Shadow Of The Lucy Park Thin Man Sees Imaginary Snake Before Snow Arrives On Friday

A couple days ago I had myself a too cool walk in Lucy Park. I mentioned this in a blog post titled Cold First March Monday In Lucy Park With No Snakes.

In that aforementioned blog post I mentioned a snake encounter I had had in Lucy Park last summer. 

After reading about that snake encounter, Linda Lou, who shares with me an aversion to snakes, called and asked how big this snake was, which I had said was the biggest I has been since being in Texas.

I told Linda Lou it was real big, boa constrictor big. Thick and long. Of course my memory of this snake encounter could have caused the size to be slightly hyperbolized. 

On that Lucy Park walk two days ago I was underdressed and got way too cold. Today, two days later, I was overdressed and removed two outer layers upon arrival at Lucy Park, and still over heated due to wearing sweat pants instead of shorts.

So, today I was walking at a fast pace in the backwoods zone of Lucy Park, and suddenly saw what I thought to be, at first glance, a giant snake slithering between the trees. 

You can see that imaginary 'snake' in the above photo documentation.

 Above you are looking at the Shadow of the Lucy Park Thin Man after he was startled by what he thought was a big snake. 

You can sort of see via the photo of the Thin Man that he was overdressed for a warm temperature climate. The top half was fine, it was those sweatpants which pushed it into being overdressed. That and the goofy hat.

Look what is in our forecast for two days hence, also known as Friday.

Snow? In March? In Texas? I thought we were done with this nonsense til the next freezing time of the year.

I Remember Today's Google Memory Of David, Theo & Ruby In Arizona

For the first time since Google has been emailing me supposed memories from a specific day, today's memory I actually totally remember. Though the date is slightly off, as in these memories happened on March 12, not March 8.

On that day, way back on March 12 of 2019, I drove Miss Daisy to a Dude Ranch in west Chandler, Arizona, where we watched my nephews David and Theo, and niece Ruby, go on a horse ride out into the desert.

After the horse ride we went to a nearby by McDonald's, and then headed north to two parks in Mesa. Those being Riverview Park and Pioneer Park.

At the time I blogged about both these things in two separate bloggings.

Riding Horses With Miss Daisy, David, Theo & Ruby

and

David, Theo & Ruby In Mesa's Riverview & Pioneer Parks

That was one fun day in Arizona. Mesa has two of the most impressive city parks I have ever seen. 

If I remember right, after we had had enough fun at Pioneer Park, the caravan of cars heading to Scottsdale to Fiesta Burrito.

The day before the horse riding, and Mesa park playing, was another fun day. A pool party at sister Jackie's, which turned out to be the last time all my mom's children (except for the black sheep) were together at the same time.

That day produced one of my all time favorite photos. Ruby leading a procession down the street, to a park, with me pushing Miss Daisy in her transport chair.

That day was also remarkable due to brother Jake and I being able to talk the kids into getting into the pool, which sister Jackie thought was too cool to get wet in. Eventually a swimming suit was found for me so I could get wet too.

This was blogged about in Cool Arizona Pool With Theo Driving Ruby On Handlebars.

Did not know, at the time, that this was to be the next to last time flying to Arizona to see mom. That flight turned into a delayed deal which had me landing in Phoenix around midnight.

But that was nothing compared to the final time flying to Arizona a couple months later. That time I was onboard the little jet that takes you to DFW, Sitting on the tarmac for over an hour, til it was determined we could not take off due to storms in DFW. Planes were being diverted to the Wichita Falls airport. 

The flight was cancelled. I had to re-book a new flight, for the next day, and then get someone to take me back to my abode. The next day turned into a long ordeal. Getting out of Wichita Falls was easy. But, the flight out of DFW was delayed for over eight hours. I was so tired by the time I got to Phoenix.

Hard to believe this memory is three years old. Seems like yesterday...

Cold First March Monday In Lucy Park With No Snakes

On this first Monday of the 2022 version of March, it was back to Lucy Park I went for some much needed endorphin acquisition.

I am almost 100% certain those are not Texas wildflowers you see above. Wildflowers are not scheduled to appear til later in the month.

Those flowers are what I believe to be a bed of winter pansies is resting next to the Lucy Park Pagoda.

