Is Fort Worth's Panther Island One Of America's Top 50 Most Beautiful Islands?

On Facebook, this morning, I saw the above list purporting to list the Top 50 most beautiful islands in the United States.

I was almost 100% sure that Fort Worth's beautiful Panther Island would be on this list. 

Several Texas islands are on this list of 50, including Galveston Island, South Padre Island, Padre Island and Mustang Island.

But not Panther Island.

Shocking.

Several islands in my old home state of Washington are on this list of 50, including San Juan Island, Whidbey Island, Orcas Island and Lopez Island. 

Apparently, Washington's Whidbey Island is so beautiful it is on this list of 50 twice. At #16 and #45.

Maybe the fact that Fort Worth's Panther Island is not yet a chunk of land surrounded by water, is what kept it off this list, even though that chunk of industrial wasteland, known as Panther Island, is quite beautiful.

Several years ago, Fort Worth took seven years to complete the building of three freeway overpass-like bridges, over dry land, long now in place, waiting for a cement-lined ditch to be built under those bridges, with Trinity River water diverted into the ditch, thus creating the imaginary island.

It has been awhile since I have heard anything about the current status of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision. 

Have saner souls taken over leadership of Fort Worth and put a stop to the madness sold as a vitally needed economic development and flood control scheme, where there had been no flooding for over a half century thanks to levees the Army Corps of Engineers installed way back in the 1950s?

This ridiculous imaginary island, vitally needed project, has been limping along from the start of the current century. Should be obvious to all, by now, that this clearly has never been a vitally needed economic development or flood control project...

Hot Walk Around Sikes Lake With Regulation Fishing

When I began my walk around Sikes Lake, this morning, my phone was telling me the temperature was 88 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method. With the humidity making those 88 degrees really feel like 95 degrees.

However, my phone did not seem to know about the strong wind blowing, causing a wind chill factor to make those 88 degrees feel way cooler.

There were several groups of fisher people at various locations around the lake today, including the group above, I zoomed in to on the west side of the lake, from my vantage point on the east side of the lake.

I saw one angler successfully hook a lake creature. Of what variety, I have no clue.

I think I likely noticed the Community Fishing Lake Regulations sign previously, but don't remember, for sure. Age-related memory issues.

The regulations sign lists the types of fish one might catch in this lake. Several types of Bass, along with several types of Sunfish, Bluegill, Rainbow Trout, Channel Catfish and Crappies.

I do not think I'd want to be eating a fish called Crappie.

The regulation sign details regulations, such as a fishing license being required for those 17 and older, how many fish one can catch in a day and how big a Black Bass must be.

In all the years I have been walking around Sikes Lake, I have never seen any hint of a game warden.

NO Kings Protest In Burlington Washington

The day of the No Kings Protests I learned of the protest in the Skagit Valley town of Anacortes.

This morning, I read a report about the protest in the biggest town in the Skagit Valley, Mount Vernon.

And now, tonight, also known as Monday night, I heard from my Favorite Nephew Jason, about Saturday's No Kings Protest in the town I grew up in, a couple miles north of Mount Vernon, the town known as Burlington.

Burlington's population is only a little over 10,000.

Judging from the video, the No Kings Protest turnout in Burlington was way bigger than the Wichita Falls turnout, a town over 100,000 in population.

I hope the link to the Go Skagit (Skagit Valley Herald) VIDEO: 'No Kings' protest in Burlington article and video works.

Relaxing Hot Humid Monday Walk Around Sikes Lake

After a wild weekend of protesting, pool partying, pork barbecuing and thunderstorming, it is a pleasant Monday to be beginning the second half of the 2025 version of June with a clear blue sky, free of clouds blocking the sun, thus allowing the sun to heat up the outer world, well into the 80s, when I returned to Sikes Lake to get some much needed aerobic activity and its resulting endorphin acquisition.

No wind was blowing whilst I walked around the lake. As you can see evidenced by the lake view, looking west from Sikes Lake's rocky eastern shore. Yesterday's copious rain has amped up the humidity. So, 86 degrees feels way hotter than it should. Made even hotter feeling due to the lack of wind.

After several years of being in drought mode, the Wichita Falls area is blooming much more colorfully and greener than has been the case the past several years.

An example of this is the patch of wildflowers I photo documented above. The wildflower patch has sprouted since I walked by this location just a few days ago. 

The current weather forecast for the next 15 days is no rain, no thunderstorms, temperatures in the 90s and low 100s.

Happy 2025 Father's Day!

That's my dad, you see above, long long ago, with a really happy baby, who was me.

I have little memory of this photo being taken.

I look to be less than a year old.

Which, I think, would make dad 23 or 24. 

They married young, way back then...

Sunday Morning Turns Extremely Stormy With Warning To Watch For Flash Floods

This Sunday morning's unpredicted rain has now been dripping for a couple hours, and has now turned into extreme downpour mode, the rain so copiously thick that visibility is about zero, as evidenced by the view above, looking west from one of my living room windows.

A Flash Flood Watch Warning for Wichita Falls has just arrived on my computer screen, and my phone. 

I strongly suspect I will not be doing any outdoor aerobic endorphin inducing activity today.

But, maybe the outer world will lighten up by the time when my regularly scheduled fast-walking time arrives.

If such is the case, it will be to Sikes Lake I shall venture.

Sunday Morning Thunderstorm Look At Yesterday's No King Protests

The early Sunday morning zoomed view from my kitchen window. Rain is downpouring, thunder is booming. 

It has now rained, hard, for almost an hour. 

I have greatly enjoyed seeing all the photo documentation on the various news sources documenting how HUGE yesterday's world-wide NO KINGS Protests were.

