A Health Obsessed Yankee Hiking The Tandy Hills In Texas Looking At Mixmasters, Shrines & October Wildflowers

In the picture you are on a Tandy Hill, looking west at a zoomed view of part of the Fort Worth Mixmaster, with that big blue building being Fort Worth's Convention Center Hotel. Have there been any conventions in town since that hotel opened? Fort Worth seems to have very few conventions.

When Betty Jo Bouvier comes to Fort Worth she refuses to be driven over the Fort Worth Mixmaster. Something to do with an aversion to heights.

This morning I blogged that there was a 75% chance of a Thunderstorm dropping some booms and water on us around noon. Minutes after I said that I heard from Agent cd0103 asking me where I was getting my weather forecast, telling me that her forecast was forecasting a 25% chance of heavy duty booming.

Well, Agent cd0103 was correct. Had I looked at the Fort Worth Weather Info at the bottom of my blog I would have seen the correct forecast.

After I got rid of the ever annoying WeatherBug, I got a weather plug-in for my Chrome Browser from something called Accu-Weather. Which, apparently is not very accurate.

It is October 11 and there are still wildflowers coloring up the Tandy Hills. I do not recollect this being the case in past Octobers. Nor do I recollect there being so much greenery, previously, in October.

I had not checked on Tandy Shrine II in several days. I did so today. The shrine remains firmly planted beside the Tandy Highway. Nothing has been added. But, some Shrine Vandal took Tandy Shrine II's baseball cap. Probably a disgruntled Texas Rangers fan.

Will Lightning Soon Be Striking My Fort This Second Monday Of October?

As you can see, October 11 has dawned cloudy in Major General Worth's Fort on this second Monday of the 3rd to last month of 2010.

The clouds will likely be increasing in number and depth as we approach noon in North Texas, with a 75% chance of Severe Thunderstorms unleashing some big booms and drops of water.

So, rain and lightning may wreak havoc with my current plan for some noontime Tandy Hills hiking.

We'll see.

It was in the mid 60s this morning when I went swimming. Much balmier than the 50s in the mornings of late.

Elsie Hotpepper was missing for 48 hours over the weekend, finally checking in last night. I do not know if she was out saloon hopping, or what. I was very worried. I have heard from all my other missing people, so right now I have not much of anything to worry about.

Except for that incoming Thunderstorm I previously mentioned.

Comments About A Guanofrentic Nutbar & A.O. Amos Commenting About Fort Worth's Most Dangerous Neighborhood & Criminals

I've been getting really good blog comments lately. Mostly in response to Fort Worth having the 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in America.

But there have also been some good, amusing comments about Fort Worth's bloviating gasbag of a Mayor, Mike Moncrief.

Today I learned from Roger that a comment I got yesterday (Or was it the day before?) was from a "guanofrentic nutbar." I am loving some of these new words I am learning. Apparently the guanofrentic nutbar is of the paranoid conspiracy sort, you know, those types who think there are black UN helicopters flying around and who wear aluminum foil hats to block having their brains scanned.

Also today I got what may be the longest comment ever. It came from A.O. Amos, regarding Fort Worth's Dangerous Neighborhood. I think my favorite part of the comment is the part that refers to me as a "health-obsessed Yankee who blogs about the real crimes and criminals in the heart of the city."

Below is the comment from A.O. Amos in its entirety....

Research/data from sociological-psychological and law enforcement fields indicate that the over all majority of crimes, but esp. ones involving violence, occur among people who know each other such as lovers, friends, families, neighbors--as opposed to complete strangers out of the blue (even then the perps choose their victims instead of just acting haphazardly).

This is also intuitive because people and relationships inevitably involve differences and conflicts that often lead to aggression/to revenge among other less than healthy ways to solve problems/ conflicts. Thus, people like you and me who don't live (in actuality they are pretty much "confined")in the shelter zone or decrepit apartments/"projects" are so much less likely to be a victim of any serious criminal acts by passing through or by even visiting for a while. In other words, there are knowledge, relationships, conflicts, alliances, etc. among the residents that make them more likely to commit acts that often result in police intervention and thus records and data being entered into systems with the end result being organizations and persons (esp. when in politics/elections)sorting the raw data to make certain conclusions and even predictions.

Of course, all the crimes committed among those folks are usually not deemed newsworthy (not reported, which gives the public false idea about the amount of crime and danger for the resident) and accepted as a normal part of living in the ghetto/shelter/skid row with the exception being some extraordinary crimes.

