Multiple Towers On The Tandy Hills Today With Men Hanging From Above

Towers shall be the theme for today's visit to the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

On the left we are looking west across an old wagon trail which heads west from the summit of Mount Tandy towards a lone tower sticking up above the horizon, with that lone tower being one of the few skyscrapers which make up the stunning skyline of beautiful Downtown Fort Worth.

Also known as the Top Downtown in America by some local fact distortionistas.

Today's hill hiking was the coolest in a long time. Cool in the temperature sense of the word.

The outer world was chilled to the low 60s when I went swimming early this morning. The low 60s was cooler than the temperature of the water, which made for a very refreshing time in the pool.

The temperature had only risen about 20 degrees by the time I drove myself to the summit of Mount Tandy, hence the cool hiking.

For months now every time I drive to the summit of Mount Tandy there is a crew there working on the Tandy Tower, also known as the Fort Worth Space Needle.

Today was no exception.

As I walked past the Tandy Tower I heard shouting, but could not see who was doing the shouting.

Then about half way down Mount Tandy I looked back at the tower to see a guy hanging from a rope, halfway up the tower. And then another guy came into view. I got the camera out and zoomed in for the photo you see above.

I have no idea what these two guys are doing to the Tandy Tower, but I do know watching them activated my usually dormant acrophobia.

Soon after I started getting dizzy from being too high I came upon the towering Hoodoo you see below.

The above Hoodoo appears to be well engineered with a solid, substantial foundation. That was not the case with the second towering Hoodoo I came upon today.

The below Hoodoo tower was towering at Hoodoo Central at the north end of the trail that leads to the Tandy Hills from View Street. I think we could call this one the Leaning Hoodoo Tower of Tandy.

I suspect it will not be long before the Leaning Hoodoo Tower of Tandy finds itself horizontal.

A Mighty Fine Hike On The Tandy Hills On The 2nd Tuesday Of 2014

In the picture you are high atop Mount Tandy, in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, looking across the wagon train trail which heads west towards Where the West Allegedly Begins, at part of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

I had not been on the Tandy Hills since Mother Nature's last Friday natural moisturizing event.

Today on the Tandy Hills there was no sign that any natural moisturizing had recently taken place, which you can clearly see via the parched landscape you are looking at in the picture.

I must say, I had myself a mighty fine time doing some mighty fast hill hiking today. Definitely my best hill hiking of 2014.

I do not remember when I've seen the Tandy Hills in such perfect condition, trail-wise, as today. Scenery-wise, well, it's a bit brown, definitely not the scenic wonderland which will occur in a couple months when the hills become alive with the color of wildflowers.

I started off the day with my regularly scheduled hot tub hydrotherapy session. With the outer world chilled, this morning, to 37 degrees, I opted to not engage in any cool dips in the too cool pool.

I look forward to that day which will arrive in a couple months when I will again be able to get my daily hydrotherapy in the no longer cool pool....

Hiking Hilly Texas Prairie With Towering Hoodoos Before Finding Borscht

In the photo you are looking east across the Tandy Hills Natural Area prairie at the Fort Worth Space Needle, also known as Tandy Tower and its sister towers of lesser height.

The foliage has become more colorful since I was last on the Tandy Hills, a week ago. Many leaves have decided to turn on the fall color, with some still resisting and remaining green.

There was no muddy sign, on any of the trails I traversed today, of Wednesday's mini-deluge. I was not sure that would be the case, but decided the Tandy Hills were my go to place today, even if there was a slight chance of mud.

If you are reading this and are a local, as in someone living in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone, and you have never hiked the Tandy Hills, now would be your perfect time to do so. Perfect temperature, perfect trails, perfect prairie and even though it is now November there are still wildflowers adding that type color to the fall colors.

The towering Tandy Hoodoo which leans over the intersection of the View Street Trail and the Trail to Tandy Falls remains towering, as you can see. I had some concern that recent winds would have toppled the Tandy Hills newest  monument.

Upon completing the hill hiking, because it is Saturday, I was off to Town Talk to do some treasure hunting.

