Lucy Park was the destination today for communing with nature on this 4th Saturday of the 2021 version of October.
This 4th Saturday of October is being a HOT one. The A/C is back running again, after a multi-day rest.
Meanwhile out west and up north the Pacific coast is bracing for a Bomb Cyclone, which is expected to blow wind at a hurricane level whilst dropping water like a river from the sky.
I have heard from a few Washingtonians today. All are saying they are ready for what is coming. Hatches are all battened. Back up lighting ready.
I am getting real good at taking a selfie photo, don't you think?
Behind me that is the Lucy Park Japanese Pagoda.
Today the Pagoda appeared to be blowing smoke out its top.
I have made mention of the Lucy Park Pagoda before, asking if anyone knows the story behind its existence. I have not received an answer.
I got an email this morning suggesting I go visit Hawaii. I like that suggestion...
My bike rolled me around a dozen miles this morning. Perfect temperature for pleasant bike riding.
Eventually we rolled to the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus, where we stopped to take a picture of the annual arrival of the Christmas installation known as the Festival of Light.
I think I am remembering that name correctly.
It takes awhile to set up this massive installation, hence beginning well before Halloween.
And so it begins, the annual return of the Holiday Season. We now fast track through Halloween, then Thanksgiving, speeding towards Christmas and then New Year's Day.
Never has been my favorite time of the year.
But, I have already almost completed all my Christmas shopping...
I saw that which you see above, this morning, on Facebook, via a posting by Miss Beth of Sedro Woolley.
This view of Mount Baker is from the town of Conway, which is a few miles south of the town I moved to Texas from, Mount Vernon.
I was able to see Mount Baker from my kitchen window in Mount Vernon. I see nothing remotely resembling a mountain when I look out of my Texas kitchen window.
I remember the first time I saw the Rocky Mountains not being all that impressed. The Rocky Mountains did not seem as tall as the Washington, and other west coast, mountains. This perplexed me, because the elevation of many of the mountains in the Rocky Mountain range is higher than mountains in the Cascade Mountain range.
Then one day my simple mind realized why the Rocky Mountains did not look as tall as Washington mountains.
Conway, and Mount Vernon, and Sedro Woolley, and Burlington, and the rest of the Skagit Valley Flats are only a few feet above sea level. Mount Baker's elevation is 10,781 feet.
When you are in Denver you are about a mile above sea level. That cuts about 5,280 off the perceived height of the Rocky Mountains.
Mystery solved.
I hope today's Mount Baker photo activates Thelma McNutty's homesickness. A concerted effort has been underway to make Thelma homesick for Washington, so that she will return next summer after having been away from many things Washingtonian for around half a century...
This morning I was tasked with driving a senior citizen to one of his drug suppliers on the east side of town.
The location of the drug supplier is about a block south of O'Reilly Park.
At the west side of O'Reilly Park one finds the original falls on the Big Wichita River for which the city was named.
So, this particular senior citizen had never seen the original falls for which Wichita Falls was named, so after acquiring the drugs I drove to the O'Reilly Park parking lot to walk to Wichita Falls.
It is the Circle Trail one walks on to get to the falls. One begins hearing the roar of the falls before one sees the falls.
Yes, that which you see above is Wichita Falls. The river is running low enough to produce what look to be minor rapids at the location of the long ago, washed out by a flood, original Wichita Falls waterfall.
See that bridge crossing the river at the top left of the picture? Let's take a closer look.
I have no clue as to the purpose of this giant rock wall which is part of the bridge. This is a long abandoned bridge. There is a historical marker at the entry to the bridge explaining why it is historical. There is no easy way to get from the Circle Trail up to that historical marker.
I know I blogged about this bridge and the nearby Wee-Chi-Tah statue. I shall see if I can find those blog posts.
It seems of late that almost everywhere I hike or bike I come across rock formations such as the one I came across today whilst rolling around Sikes Lake, which is what you see the handlebars aimed at above.
Yesterday's hike on the Wichita Bluffs came across the tallest yet of these type rock formations.
Warm air has returned to the outer world at my location, thus allowing the return to shorts, which was nice after the recent temperature plummet forced me to hunt for sweatpants.
A new cold front is on the weather menu for tomorrow. I'm ready for it...
Today I returned to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area to go on a long hike. All the way from the western parking lot to the eastern parking lot and back. A roundtrip of around five miles. It has been awhile since I hiked this long a distance.
I don't know how well I would do these days, going on a real hike on a real mountain with a real elevation gain and a distance of 10 miles, or more.
I forgot to mention, as you can see above, the Wichita Bluff Nature Area Hoodoo Cairn has risen to an unprecedented height. Today the Hoodoo Cairn was being buffeted by a strong steady wind. With gusts.
