Walking With My Mom & The Ghosts Along Village Creek Thinking About Cherry Pie

Today I learned that dialing my camera to the "Aquarium" setting makes for a much better picture of the reflection in the Village Creek mirror than my previous attempt.

I called my mom when I left air-conditioned comfort to drive to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area to walk in the shade with the ghosts and my mom.

Mom and dad got back home yesterday from their trip to Washington.

I found out, via talking to my mom, I was wrong in my assumption as to what pass they took to get over the Cascades to see my aunt in Eastern Washington. They took the northernmost pass, the North Cross State Highway, also known as the North Cascades Pass, among other things it is known by, like the road that passes through North Cascades National Park. Or simply Highway 20, which is what my mom called it.

Mom and dad got peaches and cherries in Eastern Washington, among other things. I'd been lamenting missing cherries and good cherry pie just yesterday.

Cherry pie came up whilst talking to my mom when I asked about their eldest grandson making them dinner at his house in Mount Vernon. My two oldest nephews were there. And my oldest nephew's oldest, Spencer Jack. And Spencer Jack's grandma, who is my favorite ex-sister-in-law, who brought what my mom said was really good cherry pie.

Anyone reading this who happened to be a Twin Peaks fan knows cherry pie and the Pacific Northwest go together. Along with coffee.

After I lamented my lack of cherry pie my mom told me to look for Marie Callender, suggesting she might provide a worthy substitute in my current cherry deprived location.

The last time I had a cherry was at the Fremont Sunday Market in Seattle, sometime in August of 2008. They were Rainier cherries. Great big ones.

Having A Bad Day Of Senility Signs & Train Blocks On The 3rd Day Of May In Texas

The picture is a perfect metaphor for how I'm feeling.

Blocked.

I had myself a rough night of rough nightmares and that had me waking up feeling beat up.

I thought swimming in really cold water would break me out of it, like shock therapy. This did not work. But it made me very cold.

My brain is just not working right today.

Well before noon I took off from here, heading to Pantego. I had multiple reasons to be going to Pantego.

The way to Pantego goes by Village Creek Natural Historic Area. I thought maybe a short walk was what I needed to get the synapses in my failing brain firing right again.

I was wrong. The walk provide no noticeable benefit.

I'm so badly malfunctioning I could not even manage to take a decent picture of the Village Creek Natural Wildflower area and the sign that tells you that that is what the sparse patch of wildflowers is.

Eventually this morning, at one point, I ended up in an ALDI Food Market. When I checked out my brain was still checked out, which caused me to use the wrong debit card. This was no big deal, but did require changing what I'd planned to do during the bank visit that was also part of this morning's adventure in minor senility.

When I left ALDI is when I came to the train blocking my way. I've heard more than once that Arlington is the only major city in America that allows itself to be cut in two by a train several times a day. There are only a couple ways to get past the track in Arlington.

That seems really odd to me. The little town I used to live in, Mount Vernon, has a train track running through it. There are several ways to get over the tracks. But, I do remember getting stuck waiting for a train a time or two on College Way, which was the main route I'd take back to my house.

It seems like a big waste of gas to have so many vehicles stopped and waiting for a train several times a day. A lot of money was spent fixing up the I-30 freeway in Arlington, with new bridges and new freeway that really does not seem to be all that big of an improvement.

Eventually the double-decker train came to an end and I was able to continue on my way.

Right now it is half past 3 in the afternoon and I feel so beat up I'm ready to go to bed. But, I don't see that happening for a few hours. In the meantime maybe I'll go try some more cold water pool therapy and do some sun lounging now that it is almost 70 degrees out there.

Village Creek Bayou Egrets & The Queen Of Wink's Adult Diapers

Egrets. I've seen a few. But then again, too few to mention.

I think I saw an Egret in the Village Creek Bayou today. Big white bird with a long neck. I think that's an Egret. I am fairly certain it is not a swan.

When I approached the Village Creek Bayou today a flock of geese startled me after I had apparently startled them, sending the nervous birds quickly into flight mode.

Looking at the refection of the Egret in the Village Creek Bayou you might think that smooth mirror-like surface was ice.

It was cold enough to be ice, but it was still liquid.

