Today's Microsoft OneDrive Memories Some Of Which I'd Prefer To Forget

Today's email delivered some Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day which I would prefer to forget, and others I remember fondly.

Two of those photos are what you are seeing documented here. The second photo I know for sure was taken in August. The first photo, I have no clue as to the date.

The first photo was taken in my first Texas abode. In this little hamlet called Haslet, at the north end of Fort Worth. You could see the puny skyline of Fort Worth on the horizon. The redhead was exhausting. I was so happy when I moved on to my second Texas abode.

Moving on to a more pleasant memory.

The August before I moved to Texas, my oldest nephews, Jason and Joey, flew me to Las Vegas for four days of fun in the sun.

In the photo, that is Joey next to me on the roller coaster at the New York New York Casino. I do not remember if Jason was also on the roller coaster. I know Jason did not take the photo. The photo showed up as you got off the roller coaster, with an offer to let you buy the photo. I do not remember buying the photo, but, clearly, I did. 

That was a fun four days in Vegas. We stayed in the Excalibur Casino Hotel. One day the temperature prediction was it might break the record. I remember reading that in the local newspaper, pool side, in the morning. I asked the nephews if they would like to drive out to Death Valley to experience possible record-breaking heat.

And so, we did. But the record did not get broken. It was only 127 degrees, if I remember correctly, as measured via the Fahrenheit method.

The funnest thing which happened whilst we were in Vegas was getting stranded on top of the Stratosphere Tower due to a power outage. This caused the tower to quickly get hot. The dozens trapped started getting cranky. I recollect suggesting maybe free cooling beverages might be a good thing. And so that happened.

It was about two hours we were stuck atop that tower. When the elevator was finally able to bring us back to ground level the casino/hotel manager greeted us as we got off the elevator. I told him we were hungry when we went up, and are starving now, can you comp us a buffet dinner?

And so, he did.

The nephews had too much fun playing Keno, through me, whilst at that buffet, so the next morning they insisted on going to the breakfast buffet so they could play Keno, some more, through me.

Another fun thing we did was drive out to Hoover Dam, late, and then going swimming in Lake Mead, after dark. I have zero recollection of how I managed to find a swimming venue on Lake Mead after leaving Hoover Dam.

I think I have only been to Las Vegas twice, maybe thrice, this century. In the previous century I seemed to frequently frequent Las Vegas. I wonder if I will ever frequent Las Vegas again?

Not Enjoying Summer Cold Misery Too Much

For the first time in many years, I have come down with what I am assuming is a cold.

It has been so long since I was sick, I'm not sure this is a cold.

What I do know is I woke up yesterday with a sore throat, which worsened as the hours of the day passed by.

By the time the sun was setting, yesterday, I was coughing, sneezing, congested and just overall feeling miserable.

Then time to go to bed came around. I was unable to sleep. I tossed and turned and coughed the entire night.

About 3 in the morning, it crossed my mind that I might have a cold medication in my bathroom's medicine cabinet. It had been so long since I had need of such, it had not come to the forefront of my memory earlier.

That is the cold medication you see photo documented above, with the blog post being written behind it.

Swallowing a capful of this vile liquid did help some. The sore throat and coughing impulse largely abated, for awhile. And then I would get up and take another dose. That happened three or four times.

By dawn's later light I made my way to Walmart to get a fresh supply of various cold remedies, including medicated cough drops, which are seeming quite salubrious.

I think I should be feeling tired and in dire need of a nap, but so far there has been no napping impulse directing me to get horizontal on my bed.

I do not tolerate being sick well. It totally annoys me...

Chilly Sunny Sunday Lucy Park Nature Communing Walk

With the outer world chilled down to the low 80s, it was to Lucy Park I ventured this fine Sunday August morning, to get myself some much-needed endorphins acquired from aerobic stimulation.

As you can see, the Wichita River, flowing below the Lucy Park suspension bridge, is starting to run low. 

As you can also see, well into August we are still seeing green foliage, creating a jungle-like effect.

Usually, by now, if my memory is serving me accurately, by now, most of the outer world sports little green, instead, mostly various shades of brown.

Someone has chalked messages on the Circle Trail as it trails through Lucy Park.

 The Good Morning Sunshine message was particularly cheering.

This morning, I found myself unexpectedly experiencing a bad case of a wanton display of self-centered prudish superciliousness.

My initial reaction was that the supercilious person was joking, thinking no one can actually be this brittle.

Well, I was wrong.

Such is why, as best I can, I tend to avoid what are known as Karen types....

Remembering Mountain Loop Ice Caves, Monte Christo & More With Nephews Joey, Christopher and Jeremy

On this third Saturday of the 2025 version of August my email brought me a Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day, that I do remember, both what I am seeing in the photo, that, and the fact that this photo could not possibly have been taken in August.

On the left, in the red pants, is my nephew Jeremy, following his big brother, Christopher, to the Washington geological oddity known as the Ice Caves.

The Ice Caves are accessed by a short hiking trail off the Mountain Loop Highway, which runs from Granite Falls to Darrington, through a mountain wonderland that always sort of reminded me of Yosemite.

