Helping To Get A Memorial In The Garden Of Angels To A Texas Murder Victim

I have likely mentioned The Garden of Angels before on this blog.

The Garden of Angels is a memorial to murder victims, built on the site were Amy Robinson's body was found.

From a plaque near the entry to Garden of Angels...

This is the place where Amy Robinson was taken and murdered. She was kidnapped by two co-workers while on her way to work. Because she did not like to be alone, others decided to put their loved ones in the garden with Amy.

I long ago made a webpage about The Garden of Angels on my Eyes on Texas website. That webpage usually Googles #1 or 2. Which is what brought about a rather poignant email this morning from Wandalyn, the grieving mother of a murder victim.

This is what Wandalyn wanted to ask me.....

How would one get the name of a murdered loved one put on one of the crosses in the garden? My daughter was murdered in 2000. I visit, often, the place where her body was found. I'm 62 now, and that place is very scary. I go alone, because no one wants to go with me. My daughter was 31, when she was murdered. The crime remains unsolved to this day. I miss her very much. I've often thought about making a memorial there. With no money and no one interested in helping, that's all it's been, a thought. It's dangerous there and very scary, so I don't go as often now. viewing the angel's view of your park, looks so much like the thoughts I've had. My health has gone downhill, since she was taken from me. I have no closure. If you can point me towards the path to take, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time. I hope I haven't wasted it.

I was able to help Wandalyn in her quest to add her daughter to The Garden of Angels by pointing her to The Garden of Angels website.

I asked Wandalyn to keep me posted. I'll go take a picture of her daughter's Garden of Angel's memorial after it is added. If you want to help with The Garden of Angels you can make a donation from their website.

The Garden of Angels has grown hugely since I first saw it early in this century. I don't think I've been to The Garden of Angels since 2003 when I was there with my cousin Kristi. We'd been to Joe T. Garcias, where we had too much of the Mexican food called Margaritas.

Kristi lived in Dallas at the time. She was new to Texas. I drove backroads all the way back to her place near where the American Airlines Center is now. Those backroads took us by The Garden of Angels. So, I stopped.

Kristi totally freaked out. She would not enter The Garden of Angels. She said she felt spirits there, unhappy, unsettled spirits.

Kristi's grandma, my aunt, was murdered, brutally, in the early 1980s. She is in her own Garden of Angels, along with a lot of my relatives, in a cemetery in Lynden, Washington.

It Is Hot In Fort Worth With A Tandy Bottle Hanging Mystery & Texas Girls Packing Heat

Why is someone hanging bottles from branches along the trails of the Tandy Hills?

A couple days ago it was the Mystery of the Tandy Bamboo Teepee. And now the Tandy Bottle Hanging Mystery.

A week ago I was having trouble getting warm, suffering through blizzards with sub-zero wind chills.

A week later I'm getting too HOT hiking which forced shirt removal.

And this morning I had my first real swim of the new year. I was in the water for over a half hour. It felt good. I think it was the loss of swimming that caused my gain of weight.

The pool will be even warmer tomorrow with today's degrees being in the 80s for the first time of the new year. I think that's true.

My current temperature reading is 82, with the Heat Index making it feel like 83. I think I like the Heat Index better than the Wind Chill.

I have not turned on the A/C. But I do have my ceiling fan spinning above me.

Denise finally checked her gmail, so we can quit worrying about not hearing from Denise. Now Denise must complete her undercover assignment.

I learned yesterday that a person I frequently mention on this blog, but who I won't mention right now, by name, got her license yesterday. License to pack heat. Now armed with a six-shooter. Which is why I don't want to raise her ire by saying who it is who is now armed and dangerous.

I will say it is not the Wild Woman of Woolley, Betty Jo Bouvier. Betty Jo is well over 2 thousand miles away, so really can do no harm to me with bullets. Same with Carlotta Del Rio. Carlotta is closer than Betty Jo, but not close enough to be dangerous.

I just heard from Carlotta Del Rio. Telling me how beautiful Washington is being today, with Mount Baker making an appearance, after being shrouded in clouds for awhile.

I can't remember the last time I saw a mountain.

