Discovering Neglected Wichita County Eastlawn Memorial Cemetery

This morning I drove north of Wichita Falls, halfway to Oklahoma, to visit a graveyard known as Eastlawn Memorial Cemetery.

A few days ago I was told that this cemetery had become a shameful neglected place in dire need of some care. And that a step towards that end will be happening this coming Saturday.

What I saw today looked like it would take more than one day to fix this mess. 

This cemetery is in Wichita County. I was told that it is the responsibility of the county to attend to the upkeep of the county's cemeteries. I have no way of knowing if that is true.

A forlorn, muddy road, one of several, in the cemetery. I was told there have been incidents of vehicles getting stuck in the mud on these roads.

Headstones, like that above, are expensive. I would think it would aggravate someone to see their loved ones final resting place in such shabby condition.

Headstones sticking up through the grass and weeds. You can see them into the distance.

Here we see Jesus rising above the grass and weeds.

Here we see an angel praying above the grass and weeds.

Another expensive looking headstone, surrounded by that aforementioned grass and weeds.

Clearly this cemetery gets visitors, as evidenced by the multiple instances of flowers.

There are many American flags rising above the grass and weeds of headstones of veterans. The one closest marked the grave of a World War II army soldier.

I thought when one buys a gravesite plot part of what you are paying for is upkeep of the gravesite.

Seems like someone, somewhere, somehow should be held responsible for the current condition of this cemetery...

Sikes Lake Trail Goose Blockade

The Sikes Lake geese were in trail blocking mode on this next to last Monday of May.

One must tread carefully in getting past the goose blockade, lest one gets goosed.

Clouds are still blocking the sun. The cold front which arrived a couple days ago has not yet been replaced by a warm front from the south.

Which is why it was an almost chilly 72 degrees whilst in the outer world this morning.

Rain and thunderstorms are on the weather menu all week long...

Sunday Karen-Free At Chilly Cloudy Lucy Park

It was back to Lucy Park I drove on this morning on this third Sunday of May, to do some nature communing, with zero sun, in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle zone.

What you are looking at above is the remains of the Lucy Park Pagoda. Inside the remains, looking up at the gray sky. 

Someone has pitched a tent near the remains of the Pagoda. No one appeared to be in the tent.

I don't think campsites are one of the amenities offered in Lucy Park.

Deeper in the jungle I saw a young guy with a big backpack. He may have been the tent dweller. The guy with the backpack was off the trail, heading to the edge of the Wichita River.

What you see above I did not see in Lucy Park.

I Googled for a Karen image, and this was the best one I found.

I have decided to take a social media break due to being tired of Facebook Karens, primarily one I call Delores Dakota.

Delores is a humorless troll, adept at misunderstanding what she reads, and then deciding to do some scolding. Delores Dakota was the worst of the Facebook Karens, so I blocked her. 

Rather than block all the lesser Karens I decided just to take a break from Facebook for awhile. This should be peaceful...

Perfectly Chilly Sikes Lake Walk With The Gosling Lawn Mowers

Yesterday, the day known as Friday, it was back to Lucy Park's backwoods jungle I ventured to for some salubrious nature communing via high speed walking whilst being on high alert for slithering snakes in the grass.

Today, the day known as Saturday, the third such day in May, it was back to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured for some high speed walking with no worry about snakes in the grass, just goslings in the grass being not too worrisome.

The above photo is looking east from the west end of Sikes Lake, at one of the two bridges which cross the lake.

Yesterday's predicted severe thunderstorms did not happen. Not even on drop of rain, let alone any loud booming. Today has had a cold front blow in, lowering the temperature to 75 at the time I was lake walking. 

Back when I lived in Washington, 75 degrees seemed hot, almost too hot. Now I am so acclimated to heat that 75 degrees feels chilly. A pleasant type of chilly.

75 degrees is cooler than what I have my A/C set to.

Sikes Lake's biggest gosling flock was pretty much at the same location I saw them at two days ago.

You can see what a good job the geese do at keeping the lawn clipped short... 

Thunderstorms Are On The Weather Menu Along With Collapsing Sikes Lake Dam-Lake Structure

More storming is on the weather menu for this third Friday of May. Currently the outer world is not looking too stormy.

Meanwhile an interesting development at Sikes Lake.

For reasons not known by me there is a dam type structure across the north end of Sikes Lake. The dam which actually makes the lake is at another location. 

A year or two ago I read that Midwestern State University was wanting to get rid of this dam-like structure, but the estimated cost to do so was too high.

And now, it seems Mother Nature is doing the demolition job for free.

A long section of the dam-like structure has collapsed, revealing that the dam-like structure is dirt, covered with concrete slabs. This makes it look like it would not be all that difficult, or expensive, to remove this dam-like structure.

It will be interesting to see what happens next, if anything...

CBS Sunday Morning With Nephew Jason Takes Us To The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival & Roozengaarde

Incoming email from FNJ (Favorite Nephew Jason) with a link to a CBS Sunday Morning look at Skagit Valley Tulips in Bloom.

Click the link to watch the video for a look at my old home zone when the Skagit Valley is in ultra colorful mode.

What you see above and below are a couple screenshots from the video.

The above photo is at the Roozengaarde location.

In the video you get to see what a HUGE operation Roozengaarde is, along with seeing the complex automated way tulips are processed for shipping.