That I used to live such a short distance from such scenery seems like ancient history now. There were multiple locations I used to go to on the Mountain Loop Highway. Mountain biking on old logging roads. Cross country skiing on those same old logging roads, but in winter.

Here is a short blurb description of the Mountain Loop Highway one gets when on Googles...

The Mountain Loop Highway is a scenic 54-mile loop road in Washington State, primarily located in Snohomish County within the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. It connects Granite Falls to Darrington, passing through the Stillaguamish and Sauk River valleys. The route offers views of mountains, rivers, and waterfalls. 

Biking and hiking to the old ghost town of Monte Christo.

I think the last time I mountain biked to Monte Christo was with nephew Joey. 

Here is a short blurb description of Monte Christo one gets when one Googles...

Monte Cristo is a ghost town located northwest of Monte Cristo Peak in eastern Snohomish County, Washington. It was once a thriving mining town, active from 1889 to 1907, and later became a resort town until 1983. Today, it's a popular hiking destination known for its historical significance and scenic beauty. 

The aforementioned Ice Caves form every spring when the snow of winter starts melting. By the time the heat of summer arrives the Ice Caves become dangerous. When Chris and Jeremy took me to the Ice Caves it seemed safe for us to explore inside. Now that I am older and less adventurous, I don't think I would be up to exploring the Ice Caves.

I think I remember reading that a total prohibition of Ice Cave exploration had been enacted.

The last time I saw the Ice Caves was when I was being the guide of a group of kids my sister Michele was somehow in some sort of mentoring situation with. It was early summer. You had to stay several hundred feet from the Ice Caves.

The attraction at that point in time, which drew a large crowd, was sitting and watching big chunks of ice crash down from the mountain cliffs, making loud booms and big plumes of ice dust.

A popular hike on the Mountain Loop Highway I remember hiking only once, it one which takes you to the route of the train which ran along the Stillaguamish River to Monte Christo. Some of the railroad tracks remain. There are tunnels and scary bridges.

The river you are hiking next to is a wild one, leading to Granite Falls, the actual waterfall, not the town. The trail does not go that far. Eventually one reaches a point where one can go no further.

At times I sort of miss living a short distance from a natural wonderland. Where I lived in Washington, no matter which direction you went, you were soon at a natural wonderland....

HOT Nature Communing On Rocky East Shore Of Sikes Lake

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured on this 14th day of the 2025 version of August, to commune with nature under the broiling sun.

In the photo documentation you are on the rocky east shore of Sikes Lake, looking west, well, probably more precisely, looking a bit southwest.

We are almost half way through the next to last month of summer. 

I am ready for summer to end.

I grow weary of having no cold tap water. There is no such thing as a refreshing cold shower. The cold water is warmer than lukewarm.

And the swimming pool is even warmer than the warmer than lukewarm tap water.

I am grateful I have  freezer which can churn out a lot of big ice cubes. Or crushed ice cubes, if I am wanting to quickly turn hotter than lukewarm tap water into something closer to being pleasantly refreshing.

In a couple days, as in Saturday, I was scheduled to attend a high school reunion. But, after careful consideration, due to an extreme outbreak of wanton Karen-itis, I have opted to forego the pleasure of attending, due to my ongoing aversion to dealing with, well, personality types I do not usually experience, personality types with whom I have zero desire to experience in person.

The above paragraph is what is known as an Easter egg. Planted to see if anyone sees it...

Riding Tacoma Waves With David, Theo & Ruby

The photo you see here showed up this morning in my email in the almost daily Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day.

Microsoft is off by a few days. This photo would have happened a couple days before August 11. 

In 2017.

Nephews David and Theo, and Niece Ruby took me to the Tacoma Wave Pool to have some water fun, with their uncle, under the blistering Tacoma sun.

It was fun.

One of the amusing moments in the pool happened when I had Theo on my back, dodging the incoming waves, and one of his girl friends from school came up to us and asked Theo if I was his grandpa.

No, this is my uncle, said Theo.

A few days later I was to find myself in another pool, but not one which generated waves, that one being the pool at the place we were staying at in Birch Bay.

The waves at Birch Bay are generated naturally. I had myself a mighty fine time there building sand castles with Theo and Ruby. David was wary of being on the tide flats, particularly when the tide began to roll in.

About a week later I was in Arizona, where I found the thumb drive which was storing many of the photos I took whilst in Washington, with some photos of Theo resulting in a blog post titled Theo's Birch Bay Sand Castle Building.

Looking at the list of blog posts I was surprised to see I wrote multiple follow-up blog posts with material from my Washington visit, including one titled Ruby Takes Me To Seattle's Amazon Spheres.

We'd done lunch at the Dick's Drive-In by Seattle Center. That is where the Space Needle is. After lunch we drove to the Amazon complex, which is at the north end of Seattle's downtown. Ruby then took me to see the Amazon spheres.

I blogged about lunch at Dick's in Seattle Dick's Deluxe With Good Pay & Benefits & Long Lines.

