Meanwhile In Fort Worth & Other Locations Dominated By Dimwits

I saw that which you see here, yesterday, via the Seattle Times.

45 new restaurant openings in Seattle.

Will the economic devastation from that $15 minimum wage ever cease?

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth and other locations dominated by dimwits...

Oh, why bother.

So, next week I am going to be seeing Seattle and much of the Western Washington Pacific Northwest zone in person for the first time in almost a decade.

I will get to eye witness, up close, the horrific results of an area of America dominated by well educated liberal progressives, as contrasted with what I see in less well educated conservative, non-progressive areas of Texas, such as Fort Worth, where little happens, slowly.

Such as attempting, for years, to build little bridges over dry land connecting nothing to nothing over nothing. Or decrepit parks allowed to fester in utter decrepitude year after year after year, such as Fort Worth's embarrassing boarded up celebration of the town's apparently limited heritage, Heritage Park.

I will be staying for a few days in Tacoma, a town where the streets have sidewalks, on both sides of the street, with a landscaped barrier, in most locations, between street and sidewalk.

What a concept. Sidewalks. Probably something those damn liberal progressives came up with, deranged mental midgets that they be.

One can only wonder how much more their economy would be booming if Seattle, and Western Washington, had not raised the minimum wage to such an economy stifling level...

David, Theo & Ruby Coronado Beach Combing For Soon To Be Favorite Uncle

Sometime around five o'clock in the afternoon, a week from today, for the first time ever, if all goes according to plan, I should be meeting the trio you see here for the first time.

From the left, in more ways than one, Theo, Ruby and David.

It has been a long time since I have had the fun of being an uncle to ones so young.

And this will be the first time I have ever gotten to be an uncle to a niece.

I am eagerly anticipating doing some heavy duty uncle time.

The picture you are looking at here is from a week or so ago, in San Diego. Judging from what I see in the background, Theo, Ruby and David are where some like it hot, Coronado Beach.  I make that judgment due to seeing a famous beach front hotel in the background which Marilyn Monroe used to like to play in.

Starting August 11 David, Theo, Ruby and I will be at another beach, though this one is not quite as famous as Coronado Beach, Birch Bay, way north, by Canada, not Mexico.

I highly doubt Marilyn Monroe ever played on the Birch Bay beach. However, I am fairly certain Bing Crosby and Loretta Lynn may have.

I was surprised to learn last night that I likely will not be seeing Spencer Jack or his uncle Joey when I am up in Washington this month. Apparently my nephew Joey will be fishing while Spencer Jack will be east of the mountains at Lake Chelan.

In Western Washington one refers to the the eastern half of the state as east of the mountains, due to the east side of the state being east of the barrier which bisects the state, known as the Cascade Mountains.

I also learned yesterday that much of Western Washington will be sweltering with record breaking HEAT this week, possibly going over 100, a degree which never happens on the west side of the mountains.

David, Theo and Ruby are rare Western Washingtonians in that their abode has air-conditioning.

At my current location currently the outdoors is being naturally chilled to a relatively chilly 76. Quite a drop  from the recent 100s. Rain is scheduled to drip, along with some thunder booming.

I am taking off now on a bike ride before the dripping and booming begins...

Rolling Around Mount Wichita Thinking About Heading North To Washington

This final Monday morning of July of the year 2017 I took my bike on a Circle Trail roll to Lake Wichita.

About a third of the way on this morning's bike roll I stopped for a drink on the Lake Wichita floating dock, which is what you are looking at here.

No waves were disturbing the peace of the lake, so there was no rocking and rolling whilst stationary on the dock.

The goal of this morning's roll, from the dock onward, was to head across the dam, exiting at the north end, then taking the unpaved, crushed rock trail to the north end of Lake Wichita Park, then continuing south on the continuing unpaved, crushed rock trail til eventually reaching the west side of Mount Wichita, that volcano like dome you see above, on the opposite side of the lake.

By the time I returned to my abode my bike's odometer indicated I rolled a little over 12 miles this morning.

A week from tomorrow, if all goes according to plan, I will find myself in one of the mountain bike meccas of the world, the Pacific Northwest.

I wish I was able to take my bike with me. My nephew Theo has become a mountain biker. And his town, Tacoma, has a new park with what look to be real good mountain bike trails.

