Mineral Wells Baker Hotel May Be Saved

In my first year in Texas, when it was still all new to me and I was still enjoying going out and about and exploring my new world, I came upon the town of Mineral Wells, about 40 miles west of Fort Worth.

Before driving into Mineral Wells I went to Mineral Wells State Park and discovered my first scenic thing in Texas, that being Penitentiary Hollow. Penitentiary Hollow is a maze of cliffs and caves where a lot of rock climbing takes place.

After I was done exploring the state park I drove into Mineral Wells. Ahead of me I saw this giant, totally out of place, building. When I got back to a computer I quickly learned it was the infamous Baker Hotel. A resort hotel that sprang up in the 1920s which attracted all sorts of celebrities, drawn to the supposed curative powers of what was called Crazy Water.

Years later, in the 60s, it was discovered that Crazy Water's curative powers came from the naturally occurring lithium present in the water. The government shut it down. The Baker Hotel gradually died.

Over the years there have been attempts to restore the Baker Hotel. Always with good intentions. But it always falls apart. The latest attempt was announced yesterday. It seems like this attempt might be viable. The plan is to remodel the Baker Hotel into a mixed use building with various levels of senior type housing and elderly care.

I'm guessing that once the renovation plan is costed out the people interested will decide it's not viable. I hope not, though.

Dallas Cowboy Con Job

Yet one more letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram from a disgruntled Texan cranky at what was done in Arlington to get Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys a new stadium.

I particularly liked the heading on this letter. "Cowboy Con Job."

Here's the letter.......

Cowboy con job

The latest Pacman Jones debacle has the silver-tongued Jerry Jones describing it as a personal thing. This is the same silver-tongued mega-wealthy man who conned the Arlington taxpayers into paying for a new mega-stadium for him. No matter that eminent domain displaced many out of their homes for a mega-stadium parking lot. The emperors of Rome offered free bread and games to keep the masses happy, so it follows that the Arlington taxpayer will get the same benefits.

Jones will charge mega-prices to watch his band of not-so-merry men, and not one dime will arrive in the taxpayers’ mailbox in the form of a royalty check. It seems that Jones will hire anybody if it means winning a Super Bowl.

-- Alexandra W. Wolf, Fort Worth

Getting Rid Of Charter Communications

If all goes well, by later today I should be able to report that I am rid of Charter Communications and that my new AT & T U-verse Internet and TV cable system is working.

Charter annoyed its customers across the country in July when they arbitrarily moved several popular channels, like TCM and Bravo to new locations not accessible without some sort of converter.

Calling Charter about the missing channels got you to some foreign land where gibberish was spoken and the call quickly became an attempt to sell Charter phone service.

Last week to compound the aggravation Charter had the gall to send a letter detailing a price increase! Lesser service now at a greater price.

With this AT & T U-verse thing I get a DVR, whatever that is, that can record 4 channels at once. I can't imagine having 4 things on TV at the same time that I'd want to watch. And I'll have TCM and Bravo back viewable. Just in time for the new season of Top Chef.

Chesapeake Energy Cancels Shale.TV

Falling prices has Chesapeake Energy and the other gas drillers doing some major changing. As in stopping the poking a hole in the ground process at some locations. I've seen one pull out in my neighborhood.

And now Chesapeake Energy is cancelling their controversial Shale.TV show.

A well known Dallas/Fort Worth TV news guy named Tracy Rowlett had been hired to be the face of Shale.TV. There was a lot of local derision about his decision to be a shill for Chesapeake Energy. Rowlett becoming a Chesapeake shill had closely followed the ill-fated Chesapeake ad campaign that used actor Tommy Lee Jones. That ad campaign caused a lot of controversy due to its over the top ridiculousness.

Jerri Robbins, Chesapeake's public relations manager, said the move comes in response to the “economic challenges” faced by the country and the industry.

I wonder if we'll get to see all the Chesapeake Energy signs removed from the Fort Worth buses soon? That'd be nice.

Hiking Turner Falls Park and Dinosaur Valley State Park

A day or two ago, maybe three, maybe yesterday, I made mention of what I thought was the fact that every time I went biking, hiking or roller blading with Gar the Texan he got a case of the vapors that would cause a swoon-like collapse.

Well, I totally wrongly disparaged Gar the Texan's record regarding doing anything that requires physical exertion and its resulting bad case of the vapors.

I'd forgotten I went hiking with Gar the Texan down at Dinosaur Valley State Park. It was a long hike up steep trails. He did not get a case of the vapors. If I remember right he was gung-ho to take off on another section of trail. But I was hungry and ready to quit hiking.

