An Early Texas Saturday Waiting For The Rapture While Wondering How A City Gives A Right Arm & Other Moncrief Nonsense

I am up early this Saturday morning of May 21, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at what looks like a cauldron.

So far I have heard no news of the Rolling Rapture of 2011. No earthquakes. No reports of Christians flying skyward.

But I did learn in the Seattle P-I this morning that Rapture 2011 has sparked a lot of End of Earth parties.

When May 22 arrives on schedule tomorrow, what do all those people who spent their life savings buying all those billboards do after their erroneous beliefs are shattered?

Speaking of erroneous beliefs.

This morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram had another article about the plan to finally put a square in Sundance Square.

According to the article, "For years, downtown leaders have wanted to create a plaza, or square, to host events and gatherings."

So? What has stopped those downtown leaders from turning some of those downtown parking lots into a square for all these years?

And then, in a paragraph which has the words "Mayor Moncrief said" without making clear, with quotation marks, what he actually said, the article said this...

"That need became even more evident when ESPN set up its broadcast center during Super Bowl XLV in February on the very lots that Sundance Square wants to transform, Mayor Mike Moncrief said. Those events drew thousands of people downtown."

I added the quotation marks you see at the start and end of the above paragraph.

So, the need for a plaza became apparent after the ESPN debacle where ESPN set up a broadcast center on one of the parking lots, and then retreated when it got really cold and snow arrived. It has only been a few months since this occurred. And yet the Star-Telegram is re-writing history to suit its propaganda. The ESPN "events" only drew people to downtown Fort Worth on the Saturday before the Super Bowl. Because it was too COLD on the previous days.

In reference to the downtown Fort Worth parking lots and the dream to turn them into a real square, the Star-Telegram quoted Fort Worth's goofy mayor, again, and this time put what he said in quotation marks.

"A lot of cities would give their right arm to have what we have and will have," Moncrief said.

A lot of cities would give their right arm to have what Fort Worth has? And will have? Give up their right arm to have surface parking lots at the heart of their downtown that will become a square/plaza?

I think it'd be more accurate to say a lot of cities, with a population over 500,000, would be embarrassed that their downtown is so undeveloped that is has acres of surface parking lots at the heart of its downtown.

This downtown square propaganda is reminding me way too much of the downtown Fort Worth and Fort Worth Star-Telegram propaganda about the pathetic Santa Fe Rail Market boondoggle. Sold as the first public market in Texas, modeled after public markets in Europe and Seattle's Pike Place Market, the reality turned out to be lamer than a small town mall's food court.

This morning's article about the downtown plaza, that other cities would lose an arm to have, also said, "Fort Worth's Bass family developed Sundance Square."

How does one family develop a town's downtown? That is sort of bizarre.

Then again, in this week's Fort Worth Weekly, I read about the Bass Machine's secretive project to replace the elderly Will Rogers Coliseum. Apparently an attempt was made to get a bill passed that would have raised the tax rate on downtown Fort Worth hotels. Somehow this was to finance the construction of the new arena.

But, somehow the shady Bass Machine operation came to light and the bill was pulled. There is talk of having an actual bond election where the citizens of Fort Worth would actually be allowed to vote on this project. But so far, The Bass Machine is providing no details of their latest development.

Walking With The Ghosts Along Arlington's Humid Village Creek Wildflowers

Til today, I had had no aerobic activity of the hiking sort since Tuesday.

I could not go swimming this morning due to the pool being shocked with chemicals.

Rain fell this morning, ruling out the Tandy Hills.

By noon I could take being cooped up no longer, so I took off to the Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

The humidity was high before the rain. The humidity went super high after the rain. It was very windy whilst walking under the trees of Village Creek. The wind caused blobs of water to fall from the trees. That was a bit refreshing.

I like being outside when it is hot. I do not like being outside when it is humid.

I did not walk for long. Maybe 2 miles, tops. But, I feel better now, even though I don't think I aerobicized enough to generate any endorphin activity.