If I remember right, and I usually do, the last nephew I mountain biked with was Theo's cousin, Spencer Jack's uncle Joey, at some point in time late in the previous century.

I should be seeing both Spencer Jack and his uncle Joey the Saturday following my Washington Tuesday arrival, about 100 miles north of Seattle, in Lynden, about four miles south of the Canadian border.

I do not think I have been to Canada since shortly before I moved to Texas, when Spencer Jack's dad, Jason, took me north to ride the Skytrain to downtown Vancouver, and beyond.

I understand it is not as easy to cross the border as it was when I lived in Washington in the previous century.

However, as far as I know, no wall has yet been built to separate the two countries...

This Year's Wichita Falls Watermelon Festival Lacked Something

This last Saturday of July the 2017 version  of the Wichita Falls Watermelon Festival took place in downtown Wichita Falls at the Farmers Market.

I greatly enjoyed last year's Watermelon Festival, particularly the amusing Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest.

This year I left about the time the first round of watermelon seeds were being readied for spitting.

Last year upon arrival I soon found myself being handed Bell Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream. This year I found no ice cream being handed out. I did find a lot of watermelon. Sweet, tasty, perfect watermelon, in copious amounts.

I had myself a lot of watermelon today. As did a lot of other festival goers.

The crowd seemed larger than last year. A lot larger.

A large supply of watermelon and watermelon suppliers were seen in various Watermelon Festival locations in the Farmers Market zone.

And inside the Farmers Market building, as one joined the milling throng, one came upon various tasty samples of watermelon iterations, such as the cubed version you see below, with a tasty jalapeno salsa kick installed.

But.

Last year the Watermelon Festival seemed much more festive,  much more lively, much noisier.

Last year a band provided background sound, which added to the festive atmosphere.

This year the Watermelon Festival seemed quiet.

Extremely quiet.

Last year an excellent sound system was used to inform the festival goers about what they could be doing, or expecting. Such as registering for the Seed Spitting Contest. This year there was no sound system.

When the time came for the Watermelon Seed Spitting Contest many of the festival goers had no idea this was happening. People leaving the festival was quite noticeable,  even as the Seed Spitting Contest officiators were trying to get the seeds into spitting mode.

Above you see the first group of Watermelon Seed Spitters, waiting. The young group goes first. Last year this seemed well organized. And last year the emcee was amusingly talented. This year there was no emcee, no sound system, nothing that let the few remaining festival goers know what was happening.

I left soon after the above picture was taken, with the kids seeming to grow impatient, with no one seeming to know what to do.

What happened to the well run machine which ran last year's well run Wichita  Falls Watermelon Festival?

Sad.

But, the watermelon was good....

Euless Doctor Visit Leads To Arlington's Vietnam Town's One Pillar Pagoda At Ben Thanh Plaza

Today was the day of my regularly scheduled return to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex mess.

The drive was pretty much uneventful both going and coming back. The I-35W re-build seems to be less annoying with each passing month.

After a short stop at a doctor's office in Euless I headed south with Arlington's Vietnam Town as my destination. I usually refer to this district as Arlington's Chinatown, but today I realized referring to this district as Arlington's Vietnam Town is more accurate, since the Vietnamese influence seems to be dominant, with other Asian entities also in the mix, entities such as Japan, Korea, Thailand, India, and, of course, China, along with others.

Earlier in this century my main to go place in what I then called Chinatown was an Asian grocery store near the intersection of New York Avenue and Pioneer Parkway. But, around the time of the Great Recession that main go to Asian grocery store went out of business.

A few years later the Saigon Cho Market came into existence, a short distance on Pioneer to the west.

So, today when I left that doctor's office in Euless I decided to head south to Arlington via 360, avoiding heading south on Collins or Cooper Street, with those street's extreme traffic woes and possible closures due to Arlington being the biggest town in America which can come to a standstill, vehicle movement-wise, when a train rolls through town.

Taking 360 to get to Pioneer Parkway had me driving by the location of that Asian grocery store which had closed during the Great Recession. As I drove by I was pleased to see that that Asian grocery store has risen  from the dead, and is back way better and bigger than before.

This multi-store, multi-building complex is now called Ben Thanh Plaza. This is a Vietnamese themed plaza, with Vietnamese flourishes spread throughout, including the parking lot.

Above you see the homage to the One Pillar Pagoda in front of the main entry to Ben Thanh Plaza.

