My Fort Worth Eyes Are A-Stinging In Dirty Ol' Town

I had my bedroom window wide open all night. This morning my eyes were sort of stinging. When I departed here, about a half hour before noon, and saw a broad view of the sky for the first time today, I thought it was foggy.

I was wrong. It was smoggy.

The first time I remember smog stinging my eyes was during the 1970s in Los Angeles. Los Angeles has greatly improved its smog problem over the years. I did not know until 1991 that Los Angeles has a range of mountains to the west that looks sort of like the foothills to the Cascades in the Puget Sound zone. All previous times the LA foothills were shrouded in smog.

There are no mountains to shroud in smog in the D/FW Metroplex. The closest thing to a mountain is the skylines of Dallas and Fort Worth. They were hazy, really hazy today.

I got an email yesterday from the individual known locally as The Watchdog. A videographer from the Environmental Defense Fund was going to be in town. The Watchdog was asking for any suggestions of examples of Barnett Shale related problems in the Fort Worth zone. All I could think of was the gas driller water pipeline damage to the levee by Beach Street/Gateway Park and the strange Chesapeake Energy pond that holds who knows what chemical stew by the intersection of Brentwood Stair Rd. and Cooks Lane.

Had I known today was going to be producing eye-stinging smog I would have suggested filming the hazy skyline. Or what I saw when headed north to Southlake today. By I-820 and Trinity Boulevard, on the southeast side of the intersection, a gas drilling operation has been going on for some time. Today there were a lot of trucks and a lot of smoke/pollution spewing skyward. That's what you're looking at in the picture at the top.

Is this what has had my eyes burning today? I can't help but wonder.

That aforementioned Watchdog has re-christened Fort Worth from its former nicknames of Cowtown and Panther City. The Watchdog calls Fort Worth, "Dirty ol' Town." I did not see a single cow or panther today. Dirty ol' Town seems much more appropriate.

My eyes continue to sting. Maybe I should shut the window.

Veterans Day In Texas

Veterans Day November 11, 2009

A soldier guards the Veterans Memorial at Arlington's Veterans Park 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year long.

Someone Please Water The Flowers Planted By Volunteers In Fort Worth

Several Saturdays in a row, as I drive by the trail that leads to Quanah Parker Park, I've seen what I thought were un-chained work gangs working off their crimes on the weekend. I've seen the same type buses with similarly clad inmates picking up litter along the Trinity River.

Today when I went to see if jogging was fun, I chose Quanah Parker Park for my test run, mostly because I was curious to see what the un-chained work gang had been doing.

Well, what I found was really weird. First off, there is the sign you see in the picture. "TRAIL WORK VOLUNTEERS."

Okay, so these weren't criminals working off petty offenses, like driving without a seatbelt, while driving slow. The sign is asking for volunteers, Saturday and Sunday, 9am til 2pm, to help plant flowers.

Why? Why flowers in this location. It's about a mile from Quanah Parker Park. Very few people use this trail. In addition to the flowers, chunks of wood had been placed lining the edges of the paved trail. Beauty bark had been spread around, with more big piles waiting to be spread.

The weirdest part of the weird project was 3 signs stuck in the ground where the now wilting flowers had been planted, saying "PLANTED BY VOLUNTEERS PLEASE WATER."

Who did these supposed volunteers think was going to read the signs and water the plants? I had a water bottle with me. I like to help when I can, when asked politely, and the sign did say "PLEASE." So, I chose one of the dying plants and gave it about 12 ounces of water, saving a couple ounces for myself.

Why did they not plant the flowers at Quanah Parker Park where more people might see them. And where water is available?

It is all very perplexing.

And I didn't like jogging.

Up Since 4 Blogging Blogging Blogging Twitter Twitter Twitter

I've been up since 4. I should be cranky but I'm not. I started another blog this morning. The may be some sort of sleep deprivation mistake.

Many months ago I set up a blog that was going to focus on the Pacific Northwest. I did that after I started the Durango Roadtripping one. Well, I was not happy with the results of the Roadtripping blog, so I decided not to bother with the Northwest one.

Some time back I decided to make the blog you're reading, right now, mostly about my experience in Texas, and not mix in stuff like something about TV. So, I started up a TV blog. That one does well. But, I find it not much fun.

Over the past few weeks I started up Twitter accounts that matched the various blogs. I had a Washington Twitter thing going, so I decided to change the Pacific Northwest blog to a Durango Washington blog.