Today the most unusual thing I got at Town Talk was 3 jars of Borscht. The label claims the Borscht is all-natural. The only ingredients are beets, water, sugar and salt. By all-natural does that mean it was made in Russia? I did not look long enough at the label to determine the country of origin.

I also got a big block of jalapeno jack cheese, two tubs of artisan lettuce, steak burritos, blue corn tortillas and tomatoes.

The only time I remember having Borscht was years ago at Pike Place Market in Seattle at a Russian food purveyor's place.

One more look, from today, of the fall colors coloring up the Tandy Hills....

Camping On The Tandy Hills With Giant Mushrooms

Looking West at Downtown Fort Worth

I was back on the Tandy Hills today for the first time in about 2 weeks. I can not remember when I had myself a finer time doing hill hiking than I did today.

The temperature was nearing 60. The only outer wear needed was cargo shorts and a t-shirt.

It is a clear, blue sky Friday, as you can see in the picture, looking west, towards the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, with the phalanx of Fort Worth skyscrapers barely peaking up above a Tandy Hill.

Why do I have such a liking for run-on sentences? Writing them is like careening out of control in a car with broken brakes. Not that I have ever had that happen.

Soon after I took the picture of the stunning skyline I looked down the ridge you see in the foreground. I saw something large and out of place. As I got closer I saw more odd things. It crossed my mind that I may have stumbled upon the mysterious VW Bus of Witchey Tree Fame.

When I was about 30 feet away it became clear I was looking at a homeless person's campsite. There were clothes hanging from branches. Stuff stored in plastic bags, also hanging from branches. Piles of camping material, like blankets and a tarp, on the ground, along with an assortment of other stuff.

Gang of Four Hiking

As I stood there looking at this campsite I reached to get my camera. At that point I heard a noise, the type leaf rustling noise armadillos make. I saw a large object move behind a tree. I was spooked by the large object behind the tree, who I also think was spooked. I quickly walked away.

A very short time later I was back on the View Street Trail, heading south, when I heard voices, then saw the group of 4 guys you see in the picture.

They were coming from the direction of the campsite, but I don't think these were the campers. I think it was just a coincidence they showed up at that point in time.

Eight Mushrooms Sprouting in the Distance

Continuing on, about 15 minutes later I looked up to see what looked like 8 very big mushrooms, un-naturally sprouting out of the ground of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

We've had some precipitation precipitating of late. Were the damp conditions of the sort that caused giant mushrooms to sprout, I walked and wondered?

As I got closer to the 8 giant mushrooms it became clear this was not natural vegetation sprouting on the Tandy Hills.

These were manmade mushrooms.

Eight sturdy benches anchored to steel posts stuck very solidly into the ground.

Is this the amphitheater where outdoor concerts are rumored to take place this summer?

Eight Rectangular Mushroom Benches

Is there any relationship between the 8 benches and the bamboo teepee a short distance to the north?

There seems to be a lot of construction going on on the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Recently directional signposts have been installed, after which I have not gotten lost a single time.

And now the construction of 8 benches.

What's next?

In my own selfish interest, I would not mind seeing mushroom benches installed at various locations throughout the Natural Area. It'd be a good thing to be able to sit down for a spell to enjoy the scenery in a non-vertical position. I sat on one of the mushroom benches today for at least 5 minutes. It was very pleasant.

A Texas Blue Sky Columbus Day With Prickly Pears & Long Lost Cousin Freddy Found

As you can see via the top part of the picture, blue sky has returned to North Texas, after several days in a row of no sun.

With the return of the sun I returned to the Tandy Hills for the first time in what seems a long time.

I was overdressed when I departed my abode, with a sweatshirt over a t-shirt and a wool cap crowning my cranium.

By the time I got to the top of Mount Tandy it was obvious that the solar radiation was radiating sufficient warmth that the sweatshirt and cap could be doffed. And so they were.

I think I must have had a nightmare about my favorite patch of Tandy Hills prickly pear cactus being missing its prickly pears, because when I came upon the patch of prickly pear cactus you see in the picture I was surprised by the horde of prickly pears. This particular prickly pear cactus patch is the only one I make note of whilst hiking the Tandy Hills. So, it can't be some other patch of cactus that I saw missing its prickly pears, it had to be a nightmare related confusion.

