Visiting Tacoma & 15 Other Astonishing American Places

Yesterday I came upon a goofy gallery on the EDGE browser's Microsoft News page titled "16 Astonishing Places in the U.S. You've Never Heard Of".

# 15 was Tacoma, Washington. I think a lot of people have heard of this particular place. The description of what made Tacoma astonishing was a bit odd...

Tacoma, Washington, is a place that’s packed with unique experiences that are often overlooked. At the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, you can see all different sorts of animals and marine life.

At the Museum of Glass, watch or even try glassblowing. Or, why not gaze at beautiful antique cars at the LeMay Car Museum? If you are a sports lover, 24 hours of bowling and indoor mini-golfing at Tower Lanes might be for you.

I have been to Tacoma many times and have never heard of the LeMay Car Museum. And, what with all there is to do in Tacoma, mention is made of a bowling alley with mini-golf?

Bizarre.

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is mentioned, but not the fact that those two locations are just one part of one of the largest urban parks in the world, known as Point Defiance. 

Mention is not made of the Tacoma waterfront, with its many restaurants, or the Thea Foss Waterway, another attraction linked to the Tacoma museums, including the Chihuly Museum of Glass. No mention is made of Point Ruston, another waterfront attraction.

I have been to several of these "astonishing" places, and whilst finding some to be of interest, I sure do not recollect being astonished by any of them.

I've been to San Luis Obispo, Badlands National Park, North Park, Colorado, Flagstaff, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah and White Sands National Park.

I liked Badlands and White Sands, but neither was at all astonishing. 

Flagstaff? Last time I was in that Arizona town was in July of 2017. Stuck there for 7 hours whilst my vehicle got a new fuel pump installed. Now, the Grand Canyon, which is mighty close to Flagstaff, now that is one super astonishing place on the planet.

All I remember of San Luis Obispo is getting burgers at an Arctic Circle. That and the town's hilly location on the Pacific coast. There may be remnants of mission architecture, the likes of which one sees all over Southern California, none of which seems astonishing to me, though I do remember being impressed by San Juan Capistrano.

Anyway, what I got out of this is I am due for a visit to Tacoma, a truly astonishing town...

Microsoft OneDrive Remembering Me, Theo & Ruby At Point Ruston

Today marks a rare occurrence of the daily Microsoft Memories from this Day actually being a memory that easily did happen on August 11.

The year was 2017. I flew to Washington on, I think, August 8 or 9. One of the days following my arrival, prior to driving north to Birch Bay, the Tacoma Trio of David, Theo & Ruby, and their parental units, took me to Tacoma's Point Ruston.

If you are ever in Tacoma, drive the Tacoma waterfront north til you reach Point Ruston and Point Defiance. You won't be disappointed by what you will find there.

It seems to my memory that I recently shared the above photo which showed up in my email today. That is me between Theo & Ruby in a Point Ruston ice cream parlor.

This is one of my all time favorite photos.

Back In Tacoma Pedaling With David, Theo & Ruby

That which you see here showed up this morning in my email, from Microsoft. a OneDrive Memory from this Day.

The day was in August, but not the first day of August. The year was 2017. I was in Texas the first day of August in 2017. 

A few days later, well, over a week later, I left Texas and flew to Washington where I met my nephews David and Theo, and my one and only niece, Ruby for the first time.

A few days after arriving in Tacoma, David, Theo and Ruby directed me and their parental units to Tacoma's Point Ruston, where we soon found ourselves driving along the Tacoma waterfront, a pedal powered motion device.

In the above photo Theo is in the driver's seat, with Ruby next to him, with David next to Ruby, keeping an eye on the rearview mirror.

The pedal powered motion device was a lot of fun. Someone should bring these to the town I am currently in. Methinks people would enjoy renting one to pedal themselves along the Circle Trail.

Way back in August of 2017 I blog posted about the day we pedaled a surrey with a fringe on top, in a blogging titled Point Ruston Ruby, Theo & David Surrey Survey Of Tacoma's New Waterfront Development.

Point Ruston is an impressive development on the Tacoma waterfront, transforming an industrial wasteland into a huge complex of residential towers, restaurants, and other attractions, like the aforementioned pedal powered surreys.

Point Ruston came to be a bustling success during the same time frame the Texas town named Fort Worth has struggled to reclaim an industrial wasteland on the north side of the town's downtown. Point Ruston is a bigger project than Fort Worth's proposed, stalled, project, which has limped along since this century began.

Point Ruston is the site America's biggest Superfund cleanup, mitigating the pollution left behind by the long-gone Asarco copper smelting operation. After the cleanup billions of bucks of private funding showed up to transform the cleaned-up land.

Fort Worth has not yet reached the point where the EPA determines the former industrial wasteland is safe for development.

It is so strange how two towns in the same country can be so different. One dynamic, the other not.

Perplexing...

McNutty Strikes Again From Tacoma This Time

Little Miss McNutt's latest homesick inducing image, posted on Facebook, is not the usual view of Mount Rainier, which is usually from the Seattle perspective, if not an up close look at the Mountain.

Tacoma is closer to the Mountain than Seattle is. At times when driving around Tacoma it seems like the Mountain is somehow following you, at times seeing to loom larger and closer than other times.

