Hiking The Mostly Dried Out Tandy Hills Today With Betty Jo Bouvier While Crossing Washed Out Bridges

It's been awhile since I talked to Betty Jo Bouvier. I can't remember the last time she went hiking with me in a natural area. Likely somewhere in the North Cascades.

I called Betty Jo on my way to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area, hoping Betty Jo might help restore my sanity, in case the Sanatorium Area failed me in that regard.

Betty Jo and I talked about all sorts of things, including the idea of going to Hawaii to see Honey Lulu, but never once discussed the weather, which, incidentally, here in my zone of Texas, is back being in the 70s. So, my windows are open.

When I got off the phone with Betty Jo I began my descent down Mount Tandy. When I got to the Tandy Highway I was not too shocked to see that the first temporary bridge across Sewer Spill Creek had washed away.

The Fort Worth water guys had not bothered to put a culvert pipe under their Sewer Spill Creek bridge.

However, the FW water guys did put a culvert pipe under the bridge they built over the creek that crosses Tandy Highway, further south, that is more prone to having water run through it.

But, the pipe is about 10 inches in diameter. It did not take a hydraulic engineer to know that that little pipe was worthless the first time it got hit with a lot of rain. That deluge occurred on Monday, washing out both temporary bridges and moving the culvert pipe of the bridge that had culvert pipe, about 10 feet downstream.

Are the FW water guys finished with their repair project? Or are more scarce city funds going to be used to once more construct these high tech bridges?

I think I will go swimming again and worry about washed out bridges while I work on my suntan.

Up Early The 4th Day Of May Mostly Thinking About Chesapeake Energy's Dirty Dealings In The Barnett Shale

Taking a real close look through the bars of my patio prison cell, this 4th morning of May, at the steaming hot tub.

I usually don't get in the steaming hot tub.

But, yesterday I spent too much time in its nearby cousin and got way too cold. I should have warmed myself up in the hot tub after getting out of the ice tub.

Change of subject from getting cold to locals getting hot over Chesapeake Energy disingenuousness.

This morning the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in an article titled "Chesapeake Energy to make fixes on wells after Arlington gas leak" finally got around to mentioning a Chesapeake Energy gas pad incident that occurred in Arlington in early April.

Last week I opined that the fact of the lack of this incident being reported was a scandal, among other scandals. I'd first heard of the incident from Kim Feil, who verbalized her frustration and the frustration of those who had been affected by the incident, because they could get no answers as to what had been hissed into the air they breathe.

It the Star-Telegram article most of it is devoted to the Chesapeake spin. However, towards the end of the article it is acknowledged that those who were affected by the "incident" aren't buying Chesapeake's fox in the henhouse explanation about what killed the chickens.

And, in the section of the article that does acknowledge that there are those who do not believe Chesapeake, there is one line that stands alone, saying...

The report does contradict what Chesapeake previously reported to the council.

So, what did Chesapeake originally tell the council? Chesapeake's employee, Tony Rutigliano told the Arlington city council that "the safety devices worked as expected and no one was in danger." And that the released gas dissipated quickly.

What Chesapeake originally claimed is rendered very ironic by the first paragraph in this morning's Star-Telegram article about the "incident".......

ARLINGTON -- Chesapeake Energy will make safety improvements to its 1,800 natural gas wells across the Barnett Shale after equipment failures at a southeast Arlington site released a small amount of gas during a power outage last month, officials said Tuesday.

Having A Bad Day Of Senility Signs & Train Blocks On The 3rd Day Of May In Texas

The picture is a perfect metaphor for how I'm feeling.

Blocked.

I had myself a rough night of rough nightmares and that had me waking up feeling beat up.

I thought swimming in really cold water would break me out of it, like shock therapy. This did not work. But it made me very cold.

My brain is just not working right today.

Well before noon I took off from here, heading to Pantego. I had multiple reasons to be going to Pantego.

The way to Pantego goes by Village Creek Natural Historic Area. I thought maybe a short walk was what I needed to get the synapses in my failing brain firing right again.

I was wrong. The walk provide no noticeable benefit.

I'm so badly malfunctioning I could not even manage to take a decent picture of the Village Creek Natural Wildflower area and the sign that tells you that that is what the sparse patch of wildflowers is.

