Sikes Lake Carpeted With Yellow Flowers & Ducks

It was back to Sikes Lake I ventured today, on the final Wednesday of September of 2023. The recent few drips of rain apparently were enough precipitation to cause a carpet of yellow flowers to blanket large sections of the Sikes Lake landscape.

I saw no geese today. Prior to the extermination of almost 400 Sikes Lake geese I think the goose flock kept the Sikes Lake landscape under control, what with those birds eating, almost non-stop.

I'm sure these yellow flowers would have been a tasty delicacy for the geese.

Meanwhile, the Sikes Lake duck flock seems to be rapidly expanding. Compared to the geese, the ducks are slackers. Such as what you see above, the flock of ducks lounging in the shade, instead of chomping on grass and flowers.

As you see, it is another clear, blue sky day at my North Texas location. With the temperature high today predicted to be near 100 degrees. 

I am ready for Summer to realize it is now Fall...

Down Memory Lane With Siblings & The Fort Worth Herd

This morning's Microsoft OneDrive memories are what you are seeing here. I don't quite know where Microsoft is finding these photos. 

In the big photo you are seeing me and all but one of my siblings.

The youngest sibling had not yet arrived on the planet.

That would be my little brother, Jake, on the left, sister Jackie next to Jake, me next to Jackie, and sister Nancy next to me, in one of the rare photo documentations of Nancy in a dress.

Today is brother Jake's and Hank Frank's happy birthday.

To the right of the photo of me and my siblings the first three photos are from the first time mom and dad visited me in Texas. October of 2001. A month after the notorious date of 9/11.

In those three photos we are at Riscky's BBQ in the Fort Worth Stockyards.

In the middle photo that is mom, on the right, watching dad trying to take a photo of the Fort Worth herd of longhorns and cowboys passing by.

I think the memory at the bottom right is a look at the Wichita River, viewed from the Wichita Bluffs.

And that concludes our journey down memory lane for the day....

Fort Worth Chefs In Rattle Battle With Tasty Rattlesnakes

This blog post falls into the category of things I read in a Texas newspaper, such as the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that I would not expect to see in a newspaper in my former west coast location, about this particular Texas type thing happening in my old home zone.

In this instance it is an article's in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram online titled Taste what 12 Fort Worth TX chefs can make with rattlesnake at Tim Love’s ‘Rattle Battle’.

Part of the rattlesnake article...

Chef Tim Love is hosting a different kind of cooking competition in Fort Worth next month.

Love is emceeing a rattlesnake cooking competition titled “Rattle Battle” from 3 to 5 pm. on Oct. 6 at Mule Alley in the Fort Worth Stockyards. Tickets are now on sale for the event, starting at $125. 

The event will host 12 Fort Worth chefs competing tocreate the best dish made from rattlesnake meat. Event guests along with a panel of judges will determine the winner. The winning chef will take home $2,500 cash, a prize pack and the coveted rattlesnake trophy.

“I’m very excited to host the first annual ‘Rattle Battle’ and have gathered Fort Worth’s finest and most innovative chefs to engage in a unique challenge — using the most unusual ingredient, rattlesnake,” Love said in a press release.

________________________

I did not know people ate rattlesnake til early this century when I went to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, where I saw rattlesnakes being milked for their venom, killed for their skins and their rattlesnake meat.

Which I then saw being consumed by multiple people, buying rattlesnake and chips from a restaurant in the main Roundup venue.

You can see all of this in the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage I made a couple decades ago...

One Drive Forgotten Memories

On this 4th day of the 2023 version of Fall, an email from Microsoft once again told me I was seeing memories from this particular day.

That I do not remember.

What is that road leading to in the photo on upper left? Guadalupe Mountain? The Big Bend zone? Somewhere else?

That appears to be an artist's rendering of the Dallas Cowboy stadium in Arlington at the lower left. The area surrounding the actual stadium looks nothing like the artist's rendering. 

That would be me next to the Dallas Cowboy stadium, in mountain biking mode. Where I was biking, I have no clue.

Above me that looks to be an old mission type structure, located where, I  again have no clue. I have zero recollection of seeing such a building.

And above the old mission that looks to be a sombrero wearing cowboy on a horse. Was this in the Fort Worth Stockyards? Or a parade. Again I have no clue.

So, that conclude my memories I do not remember on this final Sunday of September... 

Washington's Miss Chris Takes Us Again To Bare Mount Rainier

Saw that which you see here on Facebook this morning, via Washington's Miss Chris.

Miss Chris, Sheila and Macie live in Lacey, a town a few miles east of Olympia, and closer to Mount Rainier than their former location in the Seattle suburb of Kent.

I have never seen Mount Rainier this bare of white ice, known as glaciers. Mount Rainier usually sports multiple glaciers.

I have not seen a recent photo of the Washington volcano I used to live near, Mount Baker.

I suspect Mount Baker is less white than Mount Rainier, due to Mount Baker, at 10,786 feet above sea level being quite a bit shorter than Mount Rainier's 14,411 elevation.

Spending the majority of my existence on the planet living near sea level in Western Washington, with mountains any direction one looked, those mountains look so tall.

My first time seeing the Rocky Mountains in Colorado I was non-plussed, because they did not look as big as mountains I was used to seeing in Washington.  And then I realized the base level of the Rocky Mountains is way above sea level. As in Denver is a mile high, so, naturally the Rocky Mountains do not look as high as they would if Denver were at sea level.