The view above is a tad exaggerated. I think David, Theo and Ruby's Tacoma abode is hidden somewhere in the tall evergreen trees.

The Washington Native American's name for Mount Rainier is Tahoma, which means "snowy mountain peak".

I do not know why David, Theo and Ruby's town replaced the 'h' in Tahoma with a 'c'. There likely is an explanation for this.

Downtown Fort Worth Looks To Seattle For Future Lessons

That which you see above is a screen cap of part of an email from last month.

I do not know why, but each month I receive an email from Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. full of information about what's happening in downtown Fort Worth during that particular month.

When I saw last month's email newsletter from Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. it instantly amused me, and then I forgot about it til this morning of the second day of March.

Apparently last month DFWI's 38th annual meeting took place. With that meeting hosting a look into the future by looking at Seattle's lessons for Fort Worth.

I have long experienced Fort Worth locals getting cranky at me when I compare Seattle to Fort Worth. I have lost track of the number of times I have explained that I compare the two because they are the two big cities with which I have had the most contact.

I suppose it would be more accurate to compare Fort Worth to Tacoma, with Tacoma being another big city with which I am familiar. Tacoma is sort of to Seattle what Fort Worth is to Dallas, with Seattle and Dallas being the better known, bigger towns in their respective metro zones.

But, comparing Fort Worth to Tacoma would also not be pretty and would also likely make cranky those Fort Worth locals who are averse to mirrors and accurate reflections.

After all, Tacoma is a town much smaller, population-wise, than Fort Worth. Yet, somehow, Tacoma manages to have streets with sidewalks, parks with zero outhouses, multiple public swimming pools, two HUGE waterfront developments (privately funded), one of the biggest city parks in the world, multiple bridges involving complex engineering (over water), built in a timely time frame, while Fort Worth struggles to build three simple little bridges over dry land, to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

And somehow Fort Worth is taking a look into the future by learning some lessons from Seattle?

I can think of a few lessons Seattle could teach Fort Worth.

Such as do not begin a public works project which the public has not voted on, and which is not fully funded.

During less time than Fort Worth has been ambling along in slow motion with its imaginary vitally needed flood control and economic development scheme, known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, or more frequently, simply as the Boondoggle, Seattle has voted on and actualized multiple public works projects.

A four billion dollar floating bridge and road upgrades across Lake Washington. Another four billion dollar project to remove the Alaskan Way Viaduct, replaced with a tunnel, along with rebuilding the Seattle waterfront. And then there is the 54 billion dollar most recent Sound Transit measure passed by the voting public.

Meanwhile Fort Worth panhandles for federal funds funneled from more prosperous parts of America, to pay for the town's ineptly implemented Boondoggle.

Fort Worth could learn lessons in the concept of urban planning from both Tacoma and Seattle.

Just one example is the mess of bad planning one finds whilst driving Fort Worth's North Tarrant Parkway west to that road's inept juncture with Highway 287. You do not see this type ridiculous incompetence in Seattle and Tacoma. It would make the locals angry.

The same day I saw that Fort Worth was looking to Seattle for lessons for the future I saw that which you see in the second graphic, in the Seattle Times.

Now, becoming more progressive and liberal would be a mighty fine thing for Fort Worth.

Is trying to achieve such one of the lessons Fort Worth is learning from Seattle?

This would require amping up the education level of the Fort Worth population. Increasing the numbers graduating high school.

And college.

Improving the schools. Hiring better teachers. Spending more money on education.

You really can't have a progressive liberal population if the majority of your people are poorly educated with a simplistic understanding of the world.

Having a well educated liberal minded population may explain a lot of the differences I have noted between Fort Worth and Seattle/Tacoma.

Is being a liberal bastion the reason the Seattle zone is the home to so many successes? Microsoft, Starbucks, Costco, Amazon, Boeing to name just four well known examples.

Meanwhile Fort Worth is home to Radio Shack and Pier One Imports. And American Airlines, I think, though the AA corporate headquarters is a location I have never seen.

Last year I remember reading that some Fort Worth entity was working to attract multiple corporations to relocate to Fort Worth. This seemed a typical Fort Worth delusion.

Why would any corporation relocate to a town hosting America's Biggest Boondoggle? Among many other embarrassments. Such as the boarded up eyesore homage to Fort Worth's heritage, known as Heritage Park, a blight on the north end of downtown for over a decade.

Seattle has a park somewhat similar to Fort Worth's Heritage Park, called Freeway Park. Actually Seattle's Freeway Park is like a combo of Fort Worth's Heritage Park and Fort Worth's Water Gardens at the south end of downtown. 

Seattle's Freeway Park was designed as a solution to I-5 slicing through downtown Seattle. Freeway Park is a lid over the freeway, made into a large park with trails, canyons and waterfalls. Freeway Park eventually linked with the Washington Convention Center, and other downtown buildings, and a pedestrian tunnel, which, if I remember right, connects Freeway Park to Rainier Square.

At some point in time crime became a problem in Seattle's Freeway Park. I can't remember for sure, but I think there was a murder. But, unlike Fort Worth, instead of closing Freeway Park and surrounding it with barbed wire and cyclone fence and turning it into an un-used eyesore, solutions were found, such as better lighting, panic buttons, police patrolling. I forget what all. But the park was not closed. It was improved and kept open.