I would have harvested this horde of prickly pears to make prickly pear jam, except for a couple reasons. One being I have no idea how to make any sort of jam. With the other reason being that one should not harvest anything from a natural area like the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Unless you are Don Young and need a Christmas tree.

Changing the subject from prickly pears to something else.

My mom called me late last night to tell me my long lost cousin Freddy (aka Kurt) called. Mom said it was real good to hear from Freddy and, for me, it was real good to hear from mom that she'd heard from Freddy.

Apparently cousin Freddy's wife's parental units also live in Arizona, with cousin Freddy and his family visiting once a year, usually in March. So, my mom wants me to fly to Phoenix in March for a Cousin Reunion at my sister's house. I'm onboard. Sounds fun.

I have not seen cousin Freddy in decades. Freddy grew up in Alaska. The last time I saw cousin Freddy he was visiting Washington when he was, I think, around 8 years old. I recollect cousin Freddy and his mom, my Aunt Mike, being out on Samish Island, and me driving cousin Freddy to McDonald's in Mount Vernon in my classic 65 Fastback Mustang.

Trouble with that memory is my sister, she being the sister whose husband runs a McDonald's empire, told me McDonald's had not arrived in Mount Vernon, yet, at that point in time.

Maybe I drove cousin Freddy to the Kow Korner and my damned age-related memory woes have confused me. Again.

I did not realize til this afternoon that today was Columbus Day, that being the day a European discovered America, even though America was not un-discovered and was populated by people at the time. Columbus did some pillaging and kidnapped some of the natives to take them back to Europe as exhibits, where they died.

Knowing what we now know, in our more enlightened times, I really don't think we should be having an annual Columbus Day.

Taking A Tandy Hills Steambath With Gourmet Cooking Using Butter, Bacon & Parmesan

I was back on the Tandy Hills today.

In the noon time frame, at my abode's location, a good strong wind was blowing, with clouds blocking a lot of the solar radiation, which had the outer world not even heated into the 90s.

I drove to the top of Mount Tandy, exiting my vehicle to feel a semi-strong wind blowing, but also feeling solar radiation  directly hitting me, with very little cloud intervention.

In the picture you are looking north at some of the aforementioned clouds, hovering above a Tandy Trail.

A lot of people enjoy a sauna or a steambath, or both. I don't understand why more people don't experience the natural sauna steambath that you get on the Tandy Hills, and other outdoor locations in HOT North Texas.

Getting HOT and steamy whilst getting some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation usually has me feeling really good.

Which is what happened today. A wonderfully salubrious sauna steambath.

The last couple mornings I have gone into awake mode very early, as in around 4 in the morning. This had me going to bed really early last night. And getting up really early again this morning. I think this is what is known as a vicious cycle.

Changing the subject from vicious cycles to something else.

Long ago I knew this person who fancied himself both an artist and a gourmet chef. The reality was, he was neither.

I remember this gourmet chef being so proud of a concoction he made with spaghetti noodles, butter, bacon and Parmesan.

Over the years this has been a low level running joke amongst some of my acquaintances, as in what doesn't taste good with butter, bacon and Parmesan in the mix?

So, today I decided to make a healthier version of the gourmet chef's pièce de résistance.

I cooked up 2 packages of whole wheat spaghetti noodles, sauteed an onion and whole bulb of garlic in a stick of butter, with diced green and red peppers, baked and crumbled a package of low sodium turkey bacon. Mixed it all together, with a lot of Parmesan and what a shock.

It was good. Really good.

The whole stick of butter was likely the least healthy ingredient. But butter tastes so good.

Hiking The Warm Tandy Hills Thinking About Living In A Police State While Almost Stepping On A Giant Snake

The outer world was almost chilly when I did some hill hiking on the Tandy Hills today, starting my climbs around noon.

Even though the humidity was almost 90%, a pleasant breeze kept me from overheating, too much.

