Up Early The 10th Day Of June Thinking About Dallas Winning The NBA Championship

Looking out my bedroom window this morning, with a third of June already gone, I am feeling relieved that a new day has dawned with me free of any rash type event affecting my delicate epidermal zone due to having attended last night's Rockin' the River event.

I saw no mention made of the Trinity River floaters in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

I did see a very big headline that told me that the Dallas Mavericks are possibly about to win their first NBA championship.

Professional basketball is the only professional sport that I've ever had any tolerance for watching. There was a period of time when I would go to the Seattle Coliseum to watch the Seattle Supersonics play basketball, including going to many playoff games.

And then one year the Seattle Supersonics won the NBA championship. After so many years of being in the playoffs and not making it to the end, finally doing so seemed so anti-climatic. After the Sonics won the championship I sort of lost interest. I never attended a game in the expanded Coliseum, renamed Key Arena.

I did not pay much attention to Seattle's professional sports teams for a long time, not until one year, in the 1990s, when the Seattle Mariners had most everyone in the Pacific Northwest watching baseball. You could not escape it. I attended one of those games, that year, when the Mariners were making a run for the World Series.

The game was in the now long gone Kingdome. I was in the McDonald's luxury suite. This was to be the one and only time I have actually enjoyed watching a baseball game.

Unfortunately, I will not be in the McDonald's luxury suite in the American Airlines Arena watching the Dallas Mavericks win the NBA championship. I likely will not be watching this on TV either.

But, I am going swimming right now.

Rockin' The River Looked Like A Lot Of Fun Except For That Unfortunate River

Well.

I am back from Rockin' the River.

I took a lot of pictures and video.

I have no idea why the Trinity River looks so nice and blue in the picture. In person it looked green.

I'll do a more long winded blogging about Rockin' the River after I make a YouTube video of it.

Short version impression of what I saw tonight. If this Rockin' the River event took place in a crystal clear, pollution-free water environment I would have wanted to jump on a tube and play in the river. It looked fun. The music was real good. Very funny country music courtesy of 95.9, the Ranch, til the live music started around 6.

I also have this to say, til I say more later, and that is that Rockin' the River had the highest percentage of skinny good-lookers I have ever seen at any event in Texas. I felt like I was back in Washington.

Except for the murky water.

Giant Wildflower Found On The Tandy Hills With The Queen Of Wink Found Safe Via New Orleans While Traffic Stops On I-30

I am fairly certain this thing I found blowing in the wind on the Tandy Hills today is not some sort of giant mutant wildflower.

It is currently 94. It was one degree below 90 when I hiked the hills today. Very humid. And windy.

The attempts to find the missing Queen of Wink amped up this morning, with the search reaching as far as New Orleans.

By around 2 this afternoon the New Orleans connection bore fruit with the Queen of Wink letting me know she has not been the victim of a crazed serial killer.

The Queen of Wink says her phone did not log my call, or she would have called me back. But, I left a voice mail message. And then we still have the mystery of what caused the Queen of Wink to disappear from Facebook.

I would suspect that someone has hacked the Queen of Wink's Internet accounts, except for the fact that the writing style is totally in the Queen of Wink style. And, as we recently learned from CatsPaw/CowsHoof, writing style is as strong an identifier as fingerprints.

As I drove to the Tandy Hills I saw the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 were in total traffic jam mode. This had drivers trying to get off the freeway, to the frontage road, driving over grass and into the waiting embrace of a multitude of Fort Worth cops.

I do not know why, when there is a traffic jam like this, those ubiquitous electronic freeway signs that usually say "click it or ticket it's the law" are not spewing a message like "I-30 westbound lanes closed ahead, seek alternative route."

Because there are plenty of ways to get around this and easily continue west. The traffic was jammed almost all the way back to the 820/30 mixmaster. A warning sign could have easily directed traffic on to 820, then 121 to continue west.

Coming out of Town Talk today and heading east on Randol Mill Road I was appalled to see about a mile of vehicles backed up, waiting to turn on to Beach Street. These would have been drivers who scurried off the freeway at Oakland Avenue, where I saw the cops in full ticket mode, trying to continue west via the next road that does so to the north, no knowing how backed up that road can get.

So, I guess when I head to downtown Fort Worth around 5, to do me some Trinity River Happy Hour Inner Tubing, I will take 121 to downtown, not 30.

Are there restroom facilities on shore for the Rockin' the River event, I can't help but wonder? With 600 people floating while drinking a lot of beer, well, you get the picture.

I can now see where this Happy Hour Inner Tube floating is going to be adding some fresh pollution to the already polluted river.

