Taking A Walk With The Ghosts In Village Creek In Arlington

The past couple days I've been a little tired of feeling tired. Maybe I should not get up so early.

At the current time, coming up on 5 in the afternoon, I have been hearing thunder rolling in the distance for an hour, or so. The view out my window is a bit dark and foreboding. I hear birds chirping, but they don't sound happy. It sounds more as if they are sounding an urgent alarm.

It was in the 80s by noon. Extremely humid. I decided I wanted to take a walk with the Spirit World, so I went to Village Creek Natural Historic Area at noon.

This Area should be called Keechi Village Natural Historic Area. But it's not. I don't know how many Indians were murdered in this location, with this location being, at its heyday, the biggest Indian Village in America.

Nearby there was battle between the Native Americans, who owned this land, and the Illegal Aliens, who had invaded. Among those in the battle were two noteworthy Illegal Aliens, one being General Edward H. Tarrant, the other being Captain John B. Denton, both of whom would see their names used to name counties in Texas, well, in the case of Denton, a county and a town.

Captain Denton died in the attack on what was called Keechi Village. I believe General Tarrant was wounded, not fatally, in the 1841 attack on Keechi Village People, known as the Battle of Village Creek.

Today I sat on a bench and looked out at what I call the Indian Village Bayou. That's the view in the picture at the top. It can be an eerie spot. I have seen more snakes at this location than any other in Texas.

Above, on the right is a picture of a plaque installed near the western entry to Village Creek Natural Historic Area. If you click it you will see a big version that does a good job of telling the story of the significance of this location.

I think I may have accidentally brought an Indian Spirit home with me today. They are attracted to melancholy souls. Or so my Spirit Guide told me.

I Got My Annual Six Flags Pass And Am Ready For Robots From Mars

You are on the observation deck of the Oil Derrick Tower at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, in the picture, looking down at the Texas Giant wooden roller coaster.

The Texas Giant is currently out of commission while it gets renovated. I do not know if this means it loses, by default, its position as the World's #1 Wooden Roller Coaster.

I have ridden the Texas Giant one time only. The same day John F. Kennedy Jr. died. After the Texas Giant is rebuilt it is supposedly going to be a smoother ride. I would not get on it again in if it remained as it was the day JFK Jr. died. It was the most bone-jarring, back wrenching, uncomfortable carnival type ride in my memory.

Til about an hour later when I got on Six Flags Roaring Rapids Ride. It being a raft ride through rapids and waterfalls that had been deadly for at least one person, if I remember right. I did not care for the Six Flags Roaring Rapids Ride because it got me soaking wet.

And then once you are soaking wet there are signs warning you not to take off your shirt. I did not obey, instead choosing to try and dry out and risk the shirt police throwing me out of the park.

Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington went into daily operation this past Friday, May 14, now open every day until August 22. Six Flags is only a few miles from my abode. On a quiet night I can hear screams in the distance. I assume these are screams from roller coaster riders. But it is Texas, you never know from whence a scream might be coming.

Of course, fun loving boy that I am, I got my Six Flags Season Pass. It was a choice between the regular Season Pass or the new Play Pass. The Season Pass is $59.99 and gets you into Six Flags and Hurricane Harbor, plus you get free friend passes. The Play Pass is $49.99 and gets you unlimited visits to all Six Flags Parks all over the country, but does not include waterparks or friend passes. Since I do not see any non-Arlington Six Flags in my future you can likely guess which was my Six Flags Pass choice.

I can't tell you how much I am anticipating checking out the new Robots from Mars attraction, where you get to help a Mad Doctor and Sparky the Robot save the Universe from the evil Bad Man who runs Mars.

From what I understand, the designers of the evil Bad Man who runs Mars used the visage of Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief as inspiration.

So, obviously, Robots from Mars is a very scary attraction.

Keep Fort Worth Beautiful, Don't Litter-Put It In The Can!

As soon as I drove into Oakland Lake Park today I noticed green barrels with yellow signs stuck on them.

I'd not been to Oakland Lake Park for several weeks. The last time I was there the grass was being mowed. It'd not been mowed since and now almost looks like it's ready to be harvested for hay.

I've seen green litter cans in Oakland Lake Park, previously. They seemed to have reproduced. As in there were a lot of litter cans.

It struck me as ironic that green litter cans were, well, littering up the park. And further ironic that the unbeautiful green litter cans had a sign stuck on them admonishing park goers to Keep Fort Worth Beautiful.

I don't know if sticking dozens of green cans across the landscape of a park is really the route to go to help Keep Fort Worth Beautiful. Something a tad more discreet and not quite so proliferate might be the way to go.

No Luck Fishing Fosdic Lake For Contaminated Seafood

I am the Duck Whisperer. The quackers are drawn to me for some reason. I think they think I'm a fellow waddling quacker.

I decided, just this morning, that I do not eat enough contaminated seafood. So, it seemed like a good idea to brave the extreme Sunday humidity and do some fishing in Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

A guy on the opposite side of the lake was operating one of those big barrel Texas BBQs, putting off a lot of wood smoke that smelled really good.

When I tired of not catching any seafood I walked to the BBQ side of the lake and saw the vast array of meat products being BBQed.

