Boos Greets News That J.D. Granger Bailed At Last Minute On Tonight's Trinity River Vision Open Discussion Forum

J.D. Granger's Empty Chair

If I remember right, I clearly verbalized the fact that J.D. Granger participating in tonight's Trinity River Vision Open Discussion Forum was my main draw to attending the TRIP event.

I had anticipated that J.D.'s well known persuasive powers might likely sway me from being a Trinity River Vision Boondoggler to being on the Trinity River Vision Bandwagon.

However.

Minutes after my arrival at the Conservatory at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden I was pulled aside by the star of Up A Creek and informed that J.D. Granger had pulled out at the last minute. After having clearly committed to being in attendance.

As the crowd milled around outside the auditorium, waiting for the forum to begin, I heard some muttering about J.D. Granger's bad behavior, with one person saying "He's a gutless wonder."

When the forum began and it was announced that J.D. Granger was a no show, this news was greeted with a room full of loud booing.

Methinks J.D. Granger did the Trinity River Vision a disservice tonight.

I spotted several Fort Worth politicos in the crowd, including Cathy Hirt, who was sitting in front of me.

The panel was supposed to have consisted of Jim Lane, J.D. Granger (bailed), Mark Rauscher (bailed), Clyde Picht, John Basham and Steve Hollern.

FW Weekly's Gayle Reeves On Far Left, Then Jim Lane,
Clyde Picht, John Basham & Steve Hollern

All the guys who were brave enough to show up did a really good job of making their points.

I was particularly surprised to find myself really liking Jim Lane. I thought it was real interesting how Jim Lane explained how he tried to get people to participate in making the decisions that led to the Trinity River Vision, but no one showed up.

And now, all these years later, with the vision sort of coming into focus, Jim Lane found himself at a forum where a lot of people showed up who were interested in making sure this project does not become the biggest Fort Worth boondoggle ever.

I'd tell you the reason I was told that J.D. Granger bailed. But it is sort of embarrassing. I got the idea that Jim Lane was not too pleased with J.D. Granger's refusal to participate. Jim Lane seemed to indicate that when a man of honor commits to doing something, he does what he's committed himself to.

Arlington's Village Creek Flooding After Last Night's Thunderstorm Downpours

I was a little surprised when I reached the parking lot at Village Creek Natural Historical Area, off Dottie Lynn Parkway, to find the entry closed.

Due to flooding.

We did get some downpouring last night, but at my location not enough hit the ground to cause the type of flooding that closed Village Creek Natural Historical Area today.

Not able to enter the Natural Area from the west, I drove to Interlochen to see how much water was flooding through Village Creek.

As you can see in the picture, flooding is blocking the ability to cross the dam/bridge that leads in to Village Creek Natural Historical Area from the east.

So, I called a distant relative, who I had not spoken to for over 5 years, and proceeded to walk along the Bob Findlay Linear Park trail that leads out of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Early Morning Texas Thunder Booming Thinking About Singing The Billion Dollar Boondoggle Blues With J.D. Granger Tonight At Fort Worth's Botanic Gardens

Looking through my patio prison cell bars you can not tell it is raining before the arrival of the sun on this 2nd Wednesday 12th day of October.

Thunder began booming sometime around 3 this morning. Some of the lightning strikes were so close the flash and the boom occurred at the same time.

After a few explosions the downpours started.

And the wind.

My computer was being a bad girl, overheating whilst running some Microsoft Security Essentials thing that seems to be the worst virus/infection/malware annoyance I regularly experience.

So, I decided to walk away from the computer before doing my morning blogging duties and go swimming instead.

I'd not gone swimming since Sunday morning in the rain. The rain had ceased by the time I hit the surprisingly warm water this morning.

Tonight, at 6:30, at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden's Conservatory's Lecture Hall I may be singing the Billion Dollar Boondoggle Blues with J.D. Granger. See you there.