Much of what used to be green on the Tandy Hills is currently turning into various shades of brown. I particularly like the tall sticks of brown foliage you see in the picture. I don't remember what these looked like while they were still colorized.

Have I ever mentioned my two biggest concerns that concerned me when I moved to Texas?

Snakes and the HEAT.

Growing up in Washington I was never a big fan of summer. I did not like HOT weather. In Washington that meant  temperatures in the 70s. Low 80s was a heat wave.

Even though I did not like HOT weather in Western Washington, I did like to go to Eastern Washington (East of the Mountains, in Western Washington lingo) in summer.

Eastern Washington is sort of like North Texas, only more scenic with bigger rivers, fruit orchards and canyons. And it does not get as hot as North Texas.

I don't recollect ever being East of the Mountains with the temperature over 100. I do remember being East of the Mountains and having snake encounters.

That may be where my fear of snakes was amplified. One time whilst staying at Sun Lakes State Park my brother and I were out exploring when a park ranger came up and warned us we should go no further because there were a lot of rattlesnakes just ahead. I don't think til that moment we were aware of rattlesnakes being a possibility.

That is not a Sun Lakes State Park rattlesnake you are looking at in the picture.

That is a Tandy Hills snake that I almost stepped on today.

I'd just crossed dry Tandy Falls, heading south, lost in my thoughts about living in a Police State, when I almost stepped on that slithery monster. He (or she) was about 5 feet long. I took several pictures, was going to get around the monster by walking behind it, when suddenly the snake turned its head and started slithering towards its tail and then off the trail into the brush.

Snakes can move alarmingly fast.

I have no idea what brand of snake this guy was, except for knowing, for certain, it was not a rattlesnake.

With this incident I will likely be back in overreacting to sticks and roots mode again, til the memory of almost stepping on this big snake fades.

Hot Hiking The Tandy Hills With A Missing Hotpepper & Cats

Green Leafs Above
Dry Tandy Falls

I'd not been on top of Mount Tandy for well over a week, til today. Since I was last at that location the wildflowers have pretty much left the scene, as has the field of green.

The prairie has now turned brown, despite last week's 3 days of rain.

I am now wondering if somehow the Tandy Hills missed out on getting hit by any of the downpours, because today I found Tandy Falls being Tandy Dry Falls, with Tandy Creek dried up.

The outer world is currently heated to 95 degrees at my location, with the 45% humidity making it feel like 102.

Who figures out what the temperature really feels like?

I do know that by the end of my hill hiking today I was a very hot sweaty mess. But, a strong wind blew across the prairie atop Mount Tandy, which quickly had me cooled down. A little.

Changing the subject from one type of hot to another.

I am very concerned about Elsie Hotpepper. I do not think I've heard from Ms. Hotpepper since May 31. I do not remember Elsie going missing this long before. Calling the Hotpepper Hotline gets a leave a message message.

Changing the subject from missing Hotpeppers to cats.

Yesterday a strange phenomenon occurred on Facebook. Miss Connie had been posting photos of her cute new kitty. Then, right on top of the latest cute Miss Connie kitty photo, CatsPaw posted a photo of her new kitty. I do not think Miss Connie and CatsPaw know each other or that both got themselves new babies on the same day.

If I had to choose which was the cuter kitty I think I'd have to go with Miss Connie's. I've always been partial to orange cats.

Now you are probably wondering who I think is cuter, Miss Connie or CatsPaw. Well, that is a very dicey question to answer. I'll have to go with the fact they are equally cute.

Back Hiking The Tandy Hills Again With CatsPaw Talking About Inconsequential Nonsense

In the picture you are looking west across a prairie on the Tandy Hills at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Yes, I was back hill hiking today for the first time since rain fell a few days ago for three days in a row.

I was expecting to find some muddy locations on the Tandy Hills' trails. But I found none.

Apparently the hills dry out faster than I realized, from deluging downpours, this almost hot time of the year.

Speaking of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

This morning we learned from Travel + Leisure magazine that the people who walk the streets of downtown Fort Worth are the 6th worse dressed people in America.

Shocking news.

