The Tandy Hills Are Alive With The Stomping Of Hikers

Lately, I have been having more human sightings whilst hiking the Tandy Hills Natural Area. Pleasant temperatures may be the reason. Way too many weather babies don't venture out hiking when it's 105 in the shade.

Today, this 3rd Saturday of November, it is almost 70 out there. Maybe this will warm up my swimming by tomorrow morning. I aborted this morning's swim attempt after about 5 minutes.

I kind of get lost in my thoughts while communing with nature on the Tandy Hills. Today I hike down a hill, cross a creek lined with trees, come out of the trees to start up a steep hill when I am startled by an over-sized guy ahead of me on the hill.

It was a HOT enough to hike shirtless day. It is important to expose as much skin to the sun as possible, periodically, in order to get Vitamin D into the system. It does not take much sun exposure to do the job. But way too many people get way too little sun, and develop a Vitamin D deficiency.

It is not good to be deficient in Vitamin D.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram Sort Of Sees Purple

My one reader may remember how a time or two I took issue with some erroneous Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporting.

It's been so long now I forget what the final straw was that caused me to cancel my subscription.

But, this morning reminded me of the type of thing that caused me to doubt pretty much anything I read in that paper, because over and over again when a Star-Telegram article was about something I had eye-witness knowledge of, I would spot bizarre errors.

Like over and over again touting a little lame collection of shops called the Sante Fe Rail Market as being modeled after Seattle's Pike Place Market and being the first public market in Texas. Soon I was to discover not only was it not the first public market in Texas, it was not even the first public market in Fort Worth!

Anyway, back to this morning's Star-Telegram.

In an article about yesterday's predictable dyeing the Trinity River Purple Boondoggle, titled "TCU fans are purple, even if the Trinity isn't" were a few odd pieces of information.

First off, please note the the title of the article accurately reported that the Trinity did not turn purple yesterday.

Yet in the article you read the following...

"We started this morning at 2 a.m., and we will go until it runs out," said Jim Oliver, water district general manager.

He said he didn’t know how long the river would remain purple, as the water district had never tried to dye it before.

"At least a day or two," he said.

They started what at 2am??? Nothing was sprayed into the Horned Frog River until Moncrief poured his glass of purple dye sometime after 10am. The Star-Telegram has this water district manager, Jim Oliver, saying he did not know how long the river would remain purple. And then in the next sentence he is saying it'll stay purple "At least a day or two."

The article has Moncrief saying he'd been a tad worried the past couple days about whether the Trinity River would really turn purple. I'll copy directly from the article...

Mayor Mike Moncrief admitted that he’s been a tad bit worried the past couple of days.

Would the Trinity River really turn purple?

"I did sleep with one eye open," Moncrief joked Friday morning while standing on the riverbank, where trucks were shooting purple dye into the water.

"But it is purple now, and it will be purple tomorrow."

Uh, it was not purple then and it certainly is not purple today. And trucks were not shooting purple dye into the water. It was one truck and it was spraying something into the air, not pumping anything into the river, as you can clearly see in the picture above.

I'd not heard Mayor Mike Moncrief speak before yesterday. I have had others tell me how embarrassing he can be. I totally get that now. He slept with one eye open? Due to worrying about dyeing a river? How does he sleep without worrying about getting indicted for corruption? How does he sleep without worrying about cutting back on library hours? How does he sleep without worrying about closing all the city pools?

Here's another Moncrief quote from the purple river article...

"To see people out here, in large numbers, young and old, with helicopters flying overhead, you can feel the energy in the air," he said. "There is nothing Fort Worth can’t do."

To which the article retorts, accurately, "Well, maybe one thing."

As in Fort Worth can't successfully dye a river purple. As for helicopters, in the plural, flying overhead, I saw one helicopter. It made one pass sometime after 10, but before the pseudo dye job began. The helicoptor was well gone before Moncrief finished with his mayoral decree and ceremonial dumping of his purple kool-aid into the former Trinity River.

To Moncrief's statement that the river will be purple tomorrow, the Star-Telegram said...

Well, maybe not. At 2 p.m. Friday, several hours after the dye briefly turned the river purple, the river looked the way it usually does — muddy brown.

Once more reporting that the river was turned "briefly" purple. It was not remotely purple, even briefly. I do not know how the river looked at 2pm, but at 10am it did not look brown or muddy. As I said yesterday, the river was looking a shade of purple. But not from any dye job.

