Visiting Fort Worth Trinity River Ghosts, Sinkholes & Rutted Levees

When I took off out of here around noon for my daily constitutional I did not know where I was going, except for the Post Office. Sometimes there is something at the Post Office that determines where I go next.

Today the Post Office sent me off towards Beach Street to a Chase Bank. Since I was on Beach Street it made sense to park at the spot where last month I had fun with Express Energy trucks and go for a walk on the Trinity River Levee to see how the ol' girl is doing.

Well, she is still messed up and rutted, in several places, between Beach Street and the site of the recent Express Energy water removal operation.

The Trinity Sink Hole is still in play and seems to be growing slightly bigger. Someone commented that kids have been known to fall into such things. Currently it would take a very small kid to fall into that hole. A horse stepping on that hole would seem to not be a good thing though.

The thing that caught this Texas boy's eyes today was not holes or rutted up river levees. It was the astonishing amount of litter on the banks of the Trinity River.

My pictures never, even remotely, do justice to how bizarre the mess of litter looks.

Maybe, if I crop out a closeup of the litter in the first picture, it'll give you a better idea of how the bank of the Trinity River looks like a garbage dump, in some locations.

Those are not white birds you see in the tree. Those are white plastic sacks, you know, those things you bag your groceries in. From the vantage point from which the picture was taken, the bags look more like white ghosts, waving in the wind, than birds.

Why does it seem that so much litter roams wild and free in Texas? Where I used to live, in the Skagit Valley of Washington, I never saw all that much litter, certainly not on the banks of the Skagit River, which, incidentally, is a much bigger river than the Trinity, and thus could handle a large volume of litter, if someone forced it to.

In Washington I never saw flatbed trailers, loaded with garbage, driving down the freeway with litter flying away. A very resourceful disposal method, which must be sanctioned as appropriate, because I've seen it happen so many times while driving the highways of Texas.

It the litter problem here in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex a function of so many people living in a relatively small area? As in there are more people living in this Texas Metroplex than the entire state of Washington.

But, in areas of Washington where it is densely populated, such as the Seattle/Tacoma/Everett Metroplex of about 3 million, there are several rivers flowing through the populated area, none of which I ever recollect seeing Trinity River levels of litter.

It's very perplexing to me. Texans seem to like their state. Many Texans are quite quick to let you know how proud they are of Texas and that they truly believe it to be a special place. Then why do so many Texans see nothing wrong about trashing up the place?

I have rambled on long enough that I have space to show you a picture of the current state of the Express Energy Services damaged Trinity River Levee on this, the first Saturday of February. In the background you can see some of the litter "ghosts" that I showed you, closeup, above.

It's coming up on Saturday night. I'm fixin' to have myself a fine time in Texas tonight. See you tomorrow. Or sooner.

I Am Excited To Go To Hummusland Even Though Hummus Is Making Me Fat

I don't remember if I've mentioned one of my recent conundrums, that being my inexplicable weight gain. As in the past few months I have steadily been heavier each time I step on the scale.

I thought maybe the greatly reduced amount of swimming time was the culprit. And less other type exercise, due to the weather restrictions imposed by this bad Texas winter we are currently having.

I'm not an over eater. I'm a bit of a health food nut, sort of. Have been that way for decades. I rarely eat in restaurants. I don't like candy. I don't even eat dinner, at night I just have a healthy snack.

So, what is causing the weight gain? I'm almost 100% certain it's not all added muscle. I have not had clothes fitting tighter. I can easily get into my skinny jeans that I could not easily get into before I moved to Texas. I just realized, those are old jeans.

Anyway, this morning I was trying to think of anything I've done different the past few months. I realized I've consumed massive quantities of hummus. But that's pretty much a health food, garbanzos, roasted red peppers, garlic, lemon, tahini, onion, other good stuff.

This morning I Googled to find out the caloric count for hummus. Over 400 calories a cup? It is easy to eat 2 cups of the stuff. That is not sufficient calories to explain the weight gain. My research continues.

