Catching Fish While Picnicking In North Richland Hills Linda Spurlock Park

No, that is not Fosdick Lake in Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park you are looking at here.

I do not know what the name of the lake/pond is, but the park's name I do know.

Linda Spurlock Park in North Richland Hills, a prosperous suburb north and east of Fort Worth.

A prosperous suburb which is able to afford modern restroom facilities and running tap water in its public parks. Even in a small park, like this Linda Spurlock one.

The water in the Linda Spurlock Park pond is clear. Schools of fish visible swimming. Multiple fishermen and fisherboys angling their rods into the pond. No signs warn about consuming fish one might catch.

No visible stream of the creek sort feeds water to this little pond. No signage indicates the pond is regularly stocked, such as one sees posted at the fishing pond in Chisholm Park in Hurst.

North Richland Hills Linda Spurlock Park is an excellent example of what a city park should be. A pleasant location for a picnic, due to running water and those aforementioned modern restroom facilities.

On this particular day a large group was having themselves a mighty fine time centered in the covered picnic pavilion at the south end of the pond. Multiple barbecues were perfuming the air. An elaborate game had been set up which involved colored ping pong balls.

Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park, and other Fort Worth parks, could be rendered more appealing and likely more used if they were upgraded to modern standards.

And how about an effort to clean up Oakland Lake Park's Fosdick Lake so the fish one catches there are safely edible? How about emulating the Chisholm Park pond in Hurst? How hard would that be to do?

Very perplexing.....

Communing With Nature At North Richland Hills Fossil Creek Park

Today during my daily nature commune I discovered the best North Richland Hills park yet.

Fossil Creek Park.

Located a short distance south and west of Linda Spurlock Park at which I parked and walked a couple days ago.

Fossil Creek Park is so named because Fossil Creek runs through it. As you can see this park is wooded and scenic. With a waterfall or two.

An unpaved trail meanders along the creek's edge, at times right at the edge of a steep drop off.

The trail looks down upon what appear to be deep, swimmable pools, once of which had a school of fish holding steady against the current. I am guessing these fish were bass. I assume they are edible bass due to the fact that the water appeared to be clear.

I don't remember if it is Fossil Creek, or Little Fossil Creek, or both, which are the evil nemesis of Elsie Hotpepper.

Walking along Fossil Creek it was easy to see how high this creek's water reached in flood mode, due to the evidence of litter deposited high up on trees along the creek's bank.

Above you are looking south at the Onyx Drive South Bridge over Fossil Creek. Due west of that bridge is the entry to, and parking lot for Fossil Creek Park.

The City of Richland Hills Park Department's website's description of Fossil Creek Park described it as being as if one has left a densely populated urban zone to suddenly find oneself in the wilderness.

I am recalling that description from memory, but I believe I got the drift of it fairly accurately.

Because walking along Fossil Creek, hearing birds tweeting, the noise of falling water, the lush forest of trees, well, it was a good commune with nature today.

Today I Found Something In A Park I Don't Often Find In Fort Worth Parks

No, that is not Fosdick Lake in Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park you see here with a strange twisted pipe rising from the water.

This pond is in North Richland Hills in a park called Linda Spurlock Park.

I am currently staying in North Richland Hills near several parks, including Linda Spurlock's.

I tried to find Doctor Pillow Park because it sounded interesting, with some sort of Texas missions theme and trails through the wooded zone of Bear Creek. I followed the directions to Doctor Pillow Park, but when I reached where it should be I was at a dead end.

Both Google and my Microsoft Streefinder could not get me to Doctor Pillow Park.

As for Linda Spurlock Park, that one was easy to find. The was a pretty basic park. A paved trail runs around the perimeter. But, this small park did have something one usually does not see in a Fort Worth park, but do usually see in parks in modern parts of America.

An indoor restroom facility, complete with running water. And the sink inside had hand sanitizer lotion at sinkside.

Now, how come a little park in a little town is able to manage to have modern restroom facilities, whilst most parks in Fort Worth do not?

Perhaps Fort Worth could send a task force to North Richland Hills to try and find out.....

World's Best Catfish At Tuckers Catfish Haven In North Richland Hills

It is Wednesday, so I went up to Southlake today a little before noon.

On my way back from my first stop in Southlake I went to Sprouts Farmers Market and got a lot of good stuff. I've never seen Sprouts so busy.

Were people stocking up for the upcoming return of winter with its possible Friday ice storm?

On the way back home, after Sprouts, I had been asked by an Anonymous Person to pick said person up at Tuckers Catfish Haven in North Richland Hills.

Why do so many people insist I not put their name in my blog? It perplexes me.

Anyway, I'd been in the Tuckers Catfish Haven parking lot previously. But I had not bothered to look at their sign. I read the sign today and was surprised to learn that in Tuckers Catfish Haven I could get the World's Best Catfish.

I added the apostrophe to World's. For some reason Tuckers does not seem to like apostrophes. It seems like it should be Tucker's Catfish Haven, not Tuckers Catfish Haver. And it should be World's Best, not Worlds Best.

Sorry about being an apostrophe Nazi.

I do not understand why catfish is so popular in these parts. There may be more catfish restaurants in the D/FW Metroplex than any other genre. Even BBQ. To my semi-refined tastebuds, catfish is, at best, flavorless, at worst you can bite into catfish that tastes like the mud the catfish bottom fed from.

The texture of catfish is mushy. Very unappealing. And then the catfish is usually deep-fried with a corn meal coating. Although I have seen catfish grilled in various ways, but none that tasted very good to me.

Usually with catfish you'll get these things called hush puppies. These are little balls of deep-fried cornmeal dough, usually tasting the same as what the catfish is coated with.

