A Sunny Yellow Wildflower Sprouts Today In Drought Stricken Texas On The Dry Tandy Hills

Today, in the noon time frame, was my first time back to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area since Saturday.  

Clouds, a semi-cool temperature and a breeze made for some pleasant hill hiking.

I do not believe any significant precipitation has precipitated on to the Tandy Hills to account for the sprouting out of some colorful wildflowers since my Saturday visit.

Wildflowers like the sunny yellow flower you see in the picture.  I only saw one of these, in one location, at the north side of Mount Tandy, southeast of Dry Tandy Falls.

Stalks with purple flowers are now sprouting all over the Tandy Hills.

Swimming this morning was pleasantly cold. But apparently it did not aerobicize me to a level sufficient to release pain reducing, mood elevating endorphins.

I think, post hiking, that I'm feeling less pain and my mood may be slightly elevated above its pre-hiking doldrums.

It may be the endorphins speaking, but I think I want to move to Florida.

But, before I do that, I need to have lunch, which is now available. This I know because the lunch buzzer is buzzing.

The Dallas Cowboys Really Are America's Favorite Football Team While The Seattle Seahawks Are Among America's Least Favorite

I admit I am not much of a football fan. Actually I am not even remotely a football fan. I have never understood what people find entertaining about sitting and passively watching endless permutations of the same behavior.

So, when I moved to Texas and started to hear the Dallas Cowboys over and over again referred to as "America's Team" I figured it was just more Texas hyperbole.

At one point in time, years ago, I  added a page about this subject to my Eyes on Texas website, titled "Dallas Cowboys: America's Team?"

This morning I was looking for an "America's Team" image and was surprised to see the webpage I made years ago Googled in the 2nd spot, right after Wikipedia's article about "America's Team."

I was looking for an "America's Team" image because I'd just read an article in the Seattle P-I which made me want to blog about this subject.

According to the Harris polling people and an interactive poll they conduct, yearly, the Dallas Cowboys are America's favorite football team. A position the Dallas Cowboys have held for 5 years in a row.

The top five favorite football teams are....

1. Dallas
2. Pittsburgh
3. Green Bay
4. New England
5. Chicago

The professional football team in the town in which the Seattle P-I is published, the Seattle Seahawks, ranks really low in terms of America's favoritude, at a lowly 27th place.

America's least favorite professional football team is the Jacksonville Jaguars.

I've never heard of this lowly Jaguar team. All I know about Jacksonville is I think the town is in Florida.

The Seattle P-I made what seemed to me a slightly lame explanation as to why the Seattle Seahawks are at such a lowly 27th place ranking in such a serious matter. Apparently fewer people on the West Coast follow football than people who live in the East, the Midwest and the South.

In 2006 the Seattle Seahawks reached their most favored position ever in the Harris poll, coming in as the 12th most favorite the year they lost the Super Bowl to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

That particular Super Bowl is probably the only football game I have watched, start to finish, in this century. It was painful viewing.

The Semi-Chilly 6th Morning Of October In Texas

Looking closely through the bars of my patio prison cell the pool is looking particularly inviting to me this 6th morning of October, the first Thursday of the 10th month of 2011.

The outer world in my location is currently air-conditioned to 32 degrees above 32 degrees.

I had the most convoluted night of convoluted dreams that kept waking me up and kept making sense, until this morning when I can make no sense of it. The dreams/nightmares were all based on some conspiratorial type thing that Elsie Hotpepper told me. That is all I remember.

My computer started vexing me this morning. Re-starting it seems to have fixed the vexation. At least for now.

I'm going swimming now with the hope that it helps my sore aching body parts.

An Anonymous Look At JD Granger's House Improvements & Tim Love's New Woodshed Restaurant

Someone calling him or herself "Anonymous" sent me the above photo, with minimal commentary, simply saying that "Isn't it interesting how much recent improvements to JD Granger's home match the look of Tim Love's nearby new restaurant."

I am assuming what is being implied is that somehow JD did some dirty dealing that somehow got improvements made to his house in a manner nefarious.

While I do see the similarities between the two structures, I really don't think JD Granger would do something untoward of this nature.

So, I Googled for info about Tim Love's new restaurant. Previously to Googling about Tim Love's new restaurant all I knew was that it was located near the Hoffbrau Steak place on University Drive.

Well, imagine my surprise when I learned that Tim Love's new restaurant, to be called "The Woodshed", is part of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's plan to supposedly improve the Trinity River trails and their surroundings.

I had no idea that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's vision saw so far beyond the area of the little pond at the north end of downtown, the unneeded flood diversion channel, the  obliteration of Riverside Park and the upgrade of Gateway Park with the planting of thousands of Magic Flood Control Trees.

JD Granger's home is a short distance from Tim Love's new restaurant.