Just to the right of the Hoodoo Cairn, behind that green bush tree, there was the splash of yellow you see below.
Are these sunflowers? They look like sunflowers. Whatever they are they were swaying in the wind, so much so I was surprised the photos I took were not all blurry.
Grasshoppers were out in force today. They can be a bit annoying. Multiple times today one hopped right at my face...
I did not realize, til Thelma McNutty suggested it yesterday, that the Skagit Valley's Linda Lou could possibly be the Linda Lou in the Lynyrd Skynryrd "Gimme Three Steps" song.
But, I really do not see how the Skagit Valley's Linda Lou could possibly be the Linda Lou in this Lynyrd Skynyrd song.
1973 was the year "Gimme Three Steps" was a hit. Linda Lou would have only been 19 years old. Maybe 20. Okay, I guess that possibly Linda Lou was old enough to possibly have been some sort of Lynyrd Skynyrd groupie and song inspiration.
The lyrics to "Gimme Three Steps" really don't make much mention of Linda Lou. Certainly not sufficient detail to make a clear identification (video below the lyrics)...
I was cutting the rug Down at place called The Jug With a girl named Linda Lou When in walked a man With a gun in his hand And he was looking for you know who He said, "Hey there, fellow With the hair colored yellow Whatcha tryin' to prove? 'Cause that's my woman there And I'm a man who cares And this might be all for you I said, excuse me
I was scared and fearing for my life I was shaking like a leaf on a tree 'Cause he was lean, mean Big and bad, Lord Pointin' that gun on me "Oh, wait a minute, mister I didn't even kiss her Don't want no trouble with you And I know you don't owe me But I wish you'd let me Ask one favor from you"
"Oh, won't you Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister Gimme three steps toward the door? Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister And you'll never see me no more"
For, sure
Well the crowd cleared away And I began to pray And the water fell on the floor And I'm telling you, son Well, it ain't no fun Staring straight down a forty-four Well, he turned and screamed at Linda Lou And that's the break I was looking for Well, you could hear me screaming a mile away I was headed out toward the door
"Oh, won't you Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister Gimme three steps toward the door? Gimme three steps, gimme three steps, mister And you'll never see me no more"
As you can clearly see I am getting way better at taking selfie photos with my phone.
The wispy clouds above me were wisping above Lucy Park this Sunday morning.
Dozens of disc golfers were spinning frisbees into wire traps.
I don't see why disc golfing is so popular. I also don't see why regular golfing is so popular.
If forced to choose one I think I would go with disc golfing.
Throwing a frisbee at a target looks like more fun than hitting a little ball with a stick trying to get the little ball into a little hole in the ground.
I have been talked into golfing a couple times. It was a slow torture.
We are past the middle of October and the leaves in the trees are still green.
I would have thought some disc golfers would have shown up in the above photo. There was a large group to the left, another to the right.
And soon after I took the above photo a solo disc golfer was wandering from one group to the next asking if they'd found a phone on the fairway. When he asked me that question I said I don't know where the fairway is. And I have seen no phone.
I think I will go on a bike ride this afternoon. Yesterday's bike ride I cut short because I was wearing shorts and got too cold. Today's walk around Lucy Park was in sweat pants and long sleeved t-shirt.
Seems like only yesterday the outer world at my location was heated into the 90s. Last night got down to the chilly low 40s.
This bodes ill for the coming winter. I don't think Texas has fixed its power grid...
Linda Lou, from Washington's Skagit Valley, hiked the Wichita Bluffs with me this 3rd Saturday of the 2021 version of October.
The outer world got near freezing last night. Well, within 10 degrees of freezing. So, I was in sweatpants and long sleeved t-shirt for the hiking today.
We were not more than a minute of the hiking today when we came across what looked like a homeless camp. This was seen shortly after walking under the west entry arch into the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.
Upon further examination it was determined this was part of a photographer's set up, because we saw a photographer photographing a couple of people behind that green tree you see on the right.
And the photographer was asked if that was his pile of stuff on the other side of the tree. With "yes" being the answer.
The Instant Pot just beeped indicating it has completing pressure cooking today's lunch...
Outrage over the Tarrant Regional Water District payoff to former TRWD Executive Director, Jim Oliver, has opened a can of worms that has long been in dire need of being opened.
A Grand Jury investigation is underway.
Maybe this will finally lead to a RICO investigation. (Racketeer Influenced & Corrupt Organizations)
Apparently at the latest TRWD board meeting it became apparent that some of the board members have no understanding of even the simple type of corruption known as nepotism.
Fort Worth's new actual real news source of the investigative journalism sort, Fort Worth Report reported on the TRWD Grand Jury Investigation in Grand Jury Investigating Tarrant water district.
Having a real news source in town seems to have motivated the Fort Worth Star-Telegram to act more like a real newspaper.