That is not the Fort Worth Way, you know, to analyze and improve something. Adopting the Seattle Way of operating really might be a valuable lesson for the future of Fort Worth, but I really don't see that happening.

Oh, and for those aforementioned poorly educated types, below is an easy to understand definition of what the term "liberal" actually means...

Fort Worth's Panther Island Remains Toxic While Tacoma Exemplifies Civic Reinvention

On first glance my one long time reader may see the image you see here and wonder if this is the latest version of America's Biggest Boondoggle's imaginary island.

No, what you see here is real, not an embarrassingly phantom of the sort you can not see in that American backwater of Fort Worth, Texas.

I think that new medication that causes me to say what I really think must be kicking in.

During the same time frame Fort Worth has been boondoggling along, ineptly, with an ill-conceived, incompetently implemented, un-funded economic development scheme disguised as imaginary flood control, the relatively little (population-wise, compared to Fort Worth) Washington town of Tacoma has managed to produce two large developments along that town's actual real waterway of Commencement Bay.

There is the Thea Foss Waterway development at the south end of Commencement Bay, and the Point Ruston development at the north end of Commencement Bay.

Both projects dwarf Fort Worth's pitiful attempt to create a "water feature" for that town. I do not know all the funding details, but both projects did not lack funding in Tacoma. The Point Ruston project is mostly a private development, with some, I assume, public funding.

Both Tacoma projects have elements of the EPA superfund being involved.

Fort Worth's Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District has never been voted on by the public, in an honest, legit way. The project relied on hiring the unqualified son of a Fort Worth politician as the project's executive director, in the hope mom would secure federal funding.

That has not worked out.

Hence Fort Worth's pitiful project, propagandized as a vitally needed flood control project, has been limping along for most of this century, with no end in sight. And with it highly unlikely that more prosperous parts of America will be sending money to Fort Worth to help pay for the town's ridiculous economic development scheme.

Meanwhile in Tacoma.

I saw that which you see above this morning in the Seattle Times, with the article headline From toxic site to green space: New Tacoma park exemplifies civic reinvention.

You can read the entire article to get the entire gist. You who are reading this in Fort Worth and are victims of America's Biggest Boondoggle, read the article and see how many bits of info are not of the sort one would read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the Trinity River Vision.

I will just use the last paragraph of the article as an example...

Dune Peninsula park is every bit the vision presented to Tacoma voters before the 2014 bond election that promised a fresh destination-quality landmark. It is an example for communities throughout Washington of how the legacy of one era can be reinvented as a resource for future ones.

Wow! Imagine that? A real vision presented to a town's voters, in an actual bond election of the sort which happens in modern America, passed in 2014, the year Fort Worth had an idiotic TNT exploding celebration to celebrate the start of construction of three simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

And now, five years later, those Fort Worth bridges are nothing but eyesores, with no end in sight, while in an American town wearing its big city pants the people are enjoying the results of what they approved via the voting method.

What a revolutionary concept...

Tacoma Thaw Keeps David, Theo & Ruby School Free Another Day

Today's Wednesday morning look at the Tacoma backyard of David, Theo and Ruby documents the fact that the Big Thaw has greatly reduced the level of whiteness at their location.

In addition to the photo there was the following text message...

"Aaaaaaaggggghhhh School is closed again today!!!!"

School closed would seem to indicate another play day for David, Theo and Ruby, and their playmates also known as parental units.

Wet snow is not quite as fun to play with as fresh frozen snow.

In others news from Pacific Northwesterners whose news I track, yesterday I learned Linda Lou is escaping the current Pacific Northwest record breaking snow events by flying to New Orleans where she will be staying a couple days in the French Quarter before boarding a ship which will sail her to the Grand Caymans, where the temperature is currently 84 degrees, and some Mexico location I am not currently remembering, which will likely be equally warm.

Warm and free of any possible chance of snow. Unless some freak occurrence happens, such as the blizzard that snowed Maui yesterday...

Tacoma Flu Free Snow With David, Theo & Ruby

Yesterday I emailed asking if David, Theo and Ruby had taken their parental units to Seattle over the weekend to join the thousands of Puget Sounders walking through the new Highway 99 tunnel, along with one last walk on the Alaskan Viaduct.

I opined that I assumed a tunnel walk through had not taken place, because I had received no photo documentation of such.

Soon thereafter I received a reply from one of David, Theo and Ruby's maternal parental units, stationed at the time in Olympia, telling me that no tunnel walk through by David and the twins had happened, due to the twin's time being taken up working on recovering from a bad bout of the flu, with Theo's flu bout made worse with Strep Throat.

David, Theo and Ruby had been shot with this year's flu vaccine, and then, apparently, managed to find a flu strain not stopped by this year's vaccine.

In the initial reply to the tunnel inquiry I was told some snow photo documentation would be forth coming.

A short time later that photo documentation came forth, as promised.

Above is one of those photos, a time tunnel compilation photo showing David, Theo and Ruby on a sled several winters ago, next to a photo I am assuming was taken during the current bout of Tacoma and the rest of the lowlands of Western Washington being colored white.

