None Of Today's Predicted Rain Got Me Wet While Biking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts

That is me and my bike in front of the mysterious glass orb which hovers over this particular section of Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area's curvy paved trail.

The picture sort of captures how steamy HOT the outer world is at this location on the planet on this particular day in August.

August 9 to be precise. Happy Birthday, Miss Sampson.

The air is so humid what appear to be drops of rain seem to appear out of what seems to be nowhere.

Such as when I was in the pool early this morning.

There was no apparent rain cloud hovering over head. Yet I found myself, for a short duration, to be being pummeled by big drops of what appeared to be rain. I did not know, at the point in time when I was being pummeled, by wet from above, that the weather predictors are predicting rain for the majority of the next 7 days.

20% does not seem like all that great a chance for rain. But it is better than zero chance.

Not that I wish a hurricane on anyone, but if one should happen to happen, we could use the aftermath of one like Hurricane Hermine to drop a lot of water and fill the reservoirs.

The water situation is getting dire.

We  may have to cut back on wasting millions of gallons of the scarce stuff fracking gas wells if something wet does not fall from above soon...

Can Woodward & Bernstein Help With Fort Worth's Quest To Have A Real Newspaper?

This morning, during my semi-regular peruse of the Star-Telegraph (please note, that is Star-Telegraph, not Star-Telegram) I learned that the Star-Telegram (please note, that is Star-Telegram, not Star-Telegraph) in a recent editorial, regarding the brouhaha over the Tarrant Regional Water District's Private Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge on Public Land, editorialized that the public should move on, that the issue is resolved, nothing to see here.

Well.

You can find the link to the Star-Telegram editorial by going to the Star-Telegraph posting titled One step forward and two steps back.

A few days ago I blogged about the TRWD Private Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge on public land issue in a post titled Who Is Covering Up Who Stayed In The TRWD Hunting Preserve's Cabin?

In the Who Is Covering Up Who Stayed In The TRWD Hunting Preserve's Cabin? post I verbalized my perplexation over the fact that the log book in the TRWD's Hunting Preserve's cabin clearly says that everyone must sign in to the log book.

Yet all the pages were blank.

I asked what possible reason could there be for there being no names in the log book, opining that the logical explanation, to me, was that names in that log book did not match with the type people who the TRWD claimed were the sole users of the cabin, and so, to cover up that indiscretion, the log book was purged before the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter and the People's TRWD Board Member, Mary Kelleher, could see it.

Now, the Star-Telegram is telling us there is nothing to see here, regarding the TRWD Private Deer Hunting Preserve on public land.

In the Star-Telegraph's posting on this subject, mention is made of the dire need in Fort Worth for a real daily newspaper, rather than the pseudo newspaper the town is now ill-served by.

Ponder with me, what if, during the Watergate investigations the Washington Post's Woodward and Bernstein discovered Nixon was operating a Deer Hunting Preserve & Lodge, on public land, for his private use. With Nixon claiming this was a totally appropriate perk for administration employees.

If Woodward & Bernstein visited Nixon's cabin and saw a log book, which everyone was advised to sign in to, and discovered all the pages were blank, do you think that real newspaper known as the Washington Post would editorialize that there was nothing to see here?

Or would the Washington Post editorialize that Nixon needs to release the names of who was in that cabin's log book?

It really is a sad thing when a  town's only daily newspaper helps the powers that be perpetuate a cover up, rather than try to find out what is being covered up.

Sorry, Fort Worth Star-Telegram. You are wrong. There is something to see here. You just don't have the investigative integrity to find it.

Are Woodward & Bernstein available?????

Another HOT August Day In Texas With Possible Raindrops

Currently, at the time I am typing the word you are reading right now, it is 2:22 in the afternoon of August 8.

As you can see, the temperature, currently, is a relatively chilly 95, with that vexing heat index thing making it feel like 104.

104 is also the predicted real temperature high for today. Rain dropping is also predicted.

Some rain dropping already occurred at my location, for a brief period of a couple minutes, a couple hours ago.

The rain dropped long enough for me to step outside and enjoy getting hit by incoming warm wet spots.

I, once again, had myself a long swim this morning, soon after the sun's arrival. By the time my regular noon need to get myself some more aerobic endorphin inducing stimulation arrived, I was not in much of mood for a steambath.

So, I went to Walmart and pushed a cart whilst getting stuff I needed to get. I am almost 100% certain pushing a Walmart cart does not provide much aerobic stimulation. But I had myself a fine time anyway.

Elsie Hotpepper's Artist's Rendering Of Rockin' The Trinity River With Pigs

Elsie Hotpepper sent me the above, minutes ago, telling me it is an artist's abstract rendering of the Last Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float of the Year.

Is that the title of this beautiful piece of art?

Last Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float of the Year.

That is a very long title.

I know slides down the Trinity River levees were part of this year's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle 4th of July Pproduction.

