Elf Elsie Hotpepper Spreading Christmas Cheer To Me With Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie & Coconut Cake

As you can see, Elsie Hotpepper is in Elf Mode today. Before I say anything else, I must say, Elsie is not going saloon hopping in Elf Mode.

Elsie is out and about, today, bringing Christmas Cheer to those in short supply of Christmas Cheer.

That would include me.

My normal state of mind is pretty much Cheer-Free, but during what is commonly known as the Holiday Season, my Cheeriness really hits a low ebb.

This begins some time after Halloween and then begins to abate quickly following January 1 of the New Year.

This means I have about 17 more days of feeling fairly Cheerless.

I did experience some small amount of personal Christmas Cheer last night, at Gaylord Texan, partaking of desserts, which is something I usually do not partake of. But the few things, in Desert World, that I actually like, were present at Gaylord Texan.

I had what may have been the best Cheesecake I've ever had, topped with several types of berries. Then there was Key Lime Pie. Just a small slice of that. And Coconut Cake. I had never had Coconut Cake before, til I discovered this place called Sam's Buffet, about midway between Dallas and Houston. Gaylord Texan's was at least as good as Sam's.

This morning, when I got on the scale, I was mortified to see I have ballooned to 212 pounds. I'm so fat I likely will have no problem getting in the pool when I get around to doing that again, what with this nice layer of insulative lard I've added, keeping me warm, that will also likely let me float like I've got my own built in air mattress.

I have long envied Fat People regarding their advantages whilst playing in water. And now, thanks to a couple months of overeating, I am one of them.

I think it's time to go eat my nightly bag of tortilla chips with melted cheese.

Going To Grapevine's Gaylord Texan & Getting A New BBQ

That's my new gas BBQ grill sitting outside on the patio.

I have yet to use the new BBQ. I got it out of its box this morning. I hauled it in here last night, late, returning from a Christmas Party at Gaylord Texan.

Christmas at Gaylord Texan is quite a spectacle. If you don't want to go inside and experience all of Texas under one roof, things like the San Antonio Riverwalk, the Alamo, Palo Duro Canyon, and more, just driving the road into Gaylord Texan you'll go by some over the top, well done Christmas displays.

In fact, you can pretty much say that for all of Grapevine, as in the drive through the main part of the historic town is done up quite nicely. And you will see some mighty big Xmas balls sitting on the ground. Biggest Xmas balls I've ever seen.

At last night's Christmas Party the gift part was done via a method I have done before. Only previously I was required to bring a gift to add to the gift pile. When I have done this style of Xmas present exchanging, before, it was called the Greed Game. A person opens a gift, the next person can either take it or open another. On and on it goes.

This can be amusing.

Last night's method was called The Chinese Gift Exchange. This somehow seemed borderline politically incorrect to me. The gifts were not wrapped. When your turn came you either took something from someone or took something from under the tree that no one else had taken. After 3 iterations of taking something new you were stuck with your 3rd choice.

I picked the BBQ and no one took it from me. I have an intimidating scowl when I want to keep something. I'm assuming. Maybe no one else wanted a portable BBQ. And found the digital cameras, flat panel TVs, I-Pads and trip to Las Vegas more enticing. Those items were heavily exchanged. Among others.

So, my first Christmas Party of the season is out of the way. At the next one I know I will not be bringing home anything good, because it is a work party and only those who work at this particular place get to play in the gift part of the party.

I usually don't blog about anything I do between 6pm and 6am, but this morning I made an exception. Maybe because unlike most periods of time between 6pm 6am, this time I got myself a new BBQ. It is so rare I get something new....

Fort Worth Glacier Peak Bearfire Resort Vision

Earlier today I blogged about Seattle's cruise ships. That somehow had me remarking that Fort Worth should add a fake mountain to go along with its fake lake as part of its very clear Trinity River Vision.

Then Steve A commented about the mountain idea by pointing out that there have been plans to build a mountain in Fort Worth called Bearfire. It was supposed to open in fall of 2009. However, ground was never broken on this ambitious project. I believe it was to be located out by the Texas Motor Speedway and Cabelas.

Bearfire was to have toboggans, bobsleds, a mountain called Glacier Peak, gondolas, ski lifts, ski and snowboard slopes.

An Alpine Village called the Villages at Bearfire were to have shopping, restaurants, ski shops, all in a romantic hamlet at the base of Glacier Peak. In the center of Bearfire Village you would have found Bearfire Ice Creek, using some sort of synthetic ice that has the properties of the real thing, except for not being really cold, the Ice Creek trail was to meander through the village.

I'm thinking skating on fake ice in the Texas summer heat might not have been too fun a thing to do. Maybe a lot of misters were to have been used. The snow on Glacier Peak was also to be a synthetic that replicated snow.

With Bearfire Resort and Glacier Peak not likely to happen, another group of visionaries is seeing the possibility of building a ski resort and mountain near Lake Grapevine. That would seem to be a much better location for such a thing than out in the Fort Worth Alliance area. A fake mountain and ski resort would be a nice fit with Gaylord Texan, where all of Texas is under one giant glass atrium and Great Wolf Lodge, where you can pretend you are staying a cabin in the wild north woods.