In the meantime, Googling hummus brought up something really bizarre.

After Lebanon won the Guinness World Record for the largest plate of hummus, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism announced plans to win the record back by building a massive hummus themed resort and spa in an area called Shebaa Farms in a disputed 12 mile strip of land on the border of Israel and Lebanon.

Hummusland will have a huge Lagoon filled with hummus, in which Hummusland visitors will be able to swim, ride canoes and take in the rejuvenating powers of the anti-oxidizing pulverized garbanzos.

The Hummusland Lagoon will also have a wave pool, a creek, waterfalls and a shark reef. All filled with hummus.

Are sharks going to be happy swimming in hummus? I can't help but wonder.

The director of the Hummusland project, Amos Cohen, says, “The total volume of hummus that is pumped through the park each day will exceed a million cubic meters. This will make the Lebanese 2,506 kilogram dish seem like a joke. Our kiddie pool alone will have twenty times that much hummus in it.”

Cohen says there are plans to add other Israeli dishes, like zaatar, couscous, shawarma and falafel, to the park's attractions. Falafel Mountain is currently under development. This will be a roller coaster which tunnels inside a giant Falafel, as big as a football stadium.

I don't know about these Israelis. Hummusland sounds like something nutty I'd read here about some kooky Texas plan, like Bearfire Resort.

I forgot to mention, that is an artist's rendering of an overview of Hummusland at the top.

The Fosdic Lake Dam Vision Is Back With Elsie Hotpepper & The Westside Redneck

My therapist, Dr. L.C., this morning, insisted I get outside to try and recover from my severe case of SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder) helped by the return of blue sky, well, some blue sky, here in my zone of Texas.

With recent wetness limiting my outdoor choices, I went to the same place I went for a wet, drizzly walk yesterday, that being Oakland Lake Park, to walk around Fosdic Lake.

Yesterday I did not walk across Fosdic Dam. So, I did not see that the Fort Worth Parks People had cleared a lot more foliage from the dry side of the dam.

Some time ago we learned this was being done so that an inspection of the dam could be made.

It was sometime around then, when I had my Fosdic Lake Vision. Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief had agreed to donate the ill-gotten gains he's gotten from the Barnett Shale gas drillers operating in Fort Worth, to fund the Fosdic Lake Vision. Later the mayor reneged on his promise. I think that's what happened. I have way too much that I try to remember.

This morning there was a comment from the Westside Redneck regarding yesterday's blogging about walking around Fosdic Lake.

The Westside Redneck commented...

I was thinking that Fort Worth could expand your Fosdic Lake vision and make it city wide. There's Fosdic Lake to the east. Echo Park Lake to the south. Lake Como on the west side and Marine Lake on the north. And of course there is always Lake Worth which Fort Worth Weekly featured recently. We need more than eating and shopping establishments in our old town.

As you can see, the Westside Redneck has a much broader vision than mine. I like the way he looks.

I heard from someone else, Anonymous, this morning. Asking me who Elsie Hotpepper was. This curiousity arose, I suppose, after Anonymous read this morning's blogging about the Fort Worth Moncrief's history of conspiracy, greed & the IRS almost destroying that infamous Texas oil family.

Anonymous also asked if I had a picture of Elsie Hotpepper. I can sort of see where someone might be curious to see what someone named Elsie Hotpepper looks like.

Since I have seen Elsie, in person, there is no mystery for me.

Elsie is a free-spirited gal, likes to take on causes. Elsie often makes herself up in outlandish disguises when she is out and about. All in all, a real fun girl. Except when she drinks. She's a mean drunk.

And on a totally unrelated note, back to the Westside Redneck. The Redneck repeated his comment a couple times. This happens when a commenter does not realize the comment does not show up til the moderator approves it. The moderator has to moderate, because there are a lot of comments that the moderator would not want people to be reading. That, and there is a lot of spam commenting.