How does a deal like this work? I can't help but wonder. Does the Tarrant Regional Water District, which oversees the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, sell Tim Love the land on which he has built The Woodshed?

Isn't that public land? Is public land being sold for a privately owned restaurant? Or does the Tarrant Regional Water District have a financial interest in Tim Love's restaurant?

And, what part did JD Granger play in finagling Tim Love's deal to build his new restaurant on land controlled by the Tarrant Regional Water District?

I must say, separate from all these perplexing questions, I like the look of Tim Love's new restaurant, and the upgrades to JD Granger's house.

A Big Acorn Welcome Today To Quanah Parker Park With Coyote Scat

An Acorn Welcome to Quanah Parker Park

As I've driven by Quanah Parker Park lately I've noticed signs along the trail.

Today my curiosity regarding the Quanah Parker Park signs was alleviated.

The signs are giant acorns. Which is fitting because there are some giant oak trees in Quanah Parker Park.

The first acorn sign that you see as you walk from the parking lot is the Welcome to Quanah Parker Park sign. This sign informs the visitor that Quanah Parker Park is home to many animals, with different habitats to enjoy. You are advised to enjoy the open prairie while you watch butterflies and dragonflies doing flower flitting, with lizards racing across your path.

The next acorn sign explains who Quanah Parker was. Quanah's mom, Cynthia Ann Parker, was taken by the Comanche in a raid. Eventually Cynthia became a wife of Comanche chief Peta Nocona and had a son named Quanah, who eventually became the last chief of the Quahada Comanche tribe.

The acorn signs are all cleverly titled. Such as the above one titled "Tracks and Scats," advising the nature seeker to look for tracks and scats, like Coyote scat. I ignored this suggestion and sought no Coyote scat today.

An acorn sign featuring "Furry Friends" suggested one might see Virginia Opossum, White-Tailed Deer, Nine-Banded Armadillo or Fox Squirrels. I've seen a lot of squirrels scurrying about Quanah Parker Park, but never an Opossum, Deer or Armadillo. I have seen Bobcats a couple times.

Armadilloes have never seemed all that furry to me. More scaly than furry.

If you'd like to hike along the Quanah Parker Park trails alongside the Trinity River in Fort Worth and don't know where Quanah Parker Park is, it is very easy to find. Just exit Loop 820 at Randol Mill Road and head west for a couple miles and you'll come to the park entry on your right, after you pass a couple Chesapeake Energy drilling operations.

Or, exit I-30 at Oakland Boulevard, then head north on Oakland, til you come to a gigantic Chesapeake Energy operation, then take a right on to Randol Mill and you will see one of the Quanah Parker Park trails on your left. You will come to the park entry in about a mile. Maybe less.

I do not know if it is legal to remove any Coyote scat you might find. I am fairly certain it is not legal to remove any Coyotes you might find.

The Warning This Morning From A Red Texas Sky

Looking skyward from my patio view on this first Wednesday of October I'm seeing red.

Growing up on the west coast, as far back as my memory goes, I remember hearing, "Red sky in morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailor's delight."

I have no idea what a red sky means when you are landlocked semi-deep in the Heart of Texas.

I think I will not take heed of this red sky warning and will instead risk the dangers inherent in going swimming.

Walking With Village Creek Ghosts With A Half Bottle Of Wine Thinking About Being An Expletive Deleted Annoying Dumbass

Why would someone leave a bottle of barbecue lighter fluid and a half full bottle of wine on the viewing platform deck at the Village Creek Bayou in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area?

Very perplexing waste of wine. Maybe it did not go well with the barbecue.

I thought walking among the Indian ghosts under the big oak trees that shade Village Creek might make me feel better.

It didn't.

I may be coming down, or already be down, with some ailment. Or maybe it's an allergy that's got me having cold symptoms.

Switching the subject now from me and my misery to something else.

When I log into the Blogger deal to do a blogging the first thing I come to is called the Dashboard. The Dashboard tells me how many blog posts have been made since I started making blog posts back in 2008.

The Dashboard also tells me how many comments have been made to the blog posts.

I usually don't notice these particular stats, but I did today.

This current blog post is #3,940. That is a lot of babbling. I mean blogging.

But, beyond the out of control babbling. I mean blogging. What is even more baffling is I have hit the publish button on 5,222 blog post comments.

That seems like a lot of comments.

But, there have probably been 5 times that many comments that I didn't hit the publish button on.

Like a couple days ago someone calling him or herself "Anonymous" made a comment to a blog post titled TXU & Oncor Energy Service Sucks, from back in May of 2010, that I did not hit the publish button on, even though I thought the comment was funny.

This is what Anonymous had to say (expletives not deleted, bad grammar not corrected).....