The One Pillar Pagoda  has an informational plaque explaining the significance of the Pagoda. That information in its entirety....

This One Pillar Pagoda is one  of the most distinctive and unique architecture designs in Ben Thanh Plaza. It is a replica  of a historic iconic Temple in North Vietnam and is one of the most popular tourist destinations in VIETNAM. The original Pagoda was built by the Emperor Ly Thai Tong (1028 - 1054) in  1049, with a unique architectural design by erecting a pillar in the middle of a lotus pond and is visualized as a blooming lotus. In 2012 One Pillar Pagoda has been recognized by the Asian Records Organization as having the more unique architecture in  Asia.

There is a lot of information available about the One Pillar Pagoda when one Google searches, including a Wikipedia article about One Pillar Pagoda.

When I snapped the photo you see above a semi-elderly man caught my attention to ask if I wanted him to take a picture of me and the Pagoda. I said no thank you. He then asked me if I would take a picture of him in front of the One Pillar Pagoda. After doing so I asked if he was Vietnamese, even though I already knew he was. He proceeded to tell me about the Pagoda and about the layout of Ben Thanh Plaza and how it symbolically represents North Vietnam, with the nod to Hanoi at the north end, and South Vietnam and Saigaon (also known as Ho Chi Minh City) at the south end.

When we finished chatting I was surprised to suddenly find my hand being vigorously shook with the Vietnamese man thanking me for being so kind.

I then walked through the main entry into the interior of Ben Thanh Plaza.

I was more than a little surprised to find that what used to be one giant store had been transformed into what seemed to be a mall. Inside the mall I came to that which you see above, the entry to Ben Thanh Central Market.

Ben Thanh Central Market is HUGE. Inside to the left I saw a big sign indicating "Farmers Market" To the right another big sign, this one indicating "Meat Market". The Farmers Market was the location of produce. You can  probably guess what was to be found in the Meat  Market.

At the back of the store is what looked to me to be a futuristic fish market. I should have taken a picture. It was all glassed in, with entry made via various doors allowing access the tanks of live seafood.

All in all I had myself a mighty fine time today in the D/FW zone. I think I will add returning to Arlington's Vietnam Town a regular part of my monthly visit...

Army Engineer Corps Gives Okay To Lake Wichita Revitalization Project

At six o'clock the last Tuesday evening of July I found myself atop Lake Wichita Dam listening to people speechify, including the esteemed mayor of Wichita Falls.

What the mayor had to tell the assembled listeners was that he held in his hands the approval document from the Army Corps of Engineers authorizing the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project.

I somehow thought this approval had long been given, but, perhaps, I mis-read, or mis-remembered the news regarding this issue.

From what I have seen of the plans to revitalize Lake Wichita it seems to me to be an excellent, well thought out, doable plan, which if turned into a reality will be a HUGE asset to Wichita Falls.

If you go to the website supporting this revitalization you will get the idea this revitalization is underway at this point in time. I'm guessing optimistic sorts thought the revitalizing would be doable and underway by now.

And then there is that vexing raising the funds to pay for the project problem.

Since I have been in Wichita Falls I have seen car washes raising money for the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project.  I have seen other charitable acts raising funds. A lot of locals seems to think revitalizing Lake Wichita is a good idea.

At tonight's ceremony multiple entities presented large checks, as in both the amount and the physical size of the checks.

While the speechifying was going on Mount Wichita hovered in the distance. When will Mount Wichita actually see the lake the mountain overlooks getting revitalized?

More than once since I have been in Texas I have been  perplexed as to how public works projects get funded, particularly extremely viable, extremely valuable public works projects such as the Lake  Wichita Revitalization Project.

An enhanced  Lake Wichita will be a HUGE improvement to Wichita Falls, an enhancement of the community the value of which would seem to far exceed the cost of the project.

So, why is it a viable public works project, such as the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project is not put to a public vote where the public approves a bond issue to fund the project, thus enabling the project to come to fruition, and benefit the community, in a timely fashion?

Without relying on car washes, brick sales and charitable donations?

Extremely perplexing...

Bike Ride Catching Sun With MSU Suncatcher

This next to last Monday of this year's version of July I rolled my bike's wheels north on the Circle Trail to Hamilton Park.

I do not know what Hamilton this park is named after. Alexander, George, or some other Hamilton.

