Why Is Dallas A City People Refuse To Visit Again?

This morning, via MSN (Microsoft News) I scrolled through an article titled Avoid These 10 Cities People Refuse to Visit Again.

One of the ten cities people refuse to visit again surprised me.

Dallas, Texas

The ten cities listed...

Cairo, Egypt

Marrakesh, Morocco

Miami, Florida

Atlantic City, New Jersey

Dallas, Texas

Dubai

Hollywood, California

Las Vegas, Nevada

San Francisco, California

New Orleans, Louisiana

Well, Dallas is in some good company of other cities people refuse to visit again. 

The explanatory blurb about Dallas...

Texans say that megachurches, strip malls, subdivisions, and little else populate Dallas. Another person claims the city combines every bad part of Texas and markets it as a city. 

Well. I have visited Dallas multiple times and have never had it cross my mind that I never wanted to visit again. I've always enjoyed visiting Dallas. Fair Park, Deep Ellum, Dealey Plaza, Farmers Market, White Rock Lake, and more, like Pioneer Plaza.

I've been to some of the other cities on this list of cities people refuse to visit again. Hollywood, Las Vegas and San Francisco.

I've been to all three multiple times, so I am not one of those visitors who refuse to visit again.

Well, I really don't think I'd bother visiting Hollywood again. There is not a lot to see in Hollywood. Grauman's Chinese Theater, or whatever it is currently called, and the Walk of Fame. That's about all I remember about Hollywood.

Las Vegas wears me out after about four days, but, I always seem to return. 

San Francisco is a fun town. Just riding the cable cars makes the town special. And San Francisco's Chinatown is the best Chinatown I have seen. Plus the famous iconic bridges, the waterfront, and more. I don't get why anyone would say they refuse to visit San Francisco again.

The Most Terrifying Attractions In Washington & Texas

I saw that which you see here in Microsoft Edge gallery titled The Most Terrifying Attraction In Every State. 

Deception Pass is the most terrifying attraction in my old home state of Washington? Well, it is a bit scary, depending on how you cross the bridge. Years ago it was a common thing for daredevil types to climb out on the arch that supports the bridge. Eventually barriers were installed to put a stop to that. Walking across the bridge on its narrow sidewalk can be bit terrifying as cars and big trucks whiz by.

The description of this terrifying Washington attraction which accompanied the photo...

This sky-high bridge, dating back to 1935, has its home in Washington's most visited state park. It arches 180 feet (55m) above the waters of both Deception Pass and Canoe Pass strait, and is made even more unnerving when fog curls around its expanse. There are two options for taking it all in: gazing up at the bridge from a boat, or taking to its (very narrow) pedestrian pathway to look down at the rushing waters below.

So, what was the most terrifying attraction in the state in which I currently reside?

Texas: Flags Over Texas Observation Deck, Tower of the Americas, San Antonio

One of the tallest observation towers in America, this 750-foot (229m) viewing platform can be found in the Tower of the Americas building, alongside its bar, restaurant and 4D ride. A glass-fronted elevator allows visitors to take in vistas of downtown before they even reach the top. In the viewing area, historical displays help make sense of the pocket-sized buildings below.

I have seen the Tower of the Americas, but I have never been in it or on it. It does not look too terrifying..

Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle With No Snakes

 

It was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured this humid second Wednesday of May.

The temperature was sufficiently HOT and the grass sufficiently tall that I had to be vigilant today whilst fast walking the backwoods jungle, lest there be any slithering snakes in the grass.

I saw nothing slithering, but way too many flying insects of various varieties. But, unlike yesterday, no mosquito successfully attacked me, drawing blood.

Thunderstorming is on the weather menu for later today. Of late about half the time thunder is predicted I end up hearing nary a boom. Or see a lightning strike...

Hot Lake Wichita Park Walk With Mosquitoes

On this second Tuesday of May the outer world at my location is super humid. And hot. Real HOT.

Feeling the need for heat, and hoping for a cooling breeze, I drove to Lake Wichita Park for a walk around the only mountain for miles and miles in any direction.

I read this morning that the recent rains have risen the local lake levels. Such was noted upon arrival at the Lake Wichita Park parking lot. The tide was not out nearly as far as the last visit, a couple weeks ago.

