Stormy Monday Morning In Wichita Falls

Stormy view from my computer room window, this second Monday of the new year. Rain began downpouring in the middle of the night. 

Flooding blocks my usual route to my motorized means of motion.

The rain seems to be abating. No longer in downpour mode.

Don't know if enough rain poured down in quantities sufficient to help mitigate the current drought condition. 

It has been many a month since I have seen water flowing in my next-door neighbor known as Holliday Creek.

No, I did not spell Holliday wrong, with an extra l. Holliday Creek is named after early explorer, Captain John Holliday, who carved his name on a tree by the creek. The town of Holliday, Texas, was named after the creek, as was Holliday Street, a major street in Wichita Falls.

I was a couple years at my current location when I ceased thinking the locals did not know how to spell Holiday...

In Washington Saying Humptulips, Lilliwap & Dosewallips Without Giggling

I saw that which you see here, this Saturday afternoon, on Facebook. Three volcanoes. I think the lower volcano is Mount Hood. That is in Oregon, near the border with Washington. Washington has five volcanoes, Mount Rainier, Mount St. Helens, Mount Adams, Mount Baker and Glacier Peak. 

Glacier Peak takes some effort to see it from the ground. It is not visible from the Western Washington lowlands, like Rainier, Baker and Adams are. I may be wrong about Adams.

Anyway, the text that came with this Only in Washington image was amusing, and so true...

YOU KNOW YOU ARE FROM WASHINGTON STATE WHEN:

You know the Vitamin D deficiency struggle is real.

You know how to pronounce Sequim, Puyallup, Sammamish, Enumclaw and Issaquah.

You avoid driving through Seattle at all costs.

You know what a Geoduck is.

You consider swimming an indoor sport.

You see a person carrying an umbrella and instantly think tourist.

Your lawn is mostly moss and you don't really care.

Honking your car horn is for absolute emergencies.

You're EXTREMELY picky about your coffee.

“The mountain is out today", isn't a strange statement.

While out of state you just tell people you're from Seattle since that's the only known city in Washington according to the rest of the world.

You remember Almost Live.

You've eaten in the Space Needle, and while it was delicious, you're never paying $50 for a meal in the sky again.

You rarely wash your car because it's just going to get washed by the rain tomorrow.

You're used to the phrase "No, not DC" when telling out of staters where you're from.

Northface is always in fashion.

You take a warm coat and a hat with you for a day at the beach.

You have mastered the art of doing everything in the rain, because, well, Washington.

You play the "no you go" at four-way stop.

You have had both the thought of how beautiful Mount Rainier is, while simultaneously accepting that it will probably kill you someday.

You get a little twitchy if it's been more than a week since it last rained.

You believe Twilight ruined Forks.

You can say Humptulips, Lilliwap and Dosewallips without giggling.

Microsoft OneDrive Memory Takes Me Back To Turner Falls

I quickly recognized the memory in the incoming Microsoft OneDrive "Memories from this Day".

And for once this memory actually did occur within a reasonable time frame of this day in January.

It was early in January, on a day soon after the new century began. I think it was in January of 2002. 

That is the top of Turner Falls you see above, in Turner Falls Park.

The park was flooding due to too much rain, which caused this Winter trip to Turner Falls to have Turner Falls falling way more water than a previous Summer visit to Turner Falls when I took a cooling dip directly under the waterfall. 

The summer visit to Turner Falls was HOT. Hundreds of people were enjoying cooling off, near the falls, and in a swimming hole further down Honey Creek.

Honey Creek is the name of the creek which provides Turner Falls its water.

If you are ever driving Interstate 35 in Oklahoma, and see the exit to Turner Falls, it is well worth it to take that exit.

Turner Falls is a short distance from that exit from I-35. You find yourself in the Arbuckle Mountains. Soon coming to an overlook, looking down at Turner Falls. We were not expecting to see such scenic mountain scenery that first time seeing Turner Falls.

I can't remember when last I saw a real mountain. I guess it would be the last time I was in Arizona, which was in July of 2019...

Dense Fog Grounds Me In My North Texas Location

A dense fog has rolled into town from the ocean, or somewhere, on this 4th morning of the new year of 2024.

In addition to being foggy, the outer world is currently cold. Above freezing, but, still cold.

The foggy view you see above is what I see out my kitchen window as I make an Instant Pot of French Onion Soup.

Hot soup on a cold winter day seemed the thing to do today.

I think I shall forego outer world walking today, perhaps doing so at one of my many Walmart walking venues. Or not.

Currently, in the long-range weather forecast for my location, Saturday, January 13 is the only day with the following in the forecast...

Cloudy and very cold with occasional snow and flurries.

I am not in the mood for either "very cold" or "snow and flurries"...

First Walk Of The New Year Around Sikes Lake With Geese

This third day of the New Year, with the temperature not too chilly, with hardly any wind blowing, I had my first outdoor walk of the New Year of 2024, via a fast walk around Sikes Lake.

Some of the Sikes Lake goose massacre survivors were enjoying the return to being well above freezing, by going into Geese Flotilla mode.

In the photo documentation you are looking north, across the flotilla of geese, from the east side of Sikes Lake.

I have not seen the Goose Massacre protesters for several weeks. Did they give up on protesting the mass murder of 383 Sikes Lake geese?

Did the protests result in an agreement by Midwestern State University to not engage in Geese Genocide, ever again, and instead find a more goose friendly solution to the over population of geese?