I wondered how it was that Travel + Leisure magazine arrived at its conclusions at to how a town dresses.

That Fort Worth fashion plate who goes by the name CatsPaw also had an opinion about the importance of this type ranking of cities.

CatsPaw had this to say, sort of in poem mode...

Two words whether you're pro or con "fashion" in any of the named cities:

Who. Cares.

I can think of two more for the media world. One word starts with an "F" and the other with an "O."

Can you tell I dislike this kind of

Inconsequential. Nonsense.

What I think I am understanding CatsPaw to say is that she does not approve of fashionable cities. What I can't figure out is what two words, starting with "F" and  "O", that CatsPaw is directing at the media world.

Almost as important as this serious Worst Dressers issue is the fact that one of CatsPaw's fellow fashion plates, Elsie Hotpepper, has gone missing again.

Arson On The Tandy Hills

Sometime between noon Saturday and noon today someone lit the Tandy Hills on fire.

The burned area is near the end of the trail that enters the Tandy Hills from the View Street Park.

The Tandy Hills are still green. Not in wildfire mode. To have burned this area I suspect some flammable liquid had to have been used, like gasoline or lighter fluid.

When this fire was burning it would have been visible from the I-30 freeway, which you can see part of in the background, in front of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

The burned area is surrounded by rocky trail, thus making a fire stop. Without the fire stop I don't know if this fire would have spread, what with the Tandy Hills prairie is in its current mostly green state, seemingly non-combustible state.

But, regardless of whatever level of combustibility is current existing on the prairie, the Tandy Hills Arsonist must be stopped..

UPDATE: Now this is embarrassing. I have been informed that when I was at the Tandy Hills on Saturday that the burned mesquite bush I saw today was already burned when I walked by it on Saturday. I really need to learn to be more observant of my surroundings.

Searching The Tandy Hills For Olive The Prairie Dog With A Blimp Overhead

Tandy Hills Lost Sunglasses Ridge

A blimp was overhead when I arrived on top of Mount Tandy today. I do not know if the blimp was helping with the doghunt for the missing Olive the Prairie Dog, or not.

I do not think the Tandy Hills suffered much, if any, deluging from Friday's downpours. The trails were dry, no mud. The creeks were dry, no water. Not a drop was flowing over Tandy Falls.

Due to the hills being totally easily accessed, without gaining height elevation due to sticky mud, I was able to search all over the hills for the missing Olive.

I know that a dognapping is the prime suspect as the reason for Olive's disappearance. But that seems so unlikely to me. What sort of monster would snatch a little dog that clearly belonged to someone?

Years ago, in Mount Vernon, before she moved to Texas, my cat, Hortense, disappeared. Hortense was a very well behaved cat with very predictable habits. She had a large outdoor safe area to play in. And then she went missing.

Click Picture To Find The Blimp

I put up signs around the neighborhood asking if anyone had seen Hortense. I talked to all my neighbors. Then, after 4 days of being missing, there was a familiar noise at the door. It was Hortense wanting to be let in. My next door neighbor had opened a shed and out popped Hortense. She must have been snooping and got trapped inside.

I wonder if Olive might have wandered in to some similar situation.

I'm guessing signs are being posted around the Tandy Hills neighborhood asking if anyone has seen Olive. A parent may see one of those signs and realize where that cute dog came from that the kids brought home on Sunday.

I'm optimistic Olive will be returned home.

Making A Prairie Note Of Tandy Hills Prickly Pear Cactus

The Prickly Pear Cactus patch, on Lost Sunglasses Ridge, on the Tandy Hills, that I've been keeping an eye on due to the many blooms and their future harvest potential when the blooms turn into pears, was looking particularly fruitful today.

All of the Tandy Hills was looking particularly fruitful today. I've never seen the prairie vegetation as it is being this particular spring.

Apparently a group of Fort Worth school children have been hiking the trails of the Tandy Hills. I came to this conclusion today when I came upon dozen of orange flags stuck in the ground, most of which simply said "FWISD" on them.

Some of the orange flags had messages on them, like, "Help the Others", or "View St. This Direction".

