Shivering Short Sikes Lake Nature Communing

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured this 16th morning of the 2026 version of January, also known as Friday.

I was in the mood for some nature communing. But, the outer world was not being cooperative.

As you can see via the photo documentation of the flag waving a strong wind is blowing. That strong wind made for a wind chill factor that made 45 Fahrenheit degrees feel way chillier than 45 degrees.

So, I cut my nature communing short due to that being way too chilly problem, despite being heavily layered in insulated sweat pants, a hooded sweatshirt, gloves and stocking cap.

20 minutes of shivering was plenty. I figure the excessive shivering is its own form of exercise, with a salubrious effect which has not been researched and documented.

By the time I got back to my motorized means of motion, out of the wind, the shivering turned to sneezing. Methinks I am not quite over the cold I came down with around Christmas...

Did Ruby & Theo Get Scared On The Lucy Park Suspension Bridge?

That looks like my Favorite Baby Sister, Michele, leading my Favorite Nephew, Theo, and his twin sister, my Favorite Niece, Ruby, across what looks like the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Well, that may be what it may look like, but, in reality, this suspension bridge is not in Texas. It is not even in the United States.

This suspension bridge is in a country called Canada, north of the United States mainland, in a town called Vancouver.

The suspension bridge Theo & Ruby are on is known as the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

Ruby & Theo took their parental units to Vancouver over Christmas, with the highlight being experiencing Capilano Suspension Bridge Park, which is much more than just the suspension bridge. Click the link in the previous paragraph and you'll see much more than the suspension bridge.

Four emails from Michele arrived overnight, with multiple photos of Christmas in Vancouver.

Michele indicated crossing the Capilano Suspension Bridge was scary.

I find crossing the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge to be a bit scary, and it is only a few feet above the Wichita River. But, the way the bridge sways when walking across, or standing still to take a photo, well, it has made me dizzy a time or two.

The Lucy Park Suspension Bridge recently added signage warning those crossing the bridge to do so with caution. I suspect the Capilano Suspension Bridge does not have this type signage.

When I was a resident of Washington, I frequently enjoyed driving the few miles north, to Vancouver. I have not done so this century. My last time to Vancouver was shortly before the move to Texas. My Favorite Nephew Jason took me to Canada to ride the Sky Train from its southern most terminal to downtown Vancouver, floating the Sea Bus to North Vancouver, and then reversing to our starting point.

Finding my way around Vancouver used to be easy. It has now been so long since I have done so I suspect I would easily get lost...

First Nature Communing Of The New 2026 Year

Eleven days into the new year of 2026 it was to Lucy Park I ventured this second Monday of the new year to do my first nature communing of the new year.

As you can see, via the view of the Lucy Park suspension bridge, the sky is almost clear of clouds. What you cannot see is there is zero wind blowing, hence absolutely no wind chill. What you also cannot see is that even though there is no wind chill, the outer world air is still quite chilly, above freezing by quite a few degrees, but, still chilly.

There were a few others nature communing in Lucy Park, today, but none showed up in the photo documentation.

The reason I have done no nature communing this year, til today, is I have been a bit sick for the first time since well before COVID. 

A cold.

Clogged up, coughing, sore throat, sneezing, watery eyes.

Now that I am on the recovery side of being sick, I hope it is, once again, many years before I enjoy that experience again...

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Thinks Dirt May Finally Turn On Fort Worth's Imaginary Island

I saw the above Facebook screencap, via Elsie Hotpepper, screencapping it from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Facebook page. I then made the following comment to Elsie Hotpepper's Facebook post.

It occurred to me recently that it had been a long long time since I had heard anything about that embarrassingly absurd Fort Worth embarrassment which I took to referring to as America's Biggest Boondoggle. It has been about a decade since I lived in Fort Worth, able to witness the absurdity in person. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram was the worst newspaper I ever experienced. Any legit newspaper in any normal town would have had many instances of investigative journalism trying to find out why this public works project, which was originally sold as a vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme, in an area which had not flooded for over half a century due to flood control measures long installed, has languished for decades. One would think, what with the project being so vitally needed, that the local newspaper of record would want to get to the bottom of the nonsense.

Elsie Hotpepper than made a comment to my comment....

It has been over two and a half decades since the Trinity River Vision has been boondoggling along. In all that time, near as I know, all that can been seen is three freeway overpass type bridges, built over dry land, awaiting a cement-lined ditch to be dug under the bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch.

Oh, and a million buck oddball looking shiny work of art which was stuck near one of the bridges.

Fort Worth had no plan to finance the Trinity River Vision in the way normal towns finance their public works projects. Instead, Fort Worth tried to motivate Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger, to secure federal funding, by hiring her totally unqualified son, J.D. Granger, as the project's Executive Director.