The Village Creek wildflowers, in the Village Creek Wildflower Area, were being much more colorful today than the last time I was in this area.

When I tried to take a close up picture of the bright red flower, in macro mode, I could not get a clear picture. So, I gave up and walked away, thinking something had gone wrong with my camera.

Then, as I walked away I remembered the first pictures I took of the Wildflower Area had been in zoom mode, which renders macro mode not macro-ing correctly.

So, I walked back to the Wildflower Area, got down on the ground and this time managed to take a clear picture of the bright red wildflower.

Lately I think I'm being distracted, without realizing it. I seem to be making dumb mistakes, like today's with the camera, with disturbing frequency.

The Day Before Rapture 2011 In Texas With No Pool No Hiking & No Sundance Square

In the picture you are looking at my view of the world from my prone position, still in bed, this morning of May 20, one day before Rapture 2011.

Tomorrow, according to experts in the field of end of world predictions, around 200 million select Christians will disappear, while Planet Earth is rocked by a humongous earthquake.

One horrible disaster after another will follow in the ensuing months before Planet Earth meets its final doom in a calamitous fire on October 21.

According to the Rapture 2011 spokesman, John Dekruyff, tomorrow's Rapture will be what is known as a "Rolling Rapture." Gradually moving through the time zones, with the Rapture beginning at the international date line, then moving westward, with the first major landmass to be Raptured being New Zealand.

The international date line had not been invented at the time the Bible was invented, so how did the Rapture 2011 experts make this particular determination, I can't help but wonder?

As we can clearly see on one of the hundreds of billboards dotting the American landscape, the Bible guarantees Judgment Day May 21. And suggests we "Cry Mightily unto God."

And now on to equally goofy, but totally secular news.

In this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram I learned that a park-like plaza has long been part of the Sundance Square Master Plan.

There has been a long term plan to put a plaza in the square?

I have long opined that it is very goofy to call Fort Worth's downtown "Sundance Square." When there is no square.

When I was first in Fort Worth and saw the signs pointing to Sundance Square I found it confusing. Where was the square? Eventually I decided Sundance Square was the collection of parking lots at the heart of Fort Worth's downtown.

Very few big cities are able to have big downtown parking lots, because downtown real estate is so valuable. Fort Worth is very exceptional. Those big parking lots are just one of the many reasons Fort Worth is the Envy of the Nation.

An interesting tidbit from this morning's revelation about the incoming plaza was this, "Sundance Square is considering constructing two to three buildings as part of its long-planned central plaza project in the heart of its popular downtown entertainment, residential, office and shopping district."

First off, the dullest big city downtown I have ever seen is not popular. There are very few people residing in this dull downtown. Which is why there are no grocery stores in downtown Fort Worth.

Fort Worth is the only city in America, with a population over 500,000, with not a single downtown department store.

No, Macys. No Nordstroms. No Neiman-Marcus. Not even a Sears or a Penneys. Or a Target. Not even a Wal-Mart.

Are you able to detect that it annoys me when the Star-Telegram does its usual propaganda regarding something to do with Fort Worth? When the Star-Telegram misleads the locals into thinking downtown Fort Worth is a dynamic, popular, bustling zone, it does a disservice to the locals.

What does a local think when they visit the downtown of a city which actually does have a popular downtown entertainment, residential, office and shopping district?

Why does the Fort Worth Star-Telegram not put in some effort into determining why downtown Fort Worth is the only city in America with a population over 500,000 with no downtown grocery store or department store?

And yes, I do know, now, that Sundance Square is the name given the downtown Fort Worth re-development project. I shudder to wonder what downtown Fort Worth was like before this re-development.

I really think the Fort Worth Ruling Oligarchy needs to change the Sundance Square misnomer to something else. Or actually build that plaza, rather than study the feasibility of doing so, and call that new plaza Sundance Square, and end the confusion of the out of area tourists who visit downtown Fort Worth and can't figure out where Sundance Square is.

