Ferry Through San Juan Islands Takes Me To Fort Worth

Saw the photo you see above, on Facebook, yesterday. Motivated me to blog about it on my Washington blog. Did so in Ferry Friday Harbor to Anacortes Looking at Mount Baker. 

For Texans reading this, let me explain what you are looking at. That big white thing is a volcano. Its name is Mount Baker. Mount Baker is part of what is known as the Cascade Mountain Range.

Those little mountains surrounded by water are what are known as islands. In this case, the San Juan Islands, an archipelago of a lot of islands, most small, but several large enough for habitation, and needing a ferry dock.

That little white thing you see in the water, is actually not small at all. It is a Washington State Ferry, photographed soon after leaving Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, on its way back to Anacortes on the mainland. 

When I saw this photo of the San Juan Islands yesterday it brought to mind a conversation I had had the day before, when someone asked me if I knew what the current status was of Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision.

I replied that as far as I knew Fort Worth's supposedly vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme is still stuck with only three little freeway overpass type bridges, built over dry land, in anticipation of one day a cement lined ditch being dug under the bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch, creating an imaginary island, to be known as Panther Island.

Fort Worth's vitally needed project, sold as such by its incompetent advocates, has been limping along since this century began.

Just one fact alone has bugged me from the start. As in, what sane city would name something an island, when the creation of such is due to a cement lined ditch diverting river water? Having grown up in a state which has oodles of actual islands, this was a hard bit of nonsense to try and swallow.

During the same time frame, as in, during the years of this century, whilst Fort Worth has not managed to see hardly anything of its embarrassing Trinity River Vision, other parts of America have seen all sorts of things.

The town I moved to Texas from, Mount Vernon, Washington, has built an actual vitally needed flood control development. Which turned a stretch of the Skagit River, as it passes by downtown Mount Vernon, into what basically is a mini-Riverwalk.

This century Seattle has built two downtown ballparks, re-built its waterfront, built a tunnel to replace a waterfront viaduct, and more, like, well, the entire Amazon complex.

All over America, other than Fort Worth, major projects have been proposed and come to fruition, during the same time frame in which Fort Worth has been unable to get water to flow under those three bridges built over dry land.

Los Angeles built its huge So-Fi Stadium.

Arlington built the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

New York City re-built the site of the Twin Towers. 

Fort Worth began to perplex me soon upon my arrival in Texas. There were so many things that just were not right. And now, all these years later, still the same.

Why? It is perplexing....

Cool Sikes Lake Museum of Art Nature Communing With Vinculum

An almost totally blue sky has returned to my North Texas location on this final Friday of the 2025 version of May.

The clouds were blown away by a cold front which blew in yesterday, dropping the temperature into the 60s, as measured via the Fahrenheit method. It was so chilly I wore long pants, for the first time in a long time, when I ventured to Walmart after the cold front blew in.

The temperature had climbed out of the 60s, into the 70s, when I ventured to Sikes Lake, an hour before noon, for some nature communing, endorphin acquisition and art appreciation.

My current Sikes Lake walking route takes me through the Wichita Falls Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden.

That is one of the works of sculpture art you see above.

Inset is the signage telling you that you are looking at something called "Vinculum".

And that Vinculum was created by Jonathan Hils, in 2009, by welding with powder coated steel. 

In the inset photo of the signage, you can see Vinculum in the background. Obviously, I got closer for the close-up photo documentation.

Perhaps I shall remember to do a blog post of all the works of art in the Wichita Falls Museum of Art's Sculpture Garden...

Flooding Lucy Park Tuesday Nature Communing

Back to Lucy Park on this final Tuesday of the 2025 version of May. The outer world was pleasantly temperatured today, making for an extremely pleasant Lucy Park salubrious nature communing walk. 

As you can see, via the above photo documentation, and below, the Wichita River is running high from the recent rains.

The Lucy Park backwoods jungle is totally flooded, again, rendering it not a pleasant location to wade through.

 As you can see, the river has almost reached being high enough to flood over the bridge.

I did not walk too far onto the bridge, due to the fact that the running high, fast moving river, combined with the swinging suspension bridge, renders me dizzy.

I sort of miss walking the Lucy Park backwoods jungle. It has long been my favorite local hiking location.

The jungle likely will not dry out to a walking level for a month or two, that is, if no more flooding rain arrives...

Hot Humid Lucy Park Sunday Catfishing

With the temperature hitting into the 80s, well before noon, on this final Sunday of the 2025 version of May, it was back to Lucy Park I trekked for some ultra-humid nature communing.

No that is not me sitting in the shade by the Lucy Park bridge over the Wichita River. I was a bit startled to see someone sitting there as I walked onto the bridge. 

Turns out the guy had a somewhat good reason to be sitting in that shade. Can you make out the fishing pole at a diagonal from his right elbow?

Wondering what type fish one was hoping to catch in this ultra-muddy river, I asked the fisherman what he was fishing for.

Catfish.

Yesterday he'd caught five.

So far, today, no luck.

The fisherman told me the five he caught yesterday were three different type catfish. The only name I remember was blue catfish. He said this was the most desirable catfish to catch in this river. Three of yesterday's five were blue catfish.

One of the five was a bottom feeder. I think the name was shovel catfish. All I remember for sure was he said this type catfish is the type with the muddy tasting reputation.

I have had catfish a couple times. I like most any type seafood.

