A Wind Chilling 67 This Last Saturday Of August In Texas

As you can see, sitting out on the patio with me, it is dark, very dark. Up this last Saturday of August way before the anticipated arrival of the sun.

67 at this point in time this morning. No Heat Index, even though the Humidity is at 68%. This morning, according to WeatherBug, we have a Wind Chill going on.

An Air Pollution Alert or Warning or Whatever it is called, was issued yesterday.

Yesterday morning, when I opened my windows, I thought the air smelled like bleach. This morning it is bleach-free, but something is causing an eye stinging nuisance.

Yesterday when I left Oakland Lake Park, heading towards Town Talk, heading north on Oakland Boulevard, as I crossed Interstate 30 I saw that the Barnett Shale drill pad, slightly north of the freeway, was being fracked, with a lot of trucks waiting to waste water in to the hole.

The drill pad site is surrounded by a tall wall, so you can't see what is going on in there. But, a strange haze of misty particulates was wafting airborne. Was it diesel exhaust from a truck? If so, why was nothing blowing airborne from all the water trucks outside the wall?

One of the things I like when I return to the Pacific Northwest is how good the air smells. I remember in July of 2001, when I drove solo back to Washington for my mom and dad's 50th, as I crossed Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 to Western Washington, past the summit the air began to smell like Christmas trees. That sensation continued for about a week, and then I no longer noticed it. When I lived in Washington I never noticed how good it smells.

The only thing I ever smell in Texas that smells good is the smoke wafting from a Texas barbecue. I will forever associate that good fragrance with Texas. That and the stench of oil.

Seeing Closed Libraries and New Sidewalks In Fort Worth

My intention had been to go to the Tandy Hills today, parking on top of Mount Tandy, to take a photo of the desecrating of the Mount Tandy Shrine, which I learned last night from Stenotrophomonas had had its golf balls stolen by a shrine desecrating vandal.

But, I was running late, and I remembered that the Fort Worth Water Boys had re-invaded the Tandy Hills, which if accessed from Mount Tandy I'd likely have an encounter where I would have had to negotiate my way around big trucks whilst breathing in noxious diesel fumes.

So, walking around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park became my destination.

On the way I went by the East Regional Library. Closed. When this library is open, usually every computer station has someone using it, plus others bringing in their laptops for Wi-Fi access. I don't know how one manages to afford a laptop, but not an Internet connection.

Judging from letters to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, citizens are starting to get cranky about the library scale backs. And pool closings.

While the City of Fort Worth has money for other things.

Like a few million to fix a clock tower, money to build a helicopter pad, money to buy inner tubes to give to people wanting to test their immune systems in the Trinity River.

And to build new stair/sidewalks, like the one you see in the photo above.

The new stair/sidewalk is in Oakland Lake Park. It is adjacent to a CCC, 30s era, constructed of rocks, picnic pavilion. Built, I assume with New Deal stimulus money.

Is current day stimulus money what is being spent on projects like Oakland Lake Park's new stair/sidewalk? Did Fort Worth get some stimulus money? Is that what is causing all the road projects? If there is stimulus money is there some prohibition against using it to keep a library open? Or a pool?

I find the new stair/sidewalk in Oakland Lake Park perplexing. If the old one presented a danger, could not that route have been blocked until funds were available, so the money could be spent on more urgent needs? There are 3 other easy routes to take you to the same location as the new stair/sidewalk.

I'd do some more curmudgeon whining, but I am hungry and lunch is ready.

J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision Happy Hour Inner Tube Float Boondoggle On The Trinity River

On August 4 I blogged about J.D. Granger's bizarre plan to have a Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Happy Hour Float down the Trinity River in Fort Worth.

I opined that I thought it absurd to put people in water that has signs warning you not to eat fish you catch. And the water is dirty, really dirty. In addition to the dirtiness, there is a lot of litter, an amazingly lot of litter.

And critters, like turtles, who are willing to give chase, while snapping at you (I have had it happen), snakes, like water moccasin. And Alligator Gar, which are these bizarre "fish" that look like an eel/alligator mutation.

