Friday, September 5, 2025
Friday Sikes Lake Nature Communing
Since Labor Day, til today, the 5th day of the 2025 version of September, also known as Friday, I have not felt like nature communing in the outer world, due to a combo of factors making the outer world way too humid for me to enjoy subjecting myself to it.
But, today clouds are mostly blocking the sun, the resulting temperature in the low 80s, a nice cooling breeze blowing, so I drove myself to nearby Sikes Lake to do some of that aforementioned nature communing.
Even with the outer world conditions improved, I managed to get a bit overheated.
On the weather menu for later today we have some thunderstorming to look forward to, with strong wind gusts and possible flash flooding.
When I got back to my motorized means of motion I realized I'd forgotten to photo document my nature communing.
Since the phone was in hand, due to checking how many Google Move Minutes I'd accumulated, I switched to camera mode, aimed the phone at the windshield and shot the above photo documentation of the parked view in the Sikes Lake parking lot.
As you can see, the outer world is already looking a bit stormy....
Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Microsoft Remembers Trekking To Mount Wichita Summit
Only two photos showed up today in the daily Microsoft OneDrive Memories from this Day email. Both photos were of the same subject.
Mount Wichita.
The only mountain to be found for miles and miles and miles at my current Wichita Falls location.
Mount Wichita is a manmade mountain, made from the silt dredged from Sikes Lake, back in, I think, the 1990s.
Sikes Lake is once again in dire need of being dredged. It would be a real good thing to add a companion mountain peak to the currently solo Mount Wichita.
Mount Wichita is located a couple miles from Sikes Lake but is only a few feet from Lake Wichita.
Lake Wichita is also a manmade lake which is in dire need of dredging.
Lake Wichita is much bigger than Sikes Lake. I suspect several mountains could be made from the dredging of Lake Wichita.
This could amount to being a small mountain range. The Wichita Mountain Range.
Could be a possible tourist attraction.
It has been several years since I have made the trek to the summit of Mount Wichita. That last time I did so, the trail seemed too treacherous. That, and I was attacked by a swarm of biting insects.
Monday, September 1, 2025
Labor Day Lucy Park Jungle Nature Communing
On this first day of the 2025 version of September, also known as Labor Day, it was to Lucy Park I ventured for some much-needed salubrious endorphin acquisition.
As you can see, via the photo documentation, the outer world at my North Texas location remains lushly green.
Previous years the color scheme would have been multiple shades of brown by now.
My intention today was to hike the Lucy Park Backwoods Jungle for the first time in a long time. Figuring that surely by now the pile of flood delivered debris would have been cleared out.
I figured wrong.
Above you see the flood debris obstruction which blocked going any further into the Lucy Park Jungle.
I would think all this dried out dead wood would be presenting a bit of a fire hazard.
The temperature was only 75 degrees, as measured by the Fahrenheit method, when I did my nature communing. But, it felt a lot warmer than 75 degrees.
I think humidity was involved in causing the air to seem hotter than the thermometer indicated.
It being Labor Day I am scheduled to go to a Labor Day Picnic Party later today. That should be interesting. I hope...
Sunday, August 31, 2025
Wichita Falls In A Fog Final Day Of August
This final day of the 2025 version of August dawned foggy, as evidenced by the photo documentation of the view from my kitchen window.
The weather forecast for this morning had been for rain, with possible thunderstorming.
No weather forecast mention was made of thick fog reminiscent of being in an ocean-side city.
The nearest ocean to Wichita Falls is several hundred miles away.
The outer world temperature is currently only 71 degrees.
Brrrr.
That is seven degrees colder than I have my air-conditioning set to.
I suppose I should try and find where I stored my long underwear...
Friday, August 29, 2025
Final August Friday Chilly Drizzling Sikes Lake Walk
On this final Friday of the 2025 version of August, the start of Labor Day weekend, it was to Sikes Lake I ventured for some salubrious endorphin acquisition acquired via high-speed walking.
The photo documentation is the view from the rocky shore of the east side of Sikes Lake, looking southwest.
As you can clearly see, clouds have obliterated the regular clear blue sky.
Whilst walking around Sikes Lake those clouds were delivering some cooling light drizzle, making the relatively chilly 72 degrees feel even chillier.
Later yesterday afternoon the weather delivered a surprise, unpredicted thunderstorm, with heavy rain, for about a half an hour.
Does this seeming early arrival of cooler temperatures portend an upcoming extra cold fall and winter?
I hope not...
