Tempting Eve & Naked Women in Dallas

Several years ago a scandal erupted here in Texas that became national news, of the snicker at something goofy in Texas genre. There was this nice little town north of Dallas called Pilot Point, a town that had attracted some creative artist sorts. The town also had its fair share of very prudish sorts. The two sorts went into conflict mode when the town's police and mayor gave an artist who had painted a mural of Eve being tempted with an apple, by God, a deadline to cover Eve's bare breasts. Or else.

Soon after that scandal erupted I was at Fair Park in Dallas and saw the statue in front of the Women's Museum and noticed she wasn't wearing much clothing. It struck me as ironic that no one was concerned about this work of art, with demands to cover her breasts, while a few miles north bare breasts were unsettling some people.

Years ago I webpaged Fair Park in Dallas, including the statue in front of the Women's Museum and the Pilot Point Naked Eve Scandal.

This morning I got the funniest feedback in a long time, from Jane Doe, all in high umbrage mode over what she felt were tacky, ignorant, arrogant, remarks, on my part, regarding that statue in front of the Women's Museum. I'm impressed Jane Doe could whip up so much agitation over this.

Below is Jane Doe's Feedback to my Eyes on Texas website...

I found your comments regarding the Women’s Museum in the Dallas State Fair Grounds to be very tacky, ignorant, and arrogant. For generations women have been excluded from history books, professional careers, and politics. Gender prejudice has been prevalent throughout our country’s history and despite this; many women have prevailed in their strength and courage. Although in the last century women have gained many rights and liberties, they still hold minority in government, executive positions, and world affairs. According to the 2007 US Census Bureau, women with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher earned on average 73% of the earnings of men with a Bachelor’s Degree or higher.

In response to your tacky comment regarding the statue near the front of the museum, I believe that your need to take a moment to review the characteristics of the world’s masterpieces before making such an arrogant statement. David by Michael Angelo is one of the most renowned masterpieces in our world’s art history. The statue stands 424 cm high and is an image of a young, unclothed male. The image is considered a tribute to masculinity and biblical history. The young male statue stands completely exposed, with his genital area in clear view. People do not view this statue with cheap eyes and no one considers this statue to be a homage to the world’s population of male exotic dancers (or rather “stripper” in you uneducated literary language).

All this considered, I think it only appropriate that we appreciate the under acknowledged heroines of our nation, and admire them for both their intellectual and spiritual beauty. I am very saddened to encounter an individual as narrow-minded as you. I hope that you find the courage to expand your horizons and open your heart to new areas of growth. As President Obama said, “I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.”

Sincerely,
Your concerned equal rights humanitarian,
Jane Doe

The Wind Blows, The Rain Holds: Prairie Fest 2009 A Huge Success

Well, I remembered (after a reminder) that today was the Prairie Fest and I managed to spend a couple hours at it, unlike last week's Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival, which I forgot to go to.

Prairie Fest appeared way bigger than last year. I met Prairie Fest organizer, Don Young, for the first time. I said something about it being way bigger than last year. He told me it was 30% bigger. I don't know where that figure came from, but to my eyes there were at least twice as many people and way more cars parked on side streets, streets that did not have cars on them last year.

I did not get to hear the band Trigger Fish this year. I listened to the Blackland River Devils. That's another thing. Last there were just a few people listening to the band, this year there were a lot of people listening. Now that you've got me thinking about it, I'm guessing Prairie Fest more than doubled in size this year.

I took a lot of pictures and shot some video. It was very windy today. At one point I watched a canopy get blown apart. I quickly got out my video camera, and that quickly turned into me being asked to help. So I did. That quickly spun out of control as the wind continued to batter the tent. Eventually Don Young was called in to help get the destruction under control.

I'll get around to making a YouTube video later. Making videos is not the funnest thing for me. The novelty has worn off. I'm sort of a klutz at taking video. I'll have it in pause mode when I think it is in record mode, or vice versa. It's frustrating. And then this morning I finally figured out, after over a year, why the video does not seem as sharp as it used to, not that it ever was all that good. I somehow had it on manual focus, which overrode the auto-focus.

