Sikes Lake Evening Primrose Appearance With Frisky Geese

They are not quite as eye catching as a field of colorful tulips, but every Spring the Texas landscape becomes more colorful than it is for the other three seasons, with the blooming of wildflowers, of multiple types and colors.

Above you are seeing some Evening Primroses which have sprouted out of the ground since the last time I walked around Sikes Lake.

Yesterday, when Linda Lou rode to Walmart with me, my vehicle's temperature monitoring thermometer said the temperature was 106. My phone said it was 102. It felt like 125.

Today's walk around Sikes Lake was only slightly HOT, temperatured into the mid 80s.

Texas is in a state of severe drought. This may limit the amount of color the wildflowers will be blooming this year.

The Sikes geese were being frisky today. One hissed at me, another seemed to be chasing me. I think the hot weather and a lot of green stuff to eat is making the geese overly energetic.

Soon flocks of goslings and ducklings should be making their annual appearance...

Tacoma Trio With Tulips & Hank Frank

Waking up my phone this morning I found some photos had arrived overnight. Some from Tacoma, some from Chandler.

The text which came with the photos from Tacoma said, "We would ask where in the Pacific Northwest we are, but these are hardly a challenge."

Well, since there is only one location in the Pacific Northwest where one would see a scene such as that which we see above, it takes zero guess work to determine that Ruby, Theo and David are visiting the Skagit Valley Tulips. 

I did not know that yesterday when I blogged Unexpected Skagit Tulip Festival Visit To The Slotemaker Jones Family Compound that the Tacoma Trio were, at that point in time, visiting the Tulips and the Slotemaker Jones Family Compound.

With the photo above confirming the Tacoma Trio were at the epicenter of the Skagit Tulip Festival, at the Slotemaker Jones Family Compound, with Hank Frank giving Ruby, Theo and David a tour of his orchard.

Not many people in the world have this view from their front, back and side yards. I believe this visit with Hank Frank is the first time the Tacoma Trio met their cousin Joey's first born. I suspect the COVID nightmare had prevented such from happening previously.

And here we see Ruby walking with Hank Frank, continuing Hank Frank's tour of his orchard.

Above David, Ruby and Theo have left the Slotemaker Jones Family Compound to drive a couple miles to the west and south, to the town of La Conner. Behind the Tacoma Trio that is what is known as the Rainbow Bridge, connecting the mainland to Fidalgo Island.

The Rainbow Bridge is a real bridge, built over real water, the Swinomish Channel, to connect to a real island.

Above it looks like the Tacoma Trio are still somewhere on the Skagit Flats, but I cannot tell where they are, exactly.

Well, now, in the above photo, I believe we have left the Skagit River Valley and are now in the Stillaguamish River Valley.

I did not know this giant tree stump still existed. It was a roadside attraction all the way back to when the road one drove from the Skagit Valley, south or north, was called Highway 99, before Interstate 5 arrived in the 1960s.

Eventually this stump ended up in an I-5 rest area near Smokey Point.  Clearly, someone went to the effort to preserve the stump, and protect it by putting a roof over it.

I wonder where in the Pacific Northwest the Tacoma Trio will be taking us next?

Unexpected Skagit Tulip Festival Visit To The Slotemaker Jones Family Compound

 

I saw that which you see above, yesterday, on Facebook.

When I saw the photo image I thought what a great pic of the Skagit Tulips, with Mount Baker hovering in the distance.

Then I read the comments and saw my little brother, Jake Slotemaker Jones, informing us that the house in the photo is owned by his oldest son, who also is my Favorite Nephew Jason, father of Spencer Jack, brother of my Favorite Nephew Joey, who is the father of Hank Frank.

Jake points out that Nephew Joey lives next door, on acreage just to the south, which we know as the Slotemaker Jones Family Compound, at the heart of the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.

I do not know when, or if, Jason will be moving to the house he bought next door to his brother. Jason and Spencer Jack currently reside in a house in Mount Vernon, near Hillcrest Park, with Linda Lou being a nearby neighbor.

A couple months ago Jason told me I could stay in his Slotemaker Jones Family Compound house if I came up during the Skagit Tulip Festival time of the year. I indicated I would need an internet connection of the wi-fi sort and was assured that would be available. 

