Cold Front Brings Slight Big Chill To North Texas While I Think About Gilmer Sweet Potato Queens

The sun was just starting to light up the place when I stepped outside the pleasantly temperatured Wednesday morning of August 25.

70 was the overnight low. That is quite a drop from the 106 high of 2 days ago. Or was it 3?

I've got my windows open, no A/C running. The predicted high for today is 88, the low, 68. With a 50% chance of rain with possible bolts of lightning.

About a third of an inch of rain fell since midnight. I did not hear it, but I saw all was wet outside when I stepped out on my patio for my daily view of the morning.

One nice benefit of this currently chilling cold front is in addition to drastically dropping degrees of air temperature, my swimming pool also was chilled down this morning to a more pleasant refreshing temperature.

If it is Wednesday, creature of habit that I be, I must be going up to North Richland Hills around noon, then to Hurst, going to the ALDI Food Market for my weekly chat with Victoria.

Yesterday I finally made it virtually out to Gilmer in the Piney Woods Region of East Texas, after being chastised by Elaine Fletcher for daring to leave out talking about beautiful small town Gilmer.

Turns out Gilmer has an interesting history. And its Yamboree Festival, with its celebration of the Sweet Potato, is a big deal.

The Sweet Potato Queen appeared to be a bit chunky. Maybe that is a requirement for the Sweet Potato Queen wannabes.

Noontime Thunder Rumbling Upon Return To Fort Worth From Virtual Trip To Oklahoma's Natural Falls

You're looking at the almost noon view from Miss Puerto Rico's balcony. I was hoping to catch a bolt of lightning, but, though I heard thunder rumbling in the distance, I saw no bolts.

I did catch a few drops of rain. It was refreshing.

I had multiple reasons to not go swimming this morning.

Instead I got my cooling refreshment by going up to Oklahoma's Ozark Highlands Region, virtually, to feel the cooling mist from what used to be known as Dripping Springs Falls, but is now known as Natural Falls. Natural Falls falls is in Natural Falls State Park.

While altering all my Oklahoma webpages I came across a photo of something I saw years ago, in Oklahoma, that became blogging fodder for my Washington Blog.

I continue to hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

As you can see in the 7-Day Forecast, there are no 100 degrees days currently planned. And 4 nights under 70 are currently scheduled. The HEAT reduction has my brain less swelled up and thus working better. Or so it seems.

An Early Texas August Morning Thinking About Salmon Tacos

Had a rough night of tossing and turning with disturbingly complicated cinema quality nightmares. By 5 I was exhausted from all that activity, so I got up this morning, Tuesday, August 24, well before the sun did, which you can see looking down at the pool from my coffee sipping patio. No sun in sight.

When the sun does decide to show up I am expecting to see clouds. Apparently there is a 30% chance wet stuff will fall today, with the temperature staying under 100, with the over night low being 71.

Tomorrow will be even chillier if the weather prognosticators are correct. 91 for the high with the overnight low being 69. This should give the annoying A/C a rest.

I heard from Betty Jo Bouvier and Carlotta Camano over night. Both had had themselves fun weekends near the saltwater. Betty Jo over on Washington's Olympic Peninsula, staying in a tourist town called Port Townsend, while Carlotta was down on the Oregon coast staying at Depot Bay.

Hearing from Betty Jo and Carlotta made me miss saltwater. Particularly Betty Jo's description of a salmon taco.

104 At 2 In The Afternoon In North Texas Targeting Target & Wal-Mart

As you can see, the temperature hit 104 around 2 this afternoon, heading to a high of 106. 106 is currently the Heat Index temperature. The humidity has dropped, so it doesn't feel as HOT out there.

I think I mentioned yesterday that a cool Washingtonian was sending her now HOT husband to LA today. To Monroe, Louisiana.

I figured Monroe was likely hotter than here. As I so often am, I was wrong. Monroe is east of Shreveport about 60 or 70 miles on Interstate 20.

Right now, with it 104 in Fort Worth, it is 95 in Monroe.

But.

In Monroe the humidity is at 53%, compared with 22% here. Consequently the Heat Index in Monroe is 116. 116. That is HOT.