Along with the spectacular setting on fire of sections of the levees for the pyrotechnic entertainment of the assembled masses.

I have no idea what this artist is trying to represent by having a bunch of pigs wallowing in the Trinity River.

Very perplexing.

Today It Was Not Too HOT To Have Myself A Fine Mountain Biking Time In Gateway Park With A Giant Turtle

With the temperature predicted to hit a high of 105 with possibly a record breaking high of one degree more and with the humidity causing the air to feel 5 degrees HOTTER, I thought going on a bike ride sounded like a good idea.

Over an hour in the pool, starting at the crack of dawn, really does not give as good an endorphin boost as one might hope it would.

Even though the outer world is a little HOT, the Gateway Park mountain bike trails are mostly under the cover of big shading trees, thus making for a not too HOT time.

Til one stops to get oneself some hydration.

The last time I pedaled the Gateway Park mountain bike trails I noticed that at a point where the trail sign pointed right, bike tire tracks continued left.

And so today I ignored the sign pointing right and went left to discover new trail has been punched through the underbrush to get around an area of trail which had been damaged by the flooding remnants of Hurricane Hermine, rendering what remained of the old trail to be a bit treacherous, with not enough treachery to make hiking the damaged trail dangerous, but with enough treachery to render biking it an invite to take a flying leap off the side of a cliff  into a green river.

In the picture above those are my handlebars looking at the damaged trail which runs along side the top of a cliff with the Trinity River flowing slowly below. The new bypass trail is to the right of my handlebars.

Looking over the edge of the cliff I saw a HUGE turtle floating on the surface, with its head stuck out of the water. I was able to make one snap of the camera before the turtle dived.

Speaking of critters floating in the Trinity River,  I believe tomorrow, Thursday, August 8, marks the end of this year's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Music Extravaganzas.

The extremely HOT temperature and the extremely inviting crystal clear water of the Trinity River should make for a possibly record breaking crowd tomorrow, floating around a non-existent island, listening to music emanating from a non-existent pavilion.

With beer.

Homesick With Spencer Jack Taking Pictures Of Volcanoes

I am being inundated with pictures from Washington that are making me a bit homesick.

On Monday it was a picture from Maxine that had me blogging Leaving Mountain-Free Texas To Hike With Maxine In The Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness.

My one and only time hiking in the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness I had an up close encounter with a really big bear. It may have been a Grizzly. I have not had a single bear encounter in Texas, that I can recollect.

This morning it was my great nephew, Spencer Jack, who sent me pictures that made me a bit homesick.

That is one of the pictures you are looking at here, which is a picture of Spencer Jack's favorite girl friend, Brittney, taking a picture of Spencer Jack taking a picture of the Mount Baker volcano.

Spencer Jack took his dad and Brittney to the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest to walk across Upper Baker Dam and to go swimming in Baker Lake.

Regarding swimming in Baker Lake, Spencer Jack's dad reported...

The water was so incredibly clear. And I expected it to be much colder than it actually was. But an unusually warm summer made for a pleasant swimming outing.

I blogged the rest of Spencer Jack's Upper Baker Dam pictures on my Washington blog in a blogging titled Walking Across Upper Baker Dam With Spencer Jack.

I think I will book a flight north so I can go hiking with Spencer Jack in the North Cascades before the snow arrives in a couple months. 

Due To Wind I Did Not Have A HOT Walk Around Fosdick Lake Today

On the left you are looking at the August 6 noon view of Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park with the humid air heated to 96 degrees, with that humidity making that HOT air really feel like 102.

Supposedly.

But, a strong wind was blowing across the lake, which had the air not feeling even remotely close to 102.

I don't think the weather condition informers factor in the wind chill when the heat index is calculated.

In other words, I had myself a quite pleasant walk around Fosdick Lake today.

Whilst I walked I called my mom and dad to wish them a Happy 63rd Anniversary. I got the answering machine.

When I arrived at Fosdick Lake the ducks were no where to be seen. I was concerned. However, eventually I found the ducks at the south end of the lake, the opposite location from where the photo was taken atop Fosdick Dam.

The ducks were cooling off in the water, under the shade of a waterside tree.

I said hello to the ducks. But, they ignored me.

Usually I get a quack or two....

The Queen Of Wink Is Tempting Me To Fly To Midland & Drive To Taos

To the left you are looking at the Lumina Sculpture Garden, near the Mabel Dodge home, in Taos, New Mexico.

Taos is one of my favorite places I have ever visited. The Taos Pueblo, alone, would have made this one of my favorite places I have ever visited. Add the actual Taos town to the Taos Pueblo and you have a magical location on the planet.

I have only been to Taos once. A planned one day stay turned in to three, because I was having myself such a mighty fine time.

Last night I got myself a very tempting invitation from the Queen of Wink to fly to Midland, where the Queen would meet me and then we'd proceed to take a Roadtrip to Taos.

