Incoming Photo Mystery From Spencer Jack's Dad

Last night around 9 my phone made its incoming text message noise.

At the point in time when I heard that noise I was watching the classic silent film "It".

"It" is the movie which made Clara Bow one of America's, and the world's, first superstars.

That and causing Clara Bow to forever be known as the "It Girl".

Clara Bow was also the prototype for the Flappers and the inspiration for Betty Boop.

So, after finishing watching "It" I looked at my phone and saw that my Favorite Nephew Jason had texted me two photos. I could see on the phone the photos were of Jason and his brother with our dear Grandma Vera.

However, when I plugged the phone into the computer in order to retrieve the photos a third photo showed up. A photo which surprised me. That would be the photo you see above of a dapper dark haired guy, looking annoyed, in a trench coat and tie.

Upon closer look I realized the dapper guy in the trench coat was me. And behind me, on the right, is the home I grew up in in Burlington,  Washington.

I do not remember owning a trench coat. The only time I remember showing up at my old home location attired in a tie was in October of 1994 when we gathered there prior to heading north to Lynden for my Grandma Jones (Dutch translation Slotemaker) funeral.

Maybe Jason has the answer to this mystery.

And maybe Jason also has the answer to the mystery of why he sent me the two following photos.

These two photos also appear to be from the 1990s.

In the photo below that would be Spencer Jack's Favorite Uncle Joey standing next to Grandma Vera. Grandma Vera was my mom's mom.

And then we have Jason with Grandma Vera. I can not tell what house Jason and Grandma Vera are in. I do not recognize the refrigerator or the windows. In the picture with Joey I am assuming that photo took place somewhere in Lynden, due to the windmill needlework hanging on the wall.

And what is Jason promoting on that t-shirt?

If I remember right, and sometimes I do, Grandma Vera passed away in fall of 2003.  And if I am still remembering right, the last time I saw Grandma Vera was in summer of 2001, when Joey and I drove up to Bellingham to visit Grandma at her new abode. Grandma was on the 4th floor. I remember when we left, as we got to the parking lot, Joey told me that Grandma would be at the window waving at us. And so she was.

I am feeling wistful. Currently I have three siblings who think it would be a good idea for me to go to Arizona for Christmas.....

Power Walking Wichita Falls With A Flock Of Sikes Lake Seagulls

I am feeling mighty fine. I have recovered from both Thanksgiving and my recent rare bout of ailing from a sore throat, cough, congestion and most of the other maladies which come with a cold.

Yesterday, that day being Sunday, I returned to Mount Wichita, a day after Saturday's pitifully weak singular summit climb. Sunday's mountain climbing went much better, albeit with the additional challenge of a strong wind battering me, particularly at the summit.

Today I opted to power walk north to Sikes Lake. A strong breeze walked with me, which made the windbreaker I was wearing extremely useful.

At Sikes Lake I came upon something one does not expect to see hundreds of miles from any salty ocean type bodies of water.

A flock of seagulls.

The photo above only shows a few of the large flock of Sikes Lake seagulls. For photo purposes I zoomed in for a close up of the blue heron guarding the flock of seagulls, with the zooming in cutting off most of the seagull population.

A couple weeks ago I took a photo of a blue heron at this exact same location. I assume it was the same bird today. This particular blue heron is not skittish about human contact, unlike most birds of this species I have encountered over the years.

It is now time for some Thanksgiving aftermath.

Turkey soup for lunch.....

The Aging Mystery Of Wichita Falls Mary Contrary

 A couple weeks ago Mary Contrary of Wichita Falls, not to be confused with Mary Not Contrary of Fort Worth, posted on Facebook the results of a scientific analysis which indicated when Mary Contrary's Mental Age, Emotional Age and how old she Appears were averaged, Mary Contrary was determined to be 94.

Many were surprised to learn how old Mary Contrary is, including Mary Contrary.

Then, on Saturday, as in yesterday, another Facebook Scientific Analysis determined that Mary Contrary would perish in a bull fight at Age 95.

Concerned she only had one year to live Mary Contrary re-took the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis to find herself shocked to learn, as you can see above, that in the past couple weeks Mary Contrary has aged seven years.

With Mary Contrary now scientifically determined to be 102 I was starting to have some doubts about the scientific validity of this Facebook analysis.

So, I decided to submit myself to the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis.

Well, imagine my shock and surprise when I got the results of the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis and found them to be uncannily accurate.

I guess this means that Mary Contrary likely actually is a centenarian. I must say, just judging from Mary Contrary's appearance, she really does not look as old as the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis indicates she is....