A couple days ago I had a long HOT walk and talk with Linda Lou at Lucy Park. The temperature on that day got into the mid 80s. I over heated that day, whilst walking and talking with Linda Lou.

Today I was way under dressed for walking outdoors at Lucy Park. The temperature was in the upper 30s. 

Most of the fast walking today was in the Lucy Park backwoods zone. By the end of the month, with Spring springing forth leaves, grass and underbrush, the area you see above will not be so accessible. It will look like a jungle. 

A jungle with snakes. The biggest snake I have seen since I have been in Texas was seen on the unpaved trail which winds through the Lucy Park backwoods zone.

The Wichita River, as it looks in the undeveloped backwoods zone of Lucy Park.

The river is clear enough at the current time that one can see the river bottom. I watched water flow by for a couple minutes, but saw no fish. I have seen people fishing at this location. I do not know if any fish ever get caught.

Yesterday I turned on the air conditioning for the first time this year. Today the heat pump is back in making heat mode.

I do not know when the next natural heat wave is scheduled to arrive...

Clueless Toddler Of A Town Solicits Bridge Naming Help

Yesterday the entity calling him or herself Cowtown Crude, whilst describing him or herself as rude, crude, and socially unacceptable, left a blog comment...

Cowtown Crude has left a new comment on your post "Bike Takes Me To New Section Of Circle Trail In Lake Wichita Park":

Name the Panther Island bridges contest!

Help choose the names for three new Trinity River bridges

Last night Elsie Hotpepper pointed me to the same thing in a Facebook post about an NBC DFW item about the same subject. Elsie told me the comments were hilarious, to which I replied I saw no comments, to which Elsie screen capped the comments, which you can read by clicking here.

For those not familiar with America's Biggest Dumbest Boondoggle, here's the abridged version.

Near the start of this century it was announced that Fort Worth was going to be transformed into being the Vancouver of the South via something which was then called Trinity Uptown. Within a few years this name morphed into being the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

In 2014, that which was already being referred to as The Boondoggle, began construction of three simple freeway overpass type bridges, built in slow motion over dry land.

It took til 2021 to finish the building of these three little bridges, which you see pictured in the above screen cap.

The Henderson Bridge, North Main Bridge, and White Settlement Bridge.

Already seemingly named after the roads which cross the bridges.

But now the city of Fort Worth is initiating a bridge naming event, soliciting the public's input for bridge names.

From the two webpages Cowtown Crude pointed us to....

Now that the construction is complete for the three new Trinity River bridges, we want your help in naming them.

The bridges will span the future Trinity River bypass channel as part of the Central City Flood Control Project being designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Given the significance of the Central City project and bridges, Mayor Mattie Parker wants you to help us find the best name for each bridge.

Please provide your suggested name for each bridge.

When suggesting a name, please keep the following criteria in mind:

Promote community pride and connectivity to the Trinity River

Celebrate the culture and history of Fort Worth related to:

• Geographic location or neighborhood of the bridge
• Outstanding feature of the bridge or area
• Commonly recognized event, group or deceased individual

Not be offensive or controversial

Now that construction is complete and traffic is flowing over the three Panther Island bridges, Fort Worth residents are encouraged to help name them.

________________________

Naming these lame bridges to promote community pride? Will this counteract the community embarrassment that the building of these simple little bridges over dry land took seven years? Way longer than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge over actual water.

And the citizens of San Francisco were not asked to help with the naming of that actual iconic bridge.

Named after an outstanding feature of the bridge? Or the area it is bridging? What is even remotely outstanding about any of these three little bridges?

Name the first bridge finished "Took Too Long To Build". The second bridge completed "Took Even Longer To Build" with the last bridge completed named "Took Longest To Build". 

Because the only thing even remotely remarkable about these bridges is that it took seven years to build them. Over dry land. Awaiting a cement lined ditch to be dug under the bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch, thus creating an imaginary island.

How does a town like Fort Worth manage to come up with so many ways to embarrass itself? I know it's the Fort Worth Way, but one would think at some point the locals would rebel and insist their town act like a city wearing its big city pants, instead of a clueless toddler of a town....