I've been in HEAT that HOT before, in Nevada. 124 or more out in Death Valley, 117 in Las Vegas. But that is dry desert heat. A Heat Index of 116 has to be pretty miserable.

My hiking today consisted of going shopping at Target and the Wal-Mart Supercenter across the freeway from Target. I don't see how Target stays in business. There are never very many shoppers in Target. Only 2 checkouts needed at the front of the store. Meanwhile Wal-Mart today was its usual busy zoo.

Sunday's Record Heat In North Texas Has Me Still Overheated Monday Morning

I had myself a Lost Weekend of up too late at night, up too late in the morning, a trend which continued this Monday morning of August 23, as you can see looking down at the pool from my patio, the sun has brightly lit up the place.

The sun, according to those who keep records of such things, tied the North Texas temperature record for August 22 by hitting 105 on Sunday.

During my Texas Incarceration I have become a slight fan of HOT temperatures. I was not a fan of HOT temperatures when I lived in the cool clime of Washington.

But. I am ready for fall to fall on us with a good dose of cold. I am looking forward to shivering when I get in the pool, rather than feeling like I am walking into a big hot springs.

Well, it is time to get in the hot springs for my daily salubrious bout of water therapy.

Hitting A High Of 106 This Sunday In Texas

The high today in my zone of North Texas hit 106, according to my temperature information source. With a Heat Index of 109.

One more day over 100 and then a cold front moves in chilling us down to the 90s. Supposedly.

The National Weather Service issued a Heat Advisory a short time ago, advising us that it's going to be HOT through tomorrow. How did people figure out it was too HOT before the National Weather Service came along to issue a Heat Advisory?

I just heard from a cold Washingtonian that she is sending her husband to LA in the morning. When you are in the South, LA means Louisiana. When I lived on the West Coast it meant Los Angeles.

Wait a sec, I'm thinking I'm suffering some heat related dementia. It was the cold Washingtonian who referred to Louisiana as LA. Maybe she picked that up from me.

Anyway, when the aforementioned husband was in LA about a month ago it was HOT. He coped by using the multiple cold showers a day method. It will be way HOTTER this time in LA.

I find that the HEAT stifles my appetite. Or maybe it's more that when it is HOT I don't like feeling overly fed. I prefer feeling hungry. I think the constant intake of water has an effect too, in that it keeps me feeling sort of bloated. I really don't understand how so many people manage to get so big in this climate.

I had a big webpage making project I wanted to do today, but, I'm feeling worn out. Today the Scrabble Queen of Washington kindly helped me avoid what I wanted to do, by giving me multiple Scrabbling opportunities.

I've read a couple articles of late regarding the fact that, apparently, Scrabble has turned into quite a fad. Not the Facebook version that I play, but the real boardgame version. Which I've never played.

The A/C runs and runs, but I don't feel cool. Time for another shower.

A Tandy Tire Confession From A Fort Worth Endorphin Pusher

Yesterday I mentioned coming upon a round black object at an intersection of a couple Tandy Hills trails. It seemed as if it would take an awful lot of effort in these current trying HOT times to move such an object.

Last night Stenotrophomonas opined that the tire would make an ugly shrine and predicted the tire would gradually exit the Tandy Hills by migrating to View Street.

Today when I overheated on the hills I came to yesterday's location of the possible ugly shrine. It was gone. I figured Stenotrophomonas knows whereof he speaks.

But, later as I came to another intersection, after going up and down some hills, I came to the tire's new location, that being the next trail junction west of its yesterday location.

I thought it appeared the tire is slowly migrating to View Street, stopping for the night at each trail junction. The next junction is a very short distance from today's tire location, with the final junction a little further.

Today's HOT hiking was the HOTTEST yet. No wind. I got back here and jumped in the pool. That helped very little.

When I woke up the computer a short while ago I was surprised to see that at 3:25 Don Young confessed to being the tire migrater. He suggested I could feel free to carry it out if I needed an extra endorphin rush.

By the time I got to the tire today I was leaking so much liquid it was rushing in my nose causing the same sensation as breathing in water, accidentally, when swimming. Quite unpleasant.

When I stopped to take a picture of today's tire location, just reaching for the camera amps up the overheating. I wanted the tire to pose with the same face it used yesterday. This meant I had to flip it over to reveal its whitewall stripe. It took a couple tries to foot flip it over. I did not pick it up.

