David, Theo & Ruby's First Good Friday Easter Bunny Visit

Photo documentation of David, Theo & Ruby's first visit with Santa Claus is well documented and has been seen by many.

What has not been seen by many is photo documentation of David, Theo & Ruby's first visit with Easter bunnies.

The photos you see above and below were taken on a Good Friday before Easter several years ago. Way back then Ruby & Theo were prone to get a bit panicky when experiencing something new and different.

Like giant Easter bunny rabbits.

While David remained the calm, bemused big brother, even when two giant Easter bunnies had him in their grasp.

David, Theo & Ruby's Aunt Jackie is currently in Washington. I have not yet heard if Aunt Jackie has seen the Tacoma Trio and their parental units...

Shadow Of The Thin Tree On New Section Of Wichita Falls Circle Trail

No, that is not the Shadow of the Extremely Thin Man you are seeing above. My plan to lose the COVID 30 I gained in the past year ran awry for various reasons in March. I am hoping April does not go awry. The thin shadow you see above is from a leaf-free tree hovering over the Circle Trail.

Today I drove my bike to the east entry parking lot access to the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area. Before pedaling west to the Nature Area I pedaled east to see the current state of the Circle Trail extension to Lucy Park. 

The new trail has added a lot of feet since I last checked, along with building the bridge you see the thin tree shadowed upon.

It appears this bridge was built in the Fort Worth style, over dry land, but built not at the Fort Worth bridge building speed, hence this Wichita Falls Circle Trail bridge is completed, instead of languishing for years partway built, with weeds running amok.

I rode my bike at the aforementioned Lucy Park yesterday. I can not figure out where the Circle Trail extension is going to connect to the Circle Trail in Lucy Park. At the current pace of construction that mystery should be solved soon.

The mystery of the Fort Worth bridges remains unsolved. Three simple little freeway overpass-like bridges, being built over dry land, ever since 2014, with no coherent explanation ever provided explaining why building these simple little bridges has taken so long.

Fort Worth does not have a real newspaper with real journalists practicing real journalism who might get to the bottom of Fort Worth's bridge building mystery...

Flying Over Mount Rainier With Arizona Sister Jackie

Continuing with the theme of late of something or someone showing me something which renders me ever so slightly homesick for the scenic wonderland I used to live in. 

So, obviously this would make that not snow covered Mount Wichita you see above. I believe that is one of Washington's five active volcanoes, it being the one named Rainier.

Arizona sister Jackie's phone sent me the photo above, along with text saying "Not home for 10 days! Hope all is well there!"

I knew sister Jackie was flying to Washington near the end of March. I did not know this was taking place on this next to last day of March. Tuesday is the day I most frequently call Jackie on her landline because Tuesday is the day she is most reliably home. I was gonna call Jackie this morning on my way to bike ride the trails at Lucy Park, but I forgot.

She probably was in the air during the time frame I was gonna call.

I think this is at least the second time Jackie has flown to Washington during the COVID nightmare. There may be a third time I am forgetting.

I can't picture myself doing the flying thing whilst having to wear a mask the whole time. And there are those times during the flying experience where you find yourself crowded. Such as riding the Skylink at DFW Airport to get from one terminal to another. Or waiting to board. Or being in line boarding. And whilst in the air there is no beverage service, no pitiful little bag of something like a nut or a cookie.

Sister Jackie flies out of the country in about another month, to Mexico, to attend her eldest's first wedding. I am assuming those nuptials are still scheduled.

Visiting Hank Frank's Jones Family Compound With Spencer Jack & Jason

 

Yesterday whilst blogging about Driving By The Skagit Tulip Festival Daffodils With Miss Lori I made mention of the fact that my Favorite Nephew Joey's house and the Hank Frank Orchard are on the Skagit Flats, on Beaver Marsh Road, near world famous Roozengarde.

This morning Hank Frank's Uncle Jason emailed me two emails with one photo in each email, along with text.

The text which accompanied the photo above was "Just read your blog.  The acres next to FNJoey has a home built for Spencer and I.  I think I have additional photos of this.  The Jones compound is one block south of Roozengarde.  It’s a gorgeous place to live."

Roozengarde is a Dutch name, as is Slotemaker, which translates to Jones in its adulterated English form. The Dutch pair in Hank Frank's yard with the Slotemaker sign came from my mom and dad's yard in Arizona.

And then we have the second photo from today's email.

