Miss Martha Takes Us From Scenic Mosier Valley To Hurst's Chisholm Park Catching Catfish

Yesterday I blogged about fish in a blogging titled Seattle Salmon Infused With Cocaine & Antidepressants in which we learned some Puget Sound fish are currently contaminated with a lot of unseemly ingredients, rendering them unappetizing candidates for the barbecue grill.

Today Miss Martha brought about circumstances which led me and Big Ed to Arlington and then to the scenic Mosier Valley.

From the Mosier Valley we headed north, eventually ending up in the scenic town of Hurst and that town's scenic Chisholm Park.

Chisholm Park is a modern park with modern facilities, including modern restrooms with running water. And drinking faucets throughout the park. Another water feature is a large water park with multiple pools and water slides of various iterations.

The biggest water feature in Chisholm Park is a large pond which is stocked with fish  of the channel catfish and rainbow trout type.

Beginning the third week of April, every two weeks, the stocking of channel catfish takes place, all through summer and into fall.

Rainbow trout require cold water. So in Texas this means they can only survive in winter. Chisholm Park Pond trout stocking starts in December and continues every two weeks til March.

One can eat the fish one catches in Chishom Park without worrying about Puget Sound type contaminants, or worse, such as whatever it is that has signs warning one not to eat fish one catches in most Fort Worth bodies of water.

One thing perplexes me about Chishom Park. I have been perplexed by this perplexation previously and was freshly perplexed today. That what perplexed me is what you see below.

Chisholm Park has several of these type covered picnic pavilions which you see above. All of them are surrounded by trash cans anchored to the ground tilted towards the picnic pavilion.

Is this array of mortars positioned so as to easily facilitate the disposal of bones from barbecued meat products? I have no idea. All I know for sure is I have never seen anything like this in any other park I have visited anywhere.

Swimsuit Issues Stop Me From Swimming At The Hurst Chisholm Park Aquatic Center Today

Santa and his Hurst Castle

This morning I was out of German groceries, so I decided to drive up to the ALDI Food Market in Hurst to re-supply my schnitzel stash.

Since I was up in Hurst I decided to go for a walk in Hurst's Chisholm Park prior to getting my German goods.

Continuing with my theme of almost constant Holiday Cheer I decided I should share with all of you fellow cheery sorts a picture of the cool Hurst castle that sort of guards, with no moat, the eastern edge of Chisholm Park.

As you can see, Santa and some helpers, and maybe Mrs. Santa, or Santa's gray-haired girl friend, or a secretary, are malingering in front of the castle.

Chisholm Park has a very nice Aquatic Center. I have my own Aquatic Center which was totally usable this morning, what with the morning low being only 67, with yesterday's high in the 80s. The same high temps have been heating me today, to the point that I ran my A/C when I got back from Hurst, due to it being too hot in here.

Running the A/C in December? I do not remember doing this before.

I thought a cooling dip in the Chishom Park Aquatic Center's pool might be refreshing. But, when I got to the Aquatic Center's entry I saw the sign you see on the left, rather demandingly demanding that one must be in a swimsuit to enter the water.

I did not have what is considered a proper swimsuit with me, so that put an end to the getting cool in the Hurst pool plan. That and the Aquatic Center was closed.

I got a half dozen German Pomegranates at ALDI today. Ever since I figured out how to free the Pomegranate fruit I have been liking this particular Superfood.

I also got an ALDI German ham today. Ham and Pomegranates seem as if they should go good together.

Going To Hurst To The Chisholm Aquatic Center After A Futile Search For A Fort Worth Public Pool

No, that is not one of Fort Worth's many public pools you are looking at in the picture.

The little town of Fort Worth, with a population of nearly 800,000, has no public pools. Or public swimming lakes.

The pool you are looking at in the picture is the Chisholm Aquatic Center in the little town of Hurst, Texas, with a population of almost 40,000.

That makes Fort Worth about 20 times bigger, population-wise, than Hurst, if my math is correct, which it often isn't.

I had to be in Hurst this morning. So, I thought a morning walk around Chisholm Park would be a good thing to do to help clear my head before I had to do what I had to do in Hurst. Even though it was pre-noon, the Chisholm Aquatic Center was very busy.

Which makes a lot of sense, what with the temperature, at that time in the morning, nearing 90, a temperature level which has currently been reached at my location, with the real feel of the temperature being 102. That is getting a little warm.

