Walking Walmart To Prevent Possible Heatstroke

I do not recollect, previously, a weather warning advising that the extreme heat comes with the danger of dehydration. That and a possible heatstroke.

I shall take this warning seriously and not commune with nature, outdoors, today, other than the short exposure happening from the time I exit my abode and enter my motorized means of motion.

Followed by additional outdoor exposure when I get to the Walmart parking lot, walking from my vehicle to the air-conditioned comfort of Walmart's interior, where I will get my daily dose of endorphins acquired be aerobic activity.

And a third moment of exposure when I return to my carport parking space, and walk, outdoors, to the entry to my air-conditioned interior space...

Mom & Dad's 74th Wedding Anniversary

Every year, on this date of August 6, when I see a news source make mention of the fact that this date is the annual anniversary of the day an atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, I then remember this is also my mom and dad's wedding anniversary date.

August 6, 1951 was the day my mom and dad were joined in holy matrimony.

I came along later, along with four siblings.

The above photo documentation is from August 11, 2001 at mom and dad's 50th wedding anniversary party at my eldest sister's home in Kent, Washington, with me and my siblings standing behind mom and dad and grandma Vera, who was my mom's mom.

This event was not held on mom and dad's actual anniversary date, as that happened on a non-weekend day. Saturday, August 11 was the first weekend day available.

That date also happened to be my birthday. I was not expected to attend mom and dad's 50th party. But, I drove solo from Texas and managed to get there shortly after the scheduled start of the festivities.

After I showed up, unexpected, on my birthday, a makeshift birthday card was quickly fabricated and signed. I feigned disappointment when no birthday presents were also presented.

It is just a little hard to believe that it was 24 years ago that I drove to Washington for mom and dad's 50th. It seems so recent, in my memory.

24 years fly by so fast. I shudder when realizing how old I'll be in 24 years...

Times Record News Continues To Investigate Why Beto O'Rourke Spoke In Wichita Falls

That which you see here is a compilation of screen caps gleaned from the Wichita Falls Times Record News. That being the online version of an alleged newspaper print publication.

I cancelled my online subscription to this alleged newspaper a month or two ago. 

Why?

Well, in addition to it basically being a terrible newspaper, in the sense of covering local news, let alone other news, there was one article link which began to get on my nerves after half a year of seeing it.

I am talking about the last link in the screen cap.

"Why did Beto O'Rourke speak in Wichita Falls?"

If you click on the link there is no answer to the why did Beto speak question. Nor is there the indicated video. At least there was neither last time I was able to look, before cancelling my subscription.

And now today, when I clicked on the Times Record News link, so I could click on the AccuWeather link, which I can still click on, though no longer a subscriber, since AccuWeather is not a Times Record News publication, I saw that the why did Beto speak link has been added back to the Top Headlines list one sees on the Times Record News homepage. 

So, this link to a non-story, which has now been being featured for over half a year, is once more given more prominence.

When I cancelled my subscription, I was given the opportunity to explain why. And so I did, complaining both about the bad quality of their local news coverage and the embarrassing never ending link to the story about Beto speaking.

At some point in time during my years of being a subscriber to this newspaper I came to the conclusion that this newspaper did not employ an actual reporter. You know, a person who goes about town covering various issues.

Because of the Times Record News lack of actual reporting, we have seen no article explaining what became of the Circle Trail connection between Lucy Park and the section of the Circle Trail which trails through the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area.

We have seen no article about the creek drainage project one has witnessed being worked on for a couple years now, with no apparent end in sight.

We have seen no article about the current status of the WinCo project. The Times Record News did print the press release when WinCo let it be known it was coming to Wichita Falls, with the store opening in July. July has come and gone, with, like we already said, no article about the current status, and when WinCo will actually open.

How about an article explaining why that downtown semi-skyscraper, known as Big Blue, continues to be an eyesore in need of work?

Was there an article in the Times Record News about the mass execution of Sikes Lake geese? Or the current overly silted status of Sikes Lake, which looks to be, once again in dire need of dredging. The last time Sikes Lake was dredged the removed silt was transported to Lake Wichita Park where it was piled into the mound we refer to as Mount Wichita.

If I wanted to sit here and contemplate, I am sure I can come up with many other items which would seem to be local newsworthy, which you won't see any information about in this sad excuse for a local newspaper.