The May Prairie Notes arrived this morning. In his Prairie Notes Don Young waxes quite poetically about the current state of the Tandy Hills....

The Tandy Hills are so lush and beautifully painted with wildflowers right now that, to walk upon them feels like an unspeakable act of cruelty. Standing on the trail, I watch the western sunlight cut through the living, breathing canvas rooted in ancient limestone and nurtured by micro-organisms, earthworms, lizards and crawling insects revealing a tangle of Sensitive-Briar covered in pink puff-balls and colored currents of standing wildflowers in colorwheel-shades of yellow, white, purple, red and blue supported by delicate green stems and what seems to be billions and billions of butterflies, moths, dragonflies and bees zooming, spiraling and humming in mad harmony above the swaying wildflowers as pairs of Rabbits and Roadrunners scatter scurry and birds of all colors and sizes float and feed like Martha Graham dancers in the clear blue sky above the mysterious, rare, sweet-scented prairie in this most natural of worlds.

It's an Ode to Joy, it's a Hallelujah, it's a Starry Night, it's La Dolce Vita, it's Lomas de Flores, it's Le Prairie #5. It's got everything on it. Come on in and get re-connected with YOUR natural world.

Methinks the numbers are increasing of people taking the suggestion that they re-connect with the natural world. I see more people than I've ever seen in the various parks I visit.

Tandy Hills Hot Humid Hiking With Smoked Turkey Legs

Wildflowers On Top Of Mount Tandy

The biggest patch of very colorful wildflowers that I have seen this year on the Tandy Hills is on the top of Mount Tandy, to the east of the Fort Worth Space Needle.

Getting technical about it, with getting technical not one of my few fortes, I don't know for sure if the area east of the Fort Worth Space Needle is considered one of the Tandy Hills. It may be part of the Broadcast Hills.

I am almost 100% that the area to the east of the Fort Worth Space Needle is not part of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

The Tandy Hills hill hiking was humid today. Very humid. A steady breeze brought some relief from the muggy humidity.

Changing the subject from the Tandy Hills, and humidity, to turkey legs.

I got around to picking up the current ink edition of dfw.com on my way back from the Tandy Hills.

On the cover is a giant turkey leg.

The one person who reads my blog may remember that last month when I was in Arizona we spent a lot of time hunting for illusive turkey legs. When we found enough turkey legs my dad smoked them in a smoker.

My mom was not happy with the turkey legs after they got smoked.

I have not read dfw.com  yet, but I think I need to mail the ink edition to my mom and dad due to the fact that on the cover there is a giant smoked turkey leg with text saying Bird is the Word, Plus: How to smoke your own giant turkey legs at home.

I'd email mom and dad the link to dfw.com so they could read how to smoke a turkey leg  on their computer screen, but I think the snail mailed ink edition would have a better chance of being seen.

Hot Steamy Tandy Rain Forest Jungle Hiking With Sick Homeless Guy

Tandy Rain Forest Jungle

Lately, due to my aversion to feeling like I need a machete to hack my way through a trail, I've avoided the Tandy Rain Forest Jungle that one goes through when one crosses north across the Tandy Escarpment above Tandy Falls.

But, today when I left the air-conditioned comfort of my abode to head into the outer world for some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, I decided to brave my way through the lush vegetation of the Tandy Jungle, sans machete.

The machete-free Jungle passage was not as difficult as I had feared.

It was only in the 80s when I did my hill hiking today. But the humidity had the Real Feel feeling HOTTER. By the time I got back to the air-conditioned comfort of my vehicle I was about as wet as if I'd just stepped out of a shower.

Being about as wet as if I'd just stepped out of a shower, combined with air-conditioning blowing cold set off an interesting bout of sneezing.

On my way back to where I am now I stopped at Albertson's to pick up this week's FW Weekly. When I left Albertson's the sad/sick looking homeless guy I've mentioned previously, who lives in a shanty of cardboard near the now defunct Krogers, was walking towards me. Suddenly the sad/sick guy started hacking with a terrible sounding cough.