Fosdic Turtles Basking In An Overflowing Fosdic Lake With No Elsie Hotpepper In View

I hauled my aching carcass to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake precisely at noon today.

Sunday's mini-deluge removed the Fosdic beaches and had water spilling over the Fosdic Dam spillway for the first time in a long while.

The Fosdic turtle population seemed to be in a celebratory mood, not acting their usual skittish selves, the turtles willingly cooperated with posing for pictures, without instantly diving off their log perch, like they usually do.

Tomorrow there is a TRIP forum at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden, at 6:30. I hope I'm feeling up to attending this. Three of my favorite Fort Worth people will be taking part in the forum, Clyde Picht, Jim Lane and J.D. Granger.

I had intended to get Elsie Hotpepper to go to the TRIP forum with me, but Elsie seems to have gone missing. Again.

Blue Sky Has Returned Along With The Great Texas Drought Of 2011 & Allergic Misery

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell you can sort of tell I am up well after the arrival of the sun on the 11th day of October.

The sky is back totally blue, no sign of those clouds that blocked the sun the past couple days.

I am growing very tired of whatever it is in the air that is causing me an allergic reaction.

Watery, itching eyes and clogged up nasal passages are not a pleasant thing.

And don't get me started whining about my aching elbow joints.

Basically I am a big sore mess.

And I am not going swimming this morning.

A Columbus Day Walk With The Indian Ghosts & My Arizona Sister In Village Creek Natural Historical Area

Today, with it being Columbus Day, that being the day we Americans celebrate Christopher Columbus landing in the year 1492 in what we now know as the Bahamas, I decided to walk among the Indian Ghosts of Village Creek in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

Little did the Village Creek area Indians know that in that year of 1492 someone from another continent had landed on their side of the Atlantic, in search of the East Indies, which caused the natives found to be called "Indios," the Spanish name for Indians.

Columbus had convinced the Spanish crown to finance his expedition to find a more expeditious route to the lucrative Asian spice market. Columbus never claimed to have discovered a previously unknown continent. I guess he thought he'd found some really far East Indies.

Columbus made 3 more voyages to the Americas, never reaching the part of the New World now known as America. He did visit the part of South America now known as Venezuela.

On his voyage of 1492 Columbus kidnapped a couple dozen "Indians" to take back to Spain to show to the Spanish Royal Court. Most of the "Indians" did not make it to Spain alive.

Columbus was not the first European explorer to find the Americas. But the voyages of Columbus were what began the flood of Europeans on to the American continents, beginning the process of colonization and confiscation of native lands. Not to mention the genocide of the native population, with the worst invaders in that regard being the brutal Spanish with their fervor to convert the heathen savages to Catholicism, even if it meant murdering them to save their souls.

Three centuries after 1492, give or take a decade or two, the world change set in motion by Columbus had changed the world of one of the biggest Indian Villages in America, that being the huge village that existed for miles along the shores of Village Creek in what became Texas, after the Texans took the land from the Indians and then the Mexicans.

Changing the subject from a holiday I really think America needs to re-think celebrating, to my sister in Arizona. I'd not talked to my sister since her return from her visit to Washington. So, my sister went walking with me when I walked with the Village Creek Indian Ghosts today. It was a relatively interesting talk until my aching elbow could no longer hold the phone.

Columbus Day Texas Thunderstorms On The Menu Today

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world at some lingering dampness from Sunday's rare deluge on this 2nd Monday of October, day 11.

An inch and a half of rain was measured yesterday at the official rain measuring station at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.

I would have thought that the rain and wind would have scrubbed the air clear of allergy triggers. But, something in the air got my eyes itching, nasal system dripping and clogged off, with intermittent sneeze impulses in the middle of the night.

I took an antihistamine and sprayed a lot of nasal spray. Eventually the allergic episode abated and I successfully passed out for the remainder of the night.

I'm not going swimming this morning. Yesterday's swimming in the rain was quite pleasant, but I don't have time to do that this morning. That and my arms are aching sore. Real sore.

