Nephew David's Happy 9/11 15th Birthday

That is my Favorite Nephew David, you see here, with his girlfriend, Marilyn, at, I think, some sort of art park in the National Harbor zone of Maryland.

David turns 15 today, on the 21st Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

I have not seen David, or his brother and sister, Theo and Ruby, since March of 2019.

I was almost 100% certain I was going to see David, Theo and Ruby, this summer, in Washington, where we were scheduled to build sandcastles at Birch Bay.

But, multiple events prevented that from happening.

Maybe, next summer...

Arlene Clara Slotemaker Barry Ernster---April 20, 1929 - September 9, 2023

Sad news.

The matriarch of the Slotemaker - Jones clan passed away Saturday after a brief hospital stay.

Aunt Arlene was my Dad's big sister. That is Dad and Aunt Arlene you see above, at Mom and Dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party, on August 11, 2001. Mom and Dad's actual anniversary date was August 6, but for some reason, on more than one occasion, their anniversary party took place on my birthday.

Well, the reason is actually no mystery, if August 6 fell on a weekday, the next weekend was when the anniversary party took place. I recollect that only happening twice.

Aunt Arlene was a school teacher. High school. An English teacher, I think, for the most part. At Snohomish High School and Sultan High School. And maybe some other schools I am not remembering.

Aunt Arlene got her teaching degree from Western Washington University, where she was on the school newspaper, and at one point in time got to interview Eleanor Roosevelt.

Aunt Arlene had flawless cursive handwriting.

In the Slotemaker - Jones clan it is an odd fact that the oldest in each family group is left-handed. Which made Aunt Arlene left-handed, as am I.

I treasured getting letters from Aunt Arlene. Along with news clippings.

In the past year Aunt Arlene subscribed me to the Hightower Lowdown. Along with the majority of Americans, Aunt Arlene was appalled at the Trump embarrassment.

Aunt Arlene was a bit surprised that I can tolerate living in Texas, after having spent the majority of my life living in one of the nation's more progressive states, to now be living in a state which no one would accuse of being progressive.

Just recently, well, a month or so ago, Aunt Arlene had Cousin Linda, her daughter, Facebook message me asking how I was handling the heat. Apparently, the news was making the Texas heat seem real HOT. 

The news of Aunt Arlene passing hit me hard today. All my siblings have always had Aunt Arlene on a pedestal. She was so smart, funny, easy to talk to. And so kind and loveable.

When I got a text message last month, or was it the month before that, time flies so fast, with that text message, from sister Jackie, telling me she was now a Granny. I reacted to that news in a way which surprised me, as in I suddenly felt real happy. The news about Aunt Arlene also struck me in a way which surprised me, but it was the opposite of real happy.

The older I get the more it seems that time is fleeting, quickly melting away...

Semi-Cool Sunday In Lucy Park With Lizards

On this second Sunday of September, with the temperature in the mid 80s, it was to Lucy Park I ventured this morning for some nature communing in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle.

All of the windfalls which fell via a freak windstorm, about a month ago, have not yet been cleared. 

The remains of the tree you see above looked interesting to me. Like an abstract sculpture by Mother Nature.

Tomorrow the Big Chill arrives, with the high predicted to be only 81 degrees, with the following day a super chilly 78 degrees.

78 degrees is what I have my air-conditioning set to. 

I have yet to see a single snake this year. But, today I did see a cute reptile. A skinny little lizard...

A View Of Deception Pass Takes Us To Fort Worth's Boondoggle

I saw that which you see here, this morning, on Facebook. A bird's eye view of Deception Pass in my former home zone of Washington state.

That straight line you see connecting the land mass on the right with the land mass on the left is Deception Pass Bridge. 

Deception Pass Bridge was built almost a century ago, in less than one year, over deep, swift moving saltwater.

All the land masses you see above are islands. The large land mass on the right is Fidalgo Island, connected to Whidbey Island by the Deception Pass Bridge.

I think being familiar with the concept of actual islands may be why I have long found Fort Worth's imaginary island to be so idiotically annoying. For years now a desolate chunk of land north of Fort Worth's downtown has been referred to as Panther Island.

Where there is no island.

This chunk of desolate land is referred to as Panther Island because of a ridiculous slow motion project which has been limping along since the current century began, known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Referred to by many Fort Worth locals as The Boondoggle.

Many years ago Fort Worth had itself a TNT explosion celebrating the start of construction of three simple freeway overpass type bridges, over dry land, connecting the Fort Worth mainland to the imaginary island.

It took over seven years for Fort Worth to build those three simple little bridges. Over dry land.

The Trinity River Vision hopes to one day see a cement lined ditch under those three bridges. Ditches in which Trinity River water will be diverted, thus creating that imaginary island, which will never be an actual island in the rational meaning of the island word.

Fort Worth has a long history of this type of hyperbole. Starting with the town's name. There is no fort in Fort Worth. There once was a Camp Worth, back in the early days when the native population was still in the neighborhood.

When I first moved to the D/FW zone, myself and my fellow transplants, were perplexed by directional signage in downtown Fort Worth pointing to Sundance Square. There was no square in Sundance Square, confusing the town's few tourists.

And then, after confusing those few tourists for a few decades, an actual square was added to Sundance Square, called Sundance Square Plaza.