Post Thanksgiving Bloated Climb To Mount Wichita Summit

Beginning Wednesday, three days of excessive consumption of food products had me feeling like a python that had swallowed a goat.

Not that I actually know what that would feel like, I'm only guessing it would feel similar to my current state of bloatage.

Wednesday's overeating was Italian themed with too much lasagna.

Thursday's overeating was Mexican themed with too much off all things Tex-Mex related.

Friday's overeating was American themed with too much turkey and all that entails.

So, today I am avoiding food, for the most part, and I hauled my bloated carcass to Lake Wichita Park to facilitate some mountain climbing to the summit of Mount Wichita.

I was only up for one haul to the summit.

After enjoying the solitude of the summit, and recovering from extreme oxygen debt, as I made my way slowly down the steep slope I saw a jogger running towards the mountain, and then, as I finally reached ground level, the jogger proceeded to run up the mountain at the same pace he was running on level ground.

You can see the annoying jogger halfway up Mount Wichita on the right in the picture above.

I doubt I will ever be in good enough shape to be able to run up Mount Wichita. It'd probably help if I did not eat so much....

Spencer Jack Thanksgiving Eve Salt Lake City Blizzard

Incoming from Spencer Jack and his dad late last night.....

FUD --

I was sure I was done sharing our pre-Thanksgiving Day Utah trip photos with you.

But....Spencer and I were touring downtown SLC this evening after experiencing a day of sunshine and warm weather.  

We were at Barnes & Noble and when we exited thinks turned ugly fast.

Blizzard like conditions.

Saw a semi turned on its side from high winds on the interstate. Windshield wipers were going fast shoveling off snow all the way back to the hotel.

When we returned to the hotel, I asked the desk attendant if this storm was expected. He looked at me and asked, "what storm?" We left the hotel 2 hours prior and it was 55 degrees and sunny. He continued to stare at us like we were crazy.

Nonetheless, Spencer Jack was more than happy. We found a snow sledding worthy hill within walking distance from the hotel, but were absent of the sled. He adapted to 'butt sledding' quickly.

I'm glad I packed the snow suits.

Hoping this storm will pass soon as we both have early afternoon turkey dinner events to attend back in the snow free Skagit Valley, which requires our morning flight to be operating on-time.

Happy early Thanksgiving, FNJ & FNSJ

_____________________

I don't know if Spencer Jack has had enough wheels on ice experience to render it a safe idea for him to be driving in a Utah blizzard.

Is that a fire burning behind the boys?  Outside their hotel? Outside the Barnes & Noble?

If my memory is serving me correctly, and sometimes it does, downtown Salt Lake City is a bit hilly, sort of built on a slope.

I don't know if that is Spencer Jack or his dad doing the makeshift sledding below.

What I do know is it looks cold.

I wonder what the town I am currently in does for sledding purposes if, or when, snow covers the ground. Do people head to Mount Wichita for some sliding action?

If the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area would ever get completed it might afford some good sliding action.

I'm guessing Spencer Jack by now has driven his dad to the airport and is either in the sky or waiting to be airborne.

I wonder if Spencer Jack's dad remembers when we flew back from Las Vegas back in the late 1990s? Soon upon being in the air I remember pointing to the right and telling Jason and Joey that that was Zion we were looking at.

This was a Southwest Airlines flight. So, naturally there was some goofiness. As in the stewardess informed us that today was our pilot's birthday. And that he was the youngest pilot flying Southwest.

27 years old.

Yikes, I remember thinking. And then as we neared Salt Lake City, where we were doing a touchdown, the pilot informed us that to gain some lost time he was going to execute some sort of extra steep descent. He was informing us of this so as not to worry those who were used to a  more sedate descent.

Ironically, nothing seemed unusual about the descent. And when we got off the plane at Sea-Tac we happy birthday greeted the pilot and thanked him for the smooth landings.....

Spencer Jack In 'N Out Of Utah The Day Before Thanksgiving

Early evening before Thanksgiving incoming photo from Utah.

Text with photo....

Spencer Jack pictured working the late lunch at one of his family's favorite burger joints.

I read the text before opening the photo and figured the family favorite burger joint being referenced was McDonald's, due to our familial affection for my Favorite Brother-In-Law, and Spencer Jack and Jason's Favorite Uncle, Jack, running an Empire of McDonald's in Arizona.

But instead it is an In 'N Out burger joint at which Spencer Jack is working the late lunch.

I am assuming this is in Salt Lake City, with the boys exploring that town before flying home to Washington tomorrow. My assumption may be incorrect.