There are mountains in the Colorado Rocky Mountains that one can drive to the top of, such as Pikes Peak, at 14,115 feet above sea level, almost as tall as Mount Rainier.

There are no mountains in the Cascade or Olympic Mountain ranges that one can drive to the top of.

I miss mountains...

Second Fall Day At Beautiful Sikes Lake

Yesterday, the first day of Fall, it was to Lucy Park I ventured for some nature communing in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle.

The first day of Fall was HOT.

Hot and humid.

I overheated into being a sweaty mess yesterday at Lucy Park.

Today, the second day of Fall, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for some nature communing. The second day of Fall is not HOT at my location. The temperature at Sikes Lake was barely in the 80s, with a strong chilling wind blowing.

So, I had myself a mighty fine time walking around the lake, along with a lot of other nature communers, including one collection of mom's pushing baby strollers, with a couple of the baby strollers having two babies onboard.

We have had a little rain hitting the ground the past few days. With enough water to restore the Sikes Lake Green Lagoon to its usual self, not the dried-up self which the Green Lagoon had been sporting the past several weeks.

A return to a couple 100 degree days is currently in the forecast for my location.

I thought that overly HOT nonsense was done for the year.

Washington & Texas Are Mighty Fun States

I saw an amusing MSN article yesterday titled 11 States Americans Say Are the Most Fun which had my old home state of Washington and the #1 most fun state. You can click the 11 States Americans Say Are the Most Fun to see the other fun states, including the fun state I am currently located in.

This is the fun description of Washington...

Washington State was the top-voted most fun state in the United States. It is an exciting destination offering diverse attractions. Its natural beauty encompasses iconic sites like Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park. Seattle’s vibrant culture features the famous Pike Place Market and arts scene. “The food was great, the people were nice, and the weather was to die for,” said one recent visitor.

Outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy hiking, skiing, and kayaking, while wine and craft beer enthusiasts can explore local vineyards and breweries. The state’s cultural diversity, water activities, music scene, and adventure sports provide ample entertainment. National parks, scenic drives, and seasonal events add to the charm, making Washington a fun state for various interests.

And then there is the state I am currently in and its fun description...

Texas offers a diverse range of attractions that make it a fun state to visit. In Austin, the vibrant capital, you can immerse yourself in live music, cultural festivals, and a thriving food scene. Houston boasts world-class museums, the Space Center, and diverse neighborhoods. San Antonio’s historic sites, like the Alamo, blend with the picturesque River Walk.

The Gulf Coast provides sandy beaches and water activities, while the Big Bend National Park showcases stunning desert landscapes. In Dallas, cultural districts, shopping, and renowned barbecue eateries await. Texas’s cowboy heritage comes alive in Fort Worth’s Stockyards National Historic District. The state’s vastness offers opportunities for outdoor adventures, from hiking in the Hill Country to exploring caverns. With its mix of urban experiences, natural wonders, and Texan charm, Texas promises an enjoyable and unforgettable visit.

Some of the 11 fun states seemed a tad dubious, such as Tennessee and North Carolina and Illinois.

As were some omissions of what, to me, are super fun states, like Utah and Oregon and Arizona and Wyoming and Nevada.

Oh, and South Dakota.

Late in the previous century I had myself a mighty fine fun time in South Dakota...

No Kayak Launching Today At Lake Wichita On Last Day Of Summer

On this last day of Summer it was to Lake Wichita I ventured for some breezy nature communing.

Since my last Lake Wichita visit a kayak launch has been installed, which is what you see sitting on dry land.

Someone must be optimistic that the ongoing drought will one day end, with Lake Wichita once again at full pool, and able to float kayaks.

Another look at the shrinking lake. I'd estimate that only about a third of the lake bed still has some water.

Mount Wichita is looking a bit dried up, as well.

With most of the mountain's vegetation dried and died, a heavy rainstorm will likely wreak a lot of erosion havoc on the only mountain in Wichita Falls.

Tomorrow Fall begins. I am looking forward to the upcoming chilly days requiring no air-conditioning...

Final 2023 Tuesday With Thunder & Rain

On this final Tuesday of the Summer of 2023 the weather predictors prediction was on target for the first time in day after day after day predicted rain and thunderstorms, with nothing much along those dripping lines happening at my location.

But, rain poured down this morning, as you can see via the scenic view from my kitchen window. 

Along with a couple lightning strikes so close the flash happened at the same time as the thunder boom.

It was loud.

By the time 11 in the morning arrived I had a dry drive to Walmart for some lightning-free nature communing and anthropological observationing. 

More rain and thunderstorm is on the menu for this afternoon. I suspect that likely will not happen, and that storming is done for the day...

Nature Communing Sikes Lake With Solo Blue Heron

With the temperature in the low 80s, with a steady breeze blowing, it was back to Sikes Lake I drove on this final Monday of the 2023 version of Summer.

There were not a lot of fellow nature communers communing with me today.

I saw a lot of ducks floating on the lake. Along with a few geese. And some seagulls.

And the solo blue heron you see above, standing under the shade of a little tree. Why this bird was not in the lake doing its usual fishing duty, I do not know.

It will be nice to see Summer of 2023 in the rear-view mirror. I hope the coming Winter is not of an extreme sort, like this Summer has been. 

I do not want to see an ice storm. Or feel sub-zero temperatures. Or a half foot of snow. Or a combo of all three...