Final February Rainy Day Walmart Walk With Alligator Nuggets

I have not ventured into the outer world for walking purposes the past couple days due to cold temperatures and strong winds rendering doing such to be unpleasant.

Today, on the last day of the second month of 2024, we are still cold, not so windy, but rain has been added to the weather mix.

The rain seems to have dampened down the smoke blowing in from the Texas Panhandle wildfires.

So, today, what with beginning to feel the effects of wanton slothfulness, I made my way to my nearest Walmart, for a cart pushing walk with the Walmart throngs.

I walked 44 move minutes, according to my phone's Google Fit app.

During the course of those 44 Walmart Google move minutes I walked by the seafood display. 

Are Gator Nuggets and Filet of Alligator sold in Walmart's outside of the South? That is what you see photo documented above.

I have not had myself any Gator Nuggets or Filet of Alligator, and have zero intention of ever doing so.

I don't even like catfish, which is a sad seafood staple here in the South...

Welcome To Texas Where It Is Often Too Hot To Drive Friendly

Well, the early return to Summer ended overnight, with a fresh blast of cold air blowing in from the North.

Two degrees above freezing when I woke up my computer this morning, a few minutes before the sun arrived to illuminate the day.

And, that cold air blowing in from the north seems to have blown in smoke from the wildfires burning out of control in the Texas Panhandle.

I am assuming the smoke I am smelling is from the wildfires, but have read no confirmation of such.

The return to semi-Winter-like temperatures is not scheduled to last too long. Just a couple days, and then we are back in the 70s and 80s and maybe 90s.

Methinks these balmy days of Winter are a dire indicator that we are heading into a Super Hot Summer...

Wichita Falls 91 Degree High Today

Three days left in the second month of 2024, with North Texas continuing to bake in a Summer-like heat wave.

I'd go swimming today, if my pool was not drained.

I could go swimming in one of the nearby lakes, if I had not determined to never do so again after being chased by a mad turtle in Lake Grapevine, along with seeing a garfish, and water moccasins.

The nearby lakes are all murky, so you can not see what lurks beneath the surface.

Getting Detained In Canada With David, Theo & Ruby

Incoming "Where in the PNW (Pacific Northwest) are David, Ruby?" email showed up this morning when I woke up my computer.

Text in the email indicated this one is too easy to guess where the Tacoma Trio are. Which it clearly is, what with the Slotemaker Road sign indicating the Tacoma Trio were in the Lynden zone, a short distance from the border with Canada.

The rest of the text in the email, that accompanied four instances of photo documentation, was a chilling tale of what it is like these days at the border, a border which used to be super simple to cross, both going to Canada, and coming back to the U.S.

The email text telling the chilling tale is below the next photo.


There seem to be some details missing in this cross border detention tale. They must have somehow accidentally driven across the border. I don't quite know how one might accidentally do that. At the Lynden crossing you clearly know you are at the border, you pass through a checkpoint to enter, something you don't accidentally do.

I am thinking crossing the border has drastically changed since I last did so. Back then you did not even have to show an I.D., let alone a passport. The Canadian border guy would just ask where you're going and if you are all American citizens. Then on the return the American border guy would ask a question or two, like do you have anything to declare that you purchased.

Ok, this one is too easy. But a funny story. Went to Bellingham for a soccer game. Jake and Joe and Monique and Henry came to the game. Henry is a hoot! And Ruby’s team won 1-0, so now they need to come to all the games. After, we hit up Slotemaker road again, had a lovely lunch with Judy and the Whatcom County cousins, visited mom and dad then got ice cream cones at Edeleen. Since we were so close to the border, we drove to show the kids. But we went too far, had to enter Canada, didn’t have ID for the kids and we got detained! I had pics of their passports on my phone and that worked and they gave us paperwork to get back into the US. It was a bit of an ordeal. They even searched our car. So weird!

I am assuming Edeleens is a dairy store selling ice cream that has arrived in Lynden since I was last there, back in August of 2017.

I assume the above is a border marker at the Lynden border location. I do not recollect ever having seen this myself. 

I am assuming the above photo shows Theo, David and Ruby in the detention area, awaiting being cleared for passage back to America.

When my siblings and I were kids we were often taken to Canada by our parental units. Usually entering via the crossing at Blaine, which is the location of the iconic Peace Arch Park. When we were kids we thought it great fun to jump back and forth across the border, thinking it clever to later say we went to Canada 50 times today, or some such number.

I do not recollect ever going to Blaine's Peace Arch Park with David, Theo & Ruby's Mama Michele. Michele is the youngest of my siblings, younger than me by almost two decades...

OneDrive Memory Of Enchanted Rock & Ralph The Swimming Pig

Another Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day, which I actually remember, something which does not happen too often with these alleged photo memories.

It was a Winter day, easily could have been in February, during a time when I took myself on a solo roadtrip. 

First night I stayed in Waco, and mountain biked the trails in Waco's Cameron Park.

Second night I stayed in San Marcos, and had fun exploring Aquarena Springs, site of the clearest water I have ever seen, and an abandoned amusement park that one could walk through.

Back during its heyday a pig named Ralph, known as The Swimming Pig, put on a show in Spring Lake. One could watch the show from above the lake, or venture into a submarine viewing venue. 

