100 Degree Naked Tandy Hills Hiking In Deadly Air Pollution

In the photo you are looking at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, as filtered through a Level Red Air Pollution Alert, viewed from the western side of the Tandy Hills, near the I-30 freeway.

This afternoon I was feeling cooped up and cranky. I'd been to the Kemah Boardwalk, near Houston, virtually, this morning. After that I went north to Southlake, non-virtually.

The past two days I did get in my morning swim, but yesterday the 100 degree plus outdoor oven had me not feeling it, or wanting to feel it.

By early afternoon my physical therapist, Dr. L.C., was telling me, despite the warnings from the National Weather Service that the elderly should not go outside in this dangerous air, that she thought I had to, or my crankiness could turn ugly.

So, sometime after 4 in the afternoon, with Mother Nature heating it up to 101, I took off to the Tandy Hills Natural Area to be natural. I wore cooling mesh shorts, not my usual cargo shorts, because my intention was to try the Naked Hiking thing again. I knew there was absolutely no chance that there would be any other idiot in this 6 million person Metroplex, so deranged, as to be out hiking in killer temps in killer air, so there was no more chance of running into another human, whilst sans outerwear, than there is where I am right now.

I gotta tell you, I've decided there is something to this skinnyhiking thing. I ended up hiking for well over an hour. I did not overheat. The only time I broke out into rivers of sweat was when I stopped to get a drink or look at something.

Abrupt subject change.

We appear to be building to a possible storm. There has been one short burst of hail and some wind. High temperatures wreak havoc with stability, both weather-wise and mental-wise.

Tomorrow morning I think I'm heading to New Braunfels and a place called Schlitterbahn. That should be interesting. Jammin Mole has volunteered to do some of the driving and buy some gas. I told her that was not necessary.

See you tomorrow.

Lunch Spoiled By South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford

Last Thursday was the first I heard of the disappearance of South Carolina's governor, Mark Sanford. I'd turned on the Rush Limbaugh show, on WBAP, to find Mark Davis was subbing for the day. Rush Limbaugh can get on my nerves due to what he's ranting about, but I find him pretty funny. Mark Davis quickly gets on my nerves due to his overly affected speaking manner grating on my ears.

So, I only listened long enough to hear Mark Davis go on about the mystery of the missing governor of South Carolina.

So, I got back here a bit after 1. It was Wednesday, so I'd been up north, in Southlake, and yes, as usual, I went to Sprouts Farmers Market. I got back here, made lunch, sat down, turned on the TV, hoping to see how Iran was doing.

Instead all the cable news stations were covering, what seems to be being characterized as, the Mark Sanford Scandal. He had somehow led people to believe he was off for some solitude, hiking the Appalachian Trail, when in reality he was down in Argentina, crying for 5 days with his Argentinian mistress, who is also married.

Apparently the affair has been going on for years, with Sanford and his wife working on the problem the past 5 months or so.

All the cable stations were either covering Sanford's news conference, or commenting on it. Evidently, recently, another Republican, this one a senator from Nevada, fessed up to an affair. Some of the commenting was along the line of what dire doom does this epidemic of cheating husbands do to the Republican party?

What bugs me is I don't care if some politician has an affair. Unless that affair somehow messes up with his job, or he is engaging in the affair by somehow abusing the power of his office. With all the serious stuff that should be focused on and debated, going on and on about some poor guy's stupid infidelity, is just wrong.

I was so annoyed it gave me a headache. I don't know if Sanford's affair indicates a character problem, like John Edward's tacky affair did. Edward's revealed himself to be a shallow, self-centered, insensitive bad man. His political career is over. I found myself liking this Sanford guy, listening to him confess to his bad boy behavior.

John F. Kennedy was a serial adulterer. He was all over the place, from Marilyn Monroe to Judith Exner, she being a mob boss girl friend. Now, I think JFK's behavior was not a good mark on his character, but did it have anything to do with how he did his job? I don't think so.