And, one day, we may finally learn why Beto O'Rourke spoke in Wichita Falls....

Big Texas Chill Thunders In Day Four Of August

A booming thunderstorm with loud roof pounding downpour of copious amounts of rain woke me up around 5 this morning of the 4th day of the 2025 version of August. An hour and a half later the thunder still booms and the rain still pours down.

For the first morning in many a morning I had no need to activate the air-conditioner. Mother Nature is currently cooling to ten degrees cooler than I set the air-conditioner to when I want it to make my interior space cooler.

I have not yet checked the weather forecast this morning to see how long this big chill is expected to last.

I suspect that by some time this morning the big chill will disappear, along with most of the cloud cover, with the sun once again doing that overheating thing it seems to like doing...

Look At Washington's Deception Pass Bridge & Fort Worth's Texas Bridge Deceptions

I saw the photo you see here, yesterday, on Facebook. A photo from my old Washington home zone.

I lived about 25 miles east of this bridge.

That tree covered hill you see rising from the far side of the bridge is known as Goose Rock. This was a frequent hiking location for me when I lived in an area with multiple such scenic hiking venues.

That structure over water, connecting those land masses is known as Deception Pass Bridge.

Seeing this photo of Deception Pass Bridge managed to bring the Texas town of Fort Worth to mind.

There were many things about Fort Worth which perplexed me upon exposure, due to much being so alien from my experience growing up in liberal, progressive, modern, Washington state.

Deception Pass Bridge was built in the early 1930s. Taking less than a year to build. Over actual water, connecting to actual islands.

This century I watched the town of Fort Worth struggle to build three simple freeway overpass type bridges, over dry land, taking seven years to do so, after a TNT explosion celebrating the start of the astonishingly long construction project.

Those Fort Worth bridges began construction around a decade after a public works project the public did not vote for, known then as the Trinity River Vision, began. A supposedly vitally needed economic development and flood control scheme. 

Flood control where no flooding had happened for over half a century due to flood control levees already in place.

So vitally needed that a quarter century after the Trinity River Vision began trying to be seen, there is little to see.

And then you have Deception Pass Bridge, built almost a century ago, over actual water, connecting three actual islands.

Fort Worth's three little bridges which took seven years to build, over day land, were, by now, supposed to have cement lined ditches dug under them, with Trinity River water diverted into the cement line ditches, creating what Fort Worth already calls Panther Island.

No, you reading this in sane America, I am not making this up. Fort Worth thinks this bizarre project will result in an island. And that this will be a popular attraction for the town.

Meanwhile, due south of "Panther Island", at the north end of downtown Fort Worth, we have Heritage Park, overlooking "Panther Island".  Heritage Park purports to celebrate Fort Worth's heritage and history. But, it has been a boarded-up eyesore since 2009. 

I first blogged about this in 2009 in Amon G. Carter Foundation Fort Worth Heritage Park Fix. And many times after that, such as Why Is Another Million Dollars Needed To Fix Fort Worth's Heritage Park Embarrassment?

A couple months ago I asked Elsie Hotpepper if Heritage Park is still a boarded up eyesore. Elsie told me such was the case. I assume I would be told otherwise if this was no longer the case.

Truly perplexing...

Frist Day Of August Noontime Thunderstorm Downpour Power Outage

Thunderstorming was on the weather menu for later today, as in, after the sun goes down.

However, whilst peacefully enjoying lunch during the noontime hour, thunder began booming in the distance, and relentlessly grew closer til I was seeing flashes and hearing booms up close.

And then the rain arrived. Downpouring copiously.

I opened my front door to take the photo you see above. The photo does not do justice to the volume of rain that is falling.

I can see a moat has already formed, making it a fun adventure to make it to the carport where my motorized means of motion sits.

Power has gone out twice in the past 10 minutes. Quickly restored.

The sky looks to be getting brighter. Methinks the worst of it may be over. For now...

Not Too HOT Walk Around Sikes Lake With Ukrainian Sunflowers

It was to nearby Sikes Lake I ventured today for my regularly scheduled daily nature communing, on this first day of the 2025 version of August.

This morning my AccuWeather weather information source indicated to me that the temperature would be 79 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, at my regular endorphin acquisition time.

