Walking With The Ghosts Along Arlington's Humid Village Creek Wildflowers

Til today, I had had no aerobic activity of the hiking sort since Tuesday.

I could not go swimming this morning due to the pool being shocked with chemicals.

Rain fell this morning, ruling out the Tandy Hills.

By noon I could take being cooped up no longer, so I took off to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

The humidity was high before the rain. The humidity went super high after the rain. It was very windy whilst walking under the trees of Village Creek. The wind caused blobs of water to fall from the trees. That was a bit refreshing.

I like being outside when it is hot. I do not like being outside when it is humid.

I did not walk for long. Maybe 2 miles, tops. But, I feel better now, even though I don't think I aerobicized enough to generate any endorphin activity.

The Village Creek wildflowers, in the Village Creek Wildflower Area, were being much more colorful today than the last time I was in this area.

When I tried to take a close up picture of the bright red flower, in macro mode, I could not get a clear picture. So, I gave up and walked away, thinking something had gone wrong with my camera.

Then, as I walked away I remembered the first pictures I took of the Wildflower Area had been in zoom mode, which renders macro mode not macro-ing correctly.

So, I walked back to the Wildflower Area, got down on the ground and this time managed to take a clear picture of the bright red wildflower.

Lately I think I'm being distracted, without realizing it. I seem to be making dumb mistakes, like today's with the camera, with disturbing frequency.

Walking In Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area In Arlington This Afternoon With Elsie Hotpepper

In the picture you are looking at Village Creek in the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, some time after 4 this afternoon.

In the picture you can see the creek, a patch of pink evening primrose wildflowers and a yellow cord.

Cords of various colors are strung all over the Natural Area.

Somehow manmade cords don't seem all that natural to me, sort of out of place in a Natural Area.

Maybe the correct name for this park zone should be Village Creek Natural Gas Historic Area.

Because that is what the multi-colored cords are for. Doing seismic testing of the Barnett Shale to see if the Village Creek Natural Historic Area is a good drilling zone.

All the Indians murdered in this area, murdered by the incoming Texans, must be rolling over in their collective graves at what their village has become. First a park. And now a gas drilling site.

I must leave you now to do the bidding of the ever demanding Elsie Hotpepper, who is being particularly hot today.

Testing For Barnett Shale Natural Gas In Village Creek Natural Historic Gas Drilling Area In Arlington

I nixed going to the Tandy Hills today and instead opted for going to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

I needed to replenish my coffee supply, so, since Village Creek is closer to my supplier, it made sense to go there.

I was surprised as soon as I pulled into the Village Creek Natural Historic Area parking lot to see some very unnatural cable strung on the ground.

I'd seen this type thing before, at River Legacy Park. Seismic testing for Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drilling.

I soon confirmed that that is what the cables were for when I came upon testing equipment deeper in the park.

There were a lot of walkers today. The first group I came to was quite excited to tell me they'd seen water moccasins swimming in the creek. I saw no snakes, but I did see what appeared to be a couple alligator gar.

I don't know what ever became of the River Legacy Park seismic testing. Is a drill pad slant drilling under that park? I've no idea. I suppose since it is natural gas that is being sought, testing for it in a Natural Area sort of makes sense.

Seems very odd to me, though, having all that cable of various colors and equipment laying about.

We've got about an hour and a half to go before the predicted arrival of today's severe Thunderstorm. Currently it appears a bit topsy turvy out there. I think topsy turvy is a very scientific meteorologic term.

Looking For Snakes & Armadillos In Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historic Area

In the picture you are looking at a colorful tree in the starting to green up Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

I used to see a lot of armadillos in this natural area. I can't remember the last time I saw one.

Village Creek Natural Historic Area is also the location where I've had more snake encounters than any other outdoor spot.

I've seen Copperheads, Water Moccasins and Rattlesnakes.

And my one and only Alligator Gar sighting. Since I saw an Alligator Gar in Village Creek I have never gotten back in a Texas lake.

I was a bit under dressed for being outdoors today. As in I got chilly. It was about 50 with a strong wind, hence the Wind Chill Factor making it feel colder than 50.

The air was heated to 44 this morning when I went swimming. With a strong wind. But the water was so much warmer than the air it felt like it was a heated pool. Which it is not.

I don't think I will be getting in the pool tomorrow morning.

Getting Some Endorphins At The Village Creek Bayou With Egrets & A New Incoming Arctic Blast Freezing Texas

You are looking at the clouds in the blue sky, being reflected in the Village Creek Bayou, today around noon.

Due to our recent multiple instances of unpleasantness, I thought I'd see more people today, walking the trails of Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historic Area, out enjoying the semi-pleasant weather.

I did see more than the norm, though, including one odd couple who were walking with what appeared to be cross country ski poles. They were stabbing the poles into the trail like they thought they were skiing.

This morning I was suffering a sad case of BLAH. This worried my therapist, Dr. L.C., who asked me, quite concerned, if I was okay.