If the JFK era were like it is now and it became public fodder that he was busy boinking Marilyn Monroe, while Jackie was shopping in NYC, well, it'd be non-stop scandal blather on all the news stations, eventually the JFK/Marilyn Scandal would grow so HUGE that JFK would have been forced to resign to restore calm to the country.

Had that happened, JFK would not have been in Dallas that fateful day in November. Lee Harvey Oswald would not be buried in my neighborhood. And Marilyn Monroe would likely be alive today, having married Jack, after he and Jackie got divorced. I suspect even John Jr. would still be alive, due to his dad still being alive to advise him that he was too scatter-brained to be an airplane pilot.

Okay, I realize what I've just done with my circuitous stream of consciousness rambling. I've just made the case that airing all dirty linen is for the greater good in the bigger scheme of things. That really is not the conclusion I had intended to come to.

Revisiting Garfish In Texas Lakes

Someone named Julie sent me an email regarding a blogging I'd written about garfish encounters in Texas lakes. How Julie found my email address, I don't know. It must be on my blog somewhere. Why Julie didn't send her message as a blog comment, I also don't know.

The end of Julie's email had the following dire warning about her message...

This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. This information is intended to be read only by the individual or entity to whom it is addressed. If you are not the intended recipient, you are on notice that
any review, disclosure, copying, distribution or use of the contents of this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately and delete or destroy any copy of this message.

Okay, one of my hobbies is being a scofflaw and a bad boy, so I'm gonna be a bad boy and copy Julie's nice message below. And below that a YouTube video of a garfish, so you non-Texans can see what we put up with when we go swimming in one of our garfish/water moccasin infested lakes. I put the link to the blogging to which Julie refers, in her message below....

Hello –

About a year ago, a coworker of mine (who was also exiled to Texas for a period of her life) told me about her first experience with a gar fish. She said it was so enormous it was hanging off the back of someone’s pickup truck. Thinking she was exaggerating, I looked up photos and was HORRIFIED that something like this exists! How is it that people aren’t talking about this fish all day long, every day? Shouldn’t it at least have a show dedicated to it on the Sci-Fi channel?

Anyway, I was revealing the existence of the gar fish to a friend and we came across your blog while looking at scary photos. A hilarious entry – thank you for helping me illustrate the horrors of Texas waters to my friend. (Though I have to say I did end up siding with the fish after watching the video - yikes.) I’m not much of a blog reader, but I am truly enjoying yours and will continue to check it out. Just thought I’d let you know, since you probably get nasty comments from weirdos all the time.

Thanks again, and keep writing!

Julie

Did Barnett Shale Drilling Lead To Burleson Woman's Fatal Accident?

On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that a Burleson woman, Megan Porter, 24, died at the scene of where her Chrysler Sebring ran head-on into a tractor trailer, about 5 miles south of Cleburne, on Farm Road 1434.

State troopers arrived at the wreck at 7:20 pm, Monday.

There was no mention made in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram regarding what the tractor trailer was hauling or why it was on a Farm Road.

Meanwhile, also on Tuesday, June 23, 2009, the Cleburne Times-Review reported that on Monday, the same day as the fatal wreck, Johnson County Commissioners voted to close County Road 426 to truck traffic. The closed section runs from County Road 317 to Farm-to Market Road 3136, in an area known as the Midway Community, where about 25 families live.

An area resident was quoted as saying, "We’re asking the commissioners to eliminate the gas-related water trucks from using the road as a cut through to the highway. It’s a danger to the residents; the road wasn’t built to handle that kind of traffic; and the damage is going to cause the county to spend more money to repair the road.”

Another area resident told the commissioners he had counted 36 trucks traveling the road from 7 - 8:30 a.m. Monday. The resident said, “Some were going the speed limit; some were not. I’ve been challenged by trucks several times. There’s no shoulder to speak of to pull off on.”

Another resident, living at the end of the road, said gas-well trucks use the road to access a well site and frequently back up onto his property to turn around.

