The Big Chill Is Coming To North Texas

It really perplexes me that there are Global Warming Skeptics. Why, here in Texas we are having the most balmy winter since I arrived in this sun kissed state.

No. That's not right. I'm having a bit of a brain freeze problem due to the constant chill I'm trying to survive. The reality is, barely 16 days into winter, this is the worst, coldest winter since I moved to Texas.

And it is about to get worse. By Friday the low is predicted to be 13.

This morning Miss Puerto Rico called me to tell me she is booking a shuttle to the airport next week, due to the forecast being extreme cold and ice, with me being unreliable to make an airport delivery, due to me not operating an ice storm friendly vehicle.

I'm not all that unpleased with that turn of events. I do not much enjoy running airport deliveries. It always seems to turn into an aggravation.

I may be a bit incommunicado in coming days due to weather related woes. I'll likely survive.

The Flock Of Texas Sheep Being Led To Slaughter Without A Protest

I read an article and saw a photo in the Seattle P-I this morning that made me think of Fort Worth and how different things are here.

In the photo you are looking at Seattle citizens protesting the construction of what was then known as the Everett-Seattle-Tacoma Superhighway, now known as Interstate 5.

The protesters did not like the fact that the new road would cut a big gash through Seattle, cutting off neighborhoods.

In the end the freeway was built and then the gash was somewhat mitigated by a huge convention center and a lid being built over a large section of the freeway, with the lid turned into a park, called, appropriately, Freeway Park, and which is very similar to the now defunct Fort Worth park called Heritage Park.

One of the many things that perplexed me when I moved to Texas was what seemed to me to be the lack of people being organized to do this that or the other thing, or stop this that or the other thing.

Shortly before I moved to Texas, Seattle passed a citizen initiated bond issue to build a $billion plus new monorail. Issues arose, other citizens petitioned for another vote and then 5 votes later the monorail was dead.

In Fort Worth there are a few voices saying that the voters should get to vote on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. I have no understanding of how such a project can be initiated without a public vote by the taxpayers. In Washington a voter can force a vote by getting enough signatures on a petition. This is called an Initiative. Does Texas not have this?

Which brings me back to those Seattle protesters back in 1961. If Chesapeake Energy goes through with its threat to run a non-odorized natural gas pipeline under Carter Avenue, among the 700,000 plus Fort Worth citizens, will 1/700,000 of those citizens, as in 1,000 show up with signs and block Chesapeake Energy with a protest? If not, why not?

What happened here in Texas that's made so many Texans so passive and so much like a big flock of sheep willingly being led to the slaughter, so to speak? Even sheep can outnumber a wolf if they get organized and show a little initiative.

The Dallas Cowboy Wal-Mart Supercenter Continues To Perplex Me

See that white rectangle in the upper right of the picture? That is the Dallas Cowboy Stadium Wal-Mart Supercenter.

This picture was taken in July of 2004. I was flying up to Seattle and when I realized the plane was going to fly directly over the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history I got out my camera and started snapping pictures.

This was very early on in the project. The last house standing is still standing in this picture.

Now, why is the Dallas Cowboy Wal-Mart Supercenter on my mind this morning? Well, you may recollect me mentioning that the Wal-Mart parking lot is blocked off on Dallas Cowboy game days. On Saturday I saw the entries off Randol Mill Road were blocked off during the Cotton Bowl. And dozens of buses were parked on the lot.

When I found the parking lot blocked during a Dallas Cowboy game I figured it was just Randol Mill Road that was blocked. So, I tried to get to the entry on the north end of the parking lot, but found all roads leading there to also be blocked.

On Saturday we saw people walking in to Wal-Mart. So, it was open.

And now this morning I got a perplexing comment from the ubiquitous Anonymous claiming to work at the Wal-Mart in question.

"Perhaps you should have looked closer.

That Walmart doesn't close during games. The North entrance of the parking lot is open.

How do I know? I f*$%ing work there."

I don't know what to make of this. I know what I saw. Blocked roads. And on Saturday dozens of buses parked on the Wal-Mart lot. Do they pay to park there? When other vehicles get towed if they park there during a game, when signs say "No Event Parking?"

If it is true that the north entry is not blocked, then what is the route to that entry? And what is the reason Randol Mill Road is blocked?