And below is video documenting, I assume, Theo and Ruby back healthy enough to sled down a hill with big brother David...

Keeping Cool In Tacoma With David, Theo & Ruby

No, what you are looking at here is not me cooling off at one of Arizona's many refreshing beaches.

Last night my favorite Ruby niece text messaged me what you are looking at here.

That being her favorite brothers, Theo and David, rescuing some driftwood at Owens Beach which had floated in from some where on the Puget Sound.

Owens Beach is located in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, near the ferry landing which takes one from the mainland to Vashon Island.

To those reading this in Fort Worth, and its environs,Vashon Island is a real island, not an imaginary make believe pretend island surrounded by a man made ditch..

That is just a piece of Vashon Island you see in the distance to the right of David's red head.

The gap between the mainland and Vashon Island is too far to close the gap with a bridge, hence a ferry boat being the means of island access.

No local Tacoma congresswoman's incompetent son, exhibiting classic Dunning-Kruger Effect syndrome, was put in charge of building the boat to float from Tacoma to Vashon Island, hence that boat has been floating for decades.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, has anyone been seeing any real progress with those pitiful little bridges which have been stuck in slow motion make believe construction for around four years. Longer than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge, which was an actual feat of engineering, built over actual water?

Yesterday around the time Ruby sent me the above cool looking photo Miss Daisy and I were getting hit with yet one more dust storm and monsoon. With the temperature over 100.

Owens Beach, Tacoma, the Pacific Northwest, and a naturally air conditioned outer world sounds appealing at this point in time.

I don't know if I can successfully trick Miss Daisy into directing me on a roadtrip north to Washington.

It is now Sunday, the day after the above pithy paragraphs were written. A week from today I should be back in Texas.

This Sunday morning Miss Daisy directed me to her usual Sunday morning McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with Egg. Followed by a long drive to Santan Mountain.

After not doing some mountain climbing Miss Daisy directed me to a Costco where we free sampled and hunted for some sort of frozen cone confection.

The frozen cone confection search was futile. We left Costco with nothing but those aforementioned free samples.

The drive from Costco back to Sun Lakes passed through some falling raindrops, but not enough, it seemed to me, to qualify as legitimate precipitation.

However, this morning, post swim whilst lounging poolside, whilst talking on the phone, some legitimate precipitation precipitated, but not in full downpour mode. It was refreshing.

I took a photo of this morning's poolside monsoon. It is one my phone. Maybe I will get that photo off my phone later...

David, Theo & Ruby Get New Wheels Rolling Through Tacoma

The Scooter Girl you are looking at here is my niece Ruby, scooting fast along a Tacoma sidewalk.

Tacoma is a modern American city with streets with sidewalks on both sides of the street, usually with a landscaped median between the sidewalk and street.

Unlike...

Well, anyone who has read this blog before can fill in the blank which follows "unlike" with the un-modern American city I'm referring to with that "unlike" word.

Ruby's mom phone texted me the Scooter Girl photo documentation you see here, along with additional photo documentation documenting Ruby's brother's new bikes.

Text accompanying the photo documentation...

Some friends gave David a hand me down bike in great shape. 24 inch tires. 7 gears. So, then we got Theo a bigger bike too. He should be able to keep up with you a bit better now. And Scooter Girl too...

I think I need to figure out a way to get my bike to Tacoma within a reasonable time frame so as to have some mighty fine time rolling wheels with nephews David and Theo on Tacoma's mountain bike trails.

T

I hope David has been easily able to master using hand brakes attached to calipers, along with shifting through seven gears.

Theo's new bike looks to be a mountain bike. I hope Theo is also easily able to master using hand brakes attached to calipers, along with shifting through I don't know how many gears.

When I last rode bikes with David, Theo and Ruby, Ruby's bike had training wheels. I do not know if Ruby has opted out of being a bike rider with scootering now being her preferred means of rolling wheels...

Point Ruston Ruby, Theo & David Surrey Survey Of Tacoma's New Waterfront Development

Last night David, Theo and Ruby took me on a roll along the Tacoma waterfront via a surrey with a fringe on top, powered by Fred Flintstonish pedal power.

For several years now I have been hearing about the incredible development which has come to the north end of the Tacoma waterfront, at Ruston, the site of America's biggest Superfund cleanup, cleaning up the toxic residue left from the Asarco copper smelting operation which operated during many years of the previous century.

I remember when the Ruston Asarco zone was an industrial wasteland. Driving through a narrow tunnel, coming out the other end to see the giant Asarco smelter chimney towering like a grimy Space Needle.

That tower came down several decades ago, in a spectacular explosive demolition similar to the fate of the Kingdome a few decades later. The site was cleaned of its lead and copper smelting pollution. And left a sort of wasteland.

And then at some point late in the last century some building action began. There was a slight stall due to the Great Recession, but now, in 2017, that old Ruston industrial wasteland is a boom zone known as Point  Ruston.

A waterfront development on steroids. Both the north and south ends of the Tacoma waterfront have boomed since I last saw those locations, way back in 2008.