I don't know if it is true or not (because I read it in the Star-Telegram) but the article about the failed dye attempt said the dye was donated by Streams & Valleys, with the Tarrant Regional Water District handling the details, "such as pumping dye into the river."

Again, I saw no pumping yesterday. I saw some material being sprayed from a truck, material that only altered the look of the river by causing a sort of white foam, which quickly dissipated. You can see that in the picture.

As another example of how brain dead dumb this operation was, make note of where the "dye" is being sprayed. On the blocked side of a dam-like structure, which has an opening in the middle that the river rushes through. Thus, whatever was being sprayed, yesterday, was quickly whooshed through that narrow funnel and sent merrily downstream, with no detectable purple left in its wake.

Except for the purple provided by Mother Nature.

One more thing. The dye was donated, but how much did the rest of this latest Fort Worth Boondoggle cost the city?

Fort Worth Mayor Moncrief Fails To Turn Trinity River Purple

I have watched a strange thing or two over the years in Texas and Fort Worth. I don't know, for sure, if this morning's attempt to dye the Trinity River purple was the strangest, but I am sure it is in the Top 10 Strangest Things I've Seen in Texas.

There was quite a large crowd assembled in Trinity Park to witness the spectacle of turning the Trinity River purple.

Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief read an extremely long proclamation that ended with him decreeing that the purple section of the Trinity River was re-named Horned Frog River.

Before Moncrief's proclamation another politician spoke. A female. I've no idea who she was.

In the picture you are looking at Moncrief pouring a glass of purple dye that looked like grape Kool-Aid into the newly christened Horned Frog River.

Now, this was a bit of a pep assembly, so Moncrief's hyperbole could be forgiven. I guess. This was the first time I've seen Mike Moncrief up close and heard him speak, at length. I wish I'd thought to whip out my video camera and record the entire speech. Some of Moncrief's verbiage was shockingly ironic. I can't quote it exactly from memory, but he said something very Jesus-like, about Fort Worth looking out for the least among us. And being the #1 city in America. Or was it the world? Darn, I wish I'd turned on the camcorder.

As you can see, Moncrief is bookended by two TCU Cheerleaders. You can also see the Trinity River behind Moncrief. At this point in the proclamation he had not yet re-named the river. You can also see that it already looks sort of purple. When I first saw the river I thought it had already been dyed, plus there was a white froth on the banks that I thought might be dye related. When the actual dyeing did begin there was pretty much a collective rolling of the eyes watching. It was that bizarre.

Soon after Moncrief emptied his glass of purple dye into Horned Frog River a tanker truck on the other bank started spraying what looked like water. This was the dye. People started muttering. The tanker sprayed for maybe 5 minutes before there was no more dye to spray. The only change to the river was the effect of the spray as it landed. When the spraying stopped I could detect no color.

I asked a couple people if they saw any purple. They didn't. One lady told me her husband told her there was no way they could turn the river purple.

The crowd of hopeful purple river watchers quickly melted away after the tanker spraying stopped. The only purple I saw, besides on TCU people's clothes and the cheerleader's sign, was "GO FROGS" painted on the Trinity, I mean, Horned Frog River Levee.

Okay, now I've got to tell you the really weird thing that happened. Someone came up and asked me if I was Durango Texas. That has never happened to me before. Not in Texas. I've had it happen in Washington. I've sort of slightly had it cross my mind that this might happen and that the person might be cranky about something I'd said about their, I mean, my, beloved Fort Worth.

I asked the questioner why she thought I was Durango Texas. She said she read my blog, read what I wrote about the plan to dye the river purple and that I looked like the pictures on the blog. So, I confessed that I was the culprit. We exchanged a few pleasantries and then I wandered off taking more pictures.

A couple minutes later I sat on the river bank to listen to Moncrief. I was slightly paranoid, noticing a few people looking at me and not at the mayor. Maybe it was something behind me they were looking at. Like I said, I was slightly paranoid.

Anyway, I'm glad I watched the purple river spectacle this morning. I found it entertaining. And more so than before I'm appalled that 70% of 6% of Fort Worth's eligible voters voted that man to be their mayor. Like I said. Bizarre.

Off To See The Trinity (Horned Frog) River Turn Purple

I am heading to downtown Fort Worth's west side, to Trinity Park, in a bit to see if Mayor Mike Moncrief actually goes ahead with his plan to dye the Trinity River purple.