It has been several years, now, since I my eyes have seen any scenic scenery. Not since I was last in Arizona, back in July of 2019, have I seen anything scenic.

It is beginning to look unlikely that I will be heading to the Pacific Northwest this coming summer. A high school class reunion is scheduled which I have little interest in attending.

If I fly anywhere I am thinking it will be somewhere tropical where mangoes grow naturally...

Lucy Park Easter Bridge Suspense With Alligator Alley

 

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured, in the noon timeframe, on this Easter Sunday of 2022, joining throngs of fellow Easterites enjoying a perfect temperature in the 60s, with zero wind blowing.

In the above photo documentation we are standing in the middle of the renovated Lucy Park Suspension Bridge, looking south at the mighty Wichita River

Yesterday, at Lucy Park, I shivered as I fast walked trying to warm up. A day later and there was no shivering, whilst wearing pretty much the same outerwear.

For lunch today I made that Easter staple of chicken rice tomato soup, with whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches. For dessert I had an orange.

After taking that photo from the middle of the bridge, I continued on to the east bank. 

From the east bank I eventually reached Alligator Alley and then found a trail to the edge of the river for a view of the suspension bridge as a couple kids tentatively made their way across, unnerved by the swaying bounciness.

When I made my way back to the bridge, to cross back into Lucy Park, there were four more people making the crossing. The semi-elderly pair of the four seemed real nervous, with grandma tightly clutching the top cable as she meekly made her way across. While they crossed I stayed stationary so as to not increase the swaying into even more of a Galloping Gertie mode.

Galloping Gertie was the nickname given the first Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge. Bad design caused that bridge to oscillate severely when a strong wind blew through the Narrows. One day Galloping Gertie galloped so severely that it destroyed itself, crashing into the saltwater below.

I suspect the Lucy Park Suspension Bridge will never come to a tragic end like the first Tacoma Narrows bridge did...

Cold Saturday At Lucy Park With "Snow"

Yesterday was HOT, with the outer world heated into the mid 90s.

Overnight a cold front blew in, with a cool temperature in the low 60s when I communed with nature at Lucy Park this morning, an hour before noon.

I was not properly outfitted in sufficient outerwear to stay warm, what with a strong wind blowing that cold air.

So, I walked fast through the Lucy Park backwoods zone, hoping to warm up. 

Fast walking did not much help with that warming up plan.

But, as you see, via the photo documentation above, green has now replaced brown as the dominant color.

Walking along I was slightly startled when I saw what looked to be snow on the ground. I knew it was cold, but not a snow level of cold. And there is no way any snow could remain from the snow that fell in March, or so I thought.

I walked closer to take a picture of the "snow" on the ground. I am almost 100% certain this is some other white substance, other than snow.

I did not think it wise to touch the "snow" to see if it was cold...

Upgraded Lucy Park Suspension Bridge Open To Traffic

The Lucy Park Suspension Bridge renovation is completed, with the bridge now open to traffic wanting to cross over the Wichita River.   

I am not sure I like the new version of side rails, what with it being three cables about a foot apart.

The swaying on the bridge whilst crossing seemed more active than the pre-renovation version. Seems like a little dog could manage to fall off the bridge edge. Or a crawling toddler.     

Another extremely windy day today. Perhaps that added to the bridge's swaying action. Gusts reaching almost 50 mph. The temperature high today is predicted to be in the 90s. The wind should make 90 feel not so HOT. 

The spacebar on my keyboard went haywire this morning, making for an early visit to Walmart to get a keyboard replacement.  It did not occur to me I could use the laptop keyboard which is sitting right in front of me.

I worry these type incidents are indicative of developing dementia. ..                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Wind Chilly Wichita Bluffs Nature Area High Speed Hill Hiking

With the wind blowing blustery powerful gusts, resulting in a wind chill causing this morning's temperature of 52 to feel too cool for what I chose to wear to the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area to commune with nature via some high-speed hill walking.

The Wichita Bluffs Hoodoo Cairn installation, today, was the tallest, most precarious I have seen at this location.

One would think this type of natural construction would not survive the high-speed gusting winds.

So far, I have not found the 20 pounds I lost last month. Not carrying those 20 pounds seemed to make the high-speed hill hiking much easier.