The Durango TV Twitter is very amusing. Not my part of it, that's not amusing at all. It's what some of these celebrity sorts Twitter about, that I find amusing. I wish you could see for yourself, but if I give you my TV Twitter address all you will see is my Twitterings, not the Twitterings of those I supposedly follow.

Keeping track of 4 blogs and 4 Twitter accounts is very confusing to me. I've gotten my identities mixed up a couple times.

I am going jogging today. I used to be a regular jogger. A couple weeks ago I ran into Wal-Mart during a downpour and was surprised at how easily I was able to run fast. I made that same discovery Summer of 2008 at Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, and then forget about it when I got back to Texas HEAT.

I'll let you know how the jogging goes.

All A Twitter At The Tandy Hills In Fort Worth

A lone chair is all that remains of what used to be a one tent Tandy Hills Campground. Last month Princess Annie of Wink visited the site of the hobo camp, in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, and left a vase with flowers and 4 quarters.

All is now gone except for the forelorn chair looking north towards Interstate 30.

I still have not been able to find the infamous Witchey Tree or the Death Van. Maybe it was the ghost of the Witchey Tree Death Van that occupied the Tandy Hills Campground.

Speaking of Wink Texas Royalty, this morning I was startled to learn that the Queen of Wink is now one of my legion of Twitter Followers. The Queen is very smart. I'm hoping she'll help me figure out Twitter and if it is useful in any meaningful way. This afternoon I am back on the side of thinking Twitter is useful.

I have now mastered the art of Re-Tweeting. This morning I Re-Tweeted Oprah. Two years ago if you had told me that on this day I would Re-Tweet Oprah, I don't know what scary thing my imagination might have conjured that to mean.

Today I came upon a dad hiking with his kids. You can't tell it from the picture, but I was quite a distance below them, zooming in close with the camera, as they were going down a rather steep section of trail. I heard the kids asking dad if there were snakes. I could not make out his answer. I hope it was no. Because I have yet to see a snake while hiking the Tandy Hills. Or an armadillo. Or a bobcat. I think maybe the Tandy Hills wildlife may have been greatly reduced in population before it became a natural area.

Murder At Hippie Hollow Nude Beach In Austin Texas

Hippie Hollow Park, down in Austin, Austin being the capital of Texas, is the only legally recognized clothing optional public park in the State of Texas.

Austin is about 180 miles south of my Fort Worth location. That's a long ways to drive if I get a hankering to go skinny-dipping. By the time I drove all that way the hankering to skinny-dip would likely have passed.

So, when I get that particular hankering I have to find myself a not legally recognized clothing optional place to dip skinny.

Denniger Bolton has written a book titled Hippie Hollow - Murder on a Nude Beach. The story takes modern day Austin, stirs in murders at Hippie Hollow with a collection of Austin Weird characters, all investigated by an ex-rodeo cowboy, ex-Austin cop, B.B. Rivers, who is Austin's newest private investigator. The book is described as a "wild ride, humorous, irreverent and contemporary. Carlos Castaneda meets Hank the Cowdog."

I don't know how I came upon this Hippie Hollow book. I really need to start taking notes as my memory continues to fade.

Below is a semi-amusing YouTube video about the book and Hippie Hollow. The video is basically a 5 minute commercial. But, like I said, it is semi-amusing....

Technological Neanderthals In Texas

Now this is pathetic.

This afternoon I was over at Miss Puerto Rico's. She showed me some photos on her cell phone that she took on her recent trip to the island to see her mom and dad in Coamo.

That is mom and dad in the picture. In a hospital in San Juan.

So, Miss PR was showing me the pics on her cell phone and asked me how she could get them off the phone and onto her computer where she could print them.

I had no idea how to do this. I use a camera to take pictures, not a cell phone.

And now here is where it gets a bit embarrassing. We can't figure out how to take photos off the cell phone, when I have the bright idea of using my digital camera to take pictures of the pictures on the cell phone. So, the cell phone gets laid on the floor, I set my camera to macro mode and disable the flash and take pictures.

This seems to have worked. But there's got to be a better way. Maybe Miss Puerto Rico should consider getting a digital camera.

Stopping Explosion Noises, Colorful Fosdic Lake Trees & Chili Delivery

That is Fosdic Lake at Oakland Lake Park, at noon, this Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. Each day as we get closer to the first freeze of the fall, the leaves get more and more colorful.

Swimming was pleasant this morning. Day after day in the 70s and the water is no longer very bracing. I'm a big fan of bracing.

I heard from one of my favorite Washington corespondents this morning, Miss CVB, pleading with me to shut up an explosion sound my blog was making. Others have also mentioned this to me, but since I heard no noise, I did nothing about it.