I have not seen an Alligator Gar in the Trinity River. I have seen one in Village Creek. I have not been back in a Texas lake since I saw an Alligator Gar and then talked to some girls on a dock on Lake Grapevine who told me one of their friends had stepped on an Alligator Gar the day before and had to be taken to the ER.

A year or two ago a fisherman caught a really big Alligator Gar in the Trinity in Dallas. I think it was 10 feet long. Or was that the length of the Alligator found last year in my neighborhood?

So, yesterday, Thursday, around 40 inner tubers joined J.D. Granger, with beer coolers in floats, for the Trinity River Vision Authority Boondoggle "Tubing Happy Hour."

You are looking at a pair of the Trinity Tubers in the picture above. This picture was in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, taken by Joyce Marshall.

The picture at the top is not of the Trinity Tubers, it is a picture of tubers in a clean river.

J.D. is working on a couple more floating happy hours, saying "Based on the demand we saw for this event, there will probably be something next spring or summer."

40 people does not sound like a rousing demand for an event to me.

Apparently, on July 4, J.D. and his Vision Boondoggle provided 100 inner tubes for Fort Worth's 4th of July celebration.

Where these 4th of July inner tubes floated, I do not know, but J.D. says, ""People literally came in [and] cut off their kids' jeans so they could tube. We're ordering at least 300 tubes for next July because of the demand."

The executive director of the TRV Boondoggle is ordering up at least 300 inner tubes for next 4th of July? Who is paying for these tubes?

The comments to the article in the Star-Telegram are pretty funny and pretty much on point regarding the absurdity. Below are a few of the funnier comments....

panthercitylover wrote:

We were having a good time, but a 4-foot-long alligator gar punctured my tube and almost bit me! Scary! I'm never getting in the Trinity again.

sarcasticallystooopid wrote:

Haha! The only people who would do this are either (a)not from Fort Worth or (b)rednecks. I'll drive down south to do my tubing, thanks and I am a Fort Worth native. I'm wondering if these morons have seen pics of the river when it is low. It is flat out disgusting, 55 gallon chemical drums, tires, dead animals, etc. Watch out for Okie turds and dead bodies.

Oh and don't forget: Man drowns in Trinity; passing bicyclist rescues mom and daughter. Jul 5, 2010 FORT WORTH -- An East Texas man trying to rescue his 7-year-old daughter drowned Monday afternoon in the Trinity River.

But I'm sure it's real safe if your drinking beer and floating in an unstable rubber tube.

paulasmithy wrote:

When I saw the headline, I thought this would be an article about potatoes growing by the river. Not that those would be particularly safe, either.

txlawyer2 wrote:

There are no advisories against swimming because the agencies thought that went without saying. Next year the headline will be the same, except for replacing "tubers" with tumors.

xxViixen wrote:

Ew!!! Dont float the Trinity. Go float the Comal or Guadalupe River in Austin. Those were the best times of my life!

truefwtexan wrote:

Is this a big surprise? We have insane heat around here, and we have a grand total of one public pool open. When we had 5, they were overcrowded, and now they are just insane. No wonder people are willing to lounge in the disgusting water just to cool off. Wake up, Fort Worth! We're burning up here!

midcitiesyj wrote:

Hahahaha! The comments below pretty much sums it up. Eeeeewwww, nothing like floating in no current and 90 degree water.... And watch out for the 2 headed snakes. The Paluxy is a very good place to go, but nothing compares to the cold water and fast current of the Guadalupe.

ustfuninfw wrote:

Next they'll be hosting swim events at the waste water treatment plants.

Up Before The Sun In Chilly North Texas On The Last Friday Of August Thinking About Tubing The Trinity

It is the last Friday of August. Before dawn. I am feeling misbegotten this morning. There was a moon hanging overhead looking at me when I went out on my patio to drink some coffee.

I think there is a song, movie, book or play titled something like Moon for the Misbegotten. If I were not so illiterate I would know these things.

The sun has yet to arrive to heat up the place, so the temperature is still falling, but it has not fallen, yet, to the predicted low of 68. Currently it is a balmy 71. That is about 10 degrees cooler than I run the A/C, so I currently have my windows open for some natural cooling.

