Leaving Lucy Park Via Suspension Bridge To Alligator Alley Alligators

 It was to Lucy Park I ventured on this second day of the 2022 version of September, for my daily commune with nature, via endorphin acquisition from high-speed aerobic walking.

Today I exited Lucy Park, via the suspension bridge over the Wichita River, then headed to the Alligator Alley section of the Wee-Chi-Tah mountain bike trail.

I assumed, with the temperature barely in the 80s, that the alligators, reptilian creatures that they be, would be a bit sluggish, with the cooler temperature slowing them down.

I was walking along fairly fast when I came to a quick stop when I saw what you see in the photo documentation.

The gator looked to be sleeping. I lingered only long enough to take a picture, and then skedaddled back across the suspension bridge to the relative safety of Lucy Park.

Where do alligators go when an Arctic blast knocks the temperature down below zero, I cannot help but wonder...

Nephew Jason Taking Me Back In Time To Burlington's Berry Dairy Days

The above photo was included in an email arriving last night, sent by my Favorite Nephew Jason, also known as FNJ. The following is the explanatory text in the email...

 FUD --

At first I thought this may be your big sister with some of her clam digging friends trying to re-live her childhood....but, upon closer inspection I see the photo was dated July 4, 1939, stamped in Sedro-Woolley.

This is the only berry float that I have ever seen that was better than those constructed at 1027 Washington Avenue. Did your dad just make floats for the June Burlington Berry Dairy Days?  Or did he drag them over to Sedro-Woolley for the 4th of July parade?  

Anyway, thought you'd get a kick out of seeing this. Very few berries grown in Skagit County these days. Mostly potatoes. And a lot of the people I saw at the Walmart this morning looked like they only eat potatoes.

Hope you are staying cool.  And slim and trim. 

We are having a hot day here in the PNW.

-FNJ

____________________

The 1027 Washington Avenue, to which FNJ refers, is the address at which I grew up, in Burlington.

During the time frame of growing up in Burlington the town had an annual event called Berry Dairy Days.

This included a parade, with a large children's parade.

The parade gave prizes to the floats determined to be the best. 

I could only find two Berry Dairy Days float photos.

In both photos that is sister Nancy on the left, me in the middle, and little brother, Jake on the right.

The answer to FNJ's question about dragging a float to the Sedro Woolley Loggerodeo 4th of July parade, is yes, we did.

One time only.

I think it was the year our float won the Berry Dairy Days grand prize, which was tickets to the Seattle World's Fair, that that float was in the Sedro Woolley parade. My memory is blank regarding details, such as actually being in that parade, or how we got the float from Burlington to Sedro Woolley.

The last float my dad made was a giant strawberry. On wheels. With little sister, Jackie, riding on top of the strawberry. Dad was inside the strawberry, pushing it the entire length of the parade. I remember the giant strawberry getting stuck crossing railroad tracks, with people helping to get the strawberry moving again.

My favorite of all the parade floats my dad made had zero Berry Dairy theming. My siblings and I were big fans of The Flintstones. Dad somehow made a replica of Fred Flintstone's car. My brother and I did not ride in the Flintstone car, we pulled it.

With Jake attired as Wilma Flintstone, complete with lipstick and a wig. And me being Fred Flintstone. 

I know I must have a photo of the Flintstone float somewhere, but, currently, I can not find it.

Regarding Jason saying they were having a hot day in the Pacific Northwest, I Googled to see what the temperature was in Mount Vernon at that point in time.

88 degrees.

About the same temperature, maybe even a couple degrees hotter, than was the temperature at my Texas location, far from the PNW, at that point in time...

Walk Around Humid Sikes Lake With Linda Lou

The temperature was only 85 when I made my way to Sikes Lake on this final day of the 2022 version of August.

One would think 85 degrees would feel pleasantly cool after being used to significantly HOTTER temperatures.

Well, one would be thinking wrong, because those 85 degrees felt way warmer than 85, due to rain falling early yesterday evening, which amped up the humidity to a steambath level.

Yesterday's rain was accompanied by a thunderstorm. 

Linda Lou walked around half of Sikes Lake with me today, til she could longer tolerate the HEAT, and had to escape to air conditioned comfort.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, the rain of late has caused the brown grass to become mostly green again.

Semi-Warm Snake-Free Stroll In Lucy Park Jungle

With the temperature somewhere in the 80s, semi-chilly but humid, on this next to last day of the 2022 version of August, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured today, to get some endorphins via fast paced aerobic activity in the backwoods jungle zone of Lucy Park.

During this entire HOT summer I have not seen a single snake.

Fall will soon begin falling. I do not remember ever anticipating with eagerness the first freeze of the year as I currently am after sweating through these past several sweltering months.

I found out this morning that I missed out on getting a coveted Golden Grenade Award, given to select DFW rabble rousers. Apparently, I was to be given this several years ago, at a country club luncheon that I did not feel like attending. No one told me, then, why I was being asked to attend this luncheon.

The weather forecasters keep forecasting possible rain and thunderstorms.

But, no dripping or booming seems to be materializing...

Cloudy Stormy Outlook At Wichita Falls Walmart

What you are seeing here is the view, looking east, across the hood of my vehicle, sitting in a Walmart parking lot, a few minutes before 6 in the late afternoon of the final Tuesday of the 2022 version of August.

The month of August has flown by at warp speed.

It looks like the month may be going out with a bang, if the thunderstorm forecasts are accurate.

