The Saturday Morning Of June 18 Dawns Windy & Warm In Texas

You are looking at what I look at when I look up when I step outside to retrieve my swimming suit.

You can't quite tell it from the picture but it is very windy this morning of the 18th of June.

Very windy and a chilly 79 degrees, heading to a predicted Saturday high of 102.

Up north, at my old home location, it is currently only 22 degrees above freezing, heading to a balmy high of 62. With rain.

No rain is on the menu in my current location. I believe we are currently in drought mode.

I am fairly certain the drought has not drained my swimming pool. I think I will go check on that right now.

Questions About Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC's Institutional Incompetence

On Wednesday Paradise Center sent me a video of an incident that happened the day before, on Tuesday, June 14.

I then blogged the Tale of Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC on the Paradise Center Scandal Blog.

The aforementioned video is getting a lot of attention. With a lot of people asking a lot of questions.

Like this question....

Who is/are the elected officials who are responsible for this type of reprehensible behavior on their watch? I would certainly like to know who to help ease out of office during the next election cycle.

The above question was asked by Big Ed. Then County Veteran answered Big Ed's question in detail. You can read that answer and the other comments about the Tale of Bobby & Marie's Ordeal With MHMR-TC on the Paradise Center Scandal Blog.

You can view the video that has amped up the Paradise Center Scandal below...

Hitting The Texas Streets Paved With Bricks At 103 Degrees

We've hit a new high for the year at my location in the Texas oven, as measured by my computer temperature monitoring device.

103.

Meanwhile, up in Washington, in the town I grew up in, Burlington, it is 63 degrees.

Changing the subject from the all important temperature to streets paved with brick.

I get a lot of email feedback from my Eyes on Texas website. There are 100s of pages on that website, some made as long as 10 years ago.

So, sometimes I'll get an email from Eyes on Texas and have no clue why someone is saying what they are saying.

Like this morning. Donald W. Williams sent two emails saying the same thing...

Viewing your page a few minutes ago, I read your note about streets paved with brick. Such streets are the pride and joy of residents of Merkel, Texas (between Abilene & Sweetwater).

I think I was in the pool when the light bulb came on. Fort Worth has a road called Camp Bowie Boulevard. Camp Bowie Boulevard, for the most part, is paved in bricks.

When I first drove on Camp Bowie Boulevard it was in really bad shape, a really rough ride. I could not imagine why a big city would have such a road.

I think Mr. Williams must have been on my webpage about the Ennis National Polka Festival.

Apparently I saw a street paved in brick, in Ennis, and wrote the following...

Above note the brick paved street the boy and his dog are walking on. In Fort Worth there is a brick paved street called Camp Bowie Boulevard. It is rather rough in places, although it is gradually being renovated, block by block. In articles in Fort Worth's Star-Telegram about the ailing Camp Bowie bricks reporters have actually written that it is so hard to fix because brick paved streets just don't exist anymore and so the skills to repair them are hard to come by. When asked why such a rundown street is allowed to exist, the ears of Eyes on Texas have actually heard native Fort Worthers say that Camp Bowie Boulevard is unique and such things don't exist elsewhere. A stunned look occurs when the native is told by the non-native Texan that many small towns in Texas have brick paved squares and streets. Pike Place and Pioneer Square in Seattle have brick paved streets, albeit always in good condition, so in that way they are different than Fort Worth's Camp Bowie Boulevard. Maybe all the skilled paved brick workers moved to the west coast. Or to Ennis.

I've told people, who have commented on my alleged snarkiness on my blog, that it used to be worse and that I've toned it way down. The above paragraph is sort of proof of that. And the fact that I've learned to make use of commas. And much shorter sentences.

There Is A Hot Wind Blowing Purple Wildflowers On The Tandy Hills Today With Eco-Terrorism

A couple minutes ago I got back from the HOT Tandy Hills. 94 degrees right now, with the humidity making it feel like 97. A steady wind of about 20 mph is blowing, without which I suspect the Heat Index would be higher.

