Sunday Morning Worrying Arizona Monsoon Swim

You are looking at my slightly cock-eyed morning Monsoon view, post swimming, this third Arizona Sunday of the 2018 version of July.

Miss Daisy did not accompany me to the pool this morning. I think the threatening sky worried her.

Last night, early in the evening, my phone went off with multiple dust storm warnings. Miss Daisy and I had returned to cover shortly before the warnings arrived. We saw the incoming wall of dust on our way back to Sun Lakes.

I am a bit worried my return to Texas may be more adventurous than I like. Both ways, this trip, my DFW connection was less than an hour. No big deal when the plane departs, or arrives, on time. The flight out of DFW was delayed almost an hour. Which really caused no problem, except for the extra wait time for the pickup crew in Phoenix.

The return to DFW is where I may have a problem.

Saturday the Arizona temperature at my location is scheduled to reach around 115. We have this ongoing Monsoon madness. With that, and a high temperature, flights may be delayed out of Sky Harbor Airport.

If there is a significant delay I will not be able to make the connection to the flight to Wichita Falls. Thus rendering a wait til the first flight out the following morning.

I am sure if such a calamity happens someone like Miss Puerto Rico or Elsie Hotpepper will come to my rescue.

Or not.

The photo of me you see here was taken post-pooling this morning, drying out on a lounge chair under a gray sky with cooling drops dripping slowing the drying process.

Keeping Cool In Tacoma With David, Theo & Ruby

No, what you are looking at here is not me cooling off at one of Arizona's many refreshing beaches.

Last night my favorite Ruby niece text messaged me what you are looking at here.

That being her favorite brothers, Theo and David, rescuing some driftwood at Owens Beach which had floated in from some where on the Puget Sound.

Owens Beach is located in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, near the ferry landing which takes one from the mainland to Vashon Island.

To those reading this in Fort Worth, and its environs,Vashon Island is a real island, not an imaginary make believe pretend island surrounded by a man made ditch..

That is just a piece of Vashon Island you see in the distance to the right of David's red head.

The gap between the mainland and Vashon Island is too far to close the gap with a bridge, hence a ferry boat being the means of island access.

No local Tacoma congresswoman's incompetent son, exhibiting classic Dunning-Kruger Effect syndrome, was put in charge of building the boat to float from Tacoma to Vashon Island, hence that boat has been floating for decades.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, has anyone been seeing any real progress with those pitiful little bridges which have been stuck in slow motion make believe construction for around four years. Longer than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge, which was an actual feat of engineering, built over actual water?

Yesterday around the time Ruby sent me the above cool looking photo Miss Daisy and I were getting hit with yet one more dust storm and monsoon. With the temperature over 100.

Owens Beach, Tacoma, the Pacific Northwest, and a naturally air conditioned outer world sounds appealing at this point in time.

I don't know if I can successfully trick Miss Daisy into directing me on a roadtrip north to Washington.

It is now Sunday, the day after the above pithy paragraphs were written. A week from today I should be back in Texas.

This Sunday morning Miss Daisy directed me to her usual Sunday morning McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Followed by a long drive to Santan Mountain.

After not doing some mountain climbing Miss Daisy directed me to a Costco where we free sampled and hunted for some sort of frozen cone confection.

The frozen cone confection search was futile. We left Costco with nothing but those aforementioned free samples.

The drive from Costco back to Sun Lakes passed through some falling raindrops, but not enough, it seemed to me, to qualify as legitimate precipitation.

However, this morning, post swim whilst lounging poolside, whilst talking on the phone, some legitimate precipitation precipitated, but not in full downpour mode. It was refreshing.

I took a photo of this morning's poolside monsoon. It is one my phone. Maybe I will get that photo off my phone later...

Arizona Swim Between Incoming Monsoons

This morning I took my feet to the pool for a swim between incoming Monsoon storms.

Yesterday, in the late afternoon, Miss Daisy and I made it back to interior cover a few minutes before that day's Monsoon hit.

Today we are heading north to Scottsdale, being adventurous and risky, what with today's predicted Monsoon scheduled to be a wild one.

The most unusual, to me, thing about these Monsoon storms, is they can include big balls of hail. A temperature over 100 degrees would seem to HOT to not melt incoming ice....

Survived First 2018 Arizona Monsoon Haboob

Last night my favorite Jeremy nephew managed to make it to grandma's slightly ahead of the Haboob Dust Storm.

Soon after Jeremy arrived so did the Haboob.

The blowing dust was quickly replaced by rain, followed by lightning strikes.

Jeremy's uncle Jake called from Scottsdale to let us know he had lost power and was taking refuge in his vehicle in order to keep cool.

After Jake called we located emergency lighting in the form of four flashlights.