Yes, I realize that downtown Fort Worth does not attract very many out of area tourists, but, still, it would be a good idea to not be confusing to those few who do visit Fort Worth's downtown, who find themselves wasting time looking for the mysterious, non-existent Sundance Square.

Can you tell I am cranky this morning? I can't go swimming this morning because my pool got its first chemical shock of the year, yesterday, late in the afternoon. I have had no salubrious, endorphin producing hiking activity for 2 days. Wednesday due to being stuck up in Hurst, Thursday due to a doctor visit.

I may not get in any salubrious, endorphin producing hiking activity today, due to the likelihood of incoming thunderstorms.

My crankiness is likely going to be increasing exponentially.

We Are On The Eve Of Destruction With Less Than 48 Hours To Go Til The World Ends

We are on the Eve of Destruction.

Scheduled to arrive in less than 48 hours, on Saturday, May 21.

The Apocalypse has been being proclaimed on billboards all over America, including one right by where I live.

People who ignorantly opine that the world is in horrible shape, that disaster will soon arrive, really annoy me.

I know one of those sorts who is always in Drama Queen mode about what God is supposedly doing to the world. The economy is going to ruins, horrible wars, Mother Nature rampaging.

This particular Drama Queen is totally ignorant about World War II and the Great Depression. Now, that was a time when the world was in bad shape. I remember her going into Drama Queen mode during one of the recent Israeli conflicts. She thought it was just awful. I asked if she'd heard of the Six Day War or the Yom Kippur War?

"The Yom what? she asked.

This morning I opined that I found it disturbing that American kids in the 12 years old range have never known an America that is not at war.

Then someone Anonymous made a comment regarding that subject that I found to be true...

Kids today don't know what it is to grow up in a time of war unless a parent is in the military. And that is not very many families or kids.

The baby boomers were the last generation to grow up during a time of war that they might have to participate in. Younger generations have no idea what it is like wondering if you might be drafted. Vietnam was in the back of every young guy's mind in the 1960s. Most figured they would just stay in school as long as possible, but the draft lottery changed that.

Today's kids don't give the war or the military a second thought or any thought. Neither did Gen-X or following generations. Yes I am repeating myself.

The Sixties.

Now that was a dynamic, turbulent, scary time. Assassinations. Riots. War Protests. Thousands of Young Americans Dying in the Vietnam War. Civil Rights Protests. Women's Liberation Movement. The Draft. The Cold War. Nuclear Attack Drills in School. Fallout Shelters. Inflation. Israel Attacked. The Hippie Movement. The Sexual Revolution. Environmental Disasters. Rivers on Fire. Moonwalks.

The decade of the 60's started with America led by Eisenhower and ended with his Vice-President, Richard Nixon, being President, with John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson in between.

The 60's were a time of protests. There was a lot to protest. A lot of what was being protested and being demanded to be changed has changed by 2011.

The America of 2011 is a much better place than the America of the 1960's. In the 1960's Martin Luther King had a dream. In 2011 America's President is Barack Obama. In the 60's women wanted to be liberated. In 2011, they are. In the 1960's America feared nuclear Armageddon caused by its fellow superpower, the Soviet Union. In 2011 America is the sole superpower, the Soviet Union is no longer communist. Russia is a democracy. With free speech. And billionaires.

In the 1960's had someone suggested that by the year 2011, the Soviet Union would be no more, would be a democracy, that America would build an International Space Station with the Russians, that Americans would return from space in Russian Soyuz's, that the Warsaw Pact would be no more, with members of the Eastern Bloc now members of NATO, with America basing military operations in former Soviet Republics, with the full cooperation of Russia, that America would win the Cold War, with actually, both sides victorious, without a nuclear war, well, I don't think in the 1960's anyone could have imagined a scenario where we'd be where we are at in the year 2011.

But it all came to pass. And yet I hear ignorant people verbalizing their opinion that we live in dire times.

This really annoys me.