You sound like a fucking annoying dumbass. Whats wrong with just calling Oncor? OMG you have to actually get up off your ass and call someone. Will you live? Hopefully not. You whine bitch and moan for over an hour of no electricity? Your the biggest dumb mother fucking pussy I have ever heard of. Be a man, people can live without power. TXU buys the power and Oncor takes care of the Delivery Grid you ape. Remember that when you call someone with your ESI number, stupid, EID? your such an Idiot. its ESI so already I know you don't know what the hell your talking about.

Wasn't that pleasant? Comments like the above always make me wonder why it is that people who so readily call someone stupid are invariably so stupid they don't know that "your" is a possessive pronoun, and that "you" and "are" can be contracted as "you're"?

Another Painful Sunny Day In The Paradise Called Texas

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world I can see that the 4th day of October is starting off with yet one more super sunny day in paradise, with the outer world in my location chilled to a pleasant 57 degrees.

I am on Day 2 of refraining from doing anything strainful to my aching musculature.

Even typing hurts.

Swimming is currently not being considered as a viable activity. Maybe it will be by tomorrow.

I think I will try and haul my aching carcass to the Tandy Hills today. My lower extremities are in less pain than my upper extremities. I'm thinking the endorphins released by salubrious aerobic hiking activity may have a pain killing effect.

I must cease typing now.

Hiking In The North Cascades To Hidden Lake Peak Today Instead Of Mount Tandy

Hidden Lake In The North Cascades

No, that is not today's view from the Tandy Hills in the picture. Though I can see where you might think that, what with the view looking so similar.

That is me in the picture, laying on top of a spire on which the Hidden Lake Lookout sits. The lookout is an old fire lookout, but nowadays it is the Lois Webster Memorial Shelter.

In the picture we are looking east, towards Cascade Pass and El Dorado. Hidden Lake is on the far western side of the North Cascades, about 50 miles east of my former abode in Mount Vernon.

I've only hiked to Hidden Lake once, sometime in the 1990s. I remember the road to the trailhead was a bit of a challenge. The trail itself is about 8 miles roundtrip, with an elevation gain of around 3,400 feet. The trailhead is at 3,500 feet above sea level.

The trail starts with switchbacks through lush vegetation and deep woods. Then you come to a granite juncture in the trail where you find yourself suddenly above the treeline, leaving the verdant lushness behind, crossing a meadow to alpine heather. In less than a mile you come to a notch between Hidden Lake Peak and the spire on which the Hidden Lake Lookout sits. The boundary of North Cascades National Park in along this notch.

The view from the lookout, on a clear day, is one of those you can see forever type experiences. Washington's most hidden volcano, Glacier Peak, is clearly in view. To the south you can see Mount Rainier. To the north Mount Shuksan and Mount Baker, with Baker being another of Washington's active volcanoes. The panorama of dozens of mountain peaks is a spectacle.

And here I am in Texas, where a Big Adventure, for me, is driving 4 miles to hike on some very short hills, covered with mostly un-lush vegetation.

I think if I'd not sold my house in Mount Vernon in 2003, I'd be really thinking serious about moving back to Washington. I miss it. Sometimes.

The First Monday Of October Dawns With Aches & Pains & Weather Geeks Descending Upon Fort Worth

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on the first Monday of October you can sort of tell that the sun has already begun its daily heating duties.

What you can not tell via the picture is it is only 58 degrees in the outer world in my location.

I am not going swimming this morning. Not going swimming is not due to the near freezing temperature. Not going swimming is due to not feeling too good. As in I'm sort of aching all over.

Yesterday I helped with the dismantling of a Big Screen TV so that it could be disposed of. You would think this would be no big deal. You would think wrong. So many screws to unscrew. So many heavy parts. It was interesting though. I did not know that inside a rear projection TV there was a giant mirror.

Switching the subject from my aching pains back to the weather.

I read an interesting bit of news this morning in Mount Vernon, Washington's Skagit Valley Herald that I did not notice in this morning's Fort Worth Star-Telegram. I may have missed it in the Star-Telegram, but in Mount Vernon's paper I learned that today in Fort Worth federal and state weather forecasters and climatologists are meeting to brainstorm about the Great Texas Drought of 2011.

The Great Texas Drought of 2011 has already cost the Texas cattle and agriculture business over $5 billion. And now a new La Nina is brewing in the Pacific's equatorial zone, which means it will likely be another dry winter.

I can't imagine what a bunch of weather geeks meeting in Fort Worth are going to do about the Great Texas Drought of 2011.

Maybe the weather geeks will issue a proclamation proclaiming that whilst Texas is in the midst of a drought, wasting fresh water with Barnett Shale natural gas well fracking should be refrained from and that a water pipeline should be built by the gas drillers to suck fracking water from the Gulf of Mexico instead of using scarce potable water.