It would be my guess that the slough of chemicals that are likely in the stew of the Village Creek Bayou likely lower the temperature required to freeze that water, just like the water in my vehicle's radiator, which I remembered to add anti-freeze to today, because tonight we are currently scheduled to be chilled down in to the teens.

This morning I received a somewhat disturbing message from Elsie Hotpepper saying she is so distraught over our current dire weather situation, here in North Texas, that the Hotpepper is plotting to go somewhere warm where she can hibernate. I believe a beach was mentioned.

Last night I got multiple messages from the Queen of Wink. It was very confusing. Something about inviting myself and Gar the Texan to Wink, not scamming the Queen on the Internet and my possible need for adult diapers.

I understood most of what the Queen of Wink was saying, except for being able to follow her train of thought that somehow ended up thinking of adult diapers.

I tell you, there are many signs that something is amiss out in the Realm of Wink. An investigative team may need to investigate.

Thinking About The Possibility Of Inner Tubing Village Creek In Arlington

At noon I felt the need for motion. So I pedaled my bike at a high rate of speed on the paved trail at Village Creek Natural Historic Area, in Arlington.

I've wondered more than once where the "Natural" comes in at this location. To me "paved trail" and "natural" sort of contradict each other. Another unnatural contradiction is more pavement on which picnic tables and BBQ fireplaces sit. Also power transmission towers cut through the Natural Area.

What was looking very natural today was the Village Creek Pond. I think I may have mentioned previously that when I first saw this pond it was not clogged with the greenery that currently clogs it. It was a big open pond of slow moving water. I saw a big bunch of water moccasin in this pond way back then.

Today the Village Creek Pond was being pretty much crystal clear, as in put in the inner tube and float level of crystal clear. If it weren't for the possibility of an up close encounter with a water moccasin.

I wonder if there are any water moccasin in the Trinity River? I suspect not, now that the Trinity River has become an inner tube floating destination rivaling the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers down in Texas Hill Country.

Village Creek was also running very clear today, but not with a sufficient amount of water to make it suitable for inner tubing. If there were sufficient water one could easily ride ones inner tube all the way to the Trinity River, where one would find oneself soon floating into River Legacy Park where one could exit at the boat launch.

If only I had an inner tube.

Pedaling Across Arlington's Village Creek Then Seeing More Fort Worth Homeless People Suffering Without Sidewalks

The City of Arlington park crews are very efficient. Last night I learned that, except for the mountain bike trail, you'd hardly know River Legacy Park had been flooded a week ago.

Today I decided to head to Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington to see if the efficient City of Arlington park crews had been equally efficient with that park.

They had.

I was amazed to be able to see how high the flood reached and how much of the park had been under water.

A couple days ago I showed you the view in the picture with some water still flowing over the dam/bridge and with a thick layer of mud covering the paved trail. Today, as you can see, the mud is gone, the dam/bridge is back being a dam/bridge.

A few days before I showed you the mud left by the receding flood, I showed you the actual flood. Had I been standing then, where I was standing today, to take a picture, I would have been in the process of drowning.

For the second time in 2 weeks I have been pedaling along the Pioneer Trail of the Bob Finlay Linear Park, in Interlochen, and someone stops me to ask for directions. This time it was a guy trying to find his way back to Division Street. There are basically 2 ways in and out of Interlochen. I can see how someone might get lost in the maze of streets and canals.

Last night I had an armadillo encounter at River Legacy. Today I had one by Village Creek. Both times I was not fast enough drawing the camera to aim and shoot a picture, before the critter escaped from my view.

What is speeding up the armadillos? My previous experiences with those cute little beasts have had them being very cooperative photo subjects.

On my way back from Village Creek Natural Historic Area I was heading north on Bridgewood Drive, by the Family Dollar store, when I saw a pair of what appeared to be homeless people trudging up the hill, a middle age woman pushing a cart with her possessions. Her equally middle-aged male companion carrying what looked like a knapsack. Or hobo bag.

This presented a duo photo documentary opportunity. A photo showing both Fort Worth homeless people and the lack of a Fort Worth sidewalk.

Now, this is no isolated in the middle of nowhere location. Family Dollar was across the street. Dollar General was ahead of them. And Krogers.

