Semi-Colorful February Lucy Park Walk

Since I was in the neighborhood to get some meds from a pharmacy, I went to Lucy Park for an overcast slightly chilly walk.

As you can see, there are some flowers in Lucy Park adding a little color to the mostly brown landscape.

Next month, with the arrival of Spring, color should be returning to the landscape. 

That cloudy sky looks as if it should be dripping some rain. But, no such thing is in the forecast for today.

Warm Thursday Walk Around Sikes Lake

I have been otherwise occupied the past couple days, housebound for the most part, even though the outer world temperature has been totally pleasant.

Including today.

With the temperature on this second Thursday of the second month of 2024 scheduled to get into the 70s.

So, it was to Sikes Lake I took a short drive this morning for a fast walk.

In the photo documentation you are on the bridge at the west end of the lake, looking east.

Few birds were flocking today. Usually, even after the mass murder of 383 geese, one still sees a lot of birds of various sorts, geese, duck, pelicans, herons and sea gulls.

Why are there sea gulls so far from the nearest sea, I think, when I see them, usually flocking together with the remaining geese...

Monday At Lake Wichita Park With Mount Wichita

It was to Lake Wichita Park I ventured on this first Monday of the second month of 2024.

Recent rain has raised the lake level a little, but the lake still needs a lot more water before the new dock, which was installed months ago, is able to finally float.

I think I have made mention previously of the fact that my location in Texas is extremely flat. No mountain range to be seen. In the above view you are looking west across the west end of Lake Wichita. That non-floating dock is visible on the right.

At the location where I was standing when taking the above photo, I could make a 180 degree turn to see the only thing that comes even remotely close to being a mountain, for many miles in any direction.

And there is is. Mount Wichita. Also known as Murphy's Hill. Looking at this "mountain" one might think a PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN CLIMBING HILL warning would not really be needed.

Well. Mount Wichita might not look like it presents any real danger. But, it is way steeper than it looks.

One must tread carefully both going up, and especially going down. It is extremely easy to trip on the eroded ruts.

I rarely make my way to the Mount Wichita summit anymore, due to not wanting to experience twisting an ankle, or worse...

Remembering Hiking Mount Baker With Hank Frank's Papa Joey

On this first Sunday of the second month of 2024 the Microsoft OneDrive Memory email from this Day is a good one. Several photos of Hank Frank's proud papa, my Favorite Joey Nephew, leading me up the trail leading to the Mount Baker volcano.

The first photo is from part way up the trail, the trailhead of which is a location called Schrieber's Meadow. That being a location where one can pick wild mountain blueberries in the Fall.

In that first photo we are still below the timberline.

This hike with Joey took place at some point in time during the 1990s. I believe this to be the last time I hiked up Mount Baker.

And now we are above the timberline, where trees can not grow. Joey is looking down a steep moraine, scoured out by a glacier. The trail atop this moraine is called the Railroad Grade. Why it is so called, I do not know. 

Joey takes a sitting rest, now that we are about at the furthest one can easily and safely hike up the Mount Baker volcano. At this location you are close enough to smell the sulphur fumes spewing from the crater.

When I lived in the shadow of the Mount Baker volcano it was just something I took for granted. Til Texas I'd never lived where there weren't any mountains.

I could see Mount Baker and the Cascade foothills from my Mount Vernon living room window.

I wonder, sometimes, if I will ever again hike a Cascade mountain trail.

Maybe next Summer Joey and Hank Frank might take me hiking up Mount Baker...

Trying To Remember The Slotemaker Brewing Company Prohibition Porter Operation

Now this is a totally strange memory from today's Microsoft OneDrive Memories of this Day.

I know the photo is from one of many I scanned a couple decades ago for a family history website about my Dutch Slotemaker family.

I was told that in this photo we are seeing my Grandpa and Grandma Slotemaker. With my Grandpa's brothers and their wives. The boys are sitting, each appearing to be enjoying a bottle of beer. If I am remembering correctly, and sometimes I do, my Grandpa is the one second from the left, with my Grandma being the one standing second from the left.

I was told that it was long rumored that my Grandpa, along with some, if not all of his brothers, ran a beer bootlegging operation during Prohibition, distributing their product from its Lynden location, a short distance from the border with Canada, to Seattle, about 100 miles south.

How did one transport something, back then, from Lynden to Seattle? I have no idea. Maybe Highway 99, which decades later morphed into Interstate 5, was the road that connected Vancouver B.C. to Seattle and beyond.

I recollect being told the beer the boys brewed was the style of beer known as Porter.

From the Wikipedia article about Porter Beer...

Porter is a style of beer that was developed in London, England in the early 18th century. It is well-hopped and dark in appearance owing to the use of brown malt. The name is believed to have originated from its popularity with porters.

I do not remember if the Slotemaker Boys named their brew Prohibition Porter, or if I was taking poetic license when adding text to the photo. I also do not remember if their brewing operation operated under the Slotemaker Brewing Company name, or that I may have made that up, again taking more poetic license.

What I do know is I want to try some of this Porter Beer libation. I wonder if Walmart sells such?

Cloudy Pre-Thunderstorm Lucy Park Pagoda Visit

With strong thunderstorms bringing flash flood potential on the weather menu for today, at my North Texas location, on this first Friday of the second month of 2024, it was to Lucy Park I ventured today for some high-speed nature communing under an angry gray sky.

It seems like it has been at least a year since the Lucy Park Pagoda became a burned-out ruin. There seems to be no ongoing effort to return the pagoda to its former Japanese style glory.

