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 Quake Strikes Cleburne

I don't think I've mentioned the last couple Cleburne quakes. When something unusual starts seeming like the same old thing, over and over again, it tends to start to seem less noteworthy. But it shouldn't. All these earthquakes, where previously the ground did not shake, is disturbing.

This morning's 2.0 ground cracker shook about 27 miles south of Fort Worth, a bit before 7 this morning.

Last week, up near where I lived in Washington, there was a 3 or 4 point quake. I am almost absolutely certain the Washington earthquake was not caused by Barnett Shale gas drilling.

The Dallas Cowboys have banned drilling under their new $1 billion plus stadium because the thing weighs 805 million pounds. Earthquakes could do all sorts of bad things to the stadium. Or it could sink into a giant sinkhole, like they have in Wink.

So, Don Young raised a very interesting point. How much do all the buildings in downtown Fort Worth weigh? Drilling is taking place under downtown Fort Worth. People live and work in downtown Fort Worth. If drilling is too dangerous for a seldom used football stadium, should not an equally cautious policy be in place to protect downtown Fort Worth and those who live and work there?

It's perplexing.

Befuddled In Texas By Oklahoma Casinos

So far today, this second Friday of this year's July, things have not gone well. Up to the point where I tried to go up to Oklahoma to a couple casinos, those being the WinStar World Casino and the Riverwind Casino, I was having me a good day.

I was in the pool early, the water about the same temperature as the air. I just remembered, the bad Friday started off bad way before the pool. I must have temporarily blocked the trauma from my memory.

I got up, made coffee and about 5 minutes later was sitting in front of the computer monitor. I took a sip of coffee and something other than coffee floated into my mouth. I spit it out. I could not find whatever it was. My worst case scenario is it was a cockroach. But I found no evidence.

So, a couple hours after possibly having a cockroach in my mouth, I decided to make some webpages about Oklahoma casinos. I make these things for purely non-altruistic reasons. Usually I whip them out, slap ads on them and am done with it. But it was one screw up after another. Like the Riverwind Casino. A couple weeks ago I'd made a webpage about Riverbend in Oklahoma. I kept changing Riverwind to Riverbend. You would think this is no big deal, but after you've slapped the wrong name on multiple pages, it is a big deal.

And then, somehow I put the Riverwind info on the WinStar page, and vice versa. That also sounds like no big deal, but trust me, it was very befuddling.

I made a map for the Riverwind one. After it had uploaded I saw I'd turned it into Riverbend. This involved re-doing the map in a photo program. Sounds like no big deal, and it did only take about a minute, but it's just the making the same mistake over and over again thing is annoying. Very annoying.

I have not been up to the WinStar since its name change from plain ol' WinStar to WinStar World Casino. I knew they had expanded the thing, but I had no idea it is now the world's 5th biggest casino. I really have trouble believing that. I have been in some pretty big casinos.

I'd not been in the WinStar since several years ago when Chris, then living in Ada, met me there to go to the buffet. At that point in time the WinStar building was a tent-like building. It looked very cheap. Now it looks like real buildings. And is huge. Themed, with 6 of the 10 casino plazas making like you are in a foreign city. You can walk from Vienna to Rome to Madrid to Paris, then cross the channel to London, before you take a long flight to Beijing.

The new WinStar sounds sorta fun. But I know I'd be disappointed and regret it later. I always am and I always do. Usually. I think maybe I'll go hike the Tandy Hills and see if that improves me foul mood.

The WinStar is not far from my location. About an hour and a half drive, a mile across the Red River and the Oklahoma border. Below is a video that takes you on a virtual tour of the WinStar World Casino. Who wants to meet me there for lunch?

Megan Jones Guest Blogger: Texas Toll Road Debate

A few weeks ago Megan Jones, no relation, emailed me asking if I ever had Guest Bloggers or accepted contributions, or something like that.

Megan gave me some examples of her blogging and her website, which is about nursing colleges. I really did not see a connection between this Blog and Megan, but I replied, telling her that she seemed to be very medical advice oriented, while my Blog is all over the place, sometimes about my day in Texas, or something else in Texas. Or elsewhere. Or just about me being annoyed about something. Or someone.

I told Megan she could send me a sample blogging that she thought fit in with my blog. I got that sample blogging this morning. She is writing about something I've paid no attention to. Or know anything about. That being a debate here in Texas over toll roads.

Anyway, below is the Megan Jones Guest Blogging in its entirety....