I don't know what Fort Worth kids do to keep cool if they don't have a pool.

Well, there are those delightful Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats on Thursdays, when, for a few hours, it is safe to get cool in the usually polluted Trinity River.

But, the river is only safe where it passes past downtown Fort Worth. Further downstream, like at Gateway Park, you don't want to be getting cool in the river.

I think I may getting cool in a rare afternoon dip in my non-public Fort Worth pool. You are welcome to join me. Clothing optional.

UPDATE: I have been informed by someone named Anonymous that the City of Fort Worth's Marine Park pool is open this summer. I have pedaled my bike through Marine Park. I do not recollect seeing a public pool. However, a public pool is not the type thing that would stick in my memory.

Breaking The Speed Limit In Hurst's Chisholm Park Wondering Why Fort Worth's Public Pools Are Dry

Do Not Go Over 16 in Chisholm Park

I was up north in the bustling suburb of Hurst today, to go to ALDI.

Before ALDI I went to Chisholm Park to go on a relaxing walk.

On my vehicle's analog speedometer I can easily tell when I'm going 5, 10, 15, 25...etc. But I had trouble telling if I was going over Chisholm Park's speed limit of 16.

I need a speedometer with a digital readout.

I like Hurst's Chisholm Park. Multiple scenes of a mom and dad and kids, often with a dog or two, having fun fishing, picnicking, walking, talking.

When I was a kid my parental units often took me and my siblings to parks. During summer pretty much every weekend we'd take off to go camping at one of Washington or Oregon's State Parks. Once a year we'd go on a long road trip vacation, to places like Yellowstone, Disneyland and Tijuana.

I was still a kid when I realized that many of my peers were not as blessed as I in the parental units taking them to parks, and on trips, department.

When I used to go to the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge I'd often see scenes of a mom and dad, with kids, watching the prairie dogs, walking the trails. I more than once thought to myself that this does not look like a family that goes on trips to Yellowstone and Disneyland.

Hurst Chisholm Aquatic Center

And then Fort Worth started charging an admission fee to this park, which should be a free to enter amenity for all the people who live in Fort Worth.

But, Fort Worth decided to reduce the number of visitors by charging that admission fee. I've not been back, as my own little protest. And I mention my disgust semi-regularly.

In Hurst's Chisholm Park, among many other amenities, you will find the City of Hurst's Chisholm Aquatic Center. A large area with large pools and water slides.

Fort Worth closed all its public pools due to alleged budget woes. Yet, somehow Fort Worth found $3 million for a little pedestrian bridge across the Trinity River. And almost a $1 billion for something called the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. But, no public money for public pools.

No public pools might be cool if Fort Worth had a lake or two with a public swimming beach or two, but it does not.

And yet somehow Fort Worth still manages to be the envy of the rest of the planet.

Part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle is a little lake, that has shrunk over time, to now being small pond size. If this little pond were engineered to be filled with clean swimmable water, surrounded by sandy beaches, well, then the silent majority of Fort Worth citizens would actually be getting something that benefited them from the TRV Boondoggle.

But that won't happen, because it ain't the Fort Worth Way.

Chisholm Park Fishing While Not Easily In-N-Out In Hurst Today

Fishing In Chisholm Park

I went to Hurst today with 3 destinations in mind. ALDI Food Market, In-N-Out and Chisholm Park.

I'd not been to Chisholm Park before. It is the biggest park in Hurst. Chisholm Park has a fishing lake, a big aquatic center, covered picnic pavilions, ballfields, paved trails, big parking lots and a lot of people having fun in the park on this very pleasant Sunday in April.

On a sign by the lake I read "A Freshwater Fishing License is Required For Anglers 17 Years Old and Older (unless born before Sept. 1, 1930)."

Apparently if you are older than 82 you don't need a fishing license, if I am parsing those words correctly.

Chisholm Park regularly stocks the lake with fish. Largemouth Bass, Channel Catfish, Rainbow Trout and Sunfish Species. The Rainbow Trout are stocked only in the colder winter months because that particular breed of fish does not like the temperature of Texas lakes in summer.

Plenty Of Places To Toss Your Bones In Chisholm Park

Judging by the dozens of people I saw fishing there must be a lot of fish to be caught to sustain that level of fishing optimism.

I saw something in Chisholm Park I'd never seen before. Each of the picnic pavilions, each with a large BBQ pit, were ringed with 8 angled garbage cans.