The text with the above email said, "Here is one Spencer took the other day of me out standing in my field with the home pictured in the distance.  I can’t wait for you to visit."

It is unclear to me if the home referenced is the Hank Frank house or the one Jason said was a home built for him and Spencer. 

In the above photo I believe we are looking west at the setting sun. I think this to be the case because there are no mountains on the horizon. If that were a sun rising from the east it would be popping out over a range of mountains called Cascades.

I have not yet seen the design plans for Jason and Joey's Jones Family Compound. I assume such will soon be forthcoming...

Driving By The Skagit Tulip Festival Daffodils With Miss Lori

Facebook continues its daily duty of making me a bit homesick for my old home zone of the Skagit Valley. The above was from this morning's Facebook, on this, the final Sunday of the 2021 version of March.

Below was also on Facebook this morning, via someone who lives closer to the Skagit Valley than I do, and so can easily return when feeling the need.

I do not remember when last I drove on the Skagit Flats during the blooming time of the year. I do remember that at some point in time during the 1990s mom and dad talked me into going with them to the Roozengarde Easter Sunday Sunrise Service. That turned out to be a memorable experience.

Let me see if I can find a Roozengarde website.

Well, that was easy. And Roozengarde managed to get the tulips.com domain name for their website. Click the link and you'll see some colorful photos.

From their website I see Roozengarde is on Beaver Marsh Road. The same road my Favorite Nephew Joey bought a house on. I recollect being told Joey's house and the Hank Frank Orchard was close to Roozengarde.

Joey's big brother, my Favorite Nephew Jason, bought 7 acres adjacent to Joey, on which the future Jones Family Compound may one day be built.

I am guessing that living near the center of the Skagit Tulip Festival gets to be a bit tiresome for Joey, Monique and Hank Frank. I remember finding the throngs and traffic jams to be a bit tiresome years ago, near when the Skagit Tulip Festival became an annual event, when I lived in West Mount Vernon, one block from the traffic clogged Memorial Highway.

Balmy Second Saturday Of Spring At Mount Wichita

This final Saturday of the 2021 version of March is the first time in a long time, perhaps the first time this year, that I rode my bike south on the Circle Trail all the way to Mount Wichita.

It seems like only weeks ago Mount Wichita was covered with snow and freezing with a temperature below zero, because such was the case only weeks ago.

And now, today, that which was recently cold and white has turned warm and green.

As in a temperature in the mid 70s today.

Feeling balmy.

I turned on my computer room ceiling fan for the first time this year.

But, so far I have not felt the need to turn on the air conditioning.

You see no humans in the photo documentation of the formerly snow covered Mount Wichita.

But, there were a lot of people today enjoying the perfect weather. Some floating in boats, fishing. Other fishing from the Lake Wichita floating dock. Others fishing from the Lake Wichita Boardwalk. And many more fishing from shore.

I do not know if there are many fish to catch living in Lake Wichita. There must be, even though I've never seen one caught, because there is usually at least one person fishing. 

I have seen a lot of fish reeled in at nearby Sikes Lake.

In addition to all the people trying to reel in fish I encountered many bikers, hikers, joggers, walkers, baby carriages and dogs.

An excellent second Saturday of Spring....

Spring Sprungs White Tree Blossoms

Spring has been doing some major springing at my location as we near the end of March, as documented by the trees you see above, sporting white blossoms.

These white flowering trees are landscaping the Circle Trail, about a block north of my abode.

I saw other flowering trees and some wildflowers blooming on the ground on this morning's bike ride.

I have no recollection of any sort of fruit eventually appearing on these white flowering trees.

I do recollect that at some point the white blossoms fall from the trees creating what looks sort of like snow covering the ground, with the wind blowing the white blossoms into drifts.

Speaking of drifting.

It begins to look a little unlikely that I will be venturing north in a couple months. But that could change.

I have learned details of a high school reunion which some have opined I should attend this summer whilst I am in Washington. The details of that reunion make it unlikely I will be there, with one of the details being this reunion is happening earlier than when I planned on being in Washington.

Wall Calendar Triggers Grand Canyon Of COVID Torments

 

That which you see here is on the wall of my computer room.

Which would make that which you see here a wall calendar.

It has now been over a year since I have travelled further than 40 miles from my abode. 

I have not even been to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metromess for over a year. 

And this National Park themed wall calendar regularly torments me with reminders of scenic places I have been. 

For March it is Grand Canyon National Park.