EMERGENCY: Save Fort Worth's Paradise Center From The Fort Worth Way

Last night I got an email from Fort Worth's most famous Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, with the word "Emergency" in the subject line. Steve's wife works at a Fort Worth Community Center which helps people with mental health issues. Last night agents of Tarrant County shut down the Community Center, without warning and for no apparent valid reason, in what seems to me be yet one more instance of the local government behaving badly. Read the Press Release below and you'll likely find yourself feeling a bit disgusted. You reading this who do not live in Fort Worth and Tarrant County, are likely even more appalled, than us who live with the Fort Worth Way...

Press Release for Immediate Distribution

On Thursday Feb. 17, 2011 the CEO and executives of MHMR of Tarrant County, a sub-unit of local government under the County Commissioners Court of Tarrant County, took a shocking and devastating action that could very likely damage the mental health and stability of many citizens living with serious mental illness who are members of Paradise Center Inc., a 501/c/3 nonprofit organization that is run by the very people recovering from serious mental illness and homelessness.

After over a decade of cooperation and of keeping its commitment/contract to provide the "foundational grant" for very effective but rare organization in the whole state of Texas, MHMR of Tarrant County began to exert intense pressure on the organization's only full-time professional staff of almost ten years Teresa Davis (two masters degrees from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) to admit and agree to something that she knew was not true and could jeopardize her organization and her own personal and professional reputation:  that Paradise Center Inc. is "just another MHMR program" and that she is just another one of their 1,300 employees who need to submit to their control and "supervision".

MHMRTC ignored our Board of Directors' many attempts to communicate with them to find out why they were pursuing this disturbing course of action and causing emotional distress on Ms. Davis and the people she serves.  We implored them to deal with the authorized Board of Directors of Paradise Center.

Instead they decided to exert even more pressure, including the withholding of critical paper goods like toilet paper for the four bathrooms, and culminated in this so called "termination" of Teresa's job.

Essentially, this means that they are reneging on their commitment to fund Paradise Center's operations, including paying her salary and benefits.  Their xerox copied letter of the so called termination cited the sole cause for termination being that Ms. Davis did not accept an invitation to meet yesterday with the CEO, Assistant CEO, and MHMR's lawyer. They demanded her immediate evacuation of the taxpayer owned community center and sent four men to come take the keys and take over the building.

The peer leaders of the hundreds of mental health consumers who are members of Paradise Center were angry and tearful as they hurriedly removed their operational supplies like the bingo box they use weekly, the cash register that is used in their snack bar, and the basic supplies they use daily.

The mental health consumer leaders, Board members, and Ms. Teresa Davis will gather today across the street from the little building at 505 S. Jennings Avenue.  The building that they have worked so hard for many years to create a haven, a "paradise" for them and others with serious mental illness.  The building they have now been suddenly thrown out of.

The Dawn Of Another Friday In Texas

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell I can see that the 3rd Friday of the 2nd month of 2011 has dawned with yet one more blue sky day in Texas.

And it is 30 degrees above freezing this morning.

Today I think I'll go somewhere under the golden sky orb and get a sunburn. I've been feeling a slight Vitamin D deficiency of late.

Due to several days in a row being warmed to an average over 50 degrees yesterday's swimming attempt was successful.

I suspect this morning's swimming attempt will be even more successful.

I'm going to to test that theory right now. Talk to you later. Maybe....

A Late Hike On Fort Worth's Tandy Hills Thinking About My Move To Las Vegas Thanks To Betty Jo Bouvier

I was late on the Tandy Hills today, which you can sort of guess by looking at the picture, in which we are looking west as the sun starts to set on the stunning skyline of the downtown of the most Envied City in the Nation, Fort Worth, Texas.

I just got the rudest message from Betty Jo Bouvier, telling me I should move out of this lizard and snake infested location and relocate to Arizona.

How can Betty Jo not know that there are a lot of snakes in Arizona? And lizards?. And scorpions?

The desert location I would like to move to is Las Vegas. That'd be a nice central location. A few hours drive to visit my mom and dad and sister and nephews. And brother. In Arizona. A few hours drive to go to Disneyland. An easy drive north to Washington.

Along with all sorts of other places I like that I'd like to live close to.