Now if only the brilliant visionaries, who saw the Trinity River Vision, could convince someone to build one of these fake mountains and ski resorts on the banks of Little Fake Forth Worth Lake, why then you'd be really having yourself something to have a vision about, that would have towns far and wide really super green with envy.

A Sunday Morning Glass Cactus Texas Headache

I am not a night owl. Night owling is so rare for me I can remember the precise date of the previous instance, that being December 5, 2008, when I did not get home til past 2 in the morning.

Last night I got home this morning, at around 1.

I had a sleep walking incident around 4. Apparently I wanted to go swimming. I made it partway to the pool when I became aware I was walking around wearing nothing but a stocking cap. I made it safely back to bed.

So, I had myself a wild night at the Glass Cactus at Gaylord Texan with Gar the Texan and the Queen of Wink and others. The Queen was more regal than I thought she'd be. Gar the Texan did not have any case of the vapors attacks. I'd not seen Gar the Texan in awhile. He's put on a few pounds, which has him looking healthier than when last I saw him. The Queen is quite the conversationalist and is a bit too quick with the wit for me to keep up with.

Summed up. I don't like waking up with a headache. No matter what the cause.

My Google Nightmare Is Over, Let's Go To The Glass Cactus At Gaylord Texan Tonight

It has stressed me out all day, this Saturday, having my main website suddenly a rogue menace, flagged by Google as a danger to the world.

I have fussed with this all day. Why I get so overwrought over such things perplexes me. But it's the way I am. Maybe it is because it feels so good when it all gets fixed.

Which it now is. Google is no longer warning people that I am a dangerous terrorist about to explode their entire world.

I am grateful that I am now back in the good graces of humanity.

In the midst of my stress I got an email from Gar the Texan, wanting my help with entertaining the Queen of Wink, in town to see her first waterfall and gawk at ancient hair bands. I'd not looked at my phone in awhile. I see that Gar the Texan also called me. He did not leave a message. Had he left a message I likely would have returned the call.

Gar the Texan's dilemma was trying to figure out how to properly entertain a Wink Queen. I know this would daunt me. What a challenge. It seemed Gar's two options were the Dallas West End entertainment district or Fort Worth's downtown. Neither all that entertaining to me.

So. I suggested that Gar take the Queen up to Grapevine, to Gaylord Texan and the Glass Cactus. Trust me, this is a suitable venue for the Queen of Wink. The photo at the top should ice the deal.

Today's History Lessons In Grapevine Texas

I had to be in Grapevine today. Grapevine may be my favorite Texas town. I can't think of anything I don't like about Grapevine. It's got a great lake in Lake Grapevine. A huge attraction in Gaylord Texan. A huge mall in Grapevine Mills. A huge waterpark in Great Wolf Lodge. And a very well done downtown with an awful lot of historical markers.

There is extreme attention to detail paid in Grapevine. Much of it having to do with the grapevine theme. Even the public library, which is excellent, is grape themed in shades of purple.

I walked around the north end of downtown Grapevine this afternoon. I came upon a statue of Benjamin Richard Wall. That is he you see in the first picture. Born in 1876, lasting til 1955, Mr. Hall was mayor of Grapevine multiple times. He was an ardent do-gooder who greatly impressed his fellow Grapeviners with his do-goodiness. When the hurricane of 1900 struck Galveston, Mr. Wall hurried south to help.

That's another statue in Grapevine. A judge sitting on a bench in front of a bank. I don't know what his story is. But he looked very thoughtful.

That is the Grapevine Liberty Bell swinging in the HOT summer breeze. City Hall is on the other side of the street. I don't know what the statue represents on top of city hall.

Today I learned the Gaylord Texan Trolley trolls through downtown Grapevine, picking up tourists to take them to the giant Convention Center Resort on the lake to watch Friday night fireworks. Sounds fun. I want to do that.

The Christmas Big Balls of Grapevine

Yesterday, that day being Saturday, I made my now regular weekly visit to Costco for a free sample lunch en route to going on a hike on one of the trails around Lake Grapevine.

This week the Costco samples weren't quite up to last week's cheese overload, but it was still good. The hike this week was once more the Northshore Trail starting at Rockledge Park. It was perfect mountain biking temperature, so there were a lot of bikers. Few hikers.

The day had started out in the 60s, but a cold front blew in throughout the day, making it in the 50s by noon at Lake Grapevine. And 22 this morning.

The town of Grapevine puts on quite a festive Christmas display. Including pairs of Giant Balls at several intersections along the Grapevine Highway. The pair of Giant Balls in the photo is in front of the Great Wolf Lodge, directly across the street from the Gaylord Texan Resort and Convention Center.

I drove through the Gaylord Texan complex, hoping to get a picture of Santa in his powerboat pulling his Reindeer on skis. But the traffic did not cooperate. I did successfully get a picture of another Santa in a covered wagon being pulled by his Reindeer. I guess it makes sense to have multiple Santas, but the covered wagon Santa is right across the street from the boating Santa. I fear this might confuse small children. I saw no conventional Santas in a sleigh. But I could only see part of the Gaylord Texas complex. It is huge.

After leaving Santa I went to Sprouts Farmers Market for my weekly stocking up of good stuff. Something happened there that will change my life in about 4 days. I'll save that story for another blogging.