Yesterday, the 3rd day of the 2nd month of 2025, I hiked the backwoods jungle of Lucy Park, currently with no leaves in the trees, with the temperature, at that point in time, nearing 90 degrees.
It was the HOTTEST day, so far, this year. Shorts and t-shirt were totally adequate outerwear.
An hour after returning from Lucy Park I was at my computer, scrolling through Facebook, when I saw a photo from Skagit Breaking News, which is what you see above.
The weather condition, yesterday, in my old home zone of Skagit County, Washington.
Even when it snows at my current location it never creates a winter wonderland scene like you see above, due to the fact there are no trees of the Washington evergreen sort, in Texas, that I have ever seen.
In the photo it looks like one vehicle has skidded off the road. This road is located near Alger, a small hamlet in north Skagit County. The road is an access road to Interstate 5, heading west, with the road on the left being an exit from I-5, with the sign pointing to the entry to I-5 South, straight ahead, and the entry to I-5 North, to the right.
It has been a few years, more than a couple decades, since I have been at this location.
I fervently hope one day to be at this location, and others in Skagit County, and Washington, again, preferably during the time of year when snow can not be a factor...
Today's Wichita Falls forecast for the third day of the second month of 2025 is a temperature high 13 degrees short of 100 degrees.
That is almost HOT!
I shall try to resist turning on the A/C today, both in my interior space and my motorized means of motion.
Yesterday I erroneously claimed there are no more freezing predictions in the long-term forecast, all the way well into March.
Looking at the forecast, again, this morning, I see we are scheduled to have a few days in the coming weeks where the day's high gets into the 50s, with the overnight low dipping below freezing.
So, I shall thus forego an early planting of my Spring garden...
In the photo documentation you are at the summit of the Wichita Bluffs in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area, looking east towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls, which is barely peaking up on the horizon.
As you can see, this second day of February, the first Sunday of the second month of 2025, it is a mostly clear blue-sky day, with the temperature in the 70s when I did my high-speed bluff hiking, along with many other Sunday bluff hikers.
Looking at the long-range weather forecast, well into March, there are no more days below freezing currently predicted, a harbinger of an extremely early arrival of Spring-like weather.
A couple Februarys ago I got to experience the coldest cold I have experienced in Texas. Six degrees below zero, knocking out power to most of Texas. Causing me to venture out on the icy streets looking for a motel which still had power.
What a nightmare.
And then when the power finally returned, frozen water pipes burst all over Texas, rendering more misery, with the lights on, heating returned, but no water.
So, I liked seeing that long-range, zero-freeze forecast this morning...
On this first day of the second month of 2025, it was back to Sikes Lake I ventured on this balmy Saturday, with the outer world heated to degrees pleasant enough to make it comfortable to wear shorts with a t-shirt.
The temperature is scheduled to reach 79 today, then in the 80s for the next couple days, before getting a bit cold, again, but not cold of the freezing sort.
A few days ago the forecast for the first couple weeks of February had been day after day after day in the 80s. That seemed a bit unlikely.
But, I am ready to enjoy a couple days in the 80s.
In the photo documentation you are at the east end of Sikes Lake, looking west. As you can see, it is a totally clear blue sky first day of February in Wichita Falls, Texas...
Yesterday's predicted heavy rain, with flash flooding, thunderstorms and tornadoes possible, did not materialize. By late afternoon all clouds had vacated, with the welcome return of a clear blue sky.
Not even some heavy rain managed to drip. Just a drizzle for a couple hours.
Yesterday's eventual totally clear blue sky has continued on this, the final day, of the first month of 2025.
Tomorrow, February of 2025 arrives, with the current weather prediction being day after day of temperatures over 80 degrees. With no precipitation. That should be enjoyable.
On this final day of January, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for some fast-paced nature communing.
The photo documentation, above, is looking west from the bridge across the currently Green Lagoon of Sikes Lake.
For the next couple months, I intend to amp up my physical activity level, hoping the increased endorphins give me some relief, mood-wise, from the current madness America is going through...
The Skagit Valley entity known as Linda Lou called this morning. During the conversation's course I made mention of the fact that today is my mom's birthday.
How old would Shirley be today, asked Linda Lou?
I replied I don't know for sure, but I shall consult the family history book once I am off the phone.
And so, I did.
To learn my mom's precise birthdate of January 30, 1933.
I used my phone's calculator to subtract 1933 from 2025 to get a calculation of 92.
Difficult math problems are not one of my many fortes, but, I think 92 is the correct answer to my mom's age question.
In the photo documentation above we are at my mom and dad's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party. With mom and dad opening presents.
I was a surprise appearance at this party.
This was on August 11 of 2001. My birthday, five days after mom and dad's actual anniversary date of August 6.
This roadtrip back to Washington was the last time I drove from Texas back to Washington.
Solo.
It was a great roadtrip. One month before the infamous events of 9/11 changed our world.
On that 2001 roadtrip back to Washington I'd been in Texas long enough to have my senses altered. As in, I so clearly remember how weird it was crossing Snoqualmie Pass over the Cascade Mountains, on Interstate 90, with the air smelling so strongly of Evergreen fir trees. I never made note of this, to that noticeable a level, whilst living in the Evergreen State.