Toll Road Debate

Recently, toll roads have become a big deal for legislation for Texas lawmakers, as a special session has been called in order to re-authorize the ability for the Texas Department of Transportation and regional mobility authorities to partner with private companies to build and operate toll roads. Toll roads are remarkable inventions that serve to cost us more money as taxpayers while still allowing us to get stuck in traffic. The only way to avoid such traffic is to purchase a toll tag which simply allows you to pay for the toll via credit card, rather than millions of quarters. However, toll roads have served their purpose in allowing us to get to certain places around large cities without directly traveling through the city and thereby encountering more unneeded traffic.

This new bill would in effect afford protection to Texans while allowing an important financing tool for roads, which is desperately needed in these economic times. One project in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is classified as a comprehensive development agreement though does not involve a private company. In order to finance this endeavor, a tolled segment is included although it is backed by public revenue, not bonds. The toll revenue will therefore support several other projects as well as support upkeep on the road. Toll roads are tricky piece of legislation to pass because of the limited use which they get across the state. Smaller towns and areas are not faced with a continuous usage of the roads, which are typically placed in larger cities like Houston and Austin. These tolls are a god-send for the citizens of the area and allow them to navigate around the city at an easier pace then they would have otherwise.

This bill has gained a lot of press recently because it is one of the most hotly contested issues in the state, as many funds are needed to finance increasing road projects. Incorporating public and private companies into one sphere to complete these projects seems to be the most logical conclusion, although many lawmakers are skeptical over the ability to attract private businesses to invest. With the economy on a seemingly downturned spiral, it becomes important to question whether or not companies will be willing to invest in such a major project when they have their own finances to worry about. Texas is one state that has fared for the better throughout the recession due to the many revenues that the Gulf Coast brings in, although this has been slowly changing as the economy has not repaired itself as speedily as many national lawmakers would have liked. While toll roads are one way to aid in boosting revenue across the state, many more sessions need to be called in order to counteract the impending economic woes and thereby allow citizens to go on leading their carefree lives.

This post was contributed by Megan Jones, who writes about the nursing colleges. She welcomes your email feedback.

Fort Worth Town Talk Part 2

Yesterday I blogged about going to Fort Worth's Town Talk surplus store. I didn't quite know what to make of it.

Then this morning Don Young commented on that blogging, telling me he got raspberries and blackberries at Town Talk. I'd seen absolutely no produce. I figured this was a function of my chronic problem with being un-observant.

So, after burning some calories hiking to the summit of Mount Tandy I had to be on Beach Street again. I decided to check out Town Talk again and see if I could find the mysterious produce section.

I'd walked right by it on yesterday's visit. It's a walk-in cooler. A very, very cold walk-in cooler. There were a lot of raspberries, blackberries and strawberries in there. And papayas, oranges, Roma tomatoes and likely several other things I'm not remembering. I never can bring myself to buy raspberries or blackberries. They are free in Washington, particularly blackberries. And they are really good. 99 cents for a little container of blackberries just seems bizarre to me. Strawberries I have bought here, if they look and smell good. I had to buy strawberries up in Washington, too, though I did try to grow my own. That did not work out so well.

However, those Town Talk Roma tomatoes were big and a very deep red. And only $.59 a pound. Or was it $.69? So, I got myself some Romas. And a Hormel sun-dried tomato pork loin for only $3.99. I did not need any cheese, but stored in the same cold place as the Romas, only on shelves accessed from the outside, which I did see yesterday, there were a lot of real good cheese bargains. High quality type cheese, as in hard cheeses and crumbled Gorgonzola. And Parmesan

So, I shall return. It's cheap, you can find some good goods. And it is close to where I live, with me driving by it all the time. So, it's convenient. And very interesting people shop there.

Tandy Hill Fissures Barnett Shale Earthquakes & Related Cowboy Stadium Dangers

Yesterday I read that the Dallas Cowboys, well Jerry Jones, somehow got Barnett Shale gas drilling banned for some area around the new stadium. The reason being that the stadium is very heavy and drilling under it might wreak havoc.

Different type concerns were unable to stop Chesapeake Energy from drilling off Carter Avenue at the west end of the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Today, around noon, I did my regular Thursday inspection of the Tandy Hills. I noticed large earthquake-like fissures have appeared. Is the ground rumbling under the Tandy Hills?

I expected to overheat hiking Tandy today, but did not. This morning I pretty much overheated soon after getting out of the pool. I got up later than usual, so the sun had done its light up the place thing by the time I hit the water. I swam particularly hard, I guess, because when I got out and dried off I was quickly wet again, due to that sweating thing.

