A New Year's Day Walk Around The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision In Fort Worth Texas

By this morning yesterday's New Year's Eve drizzling fog had left town, replaced by our more usual Texas blue sky.

I woke up this morning to find my eyes burning and dripping. Eventually that got better. I don't know what's been in the air the past few days that is doing the irritating, but I don't like it.

By noon I felt the need to commune with nature, so I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake.

I saw several guys fishing today. One of the signs warning you not to eat the fish you catch in Fosdic Lake is behind the fisherman in the picture.

The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision would fix Fosdic Lake, which would then make it possible to eat the fish that swim there and to swim with the fish yourself.

I've rarely seen so many people at Oakland Lake Park as I did today. There were about a dozen kids on the tennis court, not playing tennis, but playing on wheeled devices.

At the start of a new year I always see more people in the parks, acting on their resolution to lose weight and get more exercise. The number of people will quickly dwindle as the resolutions fade.

Several dozen people will be hiking on the Tandy Hills tomorrow, starting at 10am.

Attacks Of The Mad Fort Worth Fosdic Lake Ducks & Texas Blizzard Deniers

I did not think the Tandy Hills would be available for my noontime daily constitutional due to the remains of our Christmas Eve unpleasantness still not fully melted.

Speaking of our Christmas Eve unpleasantness, just this morning Miss CVB of Sedro Woolley, Washington had the raw gall to tell me that that raging blizzard the blew for 7 hours on Thursday was nothing but a light snow flurry.

So, it was back to the site of the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision to do some more imagineering.

Those really are some happy ducks that float on top of Fosdic Lake. Today they were in full loud quack mode. Practically every time I'm at Fosdic Lake there is someone throwing bread or other duck food at the birds.

The Fosdic Ducks are so used to being given food they have developed quite an attitude of entitlement. If you stand at the shoreline taking a picture, for instance, a herd of the little beasts will make a beeline for you and when you don't deliver the goods they keep on coming, as if chasing you is going to free up something to eat. It has been quite unsettling on more than one occasion.

After I was done communing with nature I headed to Town Talk. I found no good stuff today. Got big containers of cinnamon and black pepper. That's all. My favorite Town Talk checker's line was open. Previously she'd lamented regarding the upcoming Christmas.

So, I asked her how Christmas went. "Christmas was fine," she said, "but Christmas Eve was a nightmare."

"Why?" I asked.

"The blizzard," she said.

I told her I'd been informed that the blizzard was a light snow flurry.

"Well, that light snow flurry took me an hour and a half to go what should have taken 20 minutes," said she, quite testily.

The nerve of some people. Suggesting that the historic Texas Christmas Eve Blizzard of 09 was nothing but a little snow flurry. I tell you, those people from Washington can be so uncouth. Makes me glad I'm a Texan.

A Yellow Wildflower Blooms In Fort Worth Texas After Surviving The Christmas Eve Blizzard

Until today I was pretty much housebound due to the North Texas Christmas Eve Blizzard. On Christmas too much ice and snow lingered to make it seem like a good idea to drive anywhere.

Today I could take being housebound no longer. So, I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. A lot of people seemed to be of a similar mind, to get out and enjoy the balmy 40 degree temperatures.

I was very surprised today to see an exotic, beautifully yellow, wildflower blooming (that is one in the picture with Fosdic Lake in the background). How do these wildflowers survive 14 degree temperatures, a raging blizzard and being covered with snow? There were dozens of these beautiful wildflowers coloring up the landscape. I would have picked a bouquet, but that seemed wrong to do. That, and these wildflowers do not smell too nice.

As you can see above, snow still lingers where the blizzard blew it into drifts. There were still some icy spots on the road in shady spots, so it's still a bit dicey driving out there, requiring caution. I'm not used to having to use a lot of caution. I usually throw it to the wind.

I'm on the west side of Fosdic Lake, looking east at a family feeding the Fosdic Lake Birds. The family is standing on what the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision envisions being a beach, where Fort Worth kids can play on the sand and run into the lake for a swim, while thanking Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief for making it all possible.