I was completely bum puzzled and bamboozled til the engineer, Big Ed, figured out that all the angled garbage cans were likely in that configuration to facilitate the easy tossing of bones during a BBQ eating frenzy.

I saw a group of 3 people working on a big BBQ. It smelled real good.

After smelling the BBQ I was hungry. So, it was off to the newly opened Hurst In-N-Out Burger joint.

Well, no luck at In-N-Out.

In-N-Out was over run with customers. There were In-N-Out traffic directors, splitting the incoming cars, with one line going the dine-in option, the other the drive-thru option. There were dozens of cars in the drive-thru. The In-N-Out traffic directors led incoming dine-in customers to a parking spot.

I got led to my parking spot and proceeded inside. I figure this would be like my recent In-N-Out experience in Tempe where it appeared to be really busy but there was no line due to how efficient In-N-Out is.

Well, the Hurst In-N-Out appeared to be very efficient, but there was a line, a long one, almost out the door. And a lot of people were standing waiting for their order number to be  called.

I decided to bail.

I liked Chisholm Park. Since it is so close to ALDI, I'll be back. And I'll try In-N-Out in Hurst, again, when it quits being over run by burger maniacs.

Walking A Wal-Mart Parking Lot With #23, Oregon Christmas Trees & OC Burgers

I had a half hour to kill. I was in Hurst, after having been to North Richland Hills. I forgot that I was supposed to look at a big pipe today in North Richland Hills. Or was it Haltom City? I hate my age-related memory woes.

So, with a half hour to kill, and after having gotten what I wanted to get from ALDI, I went across the street to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.  After I got garlic powder and peanut butter I decided to walk around the Wal-Mart parking lot and enjoy the brisk refreshing temperature and see if I could find anything of interest to look at. Or something odd.

Sadly the tour of the Wal-Mart parking lot rendered not a lot of oddness. But, there was the vehicle you see above. All its windows, except the front windshield, had a message on them. Apparently a football team named the Chargers won a football game. Which evidently had these people wanting to insist that their window viewers have a Happy Christmas.

Now, what amused me is that the football player is #23. So, on dad's driver's side window a square box is drawn in to frame dad's head, with the message saying, "#23's DAD." And behind dad is seated #23's Brother. On the other side we had #23's MOM and #23's Sister. #23's DOG Cajo sits in the back.

Next on my tour of the Wal-Mart parking lot I came to Wal-Mart's puny display of 5 Christmas Trees. Priced ranging from $30 to $60. And, just like the Christmas Trees at my neighborhood Kroger, these trees came from the Pacific Northwest. Kroger's were from Washington, Wal-Marts from Oregon. Noble Mountain Tree Farm based in Salem, Oregon, to be precise.

Why does Texas not supply Texans their Christmas trees? I've seen plenty of pine trees growing in the Piney Woods Region of Texas.

A few months ago, to some small fanfare, a California based franchise named OC Burgers opened in Hurst, adjacent to the Wal-Mart parking lot. OC Burgers did not last long. I noticed it closed last week. Most of the OC has been stripped away, except for the drive-thru menu.

I assume OC stands for Orange County. I've no idea why OC Burger failed. The burgers, as depicted on the menu, look tasty, except for the California Avocado Burger and the Jalapeño Burger.

This week In-N-Out Burger, also based in California, let it be known that they are opening an In-N-Out in Hurst, also on Precinct Line Road, just a couple blocks south of the now dead Hurst OC Burger.

I hope the OC bad burger outcome in Hurst does not bode ill for In-N-Out Burger.

There you have it, my very eventful, exciting walk around the Hurst Wal-Mart parking lot.

Looking At Flying Saucer Water Tanks In Hurst While Waiting For A Little Hotpepper

Around noon I was sitting on a bench next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Hurst, waiting for Elsie Hotpepper's little sister to show up so we could go have lunch at the Panera Bread that is on the north end of the Wal-Mart parking lot.

I looked up and saw the blue flying saucer structure you see in the picture.

It is a Hurst, Texas water tower. There are dozens upon dozens of various forms of these structures in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

You reading this who live in the D/FW zone, or in Texas, are likely thinking, so what? You reading this in other locations, like the state of Washington, for instance, are likely thinking, how bizarre.

You see, Washingtonians, there are no mountains here, some slight hills, but no mountains. So, water has to be pumped up to a tank hovering above where it is to be delivered, so that gravity can do the delivering. I have no idea where the massive pumps are located that pump the water up in these tanks.