We did not lose power, but it was a good thing to be prepared.

Last night's storm did not last too long at our location, Elsewhere, according to the morning news. the Valley of the Sun took quite a Monsoon Haboob hit last night.

Below is video taken a couple minutes after the Monsoon arrived....

Stuck In My First Arizona Haboob Dust Storm With Miss Daisy & Jeremy

Miss Daisy and I were about to head north to Mesa to go to the Superstition Ranch Farmers Market when the phone went into Emergency Alert Warning mode, warning us of an impending dust storm, from which we were advised to seek shelter.

And get off the road if driving.

Incoming Haboob.

Last night, around ten, the phone made the same warning, multiple times. We noticed nothing, til this morning when the morning sun revealed an outer world covered with a coating of dust.

And this morning when I went pooling I learned some emergency warning went off at 3 in the morning which had the pool maintenance people busy dealing with clogging filters.

Now this most recent Emergency Alert Warning has been extended another 25 minutes.

I stepped outside a few minutes ago to photo document the incoming wall of dust, which is what you are seeing.

Nephew Jeremy just arrived, chased by the dust storm, says lots of lightning is on the way. It's getting real dark. Brother Jake just texted that power is out in Scottsdale.

The dust has arrived. Must hit the publish button and batten the hatches...

Arizona Day One HOT As Expected With No Additional Turbulence

In the view you are looking at here you are looking east from my mama's living room, with a sun-blocking screen causing the pattern of squares between you and the pair of cactus.

The ride to Arizona was the wildest yet. Extreme turbulence on the leg from Wichita Falls to DFW. The flight to Phoenix from DFW was postponed a couple times, ending up with about an hour delay.

As we descended into the Valley of the Sun a blockade of dark clouds appeared, shooting lightning. The turbulence hit quick and hard, banging my fragile head against the window.

The turbulence soon abated.

Nearing Phoenix I looked out the window on what looked like those palm islands in Dubai. I quickly realized I was looking directly down at mom's Sun Lakes location and the clubhouse swimming pool I pooled in this morning.

A few minutes later I was on the ground. A few minutes after that after traveling on three sections of moving sidewalks my little brother came into view in the distance. Then I saw mom and sister Jackie. Spencer Jack's grandpa was rolling mom in her chariot. I took over that duty whilst SJ's grandpa took over wheeling my rolling bag.

Upon exiting the Sky Harbor interior I was a bit surprised at how HOT the blast of 115 degrees felt. I mean, this really was not all that much HOTTER than the Texas temperature I had just left. But it felt like I was at the Gateway to Hell.

This Sunday morning mom took me on a shopping expedition to Food City, Costco and WinCo. We got all the fixin's for tonight's steak grilling.

Almost one day down, and only 13 to go. Not that I am counting...

Sikes Lake Ducking Before Leaving Wichita Falls For Arizona

With a few hours to go before I fly out of here I decided I had time for one more bike ride before hitting HOT Arizona.

I was not long rolling before it was evident a lot of people decided this relatively cool Saturday made for a good day to be outside.

Rain is slightly in the forecast for today. Sikes Lake is in need of some rain. Islands are beginning to form.

And the geese and duck flocks stand in the remaining water as much as they float in it.

Today I stopped under the Sikes Lake Pavilion, which is the location you see my bike resting at above. As I rolled to a stop at a bench I rolled past a small flock of snoozing ducks. They woke up upon my passing, and then when I got off the bike to sit down and do some drinking, the ducks rose as one and began waddling towards me, quacking loudly.

I think the ducks were expecting something to eat from me. I suspect such happens throughout the day, which is why they camp out at this location near the museum parking lot.

HOT Wichita Bluff Nature Area Walk Prior To Being HOT In Arizona

Around the noon time frame this first Friday of the 2018 version of July I decided some HEAT exposure would feel good in a place with little shade.

And so I rolled my mechanized wheels to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to go on a HOT walk.

By early tomorrow evening any walking I do will likely be HOTTER than today's walking, because that walking will be taking place in the Valley of the Sun, which is in Arizona, which is a HOT location.

Nurse Canecracker informed me a few minutes ago, via Facebook, that a monsoon has been blowing and dripping in the east end of the Valley of the Sun. If there is some monsoon activity extreme humidity will likely be added to the Phoenix zone's HOT mix.

Regarding that photo you see above. I was sitting at a picnic table, under the shade of a picnic pavilion, looking northeast over the Wichita Bluffs. I have no clue what those rectangular stone formations are supposed to be. A fourth one is out of photo frame, to the left.

Tomorrow's weather prediction is for some possibly storminess. I hope this does not wreak havoc with my travel plans. I have a short, less than an hour, connect time to get from the little plane which takes me to DFW from Wichita Falls, to get on the bigger plane which takes me to Phoenix.