There was a second time that Gar the Texan hiked around without getting the vapors that I also forgot about. Now, that second time he did get a case of the vapors, but it occurred on the drive north to the hiking destination, that being Turner Falls Park up in Oklahoma.

By the time we got to Turner Falls, Gar the Texan was totally over his vapor bout and was a hiking machine, including climbing a steep cliff to get to a cave and at another point standing on top of a pinnacle. I am a bit of an acrophobe, but Gar the Texan, despite his potential for getting a case of the vapors at an inopportune time, was willing to be quite risky.

I even recollect he ran up and down the rock stairway of the Turner Falls Castle.

So, to set the record straight, the Gar the Texan cases of the vapors occurred on 2 different bike rides up by Lake Grapevine, once at the Horseshoe Trails that involved a spectacular wreck and another time at the other end of the lake that didn't involve a spectacular wreck, just a case of the vapors.

Then there was a bike ride along the Trinity Trails, going from the Fort Worth Stockyards to downtown Fort Worth's Heritage Park. This incident was a very bad case of the vapors and included Gar the Texan taking on a sort of green tint.

I previously mentioned the Gar the Texan case of the vapors that occurred a few minutes into, as far as I know, his only roller blading attempt.

Okay, I've now set the record totally straight regarding Gar the Texan's vapor cases history.

Very Scary Halloween Worthy Video

Sweetwater Texas Rattlesnake Roundup

There is a town called Sweetwater out in the eastern end of West Texas. I was last in Sweetwater in 2002 to go to the Rattlesnake Roundup. At that time Sweetwater was a run down town that had seen better days. Since my last visit I understand Sweetwater has turned into a bit of a boomtown due to all the Wind Farms that have sprouted up.

My one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup occurred about a week after I got my first video camcorder. The video I made of that visit was the first I put on YouTube. It has generated some interesting comments. With a fresh one today being the most well-reasoned among them.

Two hours ago leotheroach had this to say....

Rattlesnakes are relatively slow to mature, have only modest litters, and are already adversely affected by habitat destruction and persecution. These events remove thousands of animals, including large numbers of reproductively mature animals. Since rattlesnakes are an apex predator, a sudden decline in their population could have ecological consequences, particularly for the rodents they typically feed on.

A week ago dumdeedum2 had this to say...

I hate hate hate snakes. But this annual event - especially the snake taunting - seems very cruel and unnecessary.

A month ago FuzzyLogic0101 had this to say...

Animal abuse. . .period! These people have no idea what impact on the environment this causes. For that matter the thought never crossed their mind about the environment. I definitely understand and feel garter10895 anger on this, It's disturbing. I unfortunately live in Alabama where they hold one of these horrid events. It's in Opp, Alabama. The name is about the same size of the town. Morons...

4 months ago DNR001 had this to say...

It amazes me how people can spend one day torturing and making a mockery out of some of God's most fascinating animals and wake up and go to church the next day. Not only are rattlesnake round-ups cruel and inhumane, they are also very destructive to the environment. Habitats are thoughtlessly destroyed. Gasoline is sprayed into dens and burrows, driving snakes out, but this also kills many other animals that use them as shelter. Humans use and abuse this snake for their entertainment.

5 months ago yikeroo3 had this to say...

Okay, I do not like snakes. This event is very creepy to me.

5 months ago idn had this to say...

Pathetic display. Get bitten please.

6 months ago tjensensandiego had this to say...

what is wrong with these perverts?

6 months ago garter10895 had this to say...

this rattlesnake roundup is a sick sick ****ing thing you all know what causes sickness in food right, its mice and rats, which they eat, and of your worried about them remember that hawks eat them, and this is inhumane, and soon they will shut it down!!!

7 months ago avbiker had this to say...

jus to say first no they cant use the venom for anti venom its 3 different snakes in one jar and its not steril and its crule lets see how many snakes we can slaughter heres a cool show they could try bring out there inbred hick kids and see how fuckin deformed they are thats a good show.

Below is the video that generated the comments.

Unstoppable Woman™ Mentoring Conference

There is this Unstoppable Woman in Dallas named Dina Moor. I made her an Unstoppable Woman website a year or two ago.

For the past few months the Unstoppable Woman has been preparing to hold a meeting in Plano this coming November 3 called the "Unstoppable Woman™ Mentoring Conference."

Unstoppable Women from all over North Texas will be there, including an appearance by Laura Bush. And an astronaut. I don't know if the astronaut is an Unstoppable Woman or not.