A couple times a commenter, who does not realize the comment will not show up immediately, works up to being quite upset, as he tries once more, to comment, not realizing that the moderator is going to see each of the attempts. I remember a person from Tacoma doing this and pretty much ending up foaming at the mouth by the 5th attempt. It made for blogging fodder.

Fort Worth's Moncrief's History of Conspiracy, Greed & The IRS Almost Destroyed This Legendary Texas Oil Family

Yesterday morning I opined that I thought the FBI should turn its attention to Fort Worth and investigate how it was the City of Fort Worth came to send in agents to raid Steve Doeung's home on Carter Avenue.

Find out who gave the orders and then find out their connection to the natural gas drillers currently poking holes all over Fort Worth and you'll have yourself another North Texas Corruption Scandal, maybe bigger than the current big one in Dallas.

Well, I had barely hit the publish button on "Largest Corruption Case in Dallas History, Is Fort Worth Next" when I got a message from my #1 Blogging Co-Hort, Elsie Hotpepper, telling me something very interesting that I find very bizarre that I had never heard a word about. Til Elsie told me.

Okay, let's say, hypothetically, that it was Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief who gave the raid on Steve Doeung's home order. We already know he is in deep with Conflicts of Interest due to making over $600,000 a year from the various gas drillers operating in Fort Worth.

Well, that is just ridiculous, you're thinking, Mayor Moncrief would not stoop so low as to order a raid on a private citizen to intimidate him into not fighting Chesapeake Energy and its plan to run non-odorized gas under his property.

Apparently Mike Moncrief has relatives, other Moncriefs, who do believe he will stoop so low as to engineer a raid when he's feuding with someone.

Back in the early 1990s Mike Moncrief was feuding with his relatives over the splitting up of the family fortune, going so far as to sue his uncle, Tex Moncrief, over how his grandparent's estate was divvied up. Tex Moncrief told his son, Charles, that Mike Moncrief was an "ingrate" for turning against his family.

The Moncrief Family Feud escalated to Fort Worth Scandal status early one morning in 1994 when a swarm of gun-toting IRS Agents raided the Moncrief's headquarters in downtown Fort Worth, removing a truckload of documents.

The IRS had been pointed towards the Moncrief documents by Moncrief accountant Billy Wayne Jarvis. Jarvis had been an accountant for the Moncriefs for 14 years and claimed he was afraid of getting in trouble for helping the Moncriefs commit tax fraud. And so he went to the IRS.

In addition to talking to the IRS, Jarvis was also talking to Mike Moncrief. Due to the connection between Jarvis and Mike Moncrief, the Charles Moncrief side of the Moncrief family suspected Fort Worth's current mayor helped bring the IRS ire on the family.

By 1996 the government dropped criminal charges against the Moncriefs, who settled with the IRS to the tune of $23 million. In 1998 Tex Moncrief lambasted the IRS and called for reform when he appeared before the United States Senate's Finance Committee. The Moncriefs were additionally outraged to learn in federal court that their accountant, Jarvis, had conspired with his lawyers to turn in the Moncriefs for a $25 million reward.

Charles Moncrief, hoping to restore his side of the Moncrief family's good name, wrote a book, Wildcatters: The True Story of How Conspiracy, Greed, and the IRS Almost Destroyed a Legendary Texas Oil Family.

Charles Moncrief makes it real clear, in his book, that his side of the family does not approve of Mayor Mike's side of the Moncrief family, charging Mike Moncrief with "living off the hard work his family has done in the oilfields."

The feud between the two sides of the Moncrief family continues in current day Fort Worth. The Charles Moncrief side of the Moncrief family contributed funds to the opponents of Mike Moncrief in the last mayoral election. An election which Moncrief won with 70% of the vote of the 6% of Fort Worth eligible voters who bothered to vote.

Were the Moncriefs the inspiration for the fictional Ewing family of Dallas fame?