On the other hand, in those infrequent cases where someone from the outside gets their property damaged or their person threatened or harmed, the chances are much higher that it's reported--via media or word of mouth. Having worked and volunteered in these settings, I have heard regular reports of people who choose sleeping/"living" under bridges and in various campsites braving the elements cuz that is much less dangerous and they "feel much safer" than being in cramped quarters where falling asleep is to risk being victimized in some way.

Thanks to the many kind and well-meaning church groups and individuals who follow their hearts/faith by handing out home-made food and other necessary items right out of their vehicles (part of reason why FW is mecca for the homeless), the homeless people in FW generally do not view "outsiders" in a negative or hostile way since there is a good probability that you in your van is bringing them nourishment/gifts. Or for the "day laborer" types that you had encountered before, running toward a van or p/u truck increases their chance of getting hired to do some kind of physical labor for cash (van and trucks=physical work).

As for the thought elicited by the sight of you cruising by on your mountain bike or picturing-taking hikes (near campsites): that lucky health-obsessed Yankee who probably blogs about the real crimes and criminals in the heart of the city, challenging citizens to DO/SAY the right/ethical thing..instead pontificate for the TV camera or issue ridiculous self-serving press releases.

A.O. Amos

Dallas & Fort Worth Visions With River Legacy & The Grand Canyon of The Trinity River With Egrets & Gardens Of Angels

You are looking at the Grand Canyon of the Trinity River, in Arlington, in River Legacy Park.

I was not quite in the mood to go riding the mountain bike trail, quite yet, after just recently recovering from last Sunday's unfortunate mountain bike incident.

So, I biked the paved trail to its end near 360. Some day, likely long after I am no longer in Texas, that trail is supposed to continue past 360 and ride along side the Trinity River, heading east to connect to the Dallas Trinity River Trails.

Dallas is getting some new trail footage, I believe, along the Trinity River. You would not know it if you only read Fort Worth media, but Dallas has its own Trinity River Vision. In fact, Dallas had its Vision before Fort Worth sort of copied the Dallas Vision. Only the Dallas Vision remained fairly clear while the Fort Worth Vision developed a case of Macular Degeneration. After Fort Worth copied the Dallas Vision, to the point of pretty much using the same name, with the Dallas Vision, I believe being called something like Trinity Vision Project. Fort Worth's became the Trinity River Vision. Then the Dallas name changed to Trinity River Corridor Project.

Where Dallas will have a big lake, Fort Worth will have a pond, where Dallas will have 3 signature bridges, Fort Worth will now have 3 ordinary bridges. I do not know if Dallas added inner tubing and wake boarding to their vision and that that is how Fort Worth came to add those two activities to their vision.

Dallas is a bit further along seeing its vision than Fort Worth is. Bridge work is currently being done in Dallas. I don't know if the Fort Worth Vision even sees, yet, where their 3 bridges are going to be doing their bridging.

Anyway, back to River Legacy Park. I know I've mentioned it before, but it is worth repeating, because I like repeating myself, but when I first arrived in Texas, I was not too long into my exile, before I discovered River Legacy Park. On my way to discovering River Legacy Park, I came upon my first homicide scene ever. A guy had been murdered and his body thrown out at the intersection of Trinity Boulevard and 820, ironically, very close to where I live now. But at that point in time I lived about 15, or so, miles to the north.

Several years later I was driving east on Trinity Boulevard and came upon a bizarre scene with a lot of crosses. It was the Garden of Angels, a memorial to murder victims. I webpaged what I saw. Below is the blurb from that webpage regarding my first murder scene.

One day in 1999, not long after moving to Texas, these Eyes on Texas headed to a park called River Legacy. The route to that park was Trinity Boulevard. At the exit from I-820 to Trinity Boulevard police were seen, with crime scene tape, with a body outlined in the grass, like something from a TV show. After that a makeshift memorial was built on the spot where the body was found. It grew to be quite elaborate. At some point it was scaled back and a small permanent memorial was built. The cross you see here is for that victim, Marty Klozik. His family and friends have added many items.

Years later I took my cousin Kristi to the Garden of Angels on our way back from having too many margaritas at Joe T. Garcia's. Kristi's grandma, my aunt, was a murder victim. Kristi became very unsettled, freaked out, actually. The Garden of Angels is built where a murder victim was found, with that victim being the first Angel in the Garden.