Long Hot Saturday Lucy Park Walk & Talk With Linda Lou

What you see here is me with a rare happy face. When I took this picture I had just finished a long walk talk with Linda Lou.

Talking with Linda Lou is what I imagine a visit to a therapist of the psychiatrist sort must be like. Only with Linda Lou the therapy session is vertical, not horizontal on a couch.

I have known Linda Lou all but about five years of my existence on the planet.

Behind me in that picture is the Lucy Park pool. Currently closed, and without water. The temperature being 85 at the time I was near the pool, it would have been a perfect take a cooling dip degree.

Among the things Linda Lou and I talked about today was how one deals with getting to know someone, and then coming to a point in getting to know a person when the person reveals something about something which renders them instantly to seem woefully ignorant, and with me unable to think of anything to say which could possibly wise up the person.

In both my experience, and Linda Lou's, when you try to reason with such a person, asking something relatively simple, like, why do you think that? The answer only compounds the ignorance, digging a deeper hole, harder and harder to climb out of.

Or the person may say they are entitled to their opinion. Or we have free speech in this country. Again leaving me vexed, thinking where do I start with this? Is it worth it to even try? Do I really want to explain that while you are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entitled to make up your own facts.

Facts are facts. You can't say something like "I don't like Joe Biden because he isn't a real American. He was born in Kenya." These type things are just impossible to try and be reasonable about. Leaving the only sane response being to say something like that is a ridiculous thing to think, let alone say out loud.

And that free speech argument is so annoying. How one goes through 12 years of school and graduates not knowing that freedom of speech, as mentioned in the U.S. Constitution, has nothing to do with any fool can say any fool thing he wants to say. Freedom of Speech has to do with the government being prohibited from restricting citizen's freedom to say what they want about any subject they want to say something about.

Freedom of Speech does not mean you are free to scream fire in a crowded theater. Or slander the President of the United States by saying he is senile. 

Talking to Linda Lou today I came to the conclusion that if one has to deal with someone who is ignorant, as in, a relative, a co-worker, or someone you live with, whose good outweighs the bad, then you just let it go with a 'You are being so silly again". 

But, if it is someone you don't have to deal with, not directly connected to your life, well, the best thing to do when they reveal their character to you, is to realize this is who they are, and then cut them off....

Bike Takes Me To New Section Of Circle Trail In Lake Wichita Park

A few minutes past 11, this Friday morning, my bike's handlebars took me on an 11.5 roundtrip ride on the Circle Trail, exiting that trail soon after it crosses Lake Wichita Dam, rolling on an unpaved, gravel trail which circles Lake Wichita Park, eventually reconnecting with the Circle Trail a short distance before that which you see photo documented above.

A week or so ago I was at the above location and found myself surprised to find a long section of new Circle Trail had received its cement, along with two bridges crossing inlets off Lake Wichita.

Today I was surprised to find the cement connection has now been made to the existing Circle Trail. I figured they'd save making that connection til the rest of the connection to the west end of the Circle Trail was made.

But now, with this connection to the existing Circle Trail in Lake Wichita Park, once the Sidewalk Closed/Road Closed signs and barriers are removed, people will be able to have themselves a mighty fine time exploring this well-designed new section of Circle Trail.

Today did not provide the best of conditions for a bike ride. The temperature was perfect. as was the mostly blue sky. But a strong wind blew from the south, causing me roll along slowly, as in 4 to 5 mph slowly, heading south to the dam. Then upon pedaling the incline to the top of the dam, where one is greeted with a "High Gusts Area" warning sign, the wind picked up stronger, making crossing the dam even slower going.

But, the ride back north, with the wind behind me, had me and the bike rolling way faster than 4 to 5 mph. At one downhill point the speedometer indicated we were going 26 mph. Breaking the speed limit.

It looks like I am transitioning from the walking to the biking time of the year. Maybe I'll find a way to do both...

Hot Tuesday Sun Setting Bike Ride To Sikes Lake

Last night, before the sun set on the second day of the 2022 version of March, with the temperature nearing 80, my bike's handlebars took me on a ride which eventually arrived at Sikes Lake, a location I had walked around earlier in the day.

Which would make that Sikes Lake you see the sun setting on above.

I am liking being back biking after a couple month sabbatical. 