The 60's were a time of protest songs. Like I already said, there was a lot to protest. For me, the best of the protest songs was "Eve of Destruction." This protest song was written by P.F. Sloan in 1965 and made into a hit that same year by Barry McGuire.

Read the lyrics to this famous song and you will see how much the world has changed for the better...

The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin', bullets loadin'
You're old enough to kill, but not for votin'
You don't believe in war, but what's that gun you're totin'
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin.'

But you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Don't you understand what I'm tryin' to say
Can't you feel the fears I'm feelin' today?
If the button is pushed, there's no runnin' away
There'll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy]

And you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Yeah, my blood's so mad feels like coagulatin'
I'm sitting here just contemplatin'
I can't twist  the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don't pass legislation
And marches alone can't bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin'
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin.'

And you tell me over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don't believe we're on the eve of destruction.

Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it's the same old place
The poundin' of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don't leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don't forget to say grace.

And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don't believe we're on the eve Of destruction
Mmm, no no, you don't believe We're on the eve of destruction.

Eastern World, it is exploding? Not in 2011. That area that was so explosive in the 60's, has turned into peaceful economic powerhouses, for the most part, by 2011.

All the hate there is in Red China? This was written before Richard Nixon went to China and changed the world, written back when the Chinese all wore Mao jackets, when violent purges like the Cultural Revolution took place. No one in the 1960s could have guessed that by 2011 China would be a HUGE trading partner with America, with China having the world's second biggest economy, along with hundreds of McDonalds.

Old enough to kill, but not for votin'? That changed by the end of the 60's, or was it the early 70's?, courtesy of a president, last name of Nixon.

Selma, Alabama? I think that town has had a black mayor by the year 2011.

Marches alone can not bring integration? Well, by 2011, something sure did.

So, 46 years after "Eve of Destruction" was a hit song, I still don't think we are on the Eve of Destruction. Unlike some ignorant Drama Queens it is my misfortune to know.

Below is a YouTube video of "Eve of Destruction"...........

A Stormy 19th Day Of May In Texas Worrying About Rick Perry Becoming President

May 19 appeared to me to be starting off portending stormy weather, when I stepped outside to retrieve my swimming suit.

When I woke up my computer the stormy assessment was confirmed with the prediction a strong thunderstorm for later today.

This morning I read that speculation that a potential presidential run by Texas Governor Rick Perry may pick up steam after Rush Limbaugh, on his Wednesday radio show, gave Perry a plug, including among Perry's assets that, "He has great hair."

I really don't think America has had enough rest from the last president Texas provided America. Every time Texas gives the country a president America ends up in a war. With Lyndon Baines Johnson it was the Vietnam War. With the first President Bush it was the first Iraq War. With the second President Bush it was another Iraq War, plus a war in Afghanistan.

I really think it's time to give peace a chance. American kids in the 12 years old range have never known an America that is not at war. That can't be good to have an entire generation growing up who think perpetual war is the natural state of affairs.

Switching from war to drought.

North Texas has been in drought mode for awhile now. Meanwhile, up in the Pacific Northwest, they have been in anti-drought mode for awhile now.

So much rain has been falling on the Pacific Northwest that all the rivers are running high, which has hydroelectric generation running high, which has the Pacific Northwest getting most of its electric power from the dammed rivers.

Which led, yesterday, to the Pacific Northwest's wind farms being turned off or scaled back.

Which had me wondering, why can't the wind farms keep spinning? With the Bonneville Power Administration selling the excess electricity to elsewhere on the grid?

I really have no understanding of how the power grid works. I am grateful that it has been 6 days since my power in Texas has gone out.

It is time to go swimming now and worry about the troublesome concept of Rick Perry becoming president.

Being Stuck In A Traffic Jam Trying To Head North On Loop 820 Aggravated Me

I headed north out of here, on Loop 820, a half hour before noon, heading to Hurst.

Of late 820 has been being re-paved. This results in HUGE traffic jams. Up til today I could tell, before getting on the freeway, if the north or southbound lanes were being jammed.