Work continues on the expansion of the Lake Wichita Veterans Memorial, due to be finished by Memorial Day, which is the 29th of the current month.

Several guys were busy working on the memorial, seemingly impervious to the blazing sun.

I walked around the mountain and then headed north to a line of trees which are on both sides of a creek ditch.

I was on high alert when in this shaded wooded zone, on the lookout for slithering reptiles. I saw none, but did manage to get a whopper of a mosquito bite. 

A trail meanders through this wooded zone, with a couple little bridge crossings, such as what you see above. Eventually I came to a disc golf launch pad and realized this trail had been built for the disc golf course.

Seems like it would be just a tad too challenging to be throwing a disc in a wooded zone, hoping to hit a target.

I do not see many disc golfers at the Lake Wichita Park disc golf course, unlike I see at Lucy Park, where one always sees a lot of disc golfers.

More storming is on the weather menu during the course of this week. I hope that comes with cooler temperatures and a drop in humidity...

Lucy Park Survived Last Night's Windstorm With Little Damage

It was to Lucy Park I ventured this second Monday of May, to do some high-speed salubrious nature walking in the jungle terrain.

Which would make that the Lucy Park suspension bridge you see above, currently cloaked in lush greenery.

Last night's windstorm was one of the strongest I have ever experienced. The way the trees were whipping about it looked like a hurricane.

By morning I expected to see a lot of wind damage to the trees. But, turned out to be way fewer fallen limbs than would seem to be the expected result of such a strong blow.

Driving to Lucy Park I did come upon a couple crews cleaning up fallen foliage.

Last night's windstorm had little, if any, precipitation, despite the prediction that rain would fall. And I saw no lightning striking and heard no thunder booming.

More storms are on the weather menu for the coming days. But, currently a clear blue cloud-less sky has returned. Along with warm air and extreme humidity...

Sunday Sikes Lake Goose Walking With Goslings

As the sun was doing its setting duty last night lightning began flashing, non-stop, for about an hour. Prior to the lightning flashing huge globs of water plopped to the ground with a thud. The globs must have been big balls of hail prior to melting soon before hitting the ground.

I recollect no strong wind blowing last night, but by morning's light a lot of wind damage appeared. Tree limbs, pieces of roofing, and some litter.

So, with the sky still cloudy on this first Sunday of the 2023 version of May it was to Sikes Lake I ventured to do some goose walking around the lake.

Above you see some of the geese, posing with pink evening primroses. Behind the geese that is the bridge across the creek which enters Sikes Lake at the west end of the lake.

Soon after crossing the aforementioned bridge I came up the small goose family you see here. Mom and dad and seven goslings.

About 100 feet further I came upon a much large flock of goslings. I could not get them all in the photo, along with the multiple full size geese being gosling-sitters.

A severe thunderstorm is on the weather menu for later today...

KAUZ CBS Bumps Young Sheldon & Ghosts To Air Live Storm Chasing

The above is the short version of the weather forecast for my location, on this 5th day of May. Currently the forecast is erroneous, as there is no fog, not even a hint of fog, just a clear blue cloud-less sky.

That gusty thunderstorm prediction for this afternoon sounds interesting. 

Last night's predicted storm sort of arrived as predicted, sometime between 7 and 8. Rain, distant thunder, a little wind.

By 8 I was ready to watch Young Sheldon and Ghosts, which I had recorded during their scheduled airing time between 7 and 8.

A little after 8, with a big bowl of popcorn, I started up Young Sheldon. It was being amusing, and then a loud honk would interrupt the dialogue, followed by a screen crawl informing the viewers which areas were experiencing some storm action.

The honking interruption happened three or four times. It is quite annoying, what with the fact that the honking is so not needed. That and I was watching something I had recorded, hence the weather warning was irrelevant, as that time of extreme supposed weather danger had passed.

And then it got worse. About half way through Young Sheldon, the KAUZ weatherman, Ken Johnson, with his hands in his pockets, for who knows what reason, broke into Young Sheldon to go live with the important info that Doppler radar had detected a rotating cell, with tornado potential, east of Wichita Falls, near the little bump in the road, along Highway 287, called Bellevue.