Six months ago I was sure I was going to be spending a good chunk of July and August in the Pacific Northwest, with the highlight being sand castle building with David, Theo and Ruby at Birch Bay.

Other than visiting Texas-lite, also known as Oklahoma, I have not exited Texas since 2019.

It just does not feel as if what is known as "normal" has yet returned...

Sweltering Sunday Stroll Through Lucy Park Jungle

With the hordes of Hotter 'N Hell 100 aficionados leaving Wichita Falls on this final Sunday of the 2022 version of August, I returned to Lucy Park for the first time in days, for the acquisition of endorphins via aerobic stimulation via walking at high speed the Lucy Park backwoods jungle.

You cannot tell it via the photo documentation, but the Lucy Park tall grass is now taller than I am. The grass may have reached its peak, signs of autumn are already beginning to arrive.

My phone had informed me, as had the radio weather guy, that the temperature was going to be in the low 80s this morning. Instead, by the time I got to Lucy Park the temperature was a sweltering 95, with high humidity, along with a slow wind, and a few strong gusts bringing some wind chilling.

I do not remember any other year when I was so ready for summer to come to an end...

A Not Hotter 'N Hell Wichita Falls Saturday Sikes Lake Bike Ride With Miss Musty

On this Hotter 'N Hell 100 weekend in Wichita Falls, Texas I opted not to roll my bike's wheels for 100 miles under the sweltering sun.

Instead, I opted for a late Saturday afternoon bike ride which eventually took me to Sikes Lake, and the Sikes Lake Bayou, at the west end of the lake.

Which is what you see above.

Being at the west end of the lake, and looking west, late in the afternoon, explains the effect the sun is having on the scene.

On the opposite side of Sikes Lake, as in the east side, looking west, I stopped at my usual shady spot for a drink of water. However, at this time of day, the sun renders the shade no more. My bike's handlebars are aimed at a small Hoodoo Cairn. Several of these have sprouted up of late.

Earlier today I got in my Google App Move Minutes by walking in Walmart whilst pushing a cart. 

Leaving Walmart this morning I got Miss Musty on the phone and had an amusing chat whilst I returned to my home zone.

Miss Musty sounds like a name for an elderly librarian...

Back To School With Spencer Jack Not In Washington

Email from Favorite Nephew Jason and Spencer Jack arrived last night, with a few photos, and the only text explaining the photos being "Back to School Pictures".

I saw the first photo, the one you see above, and thought, wow, the remodel of Mount Vernon High School has totally changed the look of the school.

Then I saw the next photo.

"Welcome Harvard First Year"? 

I know Spencer Jack is a super smart kid, but I had not been told that he'd skipped his final three high school years, and had gained ultra-early acceptance to Harvard.

 Oh, I guess it is Harvard Law School to which Spencer Jack is matriculating.

Spencer must have decided he wants to be a lawyer like his Aunt Michele...

Dry Bike Wheel Rolling To Freshly Filled Sikes Lake

Today, on the next to last Wednesday of the 2022 version of August, my bike took me, eventually, to Sikes Lake, where I was pleased to see the Sikes Lake Bayou, which you see above, and the rest of Sikes Lake, back at its full pool glory.

The temperature was in the low 80s when I did the wheel rolling, with little wind, and some clouds blocking the sun, at times. Quite pleasant weather conditions for outdoor activity.

Last Saturday I was at Sikes Lake when it was still in desert mode. This was blogged about in Saturday at Drought Dry Sikes Lake.

Quite a difference a few drops of rain make.

The above scene was a desert landscape on Saturday. Today that former desert was a giant mirror.

When I was at Sikes Lake on Saturday, for a walk around, not a bike around, the geese and ducks were seeming subdued, just sitting on the ground, under shade. I think they were being unhappy about their dried up lake.

I have never previously heard the Sikes Lake geese and ducks as noisy with the honking and quacking as was the case today. And they were not sitting. They were in a frenzy of chasing each other. Methinks it was some sort of celebration party...

Cool Flood-Free Lucy Park Visit With Washington Plates

The rain finally stopped dripping on this next to last Tuesday of the 2022 version of August. 

Til today I had not done any nature communing since Saturday. So, with the temperature in the relatively cold lower 80s, I ventured to Lucy Park, not knowing if the Wichta River was in flood mode, or not.

As you can see, the river is not in flood mode. When the Wichita River floods, it floods over the Lucy Park Suspension bridge.

Today was the coolest endorphin acquiring aerobic exercise in many months. There was almost a chill blowing in the air.

And, upon arrival at the Lucy Park log cabin swimming pool parking lot I saw something I rarely see in Texas, and only one other time in Wichita Falls.

 A vehicle with Washington State license plates. The Washington license plate has not changed for decades. It is red, white and blue, with the blue being Mount Rainier.

In addition to the license plate number the words "Evergreen State" are also on license plate.

It seems sort of ironic to have a state's license plate make note of the state being known as the Evergreen State, but with zero green on the license plate.

The Mount Rainier Washington State plate came about as part of Washington's centennial celebration, celebrating the year Washington became a state in 1889.

If I remember right, there was a competition to design the new plate. The winner was picked because of the Mount Rainier aspect, with the claim that Mount Rainier was the only landmark that one can see from virtually any location in the state.

Which actually is not true.

But it is true that you can see Mount Rainier from most locations in Washington State, and when you can't see the Mountain, usually it is because the view is blocked by another mountain, or mountain range.

More rain is predicted in the coming days. So far not enough fell to put an end to the drought...