October Sunday Lucy Park Nature Communing With Power Issues

It was to Lucy Park I nature communed on this first Sunday of the 2024 version of October. As you can see, the Lucy Park backwoods jungle is still green, with Fall not yet falling, sending no leaves to the ground. 

Day after day, of late, the temperature high for the day has been in the 90s. The air was heated into the 80s whilst I was at Lucy Park.

I am looking forward to being chilly. The cold water out of my taps is still being lukewarm, or warmer.

This week, reading the local news, I read that the Wichita Falls zone is nearing being in drought conditions again. 

But, the Wichita River, as photo documented, today, above, does not look to be drying up. And lawns and golf courses are still green.

I had me a couple possible age-related memory lapses today. Upon returning from Lucy Park I went into lunch making mode. I turned on both the smokeless grill and the air fryer, forgetting that doing so causes the circuit to break.

When I realized what I'd done I remembered it was easy to fix, via flipping a switch on the circuit breaker panel. I knew this was in my bedroom closet. So, I walk into the closet, turn on the light, and cannot find the circuit breaker panel on the wall. I found another electrical looking thing I did not remember previously seeing.

So, feeling totally frustrated, I got a flashlight and scanned the closet's walls, eventually finding the circuit breaker panel. I saw what looked like a switch which should be flipped. Did so. That knocked out the lights in my bedroom. Switched that back and then found the correct switch to switch, restoring power to the air fryer, smokeless grill and TV.

I hope that with this second instance I will now remember not to run the air fryer and smokeless grill at the same time. And if I do forget, that I will remember where the circuit breaker panel is located.

Age related memory woes are vexing...

Remembering Throwing Life Jugs To Drowning Person In Dinosaur Valley State Park

That which you see here showed up in my email this morning, via Microsoft's OneDrive Memories of this Day.

I have no recollection of what day this photo may have been taken. But, I do remember the location, and the likely time frame, year-wise. As in near the start of the current century.

I was hiking in Dinosaur Valley State Park, down by the town of Glen Rose in Texas Hill Country, when I came upon a swimming hole carved out by the Paluxy River, with two warning signs.

One of which is what you see me standing in front of, with the sun glaring on the lens of my long-gone antique Casio digital camera, with its reverse the lens photo taking, enabling what is now known as a selfie.

LIFE JUGS: THROW A DROWNING PERSON

The other warning sign warned swimming hole swimmers to beware of the snapping turtles.

I had, and still, have no clue if this LIFE JUGS thing was intended as a joke, or serious. I found it a tad inappropriate to see such in a state park.

The swimming hole looked quite inviting, but I did not indulge, due to taking the snapping turtle warning serious.

I previously had had me a scary aggressive turtle episode whilst swimming in Lake Grapevine, back in early July of 2002. My final time getting wet in a treacherous Texas lake...

Semi-Chilly Wichita Bluff Nature Area Hiking On Second October Day

On this second day of October, with the sky totally blue, with not a single cloud blotting the blue, it was to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured an hour before noon, to commune with nature via hiking the Circle Trail as it trails over the Wichita Bluffs.

In that photo above we are looking at a rocking bench, looking in a northwest direction. The rocking bench sits on a side trail off the main trail.

The temperature was pleasantly chilled into the 70s whilst I nature communed.
 

And now we are in the picnic pavilion located at the high point of the Wichita Bluffs. In this view we are looking northeast. The stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls would be visible if I shifted the view slightly to the right.

The current long-range forecast is for day after day after week after week of blue sky and pleasant temperatures. 

Apparently, the lack of rain has the Wichita Falls area near being designated once again in drought mode.

One would think the forest of trees would not manage to be so green, at this point in the year, what with the lack of rain.

So far I have seen little leaf color changing action one expects to see this time of the year...

First Day Of October Virtually Hiking Washington's Mount Rainier

This first morning of the new month, flipping the month to October, I saw the scene on my American Scenic Wonders wall calendar is a scenic wonder in my old home state of Washington, that, if I remember correctly, I only saw twice, up close, as in the National Park, all my years of living in Washington.

The second time I visited this scenic wonder was August 11, 2008, with my favorite sister-in-law and her mom. This was the first time I actually did some hiking in Mount Rainier National Park, hiking from the area known as Paradise, up the lower slops of the Rainier volcano.

It being August, Mount Rainier National Park, that day in 2008 was overcrowded with tourists. I recollect finding a parking spot at Paradise was a bit challenging.

Long ago, on one of my other blogs, I blogged about Mount Rainier. I do not recollect if that blogging has photos of that day in August, back in 2008. Just a sec, and I shall go see.