I like the natural cooling. Except. This morning there seems to be some sort of chemical smell in the air, sort of like bleach. I really do not think it can possibly be a good thing to have bleached air.

The noisy birds have started up their tweeting ritual that goes on every morning when they get all excited when the sun returns for yet one more day. I tweeted this morning, too, but I did my tweeting on Twitter.

I think I may forego swimming and hiking and get my daily dose of exercise by going inner tubing on the Trinity River. Apparently this formerly scary sounding activity is suddenly quite popular. More on this bizarre phenomenon later.

I changed my mind on foregoing the swimming. I am pool bound in about a minute.

6th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards With Deep-Fried Beer & Deep-Fried S'mores Pop Tarts Among 6 Other Fried Sweet Things

Sitting on the red plate is Fried Beer, one of 8 finalists in the 6th Annual Big Tex Choice Awards. You will have to wait until September 24, for the opening of the 2010 State Fair of Texas, to have yourself some Fried Beer.

If you want to try the Fried Beer you will need ID to prove you are old enough to eat it. Same with the Deep Fried Frozen Margarita.

Mark Zable concocted the Fried Beer. Basically he filled a pretzel with beer, then deep-fried it.

The Deep Fried Frozen Margarita was mixed up by Jake Levy. He took funnel cake batter, mixed in Margarita ingredients, such as Tequila and Tequila flavored wine, deep-fried the batter, then dusted it with a lemon-lime mixture, served in a salt-rimmed glass.

The other 6 Big Texas Choice Awards Finalists were alcohol-free.

They include frequent deep fryer, Abel Gonzalez Jr.'s, Fried Chocolate. White Chocolate and a cherry is stuffed into a brownie, then dipped in chocolate cake batter before hitting the deep fryer. After the Fried Chocolate comes out of the fryer it is dusted with powdered sugar, topped with a cherry sauce and chocolate-flavored whipped cream.

Deep Fried S'mores Pop Tart is Isaac Russo's contribution to the Texas waistline. He battered and deep-fried a chocolate, peanut butter, s'mores flavored Pop Tart, then drizzles the Pop Tart with chocolate syrup before topping the concoction with whipped cream.

Tami Stiffler's entry is Fried Lemonade. She deep-fried pastry made with lemonade, then covered it with a glaze made of lemonade, lemon zest and powdered sugar.

Fernie's Fried Club Salad was made by Christi Erpillo. She deep-fried a spinach wrap filled with chicken, ham, lettuce, tomatoes, carrot strips, sharp cheddar cheese and bacon. After coming out of the fryer the Fried Club Salad is topped with deep-fried sourdough croutons on top of shredded romaine lettuce.

Nick Bert made Texas Fried Frito Pie by covering chili and cheese with Fritos, then battering before deep frying.

Texas Fried Caviar, is not a seafood concoction. Allan Weiss took black-eyed peas, mixed with spices, blended with Old Bay seasoning, then deep-fried. Texas Fried Caviar comes in 2 flavors, regular or spicy.

I think the only thing, among the 8, I might consider consuming would be Fernie's Fried Club Salad. The Deep Fried S'mores Pop Tart would gag me. I've never liked good old-fashioned sickeningly sweet regular S'mores.

You have from September 24 through October 17 to get yourself to Dallas to this year's State Fair of Texas to have yourself some Fine Fried Foods.

Hiking The Tandy Hills While Whining Like An Old Curmudgeon About The Weather

When I drove up to my parking spot on View Street to hike the Tandy Hills, first thing I noticed was the Tandy Tire had made it all the way to the pick-up zone.

The temperature was not in HOT mode, so I hiked more than I've done in awhile.

I'd been warned with a Head's Up from the Tandy Hills Watchdog, Don Young, that the Fort Worth Water Boys were going to be back this week.

And they were there today, rutting up the newly opened Tandy Highway. And being noisy.

