Quanah Parker Park Big Oak Tree & Homeless Shelter

The sky started to drip as soon as I got out of here, intending to go to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. And then on to Town Talk.

Instead I went to Quanah Parker Park which is on Randol Mill Road, which is the same road Town Talk is on.

The dripping at Quanah Parker Park was significant enough to have caused unwanted wetness. I walked through the drips til I got under a big oak tree.

I'd not paid attention to the Quanah Parker Park big oak trees before. They must be the Texas equivalent of Old Growth trees.

With the old growth oaks likely born well before Quanah Parker was born to his Anglo mom, Cynthia Ann Parker, who'd been kidnapped by the Comanche when she was 9, eventually becoming one with the tribe and hooking up with the Comanche chief Peta Nocona, then giving birth to Quanah, who became the last great Comanche chief.

And a major legend in these parts, with all sorts of places named after him, like Quanah Parker Park and Parker County, where July 10 the Parker County Peach Festival will take place. After he helped settle the Comanche people on the Kiowa/Comanche/Apache Reservation in what is now Oklahoma, Quanah Parker became a wealthy rancher, often visiting Fort Worth to conduct business. He had 5 wives and 25 children. Many Texans and Oklahomans claim to be related to Quanah Parker.

I saw something troubling at Quanah Parker Park today. A hapless soul was using the covered picnic area as a homeless shelter. At least that was the assumption I made.

It's time for lunch now. I made an Eggplant casserole type thing with Parmesan and Mozzarella. With oven-fried chicken breast and watermelon.

I'm hungry. Talk to you later.

A Cloudy Friday Morning In Texas With Tattoos

You are looking at the Friday morning view from my computer room window. The morning view does not look all that much different from last night's thunderstorm view, but it is not storming this morning, cloudy, but not storming.

And only 79 degrees. Brrrr. Not quite cold enough to light up the furnace. I do not remember opening windows this time of year in my previous Texas summers.

It is not currently raining, but the forecast is for a 30% chance of some more thunder and precipitation. It likely won't happen. Yesterday's storm was not in the forecast.

Betty Jo Bouvier, she being the Wild Woman of Woolley with badly burned hair, is currently in San Francisco consuming Rice-a-Roni and Jello. I do not know if this is related to the burned hair.

Another Washington friend of mine has really gone off the deep end. By deep end I mean out of character behavior. I shan't name this individual, but I will tell you what she did and is doing. She painted her nails black. Now, that really is not all that deep endish. But, after the nails went black she got several tattoos.

I am not a fan of tattoos.

And what is the reason for this Wild Girl stuff? Well, the now tattooed, black nailed Washington girl is taking off on a 4 day Harley trip. Yes, that is correct, the tattooed, black nailed, leather wearing Wild Girl is a Biker Chick. Riding with a gang of other Harley riders.

Speaking of walking on the wild side, I don't know where I'm going to get my endorphin fix today. Last night's rain may have muddied up the Tandy Hills. Then again, the hills were so parched they likely were able to swallow up a lot of water. I guess I'll find out.

The Thunder Is Rolling Thursday Night In Fort Worth!

That is the Thursday at 7 in the early evening view from my computer room window. You can not hear it, due to my picture taking skills not including audio ability, but right now Thunder is Rolling.

LOUD.

Real LOUD.

It is raining hard with a bit of hail tossed in the mix.

And windy.

This was totally not predicted by our weather predictors. And WeatherBug is silent. Worthless. I need to remove WeatherBug from my computer.

Today, at noon, looking north, from Arlington, I could see a heavy rain squall in the distance, creating a strange vertical line in the sky. So, I knew rain was possible today.

But. What is happening out there right now is a drenching. A major downpour. The first in a long, long time.

I turned off the A/C and opened my windows. I'm loving the noise and the smell of the rain. And the loud booms of the thunder.

The rain is coming down in sheets now.

I must go now, and prepare to batten down the hatches.

Getting Wrapped Up In Spider Webs At River Legacy Park In Arlington

You are looking at a fork in the mountain bike trail in River Legacy Park, today, a short time after noon.

I had not been to River Legacy in a long time. I don't think I've ever seen the trails in such good shape.

I managed to get a bit lost in one of the new "challenging" sections. The River Legacy mountain bike trails have become a bit of a maze, as the miles of trails have grown, with the most maze-like being the new "challenging section."

It took me about a half hour of going up and down steep little hills and going the wrong way at junctions, before I made my way back to the main trail. By then I was a super sweaty mess. Who had forgotten his water bottle.

I saw no animals of the mammal or reptile sort today. No armadillos, no snakes, no boars, not even a squirrel. I've never seen River Legacy critter free before.