The Skagit Valley Jones Family Compound is close to Roozengaarde. 

When I lived in West Mount Vernon the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival time of the year, lasting a month, was a bit of a nuisance, traffic-wise.

Much has been improved over the years by spacing out various attractions, like adding Tulip Town, turning some roads into one-way only. Helicopters monitoring traffic flow. Busses bussing Tulip Tourists to the Tulip Zone.

And directing tourists heading north or south on Interstate 5 to use any of the Skagit Valley's exits from I-5, then follow the directional signs to the Tulips. Prior to pointing out the multiple exits, most incoming Tulip Tourists would exit the freeway into downtown Mount Vernon. This created massive traffic jams.

I think the last time I was at Roozengaarde was with my mom and dad. They talked me into going to an Easter morning sunrise service at Roozengaarde.

The last time I was in the Skagit Valley during the Tulip blooming time of the year was in April of 2006, when I was in Washington to attend nephew Jason's wedding to his first wife. I do not recollect seeing any tulips at that point in time..

Clear Blue Sikes Lake Sky With Gosling Flocks

No thunder or rain on the weather menu for this third Wednesday of May, for the first time in several days. 

A clear blue sky with the air heated into the mid 70s. Perfect conditions for a walk with the Sikes Lake goslings.

And now the time has arrived for lunch...

Getting Away From Doris Doolittle At Lucy Park With Wildflowers

 After too much verbal abuse from Doris Doolittle, this third Tuesday morning of May, I was in the mood for some peaceful nature communing.

And so I drove to Lucy Park for some fast walking in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle, under a cloudy sky and a temperature in the pleasant 70s, with a slight wind blowing a slightly chilly breeze.

In other words, perfect conditions for a mind clearing walk, erasing Doris Doolittle's verbal abuse from memory.

As you can see via the above photo documentation, April showers have brought more May wildflowers.

I do not know what the yellow flowers with orange centers are called, but they sort of look like daisies.

Possible rain and thunder is on the weather menu today, again, and, again, so far today, nothing...

Monday Morning Sikes Lake Reptile & Gosling Encounters

On this third Monday of May it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning for salubrious nature communing.

We have had four days in a row with the weather prediction predicting thunderstorms and rain, including today. But each day ends up being mostly dry and free of loud booms.

The baby geese, also known as goslings, population seems to be of record breaking size this year. I suppose it may be a post COVID baby boom.

I had a reptile encounter of the non-snake sort today.

A turtle was lounging among the pink evening primroses. Why do I find turtles to be cute, whilst I find snakes to be anything but cute?

Years ago I was swimming in Lake Grapevine, in the DFW zone, when a reptilian head suddenly popped up in front of me. I thought water moccasin and did not know I was able to swim as fast as I swam to get out of the water.

The reptilian head had followed me to shore, which is when I realized it was a turtle that was chasing me, not a snake.

This incident became the last time I have been in a Texas lake...

Surprising 10 Best States In The United States

I seem to be being amused day after day by MSN (Microsoft News) articles which purport to rank this that or the other thing. 

Today's is The 10 Best States in the U.S. According to Americans. 

The explanatory text at the entry to the photo gallery of the 10 Best States...

The United States is vast and diverse, with each state offering unique qualities and attractions. Some states are known for their natural beauty, while others boast bustling cities and a thriving economy. However, which state is truly the best? On an online platform, many travelers and locals shared their views. Let’s see what’s their best...

Well, I do agree with #8 on the list...

The explanatory text...

US News and World Report consider Washington as the finest state to call home, and a passionate explorer firmly believes it. They deeply appreciate the state’s progressive politics and diverse populace, making it stand out from the rest. Moreover, they attribute the state’s awe-inspiring natural beauty, flourishing tech industry, and abundance of outdoor pursuits as factors that make it an exceptional state to live in.

The full list of 10 Supposed Best States in the U.S....

Massachusetts

California

North Dakota

New Hampshire

Minnesota

Virginia

Maine

Washington

Michigan

Hawaii

North Dakota? I have never been to North Dakota, but I have been to that state's sister, South Dakota. South Dakota has the Black Hills, Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, Badlands National Park, and more.

It makes sense to me to have California and Hawaii on this list, along with Washington. But how is North Dakota one of the 10 Best, instead of states like Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, Wyoming and, even, New Mexico. 

I was born in Oregon. Oregon is like Washington with the progressive politics. And scenery, such as the Oregon coast, Crater Lake National Park, Mount Hood, Multnomah Falls, Portland, and more.

I like New Mexico. I have had some of my most mighty fine times in New Mexico.

Utah is just about my favorite of the states I have visited. The five national parks, Lake Powell, Salt Lake, and more.

Colorado has a boom town called Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park, Mesa Verde National Park, Great Sand Dunes National Park, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Pike's Peak, Royal Gorge, Vale, Aspen, and more.

Arizona has such diverse scenery, from cactus covered deserts to the Grand Canyon.

Wyoming is where you find Yellowstone National Park and Devil's Tower among many other scenic wonders.

And, what about Alaska, another state I have been to. And Montana.

Not that I have anything against North Dakota, but methinks having that state on this list of the 10 Best sort of invalidates the legitimacy of the list. 

The list would have been even more goofy if Texas was counted in the Top 10...