I am now.

Okay, I mean.

The walking did me good. I have been having a weather related severe downturn in my usual endorphin producing activity. Combine that with the BIG pizza I ate during the Super Bowl and I had a recipe for feeling today like a BLAH Bloated Boy.

An Egret in the Village Creek Bayou let me get real close while taking pictures of him, or her, today.

Previous encounters with Village Creek Bayou Egrets have had them spooked just at the sound of the camera turning on.

The camera makes a bird chirping noise.

I wondered if this particular Egret was ailing, maybe it caught cold during the recent cold. Or maybe it is a smart bird and figured out the humans are not a danger.

If it is cold that has the Egret under the weather, he, she or it should get ready for some more, if the forecast is to believed, and I suspect it should.

We are back freezing tonight, down to 12 on Wednesday. With snow.

Meanwhile, while I suffer with Arctic frigidity, the Scrabble Queen of Washington is currently the Scrabble Queen of Hawaii, sending me daily updates of her current tropical paradise. And continuing to beat me at Scrabble via the i-Pad she got for Christmas.

Jogging Through The Drizzle Along Village Creek In Arlington

We are looking at the Grand Canyon of Village Creek, in Village Creek Natural Historic Area, in Arlington, today around noon.

As you can see it is being a bit misty. A drizzly mist. It was being like a winter day on a Washington Pacific Coast beach. Without the sound of waves crashing or sea gulls making a racket.

I went jogging for a couple miles in the drizzle. I do not remember the last time I went jogging. The jogging seemed to go well. Which sort of surprised me.

Prior to jogging I ran into someone who talked to me for about 10 minutes. This person was constantly coughing while talking. He was on his way to work. At a hospital. So, I am assuming the cough was an allergy, not a cold.

But, hypochondriac that I be, I am having that slight burning sensation on my face that is somewhat like what I remember a cold is like in the very early stages. However, it is too soon since my exposure to the cougher for this to be a cold. It is more likely an aftershock from going jogging for a couple miles in a cold drizzle.

There is a mirror above a bend in the Village Creek Trail. I assume it is there so you can see if a snake, of any form, is lurking around the corner. That's would be me, in the picture, taking a break from the jogging to take a picture. In case you can not tell, and were wondering, the white part of my lower extremity is long johns sticking out from my cargo shorts.  I was looking very layered and stylish.

We are supposedly supposed to be getting some heavy rain soon, with some possible Thunderstorm action. I would prefer a return to clear blue sky and temperatures in the 70s or low 80s. But that is currently not in the program.

Maybe next year. Which should be here soon.

Merry Christmas To My Mom & Dad From Village Creek Natural Historic Area

You're looking at the Village Creek Rapids, around noon, Christmas, in Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

Village Creek was running a little extra water due to Friday's rain, but not enough to cause the park to be closed

A surprisingly large number of people were taking a break from Christmas in the park today.

I called my Mom and Dad when I started walking, even though I had not gotten gas. My Mom answered with a "Merry Christmas." Mom was being quite cheerful. We talked for around a half hour.

Talking for a half hour, outdoors, with the wind chill factor making it feel like 25, eventually made my phone holding left hand very cold. So, I had to say goodbye to my Mom.

I had intended to call my Mom and Dad and then call Elsie Hotpepper. When I flipped the phone open to call  Mom and Dad I saw there was a voice mail from Elsie. Wishing me a Merry Christmas with a slight amount of Bah Humbug tossed in.

But, I did not call Elsie back due to the fact that I'd had my quota of phone talking in the cold for the day.

Walking Through Village Creek Natural Historic Area Looking For Indians & Wondering If The Christmas Lights Have Dimmed In Interlochen

I am still in the midst of my personal recession. I am fairly certain my condition has stabilized and I will not slip into a full blown depression. However, I am currently not seeing a recovery in the near term.

Maybe tomorrow.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., told me to get vertical and mobile.

So, I followed Doctor's order and went to Village Creek Natural Historic Area to commune with nature and talk to all the Indian spirits who hover about the location of one of America's biggest Indian Villages, back before Texans started using a brute force version of eminent domain abuse to kick the locals out of their town.

A proud tradition which continues in modern Texas times, what with the new Dallas Cowboy's Stadium, built with the help of what many believe to be the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history, a couple miles to the east.

As I walked through the remains of the Indian Village, I eventually exited to the Bob Findlay Linear Park. This linear park is on the west side of the Interlochen neighborhood,. Interlochen is usually an extremely popular Christmas display viewing venue.

Today it appeared that many of the Interlochen houses are free of Christmas decorations. It seems like I may have read of there being some problem with Interlochen this year, something to do with the Arlington police not wanting to police the traffic mess.

Or maybe the Interlochen canal dwellers have had to cut back on frivolous spending, like Christmas lights. I know I have cut back.

Actually, now that you are making me think about it, I have never burned any electricity on Christmas lights.