A Sikes Lake Late Afternoon Thunderstorm Drenching

Late yesterday afternoon I rolled out under a threatening sky and had my bike take me to Sikes Lake. Those clouds you see on the west side of the lake were sparking lightning bolts, along with a constant drumbeat of thunder.

To the left of my handlebars, also known as south, there was a massive gray wall of clouds. I figured I could get in a bike ride before any of these cloud formations made it to my location.

I figured wrong.

The second time around Sikes Lake I started feeling water. I thought it was my water bottle splashing, with the wind carrying the splash and hitting me.

I thought wrong.

Soon there was no denying that I was being pelted by big raindrops. I switched modes to making a beeline for home mode, pedaling as fast as I can.

When I started pedaling fast I was a little under two miles from being under cover.

I was pretty much soaking wet by the time I made it to that aforementioned under cover location.

Today a heavy thunderstorm is predicted for this afternoon. I think I will go hiking the Wichita Bluff Nature Area this morning...

First Fall Hiking The Lucy Park Jungle

With the outer world chilled to a comfortable temperature I thought a hike in Lucy Park would be salubrious today. This is the time of year when it begins being appealing to do such. I suspect I shall be hiking the Wichita Bluff Natural Area this week, as well.

Above you are looking at the Lucy Park suspension bridge which crosses the Wichita River. When I got to this location an elderly couple with wild big white hair was slowly crossing. I knew they would not appreciate me getting on the bridge whilst they were trying to cross, because it is impossible to stop the bridge from swaying. 

As I howdy-ed the pair, as they finally got back to land, both cautioned me to tread lightly because some of the planks look ready to fail. When I crossed the planks did look a little more tired than they have looked previously.

Continuing on.

Off the suspension bridge, halfway between the bridge and the Lucy Park log cabin, I saw the interesting looking foliage you see above. I like the varied collection of trees which grow in Lucy Park.

Changing the subject back to the weather. Today blue sky has returned. Yesterday the blue sky left right on schedule, replaced by angry looking thunder clouds. Eventually, around the time the sun ceased illuminating, a brief thunderstorm erupted, along with what I thought were the tornado sirens.

I could hear rumbling in the distance, but no flashes. And then suddenly there was an explosively bright thunderbolt, with an equally explosive BOOM, simultaneous with the flash, meaning the lightning bolt struck real close.

Not much rain fell. By morning the outer world was mostly dry. And I saw no sign of where that lightning bolt struck earth. 

More storming is on the menu for this afternoon.

Seven Day Forecast Of Sort Not Seen For Months

Looks like we are heading into a week of wet and thunder booms. And a pleasant drop in temperature. It has been a long streak with no rain. Looking out my window at Holliday Creek, it is a trickle.

I get to drive an elderly person to a doctor's appointment this afternoon, right when the strong afternoon thunderstorm is scheduled to arrive. I suspect I won't be needing to run the air conditioner whilst waiting in the parking lot.

So far, looking out the window, I only see blue sky, no clouds...

Happy Belated Birthday Grandpa Jake & Hank Frank

I was distracted yesterday, I guess, and forgot to text Happy Birthday to my little brother and his littlest grandson, Hank Frank.

Hank Frank was brother Jake's birthday present three years ago yesterday. And Jake got to be up in Washington when his birthday present was opened, I mean, born.

I thought I was going to get to meet Hank Frank, and his mother, for the first time two summer's ago, but COVID intervened. I thought for sure I would get to meet Hank Frank, and his mother, the summer which just had its closing, but COVID was still intervening.

I was in the parking lot of the Beach Street Walmart in Fort Worth when I got a call telling me about the arrival of Hank Frank. I do not remember who called me. 

I think I am likely the only one of Hank Frank's Great Uncles and Aunts who have not yet met him. Though I do not recollect sister Michele mentioning seeing Hank Frank. Sister Jackie had a great time meeting Hank Frank and his mom, Monique. 

Anyway, I hope brother Jake and Hank Frank had themselves a mighty fine time on their Happy Birthdays!

UPDATE: Hank Frank's dad, Joey, sent my phone a picture of Hank Frank's birthday party. A party Hank Frank's grandma, my Favorite Ex-Sister-In-Law, Cindy, flew home from Italy, just to be there. I was not invited. I was always invited to all Hank Frank's dad's birthday parties...

Google Takes Me Back In Time Down Memory Lane

For a few months now, once a month, Google emails me an email, part of which is what you see above. The subject line in the email this month says, "On this day September 26 look back at your memories from this day."

Sometimes I do not remember the memory, or the date of that memory. In today's memory of this day of September 26 I definitely know this memory is not accurate. It is the photo on the lower left which I know exactly what date that photo was taken.