I see this guy several times a month. He looks progressively worse. Why is there not a number that you can call when you see someone in dire need of help? Or is there such a number? I know 911 is useless for such things.

I wonder where one can acquire a machete?

On The Colorful Tandy Hills Getting Ready For Saturday's Prairie Fest X3 Part 2

Tandy Flowers Growing Wild

I think my plan to get in shape to swim in the waters off South Padre Island is coming along fine. Today's amped up Tandy Hills hiking went particularly well.

As you can see, via the picture, the wildflowers are being particularly wild this year, along with a lot of overly exuberant, equally colorful butterflies.

I arrived at the park on View Street to see what I thought was a big eco-friendly solar powered grass trimmer mowing  the lawn. I assume in preparation for Saturday's Big Prairie Party.

It seems like just yesterday I went to Prairie Fest x3 Part 1, but come Saturday, that Part 1 part was already a month ago.

I got an email from the Don of the Tandy Hills, a couple days ago, with the schedule for Saturday's Prairie Party....

Prairie Fest x3 on April 28 . . . 

- Dallas Area Kitefliers Organization will be coloring the sky above Tandy Hills
- Kites for sale at the festival by, Fun Family Kites
- Plein air painters will be setting up easels on the prairie
- Food Factory science hikes for kids 9 - 12 (see website for details)
- Native Plant Society of Texas plant sale
- Grammy-award winners, Brave Combo, performs with Brazen Bellies (see full stage schedule below)

Stage  Schedule (4/28):

4 PM  Darrin Kobetich  (Six straight years at Prairie Fest)

5 PM  The Ackermans  (Six straight years at Prairie Fest)

6 PM  Fort Worth Scottish Pipes & Drums

6:30 PM  Brave Combo w/ Brazen Bellies

On The Tandy Hills After A Morning With The Unstoppable Woman

The Re-Erected Bamboo Tandy Teepee

The Unstoppable Woman called this morning which led me to having way too much fun with website issues.

The Unstoppable Woman, to which I refer, is not Elsie Hotpepper.

Now that you've got me thinking about the Unstoppable Elsie Hotpepper, I realize I've not heard from her today. I was too consumed with the other Unstoppable Woman to realize Elsie Hotpepper has gone missing again.

I needed a break from the Unstoppable Woman issues so I took myself to the top of Mount Tandy and had a real fine time walking up and down 8 hills. I figure if I keep doing this type behavior eventually I will get in shape.

I was pleased to see, today, that the keeper of the Bambo Tandy Teepee has re-erected the fallen Teepee.

The mystery of the pile of bamboo, deep inside the Tandy Hills, and the erection of the Bamboo Tandy Teepee has never been solved.

It is a little warm today at 82 degrees. According to my temperature source the humidity has the real feel of the temperature being 87 degrees. 87 degrees is bordering on HOT.

I need to make a phone call about the Unstoppable Woman. I guess I will quit procrastinating and do that now.

I Shared The Tandy Highway With A Big Snake Today & Lived To Blog About It

I almost stepped on my first slithery serpent encounter of the year this afternoon.

I was peacefully minding my own business, walking on the Tandy Highway, having a pleasant conversation with myself, when suddenly I realized I was about to step on one of the descendants of Eve's Garden of Eden tempters.

By the time I got my camera turned on the snake was in high speed slither mode, but I was able to get one picture before the reptilian monster disappeared into the brush.

Snakes can slither surprisingly fast when motivated and the temperature is warm enough for their cold blood to flow. Today it was around 80 degrees when I almost stepped on a snake. I guess that is a warm enough temperature to allow fast acceleration.

I am not a snake fan. I find them very unnatural and have always wondered what in the world Mother Nature was thinking when She created them.

Western Washington, where I lived the majority of my time on earth, has no poisonous snakes, naturally occurring. But, there are plenty of garter snakes. Garter snakes can get quite big. Eastern Washington has rattlesnakes, but the Cascade Mountain Range has always kept them on the east side of the mountains.

When I first moved to Texas the fear of snake encounters was probably my #1 concern. Fear of redneck encounters was probably my #2 concern. Both these fears proved to be unwarranted.

