Finally A Wichita Falls Flash Flooding Downpour Thunderstorm

This morning I went walking with Linda Lou in the Lawrence Street Walmart. Whilst walking Linda Lou asked me about the weather. I told Linda Lou heavy rain and thunderstorms were predicted, but currently we remain under a clear blue cloud-free sky.

And then, around 5 this afternoon, without Linda Lou, I drove the short distance to the Greenbrier Walmart. By then rain was beginning to drip. And I saw lightning striking in the distance.

By the time I got to Walmart rain was falling in a greater volume than the drippage was dripping when I began my short journey.

I was barely in Walmart when my phone acted up, warning me about an eminent dangerous thunderstorm.

Soon rain began pounding the Walmart roof like thousands of hammers, with bass drum booms from lightning strikes.

It was extremely noisy in Walmart.

After being in the store for only a few minutes, it was checkout time. The rain was then coming down in downpour flashflood mode. A crowd of people stood at the exit, apparently hoping for the drenching to end.

But, I like a good soaking, so I took off running, at high speed. By the time I got to my vehicle I was as drenched as if I'd jumped in a swimming pool.

The photo at the top is looking south through my thoroughly wet windshield.

From this high speed running I realized that all the walking I have done the past year has me in way better shape than I realized. I think excessive walking must be much better exercise than bike riding.

By the time I got back under my carport the drenching seemed to have amped up. My abode was already in surrounded by a moat mode.

I decided, since I was already totally soaked, that I'd take off running again, going the long way around, where the moat is not as deep. 

The rain has slowed. I expect to soon see a rainbow...

Windy October Walk Around Sikes Lake

With the temperature barely in the 80s, with a strong wind blowing, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning to join the throngs of fast walkers walking around the lake.

In the view here you are looking west, across the lake. 

Later today clouds are scheduled to arrive from the west, bringing possible rain and thunderstorms.

Tomorrow, the day known as Wednesday, is predicted to be wet, with possible flash flooding along with thunderstorms.

Of late the weather forecasts have not had an all that great level of reliability. In other words, I won't be shocked if I see no rain and hear no thunder claps later today, or tomorrow.

Not HOT October Walk Through Lucy Park Jungle

It had been a couple days since I did any nature communing, so on this second day of October it was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured for some salubrious endorphin acquisitioning.

That is the muddy Wichita River you see through the Lucy Park jungle. The river is running a bit low. That may change this week, with rain in the forecast.

Rain and temperatures no longer HOT. With highs in the 70s later in the week.

Today may be the last time I get to hike the Lucy Park jungle for awhile. If enough rain falls the jungle gets way too muddy to walk in and can stay that way for months...

Bomb Cyclone Covers Mount Rainier In White

 A few days ago, Washington's Miss Chris took us to a bare Mount Rainier.

This Sunday morning, of the first day of the 2023 version of October, Miss Chris, on Facebook, took us back to Mount Rainer, showing us that The Mountain is back fully clothed.

I knew this past week my old home zone had been hit with what is now known as a Bomb Cyclone. When I lived in Washington a Bomb Cyclone was known as a Pineapple Express.

The Bomb Cyclone dropped a lot of water on the lowlands of Washington, and, apparently, a lot of snow at the higher elevations.

Texas Bloody Mary Causing California Heart Ache

 It was not long after I was first exposed to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram newspaper that it seemed to me that something was not quite right. Weird instances of bragging about something which did not seem even remotely brag worthy. 

I referred to this bragging thing as the Star-Telegram's Green with Envy Syndrome, where an article in that newspaper would suggest that some perfectly ordinary thing about Fort Worth would be making other towns, far and wide, green with envy.

Years ago I made a webpage about the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Green with Envy syndrome pathology.

It has been many years now since I have seen a Green with Envy instance in the Star-Telegram.

I have made note of another Star-Telegram oddity, as in referring to some not well-known thing in Fort Worth as being iconic. I have opined, in reaction to that, that the only thing even remotely iconic in Fort Worth, as in something someone somewhere might see in a photo, that they would recognize as being in Fort Worth, is the Fort Worth Stockyards sign, and that is because the town's name is on the sign.

So, today, in the Star-Telegram's online version, on the front page we see that which you see above.

An article headline of "This Texas bloody mary has a turkey leg, corn dog and bacon. Eat your heart out, California".

Eat your heart out California????

I Googled, asking "What does eat your heart out mean?" and read this...

Feel bitter anguish, grief, worry, jealousy, or another strong negative emotion. For example, She is still eating her heart out over being fired, or Eat your heart out—my new car is being delivered today. This hyperbolic expression alludes to strong feelings gnawing at one's heart.

So the Star-Telegram is suggesting that California will feel bitter anguish, grief, jealousy and worry because on can get oneself a Texas Bloody Mary with a turkey leg, corn dog and bacon at a Colleyville bar, inspired by the State Fair of Texas, in Dallas?

The article about the Texas Bloody Mary was short...

One North Texas bar and restaurant is serving up a State Fair of Texas-inspired cocktail far from the fairgrounds. The fair begins this Friday, and Chef Point Bar & Restaurant in Colleyville is getting in on the fun. The eatery has crafted a bloody mary full of State Fair goodies including a turkey leg, corn dog, funnel cake, grilled corn, caramel apple, bacon and celery.

Yeah, that sounds real tasty, and will cause hearts to be eaten everywhere, not just California....

Going To The Pilot Point Great Mural Fiasco With Ms. Bullwinkle

 Interesting email last night from a Ms. Bullwinkle...

Greetings!

I went down the interweb rabbit hole with your website. I started out looking at Scarborough Faire, which I frequented and worked at in the 80s...from selling incense to carrying a Redtailed hawk named Dallas on my gauntlet. (Dang, they have totally lost their sense of humour, those pirate belly dancing wenches!)

And then I stumbled upon your Eve of Pilot Point article...appropriately under Scandals!

Synchronicitously, I am currently in the cast of the world debut of the play, The Great Mural Fiasco about the mural! It was (beautifully!) written by the mural's artist, Justine Wollaston (who does theatre under the name Justine Scott) and she is directing. If you aren't too far away, it would be great if you could come! I'd like to put you on my guestlist too, to makie up for the silly Ren Faire poops that have more pomp than circumstance. heheheheh

I've attached the flyer card for the play.

Best regards!

-amacker

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Well, I can not remember when last I was invited to the world premiere of a play...

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.

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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...