This made me hungry, so I soon headed away from the lake and towards lunch. Sadly, there was no seafood in my lunch. Just Brown Rice, Stir-Fry Turkey & Vegetables with Duck Sauce. And Vietnamese Spring Rolls.

I wonder if the Fosdic Ducks are edible? They'd likely be good with Duck Sauce.

Feeling Peculiar With A Vixen Texan

Yesterday was an interesting Saturday, pretty much from the time I got out of bed.

Soon after swimming I was perplexed, on Facebook, to read of the vexations one of my Facebook Friends was having due to being confused about how she felt about the Peculiar boys, Joe and Moe.

Soon after being confounded by the Peculiar conundrum my sister called with the news about my Uncle Mel.

Awhile after that I was to learn that one of my Texas friends is in the throes of marital misery, to the extent that the one in marital misery is thinking of escaping by leaving the country. That is a pretty dire dose of misery.

And then I called another Texas friend, a sweet ol' good Texas girl. Or so I thought. Imagine my shock, when she told me that she is a Vixen. I was not quite certain what a Vixen was, but it sounded like it must be something shocking. I was driving at the time and thus unable to Google "Vixen."

Later, when I was back with Google access, I was to learn that a Vixen is a female fox. I have trouble remembering details. I am not quite certain why I was informed about the Vixen thing. I do remember that somehow, in the context, this information was shocking.

Shocking may be too strong a word. My vocabulary is lacking, so shocking is the best I can come up with.

I don't blog, usually, about what goes on after 5. Suffice to say that last night I had a penguin encounter, after hours, at the Fort Worth Zoo, among other encounters. I got back here, exhausted, around midnight. I've not stayed up that late since December 5 of 2008.

I'm hoping for a nice, peaceful, sedate Sunday. Though, Miss Puerto Rico did call me, really early, wanting to know why I'd not let her know Puerto Rico had had an earthquake. What am I? A personal news service?

I'm likely going over to Miss Puerto Rico's, later. That always turns into something. Latinas are such Drama Vixens.

Seattle's Economy Strongest In America With Dallas Fort Worth #10

According to a research business called Policom, which I never heard of til today, the Seattle area has the strongest economy in the United States in 2010. Metropolitan areas were ranked based on 2 dozen economic factors, including positive things like per-capita earnings and wages. And negative factors like welfare and Medicaid costs.

My current location, that being the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, ranks #10. Houston ranks #4. Austin #12.

I will have to think about it, for awhile, to see if this might be the latest omen that it is time to move back to the Pacific Northwest.

METRO AREA	2010 RANK	2009	2008	2007	2006	2005	2004
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue (Wash.)	1	12	11	23	51	34	11
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (D.C., Va., Md.)	2	2	2	1	3	1	3
Denver-Aurora-Broomfield (Colo.)	3	7	17	19	14	9	4
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown (Texas)	4	1	8	26	29	32	24
Sacramento-Arden-Arcade-Roseville (Calif.)	5	11	5	10	19	35	40
Salt Lake City (Utah)	6	10	9	28	18	6	17
Des Moines-West Des Moines (Iowa)	7	13	12	11	13	15	28
San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos (Calif.)	8	8	3	6	21	21	5
Madison (Wisc.)	9	6	15	8	20	7	13
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington (Texas)	10	4	7	22	16	13	12
Charlotte-Gastonia-Rock Hill (N.C., S.C.)	11	3	1	2	1	3	1
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Texas)	12	19	39	37	45	22	15
Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin (Tenn.)	13	5	4	4	2	4	7
Olympia (Wash.)	14	26	33	54	66	46	58
Raleigh-Cary (N.C.)	15	15	24	30	25	19	9

Another Day Another Uncle With LaVerne & Shirley

Yesterday morning I learned of the passing of my Uncle Mel. This morning I checked in on the Bellingham Herald obituary section, looking for Uncle Mel.

And what do I see at the top of the list?

Willard Wilder.

Who is Wilder Wilder? He is my uncle. My mom's older brother.

I saw the picture and thought, okay, I've not seen Willard in awhile, that looks like him with a few extra pounds.

I started to read the obituary, thinking to myself, I'm going to have to call my mom, due to me thinking, no one else would have seen this who might call her.

Then, I started reading the obit. It said Willard lived in Blaine. I thought, well, they must have moved from Custer. Then it said Willard was born to Willard and Marieta Wilder. I thought, that ain't right, it should say LaVerne and Vera Wilder. Then it said Willard married Kathryn Wilson, in Custer.

So, I'm thinking, well, that makes since, married in Custer, that's where they lived. But Kathryn? I know Willard's wife as Aunt Shotty? Is her real name Kathryn?

And then I read Willard was preceded in death by his sister, Shirley Rozelle? Huh? My mom's name is Shirley. From that point on none of the info was right and I knew this was a different Willard Wilder.

How bizarre. That there would be two Willard Wilder's in Whatcom County, both with a sister named Shirley.

So, I called my mom and asked her if she knew there was another Willard Wilder in Whatcom County. Mom was aware of this. But she did not know that Willard #2 also had a sister named Shirley.