A lot of kids were having fun at the Prairie Fest today. I saw way too many dogs. I don't get why people bring dogs to things like this. Kids I understand, but not dogs.

That's the band I got to listen to this year, calling themselves the Blackland River Devils. Last year's Trigger Fish plays ol' time Rock 'n Roll, I knew the genre. I think the Blackland River Devils played sort of bluegrass country music. I'm not sure. It's not one of my few areas of any remote sort of expertise.

As the Blackland River Devils were warming up this little kid was having a real good time dancing in front of the stage. He was quite a good little dancer. But, when the real music started up he stopped the dancing and just listened. He probably started up dancing again when I wasn't paying any attention.

I got a call telling me I had to come take a picture of this booth where you could make these little dirt balls that contained wildflowers seeds, that you could then deposit on the land like a Texas Johnny Wildflowerseed.

The landscape painters were seeming to be having a bad time of it due to the high wind. It appeared that a lot of them had taken a break. I don't blame them. It was real windy.

This landscape painter had a more elaborate setup to protect her from the elements. But there was little protection from the wind.

A couple ladies manning a booth promoting a project I have promoted before, that being returning Heritage Park, in downtown Fort Worth, to its original glory.

These little cars looked sort of silly. I think they were called Passions. I'm not sure. I thought it'd be real uncomfortable inside, but instead I was amazed at how roomy it was, as in Cadillac type roomy. With no back seat and a little trunk. I'm guessing these are going to be very popular. Once the Great Depression II ends in another decade or so.

Finally, I got an answer to what the mysterious short metal fence that was added to the play area of Tandy Hills Park, months ago, was for. Apparently it was put there so cool looking Texas red white and blue type flag banners could be hung, along with a Prairie Fest sign.

There were quite a few kids in interesting garb wandering about. I think they were promoting some sort of performance thing of some sort. Or maybe they were being Prairie Fairies. I don't know. I guess I could have asked, but I really wasn't all that interested.

Prairie Fest attracts an interesting demographic that you don't see at most of the Texas events I've gone to. Let's just say the percentage of pickup trucks was very low, the percentage of small cars was very high. Walking back to my vehicle I saw 4 Prius's. And several little bitty Honda cars, the name of which I do not know. This felt more like walking through a Seattle parking lot than a Texas one.

At Prairie Fest you see a way lower percentage of overweight people than you do at most other Texas events. And the people, for the most part, were seeming happy and having a good time. Well, that's actually what it's like at pretty much any Texas event I've been to. At Prairie Fest some of the happy people may have been happy due to the beer and wine they may have consumed, but I doubt it. Beer was $3 a bottle. That's $18 a six pack. That's too much to pay for beer.

The Bedford Blues & BBQ is Back

I just got email from David W. letting me know that the Bedford Blues & BBQ is back. Bedford is one of what are known as the mid-cities. Those being small towns that are part of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex and are in the middle zone between the two big towns.

Usually Bedford is lumped together with Euless and Hurst.

If my memory is serving me correctly, and of late it has been very faulty, I believe the Bedford Blues & BBQ was a casualty of 9/11, when insurance costs went way up for events like this.

I know the Bedford Blues & BBQ was a popular, well attended event that I never attended.

The Bedford Blues & BBQ takes place Labor Day weekend, more precisely, September 5 & 6.

You can get more details, like directions and who's going to be singing the Blues by going to the Bedford Blues & BBQ website.

Blindsiding Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief

If you are a fan of Survivor you are also likely a fan of what is known as a blindside. That's when someone expecting to win is voted out of office, I mean, voted out of his tribe. A blindside is particularly satisfying if the one blindsided has been arrogant, cocky and way too sure of himself.

Fort Worth will soon have a mayoral election. Very very very few people vote in Fort Worth's mayoral elections. This basically leaves the decision as to who will be mayor up to the Ruling Junta, also known as the Fort Worth Oligarchy.

