101 Texas Degrees While Visiting Fosdic Lake, Port Aransas, Harlingen, Corpus Christi, South Padre Island & The Brazosport Area

As you can see, on this the last day of July, we have hit the predicted temperature of 101. The HEAT has melted the humidity out of the air, so there is no Heat Index saying the temperature feels hotter than it is.

I had intended to get outside and make my way to the Tandy Hills around 3. But, there was little breezing going on, and the sun had already heated it up out there to 100, so I decided to go to my favorite reading spot at Oakland Lake Park and read for awhile, while glancing up at Fosdic Lake.

It seems every Saturday there is something happening at the Oakland Lake Pavilion. Today it was some sort of party, part of which involved smacking a pinata hanging from a tree.

A surprising number of Texans were out in the HEAT aerobicizing. But, not wimpy me. I was under shade enjoying reading. I'd tell you what book I'm reading, but it's sort of embarrassing, so I won't.

I was in need of a peaceful break because the morning had been spent virtually visiting the Texas Gulf Coast. I went to Port Aransas, but did not see the Songbird of the Gulf Coast, Alma Squillante.

The furthest south I made it was to Harlingen. Cool town with a lot of palm trees and parrots. I also like Corpus Christi. I need to move back near saltwater.

I enjoyed South Padre Island. I can see why this is where Elsie Hotpepper heads whenever she gets a hankering to find a new husband.

And then, heading back north, almost to Galveston, I visited the Brazosport Area, where good fishing and beaches can be found, but I caught none and did no swimming.

I did have a really good swim really early this morning though. And likely will have another one tomorrow morning on the first day of August.

Getting HOT On The Last Day Of July In Texas While Thinking About Deception Pass

We are looking down at my pool, from my patio, in the picture. As you can see the sun has not yet arrived on this last day of July. I think I'll head down to the pool in a bit for a moonlit skinnydip.

We are scheduled to hit 101 today in the temperature department. But right now, before the sun shows up to heat up the place, it is only 80, so I've got my windows open and cooling this place.

If I were up in my old home state of Washington today I would be heading out to Whidbey Island to Deception Pass State Park for the picnic party celebrating the 75th Anniversary of the opening of Deception Pass Bridge.

Deception Pass State Park was my Tandy Hills when I lived in Washington, either hiking from Rosario to the lighthouse or parking by the bridge and hiking up Goose Rock. Great hiking with great scenery the likes of which I've not found in Texas.

I hear the birds starting up their morning salute to the arrival of the sun. It's like each morning they are so surprised that the sun has shown up again that they burst into a chirping celebratory cacophony.

It's time to go join the birds and chirp at the sun while I swim.

Getting Hot Adding Balls To The Tandy Hills Shrine On Top Of Mount Tandy

The Tandy Shrine at the top of Mount Tandy in the shadow of the Fort Worth Space Needle continues to grow. It is now way larger than the original Tandy Shrine, at maybe, currently, 50 feet long.

Today I saw a pile of golf balls artfully arranged at the west end of the Tandy Shrine. A long line of rocks leads to the artfully arranged golf balls that sit right at the east entry to the Tandy Hills Natural Area, under the cable gate.

I am guessing that there is some clever symbolism regarding the rocks and the golf balls that escapes my limited imagination.

And that I may have ruined the clever symbolism, today, when I added another pile of golf balls, putting the pile on top of a disk golfing disk.

I don't know what was different about today than yesterday and the day before yesterday, but today I was in the mood to get really HOT and reap the salubrious benefits of enjoying the Tandy Hills Sauna/Steambath.

I got what I wanted, oozing what seemed like gallons of water, but was likely not as voluminous as it seemed.

Tomorrow we are scheduled to heat up to 101. I don't know if I'll be in the mood for the Tandy Hills Sauna/Steambath tomorrow.

The Last Friday Of July With A Moon For The Misbegotten In Texas

What does "Moon for the Misbegotten" mean, I found myself wondering when I stepped out on my patio, under cover of semi-darkness, and saw a piece of the formerly full moon hanging over head, on this, the last Friday of July of 2010.