Tonight, a Thursday, Point Ruston was busy. as was the rest of the Tacoma waterfront. Lots of people walking, blading, biking and surrey pedaling the waterfront promenade. A huge free parking lot garage makes it easy to visit the Point Ruston Asarco boom zone, along with what were a lot of other people. A giant hotel is under construction to accommodate the incoming visiting tourists who need accommodating.

Normally I would make mention of the fact that this HUGE development has taken place without using or abusing eminent domain. Without hiring the son of a local congressperson to motivate the local congressperson to secure federal funds to fund the development. With this Point Ruston development developing because private developers saw an economic opportunity and so HUGE sums of money, private, non-taxpayer money, is fueling this development.

And did I mention this is a waterfront development, which already has a promenade along the waterfront?

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, Texas...

But, I don't have time to elaborate on how progress actually occurs in modern parts of America, and how it stymies in backwards, non-modern parts of America, because I have to get ready to head north towards Canada, to Birch Bay.

But before I go, some more photos from last night.

Ruby took the wheel for awhile. Ruby was a good driver, though David got a bit nervous when the steering took us to what looked to be a dropoff into Commencement Bay.

Here Theo took the wheel. Theo was a wilder driver than Ruby.

After an hour, give or take a minute or two, of rolling around in the surrey with a fringe on top, we parked our vehicle and proceeded to seek something to eat. Ruby wanted pizza, but the pizza place had a half hour wait. The burger joint also had a long wait.

Eventually we found a seafood joint with not a too long wait. I do not remember the name of the seafood joint. We had halibut and chips, calamari, fried jalapenos and a blackberry/rosemary/lemon concoction which was quite tasty.

Many of the feeding stations had outdoor dining options, such as you see above, both ground level and rooftop.

While we were pedaling our surrey with the fringe on top we came upon the above tugboat, docked, with people in dressed nice mode getting onboard. A half hour later the tugboat floated by. As you can see Point Ruston, and the Tacoma waterfront features a large urban lake. Only in Washington this is called Puget Sound.

Our last Point Ruston stop was at the Ice Cream Social, where we joined a long line waiting to quickly get some real good ice cream. Above you see Theo, me and Ruby waiting for Mama Kristin to deliver the goods. I have a pair of nephews with elevated refined palates. David likes calamari, Theo likes lavender ice cream, for example. Meanwhile, Ruby's tastes are less exotic, though last night Ruby did get a bit wild and crazy by trying some blackberry ice cream.

Below is a video from last night, in which you will eventually see David, Theo and Ruby, and me, dodging shots of water in a big free spirited, no restricted hours, water feature a town in Texas should have checked out for emulation purposes before installing a pitiful similar thing in their equally pitiful little downtown development pretentiously called Sundance Square Plaza. I did not make note of any pretentious name for the plaza with the Point Ruston water feature...

Riding Tacoma Waves With David, Theo & Ruby

For today's mid-day Tacoma fun David, Theo and Ruby waited til after Lego Camp to take me to Kandle Park to do some wave pooling along with a lot of other wave poolers.

We had a mighty fine time along with Mama Kristin.

In addition to this Tacoma public pool, with its big wave making machine, along with a wading pool and other water features, like a giant water dumping bucket and water machine guns, there are other Tacoma public pool parks. One of which has a lazy river.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, Texas. Where it gets HOT.

Oh, why bother?

But it does make one wonder how it is one area of America can be so, well, advanced, progressive, modern, dynamic,and socially advanced while another area of America can be, well, not so much.

I took the above picture when we were leaving. Kristin took a lot of other pictures whilst we were wave pooling. I will likely share those later if we can figure out how to get them off Kristin's phone to my phone to this computer.

Other than the wave surfing my most amusing moment of the pool time was when a school girl friend of Theo's asked him if I was his grandpa.

Another amusing moment came when Theo and I were at the deep end, near where the waves generate, when a little girl wearing a flotation device asked if we could help her get to shore. She was very grateful when we got to where the waves were crashing at the end of their run.

We wave pooled for a couple hours, then had a picnic on the grassy knoll overlooking the pool, then it was off to Proctor to try out a new gelato joint.

In a couple hours we're heading to the north end of Tacoma, to Ruston, to see the results of a real public works project with a real dramatic water feature, a massive development which solved a real environmental issue.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth. Again, why bother?

PHOTO UPDATE:

Tacoma's Foss Waterway Development Authority vs. Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Authority Boondoggle

A couple days ago, whilst sorting through my YouTube videos looking for a video I made six years ago of a drive over Tacoma's Two Bridges Over Water, I came upon another video I made during that year's stay in Tacoma, a video of a walk around Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway.

You can watch that video below, in which you will see a pair of Tacoma Link street cars, full of riders, crossing paths in Tacoma's Museum district, which is not called The Cultural District.

Those Tacoma Link street cars are free to ride from Tacoma's Intermodal Transport Center where you can hop a bus, train or streetcar, to go to all sorts of locations, after parking in a big parking garage, for free.

At the Tacoma Intermodal Transport Center you will also find Freighthouse Square, a Fort Worth Santa Fe Rail Market-like development on steroids, which has thrived for years, rather than die a quick death like Fort Worth's pitiful public market attempt.