The current mayor of Fort Worth, Mike Moncrief, is running for mayor again. The natural gas industry wants to keep him in office. Mayor Moncrief has vested interests in the various companies drilling for gas that the city tries to regulate. In other parts of America this is what is known as a conflict of interest. Such things can have a person in all sorts of trouble, elsewhere.

I'm currently reading a book called Honor Killing, by David Stannard. It's about the infamous "Massie Affair" that riveted America in the early days of the Great Depression. The "Massie Affair" brought out in the open all sorts of bad things that had become accepted in Hawaii, which was then pretty much an isolated outpost.

As I read the sad details of how the Oligarchy that ruled Hawaii, acting in their own selfish interests, to the detriment of the majority, who were all minorities, Native Hawaiians, Philipinos, Japanese and others, I thought of how things are done here in Fort Worth.

At one point the Honolulu Ruling Junta decided a place called Waikiki would make nice beachfront property. So, without a vote of the people, including the people who had built elaborate fisheries and farms on this land, a primitive method of eminent domain was used and a beach, now famous, was made.

In Fort Worth a primitive form of eminent domain is being used to take property to build a lake, some canals and an un-needed flood diversion channel in a project called the Trinity River Vision, that the people of Fort Worth have not been allowed to vote on.

Mike Moncrief has 2 men running against him in this election, Clyde Picht and Louis McBee. Because so few people vote, Moncrief is expected to win again. In 2004 McBee filed an ethics complaint against Moncrief, regarding the Cabelas Scandal, to no avail.

Moncrief did not attend a League of Women Voter's debate last week, saying he was too busy doing the city's business, like an hour later, being in the same building as the debate, to help open a remodeled gallery. It would seem that more pertinent city business would be being brave enough to participate in a candidate's debate.

I'm thinking it's time for the citizens of Fort Worth to act like they live in a grown up city and get out and vote to blindside Mike Moncrief. And then start demanding to be allowed to vote on whatever fool thing the Ruling Junta comes up with, be it a Santa Fe Rail Market or a fake lake or subsidizing a convention center hotel or a sporting goods store.

I'm voting for Clyde Picht.

An Accidental Death in River Legacy Park

Due to circumstances beyond my control I was not able to go swimming early this morning. I'll attend to that necessity in a bit. But a late afternoon swim is just not the same thing.

I've been feeling a bit sub-par the last day or two. This morning my physical therapist, Dr. L.C., who usually tells me I over-do it, this time told me to get out and get that monkey off my back. I interpreted this to mean that I should go do something aerobic. And so I did.

I pedaled a couple times around the River Legacy Mountain Bike Trail. It was fun. The only wildlife I saw, besides humans, were 2 snakes, one of whom I ran over. I was going fast around a blind corner and before I could avoid it, I ran over a snake. I feel bad about it. I don't think I'm guilty of snakicide, due to the fact that there was absolutely no pre-meditation. However, I may have been slightly negligent, due to the fact that I was going awfully fast, it was a blind corner, I should have been more careful.

I am willing to plead guilty to involuntary snakeslaughter. It was a colorfully marked snake. Of what type, I have no idea. Both snakes, the one I killed and the other, were small. The snake I did not kill was a bright green one. I think they are called tree snakes.

The primroses were all over the place at River Legacy today. They may be my favorite Texas wildflower. They were the first I ever saw, back in spring of 1998, driving in from the west and seeing all these delicate, colorful flowers on the roadsides, starting south of Amarillo.

Tomorrow is Prairie Fest 2009. I hope, unlike last week's Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival, I remember to go. I'm also supposed to go to some Chinese Tai Chi World Celebration thing in south Arlington tomorrow. But that's in the morning. And some of the people participating in that are also going to Prairie Fest, so somehow, I should have enough reminders to remember. I hope.

Acceptable Littering In Texas

Around noon I was on my way to River Legacy Park to go mountain biking. As I headed to the I-30 entry a pickup passed me. It being that blue pickup you see in the picture.

I took me a few seconds to get my camera out when I realized I wanted a picture. I was stopped at the light, waiting to take a left on to the freeway, as the pickup sped away.

I'm engaging in all that exposition to explain why I did not get a better picture. Why did I want a picture of this, you probably can't help but wonder. Well, this pickup was engaging in one of my Pet Texas Peeves.