Eventually this morning, at one point, I ended up in an ALDI Food Market. When I checked out my brain was still checked out, which caused me to use the wrong debit card. This was no big deal, but did require changing what I'd planned to do during the bank visit that was also part of this morning's adventure in minor senility.

When I left ALDI is when I came to the train blocking my way. I've heard more than once that Arlington is the only major city in America that allows itself to be cut in two by a train several times a day. There are only a couple ways to get past the track in Arlington.

That seems really odd to me. The little town I used to live in, Mount Vernon, has a train track running through it. There are several ways to get over the tracks. But, I do remember getting stuck waiting for a train a time or two on College Way, which was the main route I'd take back to my house.

It seems like a big waste of gas to have so many vehicles stopped and waiting for a train several times a day. A lot of money was spent fixing up the I-30 freeway in Arlington, with new bridges and new freeway that really does not seem to be all that big of an improvement.

Eventually the double-decker train came to an end and I was able to continue on my way.

Right now it is half past 3 in the afternoon and I feel so beat up I'm ready to go to bed. But, I don't see that happening for a few hours. In the meantime maybe I'll go try some more cold water pool therapy and do some sun lounging now that it is almost 70 degrees out there.

The Return Of Blue Sky And Near Freezing Temperatures With No Texas Tulips

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell you can see that the morning of the third day of May has dawned cleared of clouds, allowing the return of a bright blue sky.

With a temperature only 8 degrees above freezing, heading to a supposed high of 70.

It will take a few days to dry out my favorite hiking zone after yesterday's deluge.

I think the high yesterday was only 51. The 24 hour average does not quite meet my 50 degree requirement upon which I base if swimming is doable. But, I think I'll give it a try.

We've been in a bit of a drought in these parched parts, which is likely, I think, the main reason this spring's Texas wildflowers have been a bit muted.

Speaking of flowers. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival just wrapped up. Last weekend Carlotta Camano headed north to the Skagit Valley to tour the tulip fields.

I've not done this in well over 10 years.

Around a million visitors come to the valley during the Tulip Festival. It is a big sprawled out deal. Over the years methods have been found to manage the massive traffic flow.

I think I may have seen a tulip in the ground in Texas, but I'm drawing a blank as to when or where.

What I do know, for sure, is looking at Carlotta Camano's pictures of the Skagit tulips, this morning, made me a bit homesick.

Under An Umbrella In A Downpour At Fosdic Lake Pondering Rush Limbaugh Heaping Praise On President Obama

You are with me under an umbrella, in a downpour, looking at Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park, today around noon.

I rather enjoyed walking in the rain under an umbrella. I've not done that all that often in Texas.  Lightning striking made me a little nervous, but the rumbling thunder was slightly in the distance, so I felt slightly safe.

I have been having myself a wet day today. This morning I said I did not think I'd go swimming. And then the rain went into downpour mode, making it suddenly seem fun to go out in it in my swimming suit to go swimming in the rain.

The pool water was quite a bit warmer than the incoming rain and the temperature of the air. Was very pleasant. Except usually I do not get wet from the neck up. That was not possible today.

When the thunder started booming, as I was walking, and the rain started pouring real hard, I thought taking some video might be interesting. I just uploaded a YouTube video of today's walk in the rain.

But, before I get to that, one very strange thing happened today. I turn on my radio to WBAP/96.7, at a bit past 11, to listen to the opening of the Rush Limbaugh show. This is part of my aerobic routine, because usually I find him annoying, which raises my blood pressure. I think.

I was curious how Rush was going to spin the killing of Bin Laden and somehow make Obama a bad guy.

Well, first off, Rush had the same problem I just had. When I typed Obama, it came out Osama. Over and over again Rush made that mistake and then corrected himself, eventually saying he needed to refer to the guy as Bin Laden and end the problem. And then a few seconds later, made the mistake again.

Here's a blurb from today's Limbaugh email newsletter...

"We need to sincerely congratulate President Obama.  He has done something extremely effective -- and when he does, it needs to be pointed out.  He has continued the Bush policies of keeping a military presence in the Middle East.  He did not scrub the mission to get Osama Bin Laden."  -Rush

The above is a mild version of how effusive Rush was in his praising of Obama. I kept waiting for the sarcastic twist, that never came. Yes, Rush did get in some digs about how many times Obama used the words "I" and "me" in his message from the White House last night.

My reaction to the Osama news was odd. I think because it's been such a long time he's been the world's most wanted man. The news seemed somehow anti-climatic. I'd long gotten over the shock of 9/11. So much has happened since then. A lot of it not good. And now Bin Laden is finally dead.

I'm thinking what happened last night is just the start of a new chapter that may take us to some disturbing new places we don't really want to go.

And now my disturbing video of walking in the rain with lightning strikes...

The 2nd Day Of May Thinking About Killing Osama Bin Laden & Not Going Swimming Because Of Rain, Record Cold & Lightning

Well. This morning I finally checked the news to see a headline I've been expecting to see for almost a decade.

Osama bin Laden is dead.

I think I would have preferred captured, tried and sentenced to some miserable forced labor. But I can see there is some efficiency and expediency in shooting him in the head and dumping his body in the ocean.

Switching the subject from Truth, Justice and the American Way, we are heading to a predicted record low of 43 degrees today on this second day of May.

You can not really tell it from the view from my primary outlook on the world, but it is raining hard right now. And only 45 degrees. I'm thinking this may be a day when I decide not to go swimming in the morning.

This is being a stereotypical Western Washington winter day today here in North Texas. So far.

45 degrees, thunderstorm, with the wind chill making it feel like it is 33. Yes, this does not sound like ideal swimming conditions this morning.

I Moved From The #2 Least Risky For Natural Disasters Area To The #1 Most Risky Area Of Dallas Texas Along With Lightning Exploding Natural Gas Operations In Wise County

Miss Puerto Rico is frequently quite concerned about the volcanic action and earthquakes in my old home zone of Washington state. When tsunamis were incoming from Japan she did not understand why I was not extremely worried about the welfare of my relatives. Miss Puerto Rico has never been to the West Coast, or Washington, so it is hard for her to understand that an incoming tsunami from Japan is not all that big a threat. Or that an exploding volcano does not spell doom for all.

During my years in Texas, which is now over a decade, I have had more extreme experiences with Mother Nature Natural Disaster events than all my years in Washington.

Yes, I did hear Mt. St. Helens explode. Yes a little ash reached the valley I lived in, during one of the subsequent eruptions. Yes, I have been shaken by a few earthquakes, one of which cracked the tile floor in the kitchen of my brand new house in Mount Vernon, a place from which I could see the Mount Baker volcano from my living room windows.

So, I was a little surprised, when reading and looking at maps and charts, in an article in the New York Times, titled "Where to Live to Avoid a Natural Disaster" to learn that I moved from the Metro Area with the #2 lowest risk, the Mt. Vernon-Anacortes, Wash. Metro Area, to the area with the highest risk, at #1, the Dallas-Plano-Irving, Tex. Metro Area.

Fort Worth was not mentioned in the way this Metro Area is described, which is a frequent oversight, with most of America thinking this area is Dallas-centric, but, nonetheless, Fort Worth is in the same Metro Area as Dallas.

On the above map you can see the risky areas with the red dots and the less risky with green dots.

Below you can see a list of the 8 Metro Areas with the lowest risk and the 8 with the highest.

Except for Grand Junction, Colorado, all the lowest risk areas are in the Pacific Northwest, with 5 of the least risky being in Washington, the aforementioned Mt. Vernon-Anacortes at #2, plus Bellingham, Wenatchee, Spokane and Seattle.

Meanwhile the state I currently reside in, Texas, in the riskiest Metro Area in the nation, the D/FW Metroplex, also has 5 Metro Areas listed. But unlike the 5 in Washington, the 5 in Texas are the Highest Risk Metro Areas, including the aforementioned area I am currently dangerously living in, plus Corpus Christi, Houston, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Austin.

What was I thinking? Moving from the #2 Metro Area with the lowest risk, despite having a volcano in the neighborhood, to the #1 highest risk Metro Area in America?

I must make plans to move back to relative safety at once.

One must factor in to the danger quotient, the fact that in addition to the dangers posed, in Texas, by Mother Nature, we also have thousands of natural gas wells and operations presenting a risk.

Like a Barnett Shale natural gas operation in Wise County which was struck by lightning, going into explosion mode, during our most recent storm.

Now, since lightning is a Mother Nature franchise, do we blame this explosion on her and call it a Natural Disaster? Or is this a manmade disaster?

I really need to do some assessing about the wisdom of continuing to reside in such a disaster prone zone.

The First Day Of May Has Brought A Big Chill To North Texas Which Had Me Shivering At Fosdic Lake

The weather forecasters got it right for today. It is in the almost 4 in the afternoon time frame and currently only 48 degrees.

When I went swimming this morning the water was way warmer than the air. It is not a heated pool.

Hours later, when I returned to the outside to drive to Oakland Lake Park, to walk around Fosdic Lake, when I opened the exit door from my abode I could tell I needed to be wearing more than a short sleeved t-shirt. So, I returned to my closet and added a long sleeved t-shirt.

I was not long walking around Fosdic Lake when it was clear to me I had no business being in shorts.

Yesterday we got into the high 80s here. I got real HOT, yesterday, hiking the Tandy Hills. Today it reminded me of what it is like to fly to Seattle, from here, in July. To go from 100 degrees to 50, such as was the case when I flew to Seattle on July 20 of 2008. After I landed at Sea-Tac and stepped outside for the first time, the shivering started. It lasted a month.

That is what it was like today. I did not take a very long walk. And the shivering did not last a month.

In the picture, at the top, of Fosdic Lake, you might think the lake had flooded around one of the Keep Fort Worth Beautiful litter barrels that aren't beautiful.

But, Fosdic Lake was not flooding today. Some vandal had decided one of the Keep Fort Worth Beautiful litter barrels needed to be disposed of in the lake. Or maybe a thoughtful citizen thought he or she was helping clean up the park by sending one of the litter barrels on its way to the Trinity River.

This morning Betty Jo Bouvier sent me a link to a real interesting BBC YouTube video that went well with feeling cold and also made me feel claustrophobic.

I'm feeling sad about Betty Jo Bouvier and Honey Lulu, because they are feeling sad.

Honey Lulu's mom died on Friday. Betty Jo lost both her mom and dad in the past 2 years.

Betty Jo and Honey have been extremely good friends for decades. Me, I sort of lost contact, and then re-contacted. Betty Jo and Honey Lulu have long been among my most favorite people I've ever known. I always liked both of them. A lot. My attachment to that pair goes all the way back to high school, when, apparently, among other things, Betty Jo, Honey and myself used to go swimming with very little clothing on out at Bay View in Padilla Bay in the stunningly beautiful Skagit Valley.

Neither I or Honey remembers this clearly, so I choose to remember it as skinny dipping episodes. Betty Jo objects to what she claims are my falsely recovered memories.

I am looking forward to my next trip to Washington. I've got so many people to see who I've not seen in awhile. And some I don't care to see who I have seen in awhile.

A Rainy May Day In North Texas Thinking About Spaghetti, Shrimp, Superman & Being A Communist

The first Sunday of May is also the first day of May, also known as May Day, a major holiday for me back when I used to be a communist.

Speaking of politics. Yesterday I was shocked to learn that Superman is threatening to speak to the United Nations Assembly to inform the world that he is renouncing his American citizen ship due to issues with the current American president.

What in the world did Mr. Obama due to so greatly annoy Superman?

Switching the subject abruptly from Superman, last night, around 4 in the morning I started seeing flashes of light and the distant sound of thunder. The storm remained distant.

Today is supposed to be stormy, with rain throughout the day, with possible t-storms and the temperature dropping to a low of 43 tonight, with the next couple days being rather cold, as in the high for Monday is scheduled to be 51, with the low only 9 degrees above freezing.

Currently it appears I will be swimming in the rain if I decide to get in the pool this morning, which I likely will.

I do not foresee any Tandy Hills hiking in my future for the first day of May.

I do foresee a lunch of spaghetti and shrimp. With a mango.

There Was No Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Showing On The Hills Today

There was no Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man showing on the Tandy Hills today at noon.

We may currently be at our maximum level of green for the year, here in North Texas.

As you can see in today's view of a Tandy Hills trail, looking southeast, it is green. And not too colorful. The wildflowers have been a bit muted this year.

Miss Puerto Rico just called. She can't figure out how to renew her Texas driver's license online. I said I'd help. But I am not in much of a helping mood.

The Tandy Hills hiking was a bit hot today. By the end I was quite wet from sweat. Or humidity. Or both. When I lived in Washington I was never a fan of summer heat and getting hot. Something changed after moving to Texas. Now I like getting hot in the natural sauna steam bath.

I think I will go swimming and then over to Miss Puerto Rico's.