I exited the Circle Trail at the north end of Hamilton Park to pedal through the Wichita  Falls version of Beverly Hills. A wonderfully eclectic mix of what I guess one would call mansions, with the architectural styles all over the place, from colonial to modern, with nods to Greece and Rome and Great Britain.

I exited the Wichita Falls version of Beverly Hills to cross Taft Boulevard to the MSU (Midwestern  State University) campus.

Soon I found myself in the shadow of something I had not seen before at MSU. The giant statue of an Indian you see here.

The plaque under the Indian indicated his name was "Sunwatcher".

The plaque further informed me that it was "Presented by the MSU Student Association Celebrating the 75th Anniversary October 1997".

Anniversary of what? I don't know. The birth of Sunwatcher? The birth of MSU?

The plaque also informed me that Sunwatcher was sculpted by Jack Stevens.

Jack Stevens?

The old codger on the Tarrant Regional Water District Board? He sculpts?

If so why did America's Biggest Boondoggle not hire him to sculpt that homage to an aluminum trash can the Boondoggle paid a million bucks for? I'm sure Jack Stevens would have given the Boondoggle a discount.

And they could have ended up with something cool looking, like this MSU Sunwatcher sculpture....

Is Spencer Jack Touring An Upside Down Wisconsin White House?

The two photos you see here arrived this HOT Saturday morning in Texas via my phone, sent by Spencer Jack and his dad, also known as my favorite nephew Jason.

Upon first perusal I wondered if this was at Legoland in California.

Currently my favorite nephews David and Theo, and my one and only favorite niece, Ruby, are in San Diego, with a visit to Carlsbad and Legoland on the itinerary.

But, why would Legoland build an upside down version of the White House, along with a White House Presidential Limo? Made no sense.

And so I Googled "Upside Down White House" which lead me to think I may have found the answer to this Upside Down White House mystery.

In the state of Wisconsin, in the scenic area of that state known as the Wisconsin Dells, there is a roadside attraction known as Top Secret - Upside-Down White House.

I learned of this from various sources, including the Roadside America website's webpage about the Top Secret - Upside-Down White House.

Apparently tourists can purchase an Upside-Dow White House admission ticket and go on a tour of the inside of the White House, where everything is upside down, including the Oval Office.

Why one would want to do this or why anyone would think this to be a good idea for a roadside attraction is a mystery to me.  But apparently more than one location in America thinks an Upside Down White House is a good idea, because there are also Upside Down White Houses in Orlando, Florida and Sevierville, Tennessee. But the non-Wisconsin Dells Upside Down White Houses are half the size and the interiors are not upside down, or White House interior replicas.

Inside the Wisconsin Dells Upside Down White House, in the Press Room, an upside down animatronic President lectures about rule by robots.

I was unable to determine if the animatronic President in the Wisconsin Dells Upside Down White House is modeled after our current President who lives in the currently upside down real White House in Washington, D.C.

If I hear any further details from Spencer Jack about his visit to the Upside Down White House I will let you know...

Destination Washington To Drag The Gut For Birch Bay Driftwood

I am going to be absent from Texas for much of next month, as in August.

On August 8 I am leaving Wichita Falls in plane mode to D/FW to get on a bigger plane in order to fly to Seattle.

After landing at Sea-Tac I will be chauffeured to Tacoma by my nephews David and Theo, and niece Ruby.

A couple days later, on August 11, David, Theo and Ruby are taking me north about 130 miles, not as a crow flies, but how I-5 lies, to Birch Bay to stay in a condo on the Bay til the following Monday.

Birch Bay is about 35 miles south of Vancouver, B.C. and about 100 miles north of Seattle, according to Wikipedia.

Tacoma is about 30 miles distant from Seattle, hence my 130 mile estimated Tacoma distance from Birch Bay, though I think that crow would have a lot fewer miles to fly than the 130 miles covered in vehicular mode.

A description of Birch Bay, from the aforementioned Wikipedia...

Birch Bay is a headland bay created by the refraction of incoming waves on the headlands that lie on either side of the bay. The headland to the north is Birch Point, and the one to the south is Point Whitehorn. The waves bend as they enter the bay and lose energy in the process. The result is a half-moon-shaped bay with a gentle sloping beach. 

Birch Bay State Park is at the south end of the Bay. That Washington state park may have been the location of more camping trips than any other location during my camping years with my primary family unit. A further description of Birch Bay, this time from the Birch Bay State Park website...