Basically I'm a mess.

My mom called yesterday afternoon. This was not a gas related call. Mom wanted me to read an obituary whilst mom and dad listened. That was sort of strange.

It is only 59 degrees, currently. Apparently possible thunderstorms remain a possibility. With today's predicted high being a relatively chilly 78. Brrrrr.

Today is Columbus Day. The day we celebrate a European invading the Americas and beginning the process of stealing the native's lands, murdering thousands upon thousands of the original Americans, before the takeover was pretty much complete, in 1890, with the Wounded Knee Massacre.

A Break From The Great Texas Drought Of 2011 With A Wet Rainy Sunday Drive To A Leaking Sam's Club

You are looking through my windshield at my neighborhood Sam's Club, seeing something I have not seen in awhile.

That something is the windshield wiper wiping rain off the windshield.

I don't know at what time in the middle of the night I realized water was blowing in through my open window, so I don't know how long it has been raining.

What I do know is it almost an hour after noon and it is still raining.

But, the sky does appear to be brightening. The drips seem to be greatly lessening. I suspect the rain will soon come to a halt and the Great Texas Drought of 2011 can re-commence.

In Sam's Club today I saw more buckets catching more leaks than I have ever seen in a store before. Buckets were all over the store.

And many leaks did not have buckets catching the drips.

I suspect because of the long HOT summer, with day after day baking the Sam's Club roof, that havoc has been wreaked on the roof's  dozens of skylights and flashings that are supposed to waterproof those holes in the roof.

I imagine Monday is going to be a very busy day for roofers in North Texas.

A few paragraphs back I said it was almost an hour past noon. I got interrupted. It is now 3 hours past noon. My mom called at about the hour past noon mark. And then lunch intervened.

And, now that it is past 3 on this Sunday afternoon, the rain has finally stopped falling at my location on this formerly parched part of the planet. The sun has not broken through the cloud cover. By morning I think sunniness will have returned.

Rain Is Falling On The Great Texas Drought Of 2011 In This Parched Part Of The Planet

Looking at the patio pool view this 2nd Sunday of October you can see this is not one more sunny Sunday in Texas.

What you can not see in the picture is it is RAINING!

At some point in the middle of the night I had to shut my bedroom window due to incoming rain.

And the incoming rain continues.

I do not know if I want to go swimming in the rain this morning. It has been awhile since I've done that.

I do know there will be no Tandy Hills hiking today. And probably not tomorrow either.

Cloudy Breezy Perfect Saturday Hiking On The Tandy Hills Today With Drought Resistant Wildflowers

Best day of Saturday hiking on the Tandy Hills in months, today. Stormy clouds blocked the sun. Strong gusts of wind blowing natural air-conditioning.

I believe I was the only human on the hills today whilst I was there.

The only wildlife of the animal sort I saw today was the Tandy Hills Roadrunner running across the Tandy Highway. The Roadrunner was gone in a flash, so there was no photo opportunity.

The last time I was on the Tandy Hills I came upon a sunny yellow wildflower growing out of the dried rocky dirt.

Today I covered a lot more territory than my previous Tandy visit. I saw the purple sticks you see at the top sprouting in multiple locations.

And I came upon a couple locations where a large flock of the sunny yellow wildflowers were somehow managing to bloom during the Great Texas Drought of 2011.

The Galtex's this morning suggested since it was Saturday I should go to Town Talk. And so I did.

Town Talkers were scooping up blackberries today. Tiny containers for, if I remember right, 2 for $1.50. Or you could buy a whole case.

The majority of my time on the planet was spent living in a location where blackberries grew wild, free for the picking. Which makes the idea of paying 75 cents for a little container of blackberries seem bizarre to me.

On the drive back to my abode a few drops of rain hit my windshield. I thought a downpour might be incoming. But, that did not happen. Not yet, anyway.