We are scheduled to be HOT here today in my zone of North Texas. Currently it is only 78, so my windows are open.

I hear nary a bird chirping or a cicada cicadaing this morning. It is sort of an eerie quiet. It is dead calm out there with the only noise being the splashing of water from the pool fountain and vehicular noise coming from the I-820 freeway.

I fear this strange silence portends for a possibly odder than the norm day.

So, I think I'll go swimming and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Are We Finally Going To Have Some 100 Degree Days In Texas

I did not know the forecast had changed from incoming isolated rainstorms, with a slight chance of thunder, to no clouds, nothing but sun, for the next 7 days.

With the air finally warming up to over 100 starting on Saturday.

My power bill tripled this month. Due to, I assume, the A/C running. I suspect the next power bill will take another leap upwards.

Heavy Drinking While Hiking Heavy Thinking About Escaping Texas

I did not feel like overheating today. So, with the temperature being 91.3, with a Heat Index of 94, and not a lot of wind, I opted out of hiking the Tandy Hills and opted, instead, for the shady trails at Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

In the picture it looks like I'm talking on the phone. But what I am actually doing is imbibing in my drinking problem of consuming copious amounts of water, all day long and into the night.

I don't know how many gallons I'm drinking daily.

The only animal I saw today, while walking in Village Creek Natural Historic Area, was one squirrel. I saw a few dead cicadas. I heard birds, but saw none.

Formerly, Village Creek Natural Historic Area was the site of my most snake sightings. And my one and only gar fish encounter. Numerous armadillos. One bobcat. And an elderly lady in a mu mu who claimed to have had a cougar encounter.

Does it not look peaceful, cool and serene under the canopy of the Village Creek trees? The tweeting of unseen birds can be a bit unsettling and spooky. This was a killing zone. Who knows what, and how many, tortured spirits lurk about in the trees.

Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, told me today that I need to have some fun and get out of my routine. That it would be good for me.

Betty Jo is sort of right. It has been 2 years since I have been out of Texas. Two years. This is the longest I have gone without a Texas break.

I can't even remember the last time I was outside the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone. Maybe it was the last time I left Texas, 2 years ago.

I don't know what has gone wrong with me. I seem to stay within about a 20 mile radius, with some unseen force field stopping me from going further.

Maybe I am escaping during sleepwalking episodes. I have made note, of late, of unexplained miles being added to my odometer.

I'll have to ask my therapist, Dr. L.C., what she thinks about my routine issues. I suspect she'll just tell me to go do some saloon hopping with Elsie Hotpepper.

Chilly Last Texas Thursday Of July Up With The Sun Thinking About Split Pea Hummus

You are out on my patio with me, drinking coffee, and watching the sun light up the place on the last Thursday of July.

It is borderline chilly outside at 75. It is almost like winter is arriving early.

I am going to try and go swimming in a few minutes. I hope the water has not chilled too much.

Complete change of subject from the sun and swimming to hummus. I got a big bag of yellow split peas at Sprouts Farmers Market yesterday. A couple weeks ago I learned whilst watching Top Chef that hummus can be made from split peas.

So, a big batch of split peas cooked overnight in the slow cooker and now await me Vita-Mixing them into hummus. I hope it works.

It is very likely that after the workout involved in Vita-Mixing split peas into hummus, and other ordeals, I will need a good dose of endorphin stimulation from aerobicizing myself on the Tandy Hills mid-day.

Meet me at noon at the top of Mount Tandy if you want to go hiking with me. See you there.

Visiting South Padre Island, Cheap ALDI Milk, Fosdic Lake Shade & Tootsie Tonasket Raids

I don't remember when I got up this morning. I do remember going swimming. The water has become colder. I'm starting to think we aren't going to have any real 100 degree days here, except for those muggy humidity caused Heat Index 100 degree plus days.

This morning I took a virtual trip to South Padre Island. I'd not been there before. I believe this is where Elsie Hotpepper goes whenever she's got a hankering to find a new husband.

