Fort Worth Martinez Man Gets The Lethal Texas Needle

I mentioned yesterday that Tarrant County, that being where Fort Worth is, was scheduled to have its 4th Convicted Killer of the year killed last night.

Well, the execution happened on schedule.

The Dallas Morning News reported the latest Texas Execution on page 6 of the A section, as you can see in the picture, in a little blurb at the lower left, next to a big Macy's ad.

Before he was killed, James Edward Martinez told his mom and sister, who were there to watch him get killed, that he loved them.

Martinez then told the assembled execution watchers the "I hope y'all can move on after this."

Doers of evil deeds are always wanting their victims to move on. Or so I've noticed.

Alma's Mating Rattlesnakes & The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup

My nerves were already on edge due to last night's long thunderstorm that had several direct hits setting off alarms and shaking this place like a mild earthquake.

And then this morning Alma, the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, sent me a picture of what appears to be a pair of rattlesnakes being friendly with each other.

Lately, due to the warm weather, snakes have been appearing on the trails I bike. This puts me in overreaction mode where I'll think for a second that a tree root crossing the trail is a snake. This causes an adrenalin overload.

On another rattlesnake related note. Tomorrow in Sweetwater the annual Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup starts. It runs through Sunday. If you haven't had Rattlesnake & Fries for awhile, this would be your chance.

America's Team: Fighting Over The Dallas Cowboys

Yesterday I mentioned I'm reading a book, Twentynine Palms, by Deanne Stillman and that I was surprised, as I often am when reading any random book, at how Texas finds itself somehow in the narrative.

In this particular book it was the Dallas Cowboys who suddenly were part of the plotline.

A running theme in Twentynine Palms is spousal abuse, husbands getting drunk and beating their wives.

I'll copy below the part of the story where the Cowboys provoked bad behavior off the field...

"The really serious trouble began during football season. The Cowboys were playing the Raiders. Like a lot of Texans, Max was a hard-core Cowboys fan, really believed that they were "America's team'; as the Cowboys went, so went the country. He exploded ecstatically with every completed pass, every down, died with every fumble, every bad call. Debie was a hard-core Raiders fan, like a lot of Northern Californians, like a lot of non-Texans, who did not identify with their own teams, who had a boss and didn't like him, who preferred the scrappy street-fighter image of the team with the pirate logo and the slogan "pursuit of excellence."

Max had polished off a couple of six-packs. The Raiders' infamous George Blanda faked a pass to his receiver, then lateraled to a guard, who outran two line-backers and a safety, completing the run for the winning touchdown. Debie jumped up and told Max to settle on a bet they had made. But Max was seething, as often happened when he drank too much, and he lunged at Debie. Debie grabbed one of his size-thirteen boots and threw it at him; he dodged and it hit a door, making a deep hole in the thin wood used for base housing. Max came after Debie again. She ran into the bathroom and locked the door. He ran after her, kicked the door down, lunged at her, and hauled her out...."

The beatings worsened, some Dallas Cowboy related, some not. Within a short time Debie took her kids and escaped. Max moved back to Texas. Where he has had plenty of reasons to continue to be aggravated by the hapless Dallas Cowboys.

Another Tarrant County Texas Killer Gets The Lethal Needle Tonight

I live in Tarrant County. In the town of Fort Worth. In Texas. In 2008 Texas only executed 2 Convicted Killers from my county.

It is only March, yet tonight Texas is on track to give the Lethal Needle to the 4th Tarrant County Convicted Killer in 2009. With another Tarrant County Convicted Killer scheduled for the Lethal Needle in June.

Tonight's planned execution is that of Convicted Killer, James Martinez. He killed his ex-girl friend, Sandra Walton and a friend, Michael Humphreys.

To give you an idea of how run of the mill executions are in Texas, tonight Michael Humphrey's dad, Brad, will witness the killing of his son's killer.

But.

This will not be Brad Humphrey's first execution witness trip. In 2001 Brad Humphrey watch Jeffrey Tucker die for the 1988 shooting of Brad's dad, Wilton Humphrey.

The majority of American states have not executed anyone in 2009. Which would mean the majority of American counties have not had a killer from their county executed this year. While here in Texas, by the time today ends, my county, Tarrant, will have had its 4th convicted killer of the year executed.

Also on this day, in 1969, James Earl Ray pleaded guilty to assassinating Martin Luther King Jr. He got 99 years and died in prison in 1998.

Also on this day, in 2004, Lee Boyd Malvo, known as the D.C. sniper, was sentenced to life in prison for his killing spree that left 10 people dead and terrorized our nation's capital.

The news of tonight's impending execution was on the first page of the second section of this morning's Dallas Morning News. We'll see where the story of the execution gets buried in tomorrow's paper.