Spencer Jack's dad has opined being impressed with the In 'N Out burger operation before. I similarly opined, with my opinion based upon experiencing In 'N Out Double Double Burgers and Fries at two Arizona locations, one being in Phoenix, near the airport, the other in Scottsdale.

And then In "N Out opened in Texas.

I had waxed poetic about the deliciousness of In 'N Out burgers to fellow former Pacific Northwesterner, Big Ed. So, Big Ed and I went to the In 'N Out on West 7th in Fort Worth.

Not good. Not good at all. Not even remotely resembling what I experienced in Arizona. And the fries were HORRIBLE. Frozen type fries out of a bag. Not the fresh cut type I had in Arizona.

Reminded me of when the first Costco opened in Texas. Also in Fort Worth. I eagerly went to the Grand Opening, excepting a Costco the likes of which I was used to in my former state, which is the home location of Costco.

However, instead of fresh sushi and fresh roasted coffee and other things I was used to in west coast Costco's I walked in to find myself greeted by multiple Remington statues for sale. And horse saddles.

I am not making this up.  Horse saddles for sale at the entry.

The Texas Costco's improved when others opened. By the time the Southlake Costco opened, with Southlake sort of being a Yankee enclave, I finally sort of had a Washington type Costco I could go to.

I do not know what the problem is with Texas In 'N Outs. Maybe my bad  experience was a fluke. I've not heard others complain about the Texas In 'N Outs who have been to In 'N Outs in its original locations.

Anyway, Spencer Jack seems to have taken his dad on a mighty fine road trip. I'm guessing Spencer will be wanting to take his dad back to Utah for some more eye popping sight seeing. Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park come to mind....

Spencer Jack Hiking Zion National Park With Mountain Goats

When last we heard from Spencer Jack he was Dangling in Danger over the Grand Canyon South Rim.

Overnight photo documentation arrived documenting Spencer Jack in danger in Zion National Park.

Along with video of the drive into Zion from the east. With mountain goats. Video viewable below.

Text accompanying the photos and video....

FUD -- We spent last night in Page, AZ. The bright sunshine woke up us in the morning and we headed east after looking over Lake Powell.  I amended our itinerary from Moab to Zion late yesterday when I checked the weather forecast for today.   

Today's visit to Zion National Park was one of the most amazing places I have been. Spencer told me out of the blue that he had never been on a hike like what we did today.  It was a beautiful and warm all day. Zion was beyond what one could imagine.  Pictures do not do any justice. We entered from the east and soon greeted by a family of mountain goats. Spent the whole day hiking before exiting to the west.

Wanted to also see Bryce Canyon today, but spent too much time at Zion. We will save that, Moab and the Canyon Lands for another time.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Ended up finding Spencer snow a top of I-75. We are crashing in Richfield, UT tonight.

After I finish sending these pictures to my FUD, Spencer is requiring that I find an open ski resort for tomorrow.  

- FNJ

____________________

Well, it sounds as if the boys enjoyed Zion National Park. I can not tell via the photos, or the text, if Spencer Jack actually took the right turn off the main road which leads one up Zion Canyon to as far as one can go due to the canyon turning into The Narrows surrounded by the Temple of Sinawava.

Before we get to the snow and Spencer Jack's video of mountain goats running rampant in Zion National Park let us start today's road trip in Page, Arizona, at the bridge crossing over the Grand Canyon before it becomes totally grand, overlooking Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

I am fairly certain in the below photo Spencer Jack and his dad are now in Zion National Park, having entered the park via its east entrance.

Zion has a way of making everything and everyone look extra tall.

Again I am not certain, but I believe the trail you see Spencer Jack on below is the trail one accesses from the east end of the Zion Tunnel, with that trail leading to an overlook of Zion Canyon.

Yes, the trails in Zion can be a bit treacherous in places,  with steep dropoffs. Spencer Jack looks not to be in too much danger, below, though.

Under an overhang Spencer is helping keep the rock from falling down.

I am not sure about the below photo. Spencer may be at the over look looking into Zion Canyon, but it appears he is inside a cave. I recollect no cave at this location. I do recollect a balancing rock, of sorts.

Methinks this road trip has caused Spencer Jack to develop an affection for Utah redrock, just like his Favorite Great Uncle has had for decades.

In Zion and Grand Canyon Spencer Jack was bundled up like he was very cold. And then he finds some snow on Interstate 75 and plays in it without any apparent winter type outerwear.

And now the aforementioned YouTube video of Spencer Jack driving into Zion National Park and discovering a herd of mountain goats....

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

_____________________

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....