Watching that video I made years ago, made well after the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle was well underway, with its slow motion construction, I was struck by the similarities between what Thea Foss Waterway has become and what the Trinity River Vision purports to want to be.

Both have bridges. That is the Thea Foss Waterway Bridge below, built across water in way shorter time than four years. The TRV Boondoggle currently has three simple bridges under construction, over dry land, with the water to be added later. Maybe. With these simple bridges slated to take four years to build.

Above you are looking at just a small section of the Thea Foss Waterway. What is called the Esplanade meanders along the waterway for about 1.5 miles. I believe that is about the length of the Fort Worth Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's imaginary promenade alongside its imaginary channel alongside its imaginary island.

Below is another look at the Thea Foss Waterway Esplanade. When I visited for a month in August of 2004 I had myself a mighty fine time roller blading on the Esplanade.

The Thea Foss Waterway Development is a mixed use type of deal. There is a large marina with boats of all sizes, restaurants, a big apartment complex, which you see part of on the left above, stores, parks, other amenities, including museums, some of which are accessed by crossing over a freeway spur via what is known as The Bridge of Glass.

Above you are looking at the broad stairway which leads to the aforementioned Bridge of Glass, where you will find an installation of Chihuly Glass worth millions. That cone shaped structure is part of the Museum of Glass.

Okay, now that I have given you some idea of what the Thea Foss Waterway is, let's talk about how this development came to be.

Historically the Thea Foss Waterway was an industrial zone. Those industries polluted the waterway. In 1983 the Environmental Protection Agency designated the waterway and Commencement Bay a Superfund cleanup site.

Tacoma city and business leaders then created the Foss Waterway Development Authority with its goal being the restoration of the waterway to being a dynamic part of Tacoma. From that point on the FWDA has set precedents in planning, engineering and development, in cooperation with regulatory agencies and the public.

In 2014 the result is a mixed use urban village combining housing, retail, restaurants, along with recreation amenities.

The Thea Foss Waterway is on ongoing development, growing and expanding.

So, how does Tacoma, a town a quarter the size of Fort Worth, population-wise, manage to pull of a massive public works project, successfully, including the building of bridges, water features, walkways, along with cleaning up a pollution mess, while Fort Worth dawdles along with an embarrassing boondoggle which had an explosive celebration celebrating the start of the four year construction of Three Bridges Over Nothing?

I think part of the explanation for the difference is in Tacoma adults are in charge. The executive director of the Foss Waterway Authority is not the unqualified son of a local congresswoman. The Foss Waterway Authority sets and meets clear goals with project timelines.

Fort Worth's Boondoggle has no actual goals or project timelines, unless one wants to count that four year goal to build three simple bridges over dry land.

Comparing the Foss Waterway Development Authority website with the Trinity River Vision Authority website is very revealing.

The Tacoma website it totally reality based, sharing information about projects already completed, or in progress. The Fort Worth website is mostly propaganda, sharing pseudo information about plans which have no plan or project timeline, such as the Gateway Park Master Plan.

The Fort Worth website does a lot of bragging about things they should be embarrassed about, such as their various "Products" and "Programs".  Products like ice rinks, drive-ins, breweries and wakeboard parks. Programs like Rockin' the River Inner Tube Floats and music festivals.

You will find no information on the Fort Worth website about project timelines. You will find a lot of propaganda puffery.

The Tacoma website has a page listing the Foss Waterway Development Authority's Completed Projects.

You will find no similar list on The Boondoggle's website.

The mission statement type blurbs on the two website's home pages are telling.

From the Thea Foss Waterway Development Authority website...

The Thea Foss Waterway is quickly becoming a popular place to live, work and play. Mountain views, marina access, walking distance to downtown Tacoma and nearby services make Foss Waterway an attractive master planned community. Development sites are available along the Foss Waterway, just 35 miles south of Seattle. The Foss Waterway Development Authority (FWDA) is the coordinating agency for the waterfront's development. We can be advocates for developers through our established relationships with regulatory agencies.

From the Trinity River Vision Authority website...

The Trinity River Vision Authority (TRVA) is the organization responsible for the implementation of the Trinity River Vision (TRV) - a master plan for the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas. It is underway now - connecting every neighborhood in the city to the Trinity River corridor with new recreational amenities, improved infrastructure, environmental enhancements and event programming. The TRV will create Panther Island (formerly Trinity Uptown), a vibrant urban waterfront neighborhood, expand Gateway Park into one of the largest urban-programmed parks in the nation and enhance the river corridor with over 90 user-requested projects along the Trinity Trails.
Every time I read the TRVB's propaganda about 90 imaginary user-requested projects I cringe. I tell you, the Fort Worth Boondogglers, led by J.D. Granger, have no shame, no matter how absurd the propaganda they spew.

A master plan to connect every neighborhood in the city to the river? Can we see that plan please?

The plan is underway? Really? Where can we check out the project timeline for that plan which is underway? Such a timeline does not exist on The Boondoggle's website.

And, before I shut up, I must add one important thing. The Boondoggle is not yet at the point, if it ever gets there, when pollution issues come up that need mitigating, such as Tacoma had to deal with. The area where The Boondoggle is boondoggling is an industrial wasteland. It is highly likely contamination is going to be encountered if digging into the ground ever actually takes place.

