Spencer Jack & Jason Drive Us Under Downtown Seattle

 

Right around the time of the most recent version of Christmas FNJ (Favorite Nephew Jason) and FGNSJ (Favorite Great Nephew Spencer Jack) emailed me some photos.

Okay, now that I am typing that, those most recent are not the ones I am thinking about. It was photos a few weeks previous, those being photos of Spencer Jack and his dad in Seattle.

In response to those Seattle photos I told Jason that I would greatly enjoy video of a drive through the new Highway 99 tunnel under downtown Seattle.

That tunnel began construction in 2014. The tunnel opened for traffic on February 5, 2019, a year later than originally planned due to the Bertha tunnel boring machine getting stuck when it hit an unexpected chunk of steel.

That photo above documents the tunnel opening event which allowed people to walk through the new tunnel before it opened to traffic.

The same year the Highway 99 tunnel began getting bored in 2014 another town in America, Fort Worth, had a TNT exploding ceremony to mark the start of construction of three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island. Those three little bridges had an astonishingly long four year project time line. Four years to build three relatively simple bridges over dry land. And now, six years later, none of those three bridges is open to traffic.

The Fort Worth Trinity River Vision Boondoggle has become a mess of an eyesore, with no end in sight. And no one held accountable. One element of what is known as The Fort Worth Way.

And now back to Jason and Spencer Jack and the Seattle tunnel.

Email from Jason and Spencer Jack this morning...

I told Spencer Jack of your request for tunnel video.  He informed me that we have one.  This morning he passed that along from one of his devices to one of my devices, so I could send it to my e-mail and eventually send it to you!

It was Tuesday, February 5, 2019, the 2nd day of the tunnel being open.  Spencer's school was canceled that day due to snow on the ground.   The snow was obviously manageable for us seasoned PNW residents, as I don't remember it being much of an issue.   After exiting the tunnel we made our trek a few miles south to the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field.    If my memory serves me correctly, we then ended up at Dick's for lunch.

For those who have never been to Seattle, Dick's is an extremely popular burger joint with multiple restaurants in the Seattle zone. If you are ever in the area try a Dick's Deluxe. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

And now the Spencer Jack and Jason video trip though the new tunnel the day after it opened to traffic.

They were heading southbound, where the tunnel starts to go underground by the Seattle Center. That is where the Space Needle is located. The tunnel exits near the Seattle Seahawk's stadium and the Seattle Mariner's ballpark. As Jason and Spencer exit the tunnel the videographer takes a quick glance to the left at what looks to be where the Seahawks play football.

From Wichita Bluffs To Deception Pass

Was back in the Wichita Bluff zone today, parking at the east end parking lot access to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area. Heading west on the Circle Trail I did not make it as far as the arch which marks the east entry into the Nature Area.

Today is cold and cloudy, as you can see via the above photo documentation. Well, to be more accurate, you can see the clouds, but you have to take my word about it being cold.

Above, I thought that to be an interesting looking tree hovering over the Circle Trail. See those blotches amongst the barren branches of the tree? Years ago I was in Arlington's Veterans Park when I came upon people climbing up trees and removing these type blotches.

What are you doing that for, asked I? 

It is mistletoe was the answer. They harvested it for sale.

I do not recollect knowing of mistletoe growing in the trees of the Pacific Northwest in my old home zone.

Changing the subject from mistletoe to something else.

A couple days ago Spencer Jack and his dad sent me three photos documenting what they'd been doing the day or two before Christmas. One of the photos showed a snow covered Front Street of Lynden. That is a Dutch town near the Canadian border, and is from whence all my relatives came. Well, originally from Holland, and then Lynden.

Spencer Jack also took his dad out to Whidbey Island, to Fort Casey and Deception Pass State Park. Deception Pass State Park is what you see Spencer Jack standing on below. With a setting sun looking like an exploding nuclear bomb.

I can tell Spencer is on the Rosario side of Deception Pass, which is the body of water behind Spencer. We can not see it in the photo, but to Spencer's right is a bridge across the pass, built in the early 1930s in less than a year.