It's very perplexing.

The Beach Street Gateway Park Trinity River Water Stealing Is Now On Steroids

A week or two ago I mentioned seeing a backhoe working in an area that had previously held a diesel pump sucking water from the Trinity River and making a big, rutted, muddy mess in the process.

When I saw the backhoe I thought maybe it was fixing the mess. As I so often am, a couple days later, upon closer inspection, showed me I was wrong. Instead more damage was done, in what looked to me to be preparation for a bigger water thieving operation.

And today I found out that, on that, I was right. A much bigger water thieving operation is being installed.

This time, with at least 3 large pumps and a lot of very thick metal pipe to move a lot of Trinity River water. That is a lot of pipeline leading down to the river's edge.

This was quite an operation, with trucks carrying pipeline lined up, waiting for their turn to rut up the Trinity River levee.

Above you are looking east at one of the truck trailer loads of pipe being delivered, with the installation crew on the left. That is the foot/bike bridge that crosses from the Trinity Trails into Gateway Park in the background.

I saw no permit posted, anywhere where these vehicles were driving, where "NO VEHICLES" signs are posted. A few days ago I learned that a permit is required any time surface water is taken in Texas, with the permits issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Above is a closer look at the, what I believe, is a criminal activity, that is a product of the racketeering that is going on in Fort Worth, with a corrupted city government permitting gas drillers to steal water from the Trinity River, due to the powers that be, in the Fort Worth City Government, being on what is commonly called "the take." With Fort Worth's Conflicts of Interest-laden, law breaking, ethically challenged, morally bankrupt Mayor Moncrief, the top crook on the take, to the tune of over $600,000 a year.

I'm trying to amp up my stridency on this issue, due to the fact that no one has corrected me if I am wrong. As in have permits been issued to take this water? If they have, how much do the permits cost? How much is being paid for the water that is being taken? How is it being regulated? If Moncrief is not violating the Conflicts of Interest laws would someone please explain to me how that can be?

Above you are looking at 3 of the diesel pumps which I believe will soon be put to work breaking the law and stealing Trinity River water, used for the purpose of further enriching Fort Worth's corrupt mayor and others on the take in Fort Worth's elaborate racketeering scheme that is raking in millions while poking thousands of holes in Texas, while making thousands of Texas citizens mad as hell and not wanting to take it anymore.

Above you are looking west at the diesel pumps and the bridge that leads to Gateway Park. The river is behind me. These pipes are a huge magnitude bigger than the first pipeline that stole water from this location. That pipeline was pretty much an oversized garden hose compared to these pipes.

Can anyone explain to me why this is being allowed? How does one make a citizen's arrest? Does anyone know if Mayor Mike Moncrief packs heat?

I thought Texans took serious, horse thieving and water stealing in these parts, where the west sort of began. It is just one more thing I've been wrong about.

Aches & Pains & Birds In Chilly Texas

Lots of birds of different feathers flocking together in the cold today at Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

There were a pair of seagulls at this inland Fort Worth sea today. I don't see many seagulls in these parts.

We, supposedly, are about to get hit with another Arctic Blast here in North Texas. Winter has barely started, with this one already the worst winter since I've been in Texas. Two snowstorms, so far, with one of them being a blizzard.

I am staying out of the pool all this week. I've been having this chronic sore joints thing for several weeks now, made much worse from being chased by those Wild Women up and down the Tandy Hills on Saturday.

I was stuck in my computer chair this morning from dawn til noon, converting an existing website into a Wordpress based website. I'm almost done with it. Major pain in more ways than one, with none of the pains being worse than how my back felt when I got out of the computer chair to go to Fosdic Lake.

The pain has gone away, for now. Thanks for asking.

I'm hitting the Publish button on this blogging, then I'll be blogging about what I saw after I left Fosdic Lake.

Manly Men & Wild Women Hike The Hills Video

That's the Queen of Wink Wild Woman chasing behind me yesterday during the Manly Man & Wild Women Hike at the Tandy Hills in Fort Worth's biggest event of the day.

Below is a message from Don Young regarding yesterday's wild hiking and below that is the YouTube video Don is talking about...