Does the EPA Superfund still exist? Methinks that may be the only federal money The Boondoggle may actually be able to get its hands on.....

A Beautiful Blue Sky Texas Friday The 13th Fearing Full Honey Moon Lunacy

Looking west through the bars of my patio prison cell the view is a bit more blue than yesterday's multiple shades of gray.

Today is a special day, feared by Triskaphobes.

Do I have that word right? The word has been underlined in red, indicated a misspelling.

Well, whatever the correct word, the meaning of the word is those who have a fear of the number 13.

So, those Triskaphobes should be particularly afraid today due to today being a very rare Friday the 13th.

This Friday the 13th should be doubly fearful for those suffering from both Triskaphobia and Lunarphobia.

Well, I totally made up that word, Lunarphobia, so it is no surprise that it also got redlined.

Tonight, if my information sources are correct, a full moon will be making a rare Friday the 13th appearance.

In addition to the moon being a full moon it is also a Honey Moon.

I have no idea what is meant by the full moon being a Honey Moon. But, I read it on Facebook so you know it is reliable information. Apparently tonight is the first Honey Moon in something like one hundred years, thus rendering it very special.

So, those prone to lunacy should be out in full force.

Translated to Pacific Northwest terms, it would likely be a wise move to stay off the streets of Tacoma tonight, with Tacoma long known as the Pacific Northwest nexus of lunacy.

Translated to Texas terms, what with it being Friday the 13th and a full Honey Moon, it is likely a wise move to stay safely locked indoors tonight, no matter where you live in Texas......

Going On A Litter Free Walk With Blue & Max In Tacoma's Point Defiance Park

I hit the publish button on the previous blogging, then when I checked the blog to make sure it blogged correctly I saw that Blue & Max, Tacoma's most well known blogging poodles, had blogged again.

I swiped one of Blue & Max's pictures.

The picture shows multiple elements of why I'd like to move back to Washington.

First off, in the picture I see two nephews and one niece. That is nephew David in the yellow shirt on the far left, mom Kristin holding niece, Ruby, whilst sitting on a piece of driftwood. Sister Jackie, visiting from Arizona, in the middle, in a blue shirt, with Ruby's twin, my nephew Theo, in the red shirt on the right.

The two closest to you in the picture are Blue & Max.

In addition to nephews and a niece, what else am I seeing that makes me want to move back to Washington?

Do you see any litter in the picture?

I get so disgusted, at times, with what a littered up mess Texas is, with so many Texans mocking their "Don't Mess With Texas" slogan.

How can so many people be such slobs, creating so much litter?

It is so perplexing.

I don't know what time of day this picture was taken. My last time at this location was in the early evening, with 100s of people picnicking, in the water, playing. This is in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, one of the biggest urban parks in America.

Tacoma charges no fee to enter Point Defiance Park.

Most big cities, which have learned to wear their big city pants, do not charge entry fees to their basic amenities, like city parks.

The only park in Fort Worth that is even remotely as diverse, and big, as Point Defiance, is the Fort Worth Nature Preserve & Refuge.

Very few people visit this Fort Worth park.

An entry fee is charged.

Point Defiance Park has miles of really good hiking trails. Trails in deep woods with really tall trees, with those trees being green all year long, hence calling them evergreens.

With Washington being known as the Evergreen State.

Which it really isn't.

Evergreen.

A drought can make the west side of the Cascades somewhat brown, while the east side of the Cascades is mostly always brown, with a lot of irrigated green oasis.

From the location of this picture, if the sky conditions were cooperating, we would be seeing Mount Rainier.

I miss mountains.

To the left, that water you see is what is known as saltwater. Part of Puget Sound. Even though this water is in a big city, it is crystal clear, as in you can look deep into the water. Anyone looked deep into a Fort Worth lake lately? Or the Trinity River?

To get to the location of this picture Blue & Max would have parked by Anthony's Homeport. A seafood restaurant. I miss good seafood and good seafood restaurants.

Just a short distance from Anthony's Homeport is the Vashon Island Ferry dock. I miss hopping a ferry. Where I lived in Washington I could drive a short distance and hop the Anacortes ferry out to the San Juan Islands, and enjoy the island's Mediterranean climate, protected from rain by the Olympic Mountain's rain shadow.

I miss varied geography and varied climate areas within short distances.

I miss fresh fruit and vegetables. I can't remember the last time I had fresh corn on the cob. Or a strawberry that tasted like a strawberry. In Washington blackberries are free for the picking. Blackberries are my favorite of all the berries that grow in Washington.

I think if I moved back to Washington I might be able to restore my health to its former healthy vigor, with the healthy regimen of fresh seafood, fresh vegetables, fresh fruit and fresh air, with no fracking allowed.

Below is a video I made in July of 2008, from a walk with Blue & Max, at the same location as today's picture. In the video you'll see the aforementioned Mount Rainier, see the Vashon Ferry, hear me talk about Anthony's Homeport, as we try and find a parking spot and you will see a lot of people at the location of the above picture. And, in the video, you will also see no litter....

A Tale Of Three Town's Temperatures

I was on my way to Wal-Mart, not to get gas, but to get milk, and, even though there was no gas involved, I called my mom.

