Bike Riding With Dozens Of Goslings In Sikes Lake

Rolled my bike to Sikes Lake this second Saturday of the 2021 version of May. A couple days ago I was at this location and saw a few dozen goslings being herded across the paved trail, heading to the lake. Walkers and bikers stopped to watch and not interrupt the passage. 

The guardian geese get quite aggressive with their protecting the babies duty. You get a warning hiss noise with a tongue stuck out and wagging. I have not pressed the issue far enough to see what happens if one presses forward toward the hissing tongue.

I have been goosed by a goose before. I believe that is the correct term indicating being bitten by an angry goose. It is painful. It happened to me in a raspberry patch in Washington when I was a pre-teenager. 

The temperature was in the mid 80s whilst biking. The wind blew strong from the south. So strong it made for slow going in the lowest gear when heading home via the Circle Trail.

I saw a lot of golfers golfing on the golf course east side of Holliday Creek. How does one golf when the wind is blowing 30 miles per hour, with gusts?

In Cabo San Lucas With Latest Addition To Extended Jones Family

That is my Favorite Nephew Christopher you see above, with his newly wed wife, my Favorite Niece-in-Law Carissa.

Christopher and Carissa are in the Weston branch of the Jones Family, located in Arizona.

The nuptials took place May 1 at a location in Cabo San Lucas called the Garza Blanca Resort.

As you can see, via the photo documentation above, attendees to the wedding were required to be attired in earth tones. 

Via additional photo documentation it appears Christopher's younger brother, my Favorite Nephew Jeremy, was his usual rebel self and did not follow the earth tone edict.

Then again, I may be wrong, and blue is an earth tone. 

That is Jeremy, in blue, and his older brother, Christopher, in earth tones, kissing their mother, my Little Sister Jackie, who is also known as my Favorite Jackie Sister.

I know the name of Jackie's earth tone is Champagne. I know this because Jackie told me such. 

This is the first time I was not able to attend the wedding of one of my nephews. This was the first nephew wedding which did not take place in the United States.

I just remembered, I also did not attend my Favorite Nephew Joey's wedding. But that one does not count because I was not invited, because Joey and Monique eloped. At least that is what I was told. Joey and Monique got married in Montana, which is in the United States, and so attending those nuptials would not have required a passport.

That and the Joey/Monique nuptials took place prior to the COVID nightmare.

COVID made flying to Cabo a more difficult wedding to attend, in addition to needing a passport.

I can not help but wonder which nephew wedding is up next. Jason 2.0? Jeremy? David? Theo?

If Vegas were taking odds I would bet on Theo's being the next nephew wedding to take place, hopefully somewhere in the United States, well after COVID has faded into history....

Way Back To 1989 With Jason & Joey

Yesterday on Facebook I saw a photo posted by my Favorite Ex-Sister-in-Law, Cindy. 

Cindy is Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's Grandma. 

Which would make Grandma Cindy Jason and Joey's maternal parental unit.

The photo was of the group sort, a collection of baseballers assembled for some sort of baseball thing at Lake Padden in Bellingham.

Bellingham is the last semi-big town one drives through on I-5 before reaching the border with Canada.

Lake Padden Park is of the sort I really do not see much of in Texas. As in a city park which is HUGE, with multiple amenities. Miles of trails, some quite challenging. Excellent swimming. Multiple playfields for various sports. Amenities like modern restrooms and water running out of a faucet. This park can get a bit overwhelmed on a HOT summer day. When I lived in Washington I frequented Lake Padden frequently.

And this is not even Bellingham's only big park. Whatcom Falls Park is a scenic wonderland the likes of which do not exist at my current location. Again, miles of trails, a swimming hole like something out of a a movie.

Think Blue Lagoon without palm trees.

But containing a forest of big old growth evergreen trees...

Anyway, back to Jason & Joey. The photo above, cropped from a larger photo, was taken in 1989. That is Jason on the left, making that Jason's little brother, Joey, on the right.

Cindy remarked, in a comment on this post, that this year, the 1989 young version of Jason turns 42.

Turns 42, with a kid, Spencer Jack, older than Jason was in 1989.

