American Hat Company In Bowie Texas Makes Trump Cowboy Hat

I learned that which you see here via the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

Apparently Donald J. Trump has not outsourced the making of his inaugural cowboy hat to China and has instead commissioned its construction to a Bowie, Texas cowboy hat manufacturing company.

The propaganda promotional blurb touting this news....

American Hat Co. has spent more than a century making iconic cowboy hats, the world's symbol for the Wild West and the romanticized cowboy, good and bad.

They've made hats for the big and small screen for shows such as "Urban Cowboys" and "Longmire" as well as musical performers Pharrell Williams, who is known for his love of headpieces, and the Zac Brown Band. Lyle Lovett has been a past customer, too.
Now the Bowie-based company has made a custom hat for another maverick, this time for soon-to-be the most powerful man in the free world — President-elect Donald J. Trump

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Let us just hope this American Hat Company Bowie built cowboy hat does not make Trump look fat, because, as we learned yesterday, doing such can earn one a bout of Trumpian tongue lashing....

Nephew Spencer Jack Dangling In Danger Over Grand Canyon South Rim

Earlier today I mentioned I thought I might find myself blog chronicling Spencer Jack's Thanksgiving Week Road Trip.

I also speculated that I expected I would soon be seeing pictures of Spencer Jack at the Grand Canyon.

Well.

This evening three more photos arrived via email, including the one you see here with Spencer Jack dangling precariously off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

I am glad to see my Favorite Nephew Jason is continuing my Nephews in Danger tradition.

The text accompanying one of these three photos said....

Arrived safely at a cloud covered canyon. Spencer and I are warming up in the gift shop. There will be no hiking adventure today.

The clouds appear to have lifted a bit by the time Spencer Jack did his cliff dangling.

However, as you see below, previous to the cliff dangling, the Grand Canyon does appear to be a bit cloud shrouded. And cold.

The route from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon took Spencer Jack through Williams, Arizona, along the Mother Road, also known as Route 66.

Last year Spencer Jack and his dad had me thinking they were on a road trip on Route 66 when they sent me pictures that indicated such, but turned out to be a Route 66 related attraction in Disney California.

Those appear to be snowflakes falling on Spencer Jack in front of the Route 66 sign.

The last time I was at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon it was freezing, with snow on the ground, with the trails into the canyon treacherously coated in ice, rendering them not safe. If I remember right this was two days before New Years Day of 1994.

In October of 1994 I found myself at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, staying in a log cabin, when a blizzard struck, dropping a foot of snow overnight, stranding visitors in the park until snow plows could arrive.

That was one fun time, being stranded in a national park lodge.

One can see photos of my various times at the various Grand Canyon rims, in a Grand Canyon National Park blog post I made a few years back.

I do not know what is up next with Spencer Jack's Thanksgiving Week Road Trip. Overnight on the South Rim? Or in Flagstaff? Heading east tomorrow over the Painted Desert, heading to Monument Valley?

I suspect the answer to these probing questions will arrive tomorrow....

Spencer Jack Selfie Sticking Hoover Dam

I do not know for sure, but it looks like I may be blog chronicling Spencer Jack's Thanksgiving Week Road Trip.

We will see if the photos keep coming whilst the boys drive deeper into the desert and further from civilization.

Whilst I was walking around Sikes Lake today the two photos you see here arrived on my phone.

I saw the first photo and wondered who took the picture. I could tell Spencer Jack had driven his dad to Hoover Dam, because I saw the Mike O'Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge behind them.

The second photo solved the mystery regarding who took the picture.

I do not know how a selfie stick works. I have trouble enough taking one of those annoying selfie things just holding the phone in my hand, let alone at the end of a stick.

Seeing Spencer Jack and his dad at Hoover Dam had me feeling all dizzy at the rapid passing of time.

Way back in August of 1999, the summer before I moved to Texas, my Favorite Nephews, Jason and Joey, flew me to Las Vegas for four fun days of, well, semi-adult fun. Including driving out to Hoover Dam, where eventually we went swimming in Lake Mead.

During those four days in Vegas we had multiple mishaps, including being stuck on top of the Stratosphere Tower for hours due to a power outage. Which turned out to be sort of fun, until the lack of air conditioning had the over 100 degree outside temperature heating up the inside.

Long ago, before the era of blogs, I webpaged that trip to Vegas with Spencer Jack's dad and Favorite Uncle, Joey.

In my memory that does not seem all that long ago, flying to Vegas with my nephews. So much has happened in the years since then. Including Spencer Jack.

I suspect next I will be seeing photos of the Grand Canyon....

Spencer Jack's Thanksgiving Week Skiing Roadtrip To Grand Canyon & Utah

Incoming text message and email from Spencer Jack and his dad, both including the photo you see here.

With the text in the text message informing me that Spencer and his dad are beginning their desert road trip from the skyline of New York City.

In other words, Las Vegas.