I'd not called for a few weeks, so my mom answered the phone with "Howdy Stranger."

I was being a bit overheated waiting for the vehicular A/C to cool me down. My mom asked what our temperature was.

I told my mom it was currently 107, because that was what I'd just heard on the radio.

My mom matched my 107 and said it was HOTTER in Phoenix, well, Sun Lakes, which is a suburb of Phoenix.

When I got back to my abode and checked my computer based temperature monitoring device I saw that that device was indicating the radio was correct regarding the Fort Worth temperature.

But, when I checked my mom's Phoenix temperature, via my computer based temperature monitoring device I saw that Phoenix was actually way chillier than Fort Worth, at only 104 degrees.

Now looking at this temperature data for both towns I see a problem. The temperature in F-Town is 107, with a wind speed of 5 mph and a humidity of 20% making it still really feel like 107. Meanwhile Phoenix, with a temperature of 104, also has a wind speed of 5 mph and also a humidity of 20%, yet really feels HOTTER than Fort Worth, at 108 degrees.

So, my mom was right, after all, it is hotter in her AZ zone. But, how is it that in Phoenix having a lower temperature than Fort Worth, with the same wind speed and humidity as Fort Worth, somehow feels hotter than Fort Worth? This is very perplexing.

Meanwhile, up in Tacoma, where my nephews David and Theo live, along with my niece, Ruby and their caretaker poodles, Blue and  Max, it is a very chilly 73 degrees, with a wind speed of 8 mph and a balmy humidity of 47% making it really feel like 78.

Blue & Max Take David, Theo & Ruby Sledding At My Future Home Zone Of Tacoma

This was so darn cute I just had to share.

I have been getting reports from Western Washington, all day today, that the predicted snow actually arrived, as predicted.

Those who have never lived in Washington don't know that it is fairly rare for Western Washington to get snow all over the Puget Sound lowlands. Up in the mountains, yes, lots of snow, but not so much the closer you get to the saltwater.

I learned on the Blue & Max Adventure Poodle Blog, this evening, that the snow covering Western Washington reached all the way to the south Puget Sound zone, to my living quarters in 2020, in Tacoma.

In the sled, that is my nephew David in the rear, with nephew Theo in the middle, which would make niece Ruby Jean in front.

Looking Forward To Taking A Break From My Texas Exile To Spend A Year In Washington

In the picture you are looking at my house in Washington. Construction started during the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, moved in in late spring of 1985. Moved from this house, to Texas, in December of 1998.

Today, after lengthy negotiations, I agreed to move back to Washington.

But not to my former house in Mount Vernon. It was sold in 2003. A sale which cut my last physical connection to Washington.

I will be moving to a house in Tacoma.

I like Tacoma.

There may be a person, or two, in Tacoma, who I don't like, but I like the town.

I am agreeing to move back to Washington for a year. So, Texas is not totally rid of me. At least I think that is the case. And even if Texas was rid of me, it is easy to keep an Eye on Texas from afar, what with our modern communication devices.

I like the idea of spending a year in Washington, after all this time away. Elsie Hotpepper can fly in for a visit. Elsie Hotpepper has never been to the Pacific Northwest. It would be amusing to cause Elsie Hotpepper some culture shock. Elsie does not like it when the earth moves unexpectedly.

My Nephew David Is Giving I-Phone, Baseball & Banjo Lessons To Me & My Favorite Brother-In-Law

My Nephew David Showing My Brother-In-Law Jack
How To Use His I-Phone

My nephew David turned 3 on 9/11. He had a big birthday party in his backyard in Tacoma.

His Aunt Jackie was up from Phoenix for David's birthday party.

I was not invited.

At some point in time, after 9/11, my favorite brother-in-law, Jack, a Phoenix area McDonald's Magnate, married to my sister Jackie, flew up to Washington for a short visit.

David quickly adopted his Uncle Jack as his latest project, teaching Jack how to play the banjo, how to play baseball and reading to him.

But, the best thing David did for his Uncle Jack was to teach him how to use his i-Phone, which is what David is doing in the picture.

I am looking forward to having David teach me how to use my i-Phone. Along with teaching me how to play a banjo and baseball.

Playing baseball is a skill that has long evaded me.

I am hoping David's coaching skills will be able to teach me how to hit a ball with a stick and catch a ball hit by a stick and throw a ball caught after being hit by a stick, after all these years of not being able to do so.....

My Mom & Dad In Tacoma A Week Ago With Their 3 Youngest Grandchildren

I've yet to locate my mom and dad today, on their 60th Anniversary.

A few minutes ago I saw that the poodles, Blue & Max, had added some new pictures of my mom and dad to their blog.

In the picture I can't tell if mom and dad are in my sister's front or back yard. I can say for certain they are in Tacoma.

Ignore the blue sky behind them. Puget Sounders are not supposed to send pictures out of state that show a blue sky in Western Washington. This type thing wreaks havoc with the "It is Always Raining and Overcast" reputation.

I can not tell which twin mom and dad is holding. My best guess is mom is holding Ruby Jean while dad has Theo John. Both mom and dad look as if they are having trouble holding the babies.

Meanwhile, David in the middle is grateful no one is picking him up.