Come Join Me Today Rockin' The River Live On The Trinity With Lifeguards & No Guns

It seems like I've been waiting forever for this day to arrive. That day being the first Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Happy Hour Inner Tube Float of the year.

Now with music. Starting at 6pm today loud music is going to be rocking the Trinity River floaters. The floating starts at 4pm and lasts til 8:30pm.

If you are concerned that some of the inner tube floaters might be packing heat in addition to alcoholic adult beverages you will be relieved to know that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Trinity River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float webpage advises floaters to "DO NOT BRING" firearms or weapons.

What other weapon might someone bring other than a firearm? A knife? I suppose some maniac might go poking holes in inner tubes with a knife if knives were allowed. Where would you pack heat or a knife in a swimming suit?

Another relief is the fact that there will be lifeguards ready to come to the rescue in case a cluster of water moccasins decide to join the fun, or an alligator gar, or some snapping turtles, or an alligator or some other totally unanticipated river danger.

Anyway, I gleaned from the official TRV Boondoggle "Tube the Trinity - Rockin' the River Summer Music Tubing Series" webpage the details of today's big event and copied them below....

Admission:

• This is a completely FREE event every 2nd & 4th Thursday in June, July & August!
• The first 600 attendees will receive a FREE tube!
• Do you have your own tube??  Bring it!
• Receive your Rockin’ the River wristband at the Sign In Tent!  Attendees will be required to sign a waiver and receive a wristband prior to entering the river.

Time:

• 4:00pm – 8:30pm
• Live Concerts begin at 6:00pm

Location:

• Panther Island Pavilion in Trinity Uptown

Parking:

• Free parking at the "Old Tandy Center"

What to bring:

• BYOB & Coolers – NO GLASS OR STYROFOAM ALLOWED
• River Shoes
• Sunscreen
• Beach Towel
• Lawn Chair
• Blanket
• Water tight container for your keys, phone, etc. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST OR WET ITEMS.

DO NOT BRING:

• Glass or Styrofoam containers
• Firearms
• Fireworks
• Weapons
• Noise Makers

MORE INFO:

To access FREE parking at the "Old Tandy Center" lot: From Henderson Street, turn west on Belknap and merge right onto Forest Park Boulevard. Take the immediate right on Purcey Street and proceed to the parking lot.

Hop on the school bus shuttle that will take you and your cooler to the Sign In Tent FOR FREE!

Check in at the Sign In Tent to sign your waiver and receive a Rockin’ The River wristband.  YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED IN THE RIVER WITHOUT A WRISTBAND.

This event includes loud music and alcohol.  Please use discretion in bringing young children.  Children under 12 years of age will be required to wear a life vest at all times while in the water.  Free life vests are available for use, but must be returned at the end of the event.

Lifeguards will be on duty, however all attendees enter the river at your own risk. Pets must remain on a leash at all times.

There Is No Knife In My Back This Morning Stopping Me From Today's Trinity River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float Boondoggle

Looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell it appears the 9th day of June is going to be yet one more clear blue sky HOT day in Texas.

I am happy to be starting the 9th day of June without the knife in my back that was sticking me with pain the past couple days.

June is already almost a third gone, once more vexing me with the feeling that time is accelerating.

Today I am very excited to be going on the first Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Trinity River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float, along with 600 other floaters.

I was confused as to where the inner tubing was taking place after it was moved from Trinity Park, due to restrictions on liquor consumption, to something called Panther Pavilion.

Gail Galtex, aka GG, alleviated me of my Panther Pavilion confusion. Apparently the inner tubing is going to take place at the (destined to be destroyed by the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle) confluence of the West and Clear forks of the Trinity River.

The Queen of Wink remains missing.

I think I will go swimming now, not in the Trinity River, which is nearby and apparently swimmable, but in a swimming pool with clear water and no alligator gar or water moccasins.

Swimming Took The Knife Out Of My Scapula So Now I Can Head West Of The Pecos To Search For The Missing Queen Of Wink

I am pleased to report that the knife that has been stuck in my scapula, for the last day, has been removed.

I'd scheduled an appointment for this afternoon with my therapist, Dr. L.C., to see if she could remove the knife.

I have canceled that appointment.

I think a long walk down the Tandy Highway, followed by some HOT hill hiking was the final cure for the knife in my scapula, with going swimming this morning starting the cure.

Changing the subject from the knife in my back.

Gar the Texan is more concerned about the missing Queen of Wink than I am. Gar the Texan is also from Wink, but never town royalty.

In the days of the Wild West in Texas, the Pecos River demarcated the line between civilization and the frontier. When you crossed the Pecos River and continued west you were in lawless territory.