Ken Johnson went on and on, breathlessly showing maps showing the possible severe storm action.

And then we switched to live footage of storm trackers trying to track the illusive storm which was so possibly dangerous that interrupting regular programming was warranted.

I hit the fast forward button. On and on it went, cutting back to Ken Johnson, excitedly pointing out the tornado potential. 

Soon fast forwarding went past Young Sheldon to Ghosts. And still we were live with the imaginary weather drama. Halfway through Ghosts being interrupted I had had enough and went to watch something else I had recorded.

In our current era of easily being able to record TV, of streaming, of multiple sources of TV input, is it not extremely stupid for a local station to go live, interrupting its programming because weather conditions might turn into something dangerous at some location in their viewing area?

If you are at home watching TV, you are likely aware of the storm potential. You can read the warnings on the screen. Why is there a need to go live with this type thing?

It is likely at the point in time where the local CBS station went live with all this storm information that most local viewers were not watching network TV, but were watching something streaming, on Amazon Prime, or Netflix, or ROKU, or HULU. Or something pre-recorded.

And this Ken Johnson guy is one of the worst of this type newsman I have ever seen. I remember one time, a couple years ago, he breathlessly went on air, because a rotating cell had been detected north of the local airport. He had a sandwich in hand, he could not get oriented to the screen. It was both highly amusing, and embarrassing.

This Ken Johnson guy is the Ted Baxter of local TV weathermen.

And now, this morning, I went to the KAUZ website to see if there was any news about last night's supposedly dangerous storm. KAUZ is the call letters for the local CBS station.

There was nary a mention, not one, made about last night's weak storm, which somehow warranted interrupting programming.

I had already made note of the fact that no mention was made of last night's storm in the local newspaper, the Wichita Falls Times News Record.

Now, I am certainly not suggesting that these storms are to be taken lightly. They do have deadly potential.

But, how does going live, like what happened last night on KAUZ, make any sense at all?

Doing such would make sense only if somehow there was a means to instantly break into anything being aired on any TV in the potentially affected area. Rather than just issue the dire live warning to the small percentage tuned into KAUZ.

It is so perplexing...

Third Day Of May Thunder & Rain

Just as I was readying myself to exit my abode for my daily constitutional of doing some high-speed walking at one of the various park venues at my location, thunderbolts began striking the ground, followed by rain pouring down in copious amounts.

The view you see photo documented above is what it looks like to look out my computer room window on this drippy morning of the third day of May.

The dripping is not predicted to last long, but, it was also not predicted to begin dripping til later this afternoon. So, methinks we may be having way more drippage than that which was predicted.

I like this type weather. It is like a stereotypical Western Washington winter day. Gray and wet. Not too hot, not too cold...

Traffic Jam Detours Me To Lucy Park Duck Pond

The second day of May is another perfect weather day in North Texas. Blue sky, zero clouds, barely a breeze.

It was to Lucy Park I ventured today for some nature communing.

Upon arrival I found a traffic jam blocking my way to my regular parking location. So, I detoured to another Lucy Park entry, which had me parking by the Lucy Park Duck Pond.

The Lucy Park Duck Pond is primarily populated with geese. But, the park signage calls it the Lucy Park Duck Pond.

It is a scenic Duck Pond. With several bridges across narrow crossings connecting one pond to the next.

One of the bridges is a slightly treacherous crossing with the bridge deck being highly mobile, making passage difficult for those without a firm understanding. I have a firm understanding, but still find passage over that bridge to be a wobbly undertaking.

Thunderstorming is back on our weather menu, beginning later today, on into the following days.

Yesterday, at noon, the tornado sirens were loudly tested. So, we are primed and ready for some dire weather...

May Day Workers Of The World Unite With Sikes Lake Goslings

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning on the first day of May, also known as Workers of the World Unite Day.

A couple days ago I was at Sikes Lake and photo documented a flock of goslings in flotilla mode floating on the lake.

Today that flock of goslings were landlubbers, tiptoeing in waddle mode through a patch of Evening Primroses, which is what you see photo documented above.

The first day of May is a warm one at my location. Clear blue sky, windless, just about as perfect a day as a day can possibly be.

Cinco de Mayo arrives on Friday. I think I shall celebrate that day with tacos.