Unexpected Happy Holiday Cheer Showed Up In My Mailbox This 2nd Day Of 2024

What with the Holiday Season over, til later this year, I was not expecting to find any additional Holiday related items to show up in my mailbox this Holiday Season cycle.

A little after 5 o'clock this rainy, cold, cloudy second day of 2024, I found that which you see above, or to the left, depending upon what means you are using to access the Internet.

A card from CJ, Carissa and Cade.

I now will remember how to correctly spell Cade's mama's name. I think I have been spelling Carissa with two r's and one s, as in Carrisa. Or maybe it was Carrissa was making my spelling error.

Due to the temperature frigidity Walmart was my walking destination today, for a half hour of high-speed grocery cart pushing. I called Cade's grandma whilst in Walmart, but she was not available.

I have not talked to Cade's grandma yet this year...

Happy New 2024 Year From Alaska

Happy New Year! A new year, a new wall calendar. The theme of the 2023 wall calendar was The West.

As in scenes of the American West.

I'd seen many of those scenes of the American West. Such as Monument Valley, Canyonlands National Park, Badlands National Park, Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast, Glacier National Park and Dead Horse Point.

The theme of the 2024 wall calendar is National Parks. As in American National Parks.

I have been to Alaska, but not to Glacier Bay National Park, which is what you see above.

I think I have been to all the national parks west of the Mississippi. Except for the national parks in Hawaii and Alaska and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

And Texas.

Have yet to make it to either of the Texas national parks. Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. 

Maybe I will make a New Year Resolution to finally visit Big Bend National Park... 

An Elderly Lady In A Bikini Arrived In My Mailbox Christmas Eve

Last summer, an elderly lady I know, living in an east coast state, visited a beach in Delaware. At some point I said I needed photo documentation of her at the beach in her bikini. 

The elderly lady then told me she has never, and will never, be in a bikini.

So, imagine my surprise upon opening a package sent by this elderly east coast lady, with the package arriving on Christmas Eve, morning of.

The explanatory note inside the package said "This is the closest you are ever going to see me in a bikini."

The note went on to explain that she had posed for a local artisan who handcrafts lookalike figurines with a theme chosen by the subject, as in customer.

I must say, the likeness is remarkable. The face. The overall body. I know this elderly lady is wealthy, but, I hope she did not pay a lot for this, but I do appreciate it, and so the figurine is displayed prominently in my living room...

I Did Not See A New Baby Orca Today In Puget Sound

I saw that which you see here, this morning, via the online version of the Seattle Times.

This falls into the category of things I see in a west coast news source about something I would never expect to see in a news source at my current Texas location about something like this being spotted anywhere near my current Texas location.

In nearby bodies of water, called lakes, I might see something unsettling, like a plus-sized catfish. Or a scary looking garfish.

But no orcas, also known as killer whales, which is sort of a slanderous thing to call the relatively peaceful orcas. 

If you live in the Puget Sound zone long enough, you likely will at some point encounter a pod of orcas.

I have had that experience twice. With the best one being with my mom and dad, somewhere between Anacortes and the San Juan Island called Orcas.

We were fishing for salmon, when suddenly a pod of orcas was close by. A pod of about 20, give or take an orca or two. Mom was instantly freaked out. Didn't matter that I told her they were harmless, despite their killer whale nickname.

Soon the orca pod had us surrounded. They sort of came to a stop. There were two baby orcas. One of the full-sized orcas came right up the boat, looking at us, us looking at him. Or her. The orca looked like it was smiling. Saying hello.

And then just as suddenly as they appeared, the orca pod was gone.

This orca encounter happened years before one was always armed with a camera, ready to take photos, or video, and send that which you saw out to the world.

Did not even have an old-fashioned film camera with us onboard...

More Christmas Fun From Arizona

I have been having myself a virtual Christmas visit to Arizona, of late.

This morning's email brought photo documentation of Christmas at Cade's house.  The first photo was taken in CJ, Carrisa's and Cade's backyard, I assume, since the text with the first three photos said "Christmas at CJ's."

That would be Cade's Uncle Jeremy on the left, next to Cade's Grandpa Jack, the Cade's mama, Carrisa, next to Cade's papa, CJ, with Cade's Grandma Jackie holding Cade, next to Cade's Cousin, Theo, Aunt Michele, Cousin David, Aunt Kristin with Cousin Ruby at the opposite side from Uncle Jeremy.

I do not know the name of the dog. And I did not know Jeremy has had a big growth spurt, rendering him way taller than everyone else.

I do know the name of the cat which Ruby is holding. That is Munchie. I have met Munchie a couple times.

 And here we have Grandma Jackie and Grandpa Jack, with Baby Cade.

Another group of photos arrived with the text saying, "Burger Making Fun with Uncle Jack".

Apparently, Uncle Jack needed a couple burger makers, likely because the holiday had him short staffed. Uncle Jack manages several dozen McDonald's in the Phoenix area.

My favorite of Uncle Jack's McDonald's is the one in Maricopa, where I have had many a fine time sampling various McDonald's items, with my favorite always being the Filet O' Fish.

Above it appears Theo and Ruby are preparing to deliver a tray to a customer's table, under Uncle Jack's watchful direction.

Above I am guessing we are seeing Theo and Ruby on a lunch break after serving who knows how many McDonald's customers.

All this McDonald's talk has me craving a Filet O' Fish and a Cheeseburger. And Fries.

I am enjoying my virtual visit to Arizona almost as much as being there...