But, I did see a lot of spiders. And a lot of the spiders had made webs across the trail. I've never seen so much spider webbing before. In some spots the spider webs made trees look white. I've not seen this out of control spider webbing phenomenon before.

What with absence of critters and the over population of spiders it causes me to wonder if the eco-system at River Legacy has gone awry.

Is Carter Avenue Saved? TxDOT Submits Notice Of Proposed Highway Right Of Way Natural Gas Pipeline Installation

This morning Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung contacted his Band of Bloggers to inform the Band of Bloggers that TxDOT has moved ahead on its plan to allow Chesapeake Energy to run a non-odorized natural gas pipeline on a route that does not run under homes.

Steve Doeung has been battling the City of Fort Worth and Chesapeake Energy for a long time now, trying to save Carter Avenue from having a possibly explosive pipeline run under their homes.

The legitimacy of Steve Doeung's objection to this threatened violation of his security was recently validated by a fatal natural gas pipeline explosion last month down by Granbury.

Steve is of the opinion that it is time to celebrate. Below is Steve Doeung's message to the Band of Bloggers. And you....

Hey Band of Bloggers:

I'm sending you what I finally got from TxDOT.

I ran this alternative plan by a couple of different pros in two different states who know about the subject and they both said that it looks legit and show serious intention of constructing. One of the consultants, who is an industry insider, warned that with these companies "you never know if they will follow through on their commitment".

Please note that, its a large easement but only one 8-inch pipeline, which is 1/2 the size (and 1/3 the original size they wanted) of the pipelines that CTK wanted to place under front yards. It appears that an 8-inch pipeline is adequate. Or is this the largest/most risk that TxDOT is willing to allow in their right-of-way?

I'm not sure if this is the so called "final approval" announced by councilwoman Kathleen Hicks on 04/30/10 or not. In any event, her office had ignored my and a few other citizens' requests for more details about CTK's plan that had allegedly been submitted to TxDOT starting in 12/09. CTK's silence is also perplexing.

So, this is the ONLY detailed document (and verification that CTK actually submitted a design plan) that I am aware of that a citizen has seen. Of course, the Startlegram and other media outlets had no interest in pursuing such basic journalistic follow up details as this.

What would you think about my planning a community-wide event to celebrate this victory and to share this information with the public? It would be fun, inform the community (hopefully media will be forced to cover this denouement of the Carter Ave. saga---the scandal part is to come), and force CTK to follow through with this plan. Ideas?

Thanks again for the crucial roles that each of you have played in this battle. WE deserve a celebration, one which THEY apparently DO NOT want to see happen (thus the silence ?)

Steve Doeung

Another HOT Texas Thursday With Fuzzy's Tacos & No Peptomobile Taking Me To TCEQ Meeting

You can see looking out my computer room window that the sun is starting to shine a light on the darkness, this Thursday morning, with it already 83, without the sun providing HEAT.

Is today going to be the first day of summer to hit 100 in my zone of Texas?

I mentioned yesterday that I got attacked by a vicious biting bug on the Tandy Hills whilst doing some late in the Wednesday afternoon hiking. This morning the bug bite is very red and does not look good. But it is not sore, does not itch. I've not had a bug bite like this before.

I will not be exposing myself to any vicious Tandy Hills bugs today. Instead of heading west, around noon, I'll be heading east, to Arlington, to get a vehicle license sticker, walk around Veterans Park and go to Arlington's Chinatown to get some Asian goodies, like Sweet Chili Sauce.

Tonight I may be going back to Arlington to Fuzzy's Tacos at 510 East Abram Street (very close to where I'm getting a license sticker today) at 6:00 for tacos and adult beverages before heading 3 blocks west to Arlington's City Hall to watch TCEQ squirm while hearing citizen input regarding TCEQ's ineptness in addressing the pollution problems plaguing the Dallas/Fort Worth zone.

Arlington's City Council Chambers is located at 101 West Abram Street. The meeting lasts from 7pm til 9pm.

I do not know if Elsie Hotpepper is going to the TCEQ meeting and Fuzzy's Tacos. I do know I won't be relying on the Elsie Peptomobile to transport me there, due to the Peptomobile's unreliability.

HOT Tandy Hills Hiking With A Bad Bug Bite & Being Thankful For Being Thoughtful

You are looking north on the newly refurbished, courtesy of the Fort Worth Water Department, Tandy Highway, deep in the Emerald Forest of the Tandy Hills, about 4, on this Wednesday, 3rd day of summer, afternoon.

When I hit the hills it was 99 degrees with a Heat Index of 103, not a lot of wind.

