Wichita Falls Veterans Day With Flags & Santas

A couple days ago I was driving south on Hamilton Boulevard in the Beverly Hills of Wichita Falls, and was surprised to see a HUGE Christmas display already on display.

So, today I drove to Hamilton Park to park and walked to that aforementioned early Christmas display for photo documenting purposes.

I would hazard to guess that this Christmas display in in the running to win this year's coveted Griswold Award.

That photo above was taken from across the street, trying to capture the entire scene, but there was more to see to both the left and right in the photo.

I crossed the street, to the sidewalk, to take a closer photo, which captured way less than the above photo.

Flags were planted in the ground, everywhere I drove this day before Veterans Day, which for some reason is officially somehow on November 10, this year, not November 11.

My wall calendar has both today and tomorrow being Veterans Day.

For today my wall calendar says...

Veterans Day observed (US)

For tomorrow my wall calendar says...

Veterans Day (US)
Remembrance Day (AU, CA, NZ)
Armistice (BE, FR)

The Actual Seasons In Texas

Saw that which you see here, today, on Facebook. And thought it to be so true, so accurate.

We are currently in Hotumn.

Yesterday the temperature sizzled into the 90s.

Today the temperature de-sizzled, into the 50s, with drizzle.

I did not turn on the air conditioning when we were sizzling and have not turned on the heat now that we are currently not sizzling.

It is highly likely I will feel the need to turn on the heat, by morning....

One More HOT Wichita Falls Day Before Big Chill Returns

Apparently today, the 8th day of November, also known as the second Wednesday of the 2023 version of the aforementioned month, the return of summer-like HEAT ends today.

With a return to a drizzly chill tomorrow.

Despite getting HEATED to the low 90s the past couple day I have not succumbed to turning on the air conditioning in my living space.

In my motorized means of mechanized motion, yes, I have turned on the A/C.

I hope not to feel the need to turn on the air conditioning in my living space til well into the next year of 2024...

Wichita Falls Midwestern State University Campus Most Beautiful In Texas

Saw this yesterday, via the Midwestern State University page on Facebook. A website called The Travel had named MSU the "Most Beautiful College Campus in Texas".

I went to The Travel website and scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and scrolled and scrolled down the entry page, and after an awful lot of scrolling I came to the entry about MSU and the school's beautiful campus, an article titled These Are The 10 Most Beautiful College Campuses In Texas.

What The Travel had to say about the MSU campus...

Despite being founded as a junior college in 1922, Midwestern State University has blossomed into a world-class university. It features tiled roofs on top of arched facades and signature maroon (red brick) exteriors.

The 255-acre campus has 70 buildings and notable attractions like the Sunwatcher, The Gates of Hercules, and a replica of the Liberty Bell.

Top attractions: The Sunwatcher, The Gates of Hercules, Castaway Cove Waterpark, The Family Fun Zone, Wichita Falls Museum of Art, Kemp Center for the Arts, The Juanita Harvey Art Gallery, Jenny to Jet Exhibit, Kell House Museum, MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights, Museum of North Texas History, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame & Museum, etc.

_______________________

The article fails to mention the trail around Sikes Lake on the MSU campus. I was going to go to Sikes Lake this morning, but the walking plan has switched to Lucy Park.

I have been to a couple other Texas college campuses. Baylor University, in Waco, and Texas Christian University in Fort Worth.

TCU in Fort Worth is quite nice, slightly hilly. I do not remember much about Baylor.

In another of The Travel college campus lists, one listing the most beautiful college campuses on the west coast, the University of Washington, in Seattle, was one. The UW is a nice, scenic campus. Unlike MSU, the UW has a big football stadium on the campus. 

The MSU football stadium is miles away from the MSU campus, that being Memorial Stadium, a football venue MSU shares with the four Wichita Falls high schools.

Western Washington State University, in Bellingham, was not on The Travel's list of the 10 most beautiful west coast campuses. Methinks WWSU is as beautiful as the UW campus, being nestled up against Sehome Hill.

I can see why The Travel would have MSU as the most beautiful campus in Texas. I was impressed with it upon first seeing it. The MSU topography is totally flat. The buildings all sort of match, architecturally, with new buildings incorporating elements from the older buildings, which is quite aesthetically pleasing. 

Centennial Hall, the newest building on the MSU campus, is a good example of how MSU blends a modern building with the ones built in decades past.

I will be driving by the MSU campus in a few minutes....

At Lake Wichita Park Seeing Mount Wichita Is Getting A New Parking Lot

It was to Lake Wichita Park I ventured this first Monday of the 2023 version of November, for some extremely windy fast paced walking, with the temperature in the low 80s.

I did not climb to the summit of Mount Wichita today. I was concerned a gust of wind might send me flying.

I was curious to see if the recent rain had raised the water level of Lake Wichita. It looked like the water level is a bit higher than when last at this location a couple weeks ago.

Ever since my first visit to this Lake Wichita location, years ago, I have opined that the entry road and parking lot was in dire need of an upgrade, due to it being one of the most bumpy potholed locations I have ever rolled my wheels on.

A few months ago I read that the parking lot and entry road were going to be paved. 

Well, that project is now well underway. I had to find an alternative parking location.

The current return to summer-like weather conditions is not scheduled to last long.

Cold returns in a couple days...

Sunday With The Shadow Of The One-Armed Lucy Park Thin Man

With the temperature in the mid 70s on this first Sunday of the 2023 version of November, it was back to the Lucy Park backwoods jungle I ventured for some high speed, mud-free walking.