Yes, there is a photo or two from that day way back almost two decades ago, and a video.

The reason I seldom visited Mount Rainier whilst living in Washington was the fact that the mountain was around 130 miles south of my Skagit Valley location.

I was much closer to another volcano, Mount Baker, to go hiking on, and the equally close North Cascades National Park hiking trails, which actually are much more scenic than Mount Rainier, in that the sea of mountains one sees when one is in the heart of the North Cascades is much more of a broadly spanning multi-mountain scene than that one giant Rainier volcano dominating all its surrounding area.

Sometimes I find myself wondering if I will ever again see my feet hiking on a real mountain trail. My nearest current such opportunity is about 50 miles north, in Oklahoma via the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge. I suspect it likely that the Wichita Mountains will not quite be the same as the Cascade Mountains of Washington, and Oregon...

Final September Day Lucy Park Fading Fall Jungle Walk

With the outer world temperature in the mid-80s, an hour before noon, on this final day of the 2024 version of September, it was to Lucy Park I ventured, after a quick library visit, acquiring new reading material.

As you can see, via today's photo documentation of the Lucy Park suspension bridge across the Wichita River, the green foliage is slightly beginning its Fall fade.

The jungle not quite as vibrantly green, with a hint of yellow creeping in.

Soon to turn orange, then brown, before finally falling to the ground, leaving a jungle of bare trees.

The perfect temperature had a lot of people naturing communing, including an elderly couple, even older than me, both with a leashed dog. Cutest little dogs I have seen in a long time.

It has been over 16 years since I have walked a dog. Actually, three dogs. Blue, Max and Pal, in Tacoma.

All three long ago migrated to Doggie Heaven...

Last September Sunday Remembering Dinosaur Valley State Park In Texas Hill Country

Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day, which I remember.

But, I do not remember if this particular day was the final Sunday of September in a year earlier this century.

The location is Dinosaur Valley State Park.

Dinosaur Valley State Park has the best mountain bike trails I have rolled my wheels on in Texas. 

Actually, Dinosaur Valley State Park has some of the best mountain bike trails I have rolled my wheels on anywhere, as much fun as the famous mountain bike trails in the Moab zone of Utah.

In the photo I am looking at you via my long gone Casio digital camera with its reverse lens option enabling making what are now known as selfies.

Behind me, that is Big Ed. We are standing in the dried up bed of the Paluxy River.

One sees many dinosaur footprints in the dried up riverbed.

The Microsoft OneDrive Memories included a couple photos I took of the dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River bed, one of which is what you see above.

I hiked and biked in Dinosaur Valley State Park many times when I lived a lot closer than I do now. 

One memorable biking time in Dinosaur Valley happened on a Christmas day, early this century. I think the year was 2002. The park was empty. No ranger was bothering monitoring the entry. I had an annual pass, but there was no one to show it to.

I biked for several hours, and then realized it was getting dark. That and I realized I was lost. I got a bit panicky as less and less light illuminated the way. Finally, I came to a trail juncture which I recognized and was then able to make my way back to my vehicle. 

I think I need to get a new mountain bike. And take it to Dinosaur Valley State Park...

Final September Saturday Sikes Lake Nature Communing

With the temperature in the low 80s, with a strong wind breezing, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured on this final September Saturday to commune with nature under a bright blue sky.

In the photo documentation you are looking west from the middle of the bridge at the west end of the lake, overlooking the currently blue Blue Lagoon of Sikes Lake.

There were some fellow nature communers today, but I would have thought the number of nature communers would have been larger, what with the perfect weather conditions.

September flew by super fast. Time seems to be accelerating. Is this a function of getting older? I don't like it. October will come and go just as fast. By then we will be in that time of year known as the Holiday Season.

Not my favorite time of the year.

Yesterday I saw Christmas stuff has already been set up in Walmart.

The older I get the Grinchier I get...

Following Skagit Valley's Linda Lou's Moo Goo Gai Pan Directions

That is a wok you see here, with a big batch of Moo Goo Gai Pan, freshly stir-fried for the final Friday of September lunch.

A couple days ago I was talking to the Skagit Valley's renowned culinary savant, known as Linda Lou, when Linda Lou mentioned that she had made Moo Goo Gai Pan for lunch that day.

Is that easy to make, asked I? Yes, super simple said Linda Lou, adding that she would send me the recipe.

And, so she did.

I'm not great with complicated recipes requiring multiple stages, but I managed to do so with the Moo Goo Gai Pan.