I suspect it will all work out. And if it doesn't, well whatever happens should be interesting. I like it when whatever happens is interesting...

My Arizona Mom Did Not Shoot Her Son To Stay Out Of Assisted Living

I saw this early 4th of July morning on Facebook.

By noon I got email from one of my mom's four grandsons suggesting this may be some sort of cautionary warning about grandma.

I believe this Arizona shooting took place in Tempe. My mom lives in Sun Lakes, a short distance south of Tempe.

There has been talk about moving mom to some sort of assisted living situation. But, as far as I know, none of mom's sons are on board with such being a good idea.

I have been tasked with flying to Arizona on Saturday to help find some solutions to make mom's living easier. I do not think I need to worry about making sure mom is not hiding any firearms. Mom has never liked guns. Guns were never in our home growing up.

However, at times I wonder and worry that I do not know all which mom may be up to.

For instance, on my last visit I discovered an almost empty large bottle of gin hidden in the back of the lower shelf of mom's refrigerator.

Mom has never been a consumer of alcoholic beverages.

Except for the brief period of time when mom discovered getting free drinks whilst playing slot machines in Reno. I recollect at one point mom asking me if I'd ever had a root beer fizz. Which I learned was one of the "exotic' cocktails mom had discovered in Reno. When it was explained to mom these were alcoholic beverages that particular fad quickly faded.

Or so I was told.

But that bottle of gin had me wondering.

The day after I found mom's hidden bottle of gin Spencer Jack's grandpa and his favorite aunt Jackie showed up. I brought up the gin subject for the first time. Til then I had not mentioned my discovery to mom.

Mom acted all innocent, claiming no knowledge regarding the booze in her fridge.

Spencer Jack's aunt Jackie then came up with some sort of explanation explaining the mysterious bottle of gin as having something to do with David, Theo & Ruby's mother, who is also our little sister, Michele.

I soon gave up getting to the bottom of mom's gin mystery.

But, I am pretty much 100% my mom has nary a gun hidden anywhere,

I do not think any of my sane relatives have firearms.

However, one of our relatives with marginal personality disorder is known to keep a gun close by. This relative is a classic example of why we need stronger gun control laws so as to keep firearms away from the arms of such marginal personality types...

2018 Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade Extravaganza

The 2018 Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade is now history.

Today's 4th of July Parade in downtown Wichita Falls is the third one I have eye witnessed. This year's had the coolest temperature of the three.

The parade began right on time, at 9 this 4th of July morning, with soldiers marching the colors of the flags of the various nations stationed at Sheppard Air Force Base, complete with loud musical accompaniment. You can see and hear that below, via video.

Before the parade began, the crowd of parade viewers quickly grew. And waited. Above you see a quartet waiting in the shade, having themselves a pre-parade smoke of what appeared to be some sort of tobacco product.

Like we said, the parade began with dozens of soldiers in uniform, carrying flags. The parade viewers stood, many with hand over heart. No kneeling was seen. Though I may have been tempted to do so.

I have been to a parade or two where the passing paraders toss candy to the kids in the crowd. But I have never seen this done to the level I see happen in Wichita Falls. One nearby dad commented it is like Halloween without having to go through the effort of walking door to door.

What with all that candy being thrown about and so many people seeming to be having themselves a mighty fine time, the Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade has a sort of party feel. I've never seen so many people in a parade looking like they are having so much fun.

The parade viewers seemed to be having just as much fun as the paraders. Such as the lady above. She laughed a lot. The adult parade viewers had fun directing the kids to candy locations.

Red, white and blue seemed to be the dominant color theme.

Red, white and blue, along with multiple iterations of Uncle Sam, with the guy above being one of the best, riding on a rusted jalopy, which reared up and down as it rolled along.

And here we have a pair of red, white and blue grannies riding on the tailgate of a red USA pickup.

A red 65 Ford Mustang sporting the red, white and blue. My first car was a 1965 Mustang Fastback. A 65 Mustang is over half a century old. Yikes!

A collection of young Uncle Sams sporting more of that red, white and blue color motif.

This pair of older "Uncle Sams" pushed a sign which said "SUPER SAM & SAMANTHA: TRUTH JUSTICE AND THE AMERICAN WAY".

I think I recognized the people riding the above large Radio Flyer wagon. I am fairly certain they were red, white, blue and Browns.

One of the last entries in the parade was from the local Patterson Auto people, suggesting we PRAY FOR PEACE, with the message tacked to the side of a military vehicle.

And now that aforementioned video of Sheppard Air Force soldiers leading the Wichita Falls 4th of July Parade...