Cod, crab, clams, oysters, shrimp, salmon, scallops, pollack, tuna.

But I have never partaken of any catfish which made me think it was tasty.

Anyway, I had myself a mighty fine time today getting some endorphins whilst nature communing in nature's natural sauna.

A thunderstorm is on the menu for later today. With flash flooding, strong winds and tornado conditions. Last night a thunderstorm woke me up at 2 in the morning. It lasted about an hour...

Dead Calm Sikes Lake Nature Communing After Last Night's Storms

Yesterday I did no nature communing, due to the weather not being pleasantly conducive to such an endeavor.

I did get some aerobic activity yesterday afternoon, dodging raindrops falling on the Walmart parking lot.

This morning, it being the next to last Friday morning of the current year's version of May, when dawn dawned the illumination revealed a thick fog had rolled in overnight, the type weather phenomenon one sees often when living near an ocean, but which rarely happens at my current location, hundreds of miles from any large bodies of water.

Around 7 last night a lightning strike struck close to my abode, with the resulting thunder being the loudest thunderclap boom I have ever experienced. My building shook like it was in rock and roll mode.

Around half past 10 this morning I ventured to Sikes Lake for some much-needed nature communing and its resulting endorphin acquisition.

As you can see, via the photo documentation at the top, looking west from the rocky beach on the east side of Sikes Lake, the weather conditions are currently totally calm, as in, dead calm, nary a ripple on the lake, rendering the lake's surface into mirror-like condition.

This current calm weather is predicted to end later today with the arrival of fresh thunderstorms.

Thursday Thunderstorming Getting Soaked At Walmart

Rain was dripping slightly a half hour before 5, this Thursday afternoon, when I left my abode to drive to Walmart.

Arriving at the Walmart parking lot rain was still dripping, but not copiously. I saw no reason to bring my umbrella into the store with me.

And then, about ten minutes into the store, a downpour began pouring down, copiously.

With hail.

Along with thunder booming.

The sound inside Walmart was like what it would likely be like to be inside a snare drum, when someone is pounding the drum.

As I self-checkout-ed the few items I'd collected, the noise grew significantly louder. The effect seemed sort of concussive.

By the time I got to the exit a crowd had gathered, waiting for the downpour to abate. I waited with them for about five minutes and then made a run for it.

Halfway to my vehicle I was soaked. But, the rain was warm, and hail had ceased pummeling, so getting totally soaked was not too miserable.

The photo documentation at the top is the view through my windshield after successfully making it back to my vehicle. 

Rain was still downpouring when I got back under my carport. The umbrella I wish I'd taken into Walmart with me, made the wet trek to my abode not another soaker. 

Trying To Keep Air-Conditioned With Strong Thursday Thunderstorms

Methinks I shall forego outdoor nature communing on this 4th Thursday of May.

Two hours before noon, and you can see, via the screencap, the outer world is already heated to 78 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

Thunder is predicted to begin booming later today and continue to boom for several of the following days.

Today's predicted high is a relatively cool 86 degrees. That is only 8 degrees above what I have my interior space's air-cooling device set to.

That aforementioned interior space air-cooling device turned on right after I hit the period on the previous sentence. 

Before the temperature gets any HOTTER I need to get my morning Yoga routine over with...

Back Nature Communing At Sikes Lake With Wildflowers

With the temperature in the low 80s, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, on this third Wednesday of May, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured under an almost totally clear blue sky, to commune with nature, along with throngs of fellow nature communers communing with nature in various ways.

As you can see via the photo documentation, the April showers, plus the showers of May, have made for a bumper crop of wildflowers, this colorful, for Texas, time of the year.

I have no idea what brand of wildflower we are seeing here. It sort of looks like a sunflower, mixed with a daisy.

Today is the last day, for awhile, with no thunderstorming in the weather prediction.

Dizzy Suspense On Lucy Park Wichita River Suspension Bridge

Under a clear blue, free of clouds, sky, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured on this third Tuesday of May, for some nature communing and high-speed walking and the resulting endorphin acquisition.

When last I was at Lucy Park the suspension bridge over the Wichita River was closed, due to the flood.

The river is still running high, but the suspension bridge is back open.

Walking across the bridge was a bit unsettling, with the river up so high, and flowing fast. The swaying of the bridge, above the fast-flowing river had a dizzying effect I did not find too enjoyable.

But, I found the rest of today's walking, once I got off the bridge, to be totally enjoyable, partly due to the perfectly pleasant temperature being in the mid-70s.

Mostly Sunny Wichita Falls Monday With Possible Flooding Downpours, Hail & Tornadoes

For several days the weather predictors for my location have been predicting stormy weather, flooding downpours, hail, strong wind gusts.

And tornadoes.

But, those dire predictions have not become reality at my North Texas Wichita Falls location. Other than yesterday one short, as in less than ten minutes, bout of some rain falling.

So far today, as in Monday, May 19, the only part of today's weather prediction which has come to pass is there have been some extreme wind gusts. 

Currently the sky is gray, nothing blue to be seen. Some of the clouds look to be thunderstorm worthy. 

My only experience with clouds which produced some tornado action has been where the sky takes on ominous dark gray greenish hue. So far I am seeing nothing of that sort.

What with today being Monday, the tornado sirens should erupt in their weekly test mode around noon, a little over an hour from now.

Tornado sirens are extremely loud. Quite jarring if you are close to one when it goes off...