Soreness and sunburn aside, The 1st annual Manly Men & Wild Women (& kids & dogs) Hike on the Hills was a roaring success. Participation was much greater than expected. The weather was just right. The company was excellent. The hills and valleys did their job of providing exercise ramps and eye-pleasing vistas.

Thanks again to all you alpha males and females for showing up and supporting Tandy Hills Natural Area. I hope to see you all on January 23rd for the Brush Bash.

Jim Marshall, has put together a nifty little YouTube vid of the MM WW HH event. Check it out here:

Fraccing The Barnett Shale Perplexes Me

I saw the notices you see in the picture, yesterday, pinned to the gate that blocks the entry to the Chesapeake Energy Scott Avenue Thomas 1H Barnett Shale natural gas drilling site.

I've been a Citizen, I mean Victim, of the Shale for a lot of years now and I still don't understand how it works. I guess I have not tried too hard to learn.

These notices indicated "Frac Dates" of Monday 1/12/09 to Wed 1/14/09. And a "Pump Time." Pumping what?

Yikes! Typing that made me realize this Frac date is not next week, it was a year ago. I forgot we have moved into a new decade and left the "Aughties" behind.

Which means the question that was perplexing me is no longer perplexing me. And that question was I thought the fraccing had already taken place at this site, because I remember video taping it.

So, is the fraccing a one time deal? Somehow a lot of chemically enhanced water is sent down into Barnett Shale via the hole that's been noisily drilled and this water causes the shale to shatter and release a lot of natural gas?

What role does the sand play? The second notice has to do with "Staging Sand Trucks." The Queen of Wink told me that she's seen mysterious giant piles of sand appear in her zone of West Texas. Is that where the sand is coming from?

After the chemically enhanced water does its fraccing job, then where does the chemically enhanced water go? Back to the surface? How does that work? I mean the chemically enhanced water has shattered the shale, releasing gas, that released gas, I assume, starts coming up the well shaft.

I'm perplexed. Maybe I'll try reading the Wikipedia article about the Barnett Shale again. When I tried that previously it didn't help alleviate my ignorance on this subject.

Chesapeake Energy CEO Aubrey McLendon Tipped Over In Outhouse

TXsharon sent me an Outhouse photo yesterday. It doesn't fit my particular Outhouses of the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex Project.

These Outhouses are not in a park and they are in Wise County. I think Wise County is outside the Metroplex. I think that's where Decatur is.

The details of the Outhouses spotted by TXsharon are a bit skimpy, but I believe they are at a Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale gas drilling site.

Because, and again I repeat, skimpy details, but I think this is a Chesapeake Energy operation because apparently Aubrey McClendon was using the Outhouse on the left when TXsharon sent in a Monkey Wrencher to knock it over.

TXsharon was hoping to get a shot of McClendon climbing out of the fallen Outhouse, but drill riggers started running towards her and her Monkey Wrenching gang, so she took this one picture and high tailed it out of there.

TXsharon, obviously, is one of those Texas Wild Women you've been reading about lately.

Aches & Pains Caused By Texas Wild Women

Yesterday's Tandy Hills hike with all those Wild Women and Manly Men really did me in.

As in this morning just about everything that could possibly be sore, is.

That Queen of Wink was the Wildest of the Wild Women. Trying to keep up with her is what I think did me in.

I read an article a couple days ago about how some sports trainers treat muscle aches with ice therapy.

So, I tried that this morning and forced myself to try and stay in the pool for what might be a therapeutic amount of time. I think I remember 45 minutes was the amount of time it took this therapy to work. I lasted about 5 minutes and then went running to the hot tub.

After a couple cycles out of the hot tub and back in the pool my aching body was aching less. Or maybe I'd just numbed the pain. My therapist, Dr. L.C., has gone missing, right when I'm such a mess.

Tandy Hills Hiking With Wild Women, Manly Men, The Queen Of Wink & Princess Annie

Well. I have had me a day. It started out good with a dip in the pool. A bit before 10 I headed towards the Tandy Hills. I parked on the east side of the park so that my vehicle would be well positioned should I want to escape.

I miscalculated how long it would take me to hike from where I parked to where the Manly Men and Wild Women were assembled.

When the assembly area came in to view I could see that the assembly had not yet started hiking. Don Young was on a pedestal telling the group what lay ahead for them.