When I exited my abode I was pleased to see the sun mostly blotted out by clouds. I was also pleased to feel a cooling breeze blowing.

But, the temperature was 84 degrees, according to my phone, with the humidity making it really feel like 91 degrees, also according to my phone, despite the wind and the sun being blocked.

So, my hoped for chilly nature communing did not happen.

I did come upon a new patch of sunflowers blooming near the lake shore. That is what you see photo documented above.

That big bright yellow sunflower reminded me of the recent work of the renowned Pacific Northwest artist known as Tamara El, and her recent series of painted homages to the sunflower symbol of Ukraine.

Thunderstorming is on the weather menu for later today. With more thunderstorming tomorrow, followed, supposedly, by thunderstorming and heavy rain, with possible flash flooding, on Sunday. 

I expect I shall manage to remain dry, despite the dire predictions indicating otherwise...

HOT Hiking Wichita Bluffs Nature Area On Last Day Of July

Yesterday the outer world at my North Texas location got heated to well over 100 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

Overnight, a cold front blew in, knocking the low for last night into the low 70s, again as measured by the Fahrenheit method.

So, with today's high temperature forecast to be in the low 90s, I thought this last day of the 2025 version of July might be a mighty fine time to get my daily endorphin fix by nature communing on the trail through the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area.

Well.

I thought wrong. 

Not much of a wind was blowing, til I hit the highest point on the Bluffs, which is where I took the photo documentation, looking east across the Wichita River at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Wichita Falls.

Whilst under the shade of the pavilion located at the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area high point, I checked the temperature via my phone's weather app.

90 degrees.

Halfway back to my starting point, also known as the parking lot where my air-conditioned motorized transport was located, I started getting real HOT, turning into a sweaty mess. I took off my shirt, which helped a little, but not much.

Methinks today marks the last time I will be doing any mountainous bluff hiking til the weather starts being more reasonably cool...

Getting HOT While Trying To Be Cool At Lake Wichita

With the outer world temperature nearing 100 degrees, as measured via the Fahrenheit method, on this next to last day of the 2025 version of July it was to nearby Lake Wichita I ventured, hoping fora cooling breeze to be blowing across the lake, making for some semi-pleasant nature communing.

Well, there was a breeze blowing, providing some heat relief, but it still felt way too HOT.

In the above photo we are about to walk onto the Lake Wichita Boardwalk, walking out over the lake. A nice breeze blew when I reached the end of the boardwalk.

In the following photo documentation, we are no longer on the Boardwalk, we have walked onto the floating fishing dock which is a short distance north of the Boardwalk.

You can see, via the wave action, that wind is blowing across the lake. So much so that the floating dock had some up and down action, so much so that I think those prone to such might suffer a mild seasickness bout.

That is the Mount Wichita pseudo-volcano you see rising above the horizon at the northwest side of Lake Wichita. Mount Wichita looks like it has lost most of its green foliage cover.

I do not remember a year previous where I have found myself so looking forward to the end of Summer and the arrival of cool temperatures....

Be Careful Going Against Mysterious Rules Too Many Times!

This morning's email included one from my Favorite Nephew Jason referencing yesterday's Russian earthquake and the resulting tsunami warnings across the Pacific Ocean.

I thought Jason's email to be amusing, which quickly had me blogging about it in Nephew Jason Reports No Russian Tsunami Reaching Mount Vernon.

As is often the case, when I was back on Facebook I posted the link to the Russian Tsunami blog post.

Almost immediately I got a notification that the post had been removed due to violating Facebook community standards, with a warning about going against the rules too many times.

Huh?

Clicking the explanation link it appeared that this post was removed due to supposedly being misleading spam. Or some such thing. It was confusing. And did not provide any explanation which came even remotely close to making any sense.

I then clicked on the ask for a review option, or whatever it was called. At the end of that the end message was that it would take up to four days to get back to me.

Earlier this year I terminated my massive Eyes on Texas website, after a couple decades. I was no longer updating that website, and so it really made no sense to keep paying to host it.

Now, I am wondering if today's Facebook incident may be a hint that maybe it is time to let Facebook go the way of MySpace, and move on.

I really do not need any additional nonsensical aggravations aggravating me senselessly...