Okay. I'm done with my shameless Unstoppable Woman plug now.

Roller Blading at Quanah Parker Park

Up til about 2 years ago I did a lot of roller blading. It's fun. And good exercise.

On August 11 of 2004 I had a scary roller blading incident that still gives me nightmares. I was up in Washington. On both my birthday and the day I was to fly back to Texas my ex-wife convinced me it'd be fun for me to go roller blading with her riding her bike.

She led me to a nearby park that was an access point to a long paved trail through the woods. She did not tell me the trail started with a long long long steep, very steep downhill.

By the time I realized how steep the hill was it was too late to come to a stop. I rode the brakes as long as I could. When the speed became too fast I had to release the brakes and just try and ride it out. It was awful. I must have hit at least 40 mph. I made it down the hill and started to slow down, to maybe 20 mph, when I came to a wooden bridge. I thought, this is it, I'm gonna crash.

But I didn't.

I was back here in Texas and about a month after my ex-wife tried to kill me I was roller blading at Village Creek Park and had my worst roller blade crash ever. Scraped a huge area of skin off my butt and made the worst bruise I'd ever had. It was months before I got on the blades again.

And then about 2 years ago I had a bike wreck, followed by a minor roller blade wreck. I decided to give up roller blading. Bike wrecks are quick to recover from, roller blading wrecks have always been worse for me.

But, despite resolving to never get on blades again, today I did. I went to the park nearest where I live, Quanah Parker Park. It's got a large paved trail that makes a circle and a connector trail that goes to another paved trail. The photos are from today's roller blading at Quanah Parker Park.

Quanah Parker is a famous Comanche chief. All sorts of things in Texas are named after him, including Parker County. That's where Weatherford is. Quanah Parker's mother, Cynthia Ann Parker, was a white woman who had been kidnapped as a young girl and grew up to adopt the Indian ways. There was a battle with Quanah's tribe and after it was over the Texas Rangers discovered Cynthia. They took her back to her family. Cynthia wanted to return to the Indians. Eventually, with a broken heart, she starved herself to death.

Enough of the history lesson, back to the present and roller blading.

I was wobbly at first, but it's like riding a bike, it comes back to you real fast. Some people have a hard time learning to roller blade. Way back when I thought it'd be fun to have someone to go roller blading with. So, I was somehow convinced to buy Gar the Texan roller blades. If I remember right I went roller blading with him one time. At a park right by his house. He made it about 30 feet and then got a case of the vapors and had to sit down on a bench.

After about an hour of sitting on the bench Gar the Texan had enough strength back to want to go to the bar at Chili's. I never went bike riding, hiking or roller blading with Gar the Texan where the physical exertion did not cause a case of the vapors. It makes me wonder how he manages to do his husbandly bedroom duties without these type incidents.

Google Adsense Not Making Sense Or Cents

I think I've mentioned my frustration with Google AdSense and Feedburner. Feedburner's monetize option has never worked right. And then they got bought by Google.

When I'd log into Google AdSense I'd get reminders that I could monetize my blog. When I first tried, nothing happened. Then last week there was a change. I was able to burn my blog. Whatever that means.

At first the burned blog just showed up as a blank page. And then a few days later it showed up as a burned blog.

I'd gone through the steps to puts ads on the feed burned blog. But no ads showed up in the feed version of my blog.

And then yesterday the ads showed up in the blog feed. One of my emailers emailed me telling me something was screwy with the ads on my blog feed. I guess she managed to somehow subscribe to the new feed in the short time it was working.

So, if you click on an ad you get this message....

"We’re sorry.The advertiser link you clicked on is no longer available.

What happened?

This publisher features feed advertising links provided by Google AdSense.Occasionally, if an advertisement has been left open in a web page or feed reader for too long, the campaign has ended and the link to the advertiser’s page no longer works. This happened to you just now. We apologize for the inconvenience and salute your unlikely timing!"

You get the above message whatever ad gets clicked on. My AdSense stats are telling me that there have been 100s of ad impressions from the feed. And not a single click. By comparison my regular non-feed blog gets many clicks per 100s of impressions. So, something is clearly amok. I'm assuming it will eventually be fixed, just like all the previous annoynances.

In the meantime, click here to see my newly burned blog feed. But don't bother clicking an ad, no matter how intriguing it looks, because all you'll get is the above error message saluting you for your unlikely timing.

But. If you can, please explain to me why a feed is preferable to just going to a blog the usual way? I don't get it.