And now, in 2023, Fort Worth's few tourists are confused by signage pointing to Panther Island, where there is no island... 

Another Scorching North Texas Day Before Incoming Deep Chill

Today, this 8th day of September, may be the HOTTEST day yet during this record-breaking HOT season of summer of 2023.

Two more days, Saturday and Sunday, and then look at what starts happening on Monday!

I will be needing to locate the location of my sweat pants and sweat shirt do deal with this incoming Deep Chill.

With rain.

I do not remember when last it rained on this parched part of the planet. The local reservoirs have dried up to being half their normal size.

On Monday I foresee a return to the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area for the first time since Blue Man reported he came upon two rattlesnakes basking in the heat of the paved Circle Trail in the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area.

Snakes do not slither fast when the temperature chills their cold-blooded selves...

Dehydrating Heatstroke North Texas Danger At 109 Degrees

109 degrees is the predicted high today, at my North Texas location, on this 7th day of September. 

What with that dire danger of dehydration and heatstroke if one is outside for extended periods of time, I will be foregoing my usual late morning outdoor communing with nature.

My last bout of nature communing, two days ago, at Sike Lake, was way too HOT. No cooling wind, no shade, just HOT.

By next week the temperature is no longer predicted to be over 100 degrees. With rain in the forecast.

By this coming Saturday the high is predicted to be 90, with the days following Saturday predicted to be in the relatively chilly low 80s. 

The return of natural air-conditioning is going to be so enjoyable...

Remembering Ocean Shores & A 50th Wedding Anniversary Party

 Another rare instance where I remember all the memories Microsoft OneDrive is suggesting I should remember.

Trouble with this memory is I remember none of these memories occurred in September.

The photo at the upper left was taken July 27, 2002, at a Jones Family reunion at the fairgrounds in Lynden, Washington.

The other photographic memories happened in August of 2001. I had driven solo from Texas to Washington for mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party.

On that visit to Washington dad drove mom and me to Ocean Shores, on the Washington Pacific coast, which would make that mom and dad at the upper right, at the beach at the south end of Ocean Shores.

Below mom and dad is my Grandma Vera, mom's mom, at that aforementioned 50th Wedding Anniversary party, which took place in the Seattle suburb of Kent.

Below Grandma Vera that would be mom and dad opening Happy Anniversary presents. I do not recollect myself bringing a present. I guess my unexpected presence was my Happy Anniversary present.

At the lower left we are back at Ocean Shores, a short distance from the memory of mom and dad on the beach. 

In that lower left photo we are looking at the breakwater of erosion preventing giant boulders at the north side of the entry to Grays Harbor. There was a large group of us, that day, at Ocean Shores. Two of whom are who are being photographed on the boulders getting wet from the spray of crashing waves.

Flock Of Seagulls At Sikes Lake Low Tide With Tacoma's Mount Rainier

Though the high today is predicted to be a whoppingly HOT 106, I thought the clouds I was seeing from my window view, and with a strong wind blowing, that a walk around Sikes Lake would be pleasantly temperatured.

I was wrong.

Way too HOT.

Rain and thunderstorms are on the weather menu for later this 5th day of September.

As you can see, via today's photo documentation of Sikes Lake, the lake is in dire need of some water. If this were a saltwater scene I would think the tide is out. Those spots of white you see at the lake's edge are a flock of seagulls. 

No idea why seagulls are at this lake instead of a saltwater sea.

Speaking of seagulls on an actual sea of saltwater, I saw the below scenic view this morning on Facebook.

That is the Tacoma waterfront you are seeing, with Mount Rainier hovering in the distance. When you drive around Tacoma the Mountain is always seeming to move. It can be a bit disorienting. 

My nephews, David and Theo, and niece, Ruby, live a short distance from the above view.

The Tacoma waterfront has a lot of restaurants, one of which is what you see at the bottom of the photo.

It has been six years since I have seen a real mountain. Or a saltwater beach.

Time flies by way too fast...

Lucy Park September Saturday Pseudo Snake Encounter

It was back to Lucy Park I ventured on this first Saturday, second day, of September. With the temperature barely 90, heading to a high today of 101. 

The outer world nature communing was pleasant today. A good breeze provided some cooling.

I was walking quickly when I suddenly came to a halt, stopping when I saw what looked to be a big snake slithering from behind a rock.

A few seconds later my moment of being startled was replaced by realizing this was a scary curvy stick, not a scary curvy snake.

Had this been an actual snake it would have been my first snake encounter this year. I have not gone a year in Texas without multiple snake encounters, til this year.

I wondered if the snake population was hit hard by COVID?

Likely not....

Geese Flocking Back To Sikes Lake On First Day Of September

A couple days ago I was at Sikes Lake and made mention of the fact that I saw not a single goose.

I speculated that the survivors of the mass execution of Sikes Lake geese had decided to relocate to a safter location.

Well, I was back at Sikes Lake on this first day of September. And geese were also back, which is what you see floating on the lake.

Is this a migrating flock who dropped in for a rest on their way somewhere else, not realizing the danger they were in by floating in Sikes Lake, the site of the recent mass execution of 343 geese.

The temperature is scheduled to be back over 100 for this first day of the new month, with multiple following days also over 100.

But, the temperature was barely 90 when I walked around the lake, which felt relatively chilly, what with a refreshing breeze blowing...