Apparently the boy are heading east towards the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and then continuing east to Monument Valley and then on to Moab, looking for a place to ski along the way.

I was asked for my skiing possibility input along this route and came up blank for such between Vegas and Moab. Except I think there may be some ski type venue near Flagstaff. I told the boys they could continue on east a slight distance more, to Durango in Colorado, where there are multiple places to slide down a white hill.

However, another bit of info in this text message said the boys had to be in Salt Lake City by Turkey Day, as in Thursday, to fly back to Washington.

That is a lot of road tripping miles between now and then, with plenty of scenic wonders to behold.

In four days.

I suspect I will be being kept updated during the course of Spencer Jack's latest road trip.....

No Golf On Cold Wichita Falls Sunday Without Pneumonia

I know you're thinking what you are looking at here is me tooling about in my golf cart on the Wichita Falls Weeks Golf Course across the creek from my abode.

Well.

If that was what you were thinking you had the tooling about part correct, but not much else.

The golf cart is tooling about on Weeks Golf Course, but I am tooling about on the Circle Trail, in the photo, looking east, across the creek, towards the golf course.

The temperature has plummeted to near freezing the past couple nights. But by the time I exited my abode this morning the sun had done some warming, nearing 50 still chilly degrees.

I am fairly certain I am on the recovery end of a near pneumonia bout. It feels good to be feeling better.  Thank you for all the heartfelt inquiries into the state of my woeful misery.

I am more than just a bit unsettled regarding the fact that the dreaded, by me, holiday season is upon us.

Four days until Thanksgiving. Then it's the fast track til Christmas and a New Year.

Followed by the Apocalypse on January 20, when the world turns upside down and Washington, D.C. becomes even more of a Crazy Town.

Well, time flies, but I don't think it will by flying fast enough for me to get a turkey and thaw it by this coming Thursday. Which means rather than turkey I will likely be having the more traditional lasagna for my Thanksgiving feasting.

With no stuffing.....

The Sky At Night Is A Beautiful Sight Nowhere Near The Heart Of Texas

I do not recollect being sick with a cold or the flu this century. My only ailment I can recall was a severe allergy woe a couple Octobers ago, which was one of the worst bouts of miserable I recollect suffering.

Well.

For several days now, beginning, I think, last Saturday, I have been wondering what's up with my usual healthy self.

Saturday was the day I remember thinking I was being loopy. Elsie Hotpepper exacerbated this loopiness by suggesting I was sounding as if I was intoxicated on adult beverages. I took serious umbrage to this rude remark.

Several days after the Elsie Hotpepper rudeness, the loopiness evolved into a painful sore throat, which by Thursday afternoon  had evolved into sneezing, with all the symptoms one associates with a cold.

Last night, just as the sun was preparing to set, I drove to Walmart to get myself some cold meds. Upon arrival at the Walmart parking lot I saw the sun was putting on a particularly colorful show as it left for the day. I only had my phone with me, with which to take a photo, the result of which you see above.

The photo did not do justice to what my eyes saw. Which was an eerie glowing blue coming through the clouds. Had not seen such as this in the sky previously.

Regarding Walmart. This morning I discovered something I did not know.

Since being in this town I have opined a time or two as to how odd it is that from my abode I have a Super Walmart a mile to the east. And another Super Walmart 1.5 miles to the northwest, across the street from ALDI.

I have wondered why the Walmarts were not spaced further apart so as to convenience more of the town.

Well, yesterday on the Wichita Falls Rants & Raves Facebook page someone made reference to the Greenbriar Walmart. What is that I wondered. Googled and turned out this is how locals refer to the Walmart located a mile to the east of my abode.

Upon Googling I also quickly saw there is a third Super Walmart in town. Several miles north of my abode's location, near the junction of I-287 and I-44. I have been by that location many times and have not noticed a Walmart, not that I was looking for such. But still, one would think I would have noticed this other Walmart.

The temperature is currently scheduled to get to the point of freezing tonight. This Friday morning the wind is blowing from the north, with the outer world already chilled to 48 degrees. I hope it is salubrious to be cold with a cold....

Spencer Jack In New York City Seeking The Donald At Trump Tower

Spencer Jack sent me that which you see here, yesterday.

Spencer Jack and his Favorite Dad at a pre-election anticipatory protest in New York City outside the future American president's residence in Trump Tower.

I do not know if Spencer took his dad inside the tower and attempted to get on board the escalator or elevator.

Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, probably does not remember, as he was much younger than Spencer Jack's current age, but a time or two I took Jason and his brother, my Favorite Nephew Joey to Seattle where we'd go for elevator rides in various downtown Seattle skyscrapers.

I think the last time I took a ride on a downtown Seattle skyscraper elevator was in the year 2001. I was getting a tour of my little sister's operation in the Seattle justice department. Unlike the elevator rides of a couple decades prior, on that 2001 elevator ride we got to exit for a tour of an entire floor, including my little sister's office which had a panoramic view, from high, of downtown Seattle.