Wednesday, August 27, 2025
Robust Chilly Return To Wichita Bluff Nature Area
Today marked day 11 since I came down with my first cold in many many years. Most of the cold symptoms have now abated, and so, almost feeling back to normal, starting yesterday, I sort of reverted to my regular routines.
Including the daily salubrious endorphin acquiring aerobic stimulation gained via fast walking.
Yesterday it was walking around Sikes Lake. Today it was fast walking the Circle Trail hills in the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.
As you can see via the view looking northwest from the summit of the Bluffs the outer world at my North Texas location remains green. It is almost September, and we are still green. The norm, past years, would be for the color scheme to be multiple shades of brown, by now.
The outer world was almost chilly, at 78 degrees as measured via the Fahrenheit method when I did my hill climbing. Even though the air was relatively chilly I still somehow ended up being a sweaty mess by the time I got back to the air-conditioned comfort of my motorized means of motion.
Today's semi-chill portends for what is to come in a month, or two. The yearly end of artificial air-conditioning....
A Relatively Annoying Relative Being Relatively Annoying About Orcas
A relative of mine, who has always been relatively annoying, texted me multiple photos yesterday, telling me this is the type thing she sees on the rare times she checks in on Facebook.
An Orca having fun in Washington's Hood Canal.
I texted back to the relatively annoying relative saying I would be blogging this tomorrow, and claim it was something I saw in Lake Wichita, thus confusing the locals.
To which my relatively annoying relative replied that these were not my photos to share.
Wait? What?
Did not this relatively annoying relative just say she saw these Hood Canal Orca photos on Facebook?
And shared them with me.
Would not the normal person response be something along the line of "Have fun with it". Or "You really think a local will think Orcas were somehow in a Texas lake?"
I have long had a policy of avoiding contact with relatively annoying relatives. This rare breech in that policy reminds me of why I have that particular policy.
Years ago, a cousin of mine opined to me that in our family most are extremely bright, while there are others in the family who were severely struck with what this relative called "The Dumb Stick".
It really is best to avoid my relatives who were struck with the dumb stick. No good comes from contact...
An Orca having fun in Washington's Hood Canal.
I texted back to the relatively annoying relative saying I would be blogging this tomorrow, and claim it was something I saw in Lake Wichita, thus confusing the locals.
To which my relatively annoying relative replied that these were not my photos to share.
Wait? What?
Did not this relatively annoying relative just say she saw these Hood Canal Orca photos on Facebook?
And shared them with me.
Would not the normal person response be something along the line of "Have fun with it". Or "You really think a local will think Orcas were somehow in a Texas lake?"
I have long had a policy of avoiding contact with relatively annoying relatives. This rare breech in that policy reminds me of why I have that particular policy.
Years ago, a cousin of mine opined to me that in our family most are extremely bright, while there are others in the family who were severely struck with what this relative called "The Dumb Stick".
It really is best to avoid my relatives who were struck with the dumb stick. No good comes from contact...
Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Arizona Sister Jackie's Haboob Report
This Tuesday morning, upon reading and seeing the news about the massive haboob dust storm wall which yesterday blew into the Valley of the Sun, I texted my Arizona sister who resides in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler asking....
You kids okay after that horrible haboob?
Sister Jackie replied with....
It was a crazy one. We just have some messiness, and some water made it into the back door. CJ had a tree come down out front, snapped at the bottom, just barely missing the front window of his house. Have not had one like this in years!
The photo documentation you see here came with the text message, showing us the tree which blew over at CJ's house.
For those not familiar with my relatives, CJ is my eldest nephew living in Arizona. The eldest son of sister Jackie and my favorite brother-in-law, Jack. CJ is the proud father of Cade and Cambri, married to the lovely mother of Cade and Cambri, Carissa.
A second after I texted sister Jackie this morning I realized I'd forgotten the time difference.
I texted about 8 this morning, my Central time.
Arizona is the only state in the Union which does not do daylight savings time, south of the Grand Canyon. So, the time difference is either one or two hours. Since sister Jackie got right back to me I am assuming we are at that time of the year when the time difference is only one hour.
Additional note about the photo. For some reason photos sent to my phone, from sister Jackie's I-phone, don't always work. Clicking the thumbnail just opens a big black screen. Using preview mode and the screencap button, I am able to capture a small version of the photo.
You kids okay after that horrible haboob?
Sister Jackie replied with....
It was a crazy one. We just have some messiness, and some water made it into the back door. CJ had a tree come down out front, snapped at the bottom, just barely missing the front window of his house. Have not had one like this in years!
The photo documentation you see here came with the text message, showing us the tree which blew over at CJ's house.