Blowing in the wind today was the field of purple wildflowers you see in the picture.

During this Super Heated time of the year when I stop moving to take a picture I'm instantly drenched, like in a steambath.

The Tandy Hills latest Guerrilla Art Installation called Two Orange Flags in Feces had not grown anymore flags since yesterday.

CatsPaw has speculated that the Two Flags in Feces Art Installation may be some sort of low level eco-terrorism.

I am not totally certain, but I believe eco-terrorism is not allowed in Texas.

The HOT Morning Of The 17th Day Of June In Texas

I am looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell at yet one more blue morning in Texas on the 17th of June.

We have phased into day after day over 100 degrees. With high humidity making the HOT air feel HOTTER.

I wish I had a good reason to escape this steambath sauna and go seek weather relief in the Pacific Northwest zone.

But, I don't.

I think I'll go swimming now and possibly cool off.

Tandy Hills Monkey Wrenching With Spencer Jack's Dad's Fidalgo Drive-In

I did not go to the Tandy Hills yesterday, due to needing to avoid anything that might further wrench my aching back, which is now totally ache-free.

Today I found that the latest Tandy Hills Guerrilla Art Installation has had another orange flag added to it.

I am beginning to wonder if this is not the work of the Tandy Hills Guerrilla Artist, but, instead, is the work of the Tandy Hills Monkey Wrencher who is taking orange flags that are stuck on top of Mount Tandy, aka Broadcast Hill, then re-sticking the flags in the ground deep in the heart of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

If the Barnett Shale Seismic Testing that currently is taking place on Broadcast Hill and the surrounding neighborhood results in a Chesapeake Gas Drilling Rig showing up, well, I wonder what the Tandy Hills Monkey Wrencher will do then?

Changing the Monkey Wrencher subject to that cute little monkey known as Spencer Jack.

This morning Spencer's aunt, my sister, emailed me some pictures of Spencer's uncles, my nephews, clam digging on Samish Island and BBQing at Bay View State Park.

Spencer's dad had a shirt on that had the name of his restaurant. I have not been to this restaurant, even though it did exist the last time I was in Washington, in 2008. I was in error as to what the name was. I thought it was Spencer's Dad's Grub. Instead it is Fidalgo Drive-In. Fidalgo is the name of the island on which the town of Anacortes is located in the far west end of the Skagit Valley.

I soon found that the Fidalgo Drive-In has a very nice website. Looking at the website I soon came upon a picture of Spencer Jack eyeing a root beer float.

I have not seen Spencer Jack's dad since April of 2006 when I went to his wedding to Spencer's mom. Soon after I was back in Texas, Spencer's dad called me to ask if I'd make a website for his restaurant in Mount Vernon called Eaglemont Pavilion.

I think Spencer Jack's dad opened the Fidalgo Drive-In and was running both restaurants for awhile and then sold Eaglemont Pavilion. I only learned of that when the new owners contacted me wanting to make changes to the website. They didn't seem to realize they'd need to pay me to do that. I never heard from them again.

Clearly I am not nearly as in touch with my nephews as I used to be.

Changing the subject again.

My back back being good has had me being Mr. Perky ever since the pain went away. I used to regularly have real bad back woes where my lower back would go out and sometimes take months to get better. This has only happened once in Texas. I was mowing the lawn at my previous residence. It was a riding lawnmower. I reached forward to pull a lever and my back went out. That time took months to recover.

So, yesterday when I woke up to find my lower back extremely stressed I was worried it was going to go totally out, which has been the pattern in the past. When it goes totally out I can not stand up straight, the pelvis bone is tilted. It's awful.

When the pain lifted soon after I got to Village Creek Natural Historic Area I was very relieved.

This morning I was back in the pool again, swimming like a maniac.

I forgot to mention, after I saw Spencer Jack on the Fidalgo Drive-In website I blogged about the Fidalgo Drive-In on my Washington blog.