About 15 minutes later the hike finally began.

Oh. I forgot to mention, I was not too shocked to see the Queen of Wink and Princess Annie. The Queen had already spotted me, so it was no surprise when I came up behind her and asked what the hell she was doing there. She said Annie kept asking was this person Durango, was that person Durango. And then my, apparently, distinctive walk came into view and the Queen told Annie that that is Durango.

I was surprised by how large the hiking group was. I surmised this was going to be interesting, as it seemed fairly obvious that these people would have widely different hiking speeds. That, and I'd already discovered the trails were muddy, icy and slippery in places.

Every time we'd stop to wait for the stragglers to catch up I'd overheat and steam up my sunglasses. The Queen did not get as hot and steamy as I did.

We reached the top of a long climb. And waited. Annie then launched a berry attack on me with the first wave being a Japanese Pearl Harbor type sneak attack. When Annie came in for her second attack I was well armed with my own handful of berries. She was not expecting that.

Soon Don Young showed up and told us the next stop was Tandy Falls. I was thinking some of this group is going to have a hard time getting down there. My group took off towards the falls, with Annie in the lead.

By the time we made it to Tandy Falls I'd informed the Queen that I had an escape vehicle parked nearby. The Queen instantly subscribed to that plan. Annie was a bit confused, wanting to wait for the rest of the group.

It was fun hiking with that big group, most people I've ever seen hiking the Tandy Hills, but I could not take the stopping and waiting.

So, we loaded into the escape vehicle and I asked if the Queen would like to go anywhere. She had no where in mind. I asked if she'd like to drive around and see stuff. I like driving people around and seeing stuff. The Queen was quite agreeable to that plan.

First I drove to nearby Oakland Lake Park and Fosdic Lake, then down Oakland Avenue, seeing the big Chesapeake Energy complex that pops up at the end of Oakland. Then on to Gateway Park and Fort Woof, pointing out Town Talk as we drove by.

At Gateway Park Annie had a bit of an acrophobia incident crossing the bridge that connects to the Trinity Trails. Then she wanted to go on the dam/bridge that makes a waterfall of the Trinity River. There she climbed down onto the falls and made me a bit nervous.

After we were done with Gateway Park I asked if the Queen had been to the Fort Worth Stockyards. She had not. I asked if she'd seen the new Dallas Cowboy stadium. She had not. Somehow the stadium won out over the Stockyards.

As soon as I got off the freeway it was obvious something was going on in the stadium. I knew it was not a Cowboys game because I was seeing no silver and blue, just a lot of orange. I rolled down the window and asked. Cotton Bowl. Some team from Oklahoma was playing some team from somewhere else. I thought the Cotton Bowl was in Dallas at Fair Park.

And the Wal-Mart Supercenter parking lot was closed off, just like it is for Cowboy games, only this time there were an awful lot of buses parked on the lot. I hope they don't get towed.

At this point in time Annie announced she was hungry. After inquiring as to what type vittles were wanted, we went to Sweet Tomatoes, where Annie made artful plate arrangements with her mom's leftovers.

Before we got to Sweet Tomatoes Annie informed her mom that her phone was making noises. Annie's mom checked her phone to find a voice mail from Don Young telling her the hike terminated by 12:04 and they were heading to 8.0 in downtown Fort Worth. We were about 25 miles from there at that point in time.

After Sweet Tomatoes we headed west with a stop at Veterans Park. I wanted to show the Queen the bizarre gas drilling rig that's right up against an apartment complex. A well dressed woman in stiletto heels walked by as we drove in. I've never seen such a sight at this location before.

Then it was back towards the Tandy Hills where the Queen's Chariot awaited her return. But, before we got there we drove down Carter Avenue, paid a visit to Mother Nature guarding Scott Avenue and then headed back to View Street and the aforementioned Chariot.

So, the Manly Men and Wild Women Hike turned into a very enjoyable day. Princess Annie and the Queen of Wink were a lot of fun. The most amusing thing I heard today came from Princess Annie. She asked me how old I was. Why are you asking me such a rude question said I. Annie then said, "You act 23, but your hair is white."

I told Annie I was 29. She did not quibble with that number. Kids.