Yes, you in the civilized parts of America reading this, in Fort Worth, Texas there are grocery stores, in heavily populated neighborhoods, with no sidewalks for residents to use to walk to the grocery store.

Over the years walkers have worn a dirt path leading to Krogers. And another one on the other side of the sidewalk-less street. The pair of homeless people were not using the dirt path, I assume because it was easier to roll the cart on the street.

Now, I don't know what happened to me, but as soon as I had an impulse to pull into the Family Dollar parking lot to snap a picture of the homeless/sidewalkless pair, I had some sort of pang of conscience, thinking that would not be right to do, even though the photo would be from behind them, no faces shown.

I don't know what caused this sudden failing of my usual instincts. Maybe my brain is being over oxygenated by too much bike riding.

Does anyone know how many homeless people there are out on the mean streets of Fort Worth?

Dredging & Constructing In Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historic Area

I had not been to Village Creek Natural Historic Area in quite some time.

So, I went there today. With the temperature in the 60s it's very pleasant outside this 3rd Sunday of the New Year. Right now my computer room window is open.

I was quite surprised today when I came to the dam bridge that crosses Village Creek.

Extensive work is being done. A big rock wall has been built to stop the erosion that had been eating away at the river banks and would have soon reached the paved trail.

A sort of diversion channel has been built on the east side of the creek with water being channeled through it. But water still flows through the other tubes that run under the bridge/dam. I couldn't figure out what the purpose of this project was, except for the erosion control.

Maybe this will all help the water flow better and stop the problem that happens when the creek starts running a lot of water and floods over the bridge/dam, leaving a big mess.

It was nice to see a constructive mess today, unlike the destructive mess I saw yesterday on the Trinity River levee, courtesy of Express Energy Services and their thuggish way of operating.

If you look closely at the picture you will see an outhouse up by the heavy equipment. But, this did not qualify for my Outhouses of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex series, due to it being temporary and construction related.

Talking To Mom From Village Creek About Moab, Moki Dugway & Tuba City McDonald's

When I got up this morning I was not happy to find myself with an aching back. What I did to cause this, I do not know.

By late morning it was worse. I did some yoga stretches, took some ibuprofen and headed to Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

I didn't call my mom the last time I got gas, so I called today while I was walking. My mom asked me if I got a phone photo from them. I had not. They'd been up to Moab and sent me a picture from Arches National Park.

Sounded like mom likes Arches. Then she told me they drove on a steep road with lots of twists and turns that ended up in Mexican Hat. You went down the Moki Dugway, I asked? Is that what it was called, mom asked?

I told mom the next time they go to Mexican Hat stay at the San Juan Inn. They had trouble finding a room in Moab. This is the busy time of year in that zone. Lots of mountain bikers and jeepers.

I think they drove right by Monument Valley because mom was a bit vague about that when I asked if they drove in there. Somehow they ended up in Tuba City for the night, again having trouble finding a room. I told mom that Tuba City has one of the coolest McDonald's I've seen, Navajo themed. And when I was there a Navajo elder woman was holding court. Mom said they had breakfast in that McDonald's, but she remembered nothing special about it.

This is an Indian themed blogging, I guess, so back to Village Creek, site of one of the biggest Indian villages in America, til run out of town by the Texans.

I wanted to take a picture of a plaque by Village Creek that's dedicated to Bob Findlay, he being the developer behind Interlochen. Interlochen is an award winning development that turned an old gravel pit into this very cool residential area with canals. In a couple months Interlochen will get very busy due to being the location of the D/FW area's most outlandish Christmas displays.

When I found the plaque it was impossible to read due to a huge purple plant overshadowing it. I climbed over a fence to see what a new sign said and was surprised to learn I was no longer in Village Creek Natural Historic Area, but was instead in Bob Findlay Linear Park. All this time I did not know where I was.

Calling Mom From Village Creek Natural Historic Area & The First Dallas Cowboy Game Of The Season In Their New Stadium

We have not had any real serious rain for a few days, but that didn't stop Village Creek, today, from ramming a large volume of water through the big tubes that run under the dam/bridge you see in the picture.

We have had a semi-return to somewhat blue skies, here in North Texas, with the temperature high enough to require the running of the A/C.