This morning I went to Colonel's Bike Shop on University by TCU. University Drive has been re-paved since I last drove it. But, traffic on that road and all those hordes of students, make for a congested zone, in the middle of which is Colonel's Bike Shop.

I got back here and when I woke up the computer I had a funny blog comment from someone calling him or herself "Mattydigs."

Mattydigs said....

Your stupid blog 'vexes' me. You come off like a whiny old curmudgeon.

p.s. No one wants to read your weather reports.

Now, why would Mattydigs read a stupid blog that vexes him or her? That is a pretty stupid thing to do. Of course I come off as a whiny old curmudgeon due to the fact that I am a whiny old curmudgeon. It is a nice compliment to hear that this blog is accurately reflecting me.

And how does Mattydigs know no one wants to read my weather reports? Did he/she do a poll?

People like Mattydigs vex me.

As for the weather report. It is only 86 at half past 1. Almost dead calm, humidity up, Heat Index of 91.

Up Early In Chilly Texas On The Last August Thursday Of 2010

I am up way before the sun, this last Thursday of August. It is a very dark morning, which caused the camera's flash to go off, lighting up the tree. I could see the moon trying to glow through the cloud cover. A picture of that did not work out.

I felt the chill that arrives after the A/C turns on, about 2 this morning. I got up, turned it off and opened windows.

It is currently 71, the low so far for the night. Today the high is predicted to get to 90, the low, 65.

I think the pool will feel cool to me this morning. I'll check that out as soon as the sun wakes up and illuminates the place.

I may go shopping for a new bike today. I do not like shopping for a new bike. It is not as annoying as shopping for a new car, but close.

73.7 Degrees Cold Mid-Wednesday Afternoon In Fort Worth

73.7, mid-afternoon in Fort Worth, Texas. Have we seen the end of 100 degree days for the year? I sort of hope so.

When I left here, a half hour before noon, heading north on 820, traffic was at a crawl, due to, I think, a lot of rain coming down. Traffic sped up once I got past the point where 121 joins 820. Traffic sped up and the rain let up.

The National Weather Service or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, I don't remember which, issued a Level Orange Air Pollution Alert an hour or two ago.

It's windy, it's been raining, it's not HOT. So, why an Air Pollution Alert now? On Sunday there was no alert that I was aware of, with Sunday being a very nasty day, air quality-wise.

I don't understand why Texas has a Commission on Environmental Quality. There are a lot of Texans who are concerned about the Environmental Quality of Texas, but that particular Texas Commission does not seem to. It's very Orwellian.

Wal-Mart's Systemic Thievery

On July 11 I blogged about Wal-Mart's price scanner malfunctioning, adding a scanned item twice. I had to go to customer service to get my money back.

Which I found highly annoying.

Today it happened again. I'd been to ALDI where a couple dozen items were super quickly scanned, with nary a problem.

Then I crossed the street to Wal-Mart, intending to get a new Popcorn Air Popper, because mine had blown up.

By the time I got to the checkout I'd also picked up a bag of chick peas, garlic powder and a pair of cargo shorts.

As you can see on the scanned receipt, I was charged for two jars of 5th Season garlic powder. I pointed this out to the checker. He, just like the previous instance, apologized profusely and told me to go to Customer Dis-Service to get my money back.

I told the checker I did not care to wait in the long Customer Dis-Service line to recover the 50 cents that Wal-Mart stole from me. I told the checker I'd just go get another jar of garlic powder. That'll work too, he said.

I decided to assess a fine for Wal-Mart stealing 50 cents from me and wasting my time, so I took an extra jar of spice, lemon pepper. It made the potato salad I made for lunch taste good.

This systemic thievery has now happened twice. I was buying only 4 items. I saw them scanned and saw the scanned item show up on the screen. The garlic powder did not show up twice.

And yet it was double-billed. I assume, just like the previous instance, the checker did not see the garlic powder show up twice, either.

So, clearly there is a major malfunction happening with Wal-Mart's check-out system.

Like I said, I only bought 4 items. What happens with those people with a cart full of dozens of items? How many of those people bother to look at the receipt? How much extra income does this add to Wal-Mart, systemically double-billing customers?

