Back To Mudless Lucy Park Colored Orange

It was back to Lucy Park today, on this final Tuesday of the 2022 version of November.

As you can see, there is nary a cloud in the bright blue sky.

As you can also see, the trees are finally doing their fall orange color duty, for the most part.

I tentatively walked the Lucy Park backwoods zone today. I say tentatively because I needed to be on the lookout for mud caused by the day long deluge a few days ago.

I have had two serious mud incidents in the Lucy Park backwoods zone. Once on my bike where the mud stuck so thick to the tires that they had trouble rolling. And one time walking where I suddenly found myself a couple inches taller due to the glue-like mud which had stuck to my soles.

But, I had no mud issues today. The outer world being heated into the 70s may have dried up the mud.

It was pleasant to be back in shorts and t-shirt today. Felt like a stereotypical summer day I decades ago regularly experienced in my old Pacific Northwest home zone. Tomorrow is scheduled to be another warm day, and then we chill again to freezing...

Honolulu Thanksgiving Santa With Spencer Jack & Jason

Three photos in my email box this last Sunday morning of the 2022 version of November. With the photos there was the following explanatory text...

Hello FUD --

Spencer and I kept checking our mailbox and phones for a Turkey invite. 

After no such luck, we moved southwest to our favorite winter destination.

Talked to Santa today. He said he would 'consider' moving me off the naughty list.    

Watched the best Xmas parade last night with half of the island.  Lots of marching bands all playing Christmas tunes.  

So that's good.

Hope you are doing well, staying safe, healthy and warm in TX.

I think you would love it here. We sure do. Maybe someday you can join us.

FNJ

For those not familiar with what the initials FUD and FNJ represent, FUD is Favorite Uncle Durango, FNJ is Favorite Nephew Jason. I have two FNJs, with the second being FNJ1s little brother, Joey, aka FNJ2.

It sure would be fun to be in Hawaii with FNJ and his replica, Spencer Jack. I think that rock formation behind Jason in the above photo is known as Diamond Head, the remains of a long dormant volcano.

And here we see Spencer Jack trying to stay out of the sun so as to avoid getting suntanned. 

My current location is somewhat looking like the scenery in these three photos from Hawaii, in that blue sky has returned after yesterday's day long gray sky with constant dripping.

Rain Flooding Post-Thanksgiving Saturday In Texas

Looking out my bedroom window on the dawn of the day after the day after Thanksgiving, which is also known as Saturday, the outer world at my location is drenched from hours of rain.

The exit from my abode is currently flooded.

If I want to use my mechanized means of motion it will entail taking a circuitous route to get to the vehicle, unless I want to put on hip waders to walk dry through the moat.

The dripping is scheduled to drip all day long, so there will be no outer world walking today, unless it is under an umbrella.

It has been a couple days since I have walked in any of my favorite walking venues, unless one counts Walmart as such.

Yesterday, Black Friday, I ventured to the nearby Walmart expecting it to be super busy.

It wasn't.

But there were a lot of Black Friday deals clogging the aisles.

One of which was a combo cooking device in the form of an air fryer, rotisserie, dehydrator.

My air fryer died a few weeks ago. I've been missing it. And so, I got that Black Friday air fryer, rotisserie, dehydrator from Walmart yesterday.

Today's wet weather is reminding me of a stereotypical fall winter type day in my old home zone of Western Washington, where today snow is on the Pacific Northwest weather menu, in the mountains, and possibly in the Puget Sound lowlands.

I am hoping my current location makes it through the cold months with zero snow. 

What I hope for usually does not happen.

Usually, the opposite of what I hope for happens.

So, my location will likely get buried in a blizzard with near zero temperatures...

The Blue Bayou Of Sikes Lake With Roller Bladers And Thawing Turkey

The Blue Bayou of Sikes Lake was looking extra scenic today, under a bright blue sky, no wind, and the temperature in the 60s.

A higher number than the norm were enjoying the perfectly pleasant outer world.

Walkers, joggers, baby carriage pushers, bikes and I was passed by two roller bladers.

I seldom see roller bladers.

Has roller blading fallen off as an activity across the country?

Or did roller blading just never catch on in Wichita Falls?

One would think roller blading would be popular here, what with there being excellent paved trails, and, other than the Circle Trail through the Wichita Bluff Nature Area, not many ups and downs to navigate.

With the temperature being slightly warm, I must remember to check the state of thawing of the turkey I have stowed outside in a cooler. I shall go do that right now while I am thinking of it...

Pleasant Leaf Carpeted Lucy Park Walk With Turkey

With the outer world temperature above 50, four days before Thanksgiving, I had myself a salubrious commune with nature at Lucy Park.