Shrinking to a new size should make stuffing myself into an airplane seat much more comfortable than the last time I subjected myself to that particular torture.

Hiking the Wichita Bluffs today had me thinking it sure would be fun to hike a real mountain trail. Maybe if I make it to Washington this summer I can find myself a real mountain to hike on...

Celebrating Easter In Fort Worth With Jesus & The KKK

The screen cap from today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which you see above, is a variant of our patented theme of seeing something in an online west coast news source that one would not expect to see in a Texas online news source.

Usually, the west coast news source is the Seattle Times, with the Texas news source being the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In today's case it is seeing something in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, about something in Fort Worth, that one would not expect to see in the Seattle Times about a similar thing in Seattle.

If I remember correctly, the Ku Kluz Klan was active in Fort Worth as recently as the 1960s. 

Methinks finding oneself seeing a group like this in person would be scary, almost as scary as finding oneself facing a group of Nazi Gestapo.

Or a group of Putin Russians...

Happy Birthday Sister Michele

 

UPDATE REPOST: Another year has been added to my baby sister's accumulation of time spent revolving around the sun. The following is a repeat of last year's happy birthday blogging...

On this day, many decades ago, my youngest sibling was born.

I have been extremely distracted for a few days, with those distractions causing me not to remember til now that on this day, many decades ago, my youngest sibling was born.

Happy Birthday Sister Michele

I talked to my sibling who was born seven years before Michele, this morning. That would be Sister Jackie.

Sister Jackie was back in Arizona after spending 10 days in Washington, where she got to spend time with Sister Michele, Mama Kristin, David, Theo and Ruby.

And got to meet Hank Frank and Hank Frank's Mama Monique, for the first time.

Jackie had herself a mighty fine time in Washington this visit, particularly enjoying meeting Hank Frank and his Mama.

It is looking increasingly unlikely I will be having myself a mighty fine time this coming summer in Washington meeting Hank Frank and his Mama, along with having fun with David, Theo, Ruby and Spencer Jack. Among others.

But who knows? Circumstances can quickly change...

Skagit Valley Tulips Looking At Mount Baker With Chris & Sheila

I saw that which you see above on Facebook, this morning, via the "You know you're from Anacortes when..." Facebook page.

It is the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival time of the year. During the month of the festival more than a million visitors descend on the Skagit Flats to view the flowers and visit the various Tulip venues. On weekends this creates epic traffic jams.

I have not been in the Skagit Valley whilst the tulips are blooming since April of 2006. Since that time a Jones Family Compound has been established on Beaver Marsh Road, near the Roozen Garde epicenter of the Tulip Festival.

A couple months ago the elder Jones Boy told me I could stay in one of the unoccupied houses in the Jones Family Compound if I wanted to visit the valley during Tulip time. This seemed tempting, but I am not quite ready to resume flying, yet.

The past couple days I have been seeing non-Tulip photos of the Skagit Valley zone, on Facebook, via the Washingtonians known and Chris and Sheila. Chris and Sheila have been at the RV Park at the Swinomish Casino Resort.

The Swinomish are one of the Skagit Valley's Native America tribes. The Skagit tribe also has a casino resort. I do not know if the Samish tribe have built a casino since I left living in the valley. My favorite buffet whilst living in Washington was the one found at the Skagit Casino.

One of the Chris and Sheila photos showed me that Mount Baker is back fully covered in white. During last year's drought Mount Baker, and the other Washington volcanoes lost most of their snow covers.

At the above location we are looking east. Anacortes is behind us. To the right are the Skagit Flats, where one finds the Tulips. The town I grew up in, Burlington, is on the other side of that slight hill you see in the middle of the photo, covered with trees. Mount Vernon, the town I lived in before moving to Texas, is to the right a couple miles.

This view of Mount Baker gives on an inkling as to why it might be a bit problematic if Mount Baker decides to erupt again. The last time Mount Baker blew its top was back in the 1860s, if I am remembering correctly.

Back when Mount St. Helens went active and eventually blew up, Mount Baker also got active, blowing off way more steam than it usually blows. It got bad enough that all the recreational land around Mount Baker was closed til the mountain calmed down.

A volcano blowing up is one thing I do not need to worry about at my current mountain free zone location. Today all I have to worry about is keeping cool with the outer world temperature going into the 90s...