Til this morning. When I hear a complaint from Miss CVB I take it serious. She does not complain frivolously. Apparently the video of the Bushland, Texas explosion was auto-starting and looping over and over. I removed the video as soon as I realized how offensive it was to delicate ears. That and I hate it when websites or blogs make noises without me telling them to.

So, that is my exciting day in Texas this fine second Sunday of November. I made chili this morning, at 4 I'm bringing a bowl over to Miss Puerto Rico's. She is a fan of the jalapeno.

Sergeant Skinner Is Real Upset About Texas Trash

My blogs get a lot of comments. For the most part the commenter is not upset about whatever he or she is commenting on. Often the commenter is sending some useful information.

Like this morning TxMoose pointed me towards HootSuite in a comment to a blogging where I was lamenting my troubles with Twittering.

My Eyes on Texas website gets more comments than the blogs. Often the commenter lands on a specific page due to a Google search and then comments on that specific page thinking it is an entire website.

In addition to TxMoose, this morning I also heard from the ubiquitous Anonymous and Sgt. Nick Skinner.

First, Nick Skinner's comment, followed by Anonymous....

What an extremely biased web page. You show some of the worst places in Texas yet show an intersection in Washington with tulips that make people believe that Texas is trash an everywhere else is beautiful. Why don't you let me critique your state. Anyone who thinks they learned something from your site is an idiot.

Ssgt Nick Skinner

Sent from my iPhone

Below, Anonymous is commenting about my webpage about Canton First Mondays Trade Days...

I found your Canton First Mondays site using Google. And I want to thank you for your work. You have done a really very good site. Great work, great site! Thank you!

Anonymous

I've no idea what webpage or pages Sgt. Skinner was looking at. I don't recollect having a picture of an intersection in Washington with a tulip. On my Eyes on Texas website, just like on this blog, if I experience something I like, me liking it is reflected in how I describe it. If I experience something I don't like or think is goofy, or just plain wrong, then that's how I describe it. I believe this is what is known as expressing ones opinion.

Now, people like Sgt. Skinner I really don't understand, beyond the obvious, as in not too bright and likely poorly educated, though smart enough to operate an iPhone. Is he a Sergeant with the Fort Worth Gestapo? Or the U.S. Army? I wonder what he saw that had him thinking I was showing some of the worst places in Texas? And how does someone like Sgt. Skinner work himself up to a state of umbrage so strong that he goes to the bother of typing a comment into his iPhone? And does iPhone add that "Sent from my iPhone" tag, or is Sgt. Skinner just real proud to be sending a message from his phone?

Perplexing.

The Grapes Of The Tandy Hills Vineyard & Re-Tweeting In Texas

I'm having one of those way too frequent days where I feel technically challenged.

I get an email newsletter from something called WebProNews. Today WebProNews told me there were 8 reasons I need to stop ignoring Twitter.

Reason #4 mentioned the value of Re-Tweeting. I have had people Re-Tweet me, but I've never Re-Tweeted anyone. Today I tried to Re-Tweet, but could not figure it out, hence the feeling of being technically challenged.

Then someone, whom I basically consider to be challenged by all things technical, told me he Re-Tweets all the time. That it is real easy to Re-Tweet. I had had enough.

So, I got out of here and headed to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area.

It is an absolutely perfect November day, here in Texas. 70 degrees, a slight wind blowing, windows open. It was 60 when I went swimming this morning. It's like summer is returning.

The autumn leaves are really amping up the color show. I'm thinking conditions are perfect for a technicolor display that outdoes last fall's incredible colors. Today, as I drove along, I saw a tree that glowed incandescent shades of bright orange and yellow.

New to the Tandy Hills today, well new to me, were bushes with what looked like grape clusters. I was tempted to taste one, but what little common sense I possess, kicked in, and I decided against it. If they were edible, birds would be having a buffet. Nothing seemed to be eating the Tandy Hills grapes.

After I'd had enough of hiking through a Fort Worth vineyard I went to Town Talk. Saturday is my favorite day to go there. It's the busiest day. And the only day that always has a Fort Wort Gestapo Agent armed and guarding. I've no idea what has happened, on Saturday's previous, that brings about the need for a police presence.

Today I got 2 huge containers of hummus. I'm now on my 5th container of that Middle Eastern delicacy. Best I've ever had. 2 for $3. What a deal.

I guess I'll see if I can figure out Re-Tweeting. I like pointless time wasting. Apparently there is something called Twirl that can help.