This morning it looked like 820 northbound was good to go. I got on the freeway, got past the Randol Mill overpass and then saw the traffic in jam mode ahead of me.

Slowed to a crawl. Down to one lane just past Trinity Boulevard.

It is a universal woe wherever I've been in a traffic jam. Here, Southern California, Washington. It seems if people would just use a little common sense. Leave a space so the lanes can easily merge, then bad traffic jams would not develop.

In the case of re-paving 820, why are they not doing this at night? Or better yet, just close the section of freeway being worked on, with plenty of warning signs telling drivers to take an alternative route.

One of things I like about driving in the D/FW Metroplex is if one route gets jammed, it is usually very easy to find an alternative route.

Traffic jams in Washington, particularly in Seattle, are a much bigger pain than traffic jams in the D/FW Metroplex. In Seattle it is not as easy to take alternative routes. Unlike here, there are not broad, freeway-like boulevards that you can easily use if I-5 stops moving. There are no 3 lane frontage roads on both sides of the freeway.

Anyway, today was the first time in a long time I found myself in a freeway traffic jam. The plus side of this was I saw all sorts of billboards I don't usually notice. I now know where to get my next lapband surgery, how to get high school slim, that the food bank is giving school kids breakfast, that McDonald's has a new coffee concoction and I forget what else.

I don't know if I am in the mood to go do some tardy Tandy hill hiking or not. If I don't the endorphin deficit is going to wreak havoc with my good mood.

$7 Million May Reopen Fort Worth's Blighted Heritage Park In Coming Years

In the picture you are standing on an overlook in Fort Worth's closed Heritage Park, looking at the confluence of the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity River.

I think this is where, in a decade or two, you may be looking at the Kay Granger Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Puddle.

When I first checked out downtown Fort Worth, two things, only two, impressed me. One was the Water Gardens at the south end of downtown. The other was Heritage Park at the north end of downtown.

With Heritage Park, to me, being the more impressive of the two things that impressed me.

I was very unimpressed, one day in 2007, when I pedaled my bike up to Heritage Park from the Trinity Trail to discover it was closed, surrounded by tacky chain link fence. The curvy brick trail that leads from the Trinity Trail to Heritage Park had also fallen on hard times.

I was appalled. I webpaged my appallation. If appallation is a word. If not, it should be.

I thought to myself, what sort of self-respecting town would let such a thing, within a stone's throw of the county court house, be boarded up and neglected like this?

Outside the Heritage Park chained link fence barricade there is a three-sided sign, singing the praises of Fort Worth's heritage, and the park that celebrates that heritage.

One side of the three-sided sign says......

The Vision Endures
   The people of Fort Worth look to the future with a vision shared by their first settlers. From a diversity of backgrounds, we stand together today with a spirit and determination that ensure a unique quality of life.
   While purposeful growth continues on gently rolling plains, Fort Worth retains her rich heritage with inner city redevelopment and historic preservation. Businesses and industries stand strong against economic adversity while ample water resources and great open spaces of river banks, bluffs, lakes and parks make this city an ideal place to live and grow, just as Major Arnold envisioned on that day in 1849,
   As Fort Worth began, so it continues. The enduring sprit that built the city keeps it growing, develops and preserves its green spaces, revels in its culture. Drama, dance, music, art, sports, parks---all the noble leisure pursuits of humankind---flourish alongside a stable education and business environment.
   The vision is Fort Worth. The spirit is her people.

Oh. The PAINFUL IRONY.

In this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram we learn that "Fences that for years have blocked visitors from downtown's Heritage Park Plaza -- a landmark and site of where the city first began as a military outpost -- could come down in coming years."

We also learn that city officials learned on Tuesday that work to restore the park is expected to ramp up this summer when a study paid for by the Amon G. Carter Foundation gets underway.

Fort Worth's Mayor, Mike Moncrief chimed in with, "This is a major gateway to our city from North Main. I'm heartened by the fact we are continuing to explore options to be able to reopen this venue for those who live here and those who visit. As the Trinity River Vision unfolds, this will be a perfect spot to make memories with the growth of this city."