I got to the Tandy Hills at half past 3. I desperately needed an aerobic endorphin fix. I hill hiked for over an hour.

Today, whilst hiking in the HEAT, it occurred to me that it would be a real good thing if shaded sitting opportunities were randomly available in various locations in the Tandy Hills Natural Area Sanatorium.

During all the years of my Texas exile I don't recollect getting a single bug bite. In Washington no spring or summer passed without multiple mosquito bites. And mountain hiking in Washington required heavy doses of bug spray or you'd find yourself badly bug bitten.

Well, today I got a rare Texas bug bite. On the back of my right hand. I did not feel it when I got bit, but noticed it soon after I exited the hills. I can see where the bug's stinger poked a hole. Around the hole there is a quarter inch circle of redness. It seems to be getting redder and bigger. It does not itch or sting.

On a non bug bite related totally different subject. This morning I got an email from my Big Sister. She thanked me for being thoughtful. It made me feel good that she thanked me for being thoughtful. Thanking me for being thoughtful is the first nice thing I recollect my Big Sister saying to me for at least 4 years.

It is weird how a little thing, like being thanked for being thoughtful, can put me in a good mood.

If you don't hear from me in the morning, blog-wise, it likely means this bug bite was more serious than I think it is now...

Out In The Almost 100 Degree HEAT Getting A Seedless Texas Watermelon

98.1 at about 10 minutes til 3. Heat Index of 105. Yes, it is HOT.

I have been out in it very little today. Well, there was that hour in the pool this morning, but it was only in the 80s then.

I went north to Southlake around noon. Went to Sprouts Farmers Market. I don't think I'd been to Sprouts since ALDI opened.

I got myself a big locally grown seedless Texas watermelon at Sprouts.

After Sprouts I headed back south, down Precinct Line Road, to ALDI. Not very many customers at the Hurst ALDI. Is ALDI not catching on here? I like it. I wish one was closer to where I live.

By the time I left ALDI a nearby bank's temperature sign said it was 99. Those type signs seem frequently inaccurate.

To you who live in cooler climates I'll tell you one survival technique I've learned to use to work around the HEAT.

If it is almost 100 degrees it makes it a bit difficult to buy anything frozen or in need of refrigeration, if you are going to be making multiple stops with the vehicle's A/C not running.

To deal with this problem I have a big cooler. This works well. I make it back here with the frozen stuff still frozen and the cold stuff still cold.

Well, I am out of here in a bit. Heading to the Tandy Hills. That should be interesting. It is not being as windy as I wish it would be.

A Bumper Peach Year In Texas

A couple days ago I blogged about the upcoming, July 10, Parker County Peach Festival.

In that blogging I said I had not heard if this was being a good year for peaches, in Texas, or not.

Well, I have now learned that Texas extension agents and peach growers are predicting a record peach harvest, possibly the best since 1982.

Last year's freeze in late spring and hail damage ruined the peach crop.

This year's extra cold winter is just what the peach trees needed to get them being extra bountiful.

Peaches are grown in other counties in Texas besides Parker County. Hill County, for instance, where Jamey Vogel, who owns a peach orchard, says "We've got the makings of a tremendous crop."

Parker County extension agent, Jon Green, agrees with that sentiment, with Parker County also having a bumper peach year.

The best of the peach picking runs from June 15 through July 25. I've got myself a real strong hankering from some fresh peaches.

Another HOT Summer Wednesday In North Texas

You are looking at the Wednesday morning view from my computer room window. Of late each day's morning view is pretty much the same as the day before, except for yesterday, when I was up well before the sun was.

It is not yet 10 in the morning and it's already 88 with a Heat Index of 92, heading to a predicted high, again, of 100. Maybe today we'll hit the century mark. We didn't hit the predicted 100 yesterday.

Tomorrow we get some HEAT relief with the forecast high being only 98. With a cloud or two. Currently there is no chance of rain in the foreseeable future.

Last summer we stayed fairly green here in my zone of North Texas. We are currently only 2 days into summer and it is already browner than it got last summer. Grass has trouble staying green in the Texas heat.

I was pre-occupied til well into the afternoon yesterday. So, I did not get my endorphin hill hiking fix. That made 2 days in a row of withdrawal from aerobic stimulation.

Today I have to be in Hurst in the noon time frame. The earliest I could hit the hills today will be around 3. By then the air should be rather HOT. If there is no wind blowing, like the semi-dead calm of yesterday, I may bail on hill hiking for the 3rd day in a row.

I am already beginning to deteriorate from the lack of exercise. I may be mis-diagnosing my deterioration. I did spend almost an hour in the pool this morning.