A Sunday Walk With The Fosdic Lake Ducks

Serene Sunday Fosdic Lake

The rain stopped raining down in semi-downpour mode before noon.

So I decided that a walk around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park would be good for some of what ails me.

But, as I drove on to Oakland Lake Park's westside parking lot, big drops began to hit my windshield.

The big drops only dropped a few drops before stopping the dropping.

But, I grabbed a bumbershoot anyway, in case the rain began to drop again.

It didn't.

However, I did hear one loud clap of thunder.

A Quacking Fosduck Enjoying The Storm Respite

The time is now rapidly approaching 3 on this Sunday afternoon. Methinks the storming is over at my location on the planet, for now.

I had myself a real fine time this morning swimming in the rain.

When a downpour gets you soaked before you make it to the pool, there is none of the usual temperature acclimating to the slightly cool pool water needed.

The sun is looking like it may be breaking through the cloud cover. I'm thinking I might enjoy a second swim of the day, a rain-free swim, with possibly some poolside lounging.

I am trying to get sufficiently suntanned so I am not an albino spectacle when I go swimming with the dolphins that live off South Padre Island.

The 3rd Sunday Of April With Thunder & Rain & No Tornado Sirens So Far

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this 3rd Sunday of the 4th month of 2012 it does not appear that much wet drippage has dropped on this part of the planet, so far, on this day that the weather predictors have predicted will be very wet.

My local bird population is in heavy duty tweeting mode this morning, apparently happily oblivious to the prediction that severe storms are possible this morning.

I am very happy that Mother Nature decided to stop being such a blowhard this morning. The non-stop racket of wind chimes was really wearing on my hyper-sensitive nerves.

When this Sunday ends, with it being April 15, already half of the month will have passed into history. It is a month since I flew to Phoenix. I really tire of the ever faster passage of time. I seem to be aging at an accelerated pace.

I just heard my first thunder boom of the day. The sky is beginning to look a bit menacing.

Methinks I need to get in my morning swim in before lightning bolts start striking my neighborhood.

Yikes! Suddenly a downpour of heavy duty drippage has arrived. I may re-think that swimming plan.

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival April 19 - 22 On Historic Red Bricks

I was surprised yesterday to learn, via an email from the Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. people that it is already that time of year that the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival takes place.

Thursday, April 19, through Sunday, April 22, to be exact.

The first time I experienced the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival it did not take place in Downtown Fort Worth.

A tornado spun its way through Downtown Fort Worth on March 28, 2000, wreaking havoc with Main Street and other streets in Downtown Fort Worth, so that year the Arts Festival was moved to the location where Fort Worth tries to contain its culture, the Cultural District.

I was less than 2 years into my Texas Exile when I experienced the Main St. Arts Festival. This was to be the first time in Texas, and in Fort Worth, that I experienced something that was better done than I'd experienced elsewhere.

In other words the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival is bigger and better than any similar festival I ever attended in Washington.

The Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival was also the first place I experienced the bizarre Texas custom of making you buy coupons in order to buy something like a hot dog and a Coke. You wait in one line to trade your dollars for coupons and then you wait in another line to pay for your hot dog and Coke with coupons.

A Texan later told me, after I experienced the coupon payment method at the State Fair of Texas, that the reason for the coupon method was that it was too hard to find short term help that was able to make change, but that they were able to count coupons.

I also later learned that there were parts of Texas where people could be found who could make change and thus the coupon purchase method was not used, like Canton First Mondays. It being another Texas thing that is better and bigger than I've ever experienced anywhere else.

There is a blurb on the promotional poster, above, that about sums up the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival...

"Let your imagination spin wild at one of the top-rated arts festivals in America. Enjoy revolutionary art, sensational music and delectable food on the historic red bricks of Downtown. The Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival - a kaleidoscope of sight, sound and soul."

Historic red bricks? What is it with Fort Worth and its red bricks. I remember years ago asking a Fort Worth native I called Beth the Reporter why Camp Bowie Boulevard is a cobblestoned mess. She told me that the brick roadway was unique and Fort Worth kept it because it is so special.

I informed Beth the Reporter that there was nothing special or unique about that cobblestoned road. I recollect asking her if she'd been to the Texas town of Ennis, which has a cobblestoned street. I have seen several towns in Texas with cobblestoned streets and squares.

What is historic about the red bricks of downtown Fort Worth? Does anyone know?

Foot Traffic Only On The Tandy Hills With Native American Butterflies

Foot Traffic Only With The Stunning Skyline Of
Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth
In The Distance

I planned to enter the Tandy Hills today from the View Street location. But when I arrived there there were way too many vehicles and people. So, I drove to the top of Mount Tandy where there were no vehicles or people.

On the Tandy Hills there is a cable fence that marks the eastern edge of the Natural Area.

The FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY sign you see attached to the cable fence is a short distance to the south of the Tandy Hills Shrine, halfway down Mount Tandy.

I don't know why there a need for a FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY sign at this location due to the fact that being on foot is about the only means of conveyance that one might use to traverse the landscape past this sign.

Is This A Native American Butterfly?

Changing the subjects from silly signs to butterflies.