I did not venture into the Lucy Park backwoods zone. Instead I stayed on paved trails, when I could see them. A carpet of fallen leaves covered the trail in many locations. 

I found a 12 pound turkey yesterday. Prior to that I had only found turkeys way bigger than I wanted. As in 20 pounds or bigger.

The turkey is currently thawing in a cooler, outside on the patio deck.

The turkey is not going to be roasted on Thanksgiving.

On Thanksgiving I'm making butterflied shrimp and haddock chowder. The turkey is going to get roasted the day before Thanksgiving. Assuming, of course, it has successfully thawed.

Shivering Shadow Of The Lucy Park One-Armed Thin Man Skiing Mount Baker

It was to Lucy Park I ventured today to join the throngs enjoying the Big Chill.

There are still a lot of leaves in the trees, but many have fallen, as you can see via the Shadow of the Lucy Park Thin Man.

One would think that between the night after night of freezing temperatures, paired with a howling strong wind, that all the leaves would have left the trees by now.

I would not want to be in upstate New York right now.

Snow flurries had been predicted for my area, overnight, but there was nothing white on the ground visible when the sun arrived to do its daily illumination duty.

In my old home zone the Mount Baker Ski Area has enough snow on the ground to open. Some sort of bagpipe ceremony marked the start of the first chair lift of the skiing season.

Here is a screen cap of part of the Mount Baker Ski Area website's home page.

I have not been skiing this century. By the 1990s I was cross country skiing, which is a free thing to do, where skiing at a location like Mount Baker you pay to ride the chair lifts. And I was surprised to see you pay way more than I remember paying, long ago.

A blurb from the Mount Baker Ski Area website with lift price info...

Daily lift ticket prices will be reduced for today and Sunday to $74.07 U.S. for Adults, Youth will be $46.53, Child $31.48, and Seniors $62.27. (prices do not include 8.0% WA State sales tax)

Yikes! That is the reduced price for today and Sunday. I did not see what the non-reduced price was.

What I do know for certain is I will not be doing any skiing any time soon...

Walk Around Sikes Lake With Endangered Roofers

It was to Sikes Lake I ventured this morning, for a walk around the lake. When I got to the west end of the lake I was appalled to see what you see above.

Multiple roofers, I counted five, there may have been more, on top of the Hilton Homewood Suites. 

High up on a steep roof, with no safety measures evident.

OSHA would not be pleased. 

When I stopped walking, to take a photo, a passerby noted that what the roofers were doing was illegal.

The recent rain must have leaked into the Hilton. A large area to the right of the view in the photo had had the roofing torn off, awaiting replacement before the next rain falls.

The current long range forecast shows no rain til a week from today, as in next Thursday rain showers are expected...

Wichita Bluff Nature Area Baby Hoodoo Hatchings

 Another chilly clear blue-sky day at my North Texas location. Today I went bluff hiking on the Circle Trail through the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

About halfway to the bluff summit I came upon the natural rock formation you see above.

I call these natural rock formations Hoodoo Cairns.

There appear to be two full-size adult Hoodoo Cairns, with an infant Hoodoo Cairn on the left side of the closest Hoodoo. That closest one must be the mama Hoodoo, looking ready to have another Hoodoo baby, with the taller papa Hoodoo stands behind pregnant mama and the baby.

I returned to my abode, super hungry today, after the strenuous bluff hiking.

I was glad to see the chef had made BBQ pulled pork, mashed sweet potatoes and spinach... 

Blue Tuesday Nature Communing At Lucy Park

A clear blue sky has returned to my location, after Monday's all day long gray with hours of rain dropping.

So, it was back to Lucy Park I drove this morning for some nature communing. But, not in the Lucy Park backwoods zone, due going off paved trail would likely be muddy in places.

As you can see, via looking at the Lucy Park suspension bridge across the Wichita River, there is some color in some of the leaves.

But, a couple nights of freezing temperatures has not resulted in a lot of leaves turning color on their way to their eventual descent to the ground.

Some of the trees have already lost most of their leaves, such as the almost naked tree you see here.

It was 39 degrees when I began nature communing. 42 degrees now, a little past noon.

I need to go on a search to find my long underwear. I fear I am going to be needing all the help I can find to keep warm the next several months...

Rain Driven Walmart Fast Walking

Rain began dripping this Monday morning soon after the sun began its regular illumination duty. It is now past noon and the dripping continues.

So, today, my daily doctor ordered fast walking could not take place in one of my regular outdoor venues, so it was to Walmart I drove for some fast grocery cart pushing on the aisles of Walmart.

That would be the Walmart parking lot you are looking at through my vehicle's water covered windshield.

Currently the temperature is 39 degrees Fahrenheit. A few degrees colder and we'd be looking at snow.

I do not want to be looking at snow...