Finding A Can In The Coke On Sunday's HOT Tandy Hills With No Lizards

It was 92 degrees when I left air-conditioned comfort today, before noon, to head to the top of Mount Tandy to get a HEAT treatment in the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Sauna Steambath Area.

A semi-pleasant breeze blew some heat relief today. I did not get even close to the heatstroke zone.

I found a new Tandy Hills Guerrilla Art Installation today. It is located near the end of the trail that leads into the hills from View Street. Take the final left trail junction and you will find the Art Installation located on the left side of the trail, right before it heads west down a hill.

As you can see this new Art Installation has the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth in its background. The Art Installation consists of an antique Coca-Cola glass with a rusted can inside the glass.

I'm guessing the title for this Tandy Hills Art Installation is "Can in a Coke."

It is beginning to concern me that I have seen no reptiles on the Tandy Hills this summer. No snakes, no lizards. I have never seen all that many snakes on the hills, but last summer the Tandy Hills lizard population seemed well stocked. Including one encounter with a monster lizard about a foot long.

Was our harsh icy winter hard on cold-blooded creatures? By now, usually, I would have had at least one snake encounter at the Village Creek Natural Historic Area. So far all I've seen was a couple water snakes in the now almost dry Village Creek Bayou.

Now that you've got me thinking about it, I've not seen any geckos this summer. Usually I'll find geckos stuck to the exterior walls, or my door, sometimes dropping in for a visit.

Are the geckos the parakeet in the Dallas/Fort Worth mine? Dying from air pollution?

Up Late In Texas The 3rd Sunday Of July Thinking About Nothing But The Temperature

I was up late Saturday night, which has me up late on this 3rd Sunday of July. You can sort of tell I am up late by how brightly lit the pool zone is.

It is only 81 this morning, starting off slightly cool, heading to a scheduled high of 105, with the Real Feel Heat Index making it feel like it is 111.

Currently the prediction for Monday is that we will only reach 99 degrees, thus ending our streak of days in a row of 100 or higher.

At my old home location in the Skagit Valley of Washington it is currently 54 degrees, cloudy with rain in the forecast.

At my mom and dad and sister's location in the Phoenix desert zone they are currently at 88 degrees heading to a high of 110. Being in the desert their Real Feel Heat Index has them feeling cooler than the actual temperature, even though it is monsoon season in Arizona, and thus more humid than the norm.

I am going to go swimming right now. Unless I change my mind.

A Saturday Walk Through The Steamy Tandy Hills Jungle With Green Poles & Strawberries

It was no where near 100 degrees when I went to the Tandy Hills today. It was 95. And slightly breezy.

I parked on the top of Mount Tandy. My intention was to not overheat. To accomplish that goal I decided that after I descended from the slopes of Mount Tandy I'd stay on the Tandy Highway as it meanders through mostly shady jungle.

Walking on the Tandy Highway takes me along the route of a sewer pipeline. This pipeline was worked on in the recent past. After the work was done strange green poles appeared by each manhole cover.

The message on the green poles is "SEWER PIPELINE CAUTION."

Molly the Fort Worth Longhorn is also on the green poles, along with a phone number to call if you have a sewer pipeline emergency.

As you can see in the picture some graffiti has been added to one of the green poles. The graffiti says "SLYCE." Who is Slyce and why did he or she put his or her name on this particular pole?

Is Slyce the Tandy Hills Guerrilla Artist responsible for hanging Hello Kitty balloons from branches and constructing the Tandy Hills Bamboo Teepee and other Tandy Hills artworks?

For years the Tandy Hills got by without those green poles advising "CAUTION." Were we in danger and did not realize it?

Like I said the green poles are near manhole covers. On the manhole covers it says "Sanitary Sewer."

This has perplexed me before. A sewer is not at all sanitary, is it?

Changing the subject back to my favorite subject, that being the temperature.

We have gone over the 100 degree mark again.

Does that make it Day #16, or is it #17, in a row over 100?

I have reached the part of the HOT season where I stick my water bottles in the freezer a couple hours before departure. Cold water with chunks of ice in it really helps a lot in the Battle against Heatstroke.