Did you catch that my mom's dad's name was LaVerne. That means he and my mom were LaVerne & Shirley. Years before they became a hit sit-com.

Remembering Uncle Mel & The Burned Green Beans

That is my Uncle Mel, with a cow, somewhere in Whatcom County in Washington, back in the late 1940s, or early 1950s.

Uncle Mel was born March 18, 1939 in Lynden, Washington. Uncle Mel died, yesterday, May 14, 2010.

Uncle Mel was diagnosed with prostate cancer, shortly after July 27, 2002. I remember that date because it was the date of the biggest family reunion in my family's history. It took place in Lynden.

Uncle Mel seemed fine when I talked to him at that reunion, so I was quite surprised to learn a short time later that he had cancer and that it had metastasized. The prognosis was not good.

But, somehow Uncle Mel fought the cancer for 8 years. During those 8 years Uncle Mel and my Aunt Judy traveled the country visiting relatives. On at least 2, maybe 3 occasions, all of Uncle Mel's siblings, including my dad, met up somewhere in America. Once it was at Salt Lake City. Another time it was in the Black Hills of South Dakota.

I had 2 uncles after whom I modeled my extremely successful uncle career, one was Uncle Mooch, the other Uncle Mel.

Soon after we moved from the town I was born in, Eugene, Oregon, to Mount Vernon, Washington, Uncle Mel moved in with us, for awhile, while he went to college across the street at the newly opened Skagit Valley College. I think it had a different name back then.

My memory is a bit foggy, I don't remember how long Uncle Mel went to Skagit. I do remember an incident where he was supposed to be watching after me and my siblings, and dinner, that was on the stove, cooking. I don't know where my mom was, but Uncle Mel fell asleep. And the green beans burned. I remember this as a big deal at the time and the source of much amusement.

In early 1961 Uncle Mel married Aunt Judy. That wedding remains one of the most mysterious to ever occur in my family. Soon after getting married Uncle Mel enlisted in the Air Force. He was stationed in Turkey.

And Texas.

One of my cousins was born in San Angelo and another was born in Waco.

Unlike me, my Uncle Mel and family quickly escaped Texas and returned to the Northwest, eventually building a house outside Lynden, where my cousin, Mike, built the most elaborate treehouse I have ever seen.

Uncle Mel retired in 1998, 4 years before he was to learn he had cancer.

The last time I saw my Uncle Mel was in April of 2006, at my nephew's wedding reception in Mount Vernon. I remember a picture was taken with me and my siblings and Uncle Mel. I'll see if I can find it.

Okay, found it, that's Uncle Mel and Aunt Judy in the middle. I'm on the far right in my controversial brown cargo pants.

See the blonde in black, second from the left? That is my sister who lives in the Phoenix zone. This morning my phone rang, I saw it was her. I knew it was not good news. I flipped open the phone and asked, "What's happened?" "Uncle Mel has died," she said. My mom and dad had given my sister the call the siblings job.

Uncle Mel, April of 2006, in Mount Vernon

Learning About A Baby's Heartbeat At Veterans Park in Arlington

I was housebound all day yesterday, except for my early morning pool escape.

Today, Saturday, I had to get outside. My options were limited, due to yesterday's deluging. I decided to go to Veterans Park in Arlington, and then to ALDI in Pantego.

When Veterans Park came in to view I could see it was busy. And that there were signs stuck along the paved trail.

I could not make out what the signs were saying as I drove by, til I slowed up to enter the parking lot to read a sign telling me that "A Baby's Heartbeat Begins 21 Days After Conception."

Why is this message greeting me, as I entered the park, I drove and wondered.

Was this an anti-abortion thing? Is that an appropriate type of propaganda to display all over a public park?

I think not.

Eventually I figured out it was some sort of church event. I saw a couple different churches named on signs. Other signs advertised Hot Dogs & Chips for $1.50.

The churches also had one of those annoyingly noisy bounce houses, plus live music coming from the bandstand. You can see the bounce house above the wildflowers, on the right.

I have no idea if this was an anti-abortion deal, or what. Veterans Park has a very well done War Memorial. I was thinking that putting up signs protesting war, now that would seem appropriate in Veterans Park.

Identifying Steve Doeung's Mysterious Phantom Lawyer Ed Fitzgerald

My West Fort Worth Investigator, CD, believes this to be a photograph of the mysterious lawyer who calls himself Ed Fitzgerald.

In the picture, Fitzgerald is making the peace sign in the now defunct JJ's Hideaway. This was reportedly Fitzgerald's favorite watering hole until he moved on to Oscar's Pub on Camp Bowie Boulevard.

Ed Fitzgerald is the lawyer who was acting as Steve Doeung's lawyer in the Carter Avenue/Chesapeake Energy Abuse of Eminent Domain Case, without Steve Doeung having engaged this guy as his lawyer.

To this day, Steve Doeung has not met Ed Fitzgerald. We have yet to figure out how it is someone came to represent Steve Doeung without Steve Doeung's permission.

Or without Steve Doeung being informed that someone was acting as his lawyer.

The closest we have gotten to an explanation is to be told that this is "The Fort Worth Way."