Up Early Thursday Morning After Rioting Last Night In Vancouver & A Victory Parade Today In Dallas

Looking closely through the bars of my patio prison cell on the morning of the 16th day of June the pool is looking very inviting.

It is not yet 7 and I'm already ready to turn on the A/C.

The predicted high today is currently 103.

103 degrees should make it very comfortable for the quarter million Dallas Mavericks fans on the streets of Dallas today to watch a Victory Parade.

I hope the heat does not drive the Dallas fans to riot.

Last night, up north in Canada, in Vancouver to be more precise, the Canucks lost the 7th game of the Stanley Cup Hockey Tournament. This caused a lot of ill-tempered Canadians to go into street riot mode. Setting cars on fire, breaking in to stores and looting.

In the Seattle P-I this morning I saw an odd headline.

Hey Houston! It's only a naked bike ride if you're naked.

The short article went on to say...

"Naked bikers in Houston could learn something from Seattle. First of all, it’s not a naked ride if you’re wearing underwear. Or shorts. Or a sundress."

And then had about 30 pictures of Houstonites in their underwear thinking they were naked.

I really don't understand why anyone would want to ride a bike whilst wearing no clothes. Hiking with no clothes, that I get.

Or swimming with no clothes, that seems totally natural. I think I'll go do that right now. And then later maybe some clothesless hiking on the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Walking Backache Pain Free At Village Creek Not Wanting To Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee

I think it was a virtual visit with my therapist, Dr. L.C., that made my back pain go away.

I'm feeling recovered.

I went on a non-strenuous walk in the Village Creek Natural Historic Area to stretch the formerly aching back area.

Walking amongst the ghosts of Village Creek seemed particularly poignant today, due to re-reading Dee Brown's Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.

The Indian tribes had already been run out of Texas by the time covered in Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee.

Two things of interest in the Village Creek Bayou today. One is the bird head sticking up through the greenery. The other was several water snakes out in the water, past the bird. I've no idea if they were water moccasins. They were big, though.

I've had more than one conversation with Washingtonians today that have me being a bit of a melancholy baby. I'll get over it. I hope.

Spencer Jack Is Not The Uncle Of David, Theo & Ruby

My favorite ex-sister-in-law read the blogging yesterday about Spencer Jack and noticed I'd made an error.

So, my favorite ex-sister-in-law sent me another email, subject line: "I believe there is an error on the blog."

In the erroneous blogging I said...

"I had to ponder it a bit, and I think after pondering I have it right. That being that since I met Spencer he has acquired 2 new uncles and a new aunt. Who are all younger than Spencer is. The uncles are David Jay and Theo John. The aunt is Ruby Jean."

Regarding the above paragraph my favorite ex-sister-in-law said...

"I believe that Spencer’s relation to Michele’s children is first cousin, once removed.  When/If Michele’s kids have kids, those kids would be second cousins."

In the middle of the night I had a bout of not being able to sleep and got to pondering the Spencer being David, Theo and Ruby's uncle thing and realized that that could not be right. But there is no way I would have figured out the actual relationship being first cousin, once removed, because I just don't know about that type stuff.

That's what I have a favorite ex-sister-in-law for.

I forgot to mention, in the picture above, Spencer Jack is tiptoeing through one of the Skagit Valley tulip fields, sometime within the past couple months.

The Middle Of June With A Texas-Sized Aching Back

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, on this 15th day of June, we can see it is yet one more blue sky morning in Texas.

I heard thunder booming in the middle of the night. At least I assume the booming was thunder.

I am starting this Wednesday with a major pain I've not had in a long long time. That being my lower back is in full ache mode. I think I strained my back moving a BIG TV.

I read this morning that tomorrow around a quarter million Dallas Mavericks fans are expected at a Victory Parade. A quarter million is a lot of people. Out in the heat. I have no idea on what Dallas streets the Victory Parade is taking place.

In my current state of aching decrepitude I do not know if swimming would exacerbate the ache or make it better. What I do know is I am medicating myself with ibuprofen.