And then heading west across the I-90 floating bridge over Lake Washington. I had never so greatly enjoyed being slowed by heavy traffic. The air seemed so crystal clear, everything looked so shiny and bright, as if it had just been washed and polished.
Talking to Linda Lou this morning made me feel a bit homesick. Linda Lou made mention of the Skagit Valley Food Co-Op, in Mount Vernon. No such thing exists at my current location. I've seen no such thing anywhere I have been in Texas.
Linda Lou also made mention of a new thing in Mount Vernon. A Mexican market, located on Riverside Drive, selling crafts and other Mexican type goods. I would hope maybe tamales. There used to be a Mexican market, of sorts, in the Texas town I am currently in, Wichita Falls, but it got itself turned into one of those ubiquitous Dollar General type joints.
One would think there would be many Mexican markets in Texas, what with the source nation being so close, that and there are many of Mexican descent in Texas.
Anyway.
Happy Birthday, mom. I hope you and dad are having yourselves a mighty fine time today!
The New Zealand family had been on an RV trip up America's West Coast. I assume they began in Los Angeles, or San Diego. I only joined their visit once they were north of San Francisco, touring the Oregon Coast en route to Seattle.
Last night I watched a follow up video of the New Zealand Family's Seattle visit, titled We Had To Leave Seattle. That is a screen shot, above, from the video. The view of Mount Rainier seen whilst crossing Lake Washington on the I-90 floating bridge.
The New Zealand Family was quite taken with Seattle. The scenery, seeing mountains in any direction. All the bodies of water. Pike Place. The buildings. The stadiums. And more.
A Seattleite named Rebecca, a fan of their videos, was the New Zealand Family's tour guide.
I don't think Rebecca took the New Zealanders through any of the tunnels under Seattle, either via vehicle or light rail. Or to West Seattle. Or to REI corporate headquarters. Or many other of Seattle's unique features.
The New Zealand Family reacted to Seattle the way I always have. And yet they only hit some of the highlights.
Before moving to Texas I'd only been to a few of America's big cities. Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Denver, Phoenix, Vancouver and Victoria.
Well, those last two are in North America, but the Canada part of North America, not the United States part of North America.
So, when I moved to Texas, with the first home location being in the little hamlet of Haslet, located in the north end of Fort Worth, Fort Worth was my introduction to a new type of big city.
The big city downtowns I had previously seen, were big. Fort Worth's downtown was not big. The New Zealanders remarked repeatedly regarding Seattle's buildings and design looking so new and modern. I had the opposite reaction to seeing Fort Worth for the first time.
I'd never before seen a city with large areas being basically run-down slums. It was sort of shocking.
I early on was not shy about verbalizing my reaction. Eventually I made a website documenting much of my reaction. I particularly reacted with confused amazement when I repeatedly saw Fort Worth's newspaper of record, the Star-Telegram, have articles about some ordinary thing, making the claim that this ordinary thing was making cities far and wide green with envy about this ordinary thing in Fort Worth.
Soon upon my arrival I discovered the charms of Dallas, thus learning not all Texas big cities are of the Fort Worth quality level.
In the video where the New Zealand Family is leaving Seattle, the New Zealand mother is lamenting regarding what will they have to show Rebecca when she makes her promised visit to New Zealand, saying New Zealand has nothing of the level they'd experienced in America and Seattle.
I had the same concern when first in Texas, knowing I was expecting some visitors from Seattle to arrive about four months after the Texas arrival. By the time they arrived I'd discovered the charms of Dallas, like Fair Park, the Farmers Market, the Galleria Mall, the West End, Deep Ellum, the DART train, and more.
I remember when those Seattle visitors arrived taking them to downtown Fort Worth, telling them I was gonna show them something incredible. Way back then there were huge parking lots along the Trinity River. From those parking lots one could hop on the world's shortest subway. This rickety old thing which took you into a tunnel that opened up in downtown Fort Worth, with access to a now long gone vertical mall, and the downtown Fort Worth Public Library.
The world's shortest subway is long gone. Fort Worth allowed Radio Shack to build a corporate headquarters Radio Shack could not afford, built above the subway and on part of those parking lots.
Eventually the Radio Shack headquarters was turned in a college. I forget the name. Tarrant County College, maybe.
It was things like the Radio Shack debacle that helped me develop such a low opinion of Fort Worth. This was well before the debacle known initially as the Trinity River Vision, which began near the start of this century, with decades later little to show for the supposedly vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme.
Another thing which quickly bugged me about Fort Worth was upon first arrival I'd see signs pointing one in the direction of Sundance Square. I'd asked where the square was, to no avail. Eventually I learned this was the name given to a multi-block downtown Fort Worth renewal scheme.
After decades of confusing the town's few tourists with those Sundance Square direction signs, a couple parking lots were turned into a town square type thing, named Sundance Square Plaza.
This stuff is so goofy I've had people tell me they think I must be making it up.
Nope, it's all true, and I've only mentioned a couple items of the Fort Worth goofiness in this blog post.