August 11, 2001, one more before that date which will live on in infamy, 9/11. 

I had driven solo back to Washington for my mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party. No one but two of my nephews knew I was doing this. I believe this may have been the last time all my siblings were together at the same location.

Nope, just remembered we were all present at nephew Jason's first wedding five years later.

In the photo from August 11, 2001 me and my siblings are lined up chronologically. The eldest, me, is on the left, next to little brother Jake, then big sister Clancy, second biggest sister Jackie and little sister Michele. I do not know why Michele is the tallest in this photo. In front of us, sitting, dad, mom and grandma Vera, my mom's mom.

As for the other photos.

The upper left is the pasture and pond at my first Texas location in the little town of Haslet, a suburb of Fort Worth.

The upper right looks to be the Paramount Theater in Seattle. Why I would have taken this picture I do know. I have no memory of having done so.

Under the Paramount Theater is my dad holding the aforementioned big sister Clancy, when she was still little and called Nancy. Next to dad that would be me, with little brother Jake on the left. 

At the bottom right that would be me, sitting on some sort of barrel. Possibly at the Fort Worth Stockyards, but I really have no memory of this.

So there you have it, a trip down memory lane, some of which I remember...

Hannah Hornblower Finds Fort Worth's Missing Beer Guzzling Frat Boy

A couple days ago a chorus of boos erupted in Fort Worth when Kay Granger's son, J.D. Granger, former Executive Director of America's Biggest Boondoggle, before being transferred to a new position where he could not so easily do damage, but still paid well over $200,000 a year, plus perks, failed to appear at a critical meeting of the Trinity River Vision Authority Board.

Yes, that is a run on sentence. I like a good run on sentence. I hope you got the gist of that run on sentence. J.D. Granger, Fort Worth's notorious perpetual Frat Boy, failed to show up at a critical TRVA meeting. This is not the first time J.D. has wimped out on appearing at a meeting.

I was at one where that happened, with someone in the crowd famously calling J.D. a gutless wonder.

Hannah Hornblower, however, was able to find out why J.D. was not at the TRVA meeting. He had more important things to do. We have long known of J.D. Granger's fondness for beer, famously promoting his sudsy fondness with his kids, cheering for beer and going nuts for runner's butts.

And Hannah Hornblower has photo documented for us what J.D. Granger was doing instead of attending a TRVA Board meeting. 

He was drinking beer, helping drain a keg at some location Hannah failed to identify for us.

That is J.D. grinning at the upper right of the above photo. It looks like he had a lot of people cheering for beer with him.

Will the Granger madness never end? A lot of inquiring minds want to know...

Neon Green Stop At Dry Hamilton Park Doctor's Splash Pad

I think I remember mentioning I got myself a long sleeved t-shirt the same color as my backup bike.

I do not know what the name of this particular color is. Neon green, maybe?

This morning the bike took me north on the Circle Trail.

Since the Hamilton Park Doctor's Splash Pad opened this may have been the first time I have been at this location with no one splashing.

So, I rolled onto the dry splash pad, dismounted the bike and proceeded to try and take a selfie photo in which both my neon green t-shirt and neon green bike showed up.

In bright sun I can not see what is on the phone's screen with any reasonable degree of clarity. So, I snap a dozen pics hoping I get one aimed right. The above is as good as I got.

I've taken to wearing a bike helmet after not doing so for a long long time. A month or so ago someone who was a classmate of mine all the way from grade school through college fell off his scooter, resulting in a bad forehead gash. I saw that and thought that might not have been so bad had a helmet been in play.

So, I got out my old bike helmet, which never felt comfortable, wore it for one ride, got back to my computer and went to Amazon to order a new one, which is what you see on my noggin above. Bike helmets have greatly improved since that old one I bought late in the last century. This new one is so light I don't even notice it. Padding inside the helmet make it comfortable. And multiple vents keep my hot head cool.

I like things which keep my hot head cool...

First Day Of Fall Chilly Bike Ride To Mount Wichita

This is being the strangest start of a new season I can remember. A couple days ago we hit 103 degrees for one of the few times the temperature went over 100 this summer. I think my old Washington home zone had more days over 100. 

And now, today, on the first day of Fall, the temperature was in the low 50s when the sun arrived this morning. My interior space is currently 76 degrees, naturally air-conditioned. The un-natural air-conditioner has not run since yesterday.

I took off about an hour before noon, with the temperature 70, and let my bike roll me to Lake Wichita. It was a chilly ride. No wind for additional chilling. A dead calm day. My bike stopped at Mount Wichita so I could take a picture of its current condition. 

It won't belong before Mount Wichita is snow covered and ski season can begin.