In Texas some people use a very primitive garbage disposal method. They load their litter on to the bed of their pickup, or flatbed trailer. And then drive around while the wind blows their garbage away. In this case it was a lot of white paper material.

From all the pickups in that one picture you might conclude there are a lot of pickups in Texas. You would be correct.

I really don't understand the littering mentality in Texas. Despite all the "Don't Mess With Texas" signs, plenty of people do a lot of messing. I'm sure the vast majority of Texans are not litterers. Maybe it's because there are so many Texans the odds are you're going to have way too many messing it up for everyone else. Maybe that is why, relative to Texas, Washington and Oregon seem so litter-free. But when you get to Southern California it gets a bit messier, not a Texas-level of mess, but messier than it is further north.

I really think an increase in fines and sentencing litterers, caught in the act of using the Texas Garbage Disposal Method, to weekends on road clean-up crews is the way to go.

That and how about more and better public service anti-litter ads like I've always seen in Washington. I'm sure most of those Texas Litterers have a TV, and if the message is repeated often enough, eventually the Litterbugs might see the light.

It's worth a try. I certainly did not like all that white paper litter flying at me today. It's really windy here today. By now all that white paper litter is likely spread over a several county area. Maybe this actually is an efficient litter disposal method.

KFC KGC For Free

I do not know what I did that causes me to get an email once a week from The Colonel. I don't remember the last time I had Kentucky Fried Chicken.

In Cedar Hills, that's a town on the southern border of Dallas, there is a Kentucky Fried Chicken Buffet. That is likely the last place I had Kentucky Fried Chicken.

There is a town in the middle of Wyoming, named Rawlins, that has a KFC Buffet. I'd stopped there several times. It was very well run. Til the last time, that being in July of 2001.

I was driving myself up to Washington for my mom and dad's 50th Anniversary party. The first night I stayed in Pueblo, Colorado. That morning, as I got back on the road, I thought I should be in the Rawlins, Wyoming KFC Buffet zone by 1 or 2. As I got to the Rawlins exit I saw the KFC Buffet freeway exit sign. As I neared the KFC I could see it was real busy, so was McDonald's, there was a line out the door of the Subway. All the fast food places were packed. This may have been the first time I'd been in Rawlins at the height of tourist season.

And during the height of tourist season the Rawlins KFC Buffet is shut down. I can't tell you how disappointed I was, well, actually, I can. I was very disappointed. And hungry. I ended up going in a grocery store to find something to tide me over til I got to Little America, this oasis in the middle of nowhere when you cross Wyoming on Interstate 80.

I just remembered, I've also come across 2 other KFC buffets, have been to one in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma at least twice and once to one in Hays, Kansas. The Hays, Kansas one was nice and big, as in 2 stories with a stairway to the upper eating area.

So, back to the email I got today from The Colonel. It informed me that this coming Monday, that being April 27, KFC is giving out free samples of its new Kentucky Grilled Chicken. I've already read reviews of the new grilled version which were quite positive. I'd walk a mile for a free piece of chicken in these troubled economic times. Fortunately, for me, I have a Kentucky Fried/Grilled Chicken right across the street from me.

Prairie Notes: April 24, 2009--What's in a Name?

A timely, day before the 2009 Prairie Fest, message from Don Young. With video...

Many of you know that the late author and environmental crusader, Edward Abbey, is the spiritual godfather of Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area (FOTHNA). Ed is best known for his account of Utah's canyon lands in his 1968 non-fiction classic, Desert Solitaire and his 1975 eco-activist-comic-novel, The Monkey Wrench Gang. Those two works bookend Ed's driving themes of gut-level appreciation and dutiful activism in support of our dwindling wild and special places.

Abbey wrote about many such places around the world including, prairies. In his semi-autobiographical 1988 novel, The Fool's Progress, he describes a road-trip from Tuscon, Arizona to his birthplace in Appalachia. Along the way, while passing through prairie country, he wrote the following:

"Prairie Country - and was there ever so gentle and undulant female and sweet a word as prairie. French derived from the Latin prataria, a meadow."