So, I guess the thing I've learned today is if I want the World's Best Catfish, which I don't, I need to go to Tuckers Catfish Haven.

The Salvation Army Bell Ringers Accepting Credit Cards In North Richland Hills Texas

I had read somewhere that some Salvation Army Bell Ringers now accept credit cards. But I had not seen this in person til today.

That's the credit card accepting Salvation Army Bell Ringer at the North Richland Hills Wal-Mart Supercenter on Davis Boulevard.

I was a far distance away, using the zoom to take the picture. The Salvation Army Bell Ringer had no idea he was under surveillance.

It seems sort of cruel to stick the Salvation Army Bell Ringers outside during this Arctic Blast we are currently freezing with, here in North Texas.

It is currently 32 with the wind making it feel like 24.

How does the Salvation Army Bell Ringer process a credit card, I could not help but wonder.

I remember being at the Taos Pueblo in New Mexico and the native Taos tour guide telling us that the natives live the same way they did hundreds of years ago, with no modern conveniences, no electricity, no phones.

After the Taos tour you are invited to visit various shops that sell native handicraft type stuff and food, like this bread you could not help but want, after smelling it baking for an hour in a wood fired kiln type thing. After hearing the Taos Pueblo had no modern conveniences I was a bit surprised to see that credit cards were accepted. And processed over a phone line. In a room with illumination provided by light bulbs.

I'm fairly certain the Salvation Army Bell Ringer that accepted credit cards had a very efficient way to do so. I didn't whip mine out to find out how though.

Texas Air Pollution Alerts And Dangerous Nitrogen Tanks

Every Wednesday on my way back south from Southlake, and Sprouts Farmers Market, I see two Air Pollution Alert signs on the west side of Davis Boulevard. I don't see any Air Pollution Alert signs on the east side when I'm heading north.

What perplexes me is wondering what the purpose of these two signs can possibly be. What is one supposed to do with this alert? Watch out for incoming Air Pollution?

And why are these two Air Pollution Alert signs the only two I've ever seen? These signs are in North Richland Hills. Are they all over North Richland Hills? The only other North Richland Hills road I have driven on lately is North Tarrant Parkway. I saw no Air Pollution Alert signs on that road.

The two Air Pollution Alert signs on Davis Boulevard are within about a half mile, or less of each other. Maybe that stretch of road is extra polluted, thus the signs.

There is another disturbing thing I see each week on Davis Boulevard. It is between the two Air Pollution Alert signs. About 6 feet from the side of the road there is this big metal tank that says "Nitrogen" on it. Above the tank there is a sign that says "Danger."

Today I had resolved that I would get pictures of the Air Pollution Alert sign and the dangerous Nitrogen Tank sitting along side a busy, heavily polluted road. When I saw the Nitrogen Tank up close and personal, I could read what was written below "DANGER"....

FIBER OPTIC CABLE ROUTE
CITIZEN ACCESS TO 911 OR OTHER
EMERGENCY SERVICES MAY BE
INTERRUPTED AND YOU WILL BE
SUBJECT TO CIVIL LIABILITY AND/OR
CRIMINAL PROSECUTION IF YOU DIG,
TRENCH OR PUSH PIPE IN THIS
VICINITY BEFORE GETTING PERMISSION

Well, that cleared that up. Near as I could tell, the Nitrogen Tank is being used to help hold up the DANGER sign. Probably because a proper sign hole could not be dug without damaging that fiber optic cable. One would think something could have been found to accomplish this other than a Nitrogen Tank that looks a bit foreboding sitting 6 feet from the curb with a big ol' DANGER sign above it.

So, that's been my exciting day, so far, this fine Wednesday in Texas. Despite forecasts that said otherwise, we will not be hitting 100 today. Maybe tomorrow. At least I will sleep better tonight, now that I've sorted out what that disturbingly dangerous looking Nitrogen Tank is all about. But, then again, I do still have that Air Pollution Alert to worry about. I'll probably sleep anyway.

North Richland Hills Little Bear Creek Park Under Gas Attack

I got email this morning from a North Richland Hills citizen named Barry Thompson. North Richland Hills is north of Richland Hills and is one of the dozens of small towns that make up the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Barry Thompson is fighting to stop yet one more natural gas drilling operation getting ready to do damage to yet one more D/FW park. Yesterday I showed you photos of the current state of the damage done to the Tandy Hills in east Fort Worth.

And now this morning to learn of this latest local city government sneaky operation in cahoots with the drillers, doing their dirty dealings behind closed doors without public input. Shameful.

Below is the email from Barry Thompson....

I am a huge supporter of reforestation in the DFW area and have worked on tree grant programs when I lived in Fort Worth.I am very disturbed by the decision by the North Richland Hills city council to allow Natural Gas Drilling rigs on park property. There is a gas company currently surveying and staking out a very large section of Little Bear Creek Park in the northwest part of NRH. They have flagged many, many mature trees for clear cutting. Many of the trees are native breeds and a large part of them are evergreens planted by the city over ten years ago!

The decision was made with virtually no notice to the public other than what is required by law - posting a public hearing date in the paper. Therefore not one resident spoke when the issue came up to vote ... no one knew about it!

We are currently organizing, passing out flyers and getting petitions signed before a drilling permit gets signed. I have also been talking to John Pistick and members of the Parks and Recreation department for NRH but nobody seems too interested in stopping this activity. Is there anything you can do to help us? Is there anyone in this area that could be an advocate for our cause?

Thanks in advance for your consideration, if you have any suggestions that would help us fight this please let me know!

Sincerely,
Barry Thompson