An actual feat of actual difficult engineering, built, like I already said, in less than a year. Built over deep water which becomes extremely fast moving and violent when there are big tide differentials.

Imagine that, built in less than a year. An actual iconic signature bridge.

Meanwhile, I don't remember if I have mentioned it before, but the Texas town I previously lived in, Fort Worth, has been trying to build three simple little freeway overpass looking bridges, over dry land, ever since 2014, in the hope of one day connecting the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island. 

The con men and con women who foisted the imaginary island and its bridges upon the Fort Worth locals have tried to con those easily conned locals into thinking these simple little bridges are going to be iconic signature bridges. 

Signature bridges due to the V shaped piers on which the bridge decks rest. Ordinary looking V shaped piers not even remotely unique, but which are one of the reasons the simple little bridges built over dry land have taken so long to build.

I almost forgot to mention. One day if those Fort Worth bridges ever finish being built a cement lined ditch may be dug under them, with water from the Trinity River diverted into that ditch, creating an imaginary island, which would not be even remotely like that island you see behind Spencer Jack.

I just realized Spencer Jack is on an island, Fidalgo Island, with Whidbey Island across Deception Pass behind him.

I started this blog post with hiking the Circle Trail near the Wichita Bluff Nature Area. Thinking about Deception Pass and the miles upon miles of trails, on both sides of the Pass, and thinking about how frequently I would drive the short distance from my home location to hike those trails, including hiking to the top of Goose Rock, a rock which would be considered a tall mountain if it were located any where near my current location...

Shadow Of The Bluffs Thin Man On Final 2020 Sunday

With the temperature nearing 70 on this last Sunday of the miserable year of 2020 I dressed like it was summer and rolled my motorized vehicle's wheels to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to do some nature communing and fast hill hiking.

I really need to get serious about that getting in shape thing and losing my COVID poundage if I am going to make it under 200 by the start of 2021.

I did have a good thing happen today which brightened up my spirits a bit. On Christmas I texted a Merry Christmas to someone I'd not heard from for awhile, who I suspected was deep in dire misery due to the COVID nightmare. That text message got a reply saying something like "I think this message was intended for someone else".

And then this morning there was a Facebook comment from the party to whom I thought I had texted. I then clicked on Facebook messenger to send a message about the text message intended for someone else. In Facebook messenger I saw that the party in question had included her phone number in the most recent message, which was about two years old.

I then looked at the number I had in my phone and saw I was off by one digit, having an 8 where a 6 was needed.

I then texted the correct number and a series of messages which followed had me feeling way less isolated than I have been feeling of late. Which was a pleasant feeling to be having on this final Sunday of this miserable year...

Post Christmas Windy Waddle On Lake Wichita Dam

Though suffering a bad case of Christmas COVID bloat I worked up sufficient energy this Saturday after Christmas to haul my carcass to Lake Wichita to do some dam waddling.

In the above photo documentation we are standing at the base of Lake Wichita Dam. You see a trail worn into the dam dirt with a biker at the top, on the Circle Trail, which trails on top of the dam.

A strong wind blew whilst doing my dam walking. Waves with whitecaps were rolling across the lake. I saw no one surfing, but did see several people fishing.

Prior to walking the dam I walked the Walmart. I was appalled at the number of idiots I saw defying the sign telling shoppers that a mask is required. These sorts all seem to have the same vacant stupid affect to their faces, like such as what one sees at a Trump rally.

ALDI is totally strict with the mask mandate. Wear one or leave the store. Earlier in the week I was in ALDI chatting with my favorite ALDI employee. She told me earlier in the day a woman created a screaming disturbance when told she had to wear a mask or leave. Another customer came to the ALDI employee's defense and so the maskless moron turned her wrath on that customer.

How can people be this ignorant? It's appalling...

Merry Christmas & To All A Good Day

Temps in the 60s today at my location, so no chance of a White Christmas.

But a good chance of having a Blue Christmas, maybe in more ways than one, but for certain this will be a clear, blue sky day...

Santa Is The Only Visitor I Am Seeing This Year

Cute Christmas card arrived yesterday from the Joneses of Tacoma.