Depressing News From My Therapist While The Fosdic Ducks Possibly Caucus About Tonight's NCTCA Meeting

I had insomnia night before last. Last night I slept some, but got up early. Early morning I tried the shock therapy of an icy pool dip, hoping it'd break me out of my dark gray depression.

It did not work. I think I'm entering Howard Hughes territory. I clip my fingernails, but my hair has grown long and I don't remember when last I scraped a razor across my face.

In other words. I'm a mess.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., instead of her usual prescription that I exit my depressing abode and do something aerobic outdoors, sent me a link to a video.

Just when I think the bad stuff bad people do to good people, here in Texas. And elsewhere. Can't get worse. Something comes along and adds more depressing information to my overload.

After viewing that video, without my therapist's prescription to do so, I took off out of here, anyway, seeking some sort of peace among the Fosducks at Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

It was not all that warm today, here in Fort Worth, but the ducks were in march on land mode, more than huddle in the water, keeping warm mode. There seemed to be a lot of quacking among the ducks, as if they were having a very serious discussion.

There is a meeting of the North Central Texas Communities Alliance (NCTCA) taking place in a couple hours at the Hotel Trinity Inn Suites on the south side of I-30 at Beach Street. Dr. Al Armendariz, the new Regional Administrator for the EPA Region 6, will be there and speaking.

A person, or two, has asked if I'm going to be there.

Well, like I said, I'm a mess, not really, currently, fit for a meeting with coffee, networking and news interviews.

BREAKING NEWS: Saturday's Tandy Hills Brush Bash Rescheduled

The Tandy Hills Natural Area and the rest of North Texas is wet. Very very wet.

So, due to all that excess moisture, the Tandy Hills Brush Bash, scheduled for February 6 has been postponed by Mother Nature and Her #1 Fort Worth Spokesperson, Don Young.

2010 Brush Bash 2 has been rescheduled for February 20th from 10am til 3pm.

I am pretty sure the other details of Brush Bash 2 remain the same, so I include them below.

Place: Tandy Hills Natural Area
3400 View Street
Fort Worth

What to Bring: Work gloves, water and a can-do spirit.

Lunch: > > > Bring your own or purchase, on-site, from Don’s Dawgs. (see menu below)

More Information: Contact Don Young at
donyoungglass@earthlink.net or 817-731-2787

See you on the prairie.

Don's Dawgs Menu for Brush Bash 2010

Hot Dogs - $3.00
Veggie Dogs - $3.00
Hot Links - $4.00
Nacho's - $3.00
Chili - $3.50

Above items include your choice of toppings. Chili, Cheese, Sauerkraut, Jalapeños, or Chopped Onions.

Assorted Chips - $1.00

Assorted Soft Drinks and Water - $1.00

Hot Chocolate - $1.50
Hot Spiced Cider - $1.50

We will accept Cash/Visa/MC/Discover

Largest Corruption Case In Dallas History, Is Fort Worth Next?

I think I may have mentioned previously, how it perplexes me, that it seems as if Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, are under some sort of protective bubble, which somehow protects this zone from the rules, regulations, standards, ethics, common sense and laws that apply in other parts of America.

Dallas and Dallas County are not under a protective bubble. On June 20, 2005, a small army of FBI agents moved on the Dallas City Hall, taking computers, carting off boxes, taking photos.

In Fort Worth a small army of City of Fort Worth agents moved on the home of Steve Doeung, because he had dared to fight back against the city and its natural gas drilling partners.

For some reason the FBI is not, as far as I know, investigating the collusion between the Mayor of Fort Worth, Mike Moncrief, and the gas industry he is in cahoots with.

A mayor, or any elected official, is not supposed to participate in policy making regarding anything from which he may financially gain.

Mike Moncrief financially gains over $600,000 a year from his holdings in the natural gas companies, poking holes, in the town of which he is mayor.