So, that's been my boring post-Christmas day. I actually got un-housebound prior to going to Fosdic Lake. After I came in from my morning quick dip and hot tub roast I had a hankering for bacon. This required a quick trip to Wal-Mart. I also had a hankering for waffles. These type hankerings and my decreased activity level are still causing constant weight gain, despite my therapist Dr. L.C.'s orders to the contrary.

The Fort Worth Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree Is Gone But Turtles Remain

The Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree, that had been marked by a Big Red X, for at least a year, maybe two, is now gone, with nary a stump, to mark its location.

After I blogged about it, I soon had feedback about the Fosdic Lake Dam Dead Tree and the Fosdic Dam Clearcut.

But that feedback led to another question.

The Dead Tree may be gone from Fosdic Lake Dam in Oakland Lake Park, but live trees remain growing on the dam.

We have added some mountain bike trails to the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision. It's fun to be able to jump in a lake after working up a sweat mountain biking. There are lakes in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, like Lake Joe Pool and Lake Grapevine where one can jump in the lake directly from a mountain bike trail.

But those lakes have snakes. Though I have swum in both Lake Joe Pool and Lake Grapevine without a snake incident, I have had an attacking turtle incident.

The turtle attack occurred in Lake Grapevine on July 12, 2002. I'd been mountain biking the Horseshoe Trails. It was over 100 degrees. At the end of the trail, by a boat launch, there is a dock. I jumped off the dock and started swimming. The water was not all that refreshing, more like luke warm bathwater.

I was about 100 feet out when a giant reptilian head popped out of the water in front of me. SNAKE, my panicked mind told me. I did not know I could swim as fast as I did. So fast I was sore from it for days. When I got safely to shore I was soon to learn it was not a snake trying to kill me, it was a big turtle.

They like to bite. That's why some are called Snapping Turtles.

As I pondered the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision today I saw something sunning itself on a log that may present a problem. A turtle. The turtles will need to find a new home.

It is warm today, windows are open, tomorrow will be in the 20s. When it is cold the turtles disappear. Does anyone know where they go? It perplexes me.

The turtles were not being as skittish today as when it's warmer. But the one in the picture jumped in the water when a jogger clomped by.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief Agrees To Use His Ill Gotten Conflict Of Interest Gains To Fund The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision

I had a long talk with Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief this morning. That's why I've been absent from blogging world. Thank you for the concerned messages inquiring about my well being due to my absence.

It took a couple hours of going through it, step by step, but as we neared hour 3 the good mayor finally began to understand what a Conflict of Interest is and why not having Conflicts of Interest by government officials is a key part of good, honest government.

I do not understand why no one explained what a Conflict of Interest is to the good mayor, til now. Mike told me the Fort Worth City Attorney had told him he had no Conflicts of Interest. I asked the mayor why he asked the City Attorney if he had Conflicts of Interest if he did not know what a Conflict of Interest was.

The mayor said he got tired of people telling him he had a bad ethics problem due to violating Conflict of Interest laws, hence the question to the City Attorney.

After Mayor Moncrief understood why it was wrong for him to be taking over $600,000 a year from the Natural Gas Companies drilling in the Barnett Shale in Fort Worth he asked me how he could possibly make it up to the people of Fort Worth.

I told the mayor I'd estimated he'd made approximately $4 million from the Natural Gas Drillers since he became mayor.

I then told Mayor Moncrief about my Fosdic Lake Dam Vision and that I estimated the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision could be a reality for between $3 & $4 million. I suggested he bank roll the vision as a gift to the citizens of Fort Worth.

Mayor Moncrief was instantly sold on the idea of using the money he'd gotten due to his Conflicts of Interest to clean up Fosdic Lake and turn it into a swimmable, fishable, boatable lake for the people of Fort Worth.

I need to get ahold of Kay Granger and get her on board with the Fosdic Lake Dam Vision. Anyone know if she has any more unemployed kids? The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision is going to need someone to run the project.

That is a picture of one of the proposed Fosdic Lake aerators at the top.