Like the Grand Canyon, Zion National Park & Bryce Canyon. In Vegas it's around 30 miles to Lake Mead, which is like a less cool, but still incredible, version of Lake Powell.

Yeah, I'm convinced. I must initiate a move to Las Vegas as soon as possible. It will be tough leaving the Most Envied City in the Nation. But I am convinced I can adjust.

The Trinity River Vision's Slick Propaganda Brochure Raises A Lot Of Questions About The Cost Of Signs, Junkets, Websites, Parties & Booze

Speaking of wasteful government spending. Here in Fort Worth, it being the city that is the Envy of the Nation, we have the biggest public works project in the history of the planet, underway, known as the Trinity River Vision. Sometimes referred to as TRV. Or simply The Boondoggle.

The Boondoggle is currently about a Billion Dollar Boondoggle. Some of that billion is federal money. Which means you who don't live in the Best City in America are helping pay for The Boondoggle. The TRV Boondoggle has all sorts of amazing things going on.

To help inform the Citizens of Fort Worth as to the current amazing status of the TRV Boondoggle, apparently, it was decided a mass mailing would get that job done.

Because today in my mailbox I found a very slick, full color, 4 page brochure titled TRINITY RIVER VISION UPDATE. The 4 page brochure was folded into the 3-fold mailer you see at the top. With my address on it. Please do not use that information to make an uninvited visit.

The brochure, when opened, was too big to be able to scan the entire thing in my scanner. So, I scanned pieces of the brochure for your reading pleasure.

Above is the top part of the front page of the TRV Update brochure. I thought it was real interesting that there was an article on this page titled, "CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT IS PARAMOUNT TO THE PROJECT."

You who live in cities which are not the Envy of the Nation may be surprised to learn that the biggest public works project in the History of the World came about without the good Citizens of the City of Fort Worth getting to vote on the project.

Getting to vote on something seems to me to be sort of key to CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT, particularly if that involvement is paramount to the project.

The above is from the 2nd page of the brochure. Part of the Trinity River Vision's vision has been to see Fort Worth having the premier wakeboarding facility in the world.

About the Wakepark, the esteemed visionary, J.D. Granger has said,  “Cowtown Wakepark will be one of the shining stars of the dynamic improvements happening on the Trinity River right now. We are very excited to have teamed up with the best people in the field of wakeboarding and we are working diligently to help make Cowtown Wakepark the premiere wakeboarding facility in the world. We want everybody in Fort Worth to be able to experience the fun of Wakeboarding, and Cowtown makes it affordable for everyone in Fort Worth to take up the sport.”

How lucky is Fort Worth that the town's Congresswoman, Kay Granger, had a son who wasn't doing anything, who was willing to run the TRV Boondoggle. In Fort Worth we don't know anything about nepotism because of the city law against words with more than 3 syllables. I have lost track of the number of Excess Syllables Tickets I've gotten from the City of Fort Worth Word Police.

The above piece of the TRV Brochure is from the top part of page 3. It shows a Natural Stone Outfall and Boat Launch. The picture shows a lot of people with inner tubes and no boats. I believe last summer we learned that part of the TRV Boondoggle's vision was classifying inner tubes as boats. J.D. Granger has promised many more Trinity River Inner Tube Happy Hour Boating Parties, next summer.

The above is from the top of the back page of the brochure, showing TRV Out on the Town, including a picture of a few of the over 2,500 people who toured a Portland streetcar when it sat on one of the Sundance Square parking lots.

I don't know why no pictures are shown of any of the many TRV out of town junkets and drinking parties.

I can't help but wonder how much this 4 page, full color 14" by 8.5" brochure cost to produce and mail.

How much is the TRV Boondoggle spending on its very well done website?

I've wondered previously how much the TRV signage I've seen in Gateway Park cost. Which is also the question I asked when I was appalled at the incredible amount of TRV signage I saw along the Trinity Trail when I checked out the Cowtown Wakepark.

Does another of Kay Granger's kids have the TRV Boondoggle sign concession?

What is the total Granger family take from the TRV Boondoggle, I can't help but wonder?

How much have all those junkets to other cities cost? Junkets, the purported purpose of which, was to look at other town's river projects. You know, information likely gleaned easily via the Internet, but with the TRV Boondoggle, it involves junkets with multiple TRV employees taken along for the fun, which involved a lot of expensive restaurant eating and booze consumption.

