real flat.

Within two weeks of my Texas arrival I experienced my first Ice Storm, along with snow, hence the photos above of me trying to slide on the icy snow.

If I remember right my attempt at cross country skiing on this occasion lasted about 10 minutes. Several years later I had moved to a location in East Fort Worth. A hilly location.

I never cross country skiied on those Fort Worth hills.

But, one winter a storm dropped many inches of snow. The roads were not iced up, so driving was easy, unlike during an Ice Storm.

So, I drove to Veterans Park in Arlington, which is quite hilly. Got there, got out the skiis and started sliding. Went up and down the hills multiple times.

I heard kids yelling, look that man is skiing. I assumed such a sight was quite rare in Texas.

I no longer have my cross country skis. I stupidly stored them in an outdoor closet on my patio. An unheated, uncooled closet. One winter, with another covering of snow, I went to get my cross country skis to find they had delaminated, from the HOT heat, I assumed.

I found the same had happened to my roller blades which I stored in my van. The heat did something bad to the plastic on the boots, rendering them broken. I discovered this soon after my arrival at my current location, after seeing how good the paved trails are here, and how conducive to roller blading they would be.

Maybe I'll do some shopping on Amazon, looking at roller blades and cross country skis...

The Return OF Blue Sky & Warm Air To North Texas

On this final Sunday of the first month of 2024, it was back to Lake Wichita Park I ventured today for some fast-paced endorphin acquisition via aerobic stimulation.

Yesterday, walking around Sikes Lake, I was totally under dressed. I was in shiver mode by the time I made it all the way around the lake.

Today, even knowing the outer world was much warmer than yesterday, I layered on too many layers, some of which I peeled off upon arrival at Mount Wichita.

So, today is short sleeved t-shirt and shorts weather, not two layers of sweatshirts on top of a t-shirt, and lined sweatpants weather, which had me overheated by the time I was done, even after taking off the two sweatshirts upon arrival.

Texas weather is so unstable. Goes from super cold to not super cold and back to super cold, then mixes in some rain, and then returns to a bright blue warm sky, like you see today.

Sadly, the recent day long deluge of rain did not raise the level of Lake Wichita much. The new floating dock, which was installed last summer, has yet to have the opportunity to float.

The day may come when this dock floats. It might not be this year, might not be the next year. Wichita Falls has long droughts.

When the new Lake Wichita dock finally floats methinks there should be a city-wide celebration to celebrate the occasion...

Remembering Princess Nancy Of Burlington's Berry Dairy Days Parade

The Microsoft OneDrive Memories of the Day is a gift that just keeps on giving and giving, causing me to think about things I've long not thought about.

Such as Burlington's Berry Dairy Days Parade.

For several years mom and dad, well, mostly dad, would build a float so me and my siblings could be in the parade.

I think the last float was a giant strawberry, with my little sister, Jackie, on top of the berry, and dad inside the berry, pushing it the length of Burlington's Fairhaven Avenue main drag parade route.

I remember the giant berry got stuck going across railroad tracks. Multiple people watching the parade realized what was happening and helped dad get the berry over the tracks. 

The parade float you see above is one of the earlier ones, with my little brother, Jake, helping me pull big sister, Nancy, sitting regally on her throne, in one of the few documented cases of Nancy wearing a dress.

We were fans of The Flintstones. The year before the giant strawberry dad built a replica of Fred Flintstone's car. I wish I had a photo of that, but, I do not think I do.

We did not ride in Fred's car in the parade. Jake and I pulled it, with me done up like Fred Flintstone and Jake done up like Wilma Flintstone, complete with a red wig.

I am not likely going to be obsessed with finding a photo of the Flintstone car and Jake being Wilma...

Saturday Sikes Lake With Swans

With the temperature in the 40s, with a slightly slow wind blowing, on this final Saturday of the first month of 2024 I ventured to nearby Sikes Lake for some nature communing and endorphin acquisition.

As you can see, blue sky has not yet returned. Rain dripped all day yesterday. 

I only saw two birds on Sikes Lake today. Which you see photo documented above. These birds looked to be a pair of white swans. I do not recollect seeing Swans at Sikes Lake previously.

