Fort Worth's New Heliport & Other Boondoggles

I can't tell you how pleased I was to recently learn that the City of Fort Worth is planning on building a new Heliport.

The existing Heliport, at Meacham Field, is really inconvenient for me, what with it being way north on Main Street, a few miles past the Fort Worth Stockyards.

The new Heliport will be closer to my abode, thus really cutting my helicopter commute time.

It makes me proud how well run my dear City of Fort Worth is. With our city's leaders having all their priorities correctly ordered.

Recently the city, at our dear Mayor's urging, gave RadioShack another tax break. So, RadioShack will continue to bless our fair city with their corporate presence.

Fort Worth's city government has been making very wise budget choices, so that funds are available for important things. Like keeping the city's golf courses open. Re-striping library parking lots. Re-paving closed swimming pool parking lots. And building a better Heliport.

It was very wasteful having all those city owned swimming pools open. And who used them? Poor people. Why should the city provide poor people a place to swim? Let them swim with the alligators in Lake Worth.

It was also a big waste of money to have Community Centers where kids could go for some safe fun.

Cutting back on library hours to save some money was real smart too.

If the City of Fort Worth, in its infinite wisdom, did not rid itself of these ridiculous expenses, how would it be able to afford the things that matter? Like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and new Heliports.

Up Before The Sun With Yap Wee Cheng In Singapore

As you can see from the view from my patio, the sun is no where to be seen, with me up way before the sun was scheduled to appear. The only thing lighting up the place was the flash from my camera.

A microburst near the Ballpark in Arlington, on Tuesday, sent a couple people to the hospital. I heard thunder in the distance for awhile yesterday, but had no up close weather action that I noticed.

This morning I heard from Tug. I don't know who Tug is, but Tug commented on my blogging about Elsie Hotpepper replacing her Peptomobile with a Bartmobile. In a very good example of how gullible I am and how, at times, I pay no attention to details, Tug told me that the Peptomobile was a Chevy Impala, while the Bartmobile is a Crown Victoria. All I noticed was one was pink and the other was yellow with Bart Simpson on the hood.

I remember thinking it didn't make a lot of sense to me when Elsie told me it was the same car with a new paint job. But, like I've said before, Elsie Hotpepper is a character, prone to doing colorful things. And I'm gullible, usually believing what I'm told, unless I've got a good reason not to.

On a totally non-Hotpepper note, I got a Facebook message today from someone I've not heard from in around 9 years. Maybe 8. It was around the time George W. invaded Iraq that I quit hearing from Yap Wee Cheng. Wee lives in Singapore.

Way back in the last century is when I first heard from Wee. She emailed me when I was being Dr. Durango to ask me a lovelorn question about her ex-boyfriend, Teck Seng. Teck was returning to the island from London. If I remember right I told Wee I thought she should give Teck another chance.

And so she did. Within a couple years Wee and Teck got married and had a baby. I think I have some pictures. I'll be right back, hopefully with a picture of Wee. And maybe the baby.

Well, I found several pictures from Wee's Wedding Album. But, I could find no picture of Wee's baby. I remember she sent me one.

Prior to the Iraq Invasion Wee emailed me all the time. Even called me a couple times here in Texas. I tried to contact Wee over the years through where she worked. I can't remember where that was now, but it was a government thing, historical records, maybe.

I'll reply to Wee's Facebook message. It will be interested to hear what she's up to now.

Tar Balls In Galveston & Visiting Washingtonians

You are looking at a fishing pier on the Gulf of Mexico. This fishing pier was on the Island of Galveston. I believe it was destroyed by Hurricane Ike.

Galveston is in the news today due to tar balls from the BP oil spill washing up on Galveston beaches.

Galveston came to mind a day or two ago when one of my favorite Washingtonians told me that she might be flying to Houston to go to a little seaport town south of Houston. I told her she'd be really close to Galveston and would likely enjoy visiting the island.

Prior to being destroyed by the worst natural disaster in American history, the Galveston hurricane of 1900, Galveston was the 3rd largest port in America, the largest city in Texas and the 2nd wealthiest city in the United States.

Jean Lafitte ran his pirate operations off Galveston Island after he helped Andrew Jackson win the Battle of New Orleans.

An area of Galveston that served as a waterfront banking center was known as The Strand. It was also known as "the Wall Street of the Southwest."

Galveston was a major port of entry for incoming Europeans and was second only to Ellis Island as an American Immigration Station.

In the Galveston of 2010 The Strand is an assortment of restored buildings covering a 36 square block area. The Strand has more than 100 shops, restaurants and art galleries selling an eclectic mix of antiques, Victorian baubles and other old stuff.

Moody Gardens is another big Galveston attraction. You can't help but notice Moody Gardens as you drive over the bridge that takes you to Galveston Island.

Time Heals All Wounds & Wounds All Heels

I Googled "time heals all wounds" to find a webpage saying something like "Time Heals All Wounds Except Fatal Ones & Amputations."