The rapid passage of time really is not for the faint hearted...

Way Back Machine To 2014 TRWD Mary Kelleher Censure Scandal Protest

Last night my phone chirped with a text message from an inquiring mind inquiring if I could find photos of the time the TRWD (Tarrant Region Water District) Board made a spectacle of itself censuring Mary Kelleher. This resulted in a near riot of protesters inside and outside the TRWD's palatial headquarters on the Trinity River.

To find the requested protest photos I went to this blog you are reading right now and entered "Mary Kelleher Protest" into the search tool.

This brought up multiple posts on the subject, with the latest one being from July 4, 2014, titled Mary Kelleher Has Had Enough Of The TRWD's Jim Oliver's Attempts To Bully, Intimidate And Harass Public Officials. You see part of that blog post screen capped at the top.

Jim Oliver was the Executive Dictator of the TRWD during Mary Kelleher's first term on the TRWD Board. As the title says, Jim Oliver acted like a bully, one with what is known as typical of Little Man Syndrome. Men with Little Man Syndrome are intimated by a woman like Mary Kelleher.

Jim Oliver will not be a problem for Mary Kelleher this time around serving on the TRWD Board.

The blog post with the protest photos was from the day Mary Kelleher was censured, April 29, 2014.

You can go to the A Packed Meeting Room With Protesters Outside Greets TRWD Board Mary Kelleher Censure Hearing post (screen capped above) and see an additional photo of this protest.

I was surprised to see this took place way back in 2014. It seems so recent, as in not way back seven years ago.

I do not remember why I did not go to this protest. I recollect there was a good reason at the time, but I forget what it was.

This time around I suspect if Mary Kelleher chooses to talk to the press about some frustration she is having over trying to obtain some TRWD documents she will not be censured by the other members of the TRWD Board...

Isn't Fort Worth One Of The 15 Most Beautiful Cities In America?

Of late I have found myself watching a lot of YouTube. Watching not via a browser on my computer, but via ROKU streaming on my TV. 

Last night among the YouTube videos I watched was one titled "15 Most Beautiful Cities in America."

Such lists are always subjective, what with there being no data criteria which might make such a list some sort of scientific certainty.

This particular list of 15 seems particularly goofy. Watch the video and listen closely to the narrator's description of St. Augustine, Florida, for an example of goofy.

I have been to many of these 15 cities, including #12, Bozeman, Montana. I have passed through that town a number of times. I remember nothing about it, other than one time stopping at a Burger King to clean off all the bugs which had hit my windshield to a degree which had greatly diminished visibility.

There are three west coast cities on this list of 15. I have been to all the cities on the west coast. This video has one of those west coast cities as being the #1 Most Beautiful. You will have to watch the video below to see which town is #1.

I will just say I was surprised San Francisco was not one of those 3 west coast cities on the list. I will also just say that in my subjective opinion the two most beautiful cities on the west coast are San Francisco and Seattle. 

I would add the north of Seattle version of Vancouver, but, even though that town is on the west coast, it is not in America.

There is one Texas town on this list of 15.

No, it isn't Fort Worth.

I wonder what Fort Worth natives think who seldom leave their town, even to go to Dallas, let alone leave Texas, who are subjected to the local propaganda about Fort Worth from dubious sources, like the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which will report to its readers that some ordinary thing in Fort Worth is making towns far and wide green with envy.

Do those Fort Worth natives who read the propaganda about their town find it perplexing that their town is never on a list of this Most Beautiful Cities sort?

Well, there was that time, early this century, when a Washington, D.C. lobbying group had Fort Worth on a list of 10 most livable cities, due to something to do with the urban village concept. Fort Worth had a city wide celebration to celebrate this amazing accolade. I am not making that up. It is true.

A few months after Fort Worth made towns far and wide green with envy due to being on this list I had reason to have lunch with the Deputy Mayor of Tacoma. Tacoma was also on this list of 10 most livable cities. Tacoma has clearly defined urban villages, so awarding this award to Tacoma I could understand. I have never understood where Fort Worth's urban villages are. 