See the green color of my bike? Yesterday I got myself a long sleeved t-shirt in that same color. First time I have ever been color coordinated with a bike.

Continuing on my bike took me on a side spur off the Circle Trail to an overlook.

The overlook looks over the Lake Wichita Bayou. A vast marsh with a wide variety of foliage. I have seen deer come out of this bayou, but no snakes or alligators.

A few days ago I saw on Facebook an Elsie Hotpepper post where the Hotpepper was lamenting that she wished she could talk to Clyde. I thought of this when I got a call from Clyde this morning. I am fairly certain this was not the same sort of Clyde call Elsie was wishing for.

With the temperature dropping so precipitously it bodes not well for the coming Winter. I don't think Texas has done anything to improve the state's power grid.

The Texas governor has been focusing on building that wall on the border. Only the new version is not a wall in the usual sense. It is a line of vehicles which goes on for miles. 

From the Washington Post, an overview of the new Texas border wall...

Recovered Ruby Helping Theo Dam Puget Sound Tide

Good news from Washington. Ruby is feeling much better. The above photo arrived on my phone last night with the following message...

"We got some fresh air last night. Kids and I feel fine. You can't really see it in the photo, but Theo constructed a little dam and moat in between the logs and we had to wait for the tide to fill it in. He always finds a way to fight with the tide!"

I had myself a might fine time fighting the tide with Theo way back in August of 2017, at Birch Bay in Washington, a few miles south of the border with Canada.

Last year, after the COVID nightmare began Theo sent me a card on which he wrote a message. I use this card as my bookmark. The message from Theo on the card...

"When COVID 19 is over I want you to come over to build a sand castle. Theo." 

I'll snap a picture of Theo's card...

David and Ruby also sent me cards with notes at the same time Theo did. I have them saved as well. But, currently can not remember where I put them.

The Tacoma Trio and their parental units are currently not staying in their Tacoma home. The kitchen is being remodeled, so whilst that is going on they are staying at their cabin on Harstine Island, which is a real island connected to the mainland by a real bridge built over actual water.

Finding Dad's Big Halibut Catch With Mom & Mr. Lee

Yesterday when I blogged about The CATCH For Linda Lou's Seafood In Wichita Falls I made mention of the fact my dad once caught a really big halibut, and that I would see if I could find photo documentation of that big catch. Which I proceeded to do. Which is what you see above. 

I do not remember what newspaper the above article was in. Most likely the Bellingham Herald or Lynden Tribune. Or, maybe, the Skagit Valley Herald.

Whatever newspaper, the article has an error or two. It has my dad being from Mount Vernon.

No.

Mom and dad were living in Burlington when that big fish was caught, and had been in that Skagit town for years.

The article has my dad being a former Lynden resident. I don't think dad ever lived in Lynden. Nooksack and Sumas would be more accurate. Dad was a Nooksack High School basketball star, which is how he first came to mom's attention, as she cheered for her Lynden High School basketball team playing Nooksack.

Eventually my dad's mom moved to Lynden, one block from my mom's mom. Making it easy to go from one grandma to the other whilst visiting Lynden.

The article mentions my dad catching the halibut with a 35 year old pole made by the late Cornie Slotemaker of Lynden.

Cornie was my dad's dad. Also known as my grandpa. He died before I was born. It is only in this article I have seen my grandpa called Cornie. His name was Cornelius. This was supposed to be my name. The family convention, going back to generations in Holland, was the eldest son of the eldest son rotated the name John (Jan in Dutch) and Cornelius. 

But mom and dad were totally Americanized by the time I was born and so rebelled at naming their eldest son Cornelius. And then I further disrupted the family convention by refusing to reproduce, and thus having no son to name John. As a further example of my mom and dad's rebelliousness, they named their second born son John. It's a wonder we were not ostracized from the greater Jones clan.

This article also has Cornie living in Lynden. Maybe he did. But I don't think so. Grandpa Cornie's mom, my great grandma Tillie, did live in Lynden, when I knew her.

Standing with my mom and dad and the halibut is the pseudo grandpa I knew as Mr. Lee. As in Lee Huntley, my mom's mom's third husband. I liked Mr. Lee. For my little sister, Michele, Mr. Lee was the only grandpa she ever knew. 

And since we have been talking about my grandpa Cornie, I found a photo of him with a big fish too.

That is a sturgeon, caught in the Nooksack River. Grandpa Cornie was a super fisherman. He passed on his fishing skills to my dad. And then the fishing skills skipped a generation til my Favorite Nephew Joey inherited it.

I believe Joey also now has that fishing pole his great grandpa Cornie made a long long time ago. 

I suspect Joey will be passing the fishing skills thing on to Hank Frank. The process may already have begun...