I've only had myself a few poisonous snake encounters, one big rattlesnake, a couple copperheads, a couple cottonmouths. That's all.

As for redneck encounters. Gar the Texan has been the worst of that type thing I've encountered. And even that really was not as bad as I feared and easily made harmless by giving him beer.

On The Dried Out Tandy Hills Looking At The Upgraded Tarrant County Courthouse & Bass Family Damage To Downtown Fort Worth

Close Up Look At Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth

I decided to go with my sunny optimistic nature and go to the Tandy Hills today assuming that sufficient time had passed since Sunday's deluge to dry the trails sufficiently to allow mud-free hiking.

My sunny optimistic nature was not disappointed.

But, I would have been happy to have Mother Nature dial back on the humidity a bit.

In the picture I zoomed in, as best I could, on the Tarrant County Courthouse. That is the pointy structure to the right of that short skyscraper that looks like it is not completed yet.

Downtown Fort Worth does not have any, for want of a better way to say it, interestingly designed skyscrapers. I assume there has never been enough money in the downtown Fort Worth skyscraper budget to build a memorable one.

The twin towers to the south of the courthouse, the eastern one of which you see in the picture, are particularly odd. It's like some C-Student architect thought it clever to have cut-outs and indents that give the appearance that the building gave up being completed. And no one thought to tell the C-Student architect that that particular design looks tacky. And so it was built.

I am not sure, but I think these particular twin skyscrapers are buildings that the Bass Family helped bring about. The Bass Family really is responsible for a lot of what ain't right about downtown Fort Worth.

Or so it seems to me.

I know there are those in Fort Worth who are beholden to the wonders that the Bass Family allegedly has brought downtown Fort Worth, but methinks Fort Worth would be a lot better off if the town put on its big boy pants and did not rely on one family's demonstrably bad taste to dictate how the town looks.

Anyway, after a multi-million dollar remodel the Tarrant County Courthouse's clock tower lost the scaffolding that has covered it for a long time. I believe there is still work to be done.

How is the plan to take down the Tarrant County Courthouse Annex coming, you know, that building with the fake covering that looks like yet one more bad downtown Fort Worth building designed by a C-Student architect?

At least that particular eyesore is not called the Bass Tarrant County Courthouse Annex, unlike way too many other eyesores in the downtown Fort Worth zone, that have the Bass name, in various iterations, attached to them.

A Good Friday Hike On The Tandy Hills With Wildflowers

It was a Good Friday to be hiking on the Tandy Hills today. I drove to the top of Mount Tandy, around noon, gambling that sufficient time had passed to dry the hills to hikability after Tuesday's Tornado Deluge.

I was in dire need of some endorphin therapy, that I can only get via some good aerobic stimulation.

Swimming does not seem to provide me enough aerobic stimulation. I need my hiking.

The wildflowers are now coloring up all over the Texas prairie.

Like the big yellow ones you see in the picture. These may be my favorite of the Texas Wildflowers. These yellow beauties were sprouted out all over the Tandy Hills today.

I think there may have been yet one more Tandy Hills sanitary sewer malfunction, caused by Tuesday's rain. The Tandy Highway has fresh truck tire ruts mucking up the road. I did not walk where the previous malfunction occurred to see if there was any evidence that a new river of untreated unsanitary water had been flowing.

I felt real good going up the hills today. Apparently I am completely recovered from that which recently ailed me, which I believe I acquired courtesy of my favorite brother-in-law.

Usually, at least a couple times a month, I get worried about Elsie Hotpepper being missing. Currently I am not worried about Elsie Hotpepper. But, I am concerned about 3 people up north in Washington. Carlotta Camano seems to have gone missing. And yesterday I learned that Betty Jo Bouvier and Honey Lulu hitched a ride to Seattle.

I do not think it is safe for young beauties, like Betty Jo Bouvier and Honey Lulu, to be hitchhiking. Particularly in Washington, with that state's history of breeding serial killers. Unlike Elsie Hotpepper, neither Betty Jo Bouvier or Honey Lulu pack heat, courtesy of a concealed weapon permit.