Anyway, I asked the Tacoma Deputy Mayor if Tacoma had a city wide celebration after winning this prestigious award. He laughed and said no, we did not, we sent a thank you letter and that was the end of it. I then told him Fort Worth had a city wide celebration. You must be making that up, he said in reply. Nope, that really happened. How embarrassing the Deputy Mayor said in reply.

Yup, said I, Fort Worth has a way of embarrassing itself like that.

This was well before the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and the Fort Worth Cabela's is gonna be the top tourist attraction in Texas embarrassments.

Til moving to Texas and being exposed to Fort Worth, I did not know a town could be green with envy about something.

Watch the video to see which Texas town is the Most Beautiful. I would have picked Austin or San Antonio.

Water Roaring Over Lake Wichita Falls

With a strong wind blowing from the north today seemed a good day to roll south on the Circle Trail.

Having a windy assist makes for a speedy bike ride, til the part of the ride comes to head the other direction, into the wind.

Last week's rain had Holliday Creek running more water by my abode than I remember seeing after any previous rainstorms. It's been several day and there is still a lot of water making its way to the Wichita River and spilling over Lake Wichita Falls.

As you can see via the above photo documentation, my bike's handlebars are aimed at the current biggest loudest actual waterfall in Wichita Falls.

And just as is the case with the intermittently off and on fake falls which Wichita Falls is not named after, this current Lake Wichita Falls waterfall will soon dry up to return to its regular state of being a water-free dam spillway.

I have never eye witnessed Niagara Falls. The biggest waterfall I have ever experienced is Snoqualmie Falls, in Washington, a short distance east of Seattle. If you were, or are, a Twin Peaks fan, you have seen Snoqualmie Falls.

When Western Washington gets a lot of rain, and especially in winter if a Pineapple Express blows in with warm temperatures causing the Cascade snowpack to melt, well, serious flooding then happens to the Western Washington rivers, including the Snoqualmie River. 

And when that happens Snoqualmie Falls becomes an awesome thing to witness. Even though the Snoqualmie Falls viewing lookout is a long distance from the waterfall you can feel the ground shaking from the force of the falls. A mist makes it hard to see the falls from the lookout when it is in flood mode.

I just remembered Nooksack Falls. Another spectacular Washington waterfall. You sort of see that one from above, but can climb down the side of it. This is a bit scary. More than once someone has fallen over Nooksack Falls to their demise. 

Oh, just remembered I have also seen the waterfalls in Yosemite National Park, in the spring, when the snowmelt makes for high water and the waterfalls in Yosemite at their most spectacular. But, none reached the ground shaking power of Snoqualmie Falls when flooding.

I don't know what has got me on waterfalls today. Oh, yeah, because I saw Lake Wichita Falls in somewhat rare dribble mode...

Mary Kelleher Wins Back TRWD Board Seat

Above you are looking at Mary Kelleher, on the right. On the left is the D/FW legend known, by some, as Elsie Hotpepper.

It seems like a long time ago I was hiking in Fort Worth's Gateway Park when the infamous Elsie Hotpepper called me whilst she was being in thrilled and happy mode, due to having met with someone with serious Fort Worth flood issues who had agreed to run for a seat on the Tarrant Region Water District Board.

That someone was Mary Kelleher.

In that water board election Mary Kelleher won in a landslide, with what, at that point in time, was the most votes any water board candidate had ever received.

What followed was a tumultuous four years as Mary Kelleher tried to bring to light that which the TRWD had kept hidden in the dark, for years.

Mary Kelleher was frequently blocked in multiple ways. Denied an entry key to TRWD headquarters. Not allowed in the 'secret room' where the longtime board members met. Denied requested information.

Eventually Mary Kelleher was censured by the TRWD Board. A ridiculous attempt to shut her up which resulted in a big throng of protesters bringing shame to those who tried to intimidate Mary Kelleher into going along with the shenanigans she had vowed to put to a stop.

Things like the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, which had, even then, way back years ago, become an obviously idiotic, ineptly managed, slow motion boondoggle doing damage to the heart of Fort Worth.

