Looking For Armadillos, Wild Boars, Bobcats & Snakes Today In River Legacy Park In Arlington

River Legacy Trail Bridge Across Trinity River West Fork

I'd not been across the trail bridge across the West Fork of the Trinity River to the north side of River Legacy Park since last October. The month my bike was stolen.

I'd read that the Huffine's development, the name of which I can not remember (is it Veridian?) was back under construction. The development came to a halt during the economic meltdown of 2008.

It appeared that the Huffine's development was back being developed. I saw a lot of heavy equipment activity moving dirt.

The Great Texas Drought of 2011 seemed to have greatly diminished the undergrowth that grows under the HUGE old growth trees, along the river, making it so you could see deep into the woods. Thus no herds of armadillos, wild boars, bobcats or snakes could easily hide from view. Previously this had been a visually impenetrable jungle.

A River Legacy Sign With A Baby Bobcat

I saw no armadillos, wild boars, bobcats or snakes today. I wonder what effect the Great Texas Drought of 2011 has had on the population of armadillos, wild boars, bobcats and snakes?

I did see a new sign that has been added at the north side of the bridge. On that sign there is a picture of a bobcat cub.

On one May day of several years ago I was pedaling the River Legacy Park trail, on the north side of the river and I came upon 3 different sets of armadillo babies, out foraging with their moms.

The biggest snake I've seen in Texas was at River Legacy Park. It was sprawled across the paved trail. You'll see that snake if you go to my River Legacy Park webpage. You will also see photos of my previous bobcat encounters.

Hot Coffee On A Cold Morning With The Shadow Of The Asthmatic Skinny Dipping Thin Man

You can't see my cup of coffee steaming as I take a drink as I stand outside to survey the current weather conditions on this 14th morning of October, Thursday number 2.

It is 56 degrees this morning at my location. When the air gets conditioned to 50 or under is when going swimming gets a bit challenging.

I did not go swimming yesterday, or do any other endorphin producing aerobic activity. I will make up for that today.

Changing the subject from my failing health to Google. Yesterday Google announced higher than expected ad earnings. That same day my ad revenue from Google, from my blogs and websites, was the highest it has ever been.

Changing the subject back from Google to my failing health. The allergy woe I've been experiencing is really starting to get on my nerves. I have never been a fan of having my nasal passages plugged up. Or of having to squirt nasal spray in order to breathe easily. I've never had much of an allergy problem. Til lately.

I know the North Texas gas drilling zone has a far higher incidence level of kids having asthma problems than  parts of Texas where the air isn't being contaminated. But, I've not read of the asthma problem being worse for adults in this forsaken part of the planet.

I'm going swimming now and try and forget about my woeful woes.

Some Of The People Of Fort Worth Are Trying To Understand J.D. Granger's Bad Boy Behavior

J.D. Granger With Adult Beverage

J.D. Granger's refusal to keep his commitment to appear at last night's TRIP forum at Fort Worth's Botanic Garden was causing a lot of muttering before the event started and real loud booing after the event started and the crowd was informed that this particular public employee was refusing to face the public.

I heard several speculators speculating as to why J.D. decided to bail.

One of the more amusing speculations was that J.D. decided he did not want to attend when he learned there would be no Open Bar.

The event did take place during Happy Hour, after all, and everyone knows, or should know, including TRIP, that J.D. Granger is a big aficionado of Happy Hours. An example of this is J.D.'s instigation of the Rockin' the River Inner Tube Happy Hour Floats on the Trinity River.

The sound was a bit muted last night at times, but I think I heard a Trinity River Vision apologist explain that encouraging the consumption of alcohol, on the river, was designed to counteract against the dangers of e. coli contamination. I'd not heard, before, that alcohol kills e. coli bacteria.

My favorite comment maker, someone named Anonymous, made an anonymous comment on last night's blogging about last night's forum that J.D. bailed on.

This is what Anonymous had to say........

I heard J.D. Granger cancelled on the TRIP debate because he'd gotten burned at some other meeting where someone asked a question about his personal life that he didn't like being asked. I also heard J.D. was afraid he'd be asked questions about remodelling done to his house that looks like Tim Love's new Woodshed restaurant, with people insinuating that some under the table dirty dealing was done, since Tim Love's new restaurant is sort of tied to the Trinity River Vision, which J.D. Granger oversees.

I don't buy the Anonymous explanation for J.D.'s absence. I think the absence of a Happy Hour Open Bar makes a lot more sense as to the why of J.D.'s rude no-show.

The Blue Sky Dawn Of Day 13 Of October In Formerly Totally Parched Texas

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world on this 13th day of October it appears a totally blue sky has returned to this formerly totally parched part of the planet.

Currently it is only 22 degrees above freezing at a relatively chilly 57. Heading to a high of around 77 today.

My pool got a shock treatment late yesterday. So, swimming is not doable this morning.

My current chronic woe of aching arm joints is being particularly achy today. I do not know if this is related to sitting too long on one spot last night at the TRIP forum that J.D. Granger bailed on.

I have a doctor's appointment in the noon time frame, up in Hurst, today. This will wreak havoc with my regular noon time walking/hiking constitutional. I need some aerobically induced endorphins to help abate my aching pains.

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.