Undulant meaning here, a rising and falling motion, like waves of windblown grass and, in the case of THNA, the namesake hills. Female, meaning ... well, Ed was a ladies man, but I think he meant the protective and nurturing instincts more commonly associated with the childbearing species. I dare say that Ed would appreciate the undulant characteristics of the Tandy Hills greenbelt and applaud our unyielding efforts to nurture, protect and preserve it and all Texas prairie.

"Wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread. A civilization which destroys what little remains of the wild, the spare, the original, is cutting itself off from its origins and betraying the principle of civilization itself."

Edward Abbey, Desert Solitaire

Please keep the mission of FOTHNA in mind when you visit Prairie Fest this Saturday, April 25th. We want you to have a good time at the fest, and we also need you as a Friend, throughout the year. Please take a moment and watch the video below.

Special NOTE:

Dr. Joe Kuban of Nolan Catholic High School in Fort Worth is a long time advocate for the preservation of THNA. He is local example of a hero who cares a great deal about protection of the wild and special. My hat is off to the valiant Dr. Kuban.

Read Joe's compelling story in a recent Fort Worth Star-Telegram report.

Special NOTE #2:

Read more about Prairie Fest in the current issue of Fort Worth Weekly.

Come to the meadow April 25th and find the spirit of Ed Abbey and Joe Kuban calling out to you.

DY

The Texas Search For The World's Biggest Butt: Part 5

Ever since I blogged about seeing the biggest butt I'd ever seen, that big butt being spotted in my local neighborhood Wal-Mart, I've been amazed over and over again at how many people all over the world are looking for the World's Biggest Butt.

And just like the search for help in dealing with Only Child Syndrome, the search for the World's Biggest Butt seems to go in streaks.

For who knows what reason, this morning the Big Butt search seems to be in high gear, with one of the searchers seeming to morph the Big Butt search with Only Children Syndrome by searching for "big butt syndrome."

I did not realize the big butt phenomenon was a syndrome.

Looking at the various Big Butt search strings is interesting. In addition to "big butt syndrome" in the latest 50 blog visitors we have people looking for "world's biggest butts," and "the biggest butt" and "who has the world's largest butt" and "the world's biggest butt" and "the biggest butt in the world" and "bigbutt blogspot" and "huge butt blogspot" and "america's biggest butt."

I'm pretty sure I've seen one of America's Biggest Butts. If only I had my camera with me at the time.

Hot, Swimming, Hiking in a Bad Mood in Texas

The exercise endorphins are not doing their job today. Why I do not know.

I think, maybe, I may need to quit paying such close attention to the news. It's depressing. Usually, if anything, I am overly optimistic. But not right at this moment. Maybe I had a bad nightmare last night that I am not remembering.

The morning swim went well, but when I got out of the water I didn't feel all that energized. Maybe that had something to do with the fact that for the first time this year the air temperature was warmer than the water.

I got some bug bites yesterday. At least I assume that's what the red spots have been caused by. Maybe my foul mood is the result of insect venom being injected into me.

I continue to be made to feel dumb by two Washington women who keep beating me at Scrabble. I think they must be somehow cheating. Maybe I need to get the Scrabble for Dummies book.

At noon I did the usual hike around the Tandy Hills. Actually it was not the usual. At the top of each hill I was winded and had to bend over, hands on knees, to catch my breath. It was not being quite a Gar the Texan level of the vapors, but close. I think my blood sugar level was real low. I was really craving a non-diet Coke.

One thing did brighten my spirits a bit whilst hiking the Tandy Hills. That was all the Buttermilk Primroses I was seeing. Those bright yellow flowers almost make me feel as good as seeing the Redrock of Utah. Utah Redrock has a very mysterious, I dunno, borderline mystical effect on me. Goes back to the first time I saw it and it's been that way every time since.

That's what I really need. A road trip to Moab and some mountain biking on trails surrounded by Redrock and the best works of Mother Nature.

In the meantime I'll just stare at Buttermilk Primroses. And feel forlorn.