Saturday, June 13, 2009

Walking The Dog At The Gateway Park Sauna In Fort Worth

Well, there seems to be a lot of concern regarding my failing health as evidenced by my headache epidemic. As in someone emailed me inquiring as to my current status.

I am happy to report I am currently headache free.

Going swimming this morning did nothing to help my head pain. But going walking sometime after noon did have a salubrious effect. Possibly this salubrious effect was due, in part, to the natural sauna we've got going on here today in Tropical Texas. It is 94 with the high humidity making a Heat Index of 104. It felt like 114 to me.

To do my walking today my only choices were Oakland Lake Park, Quanah Parker Park or Gateway Park. Village Creek Natural Historical Area is still closed due to flooding. I don't like walking at River Legacy Park, and I'd just been to Veterans Park 2 days ago and Oakland Lake yesterday. It'll take a few days for the Tandy Hills to dry out.

So, the walking choice was Gateway Park. I had an ulterior motive. I wanted to take a picture of the long abandoned sewage treatment plant that Fort Worth wants to turn into an amphitheater. About a year ago I discovered the old treatment plant. I did not know, then, what it was. It looked liked an old fort with guard towers. It reminded me of Fort Casey in my old home state of Washington. Fort Casey is a Spanish-American War era fort.

While I thought the treatment plant looked like a fort, I could not imagine why a fort would be in such a location. Then I decided it must be an abandoned jail. Sewage treatment plant did not cross my mind as a possibility.

Today I was unable to get through the cyclone fence that guards the perimeter of the jail/fort/treatment plant. Previously there were several breaks along the fence. It has now been made impenetrable again.

I was hoping that the Trinity River would be running a lot of water due to the deluge two days ago. But it was only slightly higher than the norm. We are looking at the Trinity in that picture at the top, when the water is running high that area turns into rapids.

Gateway Park was very busy today. Several girl softball games were being played. At noon. With a heat index of 104. It looked miserable. Spectators watched from the shade of trees. No one sat in the uncovered stands.

Fort Woof had a lot of dogs running around. Have I mentioned before that Dog Fancy magazine, whatever that is, has picked Fort Woof as the #1 Dog Park in America? We are very proud of that here in Fort Worth. Having the #1 Dog Park in America is the first time in history Fort Worth has been #1 in anything. There was talk of having a city wide celebration, but none materialized.

1 comment:

The Winepunk said...

What, pray tell, makes a dog park #1? Do they have staff on hand with plastic bags that turn inside out? Is there a doggy psychiatrist waiting to settle disputes over tennis balls? An agility course for hyper terriers? I'd be curious to know who voted because I didn't get a ballot...