Lucy Park was busy on this perfect weather day.

Real busy.

Lots of disc golfers, walker, baby stroller pushers, dog walkers, biker, scooters and picnickers. 

I can not remember when last I went on a picnic. I used to have a small portable grill to take to a park for barbecuing purposes. I need to get another one of those.

I forgot to make mention of the photo. That looks like the Shadow of the One-Armed Lucy Park Thin Man, in the Lucy Park backwoods jungle.

The next several days are scheduled to be warm, before we get chilly again...

Lives Now Complete With Overdue Sense Of Parade Celebrating The Unthinkable Texas Rangers World Series Victory Parade

I saw that which you see here on the Saturday version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, online.

On the Star-Telegram version the three images and captions were side by side. I turned them from being horizontal to vertical for blogging purposes.

I thought those not in the Texas Ranger's universe would find this to be a tad amusing.

According to the Star-Telegram, winning the World Series has put, I guess, Arlington, finally on the map. Maybe it is all of North Texas, now on the map. 

On the map with an overdue sense of pride.

How does a sense of pride become overdue?

And then we learn that winning the World Series renders the lives complete for those living in the Texas Ranger's universe.

The Star-Telegram's pre-parade prediction was that a quarter million Texas Ranger's fans would descend on Arlington for the victory parade.

The Star-Telegram now has that crowd being a half million Texas Ranger's fans for the actual event.

Why is a Texas Ranger's parade unthinkable?

I have heard from one Arlingtonian, Miss Martha, who attended the victory parade. 

According to Miss Martha...

We had a great time. The route was spread out so that there wasn't a huge crowd anywhere along the route except the one parking lot where all the speeches were. We parked in a neighborhood and walked over. Got in and out in 15 minutes.

Miss Martha did not share if her life is now complete, now that the Texas Rangers have won a World Series. Or if winning the World Series ignited in Miss Martha an overdue sense of pride...

Will I Be One Of 250,000 In Arlington For Today's Texas Ranger's World Series Victory Parade?

I need to leave soon if I am going to make it in time to Arlington to join the quarter million of us ardent baseball fans to watch the Texas Rangers World Series victory parade.

The image you see above is from today's Fort Worth Star-Telegram's online front page.

Both Arlington and Fort Worth are in Tarrant County.

Dallas is in Dallas County.

One of America's creepiest politicians, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, had many D/FW baseball fans upset when he referred to the Texas Rangers as the Dallas Rangers.

The Dallas Cowboys football team also does not play in Dallas. The Dallas Cowboy stadium shares parking space with the Texas Ranger's ballpark.

If a quarter million baseball fans actually show up to watch the victory parade it will make one BIG traffic mess.

Arlington has no mass transit. No city buses. No light rail. Nothing. 

Well, I have seen rickshaw type transport devices wheeling people from remote parking lots to the Dallas Cowboy stadium...

Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle With Three Deer

I was on the east side of town, this morning, to pick up a pharmaceutical product, so, after getting that, I headed west to Lucy Park for some fast paced endorphin inducing aerobic activity.

I had previously opined that rain would render the Lucy Park backwoods jungle impassable. A few days ago I walked part of the Lucy Park backwoods trail, turning around when I came to mud.

Today I made my way the entire distance, finding mud easy to avoid due to the grass having been cut, making for dry bypasses.

I was deep into the jungle when I was startled to see three four-legged critters, moving at high speed. At first reaction I thought they were wild boars, and then I realized they were three small deer, moving too fast for me to get the camera turned on and photo document them.

The temperature was in the 50s for today's outdoor fun. I am quickly acclimating to the cold...

In Mountain=Lite Texas Going Up Tabletop Mountain & Mount Shuksan With CJ & JR

The theme of my wall calendar, this year of 2023, is scenes of The West.

For 10 months I have been flipping the calendar to the next month to see a scene of The West that I do not remember seeing.

And then, this morning, I flipped the calendar to Novembe,r and finally, a scene of The West that I have seen many times, and thus, do remember.

Mount Shuksan.

The caption under the picture of Mount Shuksan says, "Mount Shuksan, North Cascades National Park, Washington".

I did not know Mount Shuksan was in North Cascades National Park. I know a big mountain a short distance to the right, or south, of Mount Shuksan, the Mount Baker volcano, is not in North Cascades National Park.

One of my all time favorite photos has Mount Shuksan in the background.

That would be nephews JR (Jeremy Ryan), on the left, next to his big brother, CJ (Christopher Jay), on top of Tabletop Mountain, with Mount Shuksan looming behind.

This photo was taken some time in the 1990s, I think. JR was be about 8 years old, with CJ about 12, give or take a year, or two.

We hiked the switchback trail to the top of Tabletop Mountain, and then made our own trail back down the north side of the mountain, with Mount Baker looming large a short distance away. There was a lot of slipping and sliding to get off Tabletop Mountain.

Let me see if I can find other photos from that day JR & CJ went mountain climbing with me...

Here JR leads the way up Tabletop Mountain. You see a bit of Mount Shuksan to the right.

At the top of Tabletop Mountain, with Mount Baker behind him, JR threatens his favorite uncle with a snowball.

Above is a look at how we got down off Tabletop Mountain.

And here we see JR sliding towards Mount Baker.

Now, you might think my nephews are a bit under dressed to be playing on snow, wearing shorts and t-shirts.

Well, this hike up Tabletop Mountain took place in late August.

In Washington you can find frozen white stuff to slide on, year round, if you go high in the North Cascades.