A common phrase in West Texas, back in the days of the Wild West, was to "Pecos" someone, which meant to kill someone and then dump the body in the Pecos River.

I don't know how close Wink is to the Pecos River.

If the Queen of Wink does not show up by Friday the current plan is to take off Saturday morning in the Gar-Mobile and head west to the lawless territory of West Texas to try and find the missing Queen of Wink.

I took my antique camcorder down to the pool with me this morning to document my return to water.

This camcorder was bought in 2002, which truly does make it an antique in electronics years.

I thought I remembered being able to extract better photos from the video.

Maybe I've got some setting set wrong. It wouldn't be the first time. For awhile I did not realize I had the focus settings set to manual, rather than automatic. It took me awhile to figure out that was causing the image to not be sharp.

I just realized I don't think I checked the settings this morning. To the camcorder I must go now. I'll be right back....

The camcorder settings are/were correct.

I can use my non-antique new digital camera to take video. However, that involves sticking the camera on a tripod and getting the clips into Windows Movie Maker, which is not as simple as it is with the camcorder.

I got a Facebook message a few minutes ago from one of my Tacoma Informants informing me she needs to call me. Emergency. What fresh hell is this going to be? Maybe she has some information about the missing Queen of Wink.

Going Swimming Again With A Knife In My Back Without The Missing Queen Of Wink

Up early looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on the 8th morning of June at a swimming pool which is again back usable.

I am hoping that swimming this morning helps alleviate the knife in my back pain that continues to ache me.

I had some relief yesterday from the knife in my back after getting some endorphin treatment on the Tandy Hills. But, as the endorphins wore off, the knife in my back returned.

Something that has not returned is the Queen of Wink. I mentioned yesterday that she'd disappeared from Facebook. I called the Queen of Wink around noon. Left a message. No call back. The Queen of Wink is/was quite a Facebook devotee. For her Facebook account to suddenly disappear does not seem right.

The Queen of Wink had become involved with a guy who calls himself Bogart. Bogart does not look like Humphrey Bogart. Unless Humphrey were playing a role that called for him to look like a Hell's Angel. Bogart's Facebook page still exists. But, virtually everything has been removed from it. Adding to the mystery.

Switching subjects.

The smoke from the Arizona wildfires has not reached my location. But it is very smoggy here. I think it stings my eyes and makes me sneeze.

I remember the one and only time I experienced smog so bad it burned my eyes was years ago in Los Angeles. The air in Los Angeles has greatly improved from the way it was a couple decades ago.

A couple decades ago you could not see the mountains to the east when you were in Los Angeles. I did not even realize Los Angeles had a visible mountain range to the east til I was in LA during a low smog winter during a Christmas visit to Disneyland.

I am fairly certain if the smog that currently coats the Dallas/Fort Worth area, lifted, that a mountain range would not be revealed.

It is time to go swimming now.

Fun Today Chasing The Tandy Hills Roadrunner

I had my second Tandy Hills Roadrunner sighting today. The first time I saw a Roadrunner running on the Tandy Hills it was running south on the main trail that leads in from View Street.

Today I parked on View Street rather than the summit of Mount Tandy. I was barely on the trail, heading north, when I realized the Tandy Hills Roadrunner was leading the way.

It is not easy to get a picture of a Roadrunner running. The one you're looking at was my best effort.

I lost the Roadrunner at the part of the View Street trail, at the far north end, where it loops above the freeway.

A couple days ago I saw what I thought looked to be a coyote, running across the prairie atop Mount Tandy.

I wonder if the Tandy Hills Roadrunner and the Tandy Hills Coyote ever have fun playing with each other?

Switching subjects from cartoon characters, my pool is back working again.

This morning I woke up to find a pain in my shoulder blades that felt like a knife was stabbing me. Not that I've ever been stabbed, but I imagine this is how it must feel.

The knife in my back is better now. I don't know if going swimming would be good for this ailment. Or exacerbate it.

When I returned here, this afternoon, I saw Miss Puerto Rico. I was surprised to see she has turned into a redhead since I saw her a couple days ago.

There seems to be some sort of epidemic, in my immediate zone, of drastic hair color changes. So far I am immune from the epidemic.

High Pressure Chemicals & A Missing Queen Of Wink Worrying Me The 7th Day Of June

Looking out at the pool early this 7th morning of June the water appears to be crystal clear. One would think this would mean my swimming pool is back swimmable.

One would be wrong to think that.

The pump is still not working right, that water has been extremely shocked. Shocking a pool is pool-speak meaning the water has been dosed with chemicals. The chemicals flash off over time.