When I visited one could still climb down into the submarine viewing venue to look deep into the crystal clear water.

Leaving San Marcos I found myself in what is known in Texas as Hill Country. This is where one finds Luckenbach, and many other sites of interest. Eventually I found myself at Enchanted Rock State Park, which is where the above photo was taken, at the top of the rock, using my long-gone Casio digital camera, which had a feature now known as taking a selfie.

Leaving Enchanted Rock I headed south, eventually spending the night in San Antonio, and seeing the Alamo for the first time. That and San Antonio's Riverwalk.

The next morning I got a phone call which caused me to hurry back to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex as quick as possible.

Remembering that phone call, and all the other phone calls that day, is a memory I would have preferred not to have been reminded of today...

Hot Hiking Wichita River Waterfall With No Rattlesnakes

Day five of the early return of Summer, during the final weeks of the Winter of 2024, had me overheating on the final Saturday of February fast hiking the Circle Trail as it meanders east of the Wichita Bluff Nature Area.

Walking this section of the Circle Trail I do not recollect previously making note of the Wichita River waterfall you see below. This is almost as wild a waterfall as that which remains of the original Wichita Falls, located a few miles further downstream.

I have yet to see any reptiles slithering during this current unnatural heat wave. It would seem snakes would slither out of wherever it is they spend the cold time of the year.

Speaking of snakes. The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup happens in March. I experienced this disturbing event once, earlier in the current century. I made a Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage, which included the first video I made with my long-gone Canon camcorder.

Years ago, that Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup webpage came up #1 when Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup was searched for on Google. I don't know if it shows up at all, anymore. During the time it Googled high that webpage generated a lot of email feedback. Some of which were of the sort that arrived in my email yesterday...

Rattlesnake Roundup

Howdy there.

It's that time of the year again when we're coming back for the killers to them a damn good exposé.  The merchants of death will be dragged through the dirt like they'll always be until such time as the killing ends.

Henry sends his regards by the way.

Robert Piller.

Campaign Against the Trade in Endangered Species...

__________________________

Are rattlesnakes an endangered species? There seem to be plenty of them slithering about. I've happened upon several out in the wild whilst I have been in Texas.

I have zero clue as to who this Henry is who is sending his regards my way...

I opted to take advantage of today's blazing hot sun to get an early start on getting suntanned, preparing to get tropical.

I appear to be a tad sunburned. Methinks such is an optical illusion. That swamp grass on the banks of the Wichita River probably should have had me vigilantly looking out for any snakes in the grass...

Sticks Season At Lucy Park On Last Friday Of February With No Alligators

On yet one more day of North Texas seeming like Summer, instead of Winter, it was to Lucy Park I ventured on this final Friday of the second month of 2024.

As you can clearly see, there was no big alligator closing the Lucy Park suspension bridge today.

I learned yesterday what "Sticks Season" means.

That is the title of a catchy tune I heard for the first time a few days ago.

Apparently in some areas of New England, such as New Hampshire and Vermont, during that period of time between when the deciduous trees lose their leaves, and snow arrives, it is known as Stick Season, due, I am guessing, the fact that the trees look like sticks without their leaves.

That is how I saw the Lucy Park backwoods today. A field of sticks sticking up above the once again green ground cover.

You can listen to Sticks Season below...

Texas Closed Due To Enjoying Summer In The Middle Of Winter

I saw that which you see here, on Facebook, this morning.

Actually, today is the third day of Summer we are enjoying in the middle of Winter, in Texas.

Yesterday got to nearly 90 degrees, the day before that got into the 80s.

Today is scheduled to be slightly cooler, in the 70s, but still, Summer-like.

I have windows open, with a pleasant breeze wafting in. 

Am heading to Lake Wichita Park in an hour for some salubrious endorphin acquisition via aerobic stimulation...

Big Alligator Closes Park's Suspension Bridge

No that is not the Lucy Park suspension bridge with a lounging alligator and the Wichita River in fast moving rapids mode.

It does sort of look like the Lucy Park suspension bridge. 

When you cross the Lucy Park suspension bridge you come to the Wee-Chi-Tah Trail.

If you cross the bridge and walk a short distance south on the Wee-Chi-Tah Trail you come to a section called Alligator Alley, which has a fake alligator slightly off the trail, supposedly to spook fast moving mountain bikers.

The Alligator Alley alligator spooked me, and I was walking, not moving fast on a mountain bike.

I saw the above alligator suspension bridge photo, yesterday, on Facebook, with no explanation, other than "Bridge Temporarily Closed".

Shadow Of The Thin Man Joining Throngs Walking Around Sikes Lake In HOT Heat Wave

We are about a month from the arrival of 2024's version of Spring.

A month to go of Winter.

And today, on the third Wednesday of the second month of the new year, the North Texas heat wave continues.

On Saturday I got way too cold at Lucy Park.

Today, in shorts and t-shirt I joined the throngs walking around Sikes Lake enjoying the Summer-like day, heated into the 80s.

I forgot to mention, that is the Shadow of the Sikes Lake Thin Man you see above, looking like he is the One-Armed Thin Man.

I went bike shopping yesterday. There is a new type mountain bike, with extra fat tires. I think I would like a mountain bike with extra fat tires...