Windy Sikes Lake Walk With Evening Primroses Coloring The Landscape

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured this third Saturday of the 2023 version of April, for a walk around the lake, along with dozens of other walkers enjoying the high-speed wind.

Since my last visit to Sikes Lake the Evening Primroses have blossomed in pink bloom mode.

Way back late in the previous century, in late April, I recollect heading to Dallas/Fort Worth on Highway 287, at some point after passing through Amarillo pink blossoms began coloring the landscape.

This was my introduction to Texas wildflower season. 

At some point, after Amarillo, I got off the road so as to check out, up close, these dainty pink blooms.

It was a few years later I finally learned the name of this Texas wildflower...

With Linda Lou In Lucy Park While Prudy Judy Gardens

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured on this HOT day in Texas. With a clear blue sky with nary a cloud in sight. And the air heated into the 80s.

Linda Lou spent some time with me today in Lucy Park. During the course of visiting with Linda Lou she told me about a mighty fine lunch she had yesterday in Anacortes with Betty Jo Bouvier, Honey Lulu and Mr. Clyde.

If I make it to Washington this summer I hope to have a mighty fine time seeing Linda Lou, Betty Jo Bouvier, Mr. Clyde, and a few others.

Speaking of people from my high school years.

Another person with whom I attended Burlington-Edison High School, showed up this morning on a poster advertising World Wide Naked Gardening Day.

This particular person was a bit of a Prudy Judy when I knew her in high school. Nice to see that the 2023 version is so free spirited....

99 Degrees With Unexpected Surprise From Amazon

 Yesterday I mentioned going to the library with several books recommended by Linda Lou on my list of what books I hoped to check out.

I blogged about this in Linda Lou Library Recommendations Before Lucy Park Jungle Trek. 

Of the three authors I could find only one, Rachel Joyce, but not the book of Rachel Joyce which Linda Lou had recommended. So, I checked out a Rachel Joyce novel titled Perfect.

Around four this afternoon of April 13 I set out to go to Walmart to get onions, jicama and mixed greens. When I got in my vehicle and looked at the temperature reading in the rear view mirror, I was surprised. I knew it was hot, but not 99 degrees HOT.

Methinks we are in for a scorcher of a summer.

It is a tad difficult to make out the 99 degrees on the right side of the rear view mirror.

When I returned from Walmart I went to check the mailbox. I found a package from Amazon. I ordered something from Amazon last Friday. It arrived a day later. Fastest Amazon delivery yet.

So, I had no idea what I was going to find in this package from Amazon, til I opened it to see it was the Rachel Joyce book title Linda Lou had recommended, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

Had Linda Lou read yesterday's blogging about my futile book search and proceeded to have a copy sent to me by Amazon, with it again being delivered the next day?

I don't know. I suspect I will soon find out the answer though...

Linda Lou Library Recommendations Before Lucy Park Jungle Trek

Today was a books due day, so it was to downtown Wichita Falls I ventured this morning, to spend a few minutes in the library returning books and acquiring new reading material. 

Linda Lou had recommended three books by three different authors. I could find only one of the authors, Rachel Joyce, but not the recommended title of The Unlikely Pilgrimage. Instead, I got a Rachel Joyce novel titled Perfect.

Since it was nearby, after the library, it was on the Lucy Park where I opted to speed walk the Lucy Park backwoods, which, as you can see, is rapidly returning to lush jungle mode.

The temperature was in the 70s, still a bit cool for slithering snakes to give chase, but, even so, I kept a wary eye on the lookout for anything slithering.

The biggest snake I have seen since being in Texas was seen in the Lucy Park backwoods zone, several years ago. 

I do not like snakes. Never have, never will...

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...