Regarding Dick's, if a Texas Whataburger employee were to read this blog post they might find themself annoyed to see how much a Dick's employee gets paid. And all the benefits. And the menu prices did not seem all that much higher than when I lived in Washington.

I hope one day to once again have myself a Dick's Deluxe. Or two...

Chilly August Tuesday Walk Around Sikes Lake

A drastic weather change had me communing with nature for the first time in days, on this 12th day of the 2025 version of August.

Overnight the low was a chilly 68 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method. By the time I nature communed, walking around Sikes Lake, the temperature had soared into the mid 70s.

Brrrr.

I could not figure out what the guys in green in the boat were doing. My first thought was they were police and it was a crime scene. I suspect, though, that such was not the case.

My peaceful slumber, last night, was rendered not so peaceful by a couple hours of storming that began around 3 in the morning. The storming included wind gusts, rain downpours and a lot of lightning strikes, with loud thunder booming.

A couple of the lightning strikes were so close the lightning strike and the thunder boom were simultaneous. 

Yesterday my only aerobic stimulation came from verbal jousting with one of my dear Washington friends, she being a master debater who is terribly difficult to outwit.

I feel totally refreshed after the Sikes Lake walk around.

But, I fear a nap may need to be in my future this afternoon....

August 11 Happy Birthday To Me In Texas

Most first Mondays of every month a select group of my class of fellow graduates of Burlington-Edison High School meet at a Burlington Hawaiian restaurant called Coconut Kenny's to have themselves a high school reunion experience.

That and to write happy birthday messages on cards to be sent to those in our class having a birthday that month.

My birthday happens to happen on this August month, on this very 11th day of that particular month.

And, what did I find today in my mailbox?

The happy birthday card with happy birthday wishes you see photo documented above.

And seconds ago the following popped up on Facebook from Elsie Hotpepper...

Also in my mailbox, but arriving on Saturday, but not opened til today, an envelope from Arizona containing the following from little sister Jackie.

And then there was a loud knock on the door.

Federal Express left a large box.

Upon opening the box I eventually was able to open a thick refrigeration bag to find a container which contained a big block of bleu cheese.

Bleu cheese is my favorite in the cheese family, with extra sharp cheddar a close second.

And there you have it, some of my happy birthday day today. Fireworks predicted later today, in the form of a thunderstorm, with potential flash flooding...

Microsoft Remembering Theo, Ruby & Me At Tacoma's Point Ruston

Seconds ago, arriving in my email, a Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day, which actually did happen close to, if not on this particular August 10 day, with the year being 2017.

That is me between Nephew Theo and Neice Ruby, at an ice cream parlor at Point Ruston, in Tacoma.

This was during a one week visit to Washington, my home state, to which I have not returned since that week in August of 2017.

I had my laptop with me on this trip, so I was able to write blog posts all week long, including the post the day we had fun at Point Ruston.

That blog post is titled Point Ruston Ruby, Theo & David Surrey Survey Of Tacoma's New Waterfront Development.

The blog post indicates it was posted on August 11. But, it was not August 11 we went to Point Ruston. It was a day or two before that we went to Point Ruston. I know this because we were up north, near Canada, at Birch Bay, on August 11.

If you have not experienced Point Ruston in Tacoma, click the link and you'll see multiple photos documenting what a fun location this is.

Point Ruston has expanded since I was there 8 years ago. I know a cool looking pedestrian bridge now connects Point Ruston to Point Defiance, among other additions, the details of which escape my memory at the moment.

So much has happened in the 8 years since I have been in Washington. Some good, most bad.

One day soon I hope to see Washington in person again...

Miss Carol Takes Me To Skagit County Fair & Linda Lou's Blue Ribbons

The photo documentation you are seeing showed up this Friday morning of the 8th day of the 2025 version of August, from Burlington, Washington's Miss Carol BD.

The text with the photo said, "Look what our classmate entered at the Fair!".

I had to zoom in to the photo to figure out to which classmate Miss Carol was referring.

Linda Lou was the answer.

The fair we are talking about is the Skagit County Fair, which takes place at the fairgrounds in the Skagit Valley town, Mount Vernon, in which I lived prior to moving to Texas.

Via zooming in on the photo I was able to learn that Linda Lou won herself two blue ribbons. One for her renowned Iced Oatmeal Bars. The other for her equally renowned Blackberry Hand Pies.

It has been a few years since I enjoyed participating in Linda Lou's kitchen skills. That would have been back in October of 2018, at my mom's, in Sun Lake, Arizona, when Linda Lou and I cooperated in making Beef Stroganoff.

It has been a few decades since I have been to the Skagit County Fair.

Miss Carol BD included additional text in which she explained how she came to find Linda Lou's Iced Oatmeal Bars and Blackberry Hand Pies.

"I was at the Skagit County Fair part of the day as two of my grandsons have 4-H pigs and one steer so Grandma needed to be there watching them. I also went and looked at the quilts, flowers and photo entries and saw Linda's entry."

Items like this tend to make me a bit homesick....