I got gas on my way to Village Creek Natural Historic Area, in Arlington, so, like I always do when I get gas, I called my mom in Arizona. But, mom and dad were not home. I got the answering machine where my dad has voiced a poetic "we are not at home" message. So, I left a message telling them the price of gas and the temperature.

Today is the first game of the NFL season for the Dallas Cowboys in their new stadium. This is a nationally televised game against the New York Giants. It will be interesting to see what the national press makes of the stadium and its tawdry surroundings.

A kooky Saudi Arabian prince with way too much money, who became a Dallas Cowboy fan, years ago, when he lived in Texas, has painted his private jet in Dallas Cowboy colors. And he has purchased one of the expensive private suites in the new stadium. He and at least one George Bush will be in the stadium tonight. Likely to watch Dallas lose their first game in their new stadium.

It's called karma.

The Blue Sky Of Texas Has Returned

The sun has been missing for so long I'd slipped into a Seasonally Affected Disorder Depression from the Tropical Depression that had been stuck over head since last Friday.

Suddenly, this afternoon, the gray lifted and the place got all bright again. The return of the sun does not seem to be heating up the place too much. Right now it is only 78 out there. So, I'm keeping the windows open. For now.

I did not go swimming early this morning. I didn't feel like it.

I did venture out into the gray gloom about noon to find Village Creek Natural Historic Area closed due to a flooding Village Creek. I did not check out the flooding Village Creek. That would have required a couple mile detour just to see some extra water, the likes of which I have seen before.

I checked out San Manuel, Arizona today. Interesting town.

Walking & Fishing At Village Creek Natural Historic Area

Village Creek Natural Historic Area is more historic than it is natural. It is the location where one of America's biggest Indian villages existed, prior to Texans moving into the neighborhood.

Indian Village was an agricultural, trading center where various tribes converged to exchange goods. These tribes were rather peaceful. Til invaders starting causing trouble for them.

As you can see, we are still green here in north Texas. This grass is not irrigated. I don't know why it is still green. Other summers, by this time of the year, nearing fall, all would be brown. But, despite the ongoing drought there is still a lot of green out there.

I saw something at Village Creek today that was both cute, yet a little disturbing. A stroller, with baby inside, was parked on the north dam bridge. Two kids sat on the dam bridge, dangling their feet over the edge, while their mom, I assume it was their mom, held a fishing pole out over the water.

It was at this precise location I saw my one and only Garfish. And my one and only Water Moccasin. Both at the same time. The Garfish was on the side of the dam bridge where the mom was fishing, the Water Moccasin was on the other side. What if mom hooked a Garfish? The water is so murky you can not see what lurks beneath the surface.

I watched The Grapes of Wrath last night. I wondered if in these troubled times mom was trolling for fish to feed her 3 kids? The kids did not seem hungry like those poor kids in The Grapes of Wrath. And they seemed to be having a real good time fishing with mom. There are no do not eat the fish warning signs that I've seen along Village Creek. I can not imagine it being a good idea to eat anything caught there, though.

Cougar Caught In Seattle, Cougar Killed in Redmond

Months ago I ran into an elderly lady wearing a mumu at Village Creek Natural Historic Area who told me about her encounter with a cougar. This encounter made the local news.

It seemed plausible that a creature that preferred living in the wild might follow the banks of the Trinity River in the D/FW urban zone.

An implausible cougar story is in the Seattle news today. A 2 1/2 year old male cougar weighing 140 pounds was captured in Seattle's Discovery Park around 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning, after the cat was treed by hunting dogs.

The cougar was tranquilized, fitted with a GPS collar, which will track his whereabouts twice a day, caged, then released back into the wild at an undisclosed location.

Discovery Park is an island of green surrounded by urban development on 3 sides and the Puget Sound on the 4th side. How did this cat get to Discovery Park? How did it get across the Ballard Locks if it came from the north? How did it get across Lake Washington if it came from the east? How did it get past downtown Seattle if it came from the south? It's very perplexing.

Methinks this may be a coordinated cougar invasion of the Seattle Metropolitan area. Saturday evening there was another cougar incident. A driver ran into and killed a cougar on a Redmond road. Redmond is east of Seattle, on the east side of Lake Washington, where Microsoft is headquartered. It seems the logical source of the cougar invasion would be the Cascade mountains to the east. I wonder how many more cougars have left the mountains to move to the Big City?