I first saw Grand Canyon when I was 19. I had been to Yellowstone, and seeing the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and thinking it quite impressive, I suggested heading south a few hundred miles to see the more famous Grand Canyon.

Before getting to Grand Canyon we visited Bryce Canyon and Zion Canyon, vowing to return, soon, with proper hiking gear.

After Bryce and Zion it was on to Grand Canyon. The North Rim. This truly was one of the more overwhelming shockingly scenic things I had ever seen. I was already in scenic wonder overload due to Bryce and Zion.

Ironically, it was just a brief visit to several of the North Rim overlooks, and then on to Las Vegas, then Los Angeles and Disneyland, vowing to return, soon, to Bryce, Zion and Grand Canyon.

It was just a few years later, in, I think, 1979, that I drove the longest roadtrip I ever drove, visiting places like Colorado and New Mexico and Texas for the first time. Just a little bit of Texas, after caving at Carlsbad Caverns National Park. 

Eventually made it to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, and hiked the Bright Angel Trail all the way to the Colorado. Going down was easy, going back to the top was brutal, and did not make it there til an hour after dark.

I don't remember for sure what came after Grand Canyon, that time. Probably Vegas and then on to Los Angeles. I think this was the time I stayed in San Diego for a few days and went to both the San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Wild Animal Park, or whatever it was called. I recollect going to a Sir George's buffet in a suburb of San Diego and driving around in Tijuana for a few miles. 

I did not make it back to Zion National Park til 1992, also visiting the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, before heading to Vegas. I never have managed to hike the Angel's Landing trail in Zion which I vowed to hike some day, after seeing a Ranger presentation in the Zion campground on that first visit to Zion.

I was back at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon the last day of 1993, staying overnight in Flagstaff. There was snow at the top of the canyon and the trails were ice covered at that elevation, so no hiking.

But, that same trip had me seeing this cool looking location on the San Juan River, north of Monument Valley. The San Juan Inn in Mexican Hat, Utah.

That following year I organized a group roadtrip, from which my Internet nickname came. As I made various reservations I would mail out itinerary info to my fellow roadtrippers, calling the mailing "Durango Dean's Wild West Adventure Tour" or something like that.

This trip began with four days of houseboating on Lake Powell, cruising all the way to Rainbow Bridge National Monument, then off the houseboat to the treacherous descent down the Moki Dugway, to the aforementioned town of Mexican Hat to stay at the San Juan Inn. Which had a wonderful restaurant, owned and operated by Navajo, where I learned I like Indian fry bread.

After Mexican Hat it was on to Monument Valley and the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, where I had booked us log cabins. This was in mid October of that year. During the night a blizzard blew in. By morning we were trapped, awaiting snow plows to clear the road. It was wonderful, one of my favorite experiences ever.

When we were able to leave it was on to Zion where we had rooms booked in the National Park lodge. We did a lot of hiking at Zion, but still no hike to Angel's Landing. After Zion it was on to Vegas for four days, then an overnight stay in cabins at Stovepipe Wells in Death Valley. That was also one special night. Best swimming pool ever.

I got a flat tire in Death Valley. That turned out to be added fun. After Death Valley it was time to head north, towards home, with a night in Mammoth Lakes, a quick detour into Yosemite, an overnight in Redding, and then home.

That was one fun roadtrip, slightly repeated five years later with a different cast of characters, though some were the same. Did not enjoy the houseboat so much that time. But the Moki Dugway and Mexican Hat were again fun. As was staying several days in Moab, mountain biking. After Moab part of the group headed back to Washington, whilst two vehicles, including mine, headed to Durango, then overnighting in the Imperial Hotel ( I think that was the name ) in Silverton. The high elevation was taxing. Enjoyed it immensely, particularly imbibing in the hotel's saloon. The next day the other vehicle, after heading north on the Million Dollar Highway, began its return to Washington, while I continued on through Colorado, eventually coming to the headwaters of the Rio Grande.

Overnighted that night in Taos. I want to go back to Taos. And would have by now if it were not for the COVID intervention which mucked up a Taos visit plan. After Taos it was south to Alamogordo, overnight. An event there at the National Space Museum turned highly entertaining. 

After Alamogordo is was on to White Sands National Monument, eventually overnighting in a scary border town called Douglas, across the border from Agua Preita in Mexico. Next day discovered Bisbee. Loved it. Then happened upon Tombstone when they were having their annual Hellorado Days Celebration. Weirdest parade I have ever seen. Loved it.