And rename it Horned Frog River.

All because a Fort Worth football team, called the TCU Horned Frog's, has won some games. And their school color is purple.

Too bad TCU's color wasn't brown instead of purple. Wouldn't have needed any dye if that were the case.

This has boondoggle written all over it. How much dye would have to be inserted into the river to color a section of it purple?

I'm hoping to get some good pictures. And maybe video. But I'm assuming this expedition will end up being a big dud.

On a totally unrelated, though wet note, it was 40 degrees when I tried to go swimming at 7:30 this morning. I lasted about 2 minutes in the icy water. Now, over 2 hours later I am still sort of shivering. Methinks my pooling may be over for awhile unless we get some warm days. I kept pooling last year til sometime in December.

Will this Global Warming thing I keep hearing about ever make it to Texas?

Tandy Hills Ruts Up Thanksgiving

No. You are not looking at one of those weird, mysterious designs that appear without explanation in some farmer's field.

I know what made this design. Some idiot drove over the very slack, very low to the ground cable that serves as a very lame fence, separating View Street from the entry to the Tandy Hills Natural Area.

Two days ago this latest damage had yet to appear. How is someone doing this? It's in plain view of several houses.

On my last hike on the Tandy Hills I showed you a picture of the ruts made by someone driving some off-road device where he or she should not. Today, looking at the same ruts, I realized the rut-maker had continued on, heading south on the main trail that leads to other Tandy Hills trails. Apparently the rut-maker realized the mud was sticky and so when he/she came to subsequent muddy areas he/she simply careened off into the prairie, making a new trail.

The rut-maker is playing a very dangerous game. Unless he/she knows the Tandy Hills well he/she might quickly find he/she to be in a very perilous situation, careening down a ravine, like the Hapless Haunted Van Man who hit the Witchey Tree, with a dead girl friend the result.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all From Fort Worth Texas

Yes, that is me running away from you in the pool this Thanksgiving morning. It was 41 degrees. I did not last too long in the water. It is supposed to get in the 70s on Saturday.

I'm hoping some of that heat gets into the water.

Last Thanksgiving I went to Zorro's Buffet for turkey. This year I'm cooking the bird myself. I think Thanksgiving last year may have been the last time I've been to Zorro's.

Time goes by so fast. This is the time of year that fast forwards to Christmas, then New Year's Day.

The Christmas lights start turning epidemic tomorrow. I'm going to try and see the lights at Interlochen this year. Did not get around to it last year. The Interlochen neighborhood puts on the most over the top Christmas displays I've ever seen. The throngs of viewers require traffic control.

When I get back from the Tandy Hills, this afternoon, the turkey should be done. If I've done the calculations correct, which is a bit of a concern because high level mathematics is not one of my strengths.

Fort Worth's Mayor Moncrief Changes The Name Of The Trinity River & Orders It Dyed The Color Purple

Okay, I admit I am not much of a spectator sports fan. I've watched a game or two over the years, but it is not something I regularly do. I prefer to play, rather than sit and watch others play.

So, I don't pay all that much attention to who wins what. This can leave me woefully ignorant of who is doing well in whatever sport.

As in, I had no idea that Fort Worth had a football team that is ranked #4 and is undefeated, that being Texas Christian University, aka TCU. Apparently TCU has never been in a BCS bowl game and due to their ranking they likely will get their first invite.

I did not know that 2 weeks ago Fort Worth initiated a "Go Purple" campaign. Evidently purple is TCU's school color. TCU's team mascot is something called a Horned Frog.

Now here is where it gets really weird.

Fort Worth's corrupt Mayor Mike Moncrief, a man who loves to help people pollute, announced on Wednesday that a section of the Trinity River that runs through Trinity Park will be dyed purple Friday morning.

And the Trinity River will be renamed "Horned Frog River" for the duration of the football season.

The wondrous powers of being a Fascist Dictator. You can order the arbitrary coloring and renaming of a river.

Tarrant Regional Water District and Streams and Valleys employees have been working on a non-toxic purple dye that will not affect water quality or harm fish, turtles or birds.

Huh?

Isn't just the act of turning river water purple harming the quality of the water?

And, how are we to trust that this purple dye is totally non-toxic? Are these not sort of the same people who used to claim the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling was non-toxic til proven otherwise?

