Return To Winter-Like Cool Makes For Pleasant Sikes Lake Walk

Overnight the temperature has plummeted dozens of degrees, chilling the outer world into the 70s.

It's like a return to Winter.

And a nice thick layer of clouds is blocking that annoying sun, keeping it from being able to overheat the part of the planet I currently call home.

I do not know how long this respite from HOT is scheduled to last. I do know rain in on the predicted weather menu for later today.

In the cloudy view above you are standing with me on the bridge at the west end of Sikes Lake, looked east across the currently gray lake.

The sudden return to cool had a lot of people enjoying the walk around Sikes Lake today.

The past couple extra HOT days may have toasted the biting bugs. I have not had a new bug bite for two days. 

The air conditioner just cycled on. Why? I do not know. Outdoors is cooler right now than what I have the A/C set to...

Microsoft Memory Of Someone Holding Baby Sister Michele

 A couple days ago I blogged about a Long Ago Microsoft OneDrive Memories I Don't Remember.

In that blogging there was a photo of me holding my little baby sister, Jackie. I then wondered if a photo would show up in my email, from Microsoft, showing me holding my littlest baby sister, Michele.

At the time I said I had no memory of such a photo.

And then, today, in the Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day, there is a group photo, including baby sister, Michele, in which I can not quite tell who it is who is holding her.

I don't think it was me.

This photo has all the Slotemaker/Jones/Barry/Hershberger cousins, surrounding Grandma Slotemaker.

From the left, on the ground, that would be Sheryl Slotemaker, then Carol Hershberger, then on Grandma's lap is the brat, Mike Slotemaker, then Steve Hershberger, sitting next to Jeff Slotemaker, with Danny Hershberger behind Steve and Jeff.

Standing up, from the left, is my little brother Jake, then me, with baby sister Michele in front of me, with sister Jackie next to Michele, with sister Nancy behind Jackie, then Linda Barry and her big brother, Scott Barry.

During the time frame in which this photo was taken, back in the previous century, the Hersbbergers visited from Australia once every four years. I do not remember which of those four-year visits would have been the year this photo was taken.

My best guess would be 1979...

Wichita Falls Hotter 'N Hell 100 Degrees First Time in 2024

Today my Wichita Falls location is scheduled to get heated to 100 degrees HOT for the first time this year.

All indications are indicating that this coming Summer is going to be a real HOT one. 

The past two days high speed walking has taken place in Walmart, to escape the heat.

Today Lucy Park will be my walking venue, way earlier than the normal walking time, hoping to beat the heat by a few degrees.

I am hoping the high heat will kill off the biting bugs.

I've grown tired of being mealtime for biting bugs...

Scary Mount Baker Bridge Crossing With Nephew Jeremy 30 Years Ago

It seems, if my faulty memory is serving me at all well, that within the last year or so I previously blogged about the day the photo you see here was taken.

This photo showed up today in my daily email from Microsoft with OneDrive Memories from this Day.

Trouble is, I clearly remember this particular memory is from 30 years ago. In August.

Hard to believe 30 years have gone by since then.

That would be my nephew Jeremy, 30 years ago, on a suspension bridge over a creek on a trail that leads to the Mount Baker volcano.

When Jeremy saw that we were needing to cross the creek on that scary bridge he sort of panicked. It took some coaxing from Aunt Michele to convince Jeremy it was okay to cross the bridge. Jeremy insisted no one could be on the bridge at the same time as him.

So, I was posted at one end of the bridge, someone else at the other end.

With Jeremy triumphantly making the crossing, celebrating in the photo I took from the volcano side of the bridge.

30 years ago. 30 years gone by so fast. I shudder at the realization of how old I will be if I make it another 30 years...

Long Ago Microsoft OneDrive Memories I Don't Remember

Several long-ago photos showed up in my email in this morning's Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day.

I know what I am looking at in these photos. I just do not have any memory of the photos being taken.

In the above photo I would guess we are at Deception Pass State Park. That is my dad holding my eldest sister, Nancy. I am next to dad. And the little guy next to me is my little brother, Jake.

And now we are in the front yard of the house I grew up in, 1027 Washington Avenue in Burlington, Washington.

That would be me holding my little baby sister, Jackie, current mother of nephews Christopher and Jeremy and grandma of Cade.

That would be the aforementioned sister Nancy between me and brother Jake, current of father of nephews Jason and Joey and grandpa of Spencer Jack and Hank Frank.