Why is it the store where I buy the least has problems like this? I've never had a checkout problem at Town Talk, at Sprouts Farmers Market, at ALDI Food Market, at Cho Saigon Market, at Central Market or Whole Foods.

I remember years ago the State of Washington's, I assume Attorney General, sent out teams of undercover agents to investigate complaints about K-Mart's pricing errors. If I remember right this ended up costing K-Mart a large fine.

Is it because Wal-Mart is operating in the ethics challenged lawless zone of Fort Worth and Tarrant County that it knows it can get away with some shady stuff that they can weasel their way out of, if caught?

It's all very vexing. And perplexing. And what is also perplexing and vexing is why do I still shop at Wal-Mart? I think the sad truth is, it's the entertainment factor. The well-documented "People of Wal-Mart." I saw a few doozies today.

So, bottom-line, if you shop at Wal-Mart, watch them like a hawk and check your receipt.

I just realized I forgot to mention another aspect of today's bizarre Wal-Mart experience. Today is the first day in a long time it has not been HOT in North Texas. The Hurst Wal-Mart was pumping HEAT into the building. Finally their A/C could get a rest, and while the rest of North Texas was opening their windows, the Hurst Wal-Mart cranked up the furnace! I tell you it was HOT in there.

Just one more thing to be perplexed about.

Austin #1 Of 10 Best Cities For The Next Decade

Kiplinger Magazine searched for the top cities in America poised to prosper economically in the next decade, evaluating American cities for growth and growth potential.

Kiplinger found that though some U.S. cities may have been slowed by the Great Recession, they still have managed to thrive by "lifting good old American innovation to new levels."

#1 of those American cities lifting American innovation to new levels is Austin, Texas.

In article, titled "10 Best Cities for the Next Decade" Kiplinger said of Austin...

"Austin is arguably the the country's best crucible for small business, offering a dozen community programs that form a neural network of business brainpower to help entrepreneurs. Now overlay that net with a dozen venture-capital funds and 20 or so business associations, plus incubators, educational opportunities and networking events. Mix all these elements in what many call a classless society, where hippie communalism coexists with no-nonsense capitalism, and you've got a breeding ground for start-ups.

Don’t discount the fun factor: In the self-proclaimed live-music capital of the world, music and business creativity riff off one another. The city’s famous South by Southwest festival, where concerts, independent film screenings and emerging technology overlap, is a prime example."

Hippie communalism? I think I want to move to Austin.

#2 on the Kiplinger list is a town I am familiar with, called Seattle. Seattle is in Washington.

This is what Kiplinger had to say about Seattle...

"Rain City? We'd say Brain City. Home to a well-educated workforce, a world-class research university, über innovators Microsoft, Amazon and Boeing, and a host of risk-taking, garage-tinkering entrepreneurs, Seattle crackles with creative energy. "We only have two products here: smart people and great ideas," says Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington.

Seattle is revising its tax, zoning and permit policies to make them more business-friendly, says Johnson. Meanwhile, this sophisticated Pacific Rim city has other qualities to recommend it, including great food, a glorious setting, an outdoorsy culture, enough rain to keep the locals' complexions looking dewy -- and, yeah, plenty of smart people."

I used to be one of those smart people. And then I moved to Fort Worth where I've been dumbing down for a decade. So, Austin had a fun factor working in its favor, apparently funner than Seattle? I've had fun in both towns. I'd have to give the fun edge to Seattle. Austin has no Ferry Boats or Cruise Ships. No Space Needle or Monorail. No Pike Place Market. No NFL or Professional Baseball Team that I know of.

Austin has a nude beach at Hippie Hollow. Seattle does not have a nude beach. Both towns participate in the bizarre World Nude Bike Ride.

The rest of Kiplinger's Top Ten Towns ready to boom in the next decade are...

3. Washington, D.C.
4. Boulder, Colorado
5. Salt Lake City, Utah
6. Rochester, Minnesota
7. Des Moines, Iowa
8. Burlington, Vermont
9. West Hartford, Connecticut
10. Topeka, Kansas