There was no mention made in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article regarding gas-well truck danger leading to Johnson County road closures.

And there was no mention made in the Cleburne Times-Review article on road closures regarding the fatal head on collision between a truck and a car in Johnson County.

Strange.

Gluteus Maximus Only Child Syndrome Ukrainians

Well. I have had me a day. In addition to our first one over the 100 mark, I've been extra HOT for other reasons.

One reason is the past couple days I finally wised up and realized I'd done a dumb dumb thing by blogging repeatedly about the search for the World's Biggest Gluteus Maximus. (I am not using the more common term I used before, the one that starts with a 'b' and ends with a 't'.)

When I wrote about that subject, repeatedly, after seeing the biggest one I'd ever seen, making it's way through Wal-Mart, little did I know that all over the world there are people searching for the world's biggest GM.

I thought it was all in good fun, me and my search, til that search, by all those people, all over the world, overwhelmed my blog. As in, at times 75% of the blog visitors are looking for that one thing. This would be fine with me. Except, understandably, the ads that that subject generates are pathetic. So, no more mention of the search for that particular ultra big thing, by me.

And then there is Only Child Syndrome. I'd blogged a lot about that subject after being traumatized by one of the worst of the breed last summer in Tacoma. I got a lot of my info from the Wikipedia article about the subject, then put my own spin on it. I was appalled to soon see my Only Child Syndrome stuff Googling #1, ahead of Wikipedia, making me, in the eyes of those OCS sufferers looking for relief, the World's #1 Only Child Syndrome expert.

I was pleased today, when I Googled "Only Child Syndrome" to see that Wikipedia is back in the #1 spot. That might not last for long, with me blogging about the subject again. I'll keep it to a minimum. At least the OCS ads are good, so I don't mind this one, like I did the biggest gluteals one.

And then there is today's Ukrainian encounter. I had not looked at my webstats in awhile. I was led to do so today when I saw the new version of Google's Webmaster Tools, in which there was a long list of search strings that bring up my webstuff at a high position. I randomly knew of some that were #1, but I had no idea how many there were. This was new information. I was sort of pleased.

So then I went to look at my website stats. I had not done this in months. They generate a lot of info. Mostly useless to me. There is a section where I get a list of websites with external links to mine. This is always interesting. Sometimes I'll find someone hotlinking to one of my pictures. I then replace it with something embarrassing and see how long it takes them to discover it.

Today on the list of links from an external page there were about 30 like the following:

http://woxifedaqiiqadefixow.durangotexas.com/

Okay, that is my domain, with a lot of gibberish in front of it. This gibberish followed by a period is known as a sub-domain. When I clicked on that link it brought up my website, only via that sub-domain, that does not exist.

This freaked me out. I thought someone had hacked my website. The potential for disaster was huge. Or so I thought.

I went to my webhost and logged in to do a live chat. I hate live chats. With my webhost their live chat center is in the Ukraine. If I'm lucky I get someone who's English is not too fractured.

Today I got Evenka. Her English was not badly fractured. After a few confusions she understood the problem. She told me that any line of gibberish, pointing to a non-existent sub-domain will bring up the referenced URL. I made up one and she was right.

I asked who was doing this and why? Evenka told me it was not human, it was search bots doing their thing. She said I had nothing to worry about. I chose to believe her.

So, that's been my HOT day in Texas.

I gotta go now. I've got some Only Child Syndrome victims seeking advice who I must attend to.

Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Hits 101 Level Red Polluton Watch

Well. As you can see, we have gone over the Century Mark for the first time this year, sometime before 3 pm getting to 101 with a Heat Index of 103.

As you can also see via the wind gauge, it is not being very breezy.

I went swimming early this morning. I felt no strong desire to go out walking at noon. I had to go to the Post Office and grocery store. That was enough hot walking.

A little after half past one this afternoon the National Weather Service lifted the Air Pollution Watch to Level Red. I don't remember it being Level Red before. In the warning below the NWS warns that those with breathing problems, asthma, children and the elderly, should stay indoors where there is air-conditioning.

