On The Way To Village Creek Noting That Chesapeake Energy Had Nothing To Do With Killing Wapato Lake

Coming up on noon I was worn out from spending too much time in San Antonio.

I decided to take off to the River Legacy Park Mountain Bike Trails.

On the way I changed my mind and instead headed to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area and Bob Findlay Linear Park Pioneer Park Trails, to oxygenate my tired brain by bi-pedaling at high speed.

On the way to Village Creek I take a left from Cooks Lane on to Brentwood Stair Road. At the northeast corner of that intersection there is a Chesapeake Energy pond that is somewhat the same color as the pond you see in the picture.

The pond in the picture is Wapato Lake in Tacoma. When I was in Tacoma, summer of 2008, Wapato Lake was in the news, due to a chemical mistake. The intention had been to add something to kill the algae and clear the lake's water. Instead too much chemical was added, which had the effect of making Wapato Lake ultra-clear.

And murdering all the fish that lived in the lake. And revealing a stolen car. Or two.

No fish have died in the Chesapeake Energy pond. It is a manmade pond. I don't know how many birds have landed in the Chesapeake Energy pond and had themselves a what the hell moment right before they died.

The past few weeks a pump sits beside the Chesapeake Energy Brentwood Stair Pond, with a black pipeline running from the pump to Cooks Lane. You see the black pipeline on the west side of Cooks Lane, but I've not figured out how it gets across that road, from the pond.

I have also not figured out if water is being pumped in or out of the Chesapeake Energy Brentwood Stair Pond.

I do know for certain that Chesapeake Energy had nothing to do with the Wapato Lake disaster.

Morning Of September 24 After Spending The Night Behind Bars Under The Texas Stars

You are looking at the view, early in the morning of September 24, soon after I woke up from my night of sleeping under the stars, behind the bars of my patio.

I do not remember the last time I spent a night outside with no cover. This may be the first time in Texas.

Spending the night outside, in Texas, does not quite have the same appeal as spending a cloudless night outside in Washington. Texas has a more interesting collection of critters that have the potential to disturb ones night's sleep.

However, none disturbed me last night. No lizard or snake slithered into my sleeping bag. No cockroach walked across my face, that I know of. No bug bit me. No squirrel checked me for nuts.

Today, the State Fair of Texas starts up in Dallas. Every year I intend to go to the fair. It's a really big state fair. But every year, but two, since I have been in Texas, the days to go to the state fair dwindle down, without me managing to arrange to attend. This year I am going to make an effort not to let the state fair days dwindle down to none.

I really want to have myself some Deep Fried Beer and a Deep Fried Frito Pie. I think this may help with my ongoing attempt to gain weight.

In the meantime I think I will go swimming, which really does not help with my weight gain program, since it burns calories, rather than add them. It's a conundrum.

The Mysterious Tandy Hills Baseball Cap

Except for going swimming early this morning I was trapped indoors until I escaped, finally around 5 this afternoon. Around 3:30 I tried to log in to Facebook to play Scrabble to exercise the dormant side of my brain.

But, Facebook was in system crash/down mode. I then blogged about the Facebook woe and a couple minutes after that I found that my blog was on fire with hits from distraught Facebook users all over the world.

I really don't get the attraction of Facebook. Except for Scrabble. Did these people who are so dependent on Facebook not have an email network before Facebook came along?

Anyway, when I escaped here I went to Town Talk and got sushi and then headed to the Tandy Hills to do me some hiking. It was very breezy and very pleasant.

Tandy Shrine II has now had a baseball cap added to its eastern horn. I do not know if this is some sort of tribute to the Texas Rangers, or what.

Above you can see the newly added baseball cap on its horn perch. This new shrine has survived several days now, without toppling over.

I pay no attention to baseball unless I happen upon it accidentally. One of those accidents happened yesterday when someone told me that the Texas Rangers are doing well and are heading to either the World Series or the playoffs or both. And that Seattle beat the Rangers a couple days ago, which was a bit of a damper, due, apparently, to the Seattle Mariners being a bottom dwelling losing team.

I have gone to a Texas Rangers game, a few years back. They were playing Seattle. I was more interested in checking out the Ballpark in Arlington. I think I lasted til the 7th inning when I could take it no more.

It is time for some sushi now. You can get sushi at the Seattle Mariner's Safeco Field ballpark. Can you get sushi at the Ballpark in Arlington?

September 23 Facebook System Crash Upsetting Users World-Wide

UPDATE: As of 4:12pm, United States Central Time, Facebook is back working from this location.

I needed a break from too much time spent making webpages, so I went to see if anyone of my Scrabblers had Scrabbled on Facebook.

When I clicked on Facebook's login I got the hourglass wait icon and went off to do something else. When I got back I saw the "This webpage is not available" message you see here.