Damage such as three simple little bridges being built over dry land, ever since 2014, causing traffic disruption, ruining businesses, stealing property by abusing the perfectly legal, if properly used, concept of eminent domain.

The Trinity River Vision was sold as a vitally needed flood control/economic development scheme.

Where there had been no flooding for well over half a century. With the economic benefit going to those who owned property in the area of the scheme.

And yet this vitally needed flood control scheme is actually so vitally un-needed that the project has limped along the length of this new century, with nothing done regarding the imaginary flood control problem.

While Mary Kelleher's east Fort Worth neighborhood regularly floods, due to Fort Worth's criminally inept urban planning. 

When Mary Kelleher ran for re-election, she lost, in what seemed to be an actual obvious fraudulent election. With that obviousness leading to a investigation by the state which resulted in a few low level perpetrators being held to account, but with the actual fraud perpetrators left untouched.

And now, another four years later. Or is it eight? Time flies so fast. Mary Kelleher is back on the TRWD Board. 

The next four years should be interesting for Fort Worth.

The times they are a'changing...

Meet The Newest Member Of The Extended Jones Family: Nyjah Kaiholo Scott Mande

What you see here is the latest addition to the extended Jones Family, with his big brother, Izaiah.

The latest extended Jones Family addition is named Nyjah Kaiholo Scott Mande. 

Born on March 12, 2021 in the state of Hawaii.

On the island of Maui.

Currently at home in the Maui town called Haiku.

I do not know how to pronounce the newborn's first two names. But I do know how to pronounce his third name.

Scott.

Scott is my eldest cousin, and the grandfather of the newborn. Scott is the eldest of my dad's big sister's two kids, the matriarch of the extended Jones Family, Aunt Arlene.

In addition to Scott Mande being cousin Scott's first grandkid, he is also Aunt Arlene's first great grandchild.

The last time I saw the new Scott's mama, Olivia, was way back on July 27, 2002, at the fairgrounds in Lynden, Washington, where I was attending the biggest family reunion in Jones Family history.

Some people prefer the Dutch spelling of Jones, which has a lot more letters, and is difficult for some to pronounce, with that Dutch spelling being Slotemaker.

And now for some more cuteness overload.

That would be the new Scott's other big brother, Izaak, holding him.

There are currently plans afoot to fly to Hawaii if this COVID nightmare ever abates sufficiently to make doing so a pleasant experience. I'm sure if that happens we will make it to Maui and meet the new Scott, his brothers, and mom and pop.

That and drive the Hana Highway to its end...

Once Again Homesick For Skagit Tulips With A Fidalgo Drive-In Blackberry Milkshake

It has been a day or two since I have seen something somewhere which has made me feel somewhat homesick for my long ago location of the Puget Sound region of Washington state. 

Specifically, the Skagit Valley.

What you see above was seen this final Friday morning of the 2021 version of April, on Facebook, via a posting on the "You know you're from Anacortes when..." page.

Anacortes is a town on Fidalgo Island, west of the Skagit Valley, and the location of my Favorite Nephew Jason and Spencer Jack's Fidalgo Drive-In, home of the best hamburgers and blackberry milkshakes in Washington.

But, if you are in the Seattle zone, around 60 miles south of the one and only Fidalgo Drive-In, a Dick's Deluxe from one of the Dick's Drive-Ins would suffice as another best hamburger in Washington.

But, you can not get a blackberry milkshake at Dick's. Only vanilla, chocolate or strawberry.

A while back I was in ALDI talking to one of the ALDI regulars. She being a lifelong Texan and longtime Wichita Falls resident. She had recently flown to Seattle for her first time visit to the west coast. She told me it was..."just mesmerizing, no matter which direction she looked there were mountains."

"Living here," she said, "you get to thinking the entire world is flat, never seeing anything on the horizon."

So true. When I go a few years before a return to the west coast, being acclimated to scenery sparse Texas, it is a bit overwhelming being back where most everywhere you look what you see is aesthetically pleasing.

Except for the jarring part of Seattle. As in the bizarre homeless situation, with tent encampments lining I-5 as you drive through downtown Seattle.