It would seem there are better ways of showing support for the local football team than turning an already troubled river into the River Purple.

David Kicked Goliath To The Freeway In A Fort Worth Freedom Victory

That's another look at Carter Avenue, this Thanksgiving Eve of 2009. The people of Carter Avenue have good reason to celebrate a very happy Thanksgiving tomorrow.

Using the greatest power an American has, the use of their free speech, the people of Carter Avenue fought back against Chesapeake Energy and the corrupted elected officials of the city they live in.

And won.

I'd barely hit the publish button on this afternoon's blogging about Carter Avenue, and its flag celebration, when I got a comment from my favorite commenter, the ubiquitous Anonymous.

I'll copy that comment below, and below that I'll add what Anonymous suggested, that being lines from the National Anthem. The lines I found most appropriate are from the seldom heard last verse of the Star-Spangled Banner.

First the comment from Anonymous and then the National Anthem....

Well put, Mr. Durango. It would have been a shame if you, the unofficial chronicler of life around what the locals generally call Eastern Hills (thus a high school with that name), had not made your mark on this pretty significant--if not historic, in terms of all this invasion by the gassers and their gassing fields and gassing equipments--occasion. I agree with you that those American flags express everything that is positive regarding this whole fight--for life and death, literally. Maybe these people are thinking of the lines from the National Anthem. Maybe you could print the words and let your readers reflect and compare what the song said and what has occurred on Carter Ave., one small battle in a long war against tyranny and inhumanity (maybe that's where the ever strong Mother Nature comes in). But truth, justice, and the American way certainly would sum it up pretty well also. David kicked Goliath to the freeway might also be approppriate.

"O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov'd homes and the war's desolation;
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Pow'r that hath made and preserv'd us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause. it is just,
And this be our motto: "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!"

Big congratulations to the people of Carter Avenue. You have scored a huge victory for Fort Worth. In the end, good always triumphs over evil. Eventually. Hopefully.

Warning High Pressure Pipeline Sprouting Giant Weeds In Fort Worth

After I checked out the massive Carter Avenue flag display, and Mother Nature, I went north on Beach Street. Yesterday it looked like maybe the gas drillers had cleaned up the mess they'd made, well, actually damage they had done to the Trinity River Levee.

So, I thought I'd take a look.

As I walked towards the rutted damaged levee area I thought I saw someone working on the damage, pushing something. Was it a grass seeder I wondered?

No. It was a kid wheeling his fishing gear down to the river's edge.

The damaged levee remains damaged.

On the way back to my vehicle I walked a bit north to check out these giant weed-like plants I've noticed before, like mutant corn stalks. As I got closer I saw a WARNING sign.

High Pressure Petroleum Pipeline. How this relates to the mutant weeds I have not a clue. But, whatever those giant plants are they were making the oddest noise, like clicking and popping. It took me a couple minutes to figure out there were a lot of birds in the weeds making the noise.

So. Anyone know what the giant weeds are? Is it sorghum?

Truth, Justice & The American Way Celebrated With Flags On Carter Avenue

Some time after 2 this afternoon an email came to my attention from a reliable source, let's call him Fort Worth's Deep Well, telling me that he'd been asked by another reliable source to tell me I should drive down Carter Avenue.

I always do what I'm told to do. Usually.

So, I stuck my camera in my pocket and hopped on my trusty steed and headed towards Carter Avenue, having no idea what I would find there.

I thought maybe a Thanksgiving Eve Block Party was underway, celebrating the news that Chesapeake Energy is backing off on their threat to run non-odorized natural gas through a pipeline running under the homes along Carter Avenue.

As soon as I turned off Beach Street on to Carter Avenue I saw flags, lots of American flags, in front of every home on Carter Avenue,
then more flags when I turned left on Sanborn Street, flags all the way to Mother Nature on Scott Avenue, a monument that continues to weep over the damage done to the Tandy Hills by Chesapeake Energy.

How has Mother Nature lasted so long? Has it not been 2 long hot summers and 2 long cold winters that she has sat there? She looks no worse than the last time I saw her, maybe as long as a year ago.

Back to the flags. Was this the people of Carter Avenue celebrating that the American Way had worked? That truth, justice and doing the right thing had prevailed. That they had used the power of their freedom of speech to let other Americans know about the threat being directed at Carter Avenue?

Following the American flags down Carter Avenue leads you to Mother Nature. That has to mean something....