Final Sunday Of Summer At Lucy Park Getting Bug Bites

On this final Sunday of Summer, it was back to Lucy Park I ventured for some totally cloud-free communing with nature.

Today I walked a trail in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle which I had not walked on since that windstorm a few weeks ago wreaked havoc with the Lucy Park trees.

I had more communing with nature than I wanted today. Nature in the form of bugs biting me.

I did not see the bugs on me doing the biting. It was only after itchy bumps appeared did I realize I had been attacked.

I assume mosquitoes were the culprit. But usually one hears mosquitoes buzzing when they are in attack mode.

The only bugs I eye witnessed today were the swarms of grasshoppers hopping when my walking disturbed them.

I do not think grasshoppers bite humans. I think they are vegetarians.

Even though the sun was not blocked by clouds the temperature did not go into too HOT mode during my time at Lucy Park. The temperature was in the low 80s.

Not chilly, not HOT....

Cloudy Thursday Sunflowers At Lucy Park

With rain and thunderstorms in the forecast, with the temperature barely in the 70s, it was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured on the morning of this second Thursday of September.

I did my nature communing with barely a drop of rain dripping, and no thunder booming.

As you can see, via looking behind the big yellow sunflower, the clouds do look a bit threatening. 

For several days now the weather predictors have been predicting rain and thunderstorms, with barely any of either actualizing.

I did see a lightning flash a couple nights ago, with distant thunder rumbling. And yesterday, leaving Walmart, I did feel a couple drops of rain. But not enough to get anything even close to being wet.

Maybe this afternoon's predicted thunderstorm will happen. Likely not, though...

Semi-Chilly Hill Hiking The Wichita Bluff Nature Area

What you see here is the picnic pavilion located at the highest point in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

Today was the first time in months I have been back on the Wichita Bluffs.

I have avoided this location ever since Lucy Park's Blue Man reported seeing two rattlesnakes sunning themselves on the paved Circle Trail in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

The temperature was in the low 70s when I did my nature communing today. That chilly temperature slows down cold-blooded things which slither.

So, I saw no snakes of any variety today, not that I was much expecting to. 

I did see multiple mammals in the human form.

Including one group with two moms pushing two-seater baby strollers, with each mom also holding one kid, with three small kids walking. It was quite an adventurous operation.

I came upon a woman carrying a big bunch of what looked to me to be dried out weeds. I complimented her on the beautiful bouquet she was carrying. She thanked me for the compliment, along with saying the bouquet was going in a vase.

It was nice being back on the Wichita Bluffs. My other hiking locations pretty much have no elevation ups and downs...

Microsoft Remembering Me Hiking To Mount Rainier

Yesterday, September 11, Microsoft's OneDrive email, with supposed memories from that day, managed, once again, to come up with memories which I, once again, actually remember.

Which is easy since these memories are all of the same thing.

Mount Rainier.

However, Microsoft is off by a month. It was on August 11, 2008, that these Mount Rainier memories were made, not September 11.

On that August day, way back then, I drove my sister-in-law, Kristin, and her mom, Janet, to Mount Rainier.

It was a busy day at Mount Rainier. Lots of tourists. We eventually found a place to park at Paradise and proceeded to hike towards the Mountain, eventually reaching the Myrtle Creek waterfall.

I'd been to Mount Rainier several times, but this was the first time I have been in the National Park with a clear enough sky so that the Mountain was actually out and easily seen, though it got cloud covered and uncovered several times as we hiked towards it.

Mount Rainier is sort of like San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. It took a couple visits to San Francisco before I saw the Golden Gate Bridge not shrouded in thick fog.

Microsoft's OneDrive repeated one of the memories, twice. I don't know why they would do this, as there were dozens upon dozens of Mount Rainier memories to remember.

I wonder if a day will come where I get to see Mount Rainier up close and personal once again...

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...