Finding My Quiet Texas Center Among The Ruins

Worst bout of insomnia in quite a while last night. While watching TV, prior to trying to sleep, I chipped a tooth on popcorn, which then led to breaking a fingernail. I knew with all this calamity I was going to have a rough night.

I gave up trying to sleep about 4. I was in the pool while it was still quite dark.

Sometime in the morning I opened a birthday card from my mom and dad. There was $25 in it and a coupon for Sweet Tomatoes, with the card telling me to go there for lunch today.

But. I was too tired to go out for lunch. Around noon I took off from here, got gas, then went to the Post Office where I found 2 keys in the Post Office Box. It is quite a puzzle to find the numbers that matched the keys. I was looking for 18 and 19. One would think they would be right by each other, but the P.O. Box numbering system follows its own peculiar logic, that I have difficulty penetrating.

Eventually I found the boxes and saw one had a huge envelope and the other contained a huge box, which said the contents were temperature sensitive. I feared a repeat of last Thanksgiving's melted peach pie. More on what I found at the Post Office later.

When I drove away from the Post Office I called my mom, because, like I said, I'd just gotten gas and I always call my mom when I get gas. They are still up in Washington, now at my sister's in Kent. The one who got central air-conditioning installed during the recent rare heatwave. Which likely will not happen again in our lifetimes. Mom said it is now rainy and cold. So, they are heading down to the Oregon coast were it will likely be rainier and colder.

Rainier reminds me, it is a year ago, today, that I drove to Mount Rainier National Park and actually saw The Mountain up close for the first time ever.

I talked to mom all the way to Village Creek Natural Historic Area. I was hoping for a nice, relaxing walk, hoping to see something interesting, like an armadillo herd or a big snake. But the only new thing was the bench in the photo at the top. It's made out of that lasts forever, made out of plastic bags, fake wood material that is used more and more. Apparently the bench was donated by someone.

A plaque by the bench says,

"In Loving Memory
JIM KUNDE
1937 - 2009
Come and find the quiet center"

That is what I wish I could find. My quiet center. It's illusive.

Village Creek Flood Debris & Texas Emissions

It appeared to be a lady operating that piece of heavy equipment on the dam/bridge across Village Creek at Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, this morning, about an hour before noon.

I think she was trying to unplug the culverts from debris deposited by the recent high water. When I walked by, a half hour later, the dam/bridge was clear of heavy equipment. It did not look as if much debris was removed. But, water was flowing.

I was in Arlington because it is the last day of the month. Meaning today was the last day I could take my vehicle in for its annual emissions test and be good to go for another year.

I see a lot of vehicles here that appear to be spewing too much exhaust. I never understand how it is that they don't get stopped and ticketed, because it seems sort of obvious the smoke spewing vehicles could not have passed the emissions test.

Where I lived in Washington we did not have to get vehicles tested. People living in the Seattle Metro Zone did have to get their vehicles tested. I don't know if this has changed since I've been away.

Awhile back some branch of the government of the State of Texas admitted that the Barnett Shale Drilling Operations, in their totality, put out more bad emissions than all the vehicles moving in the D/FW Metroplex. I don't know if the Barnett Shale Drilling Operations have to pass some sort of emissions test. I suspect not.

So, that's been my day in Texas, so far, up before dawn, in the pool while it was still dark, in Arlington to pass an emissions test, walking at Village Creek, watching a lady move debris, then sitting at a picnic table under the shade of giant oaks, making a call to a Texas lady who cheered me up an awful lot.

Dangling Shoes, Possums, Catfish Killing Watersnakes & A Queenly Mystery Stalker In Texas

On the way to Village Creek Natural Historic Area I saw a pair of shoes dangling from a wire, way up high. How did they get there? Why did they get there? Very perplexing.

There were a lot of people at Village Creek today. When I pulled into the parking lot I saw a guy releasing a small possum. I have seen a lot of possums released at this park over the years. Makes me think a lot more have been let go than the ones I've managed to see. Possums are kind of cute. Sort of like armadillos without a shell.