J.D.'s main contribution to the ongoing Boondoggle, was instigating "Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube floats."

J.D. Granger was removed as the project's Executive Director after his mother ceased being Fort Worth's congresswoman. I think it has been several years now since the Rockin the River floats have ceased.

Like I already mentioned, the Trinity River Vision was touted as a vitally needed flood control project, and economic development scheme.

But not vitally needed enough to finance the project in the way normal towns finance such projects.

For instance, during the same period Fort Worth's project has stalled the town I lived in before moving to Texas, Mount Vernon, Washington, built an actually vitally needed flood control project. Rebuilding the Skagit River waterfront as it flows through Mount Vernon.

The Skagit River is a much bigger river than the Trinity River

And then there is another Washington town, Seattle, which had a waterfront project much more ambitious than Fort Worth's pitiful project.

The Seattle Waterfront was totally rebuilt, in a fraction of the time Fort Worth's Boondoggle has accomplished little. The double decker Alaskan Way Viaduct was removed, replaced by a tunnel under downtown Seattle. The Seattle Waterfront is now even more park-like than it has always been, with wide sidewalks and multiple attractions.

And now the Star-Telegram is claiming dirt might finally start turning on Panther Island. The nonsensical reality that the Star-Telegram plays along with calling this area of dirt, an island, when it is not an island, is yet one more Star-Telegram embarrassment. Maybe no one has explained to the Star-Telegram that the dirt needs to be surrounded by water, to create an island.

I have long opined that if ever dirt is ever finally turned on the imaginary island it is going to be discovered that that dirt is seriously polluted, due to being an abandoned industrial wasteland, which likely would require an EPA Superfund Cleanup, before actual development can happen....

Second Day Of New Year Warm Wichita Bluff Nature Area Hiking

On this second day of the New Year of 2026, it was back to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured for some salubrious nature communing.

This was my first time to the WBNA since way back in October. On that day I arrived at the WBNA parking lot, opened my vehicle's door, was barely out of the vehicle, slapped by a strong wind gust and extremely cold air, I quickly re-entered my vehicle and drove the short distance to Lucy Park, where wind blocking trees and not being on high bluffs made for much more pleasant nature communing.

That was way back before winter arrived. Today is about 10 days, give or take a day or two, since winter arrived. But, today would be considered summer-like warm at my old Western Washington home zone, with today's Wichita Falls temperature getting into the 70s.

So, I had myself a mighty fine time hiking to the highest point on the Wichita Bluffs, which is what is photo documented above. The chalked evidence would seem to indicate someone may have had themselves a New Year's Eve party at this location.

The photo documentation only shows a small amount of the chalked messages and artwork.

So far my New Year Resolution to lose 20 pounds is going well. I suspect such will have happened by the end of the month....

First Lucy Park Nature Communing Of The New Year

On this first day of the new year, also known as January 1, 2026, it was to Lucy Park I ventured to commune with nature via hiking the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle, which currently does not look like a jungle, due to the utter lack of any greenery.

The temperature whilst I was nature communing was somewhere in the 40s. The sky was mostly free of clouds. No wind was blowing.

I'd never seen the Wichita River water so clear as it was today.

If there were fish in the river I would have been able to see them. I was able to see the river bottom, something I had not seen before. Seeing such one could see how shallow the river is. Maybe waist deep, at the deepest.

New Year's Eve was quite quiet at my location. My New Year's Eve party consisted of pizza and an adult beverage in the form of beer. 

My only New Year Resolution is to try and get in better shape via losing some weight so as to comfortably fit into a swimsuit to feel presentable on a tropical beach.

I was up way before the crack of dawn on this first day of the new year. A good start to a new year...

Happy 115th Birthday Grandma Vera From Jason

Today, the day after Christmas, is my mom's mom's birthday. Grandma Vera. 115 years old.

I had not remembered today was Grandma Vera's birthday til an incoming email from my Favorite Nephew Jason ended with "PS---Happy 115th Grandma Vera".

The email also included the above photo, with the following text explaining the photo...

"I set aside this picture to share with you of my favorite brother with your favorite brother and your look alike father.  Best I can guess is that in the far distance is Kami. No writing occurs on the back of most of my Slotemaker family photos to indicate the occasion, but I surmise it was Christmas in the mid to late 80s. My guess 87-89ish, based on Joe's size. If this was Henry playing cards, he would use those long sleeves to hide Aces."

I draw a blank regarding the "Kami" to which Jason refers. I also do not recognize the interior space where my dad is playing some sort of card game with my Favorite Nephew Joey.

The Henry to which Jason refers is Joey's first born, Henry Francis, who I call Hank Frank.

Some more tidbits from Jason's email...

"Hope all is well in Texas. It has been a very wet fall and the start of winter has been more days of endless chilly rain."

The very wet fall in Washington has been very much in the news. Meanwhile, in Texas, it is pretty much day after day of clear blue skies. With the temperature going into the 80s today. 

And this bit of news....

"I'm set to have your Arizona sister babysit your brother in mid-January for a week. We are all looking forward to that."

The last time Jason sent my brother to Arizona, if I remember correctly, Jake was sick for most of the visit. I believe, currently, I have two sisters in Arizona. Both in the Phoenix metro zone.  One of the sisters is a parttime Arizonan. I suspect it is only the full time Arizonan sister my little brother will be visiting.

And then there is this...

"I have been told that I need to make plans to be in Anaheim in December of 2027. I'm only going if you are."

My little sister, Michele, Theo and Ruby's mama, mentioned this to me, this Christmas of 2027 Disneyland excursion. I have not been to Disneyland since Christmas of 1995. Stayed til closing. It was exhausting. 

And then there is this trip invite....

"I still think I should treat you to a week in paradise though, that being Hawaii, and not Fantasyland. Let me know when you are craving a tropical vacation. I'm planning on heading over in early January with some old folks. You are always welcome to join."

Jason seems to go to Hawaii several times a year. He recently made a hasty return from Hawaii when the Washington flood news seemed so dire. I have not flown anywhere with Jason since flying to Vegas with Jason and Joey, shortly before the move to Texas. I remember shortly before the move to Texas driving Jason up to Canada to ride the Skytrain to Vancouver, then the Seabus to North Vancouver. That was fun. 

One more blurb from Jason's email...

"I better get going to work. New Year's Day will mark the start of my 20th year of owning the Fidalgo Drive-In. How quickly the time flies when you are having fun."

That is hard to believe. 20 years. I've been up in Washington since Jason opened his Anacortes restaurant, but have not been to Anacortes. I did not realize til talking to his grandma, my Favorite Ex-Sister-in-Law, Cindy, a couple weeks ago, during the flood, that Jason's first and only born, Spencer Jack, is now 17, or was it 18?, and currently in college at Central Washington State University, where he is learning to be an airplane pilot.

I first met Spencer Jack back in August of 2008, when he was not quite two years old. And then again in August of 2017, at Birch Bay. I think Spencer was 12 at that point in time.

Time sure does fly fast, and the older one gets the faster it seems to fly....

Having A Hot Very Merry Mexican Christmas

I do not remember there being a previous Christmas where I felt the need to turn on the air conditioning.

But, such is the case on today's Christmas.

I will be adding to today's heat via the Mexican food I am making today. Tacos, chile rellenos, and all the other Mexican food regulars, with guacamole being the only cooling element.

I think I shall try to find time to do some nature communing in today's summer-like temperature...
 

Christmas Eve Eve Shadow Of The Lucy Park Thin Man Nature Communing

 A couple days into winter, the morning of Christmas Eve Eve, it was to Lucy Park I ventured, for the first time in several weeks, to have myself some salubrious nature communing in pleasant, summer-like weather.

Which would make the above photo documentation the Shadow of the Lucy Park Thin Man.

As you can see, above and below, the predominant color scheme of Lucy Park is now not too colorful. Mostly brown.

What you see above is a look at the current state of area of Lucy Park which I refer to as the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle. Currently not in jungle mode.

Entering Lucy Park today I saw something I've never seen, previously, at my current Texas location.

Three deer running alongside the Wichita River. 

Upon parking and exiting my vehicle I hoped to be able to photo document the deer. I did see them again, but not close enough to photograph. And they were being chased by a dog, which had the deer leaping and moving real fast.

How did three deer find their way into the heart of a congested urban zone? 

If I saw deer at nearby Lake Wichita Park, that would not surprise me, as that location is at the edge of the urban zone.

Of late my nature communing has consisted of walking in Walmart, observing all the various human forms. Such is not great exercise. I feel well exercised by today's nature communing in Lucy Park.

The reason my nature communing of late has been taking place indoors is because the temperature has been in the freezing zone. But, yesterday a heat wave arrived, which is scheduled to continue for several days.

Today I suspect I will be switching my interior space's climate control back to air-conditioning mode. Something I do not remember ever doing, previously, a couple days before Christmas...

Upcoming Wichita Falls Predicted Heat Wave On Christmas

 A couple weeks ago the local, Wichita Falls, Texas weather forecast was forecasting a chance of snow precipitating on Christmas Eve, followed by a chilly Christmas Day.

But now, with only five days til Christmas Eve, the weather forecast is now forecasting a very warm 80 degrees on the day before Christmas, with Christmas also forecast to be very warm, making it one of the warmest Christmas Days on record.

I do not remember ever needing to switch my interior space climate control from heat mode, back to air-conditioning mode, on Christmas, but, I suspect such shall be the case this year.