After successfully battling Heatstroke, once again, I, once again, went to Town Talk to cool off in the Town Talk cooler. In the cooler I found big containers of fresh Dole strawberries, 2 cartons for a buck. I got 4 cartons. And a lot of other good stuff.

I have particularly craved good strawberries of late. I long ago gave up on the strawberries I find in the regular grocery stores here. If you grow up with Skagit Valley strawberries, knowing what a real strawberry is supposed to taste like, well the cardboard substitutes from California just don't cut it.

Since the Town Talk strawberries were a Dole product I thought there was a chance they might be good. Turns out I was right to take that chance. No, they are not a Skagit Valley quality level of strawberry, but much better than I've had in Texas previously.

I have been being reminded of Skagit Valley strawberries daily, of late, via Facebook, courtesy of this annoying guy who is married to one of my friends from high school. He has hundreds of acres of strawberries in the Skagit Valley, which are currently in harvest mode. Mentioned daily. Like today he mentioned that tonight he is going to his 50th High School Class Reunion. And bringing a flat of strawberries with him, along with his latest book, a best seller called Vis Major. It's about trains. And an avalanche. I think. I've not read it. I'm waiting for the movie, which I believe is in pre-production.

Texas Beekeeper Rescues 250,000 Bees Living In An Austin Home

Weird news this morning from a town in Texas called Austin.

A beekeeper named Walter Schumacher, keeping bees for a business called Central Texas Bee Rescue, rescued around a quarter million bees that were living in a 7 foot hive. In a house.

The 7 foot hive was one of the biggest the beekeeper, Walter Schumacher, has ever seen.

The 7 foot bee hive was in a home lived in by an Austinite named Lillian Johnson. Lillian does not remember a time when bees were not humming in her kitchen walls.

The humming in the walls has been going on for around 40 years.

Occasionally bees would manage to get into the house. Lillian would try and close off the bees house access with tape. I assume duct tape.

The bee tipping point, that finally had Lillian getting a beekeeper into her house, was the worry that her 5 month old son might be stung by one of the frequent buzzing intruders.

I remember years ago when Big Ed's big twin, Wally, had a beehive in his attic. It was very unsettling. I do not remember how Wally got rid of his bee problem. I am fairly certain that Central Texas Bee Rescue and beekeeper Walter Schumacher were not involved in removing that particular beehive.

The 3rd Saturday Of July Dawns Bright North Of The Heart Of Texas

As you can see, looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell, the 3rd Saturday of July has dawned with yet one more blue sky day. With a few clouds.

This morning is starting chillier than yesterday's morning, with the temperature currently 81, heading to a scheduled high of 104, with a Real Feel Heat Index of 110.

Yesterday, according to my computer temperature monitoring device, we got to 105. I do not remember what the Real Feel Heat Index was when we got to 105.

I am appalled that half of July is already gone. Soon it will be August. Then September. Then Winter, with ice storms and snow.

I guess I should enjoy the heat while it lasts and go swimming this morning. And hike the Tandy Hills under the noonday sun til I push myself to the brink of a heatstroke collapse. And then go to Town Talk to get sushi.

The North Texas Hippie Revival With Gar The Texan's Notorious Mullet

I only of late learned to pay attention to the ads in Fort Worth Weekly.

I learned to pay attention because I discovered the ads can be funny, goofy, tasteless, bizarre and sometimes informative.

In the goofy/funny/bizarre category is the ad for a hair cutting business in Fort Worth called Salon 70.

I was shocked to recognize the guy in the photo to be Gar the Texan back in his mullet days.

I wonder how much Gar the Texan is getting paid for allowing his likeness to be used in this manner?

Gar the Texan continued with this particular peculiar hairstyle well after I first met him. Though at that point in time he was no longer coloring his mullet blond.

I did not notice a Condom Sense tasteless ad in this week's Fort Worth Weekly. It was likely there, with me failing to notice it.

A few years back something someone said to me caused me to wonder if the Hippie Era of the 60s at all penetrated into the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex Zone. Was it Don Young saying he was kicked out of school for being a long-haired weirdo who refused to get a haircut? I don't remember.