Anyway, like I was saying before the Garden of Angels interrupted me, I know I've mentioned before that when I discovered River Legacy Park it had not been long open. I was surprised at how few used it. Within a few years a bridge was added across the Trinity, with about 5 new miles of paved trail. Now, likely 10 years after I first biked River Legacy it is crowded.

As in, today, there were a lot of people biking, walking, pushing strollers, bikes pulling baby on board strollers, roller blading, skateboarding, jogging and likely one or two types of motion I'm forgetting.

Oh, fishing and boating. I saw a group of 3 attempting to put in a big canoe at the boat launch on the north side of the bridge. They gave up due to the river being way below the boat launch and being very muddy. I doubt the river is deep enough, right now, for boat floating.

I also saw two big white birds fishing. Are these Egrets? You can see them in the above picture, on either side of the mouth of Hurricane Creek as it drains into the Trinity River.

I saw a guy fishing. Are the fish safe to eat in this section of the Trinity River? What would make the fish here safe to eat when they are not safe to eat in the section where J.D. Granger holds his Inner Tube Happy Hours?

When I get to J.D. Granger in a blogging, I know it is time to shut up.

Up After The Sun On Sunday 10/10/10 In Texas

The sun got up before me on this, the second Sunday of October. October is almost a third gone.

That disturbs me.

Halloween stuff showed up in stores a couple weeks ago. Halloween will barely be over when Thanksgiving and Christmas stuff will start showing up, heralding in my least favorite time of the year.

On a bright note it is 60 out there this morning. That is a balmy 28 degrees above freezing, which is warmer than previous mornings of late.

Something has me coughing this morning. I don't think the cause is the pack of cigarettes I smoked last night. Because I don't smoke. I've got my windows open. I'm wondering if there is something foul in the air that has me coughing.

The coughing seems to be abating the more coffee I drink.

It is getting so bright out there I may need to be wearing my sunglasses when I go swimming in a few minutes.

Good Grief Moncrief Says Shoresjim Among Other Things About Corrupt Cronies

Way back on May 12 apparently I blogged about Lying & Deceiving being the Fort Worth Way, along with the Fort Worth Culture of Corruption.

I'd sort of given up on anything being done about the obvious criminal level of conflicts of interest ethics violations committed by Fort Worth's #1 un-indicted perpetrator of shady dealing, that being the Mayor of Fort Worth, with his conflict of interest breaching of the public trust, with His Dis-Honor having made millions of dollars from the various Barnett Shale Natural Gas Drillers who have poked an awful lot of holes in the ground of the town of which Mike is Mayor.

In other parts of America, that are not under the Crime is Good Bubble, that Fort Worth is under, an elected official who profited from rulings made in his official capacity, would be in trouble.

I do hear other voices every once in awhile who seem to find Moncrief's various shenanigans to be beyond acceptable. But there remains no Federal investigation, that I am aware of. Am I remembering wrong, or didn't the FBI do some big investigation of Dallas city officials for some bad deeds?

How does the Fort Worth Criminal Protective Bubble work? Does it go back to the days of Butch and Sundance? With those bad boys knowing they could hang out in Fort Worth, safely, and have themselves a real good time with no trouble from the law? With the town eventually naming their downtown parking lots after one of the pair.

Anyway, today I got a comment to that blogging I reference above. It is a funny comment. I particularly like the phrase "Good grief, Moncrief."

The commenter sees trials ahead for some of Fort Worth's current criminal conspirators.

Below is what the commenter, "shoresjim," had to say....

"Good grief Moncrief, the Smellygram is over and so are you. This is not a damned oilagarky and you are letting the NWO Chemtrail the smart, good look'n folks (do'n the right thing) of Ft. Worth has made us mad as hell and we are going to retire you. We will then investigate you and your corrupt cronies who profited from our taxes.The CAFR ( Comprehensive Annual Financial Report) abuse will result in several being tried for their crimes."

I also like the word "oilgarky" that shoresjim used. I assume "Smellygram" refers to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I have no idea what "NWO Chemtrail" is. Or the "CAFR." I am very ignorant about a lot of things. I'm okay with that.

I Made It Through Another Dangerous Night In My Dangerous East Fort Worth Neighborhood

It is still dark out there at a little past 7. The ISO setting on my camera magically turns dark into light. I just heard the first sun greet tweet and can see that the sun arrival process has begun.

It seems like October just began, but it is already the 2nd Saturday of October, almost a third of the new month already gone.