Since I hit bingo on at least 2 of the vulnerable categories, I guess it was a good thing I didn't risk going hiking in this.

Air Quality Alert Message National Weather Service Fort Worth TX 137 PM CDT Tue Jun 23 2009

Air Pollution Watch - Level Red - For Dallas-Fort Worth.

The Texas Commission On Environmental Quality (tceq) Has Issued A Level Red Air Pollution Watch For The Dallas-Fort Worth Area For Wednesday, June 24, 2009.

Atmospheric Conditions Are Expected To Be Favorable For Producing High Levels Of Ozone Air Pollution In The Dallas-Fort Worth Area On Wednesday. Ozone Levels Could Reach The Level Red "unhealthy" Category.

Elevated Concentrations Of Ozone Can Act As A Lung Irritant. Individuals With Chronic Lung Disease, Such As Asthma And Emphysema, As Well As The Elderly And Young Children, Are Particularly Sensitive To Ozone And Should Attempt To Avoid Exposure. To Avoid Exposure, Minimize Exertion Outdoors During The Mid-Day To Early Evening Hours Or Stay Indoors In An Air- Conditioned Room During This Time.

Friday's Arlington American Idol Audition

I barely hit the publish button on a blogging where I mentioned the upcoming American Idol auditions at the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. In Arlington. With American Idol's website info having the stadium in Dallas.

I hit the publish button and checked email to find incoming from Kay in Houston asking "How much will parking be this week for the American Idol auditions?"

Good question. Concert goers were charged $40 for the stadium opening George Strait concert. I suspect this will not be the case for the auditions. But what do I know?

Arlington's Convention & Visitors Bureau is mounting an email campaign to let American Idol auditioners know what a "bustling" city Arlington is.

A bustling city, which also happens to be the largest city in America with absolutely no public transit, no trains, no buses. Many are concerned that the Fox American Idol website info is leading contestants to erroneously believe they can stay in Dallas and commute to Arlington via public transit. Dallas has many miles of light rail, called DART, as in Dallas Area Rapid Transit, that go no where near Arlington.

Audition registrations start tomorrow at the stadium, continuing on Thursday, with the actual singing, in front of Simon Cowell, starting on Friday, continuing on, I assume through Saturday.

But, Saturday night the Jonas Brothers are filling up the new stadium. I assume Paula Abdul & Friends will be out of town by then. We can only hope.

Kay, if you're reading this, you can park at my place for free. I can drop you off at the stadium and come pick you up, after you get your ticket to Hollywood. Of course, a small transit fee will be involved. But it won't be $40.

Grapevine, Bonnie & Clyde & American Idol Auditions in Arlington

I have been all over Texas the past several days. It is starting to sort of exhaust me. This morning I did not go far, just up to Grapevine. Grapevine is a very nice little town. Grapevine is where Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located.

A lot of things in this zone are not located in the place their name would indicate. Like this morning there are people in Arlington all in a huff because American Idol has been advertising auditions soon to take place in the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. In Dallas. Where there are many attractions to visit.

Somehow the people in Arlington thought that since they helped pay for the stadium, that it was theirs to be associated with. The people of Arlington should have consulted with the people of Irving to learn how it actually works out when you build Dallas a new stadium for their football team.

Today, while visiting Grapevine, I learned that Bonnie & Clyde did a couple of their murders there, killing 2 young motorcycle cops, E.B. Wheeler and H.D. Murphy. I think the actual murders may have taken place in what is now Southlake. I believe there is a historical marker.

I don't know if I'm going to go anywhere else in Texas today. I need a break. Yesterday I went to Fredericksburg, in two places, here and here. That is too much Fredericksburg for one day.

Eminent Domain, YouTube, Dallas Cowboy Stadium & Texas

When someone comments on this blog I get sent an email with that comment, with the option to publish or reject. When someone makes a comment to one of my YouTube videos I also get an email, but it is to an email address I seldom check.