Well, there is an ad in this week's Fort Worth Weekly for a store in Arlington called Feed Your Head.

Feed Your Head claims it is "Your Hippie Revival Headquarters."

Feed You Head has a website. Hippies never had websites.

By the time the Hippie Era ended, longer and longer hair had become accepted by most. And then, by the 80s, what had been a counter-culture type thing, regarding hair, had morphed into things like mullets, where the un-cool tried to be cool by getting what they thought was a cool cut. A mullet.

So, this ad has me wondering anew, did the Hippie Era intrude at all into the D/FW zone? Was there a D/FW equivalent of Haight-Ashbury?

I suspect not.

Fads take awhile to reach these parts. And to leave these parts. Just today, on my drive back from Arlington, I saw two instances of clueless fools thinking they were cool by having their pants hanging low, below their underwear. This fad died a long, long time ago in the more trendsetting zones of America.

How much longer is this fad going to live on in North Texas? It is both perplexing and pathetic. On the plus side, Gar the Texan has not had a mullet for almost a decade. And he quit wearing droopy drawers at least 5 years ago.

Escaping The Blistering Texas Heat Walking In the Shaded Wildscape Of Arlington's Veterans Park

I had to go to beautiful downtown Arlington today to renew my vehicle license. I realized yesterday I'd forgotten to do this.

I got to the vehicle license renewal location and took a number. While I waited for my number to be called, I called my mom and finally got mom on the phone, after many tries, on many days, so I could hear mom and dad's tale of the Great Phoenix Dust Storm.

Unlike my sister, mom and dad were not taken by surprise by the Dust Storm. They'd heard warnings on TV. Mom said they are still cleaning up the aftermath.

Since I was in Arlington I decided to go walk in the shady Veterans Park Wildscape. To get from the parking lot to the shaded Wildscape one has to walk a distance in open area totally exposed to the blistering sun. That exposure started up the overheating process.

Even though I was mostly in the shade I suffered the drenching wet phenomenon that I don't remember happening in Texas summers of the past. Maybe this is happening because I am so grossly overweight and no longer the skinny boy I used to be.

The shaded trails of the Veterans Park Wildscape are a bit of a maze. Parts of the trail are boardwalks. There are critters in the shade. I saw my first lizard of the year. And heard a squirrel having some sort of emotional crisis.

As you can see, at a few minutes after 3, this Friday afternoon, we have hit 103. I suspect it was nearly 100 when I walked in the shaded Veterans Park Wildscape.

My old home location in the Skagit Valley of Washington is currently naturally air-conditioned to a chilly 66. At my current location in the Trinity Valley of Texas I am currently unnaturally air-conditioned to a semi-chilly 82. With ceiling fans spinning.

The 3rd Friday Of July Will Likely Be Day 14 In A Row Over 100 In North Texas

As you can see, I am up before the sun this 3rd Friday of July, Day 15, almost half of the 7th month of 2011 is over.

The pool looks extra inviting glowing a sort of aqua-marine color right before the sun starts its daily illumination job.

Speaking of that illuminating sun, yesterday was the 13th day in a row we have reached or exceeded the 100 degree mark, hitting 103 yesterday.

Thursday's morning low of 84 broke a record by being the highest low ever recorded for July 14 in North Texas.

My temperature monitoring device tells me it is 82 this morning. I do not know if that is a record high for today's morning low. We are currently scheduled to hit a high of 104 today, with a Real Feel Heat Index of 109.

Meanwhile, up north, at my old home location in the frigid state of Washington, it is currently 59 degrees, with rain showers.

We are currently 5 days from it being 3 years since I last flew up to the frigid north for a month of shivering.

When I returned to HOT Texas from my last visit to the frigid north I said it'd be at least 10 years before I subjected myself to that torment again. Time has since sort of softened that attitude. A little.

It is time, now, for my morning swimming in a pool naturally heated to a temperature about 30 degrees warmer than the sun is currently heating Washington.

Visiting Fort Worth's Paradise Center With CatsPaw

I have returned to Durango Headquarters from my visit to Paradise Center with CatsPaw.

