Hank Frank's First Easter Photo Documentation

Incoming email this morning after Easter, from the Skagit Valley zone, where apparently Hank Frank Jones has learned how to use a camera. 

In the photo that would be my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Cindy, sitting next to her eldest son, Jason, who is sitting next to his eldest son, Spencer Jack, who is sitting next to my little brother, Jake, who is also Spencer Jack's grandpa. I forgot to mention, Cindy is Spencer Jack's grandma.

The explanatory text accompanying Hank Frank's photo...

Thought you’d enjoy this picture.

Henry’s mom and dad cooked a delicious ham and bbq rib luncheon for his favorite uncle, cousin, grandmother and step grandfather, along with his new neighbor known to him as Papa Jake.

The photographer was a young man, who goes by the name Henry. 

He took this picture prior to an Easter egg hunt which was held in less than ideal weather, as Skagit County had a blustery Sunday.

Nonetheless, he was excited to partake.

Hope all is well in TX. 

Hope you can visit soon. 

FNJ

Happy Easter Morning With The Lucy Park Throngs

I set out for Sikes Lake, this fine Easter morning, then changed my mind and headed north to Lucy Park to join the throngs in Easter picnic mode, most having hauled in barbecue grills. Such making for a fine atmosphere of barbecuing smoke perfuming the air.

As you can see via the Lucy Park photo documentation, the Lucy Park backwoods zone is now in full green mode, soon to turn into what looks like jungle, where snakes and alligators may slither and lurk.

Gray is the dominant sky color today, with a few blue patches...

It's that time again!

 You know what to do...

Don't vote for the one they call Geren's nephew.

Don't vote for the appointed one, who ran on a slate with two of the current board members, twice.

Don't for vote the one no one knows.

Just Vote Joe!

Joe Ashton for TRWD – Board of Directors

Good Friday Hiking Around Mount Wichita Being Revitalized

This first Friday of the 2023 version of April took me to Mount Wichita in Lake Wichita Park, for some pleasant temperatured nature communing.

What you are looking at, with Mount Wichita in the background, is the current status of the Lake Wichita Revitalization Veterans Memorial Plaza, due to be completed by the end of May. 

So far that under construction Veterans Memorial Plaza is the only Lake Wichita Revitalization being vitalized. Originally this Veterans Memorial was to be at the fishing dock on the east side of the lake. I remember, way back in, I think, August of 2017, going to an event at Lake Wichita Dam where a local car dealer donated a giant half million dollar check to help pay for the Veterans Memorial.

I first heard of the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project when I moved to Wichita Falls, way back in the previous decade. 

Currently Lake Wichita continues to shrink, creating what looks like tide flats. 

In the above photo we are as close as possible to the water, without the ground being muddy, looking back at Mount Wichita.

And here you see a brave guy who managed to get to the summit of Mount Wichita. Years of erosion has made climbing this mountain a bit treacherous, particularly the going downhill part.

I do not remember Mount Wichita looking as green, previously, as it looked today...

David, Theo & Ruby's Final France Photos

 A fresh batch of photos from France arrived in my email last night. With the only text in the email saying...

"We head tomorrow. Incredible trip, made harder by a vicious bug we picked up at Disneyland."

That and challenging me to guess what I was looking at in the photos.

Well, the first one was easy. Theo holding up the Eiffel Tower.

The above photo is known as the Sinking House in Montmartre.

I gave up trying to figure out what I am looking at in the above photo. I do see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

This one was easy, due to most of the name of the place being in the photo, as in this is the Moulin Rouge.

And here we have David, Theo and Ruby visiting the Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte.

I am curious regarding the specifics of the nature of the bug which was picked up whilst visiting the French version of Disneyland. The kids don't look at all sick in the various instances of photo documentation.

Yesterday's Heat Wave Followed By Today's Chill At Sikes Lake

Yesterday the outer world was heated into the 90s, causing me to turn on the air conditioning for the first time this year.

Today, on this first Wednesday of the 2023 version of April the outer world returned to being chilled way below 90 degrees. 