Now that I know that the Tandy Tire is not someone's Guerrilla Art project and is, instead, some sort of litter removal project, if I see the tire tomorrow I will try and roll it. If I am not overheated.

The Baker Hotel In Mineral Wells May Be Brought Back To Life

In the picture you are in Mineral Wells on top of a Palo Pinto Mountain, looking at the Baker Hotel.

I really think the Palo Pinto Mountains should be more accurately named the Palo Pinto Hills.

A few months after my Exile in Texas began I was out and about exploring the territory and was surprised to come upon a little town named Mineral Wells that had a gigantic abandoned hotel sitting in its downtown zone.

A year or two after first seeing it I made a webpage about the Baker Hotel on my Eyes on Texas website.

Over the years I've received several emails from people interested in buying and restoring the Baker Hotel. Asking if I knew who to contact. One or two were befuddled into thinking I was directly involved with the Baker Hotel. I remember one person was flying in from Los Angeles and asked if I could meet them and take them to the Baker Hotel.

Well, the Baker Hotel has been in the local news the past few days due to a fresh effort to restore the Baker Hotel (and Mineral Wells) to its former glory. Apparently $54 million has to be found. Officials in Mineral Wells and a development team are trying to put all the puzzle pieces together to turn the former 450 room hotel into a 4 star resort of 155 rooms, with the top floor ballroom restored and a spa with the waters that made Mineral Wells famous.

This is not the first time I've read that the long neglected Baker Hotel was going to get fixed.

Three years ago I wrote the following on my website about efforts to restore the hotel...

"After over 3 decades of floundering in an ever increasing state of decay, with numerous attempts by many to find some way to develop the Baker Hotel for a modern use, the city of Mineral Wells has, as of November, 2007, taken an active role in trying to restore the hotel to its former glory. The city has created a tax increment finance district hoping to entice potential developers to re-vitalize the Baker. The city has a 14 month agreement with the hotel's current owner to aggressively market the building to developers. The city will be doing feasibility and building examinations for the next 2 months. We can save them some trouble, the structure is sound, but it desperately needs a new roof."

I hope it all works out, this time, and the Baker Hotel is restored. And I hope the restoration stays true to the Baker Hotel's art deco style.

Up Late After Being Up Late Going Swimming Then To Gilmer Texas

Two days in a row, up late the night before getting up late, as in up after the sun this Sunday August 22 morning.

As you can see, I've not quite made it out to the table on my patio to sip my morning coffee.

I had myself a nicely tiring day Saturday, with 2 long bouts in the pool plus one long bout on the Tandy Hills.

And one long bout, Saturday night, at Miss Puerto Rico's.

I think I may have had one or two too many adult libations last night. I do not like it when I have one or two too many adult libations.

I will not be having one or two too many adult libations today. I may be going to the Tandy Hills again. I will be swimming in a few minutes. I will be grilling some Cornish Game Hens and making a Fire-Roasted Eggplant Casserole this morning.

And I think I'll be taking a virtual visit to the Piney Woods town of Gilmer where they have an annual festival called Yamboree to celebrate the Sweet Potato.

I like Sweet Potatoes.

Getting A Tandy Hills Rash While Delivering Ice

It was windy when I went to hike the Tandy Hills today. That helped make the 100 degrees feel less like 100 degrees.

But.

I have developed a painful heat rash type ailment in delicate areas best left rash free. I am currently in treating it with ointment mode.

I'd not been on the Tandy Hills for a few days. Since my last visit there has been a new arrival. In the middle of the hills that big black round thing with a white stripe showed up at a trail junction.

How did this get there? And why? Is it the start of a new Tandy Hills Shrine? There are pieces of long dead vehicles scattered about the Tandy Hills. It would be a lot of bother to move the vehicle pieces to the central location of the black round thing.

It is just one more perplexing Tandy Hills mystery.

I'm out of here in a bit to make an ice cube delivery to a hapless individual who requires ice for her libations, but who's icemaker is currently not making ice in amounts sufficient to meet the libation's needs.

I have no idea if the ice I deliver will survive the HEAT it will endure on the way to the libations.