One would think that perhaps it might be a good idea to cover the rusting remains of the structure with a rust-proof paint. 

Currently the Lucy Park Pagoda skeleton looks like some sort of abstract art sculpture.

I suspect those who visit Lucy Park for the first time, post the Pagoda's destruction, likely think it to be some sort of art installation. 

It has been a long time since my location has had a wild thunderstorm. Will the thunderstorm drought come to an end this afternoon?

Only time will tell...

February Wall Calendar Takes Me Back to Lake Tahoe & Crater Lake

I turned my National Park wall calendar to the new month of February and quickly saw it was a National Park I have visited a few times. 

Crater Lake National Park, in Oregon.

That island you see rising from the lake is a volcanic cinder cone named Wizard Island.

The last time I visited Crater Lake was a long time ago, part of a college spring break roadtrip from Ellensburg, Washington to Reno and Lake Tahoe in Nevada. 

At that point in time Nevada considered an 18-year-old to be an adult, allowed to gamble and purchase adult libations.

I recollect going in a saloon in Virginia City and sidling up to the bar and ordering a beer. The barkeeper said 'You look 15, I'll need to see some I.D."

I have photos of that roadtrip to Nevada, but I don't think I have digitalized them. They must be in an old-fashioned hard copy photo album. I see those photo albums from my current seated position. I shall see if I can those photos. Be right back... 

Okay, found the aforementioned photos...

The top photo is outside that Virginia City saloon where the barkeeper thought I was 15.

The lower left is the deep snow we found at Crater Lake when we finally reached the lake. I do not remember if we were able to see the lake. I do remember it was a long detour to get there.

The other three photos are from Lake Tahoe, where we also found snow, even though it was warm enough to be barefoot and shirtless, hence me running over some snow in the lower right photo.

I wonder if I will see Crater Lake anytime this century?

American White Pelicans Joining The Sikes Lake Bird Population

A couple days ago I was walking around Sikes Lake and saw what looked to me to be a pair of White Swans. I was back there this morning, on this final day of the first month of 2024, enjoying the third day in a row of the return of summer, with the temperature today getting into the high 70s.

When I made mention of those Swans a couple days ago renowned ornithologist, Ralph, identified those birds...

Ralph has left a new comment on your post "Saturday Sikes Lake With Swans":

What you're calling swans look like American White Pelicans to me.

Upon arriving at Sikes Lake today I saw the American White Pelicans, which look like White Swans, had ceased floating solo on the lake and had joined the flock of other birds, geese, ducks and seagulls, roosting on the coffer dam that is falling apart and serves no apparent purpose.

I looked at the long range forecast today, well into February. It looks like we may escape the rest of winter without getting in a deep freeze, again.

Lucy Park Visit With Wichita River In Melted Chocolate Mode

I am really enjoying the mid-winter return to summer. This next to last day of the first month of 2024 is being naturally heated into the 70 degree range.

Around noon I had a mighty fine communing with nature at Lucy Park, attired only in shorts and t-shirt. 

As you can see via the look at the Lucy Park suspension bridge, there is nary a cloud in the sky. Totally bright blue.

The recent rain has rendered the Wichita River into a Utah redrock shade of brown. Looks like flowing melted chocolate.

There currently is nothing green visible in Lucy Park, Even the grass has now turned brown.

The current forecast promises many more summer-like days, before the return of winter...

Unexpected Cross Country Skiing In Texas

No. We have not received yet one more Arctic Blast, this time with snow. The snowy scene here is from earlier this century, at my first Texas abode.

I came upon this photo whilst looking for one of my brother attired like Wilma Flintstone, to no avail.

I took up cross country skiing way back in the 1980s.

In a Washington winter logging roads in the Cascade Mountains become cross country ski trails. Along with many other trails designated for cross country skiing.

I got quite good at cross country skiing. That type skiing is a bit more work than the type known as downhill skiing. I think that is what it is known as. The type skiing where you ride a lift up a mountain, and then slide at high speed down the mountain.

Prior to taking up cross country skiing I did the downhill chair lift enabled type skiing. That type skiing is a bit more challenging than cross country skiing.

With cross country skis you can go uphill. That is the heavy duty workout part of the sliding. 

I do not know why I brought my cross country skis with me to Texas. Prior to learning I was wrong, I thought Texas likely got no snow, and was real flat.

Within two weeks of my Texas arrival I experienced my first Ice Storm, along with snow, hence the photos above of me trying to slide on the icy snow.

If I remember right my attempt at cross country skiing on this occasion lasted about 10 minutes. Several years later I had moved to a location in East Fort Worth. A hilly location.

I never cross country skiied on those Fort Worth hills.

But, one winter a storm dropped many inches of snow. The roads were not iced up, so driving was easy, unlike during an Ice Storm.

So, I drove to Veterans Park in Arlington, which is quite hilly. Got there, got out the skiis and started sliding. Went up and down the hills multiple times.

I heard kids yelling, look that man is skiing. I assumed such a sight was quite rare in Texas.

I no longer have my cross country skis. I stupidly stored them in an outdoor closet on my patio. An unheated, uncooled closet. One winter, with another covering of snow, I went to get my cross country skis to find they had delaminated, from the HOT heat, I assumed.

I found the same had happened to my roller blades which I stored in my van. The heat did something bad to the plastic on the boots, rendering them broken. I discovered this soon after my arrival at my current location, after seeing how good the paved trails are here, and how conducive to roller blading they would be.

Maybe I'll do some shopping on Amazon, looking at roller blades and cross country skis...