I think the chemicals somehow prevent algae from growing, but I'm not sure. The fact that til those chemicals flash off the water is dangerous seems worrisome to me. But, I've had 12 years to get used to it, so it doesn't worry me all that much anymore. It's just one more thing I wonder about and then accept.

I had my bedroom window open all night. I don't know if that was a good idea. This morning I shut the windows and am running the A/C. This morning I learned we have been being heated 6 to 10 degrees above normal for the past 10 days. A humongous high pressure ridge sits over Texas creating summer type furnace conditions.

On a totally non-weather related subject. Overnight the Queen of Wink has disappeared from Facebook. Princess Annie of Wink is still on Facebook. Shelby the Dog of Wink is still on Facebook. But the Queen of Wink is gone.

I will call the Queen of Wink later today and try to solve this troubling mystery.

Fubbo The Hut Forgets To Eat And Then Gets Into A Gun Battle At A Tacoma McDonald's

That is Fubbo the Hut in the picture. Fubbo the Hut lives in Tacoma. Years ago she was an acquaintance of mine, til her episodes of wacky-doodle craziness were no longer funny.

Fubbo the Hut has a blog. I don't often think to look at Fubbo's blog, because, well, it is sort of, well, embarrassing, which causes a cringe reflex in me.

And then she has all these people who must be even dumber than Fubbo, telling her how brilliant her most recent post is and how brave she was to do what it was she has described in her latest incoherent, cringe-inducing post.

So, here's my short version of Fubbo the Hut's most recent blogging.

But, before I get to that, I must add that Fubbo the Hut is a clinically diagnosed pathological liar.

So, at the start of the post, Fubbo informs us that on this one particular day she forgot to eat.

Yeah, right. This is a 600 or 700, or more, pound person who never forgets to eat. Constantly. In massive volumes. Hence the Fubbo the Hut body.

So, Fubbo's long suffering husband gets home from work. Fubbo then remembers, supposedly, that she's not eaten all day. Convinces the husband to transport her to Safeway so the Hut can get some chicken strips from the Safeway Deli.

Tragedy strikes.

The Deli is out of chicken strips. How about Chinese food?

No.

No Chinese food after 7 pm. Supposedly.

So, in a grocery store full of food, and in an area with a lot of restaurants, including a real good Thai place, Fubbo the Hut convinces her husband to drive a distance to the nearest McDonald's.

Arriving at the McDonald's Fubbo the Hut has her husband go inside to get her an Angus burger. Fubbo stays in the car because it is not easy to move when you are Fubbo the Hut. And Fubbo can no longer fit in McDonald's seating. I learned that on my last visit to the PNW when Fubbo nearly destroyed a stool and table in a Gig Harbor McDonald's.

Fubbo made up some odd explanation as to why the drive up window was not an okay method to use to get her an Angus burger.

As Fubbo the Hut sat there waiting for her first nutrition of the day, a car drove into the drive-thru with music pumping and thumping a loud bass boom that Fubbo claimed vibrated her windows. And, I suspect, her thick layers of adipose tissue also resonated with the vibrating.

Fubbo the Hut then saw, supposedly, that a baby was seated next to a throbbing speaker. Then, again supposedly, Fubbo the Hut got out of her car, waddled over to the booming car and politely, again, supposedly, tried to explain to the driver that the loud noise was destroying the baby's ear drums.

The driver told Fubbo the Hut to mind her own business.

Fubbo persisted. The driver then, supposedly, reached down and pulled out a gun and said something like, "Go away you fat scary freak."

Fubbo the Hut then waddled back to her car, where she awaited her Angus burger. And then, when it arrived, again supposedly, Fubbo did not mention the incident to her burger delivering husband.

Now. I have been the victim of one of Fubbo the Hut's episodes where she is just darn sure she is right about something and determined that you see the light. I imagine the guy in the car, supposedly with a gun, was scared to death to have this freakish space alien hollering at him.

Trust me, when you have hundreds upon hundreds of pounds of angry flesh hollering at you, irrationally and incoherently, it is a situation where you wish you had a gun.

At the start of her blogging about this supposed incident, Fubbo the Hut said she really should stay inside at all times and avoid human contact. In this assessment, for once, I think she may be thinking clearly.

And, additionally, how does a grown adult not have a supply of food in their house? And when you realize you've not eaten, and there is no food in the house, you go to a grocery store to get chicken strips? Rather than stock up on your food supply at the grocery store? With nothing to eat in the house, what happened the next morning?

McDonald's for breakfast?

I do like their biscuits.

And why would you share this supposed incident with others, on your blog, when it makes you appear to be a total idiot?

Very perplexing. Who forgets to eat? Particularly among the obese?