I think I was not the only person who had grown tired of being cooped up, housebound by bad weather, because there were a lot of people enjoying the semi-brisk air today.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to get heated into the 60s. That should render tomorrow a more pleasant outdoor experience than today's...

Final January Friday With Rain Dripping & Thunder Booming

On this final Friday of the first month of 2024, the view out of my computer room window is dripping with precipitation. Along with occasional thunder booming.

This looks to be another day I won't be getting any endorphins via aerobic stimulation at some outdoor venue. 

The forecast is for the outer world to be dripping off and on all day long. And again tomorrow.

This is being like a stereotypical Western Washington winter day. The temperature well above freezing, a total cloud cover and fog. 

I have yet to succumb to being SAD. As in Seasonally Affected Disorder. Two more days of this and I will likely start feeling SAD.

Melancholy Memory From Long Ago

A few minutes ago, on Facebook, I read a posting from the fellow former Skagit Valley-ite, known as Madame McNutt, lamenting the passing of an aunt she held in high regard.

After that I checked email and found the daily Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day.

Today's photos look to be photos of various family reunions of various sizes.

I remember none of these, though I see myself in some of the photos, such as the one above.

That would be me, in the front, on the far right, standing in front of my dad, who looks to be holding my little sister, Jackie, who lately became a grandma for the first time. Standing next to me, wearing what looks like a MAGA hat, is my little brother, Jake. 

Behind Jake is our mom. I cannot tell what mom is holding, or who.

The next person in the lineup, the only one in shirt and tie, I think is Uncle Les, which would make that Cousin Scott, in a white shirt, in front of his dad. Behind Scott is his mom, Aunt Arlene. That may be Uncle Mooch, next to Aunt Arlene. I do not think Uncle Mooch had met Aunt Jane by this point in time.

Back to the front row, that looks to be my eldest sister, Nancy, on one of the rare occasions where Nancy is wearing a dress.

Next to Nancy, in orange pants is Cousin Scott's little sister, Cousin Linda. Cousin Linda has always been my favorite cousin.

I think that must be Aunt Judy I barely see behind Cousin Linda. I think that because next to the one I think to be Aunt Judy is Uncle Mel. Uncle Mel looks to be holding a baby. I would guess that baby to be Cousin Jeff.

Almost half of those in this photo are no longer with us. Mom, Dad, Aunt Arlene, Uncle Les, Cousin Scott and Uncle Mel.

Today's is a Melancholy Microsoft OneDrive Memory....

Grumpy Photo From My Haslet Hamlet Past

The photo you see here showed up in my email this Tuesday afternoon. Every day I get an email from Microsoft allegedly showing me a OneDrive Memory from this Day.

I have no clue what I am supposed to be remembering in the photo. 

But I do remember where this photo was taken, as in this was my living quarters at my first Texas location, that being a 10 acre ranch in a little hamlet called Haslet, a northern suburb of Fort Worth.

My quarters at this location consisted of a bedroom, a bathroom, a computer/TV room, a little kitchenette, and a big walk-in closet.

I am frequently told, by some, that I always look grumpy when photographed. That photo you see here would have been taken by my long gone Casio digital camera, with a rotating lens allowing for the taking of what are now known as selfies, which were a thing not yet invented when this photo was taken.

I spent most of my time at that first Texas location feeling grumpy, so this photo likely is reflecting my mood at that point in time.

Now, back to the present version of Tuesday, the 4th instance of this day in the first month of the new year of 2024.

Today started off with a thick fog of the sort I associate with being near an ocean. I don't know where a thick fog comes from in this ocean-less part of the planet. Rain has been dripping down all day.

So, I have not ventured into the outer world. I may do so later...
 

Rainy Days & Mondays Don't Get Me Down

What you are seeing here is the noonish view from my kitchen window. The forecast for last night and today was for icy temperatures with precipitation precipitating, possibly in the form of sleet, with conditions of the sort which can result in a slippery coating of ice.

Well, that view from my kitchen does look a bit slippery. But it is not, not at all. The precipitation which began arriving before dark, last night, remained unfrozen, even whilst the temperature hovered around freezing.

So, we dodged another Ice Storm.

We are now coming up on 2 on this Monday afternoon. Rain continues to fall and not freeze, due to the temperature currently being a balmy 39 degrees...