A Gateway Park Bike Ride Reading A Letter From Kay Granger With Connie D's Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers

Even though I had myself a real fine time, with Captain Clean, biking the Gateway Park mountain bike trail today, I did not feel like getting off the bike, getting out the camera and taking yet one more photo of my bike's handlebars sitting on a trail.

My momentary aversion to being repetitive will likely last less than 24 hours.

Or be over right now.

In addition to having a real fine time on my bike, earlier this morning I had a real fine time in the pool.

By tomorrow morning the pool should be more cool, what with an Arctic Blast blowing in, with the incoming cold expected to bring record breaking low temperatures. Which should make the pool feel way warmer than the air, come tomorrow morning.

A few minutes ago I received a letter that Congresswoman Kay Granger sent to her Fort Worth cronies. Earlier today I blogged about an Anonymous TRWD Super Villain.

I am almost 100% certain Kay Granger was not that Anonymous TRWD Super Villain, but reading her letter makes me wonder if my almost 100% certainty may be  erroneous.

Enough about political corruption, for now.

I know you are wondering what you are looking at in the picture above. That is a pizza pan in my oven. But, that is not pizza on the pizza pan.

A day or two ago, on Facebook, Connie D. (Fort Worth), not to be confused with Connie D. (Tacoma) posted the directions for making atn item called Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers.

I am not a big fan of following recipes. Recipes are way too much like someone telling me what to do, which usually makes me uncooperative. But, Connie D.'s Facebook photo of Jalapeno Cornbread Poppers looked so good I copied the directions. That and the directions appeared to be simple enough that I could handle following them.

So, I took 12  large jalapenos and sliced them lengthwise, removing the seeds and guts. Followed the directions on a Texas Style Honey Sweet Cornbread Mix I got at Walmart, mixed in a can of corn kernels, drained, of course. Mixed in a cup of shredded sharp cheese. Scooped the corn bread mix into the jalapeno halves, then spread another half cup of shredded sharp cheese on top. Baked 20 minutes at 350.

Delicious.

Thank you, Connie D. (Fort Worth)

Nine Months After Tropical Storm Hermine Flooded The Trinity River Fort Worth's Gateway Park Trails Are Still Closed

I do not think I'd been in Gateway Park, in 2011, til today.

My last time in Gateway Park may have been in October of 2010, when I pedaled my bike past the Trail Closed/Do Not Enter signs to see why the trail was closed.

The Gateway Park trails were damaged by the flooding Trinity River, swollen due to Tropical Storm Hermine, way back in September of 2010.

I was surprised when I pulled into the Gateway Park parking lot, 9 months after Tropical Storm Hermine, to see the trail still barricaded, with a "TRAIL IS CLOSED TEMPORARILY FOR MAINTENANCE DO NOT ENTER" sign.

Well, I was in a scofflaw sort of mood, so I entered.

When I pedaled my bike in to see what was closing the trail, way back in October of last year, the damaged parts of the trail were blocked by logs laid across the trail. It was not much of a barrier. Now, 9 months later, I guess as part of the extensive maintenance project, chain link fence blocks off the damaged areas. As you can see, in the picture, it is very easy to go around the area where the rampaging river has eroded the river bank right up to the trail.

Above is another section of the trail, damaged, blocked off by chain link fence. And easy to get around.

Above we see a section of the Gateway Park trail that is not part of the Tropical Storm Hermine damage. This area was damaged and repaired years ago. Note how easy that repair is. Simply lay some new sidewalk  on the non-river side of the trail.

So, 9 months later, why has this not been done to the Tropical Storm Hermine damaged areas? And, in the previously repaired section, why has the chain link fence not been taken down and the old section of sidewalk removed?

How much did all that chain link fence cost, plus the labor to install it? As opposed to the cost of installing a new replacement trail?

There seems to be a pattern with Fort Worth's parks. When a Fort Worth park has a problem, the city puts chain link fence around the problem, like what's been done to downtown Fort Worth's Heritage Park.

And calls it "MAINTENANCE."