So, I was surprised, yesterday, to see how many comments there have been to the video I made that showed some of what was destroyed to build the new Dallas Cowboy Stadium. The building of which I characterize as a scandal, due to the flagrant abuse of eminent domain to acquire the land for the stadium. An abuse so flagrant that a bill was introduced in the recent session of the Texas legislature to put an end to this type eminent domain abuse in Texas. I don't know if the bill made it into law. I doubt it.

One thing I've long made note of, regarding comments to the blog or YouTube, the more ignorant the person is, the more likely they will verbalize their ignorance in a hostile fashion. I've never understood how it is that someone who is ignorant is so oblivious about their ignorance that they are confident to advertise their ignorance in comment form. One would think if one was ignorant one would be a bit shy of verbalizing an opinion. Or, maybe part of being ignorant is being ignorant of being ignorant.

Of the YouTube comments the most ignorant was one where the commenter opined that what was done in Arlington is not a scandal because "nothing illegal happened. Jerry Jones bought the land, and built on it. All the people and business that were there would have had to agree and sell their property for him to build it. Who ever made this is kinda dumb?"

Whoever made this is kinda dumb? While this ignorant moron has no awareness that dozens of people did not willingly sell their land and homes, hence the scandal, with many of the cases still being argued in court.

Anyway, below are most of the YouTube comments, with the video that got them commenting below the comments.....

yikeroo3
Thank you for this. My family were among the Dallas Cowboy's and Jerry Jones victims. We were forced out of our home of over 25 years. I will never forgive or forget this. A stadium could have been built without doing this to people. There is plenty of open land in Arlington. The shame of this will forever stain the town of Arlington and the Dallas Cowboys with Jerry Jones answering to God, in the unlikely chance that that it is to heaven he is going when he dies.

Blu53
I assume by "Don't ever do this again," you mean don't ever abuse owners of private property again like what was done in Arlington. Well, Arlington is already shell-shocked enough by their growing national bad rep for their part in emiment domain abuse that Arlington is telling Jerry Jones they will not be party to more eminent domain use for his project. The power of the internet to enlighten and inform is amazing.

M2200
I'm as disgusted as you are about what was done in Arlington to get the Cowboys a new stadium. Don't these morons realize this isn't how this type thing is done in the rest of the country? Eminent domain exists so that the public can take private land for the public good. Like roads, hospitals and schools. Not for football stadiums. A person should be secure in their home and should be removed from their home for only the best of reasons.

robabyluv
And NO PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION!

blue99blue
Stadium name: Hickville
Welcome to Hickville.

Mikey78418
It's "inbred", you quasi-literate buffoon.

alanpetsche
I've lived in Arlington since 1966 and the apartments that were the vast majority of the buildings that were torn down were havens for criminals and crack dealers. That area of town was responsible for the highest total cost of police calls in all of Tarrant County. The last holdout homeowner received $1.5 million for her house. Everyone who lived or owned a business there got paid well. Scandal my ass.

IronMaidenBeast1982
Then try and get a loan to try and buy a ticket for a game, loser...

Mikey78418
Woah, lookit the internet tough guy! Bruce Dickinson's a fag.

IronMaidenBeast1982
..and you are still a tool!

Mikey78418
That may be true, but at least I'm not a pathetic internet tough guy.

IronMaidenBeast1982
How am I being an "internet tough guy", you douchebag?  Because I called you a loser, a tool, and a douchebag? That`s not being tough--that`s being honest!

turduckens4u
You meen built of the ruins of slums i think. Old run down, even though they were your homes. You have the right to protest and i feel for you but the new stadium will also bring millions worth of buisness and jobs to the state year round. I say make another.