In Dallas 16 people were eventually charged in a 31 count indictment, including former mayor pro-tem, Don Hill. This has been the largest bribery and corruption case in Dallas history.

Near as I can tell the amount of money that was extorted in Dallas is puny compared to the millions Moncrief has made from the natural gas drilling companies, since becoming Fort Worth's mayor.

I think the FBI's active part in the Dallas corruption is over and they might now be able to aim their investigate eyes 30 miles westward.

I think an investigation in to how the raid on Steve Doeung's home came about, after he dared to fight back against Chesapeake Energy and the City of Fort Worth, would lead to some interesting places. Someone had to have ordered the intimidating raid.

Who?

I think the FBI could find that out. And I believe it is highly likely when the FBI finds out who ordered the raid on Steve Doeung's home that that person will be found to be financially gaining from the natural gas drillers poking holes in Fort Worth.

At the point, when the FBI makes that connection, they will quite clearly see that a crime had been committed. From that point on, the FBI investigation can spread out to root out all the other related corruption and eventually get the perps in a federal court room.

Yeah, I know, I'm a deluded optimist. But, you only get one life. I choose to live mine as a dreamer.

Chesapeake Will Try To Stay Out Of Imagination-Challenged, Cliche-Ridden, Vulgar, Moronic Shill Territory With Me

As if I needed any further proof that I both blog too much, and that, right now, I am way too tired, after I published my last blogging, I went to Twitter it, (or is it Tweet it?) and saw that Chesapeake had done an @durangotexas message. That's a Twitter thing where a Twitter person comments, mentioning another Twitterer. Or is it Tweeter?

I can explain it no better.

So, I get an @durangotexas from Chesapeake, that's the screen shot of it above, saying...

Chesapeake @durangotexas We'll try to stay out of "imagination-challenged, cliche-ridden, vulgar, moronic shill" territory. Good to connect with you.

Okay, like I said, I'm really tired. I read the above and knew it was a reference to something I'd written, directed at the Express Energy shill. But I did not remember it was something I'd written in the very blogging that preceded the one I'd just finished, that being the blogging in which I said Chesapeake Energy was now following me on Twitter.

I really need to schedule a session, soon, with my therapist, Dr. L.C. I'm a mess.

Worn Out At 5 In The Afternoon By Dreary Fort Worth Rain & Last Night's Mattress Flouncing.

It is a bit past 5.

I've had me a day. My eyes are bleary and I'm feeling a bit light-headed. I had a bad bout of insomnia last night. I think I'm operating on about 2 hours sleep.

Gave up trying to sleep and got up around 6. Did my regular routine. Pool cool, hot tub hot.

North to Grapevine at noon, rain started on the way back here.

You can see the dreary rain through my windshield, around 4 this afternoon, with my windshield wiper slapping time on the lower right corner.

The current bout of extreme wetness is scheduled to end sometime tomorrow.

Where was I going during this slick rainstorm? The drugstore, for some drugs, sleeping pills. I'm going to knock myself out, tonight, rather than have a repeat of last night's exercise in mattress flouncing.

Mattress flouncing? Excuse me. I'm tired. But that made sense to me when I thought it. Not so much when I typed it. Too tired to change it.

Chesapeake Energy Is Following Me With Cornbread For Lunch

I just returned from being up north in the Grapevine zone. Rain began dripping on the way back south to my current location, that being sitting in front of my computer monitor, waiting for cornbread to finish baking, so I can have cornbread and chili for lunch.

When I woke up my computer and checked email I saw one from Twitter telling me that Chesapeake Energy is now following me on Twitter.

So, now I've got an imagination-challenged, cliche-ridden, vulgar, moronic shill from Express Energy Services stalking me on the very blog you're reading right now. With Chesapeake Energy now following me on Twitter.

What's next? Jerry Jones following me?

Well, since Chesapeake Energy is now following me, I'll have to try and see if I can come up with something nice to say about them.

In the meantime, the cornbread is ready.