For those not familiar with my relatives, CJ is my eldest nephew living in Arizona. The eldest son of sister Jackie and my favorite brother-in-law, Jack. CJ is the proud father of Cade and Cambri, married to the lovely mother of Cade and Cambri, Carissa.
A second after I texted sister Jackie this morning I realized I'd forgotten the time difference.
I texted about 8 this morning, my Central time.
Arizona is the only state in the Union which does not do daylight savings time, south of the Grand Canyon. So, the time difference is either one or two hours. Since sister Jackie got right back to me I am assuming we are at that time of the year when the time difference is only one hour.
Additional note about the photo. For some reason photos sent to my phone, from sister Jackie's I-phone, don't always work. Clicking the thumbnail just opens a big black screen. Using preview mode and the screencap button, I am able to capture a small version of the photo.
Monday, August 25, 2025
Seattle's New Waterfront Takes Me To Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision
The photo you are seeing here I saw on Facebook today. The best look I have seen, so far, of the new Seattle Waterfront.
According to the Facebook post, which accompanied the photo, the curving mass of concrete is a new walkway leading to and from Pike Place Market. I think that is the Seattle Aquarium on the right, which would make this new Pike Place walkway towards the north end of the Pike Place Market.
Ten years ago the above scene would have seen a double decker viaduct, which was like a wall, separating downtown from the waterfront.
The rebuilding of the Seattle Waterfront began in the second decade of the new century. Mostly completed by the end of that decade. The project was complicated, and costly, involved the removal of that aforementioned viaduct, digging a new transit tunnel under downtown Seattle, and multiple new constructions along the waterfront.
Changing the subject, slightly, to something seeing this caused me to wonder. As in, what is the current state of Fort Worth's bizarre Trinity River Vision? A pseudo public works project the public never voted on, propaganda-ized as a vitally needed economic development scheme and flood control project, where there had been no flooding for well over half a century.
The Trinity River Vision's main fixation was on creating an imaginary island, called Panther Island, so named for reasons that are head shakingly embarrassing. This imaginary island was to be created by diverting the Trinity River into a cement lined ditch.
Three freeway overpass type bridges were built, years ago now, over dry land, anticipating that one day that cement lined ditch would be dug under them, with water added, creating that imaginary island.
It is now over two and a half decades since this pathetic project began. One hears or reads little about the Trinity River Vision anymore.
The troubling Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats on the polluted Trinity River no longer happen. The partying aspects of the Trinity River Vision seemed to abate once Congresswoman Kay Granger's son, J.D., was removed from the executive directing job he was totally unqualified for.
Was there ever any sort of investigation into the obviously doomed to fail, Wakeboard Park, which J.D. Granger helped promote, which was one of many costly mistakes made by what eventually became America's Biggest Boondoggle?
Anyway, seeing that photo of the new Seattle waterfront had me freshly wondering how it is one town can be so dynamic, whilst another town can be so mired in being a woeful dud.....
Sunday, August 24, 2025
Seeing Nephew David For The First Time In 6 Years
I have not seen my Tacoma nephew David since March of 2019.
Over six years ago.
David is currently 16 years old.
Which would seem to indicate David was 10 years old when I last saw him.
Way back in March of 2019 I remember picking David up at the Phoenix Airport.
David's aunt Jackie was driving mom's van, with mom in the passenger seat.
David and me in the backseat.
At some point, as we were heading away from the airport, I asked David if he was staying tonight at Grandma's or at Jackie's.
David's reply was "I was not aware I had a say in the matter..."
I found this quite amusing, coming from a 10-year-old. A level of wittiness I surely did not possess at that age.
Those photos you see above are semi-recent photo documentations of David.
David and his girlfriend, whose name I was told, but have already forgotten.
David still looks like the David I remember from six years ago. But in dire need of a haircut...
Over six years ago.
David is currently 16 years old.
Which would seem to indicate David was 10 years old when I last saw him.
Way back in March of 2019 I remember picking David up at the Phoenix Airport.
David's aunt Jackie was driving mom's van, with mom in the passenger seat.
David and me in the backseat.
At some point, as we were heading away from the airport, I asked David if he was staying tonight at Grandma's or at Jackie's.
David's reply was "I was not aware I had a say in the matter..."
I found this quite amusing, coming from a 10-year-old. A level of wittiness I surely did not possess at that age.
Those photos you see above are semi-recent photo documentations of David.
David and his girlfriend, whose name I was told, but have already forgotten.
David still looks like the David I remember from six years ago. But in dire need of a haircut...
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