I've received a couple emails in recent days, very cryptically suggesting that there is some dissension in the TRV Boondoggle ranks, which has upset J.D. Granger. My guess is that someone privy to the inner workings of the TRV Boondoggle objected to some objectionable things. With J.D. Granger unable to explain whatever he was hoping to explain. Like maybe his latest expense account submission? Or not being able to adequately explain exactly what it was he was doing over in Dallas on some very specific days. Tied to credit card charges.

Shouldn't  the amount of money the TRV is spending on brochures, signage, junkets, restaurants, parties and booze be part of the public record? Why is this entity getting away with acting as if it is not a public agency open to public scrutiny?

It is all very very perplexing.

Why Texas Stands Out And Is The Envy Of The Nation

In the picture you are looking at the gun toting Texas governor, Rick Perry, in downtown Fort Worth, where he had a shoot out with Fort Worth's soon to be ex-Ruling Despot, Mike Moncrief.

I did not know, til this morning, when reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's letters to the editor, that Rick Perry said that Texas is "still the envy of the nation."

I Googled "Texas envy of nation" to learn Perry said this in his most recent  State of the State Address to the joint session of the Texas State Legislature.

I thought the Star-Telegram had a patent on the "Envy of the Nation" verbiage. Maybe the Star-Telegram licensed Perry's use of their patented verbiage.

Below is the above mentioned letter to the editor....

Why Texas stands out

Gov. Rick Perry recently said that Texas is "still the envy of our nation" on a multitude of fronts despite a withering budget crunch that is threatening deep cuts in state services.

Yep, Texas is first in the number of uninsured, in the number of executions, in the number of teen pregnancies, in the amount of carbon dioxide emissions, in the amount of toxic chemicals released into our water and in the percentage of high school dropouts.

Texas sure is the envy of the nation all right; that is, the rest of the nation is extremely glad they are not like Texas.

-- Edward Lindsay, Fort Worth

Edward left out Texas being the nation's #1 litterers. And being the state with the largest number of obese people.

Thursday Morning in Texas Going Swimming & Thinking About Jesse James

Starting off the 3rd Thursday of the 2nd month of 2011 31 degrees above freezing in formerly frigid Fort Worth, 30 degrees warmer than Seattle is right now, which is the reverse of a week ago.

The sky is bluer than what is indicated by the picture taken from my viewing portal.

I got a strange email this morning. I'm assuming it was generated in response to a webpage I long ago made about Jesse James, titled "The Truth About Jesse James," which I made when someone in Granbury was trying to prove that Jesse James was buried there.

This is what the emailer had to say...

If you did your research, you would know that Stella James, Jesse's son's wife disproved J. Frank Dalton claim, Jesse James wore a size 6 1/2 boot J. frank Dal tons foot was a lot larger! Also a forensics expert compared Jesse's known photo to J. Frank Dalton, there a somethings that change with age and somethings that don't, example Jesse's receding hair line, the spacing between his eyes, width of his forehead compared to J. Frank Dalton did not match! Jesse's mother was not a Dalton, her 2nd husband was related to the Dalton's not Zerelda!

All I got out of the above is Zerelda is an interesting name I'd not heard before.

And now it is time to go swimming.

A Mysterious Bamboo Teepee Grows In The Heart Of The Tandy Hills & Denise The Indian Needs To Check Her Gmail

I've happened upon a strange thing.

Or two.

Over the years of hiking on the Tandy Hills.

But, today was the strangest yet.

I was rather enjoying the late afternoon hiking. Perfect temperature. Wind blowing.

I went down one of the steeper hills, crossed a creek, took the option to the right that required going under some low hanging branches.

Popped out from under the low hanging branches to a small clearing to find myself startled by the structure you see above.

A teepee framework made of bamboo.

There is no bamboo growing on the Tandy Hills that I have ever seen.

This location was about as close to the center of the Tandy Hills Natural Area as you can be. Meaning, as long a distance from a road as you could find.

Yet, someone hauled in multiple bamboo poles, with the leaves still attached. There is a pile of bamboo leaves laying on the ground around the perimeter of the teepee frame.

I'm guessing I am going to be asked exactly where this bamboo teepee frame is located.

Take the main View Street trail to the Tandy Hills. Take the first right from that trail. Continue east on that trail, down the steep hill, across the creek. When you get across the creek take the trail to the right. The bamboo teepee frame is just on the other side of the line of trees.

Is this teepee the first of many? An Indian Village in the making? A new Fort Worth Homeless People Shanty Town?

And on a totally different subject, Denise, check your Gmail. I have a question for you.

The World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup Starts March 10 In Sweetwater Texas

Next month, Thursday, March 10, to be precise, the 2011 Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup starts off with the Rattlesnake Review Parade through downtown Sweetwater and the Miss Snake Charmer Pageant.

I thought I'd already updated my webpage about The World's Largest Rattlesnake Roundup with this year's info, but I had not.

After I updated the info I went to my YouTube account to get the embed code for the video I made way back in 2002 of my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

I was a bit surprised to see there have been 343 comments about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Video. I get an email whenever there is a comment. But I usually don't bother to read them. After awhile it became a bit repetitive. With a lot of name calling. "Redneck hicks" is one very popular phrase used frequently. The F-Word is also very popular.

Below I will stick in the aforementioned video that generates the comments. Below that I'll stick in a few of the comments. You can read all 343 comments by going here...



Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Video Comments...

Oh good lord you are retarded. I sincerely hope to god that you get salmonella. You are a disgusting idiot who cannot think for himself, and that is truly pitiful. I will gladly link you to some studies made by herpetologist. Rather you consider them or accept them from me, is purely on yourself.

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Haha! You really are stupid, aren't you? The numbers haven't declined? Um, yeah. They have. How about you go look up some studies by herpetologist, rather than spew the BS that the Jaycees feed you at these events, hmm? They are taking them not only from Sweetwater, studies show that rattlesnakes are being gathered from neighboring states! Go educate yourself, you stupid hick.

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They have no numbers of predators to cull the amount of snakes, these snakes are taken from a VERY small region, the ACTUAL numbers of rattlers in texas are in the MILLIONS lol. Gotta love the childish name calling though, really solidifies you LACK of commion knowledge and sense lol.

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"No self respecting charity should take anything from this disgusting, redneck filthy act, and it will be ended. "

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When will it be ended ? Its 2011 now, been around since the 40/50s, good luck.....

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Wah wah wah, the numbers havent declined since the forties lol , no one cries when they roundup cockroaches. I wasnt preaching merely replying to all you whiners, we have homeless VETERAN soldiers here in the USA and you crying about rattlesnakes lol

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Not to mention all the meat is eaten, bought an paid for, and proceeds go to noteable charity's, all the skins are sold an used, and the venom is used for anti venom, which is used to SAVE HUMANS when accidentaly bitten. Some people i tell ya.

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i just wish something was out there to control this overly crowded human population.

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That is disgusting... let's drag them from their homes, throw(!) them onto hard concrete, step on, poke, and prod them, then behead and skin them. Oh yeah, the head stays alive for several minutes after being beheaded. This isn't about population control, it's about a witch hunt for snakes. These people are monsters. Why is the SPCA not doing something about this? And I don't even like rattlesnakes much.

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The venom taken at roundups are more than often not stored improperly and unusable. You stupid fuck how about you try and fucking educate yourself before preaching on youtube?

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Selling the snakes flesh also does not justify it. These are wild animals. Not livestock animals.

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Don't worry your little fat head about being killed by snakes, they have no interest in your fat ass. There are PLENTY of natural predators moron! Hawks, foxes, other snakes, road runners, snakes have countless predators.

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You are an idiot. There is NO way you can try and say this is proper wildlife management. This is a lot different than white tailed deer hunting. These dumb asses are taking snakes and are only counting them by weight of crate, NOT by individual animal. You idiots have NO idea how many snakes you are taking. Just because they aren't endangered does NOT mean they cannot become endangered, and it does NOT mean they are at stable numbers, you fucking idiot.

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I wonder how many kids watch this and come out thinking rattlesnakes are fun to play with? I was raised in Missouri as a kid & I was taught learn what different snakes look and stay away from them big time.