Actually, in some ways, a better view, what with being in the heart of downtown, than that afforded from atop the Space Needle, which is north of the downtown Seattle skyscrapers.

I have not taken an elevator ride in any of the skyscrapers in the current Texas town in which I am aboding, Wichita Falls.

One of the downtown Wichita Falls skyscrapers has no elevators, or escalators. I believe one reaches the top floor of Wichita Falls' World's Littlest Skyscraper via a ladder.

And when you reach the top floor of the World's Littlest Skyscraper there is not much of a view. Well, I think one might get a good look down on multiple railroad tracks....

Everything Is Bigger In Texas Including Cowgirls

It really is true that most everything in Texas is bigger than it is anywhere else.

Take the pair of cowgirls you see here, for instance.

Those are full size horses they are walking.

You can see the tall cowgirls tower over the roof line of the house behind them.

I ran into this pair of horse walking Texas cowgirls whilst I was on a solo sans horse walk this morning.

I asked if I could take a photo and permission was granted.

I did not ask if they ever ride their horses. Or if they pick up and carry the horses if the horses get tired. I thought it might be rude to make such an inquiry....

Seeing Possible Sikes Lake Bird Solidarity With Washington High School Walkouts

Another beautiful blue November day north of being deep in the heart of Texas.

Yesterday I power walked three or four miles on the Circle Trail, eventually enjoying the water wonders and scenic mountain views of Lake Wichita.

Today I decided to power walk in a more northwesterly direction with Sikes Lake as my walking destination.

I don't know what was going on with the Sikes Lake bird population today, what with all the birds of all the various sorts being out of the water.

Even the blue heron you see above was not water bound. Usually birds of the blue heron sort are skittish, but this guy was so un-skittish I thought it might be injured. I was able to get close enough to see no apparent injury.

Maybe the Sikes Lakes bird population was joining the throngs protesting in support of those feeling threatened by the recent election.

Moments prior to exiting my abode I learned via Skagit Breaking News, on Facebook, that yesterday students in my former high school, that being Burlington-Edison High School, and students in the high school of the town I lived in prior to moving to Texas, Mount Vernon High School, left school to protest in support of those feeling threatened by the recent election.

The MVHS students marched to the Skagit County Courthouse, about a one mile march. I do not know where the B-EHS students marched, but I am fairly certain it was not the Courthouse, because that would be about a five mile march.

I do not know if it is still the case, but for decades, beginning back during the 1960s, during the Vietnam War, a peace vigil occurred at noon on every Wednesday at the county courthouse.

I saw a BIG example of this way back in November of 2004 when I happened to be in Mount Vernon on a Wednesday, exiting I-5 to downtown where I quickly found myself seeing protesters in large numbers doing their Wednesday vigil thing.

I recollect taking pictures that day. Just a sec, I will go see if I can find them....

Well, apparently I only took one photo of the protesters that day. I was more focused on taking pictures of how well landscaped Mount Vernon's freeway exits were, and its public transit hub, as compared to the pitiful freeway landscaping in the Texas town I was living in at the time.

Was Twitter already alive in 2004? I don't remember. But that would explain the abbreviated spelling of  'SHOULD"....

Possibly The Bluest Sky I've Ever Seen May Be In Wichita Falls

Yes that is true, a very blue sky, but maybe not the bluest sky I've ever seen. Likely the bluest sky I have ever seen is in Seattle. There is an entire song documenting this fact. Along with the hills being the greenest green.

There are not many hills in Wichita Falls, so the hills being the greenest green, or not, is not an issue.

Among the many things I like about my current Texas location, compared to my previous Texas location, is the air is so much cleaner.

As in clear.

Clear air way into the horizon. No smoggy orange haze.

Last night when I exited my abode after dark I was surprised to see the much anticipated Super Moon hovering above, living up to the hype. That was one big moon last night.

This morning I felt the need to move in fast speed mode. So, I walked the Circle Trail to the Lake Wichita Dam and then on to the Lake Wichita Dock from whence I took the photo above, of that also aforementioned clear clean blue sky, with Mount Wichita popping up like a pimple in the middle of the horizon.

I can not remember when last I hiked to the summit of Mount Wichita. I don't remember when  it was, or why it was, the novelty of going mountain climbing at my current location became less attractive.

I think maybe I will return to the summit of Mount Wichita this week. Maybe on Wednesday, if I don't drive to the Dallas/Fort Worth zone on that day. If I don't drive to D/FW this Wednesday, I likely will the next Wednesday, that being the day before Thanksgiving.

I zoomed in from the Lake Wichita Dock to take the above photo of Mount Wichita. Looking at that mound of dirt, looking like a mini-volcano, one would not think it would be at all challenging to hike to the summit.

Well, I can assure you, it is an endorphin inducing bit of aerobic stimulation to haul oneself to this particular summit...