Jones is the American spelling of the Dutch name Slotemaker.

Odd how those ten Dutch letters can get reduced down, by half, to Jones... 

Texas Evangelical Republicans Rallying To Keep The Divine Trump Plan

 I have seen that which you see above the past couple days on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's online version.

I am assuming the rally, photo documented above, took place in Fort Worth. Fort Worth may have a higher percentage of poorly educated right wing nut jobs than many other locations in Texas, and America.

But, sadly, these type delusional sorts exist all over America, like an un-checked virus, with no current vaccine, or search for a vaccine.

Clearly the American education system is not turning out enough well educated sorts who are able to process facts, reality and simple scientific truth.

I see pitiful examples of the inability to process facts, reality and simple scientific truth, every time I find myself in Walmart where I see arrogant, bloated, piggish morons strutting about like they think they are proving how free they are by refusing to wear a mask, ignoring the big signs at the entry to the store mandating a mask be worn, to protect employees and customers.

I wonder who those Walmart non-mask wearers voted for for president last election?

Incoming Christmas Banana Nut Fruitcake Memories From Sedro Woolley's Miss Beth

This year I am finding more packages under my virtual Christmas tree than I can remember seeing in a long long time. I do not know what is causing this phenomenon.

One of the recent arrivals you see above. Sent from Sedro-Woolley, Washington by Miss Beth C M.

I have known Miss Beth for over a half a century. We were born in the same hospital in Eugene, Oregon.

About four years after I was born, my parental units moved me north, to Washington, to a town known as Mount Vernon, across the street from what was soon to be the campus of a new school, Skagit Valley College.

Miss Beth's parental units also moved from Eugene. But they headed east, to Ames, Iowa, if I am remembering correctly, and sometimes I do.

Several years passed. My parental units moved us from Mount Vernon to the nearby town of Burlington.

When I was in 6th or 7th grade, one Sunday, myself and my siblings came home from Sunday School, all excited to report to mom and dad that a new family had arrived in town, and that they had a lot of kids, just like us, and all our ages almost matched.

Miss Beth was the oldest of her siblings, with me being the oldest of mine.

Miss Beth's parental units had moved to Washington so her dad could be a professor at that new college I watched getting built when I was a real little kid. Miss Beth's mom was a nurse, nursing at United General Hospital, located between Burlington and Sedro Woolley.

When I was a junior in high school, on a special day in April, a crowd gathered around me at the phone outside the principal's office. I was calling the hospital to see if mom had delivered a new sibling yet. It was Miss Beth's mom who delivered me the news that I had a new baby sister. I turned to the gathered crowd and said "It's a girl". There was a collective groan. I guess most want the baby to be a boy. Miss Beth's mom told my mom that it sounded like I was calling from some sort of assembly and there was cheering when I shared the news.

Later that same day Linda Lou rode with me to United General to meet my new baby sister, Michele, for the first time. It was a happy day.

On August 13, 2017, Linda Lou and Betty Jo Bouvier ventured north to Birch Bay to see me, along with Michele, and to meet David, Theo and Ruby and mama Kristen. It had been many years since either Linda Lou or Betty Jo had seen Michele. I don't think Michele remembered either of them.

Growing up during the holiday season there were always a plethora of baked goods. Mom and dad would cooperate in making some of the goodies, usually things which required a thermometer, like peanut brittle or divinity. Many of the things mom baked were Dutch type pastries, usually with almond paste involved.

I am not a big desert fan, but mom's almond pastries, those I miss.

It was part of the Christmas season, back then, for friends and relatives to share platters of their baked goods. I remember the next door neighbors in Burlington, the Dutch Ploegs, made some real tasty Christmas cookies. The word "krumkaken" comes to mind. Likely totally misspelled.

Miss Beth's mom was also a great baker of tasty goods.

During the past couple years Miss Beth has posted an incalculable number of tasty things to bake, on Facebook. I remember at one point commenting that she was tormenting me with all this tempting tasty stuff. And I recollect asking if I happened to be in the Skagit Valley was it possible to finagle an invite to partake in some of Miss Beth's kitchen products.