I had my camera with me. But, I did not feel right about asking if I could take pictures. That always puts people on the spot. I usually only take pictures if I am surrepititious about it. I had no idea if the Paradise Center folks would be shy about pictures, so I thought it best just to keep the camera in my pants.

Fort Worth's Lone Ranger, Steve Doeung, took some pictures when he arrived towards the end of our visit. At that point in time, due to Steve's camera-free example, I realized it would have been okay for me to go into picture taking mode, but that point in time was when CatsPaw and I were leaving.

I don't know why I am going on and on about pictures, except to explain why I took none, when usually I am a picture taking maniac.

Teresa gave CatsPaw and me very nice Paradise Center t-shirt's. Mine is 2XXL, which means it fits me well. Unlike the medium sized shirts my mom sends me. That would be me in my Paradise Center t-shirt in the picture. I am smiling because Elsie Hotpepper said she'd pay me $100 if I smiled in a picture.

Visiting the Paradise Center, up close and personal, I can say they need no more TVs or computers.

However, is there anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART and plumbing skills who could help do some simple plumbing involving installing a sink?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART with some building skills who could help knock out a wall to make a bigger common area room?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART with some ability to help build a simple outdoor shaded area?

Anyone out there in the Fort Worth zone with a BIG HEART and a picnic table they would like to see go to good use?

Today I could clearly see, with a little help, and a little work, Paradise Center could easily be a paradise, inside and out.

I can't remember the last time I felt my spirits lifted by so many uplifting spirits.

Including CatsPaw.

You can find information about Paradise Center, contact info and location on the Paradise Center website.

You can learn all about the Paradise Center Scandal and the dirty deeds done in Tarrant County by those who need to be held accountable for their dirty deeds, by visiting the Paradise Center Scandal website.

I Did Not Suffer Heatstroke Today Thinking About Hiking In Yosemite Or General Tarrant's Eminent Domain Abuse At Village Creek

Yes, I know I sort of clearly indicated I was going to stay out of the Texas sun today and thus avoid any minor heatstroke incidents.

But, I was feeling the need to be outside after spending hours inside working on webpages and blogs.

Including a blogging on my Durango Roadtripping Blog that made me want to return to Yosemite National Park and hike to the Glacier Point viewpoint of Half Dome, Yosemite, Vernal and Nevada Falls and the rest of the panoramic view of the Yosemite Valley from up high.

The highest I have ever been up the Yosemite Valley walls of granite is half way up to the top of Yosemite Falls. My co-hikers lacked the stamina to go any further. That and they were hungry.

Today I did not do anything in the Texas Heat as strenuous as hiking in the Yosemite Valley. In the ongoing process of taking America away from the Natives who had lived there for thousands of years, at one point Indians sought refuge in the Yosemite Valley.

Indians wish they had refuge in the place I walked today, that being, again, Village Creek Natural Historic Area, it being the site, long ago, of one of the biggest Indian Villages in America, an agricultural center growing corn and squash and other goodies, until, like I've said before, Texans came along, in what became Tarrant County, using a somewhat primitive form of eminent domain abuse to take their land away from its rightful owners.

One of the Texans who used the primitive form of eminent domain abuse, to remove (or kill) the Village Creek Indians, was named Edward H. Tarrant. He was a General. Due to his successful use of primitive eminent domain abuse, Tarrant County was named after him. Tarrant County continues to honor the memory of General Tarrant by repeatedly securing its reputation as the Eminent Domain Abuse Capital of the Free World.

Changing the subject from eminent domain abusers to my HEAT woes.

I did not overheat today, even though it was 94 when I left my abode, with a Real Feel Heat Index of 98.

In the Village Creek Bayou, today, I saw a bird colored in a very nice shade of blue. Is it a blue heron?

The Village Creek Bayou appears to be quickly drying up. Parts of it are now mud. What becomes of the snakes, turtles, fish and birds if the bayou turns totally to mud?

Well, I am totally headache-free and heading towards downtown Fort Worth in a few minutes to find the Center of Paradise and the Paws of a Cat. Wish me luck in this very risky endeavor.

I hope I don't overheat.