Before I moved to Texas I hated sweating, rarely did so. I've adjusted. Here, it is like living in a healthy natural sauna.

That is what a Level Orange Air Pollution Alert looks like today in Fort Worth from high atop the summit of Mount Tandy, looking west at an un-zoomed view of beautiful downtown Fort Worth's stunning skyline.

Hiking the Tandy Hills, today, there was a breeze. That helps. And it was only 90. It has not managed to get to 100 yet today, at a bit past 3 in the afternoon, the temperature is maintaining at 99.

Big Ed in Tex went along on the Tandy Hike today. That always makes matters difficult. Big Ed in Tex is a bit on the plus-size side. So, he does not move as fast as me. Consequently he falls behind. Eventually I got a call telling me he was lost. Again. This type aggravation really does not help with my nature enjoyment.

I heard from Connie in Tacoma today. She wants to be my new BFF. I've had dinner with her mother, at Anthony's Homeport at Point Defiance, but I've never had dinner with Connie. Connie is not a Toxic Tacoma Person. She does not drink the water.

It took a long time for anyone to figure out why the crazy water in Mineral Wells, Texas made crazy people less so. I don't know if anyone is trying to figure out, yet, why their tapwater makes some people in Tacoma Toxic. It's perplexing.

Setting A Record Number of Naked People Saturday In Texas

On Saturday, July 11, Yvonne is taking me up to a place a bit north of Decatur, called Wildwood Naturist's Resort, so we can be part of the attempt to get in the Guinness World Records by setting a world record for the biggest number of people being au naturel at the same moment in time.

This is very import work we are doing here.

The inspiration for this mass doffing of all clothes comes from the American Association for Nude Recreation, aka AANR. I have no clue as to how the number of naked people is going to be counted by the Guiness people. I wouldn't want that job.

It is precisely at 2 pm Central Time that you need to get naked to help with this cause. You have to be at a nudist resort or sanctioned nude beach to be counted. At Wildwood it will cost you to join the fun. $10 a per for AANR members. $15 for non-AANR members.

So, if you want to visit me while I'm wearing my birthday suit, head up to Decatur on Saturday. After the record is set, you can have fun skinnydipping, playing volleyball, or just lounging around, followed by a potluck dinner and dance. I have no idea if clothes are required, or not allowed, for the potluck and dance. I do know that no clothes are allowed for the skinnydipping.

For more information and directions go the the Wildwood Naturist's Resort website.

Town Talk Is The Talk Of Fort Worth

Saturday I got email from Fort Worth's #1 Conservationist, who I will refer to as Anonymous, because I don't know if Anonymous wants to be known as the source of this particular piece of information.

Anonymous asked if I had been to the Town Talk store on Beach Street. I had not. It is a surplus food store. Food and a lot of other stuff, I learned about an hour ago.

I've long noticed the Town Talk building, it's at the northwest corner of the Beach Street, Randol Mill Road intersection, a short distance north of I-30.

As you can see in the picture, Town Talk is in a metal shed building. It's very barebones, perfectly fitting for a surplus store. Anonymous told me that going to Town Talk is sort of a thrill of the hunt type deal. The stock changes all day long, so you never know when, or if, some good thing gets put on the shelves or in the freezer.

There were quite a few cars in the parking lot, parked in a sort of helter skelter randomness, which I soon was to see perfectly fit Town Talk. There were a large number of people inside, pushing carts that were stuffed with a lot of stuff. I did not push a cart. I just walked around, up and down the aisles.

The frozen food was interesting. Some of it seemed to have come from restaurants. There were several large containers, filled with something brown, on which the label said "Conch Chowder". Some of the frozen stuff was off the frozen fish stick, chicken parts, pizza, ice cream sort. There were also frozen turkeys, pork loins, steaks, tilipia and other seafoods and meats.

I saw Folgers coffee costing more than it does at Wal-Mart. Same with salad dressing. There was pretty much an entire aisle devoted to spices. Very good bargains and good quality brand names in that section.

There is a lot of non-food stuff in Town Talk, like detergent and soap and all sorts of paper plate, cup type products.

A couple months ago I read "When Giants Fall". All about the coming collapse of America, which, according to the author, is well underway. It was published before last fall's economic meltdown, which the author predicted, among other things, like we Americans are going to have to learn how to scrounge and be scavengers, looking for bargains, settling for a lesser standard of living.

Even though Town Talk has been open for over a half a century, I think it's now being cutting edge, with the vanguard of America's new, ever growing, scavenger class, making do, in this new economy, with Town Talk helping with the process.