Well, more precisely, enjoyed news sources other than FOX News, which has a alternative reality version of yesterday, including not letting the FOX propaganda recipients know what a low attendance debacle Trump's embarrassing parade turned out to be. 

I could only take a couple minutes of watching that parade. It looked ridiculous. Big tanks rolling by Trump's viewing stand, where he did not look like a happy birthday boy, sitting next to his bizarre Secretary of Defense and his wife. To be clear, the wife I refer to is Trump's, not the bizarre Secretary of Defense's current wife.

I blogged about my NO KINGS Protest experience yesterday in Downtown Wichita Falls Texas No Kings In America Protest. That blog post has had an unusually high number of page views.

The Wichita Falls Times New Record online version had zero coverage of yesterday's downtown Wichita Falls well attended protest. 

But, the Texoma Homepage did report the protest. The Texoma Homepage is the online version of the local NBC affiliate, KFDX Channel 3

Compared to elsewhere in America, the turnout protesting in Wichita Falls was not as big. The hundreds gathered seemed like a large crowd to me.

My old home zone's Skagit Valley Herald had zero photos or reporting about yesterday's NO KING Protests in any of the Skagit Valley towns. I know large crowds were expected in Mount Vernon and Burlington.

Former Burlingtonian, Miss Tamara A, currently residing in the Skagit Valley town of Anacortes, last night Facebook messaged me the following, documenting the NO KINGS Protest in Anacortes.

1,000! Now that is a big turnout.

But, not quite as big as the turnout in another town in my old home zone.

Other photos of the Seattle NO KINGS Protest gave a better look at the crowd size than the one I screen capped from the Seattle Times.

I have not yet seen an estimate of the total number estimated to have participated yesterday, worldwide in the NO KINGS Protests. The number has be in the millions. The number of millions is the question not yet answered.

Downtown Wichita Falls Texas No Kings In America Protest

The temperature was well into the 80s when I arrived in downtown Wichita Falls a few minutes past 10 this Saturday, June 14, 2025 morning, to participate in my local version of the National and International "No Kings In America" protests taking place all over America and the World today.

I did not know what to expect, crowd-size wise. And found myself pleased to find the protest so well attended so early in the three-hour protest.

The large number of clever signs also impressed me.

The mood of the crowd seemed upbeat. Passing vehicles honked horns and waved thumbs up. You can see and hear that in the video below.

My reaction to this was surprising to me. It was the first uplifting feeling I have experienced, at the level experienced today, since that absurd election result, last November.

Eventually I joined the others sitting under the shade of a heavily branched tree. Wind gusts brought some relief.

After several minutes of shade sitting the taco truck you see above showed up.

Before the taco truck driver could get totally parked, that lady with the sign was asking a guy to take a photo of her, with her phone, whilst she stood in front of the taco truck.

Why?

I don't know.

Show of support for our Mexican neighbors?

By the time I got my phone back on she was no longer holding the sign, straight up, in front of her. But you can still read the message on her sign.

And below is the previously referenced video. It has been awhile since I have made a video and uploaded it to YouTube. The process seems to have been made simpler than when last I uploaded a video.

Text message from Linda Lou, soon after I arrived at the protest, The message said, "Now Minnesota. I am so upset."

I had no clue what Linda Lou was talking about, so called her and learned what had happened in Minnesota.

At the downtown Wichita Falls protest today I saw absolutely no police presence. No police vehicle. No police on foot.

Wichita Falls is a peaceful town...

No Kings In Wichita Falls America Protest Event

Above you are looking at the location, in downtown Wichita Falls, of tomorrow's Saturday, June 14, 2025, No Kings in America protest.

The protest will taking place in a park across the street from that big blue building.

I expect a large crowd.

The last time I participated in an anti-Trump protest, in Wichita Falls, was at the start of the first Trump presidency. That protest was in the form of a march from Sikes Lake to a parking lot near where Kemp and Kell Boulevard meet. That protest march was a rather festive affair, with a lot of supportive horn honking from passing vehicles.

The article from this morning's Wichita Falls Times Record News, from whence I attained the above photo, and the below text...

Several organizations will join in an event 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday at 815 Scott Avenue (815 Scott Avenue is also known as Central Park) in downtown Wichita Falls.

The event is billed as "We the People Say No Kings in America" and is hosted by the organizations Indivisible, Red Wine, and Blue and the Wichita County Democratic Association.

"We are speaking out against the authoritarian tactics of this administration, the executive's current misuse of power and resources, and the violation of our constitutional rights," organizer Carroll Wilson said in a news release.

The release said the event will have speakers, music, signs and a children's area.

It said the local event is aligning with other rally movements across the country.

Hot Humid Thursday Sikes Lake Nature Communing With Gray Ladies

On this second Thursday of the 2025 version of June, with the outer world heated into the low 80s, with humidity extremely high, it was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured for some salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation in steambath-like conditions.

As you can see, via the photo documentation, wildflowers are still blooming, impervious to getting sunburned or heat wilted. I do not know what this purple and yellow wildflower calls itself.

Soon after visiting the purple and yellow wildflower, I found a group of four ladies coming towards me, pushing baby strollers, with babies onboard. All the ladies were dressed in gray, with all but one wearing skirts, two of which were ankle length. The overall effect was sort of cult-like.

Of course, I waited til the gray ladies were well past me before I recorded them in photo posterity.

The above is the serene scene I saw after turning around after photo documenting the gray ladies. This view is looking west. The sky does not look too threatening, but turn around and look east, the view with the gray ladies, and the clouds look ominous.

Thunderstorming is on the weather menu for today. Of late the weather predicting locally has not been too accurate.

Saturday there will be a No King's Day Protest in downtown Wichita Falls. I have not yet decided if I will be participating...