It is widely known that there are few things I like better than a Durango Roadtrip.

Hence the feeling tempted.

The Queen of Wink is planning on roughing it in her personal version of an RV. Electricity will be required to run the essentially needed Keurig coffee maker.

Apparently a lack of water has the bears in the Taos zone a bit riled up and aggressively visiting potential sources of that which they need.

My one and only time in Taos I stayed at a motel about a block south of the Taos downtown. It has been at least 2 decades since I have camped.

The closest I have come to camping in the past 2 decades were two Lake Powell Houseboat floats. The houseboats have beds with thin mattresses, but that still felt like roughing it.

I just remembered. I have gone camping since I have been in Texas. There was a weekend at my former Texas abode where I felt the need to escape. So, I drove to Dinosaur Valley State Park and camped for 3 or 4 days. I had a thick mattress on the floor of the van, so I had none of the aching experiences I had on a Lake Powell Houseboat or the last time I went tent camping. That being at Alta State Park in Eastern Washington, where I learned I was no longer able to sleep on the ground with only a sleeping bag as a cushion.

Now, I am off to see if there are any planes available flying to Midland.....

Happy 63rd Wedding Anniversary To My Favorite Mom & Dad

Dad & Mom With Uncle Mooch

UPDATE: Oops. My mom and dad called to day to wish me a Happy Birthday and to tell me this year was their 62nd Anniversary, not 63rd. Have I mentioned before that simple math confuses me?

Today is my mom and dad's 63rd Wedding Anniversary.

Today is also the 69th Anniversary of the first time an atom bomb was used as a weapon of mass destruction, with the destruction of Hiroshima helping finally bring an end to World War II.

I am not totally certain, but I believe when my mom and dad got married my dad had already joined, or had been drafted, into the army.

This was during the Korean War.

Dad did not get sent to Korea. He was sent to Europe.

France specifically.

I have never heard dad say much about his time in France. Except for not wanting to return. And that the French public restrooms were not of American quality.

When dad returned stateside, mom met him in New York City. I do not know how mom got to New York City. Bus or train? I know she did not fly, because my mom does not like to get in an airplane.

I know mom and dad wandered around New York City, seeing the sights. At one point they were wanting to see the Empire State Building and take the elevator to the top. They could not find the building. Finally they got up the courage to ask where the Empire State Building was. And were a little embarrassed to learn that it was the building they'd been standing under, as they walked around the block looking for it.

I do not know if my mom and dad bought it in New York City, but somewhere on the east coast a car was purchased. It was in that car my mom and dad took their first tour of America, making a long return to the far northwest corner of the Pacific Northwest, to the town of Lynden, from whence they came.

If I remember correctly, when mom and dad left New York City they headed south, down the eastern seaboard, to Florida, then west across the South.

I do not know if they passed through Texas at that point in time. I suspect not, as they gave no indication of having been here before, way back then, when they visited me here, in October of 2001. Mom and dad did pass through Texas during their post-retirement RV trip across America in 1995.

Another thing I do remember being told about mom and dad's 1950s trip across America was their journey into California's Death Valley. They'd heard one needed to bring plenty to drink. In their youthful innocence, mom and dad thought that meant they needed to bring beer to Death Valley. Mom and dad have never been alcohol consumers, not then, not now, never.

But, mom and dad bought beer as their form of the needed Death Valley hydration. When they got to the HOT part of Death Valley their vehicle started overheating. Nowadays one is advised to turn off a vehicle's A/C when entering Death Valley's heat, so as not to overheat the engine. Back then, vehicular A/C had not yet been invented.

As I remember the story, when mom and dad overheated they opened bottles of beer, with both spitting out the vile liquid, due to its disgusting taste.

I do not know, and have never asked, if it was beer mom and dad poured into their vehicle's overheated cooling system.

Mom and dad got married on August 6. Their eldest was born on August 11.

Years later.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Leaving Mountain-Free Texas To Hike With Maxine In The Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness

In the picture you are in the Noisy-Diobsud Wilderness in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest on the west slope of the North Cascades, a few miles northeast of my old home zone in Mount Vernon, Washington.

Very specifically, you are looking at Watson and Anderson Lakes, with one lake up close and one in the distance.

Maxine sent me this picture today. Maxine hiked to this location over the weekend. Maxine has visited me at my location in Texas. Maxine knows how scenery deprived my location in Texas is.

I don't think Maxine sent me this picture to make me homesick, but that has been the result.

In 6 days it will be exactly 5 years since I have hiked in an actual mountain zone. That mountain would be Mount Rainier.

One of the very first times I hiked in the Cascade Mountains was with Maxine.

Me, Maxine and Miss Mac.

That hike was up the south slope of Mount Baker. Mount Baker is one of Washington's 5 active volcanoes.

I don't know how many active volcanoes there are in Texas. Most likely none. Seems like there'd be some, what with all the underground explosive material in the form of oil and shale.