So, I then Googled "Facebook Down" to learn that Facebook has suffered a system-wide crash, this Thursday, September 23. I suspect a cyber attack from someone who finds Facebook annoying and symptomatic of the dumbing down of the entire world.

Apparently Facebook being in malfunction mode has Facebook's users in a panic all over the world, being deprived of using Facebook's highly evolved methods of communicating, users are having to resort to using Facebook's mutant cousin, Twitter.

I think what I will resort to, rather than Twitter, is going on a bike ride.

The 2nd Day Of Fall With A Full Moon Shining Bright Over Texas

No need to wait for the sun to arrive to light up the place this second day of fall of 2010. As you can see, a full moon is sitting on the roof next to my chimney, which only last night erupted with a rainbow.

That chimney sees a lot of celestial activity.

I was cranky last night after a sudden downpour ruined my attempt to go on a sunset bike ride from Gateway Park, in search of some salubrious aerobicized solitude and Fort Worth homeless people.

When I got back here I saw my DVR was in record mode. So, I watched Survivor, followed by Hell's Kitchen. Hell's Kitchen was especially hellish last night.

Being overstimulated by an especially hellish Hell's Kitchen had me up til past midnight, last night, reading a book I got whenever it was I went to a Fort Worth library and successfully found it open.

The book is "For the Thrill of It: Leopold, Loeb and the Murder that Shocked Chicago." The Leopold/Loeb murder of Bobby Franks is a rather well known crime, from way back during the Roaring 20s. But, the movie version did not really tell the real story, in all its shocking horror. Alfred Hitchcock's 1948 "The Rope" did not even use the real names of the killers. I believe there is a second, later, movie version, that may have been more accurately based on the real story.

As far as I know I've only known one sociopath of the ilk of Leopold/Loeb. That particular sociopath has not killed, as far as I know, her particular sociopathic bend is the "Thrill of Thieving and Lying," which has gotten her in trouble with the law a time or two, with a conviction or two and some jail time.

I like the True Crime genre. Particularly books telling the story of a crime from a different era.

The sun is almost due to arrive. The birds should already be in tweet mode. I may be miscalculating the time of the sun's arrival. It has been getting later every morning since sometime way back in June.

Going swimming is in the immediate schedule, followed by being a webpage making machine all morning long til my easily worn out brain needs a rest.

Wicked Fort Worth Downpour Aborts Autumn Equinox Sunset Gateway Park Bike Ride

As I drove towards Gateway Park, tonight, I saw a couple somewhat menacing clouds which had wet stuff falling from them, but not making it anywhere near the ground. The trails of evaporating rain drops was clearly seen against the clear blue sky over downtown Fort Worth.

I got to Gateway Park, got my bike out, started loading it up. And then I felt a sprinkle. And then the wind picked up, very strongly. And then a downpour started pouring down with big plops of wetness. I quickly loaded the bike back up.

I sat and watched the downpour for a couple minutes and then decided to bail. I was barely out of Gateway Park, heading east on Randol Mill Road when dryness returned.

So, I decided to go biking at Quanah Parker Park. As I drove in to Quanah Parker Park I could see the sky had cleared over Gateway Park. Nothing looked too malignant skyward above Quanah Parker Park.

Yet, I had barely parked and it happened again. Apparently the Gateway Park Storm was heading east and I was back in it.

I took the picture you see above, out of my windshield, looking west, from the Quanah Parker Park Parking Lot. You can see the size of the rain plops. And you can sort of tell it is being windy.

So, I bailed on Quanah Parker Park. The rain poured all the way back here. I waited a couple minutes for it to let up a bit before I made my fast dash for this interior space. And now the sky is back clear and all is calm, just a short time later.

Above you can see the rainbow that shot out of my chimney shortly after the rain stopped. As you can see, the rainbow did not make it all the way to a pot of gold on the ground. It just sort of dissipates in the sky, just like those rain entrails I saw coming out of clouds on my way to Gateway Park.

So, I did not get my sunset bike ride. But, I did get to have fun in one of the stranger storms I've enjoyed in Texas.

Thinking About Taking The TRE & DART Train To The State Fair Of Texas To Have Deep Fried Beer

That is me, stuck in a gondola on the Texas Star Ferris Wheel at the State Fair of Texas, in Dallas. The Texas Star is 212 feet tall. Some claim it to be the tallest Ferris Wheel in the Western Hemisphere, others claim it is only the tallest in North America.

All I know for sure is this is one big Ferris Wheel.

I don't know if the current Texas Star is the original, or a second or third or fourth generation Texas Star, but, I do know that in 1955 one of the Texas Star's gondolas, full of students from the Memphis Texas High School marching band, broke from the top of the Ferris Wheel, careening to the ground, killing only one of the students.

The State Fair of Texas starts this Friday, September 24 and runs through October 17.

It has been a couple years since I've gone to the fair. I'm thinking I may go this year. I have me a hankering to try me some Deep Fried Beer and a Deep Fried Margarita. I must remember to bring I.D., due to the need to be 21 to buy the Deep Fried Booze.