Moo Goo Gai Pan first entered my vocabulary way back in the 1970s, via The Bob Newhart Show. Moo Goo Gai Pan was Bob's frequent Chinese food home delivery order. I think it was a bit of a running joke type thing.

I remember, way back then, thinking I never see Moo Goo Gai Pan on a Chinese restaurant menu. And still never have. Or, if I have, I have forgotten seeing such.

But now I have managed to wok and eat Moo Goo Gai Pan, and now I understand why Bob liked it so much...

Visiting Tacoma & 15 Other Astonishing American Places

Yesterday I came upon a goofy gallery on the EDGE browser's Microsoft News page titled "16 Astonishing Places in the U.S. You've Never Heard Of".

# 15 was Tacoma, Washington. I think a lot of people have heard of this particular place. The description of what made Tacoma astonishing was a bit odd...

Tacoma, Washington, is a place that’s packed with unique experiences that are often overlooked. At the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, you can see all different sorts of animals and marine life.

At the Museum of Glass, watch or even try glassblowing. Or, why not gaze at beautiful antique cars at the LeMay Car Museum? If you are a sports lover, 24 hours of bowling and indoor mini-golfing at Tower Lanes might be for you.

I have been to Tacoma many times and have never heard of the LeMay Car Museum. And, what with all there is to do in Tacoma, mention is made of a bowling alley with mini-golf?

Bizarre.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is mentioned, but not the fact that those two locations are just one part of one of the largest urban parks in the world, known as Point Defiance. 

Mention is not made of the Tacoma waterfront, with its many restaurants, or the Thea Foss Waterway, another attraction linked to the Tacoma museums, including the Chihuly Museum of Glass. No mention is made of Point Ruston, another waterfront attraction.

I have been to several of these "astonishing" places, and whilst finding some to be of interest, I sure do not recollect being astonished by any of them.

I've been to San Luis Obispo, Badlands National Park, North Park, Colorado, Flagstaff, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah and White Sands National Park.

I liked Badlands and White Sands, but neither was at all astonishing. 

Flagstaff? Last time I was in that Arizona town was in July of 2017. Stuck there for 7 hours whilst my vehicle got a new fuel pump installed. Now, the Grand Canyon, which is mighty close to Flagstaff, now that is one super astonishing place on the planet.

All I remember of San Luis Obispo is getting burgers at an Arctic Circle. That and the town's hilly location on the Pacific coast. There may be remnants of mission architecture, the likes of which one sees all over Southern California, none of which seems astonishing to me, though I do remember being impressed by San Juan Capistrano.

Anyway, what I got out of this is I am due for a visit to Tacoma, a truly astonishing town...

Remembering Mom & Dad Herding Fort Worth Stockyard Longhorns With Sister Nancy In A Dress

Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day that are a tad special.

The first photo I know for sure was taken in October of 2001. Mom and dad's first visit to Texas to see their eldest son.

Mom and dad's second visit to Texas took place in January of 2009, which is how I know the above is from the first visit, due to January being cold, whilst in October it can still be shirtsleeve weather in Texas.

Both of mom and dad's visits to Texas included visiting the Fort Worth Stockyards, which is where we are in the above photo, watching the Fort Worth herd of longhorns pass by. An event which takes place twice a day.

That is mom, on the right, watching dad try to take photos of the herd with his Olympus digital camera. During their visit mom repeatedly instructed dad to take a photo. I doubt those photos ever made their way off the camera.

Both mom and dad visits to the Fort Worth Stockyards also involved going to Riscky's BBQ for All You Can Eat BBQed Ribs.

That is another way I know this photo is from 2001. We were sitting outside at Riscky's. In 2009 we were inside, because it was cold.

I would link to my Eyes on Texas website webpage of the Fort Worth Stockyards, which included photos of mom and dad's visit, but, I have decided to terminate my Eyes on Texas website, after letting it live for a couple decades. I no longer update that website. Thus it has become dated. I no longer enjoy fiddling with HTML code. So, bye bye Eyes on Texas.

I have no clue if the above photo was taken on a day in September, or October. I can see the photo has stamped on it "JAN 64". But, that likely is when the photo was developed, not when it was taken. Photo taking was quite primitive, prior to the invention of the digital method of photo taking.

I do not recognize the car behind us. I do know the location is the front yard of 1027 Washington Avenue, in Burlington, Washington.

On the left that would be me, with my little brother, Jake, next to me, then our then extremely little sister, Jackie, holding on to Jake, with big sister, Nancy, in one of the rare instances of her being photo documented in a dress.

This photo would have been taken about six years before the arrival of our final baby sister, Michele....