PowrSurge
I lived in Arlington when it all went down. Jerry did get this built legally. But I have to side with the fellow who made this video. If he is such an idiot, why did 13 states immediately pass laws restricting the use of eminent domain? It should be used for public use, i.e., airport, freeway, etc., but not for a private entity.

trendsetter74
destroyed property my ass, they bought the land from ever person there so quit your bitching, this will bring a lot of extra revenue into arlington and in these times, more revenue and more jobs are a great thing.

theonetitty
this guy must have lived in one of the homes destroyed to build it. its not really a scandal cause nothing illegal happened? Jerry Jones bought the land, and built on it. all the people and businesses that were there would have had to agree and sell their property for him to build it. who ever made this is kinda dumb. sorry

69SoccerMVP69
Why the Hell did this guy make this video. Who cares what was destroyed to make this stadium. When this opens its going to be Bad Ass. I live in Dallas and this staduim is BEAST!!

allpeeps4me
ATTENTION all DALLAS fans!!!**!!! WITH THIS NEW STADIUM NEEDS TO COME NEW FANS!!!!! WE HAVE TO BE LOUDER, ALL WEAR THE SAME COLOR AND START CHANTS LIKE NO NFL STADIUMS HAVE EVER DONE... WE NEED A CRAZY FIGHT SONG THAT WE ALL SING AT THE TOP OF OUR LUNGS, WE NEED TO HAVE TOWELS AND FLAGS AND BANNERS..... WE NEED TO BE MORE LIKE COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS AND HARDCORE EURO SOCCER FANS......if you are truly a fan of the ALMIGHTY COWBOYS OF DALLAS copypaste this on every COWBOYS video spread the word

blue99blue
Stadium name: Hickville
Welcome to Hickville.

blue99blue
Dallas is full of inbread hillbillies.

tscon55
aww boo hoo

TYX91101
The stadium is a major upgrade to the Arlington neighborhood. Combined with the Ballpark, Six Flags, and the hotels and restaurants on Lamar Blvd it forms a family friendly destination for year round recreation and sporting events. There's no shortage of real estate in Texas.

K80blogfan
L
O
L

copznrobbas
yay no more ranger's field fireworks blasting off right outside my window. city kickin us out had to be the greatest day off my life. mansfield is such a better city

thomasuras
you said 'However it is still sad that all those memories took place in a small run down neighborhood that no longer exist " yea its real said to see those run down neighborhoods in detroit that are still run down with out a new stadium , look up some of those videos

furrflys
wow thats wierd to watch. we were relocated due to the new cowboy stadium. we were some of the last to leave. it's very surreal to watch your nieghbor hood where you live be torn down around you. I'm not whining about it, we are now much better off for having moved. However it is still sad that all those memories took place in a small run down nieghborhood that no longer exists

phatmattcowboys
pussies stop compaining

SFFOOL76
tell u what, im gonna get enough money to build a poop factory where your house is.

Getting HOT in Fort Worth On Top Of Tandy Mountain

That is the view of the skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth from atop Mount Tandy at the high point in the Tandy Hills Natural Area some time after noon, this second day of summer.

Currently it is 96 degrees out there, with a Heat Index of 99. A slight breeze brought slight relief.

Earlier today I went to Fredericksburg and Enchanted Rock Natural Area. That makes for 2 Texas natural areas in one day.

I called my dad yesterday for Father's Day. Mom and dad weren't home. So, I called my sister. My mom answered. My mom and dad were taking care of my sister's cats, because she'd left the Phoenix zone, a week prior, to go to Washington until August 11.

If I understood correctly this means my sister has been up there since June 14. And is staying for almost 2 months. After my horrible month up there last summer I talked about it to the Phoenix sister and she and I were, at that time, in agreement, a month was too long. I can't imagine 2 months. Then again, she spends most of her time with some real nice people in Marysville, while I was stuck with varying degrees of psychopaths in Tacoma.

I was fairly certain I was going to be up in the northwest for a short period in June, but those plans got changed. I missed experiencing any 100 degree days last summer. They occurred while I was suffering with the frigid temperatures in Tacoma. I suspect I will be experiencing a lot of 100 degree plus days this summer. I am well acclimated to it. The HOT hiking will continue.