The last time I went to the fair I paid 10 bucks to park in a remote parking lot, east of the fairgrounds, with transport to the fairgrounds provided by a TRE (Trinity Railway Express) train.

I am thinking this year, rather than drive to Dallas, it'd be funner to take the TRE, since there is now a DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) line that goes to the fairgrounds. I have a TRE station, it being the Richland Hills station, almost walking distance from my abode.

So, who wants to go ride the Texas Star with me and get inebriated eating Deep Fried Beer?

The First Day Of Fall Has Arrived In Texas

As you can see, looking out my bedroom window, the sun is starting to arrive on this, the first day of fall, September 22.

I thought fall always fell on September 21 and spring on March 21. I must be remembering wrong.

The birds are tweeting an exceptionally loud racket this morning. They must be overly excited about the arrival of fall.

I know I'd tweet if I knew how, so excited am I, that we are finally putting the scorching Texas summer of 2010 behind us. Now, we can look forward to the first freeze of the year.

I am heading north today, to the Southlake zone. While I'm up there I think I'll be going to Sprouts Farmers Market. I've not been there in awhile.

I am a little sore from overdoing the mountain biking. I'm thinking maybe a day of recovery is needed. I tend to overdo things. That is one of the minor downsides to having a minor case of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Now that the sun has lit up the place, I think I'll go swimming and see if that helps with the soreness recovery plan.

The Last Night Of Summer With A Mysterious Blue Vertical Cylinder In Fort Worth

I am trying to get in shape for my upcoming bike riding expedition with the Queen of Wink. It's a daunting, exhausting process. I seem to be making progress.

This afternoon I was excessively exercising my cerebral functions. That happens so rarely, when it does happen, it can get me all hypered up.

So, with me all hypered up I took off to the Tandy Hills sometime after 6.

I was hoping to get a good sunset picture of the sun going down on Fort Worth on the last day of the summer. But, I was too early and the sun was hanging too high.

One of my intentions in returning for a rare visit to the Tandy Hills was to haul yesterday's discovery of a mysterious blue vertical cylindrical object, from deep within the Tandy Hills, to install it at the top of Mount Tandy, as the biggest part of the Tandy Hills Shrine.

But, when the mysterious blue vertical cylinder came in to view, tonight, I saw that it had grown horns. I believe the mysterious blue vertical cylinder has now become Tandy Shrine II. I do not know by what means the mysterious blue vertical cylinder grew horns. But it really seemed like something that should not be messed with.

And so I did not. Mess with it.

It would have been a bit of a labor to haul the mysterious blue vertical cylinder to the top of Mount Tandy. I was going to balance it on my shoulders, shifting it from the right shoulder to the left, back and forth, when one side got tired.

It is now coming up on 7:30, with the sun now in final descent mode. Now I would be able to take a good sunset picture from the Tandy Hills.

So, it is goodbye yellow summer sun for 9 months. The next time the yellow sun of summer returns I am thinking I will likely be seeing it in Washington. There will be a large gathering with whom I may feel compelled to gather with. On a farm in a barn with BBQ. Washington BBQ. Smoke from the wood of a Cedar, not a puny Mesquite bush.

Thinking About Biking The Newly Re-Opened River Legacy Mountain Bike Trail With The Queen Of Wink

Last night I saw a lot of mountain bikers in the mountain bike parking lot at River Legacy Park. When I was done biking I drove through that lot and saw that the chain closing the trail was now open.

I knew the River Rats had worked on the trail on Saturday, but the description of the amount of damage and the amount of water remaining, led me to think it'd be a long time before the River Legacy Park Mountain Bike Trail re-opened.

Well. As I so often am. I was wrong.

I checked out the DORBA (Dallas Off Road Bicycle Association) website this morning and saw the River Legacy Trail is open. For the most part.

The EKG and Fun Town sections are still under a lot of water. I do not bike either of those parts of the trail, due to it being too extreme and beyond the mountain biking skills that I currently possess or want to possess. The names of some of the challenges in Fun Town give you a clue as to why I avoid them, names like Granny's Heart Attack, Lost Lunch Gulch and Ball Breaker.

I'd been warned on the DORBA River Legacy page to look for big holes on the Prairie Loop. The big holes did not bother me, but I did not like how the vegetation has gone virile due to all the water. This seems like prime ground for critters like Copperhead snakes, which I have seen at River Legacy previously.

I was surprised by how dried out the trails were, for the most part. There were a few slightly tacky parts, but nothing so tacky that mud stuck to my wheels. In one spot water was still over the trail, but a short bypass takes you around it. There are currently big ponds were none existed before, and the existing ponds are filled to the max, at times coming to the edge of the trail.

Overall, I was surprised at what good shape the trail is in and that it is back usable so soon after being under so much water.

The Queen of Wink is going biking with me.