Hotter N' Hell 100 In Wichita Falls

I was pleased to learn, this morning, that Gar the Texan has taken me up on my challenge that he get his scrawny self in good enough shape that he can be in Wichita Falls on Saturday, August 29 for the annual Hotter N' Hell Hundred.

Last year almost 12,000 people braved the HOT Texas August sun to ride their bikes for 100 miles in the Wichita Falls zone.

Wichita Falls is named for a little waterfall that long ago disappeared in a flood. So, so as not to confuse visitors, Wichita Falls built a fake falls that looks quite real. In a Disneyland sort of way.

Reading Gar the Texans' Blog this morning I was disheartened to read that his training program has not gotten off to a good start, with a case of the vapors popping out even before he got on his bike.

Despite my always optimistic nature, I fear boondoggle ahead as Gar the Texan continues to try and muster the energy to go outside without having a vapor attack. That boy was in much better shape before his more recent marriage. Why? I do not know.

Below is a YouTube video of me trying to catch up with Gar the Texan in Palo Duro Canyon. He was able to pedal fast back then, prior to his marital duties apparently keeping him in a state of exhaustion and the vapors.

Fresh Texas Tandy Hills Color & Mom

It took awhile to find some new color in the outdoor zones of Texas today. I don't think this tree was blooming when I was at the Tandy Hills last Thursday, but it was today.

I got an email yesterday that my mom directed my dad to send, asking why I've not gotten gas lately. My one longtime reader may remember me mentioning that when I get gas I call my mom and tell her how much it cost.

So, even though I didn't get gas, I called my mom today while hiking around the Tandy Hills.

It has not been a blue sky day in Texas. But it is warm. Swimming was very pleasant this morning.

I'm reading a book called Twentynine Palms. Twentynine Palms is a town in the Mojave Desert in California. It's a true crime book. Rather well written with a very high level of detail and historic background of the characters involved.

I like reading books where the area being described is somewhere I've been. I have never been to Twentynine Palms, but I have seen many of the places described, like Barstow and Victorville and the Mojave.

It surprises me how often I'll be peacefully reading along when there will be some Texas reference. In this Twentynine Palms book the Texas reference is a Dallas Cowboys reference. Short version, the Dallas Cowboys cause fits of wifebeating. I'll blog the details of that tomorrow. It seems like way too much bother right now.

My Fort Worth History Expertise

It looks like I'm all about Public Service Announcements today.

A few days ago I got an email from Alan Small of the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History asking for my possible help in locating resources to help with a program he is running. He is looking for experts on the history and culture of Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Now, I don't think I'd be the go to guy for anyone wanting information about Fort Worth's culture. Although I did make a webpage about Fort Worth's "Cultural District."

I wonder why there is not sufficient history about the history of Fort Worth in the Fort Worth History Museum to help the students deepen their understanding of local history?

I'll copy the message from Alan Small below. If anyone can help him, make a comment and I'll forward the message. Or you could just email Mr. Small directly.

Hello my name is Alan Small with the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History's Community Studios program. We have high school students in our program who are working on a project involving the history and culture of Fort Worth. I am looking for experts on the history and/or culture of Fort Worth and Tarrant County who would like to speak to our kids, as well as locations where our students could visit to deepen their understanding of local history. Do you know of any such resources? Thank you for your time.

Alan Small

The Cowtown Great America Cleanup

If you've been astonished by the amazing amounts of litter you see as you travel around Texas and have wished there was something, anything, you could possibly do to clean up some of it, besides not adding to the mess yourself, well you have an opportunity on Saturday, March 28 to make a dent in Fort Worth's pile of litter.

Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and the Downtown Public Improvement District have organized the Cowtown Great American Cleanup.

So, on the last Saturday of this month at 8 am, get yourself to the grassy area at Purcey and West Bluff Street. Volunteers are being asked to register. Why? I don't know. But the first 3,000 to volunteer get a free t-shirt and work gloves out of the deal. And you get a free lunch. I'll do just about anything to get a free lunch.

To participate:

1. Pick a cleanup location
2. Recruit volunteers. Any size group is welcome.
3. Register your group online as soon as possible. All registrations are due by 5 pm. March 13.
4. Encourage all volunteers to fill out the waiver form - available on the registration site - and turn them in as soon as possible. Free cleanup supplies only will be issued with completed waivers for all participants in a group.
5. Pick up your supplies (which will include free trash bags, T-shirts and gloves) between noon and 6 p.m. March 26 or 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. March 27 at the Public Health Center, 1800 University Drive. Cleanup supplies are distributed to the first 3,000 registered participants.
6. Plan on attending the celebration for cleanup volunteers, scheduled from noon to 2 pm. on March 28 in Trinity Park. Entertainment and food provided.