55 degrees when I drove to Sikes Lake and took the picture you see above, photo documenting the clear, cool blue sky. 

It seems by now wildflowers should be busy blooming. But, I have seen nary a single evening primrose, which are usually the first to appear.

I am currently resisting switching the climate control from cool to heat...

In Paris With Ruby, Theo, David & Mona Lisa

Email this morning from France with multiple photos, with no text telling me what I am looking at, other than, with some of the photos, telling me this should be an easy one. Such as the above. Ruby, Theo and David with the Paris Disneyland castle behind them.

On a train ride in Paris Disneyland. Is this the Paris Disneyland version of Thunder Mountain? I have no clue.

I am thinking above Theo, Ruby and David are in the Palace of Versailles.

I am guessing the Tacoma Trio is still in the Palace of Versailles in the above photo documentation. Before heading underground.

And here we seem to have gone from the Palace of Versailles. to a tour of the Paris Sewers.

I think the next summer Olympics is taking place in Paris, which would make those the Olympic rings we are seeing above.

Finally a totally easy one. David, Ruby and Theo glowing bluish purple, with the Eiffel Tower behind them.

And now it looks like Theo, Ruby and David are under the glass pyramid in the Louvre Museum.

A close up of Theo, Ruby and David doing their best mysterious Mona Lisa smiles, in the Louvre Museum, with Mona on the wall behind them.

That concludes today's virtual visit to France..

First Sunday Of April Showers With Thunder Booms

 

The predicted thunderstorm arrived a couple hours late on this first Sunday of the 2023 version of April.

A long downpour has poured down a large enough volume of water that the view of the street from my kitchen window looks like the road is a river.

The lightning strikes, so far, have all been further than a mile distant, so the booms are not loud and concussive enough to scare the cat. If I had a cat.

Earlier today, before noon, I was able to have a mighty fine walk around Sikes Lake, with throngs of fellow walkers. Under a clear blue sky.

Currently the outer world looks to be brightening up a little. So, perhaps I will still be able to make my regularly scheduled Sunday visit to Walmart for anthropological observing humans purposes...

15 Best Airports In North America

I saw this a couple days ago on MSN, purporting to list The 15 Best Airports in North America.

I have experienced a few of these supposed best North American airports, as in Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Denver International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

Of the three on the list which I have experienced, I would pick D/FW International as the best, with the Denver Airport, next best, with Sea-Tacoma International Airport not my pick to be best that I have been in.

D/FW has an easy to use SkyLink train that quickly gets you to any terminal in the HUGE airport. DFW has a mass transit train connection to the Dallas part of the DFW Metroplex, via a DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) line.

The Denver Airport also has a mass transit train connection to downtown Denver.

Same with Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

The only other airports I have been in are McCarran International Airport, in Las Vegas, also known as Harry Reid International Airport. Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix, and Juneau International Airport in Alaska.

I have found Sea-Tac to be a bit more confusing than other airports I have navigated around. And it always seems to have construction projects going on. Sea-Tac is aesthetically pleasing, there is that. You know you are in the Pacific Northwest when you are in Sea-Tac, but how Sea-Tac was determined to be the best airport in North America is a mystery to me.

Here is the entire list of 15....

1 Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

2 Vancouver International Airport

3 Houston Hobby Airport

4 Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport

5 Montréal-Trudeau International Airport

6 Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport

7 San Francisco International Airport

8 New York-LaGuardia Airport

9 Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

10 Los Angeles International Airport

11 Toronto Pearson International Airport

12 Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

13 Denver International Airport

14 John F. Kennedy International Airport

15 Calgary International Airport

Burlington's Cascade Mall Being Repurposed As A Theme Park

I saw that which you here on Facebook, this morning of the first day of April.

I thought, wow, that is impressive, my little old hometown, with a population a little under 10,000, is repurposing the Cascade Mall as a theme park, with a hotel, a night club, a themed arcade, an I-Max movie theater, a waterpark, 380 condos, an In 'n Out Burger restaurant, along with the nearby Target being taken over by Trader Joe's.

Impressive.

And then I realized it is the first day of April, also known as April Fool's Day...