After Tombstone it was on to Yuma, a couple years before my mom and dad moved there. Had a mighty fine time crossing the border to Algadones, Mexico. And then it was time to head north, to Vegas, again, then Tonopah, then Reno, then back to Washington.

I miss taking a good long roadtrip. Some days I get feeling doing such things will never happen again.

I probably should take that wall calendar off the wall, what with its reminders of places seen and in need of being seen. So far, though only in March, I've been to the National Parks on the calendar. those being January was Grand Tetons National Park, February was Sequoia National Park.

Let me sneak a peak at April.

Yosemite National Park. 

I've only been to Yosemite three times. And have only overnighted there once, staying three days in a cabin at Camp Curry. Would love to do that again. Maybe not Camp Curry, but the National Park lodge instead. I forget its name, but it's a famous one, Ahwahnee, that's it...

Paragliding From Erie Mountain To Real Island On A Real Island

Saw that which you see above this morning via the You Know You're From Anacortes When...Facebook page.

In the center of the photo that is a paraglider gliding from Mount Erie. Anacortes is a few miles to the northwest of this location. The Skagit Valley and my old home zone of Mount Vernon is a few miles to the east, or left, in the photo.

For someone from Fort Worth, unfamiliar with such, those chunks of land surrounded by water are what are known as actual islands. Not imaginary islands created by digging a cement lined ditch and diverting polluted river water into the ditch. 

The water you see in the distance is saltwater, part of the north end of Puget Sound. The water you see with an island in it is Lake Campbell. A freshwater lake. Lake Campbell is on Fidalgo Island, which makes that island in Lake Campbell a rare instance of an island on an island.

That body of land you see in the upper right of the photo is Whidbey Island, accessed via the nearby Deception Pass Bridge, or via ferry boat at two locations further south on Whidbey Island.

Fort Worth's imaginary island, if it ever sees that cement lined ditch successfully dug, will not need a ferry to access it. Access will be via three pitiful bridges, built over dry land, which have been stuck in slow motion construction mode, with an ever shifting project timeline, ever since 2014, with an, even then, astonishing four year project timeline.

That aforementioned Deception Pass Bridge, built almost a century ago, over actual deep, fast moving water, was built in less than a year. An actual feat of difficult engineering resulting in an actual iconic signature bridge.

Way back in October of 2014, about the time Fort Worth has itself a TNT exploding ceremony to mark the start of construction of its three little bridges being built over dry land, we blogged Washington's Deception Pass Bridge Took A Deceptively Short Time To Build. 

Who would have thought, way back then, in 2014, that in 2021 we would still be talking about those unfinished Fort Worth bridges being built over dry land? And that those responsible for this fiasco have not lost their jobs...

Rock & Rolling The Circle Trail

I was back in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area area today, parking on the parking lot at Loop 11 and the Circle Trail. That location is east of the actual Wichita Bluff Nature Area, but is in the area of the Nature Area, about a half mile east of the arch one passes under to enter the actual Nature Area.

I got myself a music playing device yesterday. It's been years since I last had radio headphones which kept me entertained whilst mountain biking. When those old radio headphones broke I was unable to find a suitable replacement, as such devices had fallen out of favor, replaced by pods and earbuds.

And then yesterday whilst perusing electronic devices at Walmart, I saw a newfangled version of my old radio headphones, with this newfangled version being a little thing attached to a cord with earbuds at its end. This new device was easy to program with dozens of preset stations, both AM and FM.

And so today I rock and rolled while walking on the Circle Trail.

That photo you see at the top was taken near that aforementioned parking lot at Loop 11 and the Circle Trail. I think the tall grass makes for interesting foliage.

 Before I headed west on the Circle Trail, I headed east to check out the current state of the Circle Trail extension which soon, hopefully, will extend all the way to Lucy Park. Much progress has occurred since I was at this location a couple weeks ago.

I was slightly overdressed for today's hiking. Yesterday I had the opposite problem. It is hard to determine what level of layering is needed when factoring in the chilling effect of a constant wind with blustery gusts.

Yesterday the wind made for a chilly outdoor experience. Today, the same temperature, with no wind, made for overheating due to being overdressed without the chilling wind.

If it warms up enough I think I will take my new music playing device on a bike ride later today. I need to amp up the exercise in order to get rid of the COVID poundage before I venture north in a couple months...