Around noon I went north to Southlake, then south to Hurst. Since I was in Hurst I went to ALDI. Milk is now $1.19 a gallon. What is happening to the price of milk? Are cows being milkier?

A little after 3 this afternoon I decided I needed outdoor exposure, so I headed to Oakland Lake Park to gaze out at Fosdic Lake from my favorite shaded picnic table. Gusts of wind made it quite pleasant, though a couple times I lost control of the items I had spread in front of me, like notebooks, books, camera cases and a cell phone.

Tootsie Tonasket called me during my picnic table commune with nature. Tootsie is an entrepreneur at heart. But her ideas on how to make money can be a bit dicey at times. Without being at all detailed, suffice to say that Tootsie is pondering whether a certain Nevada business model might find success in Washington. I told Tootsie I thought not.

Tootsie and her tribe have been cleared of all charges regarding that deer poaching incident that led to a raid on Tootsie's tribe, with all arrested and hauled off to jail except for Tonasket Tribe Leader, Tootsie. I don't remember if I mentioned this incident on this blog, it may have been on my Washington Blog that I blogged about this shocking scandal.

I'll go see if I can find the blogging about the Tootsie Tonasket Raid.

Okay, I see there were two bloggings about the bad doings in Tonasket...

Okanogan Sheriff Gestapo Stormtroopers Terrorize Tonasket Washington Family

and...

Tootsie Gets Raided by the Tonasket Gestapo Stormtroopers Again

I've had myself a day, I should be more tired than I am. I likely will sleep well tonight and get up real early and do it all over again tomorrow, creature of habit that I be.

Up Early On The Last Wednesday Of July In The Vancouver Of The South

The last Wednesday of July has dawned with a nice shade of blue with puffy cotton balls. It is only 76 degrees this morning, so once again I can have my windows open.

Have I mentioned previously that this never happened during my previous Texas summers?

Strange news in the Seattle P-I this morning. Seattle and the state want to ban new houseboats and restrict the existing ones. Due to the houseboats having some sort of bad impact on salmon.

How can you ban houseboats in Seattle? That's like banning the Space Needle. Or coffee.

I wonder if Fort Worth is going to allow houseboats on its magnificent tiny Town Lake and canals if the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle ever comes to any sort of watery fruition.

I remember early on in the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle an article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram saying that the Vision's Boondoggle would turn Fort Worth into the Vancouver of the South.

I don't remember if there are houseboats in Vancouver.

Turning Fort Worth into the Vancouver of the South would take a lot more than a little lake, it'd take a couple of really big lakes. And you'd need to add some tall mountains. And really amp up the educational level of the locals.

Somehow I don't see this happening.

Inspired By A Texan Panhandling Guitar Man I Am Thinking Of Begging With Bongos

You are looking at my driver's side rear view mirror. What you are looking at is a blurry, leathery, cowboy hat wearing, guitar playing panhandler.

I'd been to the bank. I've finally mastered the new, ultra high-tech Chase ATMs and have now successfully deposited checks 4 times in a row without incident.

After I left the ATM I went to Town Talk. I got some good stuff. Then it was on to the Beach Street Wal-Mart Supercenter.

When I reached the intersection of Beach Street and the 121 Airport Freeway a yellow light stopped me. A guitar playing beggar man was strumming on the median. He quickly assessed that I was not rolling down my window to give him any change. But others did.

The light was almost green before my internal light bulb turned on and I got out my camera. I thought it'd make a cool picture using the rear view mirror. It probably would have if my rear view mirror and window had been cleaned sometime in this century.

It was about 90 when the guitar strumming panhandler was busy doing his shadeless begging. I would think there would be easier ways to make a buck than strumming a guitar under the HOT sun on a semi-busy street. The guitar strummer is quite a distance away from the homeless shelter on Lancaster Avenue.

I wonder where he goes when the sun goes down?

Maybe guitar playing panhandling pays real well and he's got himself a fine place to live. He did seem to be semi-well dressed. And his cowboy hat was quite nice.

I do not have a guitar, but I do have bongo drums. I'm thinking I might go do me some bongo drum panhandling tomorrow. I need to think of a shady intersection.