It would be a few more years for a photo of me holding my youngest baby sister, Michele, mother of nephews David and Theo and niece Ruby.

I actually do not remember if there might be a group photo with me holding baby Michele. We shall see if one shows up in my Microsoft memories on some upcoming day...

Not HOT Walking Around Lake Wichita At Full Pool

Yesterday's temperature got to one degree shy of 100. That HOT day's walking took place at Lucy Park, where the shade from the trees made the HOT heat totally tolerable.

Today is another HOT one, but not as HOT as yesterday.

So, it was back to Lake Wichita, now at full pool, I ventured today, hoping for a cooling breeze to be blowing across the lake.

And, so it was. 

It was nice seeing the new Lake Wichita kayak launching dock totally floating for the first time, with the walkway to the dock level with the lake.

I have yet to see a kayak get launched from this launching platform.

I'm thinking of maybe getting a kayak. This likely will go no further than the thinking about it stage...

Getting Floored In Fort Worth By Ethan Hawke & His Grandpa

 I first saw the "Why was Ethan Hawke back in Fort Worth? Something to do with a movie starring his daughter" question this morning on the front page of the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and thought to myself, like so many times previous, why is this newspaper so goofy?

And then, later this morning, on Facebook, I saw that which I screen capped above.

The Star-Telegram's #1 opinionator and Fort Worth promoter, Bud Kennedy, goofily saying, in reference to Ethan Hawke, "It always floors me to think that Ethan Hawke is County Judge Howard Green's grandson,"

Why in the world would it floor anyone to think someone was someone's grandson? Does getting floored literally mean you collapsed on the floor upon hearing this?

Is anyone else in the Fort Worth zone feeling floored to think Ethan Hawke's grandpa is a county judge named Howard Green?

I am fairly certain this "news" has not floored me....

Cautionary Flood Advisory From the City of Wichita Falls

A cautionary posting on Facebook from the City of Wichita Falls, Texas Government, advising that it would be wise to not drive on a flooded street without knowing how deep the water is.

Copious amounts of rain drenched Wichita Falls the first Sunday of June, with more drenching on the weather menu for today.

I do not recollect a thunderstorm seeming as violent as what struck yesterday.

The lightning strike and thunder were simultaneous several times. Felt concussive, like an explosion. The first instance startled me so much I fell out of my chair, wrenching my back.

Yesterday's daily walk took place in Walmart, due to the outer world being a bit wet, and dangerous, what with those aforementioned lightning strikes.

Sikes Senter Mall is closer than Walmart. Maybe that will be my walking venue today.

The mall is way more boring to walk in than Walmart, with not nearly the number of oddball types in the mall that one is sure to see in Walmart.

Super Sunday Storm In Wichita Falls

This first Sunday of the 2024 version of June is being dark, stormy and loud.

Nearby lightning strikes are causing ultra thunderous thunderclaps.

So far I have not heard the tornado sirens blaring.

Hearing tornado sirens blaring during a storm is a tad unsettling.

I have not heard the tornado sirens during a storm since I have been in Wichita Falls.

When I lived in the DFW zone three times I experienced the tornado sirens during a storm.

It is so dark now, at two in the afternoon, that the streetlights have switched on.

The scene you see above is from my kitchen window, about 10 minutes ago.

Rain is pouring down in heavy downpour mode, likely about to cause flash flooding.

I think I need to go batten down the hatches now, before the power goes out.

UPDATE:
Same view as the one above, only now with rain and the streetlights on....

Remembering The Scarborough Renaissance Festival

I saw that which you see here, this first day of June morning, in an email from Microsoft's OneDrive Memories of this Day.

A well-fed wench at the Scarborough Renaissance Festival.

This festival takes place every weekend in April and May, so this memory could not have happened on this day, since it is no longer May.

My one and only visit to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival happened early this century, pre 9/11, so maybe a weekend in May of the year 2000.

The visit to Scarborough Renaissance Festival was early on in the making of my massively big Eyes on Texas website. I webpaged that visit to the Scarborough Renaissance Festival.

My description of the Scarborough Renaissance Festival generated the most upset I have ever managed to generate. The people calling themselves Scarbies were downright irate. The reaction was both weird and amusing. 

Then the reactions caused more reactions, or counter-reactions, even weirder and more amusing.

I webpaged much of the reaction and counter-reaction in a webpage called Scarbo Feedback.

Among the irate comments were some complaining that I used the word "Scarbo" instead of their preferred word "Scarbie".

Like I said, weird and amusing.