Information about trash drop-off sites and other important information will be included in your cleanup packet.

A White Flower Sprouts At River Legacy Park

I would say that this blog will now have a daily new found Texas Wildflower as we move into Texas Wildflower season, but this morning's Sunday Dallas Morning News brought me the sad news that due to the continuing drought and last Fall's lack of significant rainfall, the Texas Wildflowers are likely going to be quite puny this year.

But, today at River Legacy Park, while I pedaled the mountain bike trail I came upon some white wildflowers that were not blooming when I pedaled there on Friday.

Blonde Bobbi, who I met and mentioned on Friday, was also back on the mountain bike trail today, hiking, not biking. This did not come as too big a surprise due to Blonde Bobbi mentioning that she'd be back on Sunday.

The mountain bike trail at River Legacy seems to have gotten quite popular, both with bikers and hikers. When I first discovered River Legacy Park I was surprised by how few people were out and about. Then I learned that Texans are a lot more sedentary than the people I was used to being around, that being Washingtonians in Washington. But that was then, now, almost 10 years later, I see a lot more Texans out and about, being aerobic and doing their part to get Texas off those lists of most obese states.

I saw no wildlife at River Legacy today, no squirrels, no armadillos, no bobcats, no snakes, no wild boars. Nothing. Well, there was that white flower.

I did have some slight annoyance at a pair of bikers. They came out of "Fun Town" and intersected with the trail I was on. They were ahead of me. The one I was right behind asked if I wanted by. I said, "uh, you guys look like you'll be way faster than me. " I mean, they looked to be in their 20s. I am not in my 20s. I may look like I'm in my 20s if the light is just right and the person looking at me has bad eyesight. But I'm not in my 20s.

Anyway, the two really young guys let me go ahead of them, despite my protests. I felt obligated to bike fast. I've been in this position before. Well, one of them kept right behind me, like I was being his pace car. The first guy I passed, soon dropped out of sight. I finally lost the guy who was chasing me after about 2 miles. This made the bike riding way more exercise than I was looking for.

By the time I got back here I was still overheated, so that made a jump in the pool sound like a good idea for the second time today. And then I did some of that laying on a lounge chair soaking up the healthy Vitamin A, or is it D, rays coming down from the clear blue sky.

We are heading into stormy weather the next several days. I suspect today was my last pool lounging day for awhile.

Sansom Park Hiking & Druids

Today I had to be in the White Settlement zone of Fort Worth, not the town of White Settlement, but the street, where Angelo's Barbecue is located.

So, since I was in the neighborhood, sort of, I thought today would a good day to return to Sansom Park and do some hiking on the steepest, toughest trails in the D/FW Metroplex.

I don't know who made these trails. Or how they made them. What I do know is this system of trails is Moab-worthy. As in the Slick Rock Trail scared me in Moab, but I biked it. The Sansom Trail scares me in Fort Worth, and I won't bike it. Well, maybe I would bike part of it, but there were a couple places where I could not hike down, no way could I bike it. Yet I saw tire tracks. Texans are tough. They will willingly go where few men will.

Sansom Park sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Worth and Lake Worth Dam. During a flood the view here is pretty spectacular, with water pouring over the dam like a mini-Niagara. You can hike down to the base of the dam where there are trail options in a couple directions. Most of these trails are not for the faint of heart or weak of knees.

I saw a wildflower blooming today that I've not yet seen whilst hiking the Tandy Hills, that being the blue flower you see above.

Most of the Sansom Park Trails are very rocky, with a few being packed dirt. I don't know if this is limestone, or what it is. I do know it can be challenging. I don't know what went on in the past in this area. There are what appear to be long abandoned roads where people seem to have created elaborate rusty iron sculptures.

There are so many miles of trails going in so many directions, if it weren't for orienting landmarks one could get, well, disoriented. One of the landmarks is a rock formation that sits atop a hill, like a Druid/Stonehenge monument. It would likely be de-stoned if some of the more earnest local Bible Belters got wind of the pagan imagery guiding bikers and hikers out of their confusion.

I was drawn to climb up to the Druid Monument and take some pictures. From there the view is good of Lake Worth and the dam. It looks to me like it would be a good idea to turn the Druid Stonehenge Monument into some sort of picnic pavilion. There is already a very nice, huge, fireplace. Who knows what sort of rituals have taken place in that fireplace?

It has been a good Saturday in Fort Worth. I went swimming real early. The water was perfect. White Settlement and Sansom Park were perfect. On the way back here I saw humans on a scary balcony. I'll blog about that later. And then when I did get back here, I went swimming again. It's still winter, but it is summer in Texas. And tomorrow we spring forward. I don't like Daylight Savings Time.