There were a couple guys acting a bit odd by the first dam/bridge creek crossing. I asked what they were looking at. I was told they had been watching a watersnake catch a catfish. I saw nothing. Later I came upon them again at the other dam/bridge creek crossing. Due to the drought Village Creek is not running much water. One of the guys climbed into one of the culverts through which the creek flows under the dam/bridge. The other guy was at the other end of the culvert. I asked what they were looking at now. I was told a big turtle had gone into the culvert.

The location of the big turtle is where I had my one and only combo encounter with a water moccasin and a garfish. No way would I go in one of those culverts.

My day started off fine with the usual morning swim, then I dealt with the Dallas Farmers Market for a bit.

By mid-morning I had heard from my snitches, telling me that the Queen of Wink had blogged about me again. I find this terribly unsettling. I can not read her blog due to the Wink Queen used her extremely highly evolved computer skills to somehow cause my browser to freeze up if I try to look at her blog. Apparently, once she successfully blocked me, she began blogging about me. Like I said, very unsettling.

Apparently the Queen of Wink believes me to be a big mystery that she has been unable to solve, despite diligent effort. And so she says she is coming to Fort Worth, next month, to solve the mystery. Forewarned, I have tightened security and am employing defensive measures that should allow me to keep my privacy unbreeched. I hope.

Avoiding Hot Texas Sun By Walking Under Oak Trees At Village Creek

After a way too long flusterating morning I had to get out of here and away from anything with a non-human memory.

We are under a Level Orange Air Pollution Alert here, advised to avoid the air as much as you can.

I accept it as fact that there is some air pollution out there, but it has never remotely reached the level I've experienced in years past in the Los Angeles zone, where it'd cause my eyes to sting. The air pollution here does not cause a disturbing distant haze, like it can in the Puget Sound zone, when you look north towards Vancouver, or south towards Seattle.

With the health warnings in mind I decided to go to a shady spot and walk under the green protection of giant oak trees, so I went to Village Creek Natural Historical Area. I saw 3 other humans, all on bikes. No snakes, armadillos, panthers, tarantulas or alligators.

The only wildlife that I was aware of today, at Village Creek, I was unable to see, but I could hear them. Those noisy cicadas doing their mating chants.

One of the humans on a bike, it being one of those recumbent bikes, startled me bad, coming up behind me. I jumped, he said, sorry.

There was very little water running in Village Creek, a sad sign of the drought we are having here. The pond with the overlook deck, where water moccasins and turtles live peacefully together, is pretty much dried up. I've never seen it like this.

When I got back to my current location there was a message from Jammin Mole. She seems to think I need to get the exterminator back in here, if I'm getting cockroaches in my morning coffee. Cockroaches in my morning coffee are the least of my worries. That sort of stimulating moment is just a welcome diversion from a less stimulating reality.

Remember, tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon we go for the Skinny Dip World Record.

Another Copperhead Encounter In Texas

I was up way before the sun was this morning. Again. Soon after it got bright I was in the pool. Again.

Then after way too many hours hitting buttons on a keyboard I needed to escape. My escape route, this time, was to pedal my bike at Village Creek Natural Historic Area. Again.

I've never seen so many people as were there today. The parking lot was almost full. I've never seen that before. At the pond viewing area there were 3 separate groups of people sitting at picnic tables. I rarely see a single person there.

I think it's the perfect temperatures that is drawing people outdoors. It was around 85 when I headed out of here at noon, 89 now, 3 hours later. I saw a pretty young mom and her little boy, both on scooters. I've been seeing a lot of people on scooters lately. There were 3 different scooter groups at Village Creek today. Has scootering become some sort of fad?

I would have thought that with so many people on the Village Creek trail that snakes would be gone. I was wrong. I came upon a copperhead again. I got closer to it this time and got a better picture. It posed politely, barely moving. And then when I turned the camera off it began to slither off the pavement at an alarmingly high rate of speed. If it had decided to head towards me, that fast, I don't know if I could have backed up fast enough.

And then I remembered what Jammin Mole told me a couple days ago. That rattlesnakes travel in pairs. She learned this after finding a rattlesnake in her laundry room. Her dad came over and helped get rid of it. And told her they usually travel in pairs. Soon the second rattlesnake made its presence known.