I recently learned that Heritage Park, a park at downtown Fort Worth's north end, across the street from the county courthouse, a park built to celebrate Fort Worth's storied heritage, a park with a unique, impressive design, is still a boarded-up eyesore. A sad state for at least a decade.
Fort Worth's Heritage Park got itself closed after multiple drownings in the Fort Worth Water Gardens, at the south end of downtown. The design flaw in the Water Gardens was obvious, a clear danger, which should never have happened. Heritage Park also had water features, shallow water features in which one could not accidentally drown.
And yet it was deemed necessary that Fort Worth's Heritage Park be closed, surrounded with a cyclone fence, with the park allowed to deteriorate into an eyesore.
Years ago, after I blogged about the Heritage Park scandal, a descendant of the well-regarded designer who designed Heritage Park, I think he was Japanese, contacted me, appalled, asking if it was really true, that this park had been allowed to be destroyed in this manner.
And all these later I recently learned from Elsie Hotpepper that Heritage Park remains a fittingly ironic homage to Fort Worth's actual heritage.
It was to Lake Wichita Park I ventured on this final Tuesday of the first month of 2025, for some salubrious nature communing.
As you can see, looking beyond the statue and above Mount Wichita, the usual blue sky is totally covered in gray today.
The temperature was in the 50s when I was in the outer world.
What with the fact that little rain has fallen of late, I don't understand why Lake Wichita appears to be at full pool. Did heavy rain fall west of Wichita Falls recently?
I have yet to see anyone launch a kayak from the kayak launching dock, now that it is floating. The dock sat on dry ground for a year, or so, waiting for the lake to rise and float it.
Rain and thunderstorms are on our weather menu for the next couple days.
It was to the Wichita Bluff Nature Area I ventured on this final Saturday of the first month of 2025, to commune with nature whilst enjoying some peaceful solitude.
As I was walking my phone made its incoming text message sound. I sat on the bench you see photo documented, located on a side spur off the main Wichita Bluff Nature Area section of the Circle Trail which circles Wichita Falls.
The text message was from one of my favorite Washingtonians, Miss Linda Lou. The text asked if I had seen this, which is what you see copied below. I texted back that I had not seen this, and that upon reading it, that it mirrored my foul mood....
"In my life, I have watched John Kennedy talk on television about missiles in Cuba. I saw Lyndon Johnson look Richard Russell squarely in the eye and say, "And we shall overcome." I saw Richard Nixon resign and Gerald Ford tell the Congress that our long national nightmare was over. I saw Jimmy Carter talk about malaise and Ronald Reagan talk about a shining city on a hill. I saw George H.W. Bush deliver the eulogy for the Soviet bloc, and Bill Clinton comfort the survivors of Timothy McVeigh's madness in Oklahoma City. I saw George W. Bush struggle to make sense of it all on September 11, 2001, and I saw Barack Obama sing 'Amazing Grace' in the wounded sanctuary of Mother Emanuel Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
"These were the presidents of my lifetime. These were not perfect men. They were not perfect presidents, God knows. Not one of them was that. But they approached the job, and they took to the podium, with all the gravitas they could muster as appropriate to the job. They tried, at least, to reach for something in the presidency that was beyond their grasp as ordinary human beings. They were not all ennobled by the attempt, but they tried nonetheless.
"And comes now this hopeless, vicious buffoon, and the audience of equally hopeless and vicious buffoons who laughed and cheered when he made sport of a woman whose lasting memory of the trauma she suffered is the laughter of the perpetrators. Now he comes, a man swathed in scandal, with no interest beyond what he can put in his pocket and what he can put over on a universe of suckers, and he does something like this while occupying an office that we gave him, and while endowed with a public trust that he dishonors every day he wakes up in the White House.
"The scion of a multigenerational criminal enterprise, the parameters of which we are only now beginning to comprehend. A vessel for all the worst elements of the American condition. And a cheap, soulless bully besides. We never have had such a cheap counterfeit of a president* as currently occupies the office. We never have had a president* so completely deserving of scorn and yet so small in the office that it almost seems a waste of time and energy to summon up the requisite contempt.
"Watch how a republic dies in the empty eyes of an empty man who feels nothing but his own imaginary greatness, and who cannot find in himself the decency simply to shut up even when it is in his best interest to do so. Presidents don't have to be heroes to be good presidents. They just have to realize that their humanity is our common humanity, and that their political commonwealth is our political commonwealth, too.
Watch him behind the seal of the President of the United States. Isn't he a funny man? Isn't what happened to that lady hilarious? Watch the assembled morons cheer. This is the only story now."
With one week left in this first month of 2025, it was to Lucy Park I again ventured for some Friday nature communing with the temperature a relatively balmy 23 degrees above freezing.
I hiked the leaf-free Lucy Park backwoods jungle today. A few strong wind gusts had a brief chilling effect, but, other than that, the outdoors was perfectly pleasant.
Looking at the current long range forecast, if the forecast is forecasting accurately, it looks like we may escape Winter without a deep freeze, or an Ice Storm. There are a few days with rain and thunderstorms predicted. But, nothing slippery.