Except for fatal wounds, which I have yet to suffer, I have found that time does heal all wounds.

And time really does wound all heels. That karma thing.

If you've never found yourself dealing with a heel in the form of a sociopath, consider yourself lucky.

A sociopath is very confusing. Part of being a sociopath is they learn so many strategies to cover their pathology. Til you figure out what you are dealing with, the confusion can leave the victim very unsettled.

And then comes a moment when there is total clarity and no confusion. At that moment the wound is healed. That is a good moment.

Totally switching subjects from sociopaths and their pathological lying ways, I got some surprising news, a few minutes ago. Without saying too much, suffice to say, someone in Washington is having a baby, who I did not expect to be in that condition.

And.

It's twins! Yikes!

I think I just heard thunder boom. A few minutes ago the National Weather Service put North Texas under a Flash Flood Alert through Thursday.

Dead Calm HOT Hiking On The Tandy Hills

You are looking north, at a trail leading up a hill in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, today, an hour before noon.

It was only 87 when I hit the hills today. But it was HOT. I think the nautical term for why it felt so HOT is that the air was Dead Calm.

As in absolutely no wind, not even a slight breeze. Nothing. No air movement.

I don't know that I have experienced Dead Calm on the Tandy Hills before.

Now, a couple hours later the sky has turned gray. And a wind is blowing. Possible Thunderstorms are in the forecast for today. Earlier a Thunderstorm did not seem likely. Currently it would not surprise me to hear some booming in the distance.

4th of July of 2009 a badly behaving firework device of some kind lit a fire on the Tandy Hills. I saw no similar result of bad behavior today. I think the hills are less brown than last July and may be less prone to catching on fire.

Tomorrow, Dead Calm, or not, I won't be hiking on the Tandy Hills.

Flying Above Fort Worth Looking Down On The Tandy Hills

From the aerial view of the Tandy Hills Natural Area you can see some of the trails. Some are hidden by trees. The big swath of trees, just to the right of the center, is what I call the Emerald Forest of the Tandy Hills.

You can not see it because of the trees, but the Emerald Forest is where the newly spruced up Tandy Highway runs.

Mount Tandy is to the right of the Emerald Forest. In the upper right you can see the red and white Fort Worth Space Needle, sitting on top of Mount Tandy.

I believe the trail to the right of the East Meadowbrook label is what I call Lost Sunglasses Ridge. Above and slightly to the left of the East Meadowbrook label I see what looks like a big rock.

You can not tell it, due to the flatness of the aerial view, but the Tandy Hills landscape is quite hilly. Hence the name. So, it is totally possible that a big rock could have been hidden from my view. Til now. Today I will see if I can find that big rock.

In a few minutes I will be parking by the Fort Worth Space Needle, on top of Mount Tandy, to do me some earlier than the norm hiking. I need to be in Arlington by 3 this afternoon, which wreaks havoc with my regular schedule.

A July 6 Texas Morning Thinking About Gar's Googling & Feral Hogs

You are sitting out on my patio with me, drinking coffee, just after dawn cracked this first Tuesday of July.

As you can see, clouds have been totally removed from our North Texas sky. Or so it seems from my somewhat limited view of the horizon.

There was no early morning swimming for me today. The water in the pool is getting shocked. That means chemicals have been mixed in to keep the water crystal clear and sparkling.

This morning I read a shocking tale of Google Woes on Gar the Texan's Blog. Gar's shocking tale was in contrast with my Google experience this morning. I logged into my Google Account to find that yesterday's Google AdSense was the 2nd highest total ever.

This morning I read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the River Legacy Park feral hogs are getting out of control and are invading surrounding neighborhoods, wreaking havoc with gardens.

I have only seen a herd of River Legacy Park feral hogs one time. They were not very big. But, there was something a bit disturbing about seeing so many little pigs stampeding.

Apparently the City of Arlington Park People don't know what to do to get the feral hog population boom under control. Is hunting allowed in Texas? I think I've heard before that wild pigs make for a good BBQ.

Elsie Hotpepper Replaces Her Pink Peptomobile

Elsie Hotpepper picked me up for a late lunch today.

When she called Elsie told me we would not be riding in the Elsie Peptomobile. Because she had gotten rid of it.

Elsie told me to be looking for a bright yellow car, whilst I was standing at the appointed intersection waiting to be picked up.

I was not just a little surprised to see Elsie drive up behind the wheel of a yellow Bartmobile. It was still the same car. Just a new paint job.

Now, I've been a fan of The Simpsons from the very first episode. But I would not want do drive around in a Bartmobile.

But. Elsie Hotpepper is what we here in these parts call a character. So, I guess driving a Bartmobile fits in with that being a character thing.

So, what fine dining establishment did Elsie Hotpepper take me to?

Jack in the Box. The Drive-Thru Window. I don't even want to remember what I got out of that Jack in the Box window. Elsie had some errands to run, hence the lunch on the road. I am not a huge fan of eating while riding in a car.