While I was snapping pictures another copperhead could have slithered up behind me. I will take this possibility into consideration during my next snake encounter and constantly check behind me to make sure I'm not about to be attacked.

So, that's my exciting Thursday in Texas, so far.

Oh, I forgot a funny thing. Earlier today I blogged about thinking Kincaid's Burgers were overrated. I got a funny comment from my favorite commenter, Anonymous, basically telling me my restaurant opinions were overrated, complaining that my rave reviews of Zorro's Buffet caused him to take his wife there on a Friday night only to find leathery steak and overcooked shrimp. Anonymous started off his comment with this funny line, "In defense of Kincaid's, you defiantly have bad taste!"

I'm defiant about everything.

Village Creek Grim Reaper With Snakes & The MuMu Lady

A long time ago I blogged about an encounter at Village Creek Natural Historic Area with an odd woman wearing a MuMu and walking with a strange gait while waving her arms and talking to herself.

I never saw her again. Til today. In the previous encounter I said "Hello, did you see the armadillos?" To which she said "No, did you see the strange bird?"

I said "No, I have seen no bird." She then asked if she could give me her "testimony." I politely declined, but she began it anyway. I listened for a little bit and then went on my way. A short time after that I came upon her again, sitting on a bench. She then told me the story of her encounter on that bench with a mountain lion. She'd been praying, looked up to see the mountain lion. She then loudly prayed SAVE ME JESUS! And the mountain lion walked away without eating her.

Now, what is really strange about that story is I believe it to be true. There had been many reports of a mountain lion sighting along the banks of the Trinity River. And there was one story of an encounter with an elderly lady at Village Creek. I believe that elderly lady was Miss MuMu.

During my bike ride, a couple days ago, at Village Creek, I had several bad encounters. Same thing today. A crew was trimming the jungle at the sides of the trail. One had a long scythe-like thing, you know that thing the Grim Reaper has with a big blade on the end of a stick. I thought the Grim Reaper guy saw me coming and was letting me pass, but right as I got to him he swung back the scythe-like thing, in my direction. I let out a yell and disaster was averted.

A short distance from the Grim Reaper encounter I had a snake encounter. I was biking real fast, maybe 20 mph, down an incline that leads to the second dam/bridge, when I nearly ran over a well-camouflaged snake. I hit the brakes and got out the camera. My only copperhead encounter in Texas took place in about this same location. That copperhead was a big snake who would not get off the trail. Another guy had spotted the snake and warned me to stop. I was roller blading. Eventually the snake got bored and slithered away.

I forgot to mention, that's Miss MuMu lady in the picture at the top. I came upon her a second time today as she was entering the part of the trail that goes through Interlochen. She must live in one of those cool houses on a canal. I was coming up behind her, I don't think she can see very well. There's a bench at the top of the slope that leads from the dam/bridge. She sort of crawled on to the bench, getting down on her knees in the down on all fours position. It was very un-ladylike.

I pedaled on, down the slope, then hit the brakes and turned around, thinking I gotta see if I can get a picture of this. I was far enough away that she would not have been able to tell I was snapping pics. I took the pics using the maximum optical and digital zoom.

The other regular Village Creek character was there today too. Log Man. He's an older guy who walks while swinging a thick stick, like a long log. It's a little unsettling when he's swinging that thing and you bike up on him from behind. I don't think he hears very well.

Nearly Killed At Village Creek Crime Scene

I had too much to get done this morning. By the time I was able to escape it was past noon. I was going to go to River Legacy Park to ride the mountain bike trail, but that would have taken too long, so I went to my nearest pedaling place, that being Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

When I was at Village Creek a couple days ago I was not pleased to find myself biking over the remains of a window. Likely a break-in theft attempt looking for valuables, which you are warned not to leave in your vehicle because there have been problems previously.

So much so that a pole with security cameras were added some time ago. The sign on the security pole says...

SECURITY NOTICE
PARKING AREA
SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
MAXIMUM ENFORCEMENT
OF ALL ILLEGAL ACTIVITIES

The first time I saw this it just seemed real silly to me. "Enforcement of all illegal activities?" What does that verbiage even mean? And am I supposed to believe that someone actually monitors these cameras? If so, I've mooned that person a time or two, as I quickly change from biking shorts to non-biking shorts. I guess mooning the security camera must not be an illegal activity requiring maximum enforcement.