The older I get the faster time seems to fly. I don't like it.

Yesterday I made mention of Fort Worth's #15 Most Dangerous Neighborhood in America and opined regarding what I thought to be the absurdity of a Galveston Neighborhood being the only other Texas Neighborhood, besides Fort Worth, on the list of the Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America.

Well, Mr. or Ms. Anonymous made an interesting comment regarding Galveston....

"Galveston does have a densely populated ghetto inhabited by poverty-stricken people who live in the federal housing project, which is tucked away on the far east end of the island away from the sea wall and just far enough from the newly revitalized tourist area called the Strand/docks on the other side of the island/sea wall. Remember one of the oldest and last remaining government subsidized apartment complex in FW is located just across the freeway from the homeless shelters and accessible by an overpass. This complex is still there because it's not close enough to the Trinity River---or else the TRV or other profiteering entities would have eminent-domained it long ago."

I thought I'd driven all over Galveston, both the town and the island. I don't recollect driving through a ghetto.

But I can be pretty ghetto oblivious, unless it is obvious. For instance I have ridden my bike over the pedestrian overpass that goes over, I think, the 287 freeway, and leads to the subsidized apartment complex, to which Anonymous refers. I did not realize at the time I was in the Heart of the 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in America.

I think I am in need of some peaceful salubrious hiking on the Tandy Hills today. I had me a night of some pretty rough nightmares that woke me up feeling very unsettled.

Could Fort Worth's Notorious Skid Row-Like 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood In America Become A Tourist Attraction?

Days after a notorious Fort Worth Neighborhood was designated the 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in America, umbrage is still being expressed, by some, in Fort Worth, regarding this alleged outrage.

Was it not fairly obvious that the list of 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America was pretty goofy. The list had a Galveston neighborhood as one of the Top 25 Most Dangerous.

Galveston?

Methinks the local politicos have also been goofy with their defensive, methinks thou dost protest too much, over-reaction. Calling press conferences and sending out press releases to deny that the dangerous Fort Worth neighborhood is dangerous.

I don't know why Fort Worth does not just embrace this new distinction. Turn the lemon into lemonade. Put up signs telling visitors "You Are Entering The 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood In America."

It is not like Fort Worth does not have a history of embracing its criminal element. There used to be a part of downtown Fort Worth known as Hell's Half Acre. Hell's Half Acre is in the area where Fort Worth's Convention Center and Water Gardens is currently located. I'm sure when Hell's Half Acre was in its heyday it was one of the Top 25 Most Dangerous Neighborhoods in America.

You will find the Hell's Half Acre historical marker, that you see in the above picture, near the Convention Center.

And then there is, also in downtown Fort Worth, the collection of parking lots known as Sundance Square. Named after the Sundance Kid, who, with his partner in crime, Butch Cassidy, used to hang out in Fort Worth's Most Dangerous Neighborhood of their day, with their Hole in the Wall Gang.

So, Fort Worth has quite a history of embracing its criminal elements.

When I was a kid, Seattle had a Dangerous Neighborhood, or so my mom led us to believe, known as Skid Row, the notorious, original Skid Row. If I remember right this was in the now touristy Pioneer Square area and First Avenue. Often when mom and dad took us kids to Seattle we'd drive through Skid Row, with mom making sure the car doors were locked.

This is the type tourist attraction Fort Worth might be able to have if it'd just embrace its Most Dangerous Neighborhood. Maybe one day, way in the future, it'd even manage to turn into a tourist zone like Seattle's Skid Row did.

Maybe this process could be accelerated if the Trinity River Vision added Fort Worth's Most Dangerous Neighborhood to their ever growing list of things they are seeing in The Vision.

Biking & Being Disturbed By 2 Abandoned Jugs At Village Creek Natural Historic Area

I am back at full function, physically, bike riding-wise. I am happy about that.

Today around noon I took my bike to Village Creek Natural Historic Area where I saw something very odd.

About a mile from the Village Creek Natural Historic Area parking lot, off Dottie Lynn Parkway, in Arlington, there sat the two gallon jugs of water you see behind my bike in the picture.

The brand was Glacier Springs. Where I am in Texas I am a long ways from the nearest glacier. Where I lived in Washington I could look out my kitchen window and see a glacier.

I digress.

Why would someone haul 2 gallons of water to this location and leave them? Something somehow seemed sinister about the lone jugs of water. But, my sense of sinister did not rise to a high enough level that I felt compelled to dial 911 to report a mysterious pair of water jugs.