Low tide reveals a wide mudflat with a treasure trove of clams and other shellfish that can be harvested in season. Bring out the pails, shovels, mud boots and licenses, and start digging! If you prefer to swim, Birch Bay is known for its relatively warm water, and if you’d rather be on the water, the park offers excellent crabbing, windsurfing, sailing and paddling. 

The swimming is what I am looking forward to, if the tides are low and the temperature is reasonably high. Which in Western Washington means any summer temperature over 70. When the tide is low at Birch Bay the sun heats up the tidal flats. Then when the tide comes in the water gets heated, at times surprisingly warm. And then if the tidal timing is right, allowing for a swim in the dark, the phosphorescent phenomenon happens, making for a cool glow in the dark experience.

Mount Baker, along with other Cascade Mountains, hovers to the east of Birch Bay, though not quite as hoverish as the zoomed below photo indicates.

It has been nine years since I have heard a saltwater wave crash to shore. Or seen saltwater. Or crystal clear water such as one sees in multiple locations in Washington.

Apparently heading north to Washington has entered my sub-conscious, and thus my dreams/nightmares. Last night I had a troubling nightmare where my vehicle was unable to successfully board the ferry which takes one the short distance from Vashon Island to Point Defiance in Tacoma. My vehicle ended up in the crystal clear water as I watched the current slowly move it further and further away.

I think the Vashon Ferry was freshly in my mind due to it being mentioned a couple days ago during the course of a phone conversation with Miss Linda R.

I have no plans to be on a Washington ferry whilst I am in Washington.

I hope David, Theo and Ruby will take me on a walk across the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge for video documentation purposes, to show Fort Worth locals how in modern parts of the world something like a bridge can be built in less than four years over deep, swift moving water.

The past several years I have made multiple inquiries about a chunk of driftwood which during my younger years was located on the Birch Bay beach in the state park zone. Photographs of possible driftwood suspects have been taken by driftwood investigators, such as Spencer Jack and his dad. But none of the photos have matched my memory, including the one which comes closest, which is what you see above.

One of the many activities one enjoys at Birch Bay is called Dragging the Gut. Dragging the Gut involves joining the throngs of Canadians driving back and forth the length of Birch Bay engaging in a lot of people watching. One only needs to extend the Gut Dragging a short distance past the regular turn around to get to the location of that legendary chunk of driftwood.

I am hoping we get to do an extended Dragging the Gut whilst we are at Birch Bay.

The day after we arrive at Birch Bay, Saturday, August 12, we will be driving east to Lynden to Monumenta Cemetery to deliver our dad to his final resting place.

The following day, Sunday, will be a fun day, likely with visitors visiting who I have not seen in years.

Then on Tuesday David, Theo and Ruby are taking me back to the airport so I can fly to Arizona to spend some time with their grandma.

Live At The Lake Today With Geese In Wichita Falls

What with the humidity making a temperature in the 90s feel as if the temperature is over 100, hiking, walking or roller blading is not a comfortable endorphin inducing aerobic activity.

However, riding a bike is totally doable, with what amounts to natural air conditioning keeping one relatively cool, til one stops rolling.

Today I rolled around the maze of paved alleys which run all  over my Caribbean neighborhood, eventually making my way to Sikes Lake where I stopped under the shade of a tree and took the above picture of my handlebars pointing at the Sikes Lake Pavilion, Sikes Lake, and a sign touting something called "LIVE AT THE LAKE".

I do not know what "LIVE AT THE LAKE" is, but according to the sign it has a lot of sponsors.

I know live music happens at the Sikes Lake Pavilion every once in awhile. Live music is likely what  is going to be  "LIVE AT THE LAKE".

I wonder why Wichita Falls does not have Rockin'  the Lake Happy Hour Inner Tube events in Sikes Lake with the floaters listening to music coming from the Sikes Lake Pavilion?

Fort Worth has Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube events at an imaginary pavilion by an imaginary island. I suspect Sikes Lake is much less polluted than Fort Worth's Trinity River which hosts floaters of various sorts when the river is deemed to have a safe level of e.coli and alligators.

A problem with Rockin' the Lake in Wichita Falls would be that Sikes Lake is home to a large number of geese. Those birds seem to be extremely territorial. I had to have words with a couple stubborn geese today who were reluctant to grant me passage.