As soon as I stepped out of my van I saw there'd been two more windows broken. From the position of the glass I could tell they were side windows on the side not facing the street. Since there is nothing of value in my van, I left the window open today.

I had several "incidents" while biking today. First off groundskeeping crews were all over the place, trucks were driving the trail. They can be hard to get around.

Coming to the first bridge/dam I could see 3 bikers on the other side. I knew that by the time I was on the other side, they'd be coming down the hill fast towards me. I met the first 2 females with no problem, but the male behind them was looking at his odometer and heading straight at me at high speed. I had no room to maneuver out of his way. I hollered, he looked up and swerved, narrowly avoiding a head on collision.

About a mile after nearly being killed in a head-on bike wreck there was a group of 2 moms with 5 little kids. I hollered "coming up on you." The moms got all frantic, yelling at the kids not to move. I slowed way down, then, just as I got right to them, a little boy, who had only been paying attention to a spider, suddenly backed up when the spider moved towards him. I had to slam on the brakes or I would have hit the little guy.

The next weird thing is they'd been mowing the sides of the trail. This leaves some grass residue, which would likely desiccate and blow away within 24 hours. But, rather than let that happen, a person stands on the bed of a pickup, while the driver drives as the bed stander holds a leaf blower and blows some of the grass off the pavement.

I thought, why waste gas doing such a thing? Not to mention the pollution, both noise and air, that those air blowers put out.

So, that was my bike ride today. I almost died and I almost killed a little kid and I was at a crime scene where there is maximum enforcement of all illegal activities. It's been a good day in Texas.

Village Creek, Interlochen Canals & Turtles

We have not yet had enough dry days in a row to make my favorite mountain bike trail ready to ride. This meant that my biking energy today had to be spent an the trail closest to me, that being Village Creek Natural Historic Area.

I don't think I've mentioned it before, but the trail runs along the western edge of the Interlochen neighborhood. Interlochen is known for putting on over the top lighting displays at Christmas, drawing big crowds and causing traffic jams.

I believe the Interlochen Canals were made as some sort of land reclamation project that won national acclaim, in ancient times, long before I came to Texas. There is a historical type marker explaining the gestation of the Interlochen Canals, but my ever worse memory is not remembering the details right now. I'll try and remember to take a picture of the historical type marker the next time I'm there.

When I first saw the Interlochen Canals I thought it looked to be the coolest place to live that I'd seen in Texas. You can take your boat to visit the neighbors. Or walk. I don't know what is wrong with the water, if anything, but I've never seen anyone swimming. But, why swim in a canal when you have a pool?

It is semi-hot today, in the 80s. Which means the turtles that live in the Village Creek Pond were having themselves a good time sunning their hides on a log.

Usually they are a bit skittish as soon as they detect an intruder. But today they let me get out my camera and take several pictures.

Sunny Sunday & No Earthquakes In Texas Today

We have had a return to a sunny blue sky and very pleasant temperatures here in the Fort Worth zone of North Texas.

It is only 73 out there right now at about 3 in the afternoon. Windows open, no need for A/C. A rare, perfect Texas Sunday.

As far as I know we have had no aftershocks from the earthquake that rattled us yesterday. I did feel the earth move today, but it was not an earthquake.

Yesterday, due to it being a Pacific Northwest in winter, slow dripping and wet day, I was housebound. Around noon I un-housebounded myself and went the the Village Creek Historical Natural Area to commune with nature via a walk.

I saw no wildlife today, except for an unusually large number of humans of great diversity, big, small, old, young, feeble and fast. The fast humans being a pair racing way over the park's 10 mph speed limit. I was walking along in the spot you see in the picture, lost in my thoughts, enjoying the tweetering of the birds, when the bikers came up behind me. It was the "on your left" that startled me, and then I turned to see 2 guys on rocket bikes heading right at me. I think I jumped, because the first guy said, "sorry."

I realize I contradicted myself in the above paragraph, first I say I saw no wildlife and then I mention birds. I saw a squirrel or two, too. I should have said I saw no interesting wildlife, like snakes, armadilloes, garfish or turtles.

Now I've gotta go change the logo and name of my new blog. I'll probably change my mind on this name too.