And then yesterday a box arrived in my mailbox. From Beth. I asked Miss Beth if this was something I needed to open, or could it reside with the other packages under the virtual Christmas tree.

Beth replied I should stick the package in the fridge. And so I did so.

That lasted about a day before my curiosity caused me to open the package to find a loaf of banana nut bread and two what look to be fruitcakes. I have yet to try the fruitcake, but I have sampled the banana nut bread. Tasty. This made me realize I just do not get good stuff like this anymore at my current location.

I have always liked fruitcake, well, good fruitcake, and have never understood its sort of negative reputation.

These Christmas baked goods from Miss Beth marks the first time in years I have found something like this in my mailbox.

For years every Christmas season I would get a box of baked goodies from mom and dad. When mom's eyesight failed she became the director whilst dad did the actual constructing. I would by lying if I said the quality was at the same level as when mom was still in full function mode.

I do not remember what year was the last one I got a box of Christmas baked goodies from mom and dad. At least five years, probably longer.

Thinking about all this is making me a bit melancholy. 

Thanks Beth! I wish I had baking skills so I could send Beth something tasty...

Point Defiance Zoolights After Ruston Ice Cream Social Theo & Ruby Birthday Party

Photo documentation arrived yesterday documenting the Tacoma Twins, Theo & Ruby's, birthday party celebrating their first decade on Planet Earth. Each twin invited two friends and those friend's siblings, which made for a birthday party of 10, with, I assume, big brother, David, being #10. 

The birthday party started at Point Ruston with something called an Ice Cream Social. Earlier Ruby had reported to me, via text message, that the ice cream cake was deliciously good. 

From Point Ruston the birthday party made its way to Point Defiance Park and the Christmas Zoolights.

In that cool looking photo above you are looking at the birthday party looking down upon the Zoolights. I am assuming this viewing vantage point may be from the pedestrian bridge which connects Point Ruston to Point Defiance Park. I may be erroneous regarding this assumption.

The masks render it difficult to identify who I am looking at above. But, I am fairly certain that is Theo on the lower left, with Ruby next to him. I have no good guess regarding who among the remaining is my nephew David.

Those are some eerie Zoolights, I must say. In this photo I think I can pick out David as being the third from the left. I think I am seeing red hair, which is the David clue. That may be Theo next to David, but I can not tell for sure. With that likely being Ruby slightly in front of the possible Theo.

So, there you go, your virtual participation in Theo & Ruby's 10th Birthday Party...

Wichita Bluff Side Trailing Off The Circle Trail Burning COVID Pounds

What you see here is one of my rare attempts to take one of those selfie photos many people seem to have no trouble taking.

For me it is difficult to see the screen in bright light whilst not remembering I can see the screen better if I take off the sunglasses.

This photo was taken in one of the most scenic areas within a range of a lot of miles of my current scenery scarce location.

The Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

I am standing on a side trail off the Circle Trail which meanders through the Nature Area. 

Directly behind me is one of the ubiquitous swinging benches one finds along the Circle Trail, with the one behind me being on one of that trail's side trails. 

Further behind me you see another swinging bench located on a side trail off the side trail off the Circle Trail.

It looks as if I am looking slightly grumpy in this selfie photo. I may be being slightly grumpy due to growing tired of my volunteer job of driving a senior citizen to multiple doctor appointments. Too many doctor visits and pharmacy visits has wreaked havoc with my regular schedule of biking and hiking.

The cold weather may have something to do with that havoc being wreaked.

As a result of the resulting slowing down of my regular aerobic activity I have reached a new weight gain record. I call this my COVID pounds. Currently the poundage is totally 224 pounds.

I got tired of squeezing myself into the two pairs of pants I could still squeeze into. Those two pair of pants have a waist of 38 inches. Before I gained all this poundage I needed a belt to keep these pants from dropping to my ankles.

So, growing tired of tight fits, I bought a couple pair of COVID blue jeans. Wranglers with a 40 inch waist. These require being belted.

And that has been my exciting day, so far, as this troubling year moves on and on to its soon to end date...