Due to the weather reversal from last week's Arctic Blast Deep Freeze, the locals are coming out in numbers I had not previously seen, apparently eager to enjoy this sudden arrival of what seems like summer.

The Circle Trail was also being busy with bikers, joggers, walkers, dog walkers, strollers, skateboarders and scooters.

I wouldn't mind getting one of those new fangled electric scooters. They look fun...

Remembering Wee's Wedding With Hillary To Oregon Sand Dune Buggy With Mom Beached

Once again Google is goofy with its look back at my memories from this day, with this day being March 2.

Unlike most of these Google memory emails, where I have no clue what some of the memories are, in today's instance I know that each of the memories are. Why Google thinks I would be remembering these memories on this particular day, I do not know.

Two of the memories are from Wee's wedding in Singapore. You probably could guess those are the photos in the upper left and lower right.

The lower left memory is from My Date With Hillary, way back in 2008 in the Fort Worth Stockyards. That is a memorable memory.

The upper right is the Oregon Sand Dunes, with me and my siblings and cousins getting ready to go on a dune buggy ride.

And under that Sand Dune photo that would be my mom, likely also on the Oregon Coast, maybe at Fort Stevens State Park.

HOT Day Two Of March Goose Walking Around Sikes Lake

It was to Sikes Lake I went today for an extremely pleasant commune with nature. As you can see the lake is in dead calm mode, due to no wind blowing.

With the temperature in the mid 70s, and now wind, today felt like summer. Judging by the throng of walkers, joggers, scooters and bikers multitudes are enjoying basking in outdoor warmth after last week's Arctic Blast Deep Freeze.

The Sikes Lake geese were behaving weirdly today. A lot of honking. I think the sudden arrival of summer confuses the birds and makes them a little grumpy.

Sikes Lake has multiple gazebos installed around the lake. In the above photo we are looking west, with that building on the left being a Hilton Inn. The last time I saw Elsie Hotpepper was at a gazebo near that Hilton Inn.

Above we are looking northeast towards the Midwestern State University campus. As you can see a sole goose is guarding that particular gazebo. The geese can be a bit possessive about their gazebos.

A couple years ago I made note of an unexplained disappearance at Sikes Lake. Soon after the above plaque was installed, making note of two works of art, one being Painters Parade, that being the small horse you see above the plaque.

And the other being Apple-oosa, a large horse, which you do not see, because it galloped off to some unknown destination.

I have asked previously if anyone knew what happened to the large Apple-oosa horse, with no answers forthcoming. 

Speaking of bikers. Late yesterday afternoon I went on my first bike ride of the year. And had a mighty fine time. By the time I got to Sikes Lake, last night, it was borderline crowded, which made it fun.

First March Day 75 Degree Shadow Of The Lucy Park Thin Man

That would be my left foot you see here, stepping on my shadow whilst once again going on a long endorphin inducing walk on the trails of Lucy Park.

Unlike a week ago when an Arctic Blast blew into town with a deep freeze, and snow, on this first day of the 2022 version of March, a tropical breeze has blown in.

That tropical breeze warmed up the outer world into the 70-degree zone today by the time I reached Lucy Park.

Unlike the multiple layers required to be warm outdoors a week ago, today I was able to keep cool in a t-shirt and purse pants, also known as cargo shorts.

I saw a few remnants of snow today, resisting melting. I suspect all evidence of snow will be gone by tomorrow.

And I hope last week's slippery nonsense is the end of such til the next winter shows up.

Walking past the Lucy Park side of the suspension bridge across the Wichita River I noticed a sign I had not made note of before.

CAUTION

MAXIMUM

LOADING

20

PERSONS

I would think 20 persons would totally overload this flimsy bridge. I'd be nervous sharing it with just five full figure Texans.

My photo documentation does not do justice to how big and weird looking the above tree is. There are multiple examples of this in Lucy Park. Iam looking forward to paying attention, this Spring, to the various trees sprouting leaves.

Unlike yesterday, I did not turn today's lunch black. I made turkey tikki masala without incident. 

When I got back from Lucy Park, before lunch, I lubricated my bike and pumped up the tires. The tires did not need much pumping.

I do not think I have gone on a bike ride yet this year. I hope to rectify that situation later this afternoon...