And then the Star-Telegram's Anna M. Tinsley, wrote, "After this summer's work, if studies show the plaza is safe to reopen, there is still much to be done to open the parkland on even a temporary basis -- such as filling water basins and runnels, creating new entry gates, developing lighting and safety railings, and more."

And...

"But many say these studies are the first step in reviving the area where the original military outpost was built, spawning the creation and naming of Fort Worth. The 112-acre park along the south side of Fort Worth's Trinity River bluffs has served as an urban oasis for decades."

Many say? Many say these studies are a first step? Who are the many? And upon what do they base the idea that studies are a first step?

Now, I am switching into spewing my opinion mode. First off, let's start with the real reason Heritage Park was closed. 4 people drowned in a dangerous pool in the Fort Worth Water Gardens. Fort Worth was sued and paid out a big chunk of money.

Heritage Park also had water features. Much more benign water features than the Water Gardens. But, powers that be, in their infinite wisdom, decided to turn off the Heritage Park water, thus ruining one of the features that made it such a cool attraction.

There are some elevated locations in Heritage Park, catwalks and overlooks high above the ground. Oh no. What if someone fell? We'd be sued again. We must close the park.

Oh oh. We need a reason why we closed the park. We'll just claim there are structural issues and the water pumps wore out. And other safety issues. Like concerns that bad guys my lurk in some dark corner of the park and hurt someone.

But that has never happened in Fort Worth's Heritage Park. However, a murder did take place in Seattle's very similar Freeway Park. Did Seattle close down Freeway Park and surround it with chain link fence? No. Security features like panic buttons and an increased police presence were added.

Fort Worth's Heritage Park is adjacent to a big police operation. How hard would it have been to regularly have a cop walking through that park?

How hard is it to add lighting?

How hard is it to add panic buttons?

And security cameras?

A price tag of around $7 million is being tossed around as the cost to get Heritage Park back.

I think that's nuts. I don't think there is anything structurally wrong with the concrete structures in the park. It is easy to get past the chain link fence and explore around. It looks unkempt and overgrown, but not like it is in a crumbled state of danger of falling.

When I was last in Heritage Park the pump room that powered the water features was lit up. Why?

Pumps need to be replaced every once in awhile. This should be no big deal and no big cost.

In Washington, on Whidbey Island, there is an old fort, now a state park, called Fort Casey. The fort was made of concrete, back in, I think, 1898, or thereabouts. You are allowed to climb all over Fort Casey. There are spots that actually could be dangerous, if one were not careful.

The idea that someone would claim that the relatively new concrete structures of Heritage Park are in fail mode after a few decades seems ridiculous to me.

In my opinion the chain link fences should come down, Heritage Park should be cleaned up and re-opened. Now. Then start to work on getting the water features back running. And make other improvements.

It is not worthy of a city that is the Envy of the Nation, to have such an outstanding eyesore blighting up a prime piece of its downtown real estate.

It is shameful.

Up Early May 18 In Texas Thinking About Mt. St. Helens Erupting 31 Years Ago Today

Looking out my viewing portal on the world, this May 18 of 2011, no matter which direction I look I can see no volcano.

Or mountain.

31 years ago this morning I was soaking my aching back in a hot tub when suddenly I heard a series of loud concussive booms.

I did not know what was causing the booming. A few minutes later my special needs neighbor waddled over to tell us that Mt. St. Helens had erupted.

I was about 150 miles north of the volcano when it blew up. My mom and dad were over at Ocean Shores, on the Pacific Ocean, digging for razor clams, with thousands of other razor clam diggers, when the mountain blew. Their location during the eruption was much closer to the volcano than mine. All I remember of my mom and dad's experience was the clam diggers were asked to evacuate the beach.