A couple days ago I was amazed at the number of butterflies hovering all around me as I biked with the Indian Ghosts at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

The past couple days I've been seeing even more butterflies hovering all around me on the Tandy Hills.

It is like the butterflies are being playful. They remind me of Avatar.

Speaking of Indian Ghosts, the butterfly in the picture, who kindly stayed still long enough for me to photograph him or her, has a color scheme that looks, to me, to be very Native American.

The wind continues to blow. I continue to hear annoying wind chimes. The sky continues to look stormy.

The 2nd Saturday Of April Dawns Windy & Warm

The 2nd Saturday of April, day 14, is currently being very windy and heated to 40 degrees above freezing.

As you can sort of see, via the view from one of my viewing portals on the outer world, the sky above the pool looks to be a bit stormy.

But the weather predictors are not, currently, predicting stormy weather for today at my location in North Texas.

However, a few miles to the north, in Oklahoma, hatches are being battened down in anticipation of big hail and tornadoes.

The weather predictors are predicting storms for North Texas tomorrow, but not as severe as today's prediction for Oklahoma.

Something in the air is back irritating my vision orbs. I tire of excessive blinking.

I think I will try to make my way to the pool, in between wind gusts, and go swimming now.

Hiking The Tandy Hills Before Sunday's Big Storm & Tonight's Paradise Center Camp Bowie Bingo

Yellow Blooms Sticking Up On The Tandy Hills

If the weather predictors are correct I only have a couple days to get in some good hill hiking before a BIG STORM drops a lot of wet on the Tandy Hills and North Texas on Sunday.

So, I had myself some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation on the Hills of Tandy today in the noon time frame.

I do not recollect the Tandy Hills ever looking so lushly green as they are currently looking.

I neglected to mention that I hiked the Tandy Hills late yesterday afternoon.

Of late I've come across some strange things on the Tandy Hills.

Yesterday when I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy I startled a couple sitting on a slab of cement, with their two pit bulls. They'd hiked from the View Street entry to the hills. Their first time hiking the Tandy Hills.

Rather adventurous, I thought, to make it from View Street to the base of the Fort Worth Space Needle. The man of the couple said he was a little concerned about finding their way back due to the seemingly confusing maze of trails. I described an easy way to find their way back, via crossing the escarpment of Tandy Falls.

A few minutes after giving those directions I crossed that escarpment and headed up the hill to the trail that leads in from View Street. I was near the top when I was startled by the loud noise of an animal coming up fast behind me.

It was Stenotrophomonas.

Stenotrophomonas has not made any blog comments for awhile, not since the Tandy Highway Sanitary Sewer Flood, if my memory serves me correctly. I'd wondered what had become of Stenotrophomonas. I think Stenotrophomonas has become some sort of fitness nut since I last saw him, judging by the speed with which he runs up steep hills.

When I arrived on top of Mount Tandy today there was an AT & T van, parked outside the fenced area around the Fort Worth Space Needle. And a Volvo parked up against the cable that blocks easy entry to the Tandy Wagon Trail.

As I was heading back up Mount Tandy, after completing my hiking regimen, I came upon a guy who said he was lost. He said when he started his hike he parked by what he said was a power company van. I suggested AT & T and that he likely parked at the top of the hill I was heading up.

I did not remember the car parked there was a Volvo, so I could not ask if he was driving a Volvo. The guy was insistent that he did not park at the top of Mount Tandy. And that he'd not parked on View Street.

There ain't a lot of other options. It is several hours later, I hope that guy is not still wandering around trying to find where he parked his car.

Changing the subject from lost souls to bingo.

Tonight is Paradise Center Camp Bowie Bingo. It is Free Food Friday, where you get 2 hot dogs, chips and a drink. And I'll get another chance to win another bike.

The Morning Of Friday The 13th With Fizzled Missiles & Noisy Wind Chimes

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this morning of Friday the 13th, this particular day in April does not seem to be boding ill so far.

It was nice to learn this Friday the 13th morning that the North Koreans did not have good luck launching a missile.

All night long it was very windy at my location on the planet. I was hearing wind chimes all night long. I do not like wind chimes. I think wind chimes should be banned.

I also think saggy pants should be banned. I read this morning that some judge somewhere that I've already forgotten sent a guy to jail for wearing saggy pants in public.

I saw a lady in Wal-Mart, yesterday, who I thought should maybe get some jail time for what she was wearing in public.

Clearly I am in a very anti-libertarian mood this Friday the 13th morning.

At this point in time it is already 35 degrees above freezing. I probably should shut my windows before it gets any hotter.

I think it is hot enough to go swimming now.

Biking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts To Arlington's Interlochen Canals

Interlochen Canal In Arlington

That is one of the Interlochen Canals, in Arlington, you are looking at in the picture.

Today I was able go bike riding with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Village Creek Natural Historical Area because the park closed sign was no more.

Until the next flood.

For the first time in over a year I left the Indian Ghosts behind, exiting the Historical Area to the Bob Findlay Linear Park, also known as Pioneer Trail.

Seeing the Canals of Interlochen today got me wondering how it was Arlington was able to builds these canals. