A Wind Chills Texas A Little & Big Fish In A Big Tank

In the picture you are standing on the best place to stand in this locale, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

It was barely 90 when I took off out of here to go hike around the Tandy Hills for awhile. A good wind was blowing, so the wind chill factor made for a very comfortable temperature. Which is rare this time of year in these parts.

Earlier today a picture of Snoqualmie Falls had me missing Washington. This afternoon I saw a couple good videos of the Falls, so I added them to the earlier blogging.

When I came in here after lunch and checked email, there was one from Miss C showing one of the world's biggest aquarium tanks. It's located on Okinawa. Some say it's the biggest, others the 2nd biggest. It looked plenty big to me. But what I got out of it was I miss saltwater and the creatures that live there.

There is saltwater where I'm living right now, but it's not natural. It's this toxic saltwater brine, oozing with dangerous chemicals, that the Barnett Shale gas drillers inject into the thousands of holes they've poked in the ground here. Somehow the toxic brine cracks, well, the Texas-speak for this is fracks, the hard shale, shattering it, somehow releasing natural gas.

Besides introducing a lot of toxic saltwater into holes in the ground, those holes have been causing another thing rare in these parts. Earthquakes. I've not felt one. They are rather puny earthquakes.

Below is the YouTube video Miss C sent me. This is one cool looking aquarium.

Snoqualmie Falls & The Queen Of Wink

I am back in I miss Washington mode again this morning. That is Snoqualmie Falls in the picture. If you were a Twin Peaks fan you likely recognize the Falls and the Lodge above the Falls, from that TV show.

The Queen of Wink has never seen a waterfall. When I saw this picture of Snoqualmie Falls this morning when I logged into Facebook, I felt compelled to swipe it and blog it to show the Queen what a big waterfall looks like.

Before I forget, I must credit Mike Bullock for the photo. It was from him I swiped it.

This picture appears to have been taken from the Park/Overlook. I have been at this location when the Snoqualmie River is in full flood mode. The only more powerful acts of Mother Nature I have experienced was a 6.5 earthquake and a volcano exploding.

When the Snoqualmie River is flooding the Falls has the ground shaking, the roar is deafening and so much spray is in the air you end up as wet as you'd be in a downpour.

Snoqualmie Falls is only about 20 miles east of Seattle, a short distance north of I-90. North Bend is a couple miles to the east. You can go there to the Mar-T Cafe and get some of that famous Twin Peaks cherry pie and coffee. I have had the Mar-T Cafe cherry pie and coffee. It really was not all that good. I don't know what Agent Cooper was thinking.

Below is a YouTube video of Snoqualmie Falls, taken on January 9, 2009, when the Snoqualmie River was in flood mode. And another YouTube video is below the flood, showing Snoqualmie Falls and the surrounding park area like it's looking right now, in summer...

I've Been Told To Take A Long Walk In China

Someone calling him/herself Dynamo Hum Tweeted or Twittered me, or whatever you call it, with the suggestion that I take a long walk across China, like the guy in the above video did. The guy walking is a 27 year old German from Hanover named Christoph Rehage. He was a China Studies major in college, which may explain why he started his walk in Beijing. His goal was to walk all the way back to Germany, passing through Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Armenia, Turkey and then a couple Slavic countries before getting back to Deutschland.

Sadly, real life intervened with personal issues bringing Christoph back to Germany before he was done walking. He is now back going to school to finish his degree and made the video you see above. It starts off a bit slow. Stay with it til it speeds up. You'll be glad you did. For the best viewing, click the full screen option. It's to the left of the word VIMEO on the lower right.

Walking Around Fosdic Lake While Thinking About Birthing A Giraffe And Going To Durango

That is Oakland Lake, also known as Fosdic Lake, in the picture. I have not been able to learn why it is called Oakland Lake Park, with another sign talking about the ecological issues involving Fosdic Lake.

I'm losing my enthusiasm for going swimming every morning, though I did so this morning. I had a rough night. Nightmares about giraffes birthing babies.

A friend of mine, who specializes in interesting, but disturbing videos, sent me a link to a video of a Masai Giraffe giving birth. First the hoofs come out, then the head, then the baby drops 6 feet to the ground. I've never been a farmboy. I've never seen such a thing.

The giraffe birthing was not as disturbing and sleep disruptive as the video from a week or two ago of the guy pulling a woman apart, with the upper half pushing herself away using her arms.

I am guessing that the 'Free Hug' video the disturbing video specialist sent me this morning is going to give me nightmares tonight.

I virtually went to Durango this morning, among other places, before escaping from here for a bit to bask in the natural sauna.

Watch the YouTube video below if you've not attended a giraffe birthing before. It's a pretty impressive work of Mother Nature...

Is Only Child Syndrome A Terrible Disease?

I've heard from another Only Child. This ones name is Drew. Drew is doing research into Only Child Syndrome. I think I've mentioned before that I've managed to become, inadvertently, one of the world's experts on this subject.

Drew seemed quite upset at what some people had to say about the syndrome. And just like other Only Children who have commented, Drew demonstrates the syndrome right in his comment.

Here is the Internet's Urban Dictionary's definition...

Only Child Syndrome

A terrible disease that typically effects only-children, but can occasionally strike people with siblings. It may also effect children whose parents divorce.

Symptoms include: playing mind games with members of the opposite sex, a crippling desire for instant gratification, the inability to compromise or share, and a total disregard for anyone's thoughts or feelings but their own.

Below is Drew's comment about one of the bloggings about Only Child Syndrome...

ok im doing research on overcoming part of my only child syndrome...sure we have issues....some of us more than others.....but everyone else has issues as well.....im trying to make myself a better person and understand why i do some of the things i do.....to be honest, i am taken aback by the amount of bias and criticism some of the people here have to say..... to make a statement saying that people who have noticed the symptoms of being an only child are angry and not articulate is silly, dont you think? ....this world has no absolute truths.....honestly that may be one of the most ridiculous stereotypes ive ever heard....nobody is perfect.....everyone has their issues......not every only child is like that....

Hug Aversion Therapy

I get so tired of so many people thinking I need to be cured of my hug aversion. I don't think it is an ailment in need of a cure. Miss C sent me a YouTube video this morning about a guy on the opposite side of the hugging spectrum from me. I found it amusing. And a bit disturbing. Hugging so many strangers. That is way too much contact with way too many potential germs.

Hiking Hot Leads To Driving Without A Seatbelt Again

That is the tree tunnel on Barnett Street, looking west towards the Tandy Hills eastern entrance and the beautiful skyline of downtown Fort Worth in the distance.

It was a bit on the HOT side hiking on a Texas prairie today. I was a wet mess by the time I made it back to the air-conditioned comfort of my vehicle. And I did not put on my seat belt til I wanted to. Being really HOT makes me willing to risk being caught, again, by the Fort Worth Gestapo.

Who was this Barnett person who has his/her name on so many things, like this street and the shale that is under this street?

Yesterday, or was it the day before, I mentioned what I see to be a shortage of flowers here in North Texas. But, even though it is now August and we have had plenty of very HOT days, there are still wildflowers blooming on the Tandy Hills.

I was not here at this point in time last summer, I don't think I'd discovered the Tandy Hills by the summer preceding last summer, but time flies so fast, I may have, but I sure do not remember seeing wildflowers anywhere in Texas this time of the year, any other year.

The above is one very convoluted sentence. I wonder if it will make sense to anyone but me?

The purple flower is a new wildflower that's been blooming of late on the Tandy Hills. Dozens of them.

So, that's been my day today in Texas. Up early and swimming, HOT hiking at noon and a lot of computer frustration between escapes.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad

Today is the day my mom and dad got married, some time back in the last century. I was born 5 days later. A few years after they got married.

I think this picture may be the last time all my siblings, nephews, spouses and mom and dad were all together at the same place at the same time.

My brother has changed wives since this picture was taken. I'm holding nephew Jeremy. My one longtime blog reader may remember Jeremy from a couple days ago, playing on snow on Tabletop Mountain.

I got gas today. As that one longtime blog reader may remember, whenever I get gas I call my mom. So, I had 2 reasons to call. That Happy Anniversary thing, and the gas. But their cell phone generated an out of range message. Which must mean they are out of the Puget Sound zone. Maybe they are on the Oregon coast. I know they were staying on the coast for 8 days on their way back to Arizona.

In that picture we are up in Lynden at my aunt and uncle's house for the annual combo Christmas/Grandma's Birthday Party. The aunt and uncle no longer live there and grandma has been gone for a long time now.

My relatives ended up in Lynden because my great-great grandpa came to America from Holland in the 1890s. Along with my great-great grandma and their two kids, one of whom was my great-grandpa. Once they all got to America they tried several locations, including a very short stay in Texas, just north of where I now live.

I think they were in Ohio when word came of a town way out west, about as far as you could go back then, in America, without leaving the country, this area up in the new state of Washington, where a lot of Dutch people had moved to because it reminded them so much of Holland.

So, my great-grandpa was sent, by train, to Lynden to see if it would be a good place to move to. He stayed through a summer, working on a farm. He returned to his mom and dad and sister eager to get them to move to Washington. He brought them a piece of bark off a fir tree to show them how huge the trees are. He brought them some apples and told them there were plenty of apple trees. He told them about the berries that grew wild and free. And all the farmland available.

And so they moved and started a farm. That farm exists to this day, though no longer owned by relatives of mine. The road that the farm is on is still named after my family. And no, it is not Jones Road.

Now I'm sitting here thinking to myself, my ancestors went through so much to get the future generations to one of the nicest places to live on the planet. And then I, the oldest son of the oldest son of the oldest son of the relative who decided to move to America, moved to Texas? What's wrong with me?

Anyway, Happy Anniversary, Ma & Pa. Hope you're having fun wherever you are today.

The Cicadas Seem To Have Vanished From Texas For Now

Mister Twister pointed me to a very interesting BBC YouTube video this morning, all about Cicadas. I had no idea there were so many of them making all that noise, that currently seems to be silenced for the year. After watching this video I am perplexed as to why I have not seen the remains of at least one of the little beasts.

The most important information I got from this video is when the male Cicadas are making their mating noise do not snap your fingers. Unless you want to have a Cicada try to mate with you.

We Are Watching For Lightning & Tornadoes Tonight In Texas

We've gone into triple digits for the first time in a couple weeks. And just as WeatherBug turned the temperature red, which it does whenever it gets over 100, the little bug also started flashing and chirping. Nothing I do seems able to stop this.

But, this time it was a more serious weather warning than telling me something I already knew, as in it is HOT. This flashing and chirping was due to the NWS Storm Prediction Center issuing a Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 10:00 CDT tonight.

I'm blogging about this almost at the same time I got the warning, so that a particular Haltom City resident has plenty of time to alter her plans for the evening, in case she feels the need to do some flash flood watching.

Below is the NWS Warning....

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH UNTIL 10:00PM CDT

Urgent - Immediate Broadcast Requested Severe Thunderstorm Watch Number 664 Nws Storm Prediction Center Norman OK 325 PM CDT Wed Aug 5 2009

The NWS Storm Prediction Center Has Issued A Severe Thunderstorm Watch For Portions Of Extreme South Central Oklahoma North Central Texas.

Effective This Wednesday Afternoon And Evening From 3:25 PM Until 10:00 PM CDT.

Hail To 2 Inches In Diameter, Thunderstorm Wind Gusts To 70 Mph, And Dangerous Lightning Are Possible In These Areas.

The Severe Thunderstorm Watch Area Is Approximately Along And 65 Statute Miles North And South Of A Line From 60 Miles North Northwest Of Fort Worth Texas To 80 Miles East Of Dallas Texas. For A Complete Depiction Of The Watch See The Associated Watch Outline Update.

Remember, A Severe Thunderstorm Watch Means Conditions Are Favorable For Severe Thunderstorms In And Close To The Watch Area. Persons In These Areas Should Be On The Lookout For Threatening Weather Conditions And Listen For Later Statements And Possible Warnings. Severe Thunderstorms Can And Occasionally Do Produce Tornadoes.