The days and weeks following the eruption were exciting times to be living in the Pacific Northwest. The first eruption blasted a cloud of ash eastward, covering much of Eastern Washington with a foot or so of ash. We were advised to get ash masks in case an eruption blew ash northward. I got an ash mask, but never really needed it. Only one time did a followup eruption blow a very small amount of ash into the Skagit Valley.

It just does not seem possible that it is over 3 decades ago that Mt. St. Helens blew her top. This was before CNN and all the other cable news. The local NBC, CBS and ABC affiliates went live soon after the explosion. There was no FOX then. When the first video of rampaging rivers and the exploding mountain came on the screen it was very shocking. I have no idea if the rest of the country was watching this, live, like they would be if it happened today.

If a Washington volcano erupted today it would quickly be the top trending Twitter topic. All the cable news stations would cover it live. Lots of amateur video would quickly appear.

I think I will go swimming now, totally safe, this morning, from the possibility of hearing the booms of an exploding volcano, while soaking in water, unlike 31 years ago.

No volcanoes to explode in Texas.

But, we do have an awful lot of potential mini-volcanoes in the form of Barnett Shale Natural Gas Wells.

Inner Tubing With The Alligator Gar In The Trinity River Is Perfectly Safe

This afternoon CatsPaw sent me a link to a Blotch entry in FW Weekly, by Jeff Prince, that she thought I might find interesting.

The Blotch entry is titled "200-Pound Gar Caught On Rod And Reel In Trinity,"

In the Blotch Jeff Prince writes about his childhood memories of encounters with Alligator Gar.

And mentions that Joseph Williams of Cleveland, Texas set a new rod and reel record for fishing in the Trinity River by catching the 7 foot 9 inch prehistoric monster you see in the picture, somewhere near Athens, Texas.

Williams' scale only weighed in 50 pound increments, weighing the Gar at 200 pounds. Williams says the fish really weighed 230.

That is big. Really big. I've never weighed 230. And currently I don't even weigh 200.

I'd be no match for an Alligator Gar in the Trinity River.

When summer comes and J.D. Granger starts having his Happy Hour Inner Tube Parties in the Trinity River, are rod and reel going to be supplied to fish for Alligator Gar?

I have only seen an Alligator Gar once in the wild, that is if you consider Village Creek in Arlington to be wild. The Gar I saw was between 2 and 3 feet.

My swimming in Texas lakes ended after I was up at Lake Grapevine, talking to a pair of girls, laying on the dock at the end of my Horseshoe Trails bike ride.

The girls told me that a friend of theirs had stepped on a Gar, right near the dock. The teeth cut up his feet badly. He had to go to a hospital.

I have never been in a Texas lake again.

Maybe a TRVB study found that Alligator Gar are deathly afraid of inner tubes and that is why the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle promotes inner tubing in the Trinity River as a safe and sane activity.

Yeah, I'm sure that is it.

Encountering A White Pickup Truck Today On The Tandy Hills

Does anyone remember my encounters with Express Energy Services white pickup trucks?

I think those encounters left me with a mild case of post traumatic stress disorder.

Today as I neared the end of my salubrious Tandy Hills hiking, near the top of Mount Tandy, suddenly a white pickup truck was coming towards me.

When the driver saw me he swerved off the trail so as to avoid hitting me, unlike the Express Energy Services white pickup trucks which picked up speed as they aimed directly at me.

As today's white pickup truck passed me I saw it was a Fort Worth Water Department truck. The driver politely howdied me and asked how I was doing.

The encounter did set my nerves on edge. The truck seemed to appear out of nowhere, which is what startled my delicate nervous system.

As I walked on I turned around to see the truck head down the steep part of the descent from Mount Tandy. Then it stopped. Then backed up. The truck sounded as if it was struggling to back up.

So, I walked back to take a picture of my latest encounter with a white pickup truck, which is what you are looking at in the picture at the top. That and the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Slightly warmer on the hills today. Slightly warmer for swimming this morning. But, I heard on the radio that more cold temperatures are on the way, but I think the radio may have been wrong, because I see my computer's weather forecast is for 92 and possible T-Storms for tomorrow.