That and I could not see a cop walking the mile in to check on the jugs

Change of subject.

The Scrabble Queen of Washington seems to have gone missing. The Queen of Wink is also sort of missing. I heard from Elsie Hotpepper yesterday, but she seems to be missing today.

And then there's Betty Jo Bouvier. Today she is flying over to Spokane.

Why fly, I wondered? By the time you drive to the airport, from Betty Jo's home location, where she is the Reigning Wild Woman of Woolley, you've driven a good percentage of the distance to Spokane. I suppose Betty Jo is flying out of the Bellingham Airport. That's a 35 mile drive north, before flying east to Spokane. It's about 70 miles from Betty Jo's to Sea-Tac. The North Cascades Highway, which will take you to Spokane with a road switch or two, is practically at Betty Jo's front door.

Anyway, I've got so much perplexing me this afternoon.

The Trinity River Vision's Gateway Park Vision

You are looking at a big billboard in Gateway Park, near Fort Woof. The billboard shows the Trinity River Vision's Vision for Gateway Park. I'd  not previously spent much time looking at this billboard, except to note that it was quite large and an awful lot of effort seemed to have gone in to it.

That and I wondered how much the billboard cost, along with the forest of other signs nearby extolling the Virtues of the Vision.

This time I studied this billboard more intently, making note of what is shown on the billboard that currently exists, like Fort Woof and the baseball and soccer fields, and what The Vision sees for the future of Gateway Park.

Well, let's look a section of the billboard sign, cropped from the upper right. to get an idea of how goofy the Gateway Park Vision seems to be.

Gateway Park is currently west and north of the Trinity River. Randol Mill Road is the northern boundary of Gateway Park, Beach Street the western boundary. Looking at the Billboard Map one sees that the Gateway Park Vision extends Gateway Park east of the Trinity River, all the way to Oakland Boulevard.

In the area between the Trinity River and Oakland Boulevard the Gateway Park Vision sees a Skate Park, more Baseball/Softball/Soccer Fields, a Mountain Bike Course, a Disc Golf Course and Concessions and Restrooms.

Now, that might all make sense, except for one thing. this area is currently a huge, old landfill that regularly flames off methane gas created by the decomposing trash. Is the Trinity River Vision proposing removing this landfill?

Back on the other side of the Trinity River, back in the existing Gateway Park, The Vision sees an Amphitheater and River Education Center where the remains of an old sewage treatment plant currently sit.

North of Fort Woof The Vision sees expanding the dog park and an Equestrian Center with Equestrian Trails.

The Vision sees a potential connection under the I-30 freeway to the Tandy Hills. The Vision must not have realized, at the time they had The Vision, that this would connect Gateway Park to the 15th Most Dangerous Neighborhood in America.

The Vision extends out of the existing Gateway Park, going to the west side of Beach Street where The Vision sees some ecosystem restoration, along with something called Rock Weir. I am guessing the Rock Weir has something to do with creating the Active Water feature that The Vision sees.

On the west side of Beach Street The Vision sees some more soccer fields, along with something called Active Recreation Space Parking, where you park, I guess, and have access to covered Basketball Courts, with Picnic/Playground Areas, along with a Splash Park and a couple Boat Launches, where you have access to something called Active Water.

It appears, judging from what I see on The Vision's Billboard, the Gateway Park area west of Beach Street will have a water feature making an island of where all the Active Features are. It appears that the Water Feature that makes the island is, in part, the creek that currently runs under the pedestrian bridge that leaves Gateway Park to connect to the Trinity Trail.

That particular creek was recently flooded with water and litter, by an overflowing Trinity River.

Which leads me to wonder, what happens when the Trinity River floods, with all this new stuff?

Currently a large section of Gateway Park is closed, due to damage from the last flood. I have not gone past the blocking barriers, but I assume a section of the paved trail was washed out by the flood. Also, currently in Gateway Park there are 2 elaborate boardwalk accesses to the Trinity River which are boarded up with "Area Closed to the Public" signs.

Well, actually, the signs say, "Area Close to the Public."


So, I am wondering if the new new flood diversion channel that is being built upstream, as part of the Trinity River Vision's ever changing vision, is going to put an end to flooding in Gateway Park of the sort we saw a few weeks ago?

And who is responsible for the boarded up Trinity River Boardwalks in Gateway Park. Were they the result of another Vision gone awry? Why aren't they either fixed or removed?