But, I had no serious food malfunctions and spilled very little on myself or in the Bartmobile. I found myself a bit relieved to be dropped off, back here, an hour or so later. The Bartmobile made me nervous with Elsie Hotpepper behind the wheel.

Texas Travesty George W. Bush & Other Things Making Me Cranky

Time passes, fresh trauma causes older trauma to fade.

A book I recently read was setting the tone at the start of a chapter, reminding me of something that had faded from memory, what with so much fresh trauma.

This is what I read...

"Front page articles covered campaigning by George W. Bush and Al Gore for the presidential election coming in November 2000.

Some readers worried about more prosaic announcements. The average price of gasoline had leaped to $1.64 per gallon. In other financial news, President Clinton announced that the government's anticipated budget surplus would exceed projections by almost $2 trillion over the next decade-a cornucopia of cash that would make social programs achievable. GOP presidential nominee George W. Bush said the estimates validated his claim that there would be plenty of room in the federal budget for his ambitious plans to cut taxes and still have money for other priorities."

We got George W. Bush as president, with Al Gore having received a couple million more votes than Bush. Clinton had fixed the chronic budget deficit problem. With surpluses in the $trillions projected.

I don't think it made any difference who'd become president as to the horror that happened on 9/11/2001. I do think Al Gore would have led America in a direction different than Bush did, post 9/11.

A couple days ago I saw a legless Vet riding an electric wheel chair device. Were his legs lost in Iraq? Or was it Afghanistan?

I'm pretty much 100% sure had Al Gore become president America would not have started its first pre-emptive war. A wiser president likely would have simply beefed up America's presence in Kuwait and waited out Saddam and his intransigence over Iraq's alleged, now known not to have existed, weapons of mass destruction.

How many billions of dollars have been lost in Iraq? How many lives?

As for Afghanistan, once Al Qaeda had been identified as the 9/11 perps, with their training camps being in Afghanistan, if I had been the president I would have launched a massive attack on the Al Qaeda camps as soon as possible. From the air. No ground troops. No takeover of Afghanistan.

How many billions of dollars have been lost in Afghanistan? How many lives?

What would Al Gore have done differently I can't help but wonder? Would he have put a different perspective on the barbaric, primitive attack than had Bush? Would a President Gore have led the battle against terrorism differently? With a guiding principal being not letting the terrorists cause America to over react in fear and anger.

The Al Qaeda attacks killed almost 3,000 on 9/11. More than that number of Americans have died in the 2 unnecessary wars since 9/11. How many soldiers have been seriously injured? The number is in the thousands.

I believe the War on Terror was basically won on 9/11 when The People onboard Flight 93 fought back and caused the plane to crash in Pennsylvania, rather than its target in Washington, D.C.

Since 9/11 there have been other instances where The People have thwarted a terrorist.

I think what we go through to get on a plane now is ridiculous. We've let the threat of terrorists alter our freedom, way too much. There has to be less intrusive ways to determine if a person poses a threat.

Had Al Gore become President, instead of George W., would we now be seeing those Clinton surpluses, rather than the humongous deficits? Would there have been a financial meltdown? Would the world economy have plummeted to the worst recession since the Great Depression?

I don't know.

What I do know is seeing that legless Veteran yesterday made me cranky.

Hearing CNN or Fox or whatever cable news I had the TV on, trumpeting that, after the break, the story of a soldier who lost all his limbs. I turned off the TV. I don't know which of the unnecessary wars the soldiers limbs were lost in. But, I do know, that this did not need to happen to that soldier, and would not have, had America not been misled by someone who I really think never should have been President of the United States.

A travesty we are still trying to recover from.

The Air Is Clear & The Tandy Hills Are Dry

You are looking at the day after the 4th of July noon view of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, looking west from the mud-free, dried out Tandy Hills.

I'd been informed by Don Young, prior to heading out to do some much needed hill hiking, that the hill's trails were not rendering mud.

The air seems to have been temporarily scrubbed clean, thanks to our recent weather turbulence.

It is 88 in my zone of North Texas right now, with the humidity making it feel like 92.

I heard, this morning, from Betty Jo Bouvier, the Wild Woman of Woolley, that she'd overheated while working in her garden, due to the temperature having reached a sweltering 67. I have my air conditioner set at 80. And that feels chilly. I don't think Betty Jo would enjoy a summer visit to Texas.

My favorite TV Star is currently back on the mainland. A strong case is being made for me to head north to have some fun with the aforementioned TV Star, the Wild Woman of Woolley, Miss Camano and others.

July 20 it will be 2 years since I last flew out of here to Seattle, for a month of madness which still reverberates with random madness, at times. It sounds fun to have a relatively relative free visit to the Northwest.

I went to my bank after I was done with my Tandy hiking, to find the bank closed. I guess I should have realized, with the 4th being on a Sunday, that that would turn the holiday into a 3 day weekend. Likely I'll be getting no mail today, either.