Sister Jackie, recently returned to Arizona from a Washington visit, told me it has gotten much worse in Seattle with the homeless situation.

The weather at my current location has improved. Perhaps enough so that a bike ride might be possible. Maybe I'll roll my wheels to the one and only local mountain, the mound of dirt known as Mount Wichita...

Biden Gives Masterful Speech To Congress & America While Weather Interrupts & Ted Cruz Falls Asleep

After more than four years of enduring the world's worst American embarrassment, it was so nice, last night, to have what, despite many things not being normal, felt normal, back having an empathetic sentient human being being the American President and Leader of the Free World.

And, if after last night's masterful speech, the idiot right wing nut jobs keep trying to sell the nonsense that Biden is senile, well, to us actual empathetic, sentient human beings, it is the idiot right wing nut jobs who seem senile.

One example of such, last night, was Texas embarrassment, Rafael Edwardo Cruz, who kept nodding off during the speech. 

The only thing jarring to me about last night's speech had nothing to do with Biden. It had to do with the fact I chose to watch via local CBS.

Over and over and over and over again a loud series of beeps would interrupt Biden, following by a screen crawl, which you see photo documented above.

Over and over and over and over again, during the entire hour plus, this was repeated, a National Weather Service warning that a Severe Thunderstorm has happening somewhere in the local CBS's coverage area.

Along with these repeating interruption, that same info was on the screen, all the time, via the graphic you see at the upper left.

Since I have been in Texas it has long annoyed me the way these weather emergency interruptions happen. It seems so unnecessary to interrupt with either a series of beeps, or to go live to the local weatherman in full weather drama queen mode pointing out Doppler Radar indicating a storm cell which might turn into a tornado.

If the weather at ones location has turned dramatic it is usually quite obvious, as you see lightning striking, hear thunder booming, feel big balls of hail hitting the roof and a strong wind rattling the windows.

At my location I pick up around 40 stations over the air. I know not all of them go into interrupt mode when dire weather is in the air. So, those watching TV on one of those stations must just be flat out of luck, not getting these repetitive weather warnings when a storm is in the neighborhood.

Or if you are watching something on HBO, Netflix, Amazon Prime or any other streaming channel.

Lat night, after the 5th or 6th time Biden was interrupted by screeching beeps, I considered switching to CBS or ABC streaming, via ROKU. But that would take a little time to switch. So, instead I turned on 'captions' so I could read what Biden was saying while the weather warning was beeping.

Now, I have had made mention previously regarding finding these weather interruptions to be annoying, particularly when I lived in the D/FW zone and this weatherman named Pete Delkus would act so excited about a possible rotating cell, repeating himself over and over and over again.

I have had it mentioned to me that these weather reports are needed to save lives, because this is tornado country. I have never had it explained to me what data shows such is the case. Like I already said, if one is home, watching TV, one is likely quite aware of the weather situation occurring in the neighborhood.

And, if it gets real dire, these things called tornado sirens go off, letting one know that danger has arrived.

Maybe it is the fact that the majority of my time on the planet, experiencing weather and watching TV, has been in the Pacific Northwest. Where tornadoes are extremely rare.

But thunderstorms, windstorms and heavy rain does happen.

I do not remember the local tv stations going into interrupt mode, of any sort, due to a possible severe thunderstorm developing at some location in the Puget Sound zone.

Now, if something like an earthquake happens, yes, local TV goes live. And one watching TV at the time is happy such happens, due to wanting to know where the earthquake is centered, and how bad the damage is.

Or when a volcano erupts. One hears loud booms, wonders what is making that explosive noise, and then turns to TV to see what happened.

Now, my one and only time being near an exploding volcano I was in a bathtub the morning Mount St. Helens erupted. I heard three concussive booms. About 15 minutes later the next door neighbor came over to make sure we knew the mountain had blown. We did not, til then. Turned on the TV to watch almost nonstop, for hours upon hours, as the disaster unfolded.

Well, enough of that weather interruption. 

In less than a year, I hope, we will see Biden once again addressing Congress, in a State of the Union speech, hopefully to a full chamber, with no one wearing masks...