When I lived in Washington, in the town of Mount Vernon, water came from a protected reservoir/lake called Judy Reservoir. This reservoir is surrounded by chain link fence, with, if I remember right, concertina wire at the top.

My memory of things in Washington grows hazy, but I believe Judy Reservoir supplied the water needs of several Skagit Valley towns, besides Mount Vernon.

Except for Anacortes. Anacortes sucked its water out of the Skagit River, treated it, and then pumped it to Anacortes. There are hills around Anacortes, more hilly than hills here in Texas, but, I don't think the water is pumped up to a storage lake on a hill. I remember no big water tanks in Anacortes, like I see in Texas.

So, how did that water move to homes in Anacortes, without the Texas style giant flying saucer water tanks?

Very perplexing.

Anyway, as I sat pondering my perplexation, Elsie Hotpepper's little sister, Kelsie, showed up. At Panera Bread we both had the Signature Macaroni & Cheese with a Bacon Turkey Bravo Sandwich. It was good. But I like my own cooking better. Kelsie does not have quite the colorful vocabulary of her older sister, in case you are wondering.

10 Foot Long Alligator Killed In Fort Worth

I did not know, Sunday morning, when I blogged about an alligator skinnydipping in my pool that Saturday night a short distance from my abode a 10 foot long, 400 pound alligator had been roaming around.

A comment from Mister Twister, to the blogging about the gator in the pool, was the first I heard of this other alligator incident.

The alligator had been hit by a vehicle, breaking the gator's back legs and tail. A person in another passing vehicle spotted the injured alligator on Trinity Boulevard, south of the Bell Helicopter/Hurst Trinity Railway Express Station.

A call to 911 had Fort Worth police and a Texas Department of Parks and Wildlife responding. It was decided to put the alligator out of its misery, rather than try and tangle with a live, injured alligator in an attempt to get it to a vet who was willing to work on a giant reptile.

The area were the alligator was found is sort of a lowland, Trinity River flood zone where there are a lot of ponds and lakes. The paved trail at River Legacy Park goes by several of those type lakes. I had no idea I should be on the lookout for alligators, in addition to snakes, bobcats, panthers, tarantulas and armadillos, while pedaling my bike at River Legacy. The mountain bike trail there goes through what would seem to be prime alligator territory.

At the Fort Worth Nature Preserve there is a sign letting you know that there are alligators in the marshy waters between Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth. The sign warns you not to feed, kill, molest or attempt to move an alligator. What sort of pervert would molest an alligator?

Thursday's Texas Tornado Aftermath

The Big Storm that roared through North Texas late Wednesday and in the wee hours of Thursday morning brought at least 5 tornadoes, including several that struck Breckinridge late Wednesday. Survey teams checked out the damage and issued the EF ratings for the tornadoes. 4 or more were EF1's. The assessment process continues. An EF1 tornado whips up winds between 86 and 110 mph.

So far the only known injury was to a Johnson County man who lost his arm when the trailer he was in was turned over and over in the high wind. In the photo you see here the trailer was spared, which totally goes against the norm, while the tied to a foundation building was badly damaged.

Several houses were seriously damaged in Johnson County.

About 5 miles north of my abode, in the town of Hurst, straight line winds up to 80mph damaged more than 200 homes.

At Oakland Lake Park, yesterday, I saw several trees blown down, including a long-lived Mulberry Tree. It was sort of additionally tragic because only a couple days ago did the park maintennance people finally get around to removing tree limbs they'd piled up all over the park last month after doing extensive tree trimming. And now they've got a way way worse mess to clean up.

I don't know if it's irony or what, but in Haltom City, that's about 5 miles northwest of where I am, students at an Institute of Massage were in the middle of their finals when Mother Nature massaged holes in the roof and blasted out windows, distracting the test takers. I don't quite understand why they were taking a massage test in the early morning of Thursday. Maybe the earlier storm hit just north of me and I didn't notice.

In Southlake, that's up by Lake Grapevine, the school board called an emergency meeting to figure out what do to about the damaged school building, with broken gas lines, ruined air conditioners and a destroyed stadium scoreboard. They decided to open school as usual, with no lunch, due to no gas.

Apartment buildings were damaged in Bedford, that's a little town next to Hurst, moving four families out til the damage can be repaired.

Today the sky is blue, the temps are warm. And I managed to sleep a couple hours.