I did not buy anything. I had no cash. It did not look like they took debit cards. There were a couple things I would have bought, a spice or two, some organic pea soup and a pork loin. But, I'd already done some scavenging today at Sprouts Farmers Market in Southlake, so I'm well-stocked with goods. For now.

The Humid Search For A New Big Subject In Texas

Up very early, in the pool, again, right as dawn was doing its cracking. We're being extremely humid. It is only 80 out there, right now, at a quarter before 9, but the 74% humidity is making for a Heat Index of 85. The predicted high is 101 today. Maybe some of this humidity will burn off.

Looking at the stats, this morning, of this very blog, I was pleased to see a big drop in the number of people, all over the world, seeking to see the biggest version in the world of the thing depicted in the picture. I mentioned a week or two ago that I'd finally wised up and realized I'd made a mistake in blogging about that certain, specific subject.

When I cease blogging about that subject and my search for it, the blog drops lower and lower in Google searches. After awhile, the number of searchers, looking for that big object, being directed to my blog, should diminish to none.

I have not blogged about Only Child Syndrome of late. I see fewer people coming to this blog looking for relief from that problem. Maybe I am no longer the world's go to guy for info about that subject. I'll go see. I'll be right back....

Well, I'm still the world's #1 go to guy, at least at this moment, in a Google search looking for relief in dealing with Only Child Syndrome.

I don't mind being the world's go to guy on the Only Child Syndrome subject, It seems less unseemly than being the go to guy in a search for the biggest of a particular body part.

What seems to have replaced the search for the big thing is the search for a cure for cancer by eating a lot of asparagus. That seems a much more elevated thing to be providing information about than that other subject, the specific words of which, I no longer type.

Today is Wednesday, which means I'm heading north a bit before noon, heading to Southlake and likely Sprouts Farmers Market. There is another market I need to check out called the "Town Talk" store. It is located at the intersection of Beach Street and Randol Mill Road.

Hot, Lost & Malled In West Fort Worth

I had to be in West Fort Worth, on the 6th floor of a building just off University, this afternoon at 2. When I arrived at my destination, I was quick to realize I'd been given erroneous information.

I called Google Location Information and was given the correct location, which was a couple miles further west, near the Ridgmar Mall. I found the proper location, did what I had to do, then, looking at the Ridgmar Mall, I realized I had never been in it.

That, and I could not remember the last time I had been in a mall. I had been in the Sears store at the Ridgmar Mall before, years ago, to pick up a riding lawnmower, but never in the mall. I know it'd been totally remodeled since the lawnmower pickup.

So, I parked by the Rave Motion Theater. I think that is what it is called. Movies cost $9.50 now? I really need to get out more. Most movies I would not watch if you paid me $9.50 an hour to do so, but I digress.

So, I walked into the mall. Ridgmar is a 2 story mall. It does not look that high from the outside. By the time I was about 10 minutes in, I realized I'd made the same mistake I'd make before in a Texas mall, as in not paying attention to where I had entered. But it was by the theater, how hard could that be to find again? I thought.

My most horrifying getting lost, to a Seinfeldian level of distress in a mall, occurred soon after my Exile in Texas. I was driving a car I was not used to, a loaner, while the main car was having something fixed. I wanted to check out the infamous Galleria in Dallas. One of the biggest malls in the world. At the Galleria there are no parking lots. Near as I know. It's all parking garages. And the exits from those parking garages enter the mall at various levels.

So, one is a fool if one is in the Galleria and does not make note of what level one is parked on and what store one entered. I was only half a fool. I knew I'd entered via Neiman-Marcus. The Galleria is a 4 level, or is it 5, mall. It is huge. On the lower level there is a big ice rink, and, if I remember right, a big restaurant, food court zone.

If you saw the late Farrah Fawcett in Dr. T. and the Women, the Galleria is where Farrah decided to take a skinnydip in a fountain. I always liked Farrah, particularly in her later, bare it all years.

Anyway, I wandered all 4 or 5 levels of the Galleria and then I was ready to get out of there. I made my way back to Neiman-Marcus, wandered through the store til I found an exit to the parking garage. I thought I was on the right level. But I could find no car. This was not a car I was used to spotting. It ended up taking me over an hour and an estimated 1,500 calories to find that car.

I have been back to the Galleria one more time. I did not get lost that time. The Galleria is walking distance from, sort of, one of the World's Most Unique McDonalds, in case you are in the neighborhood and craving a Big Mac.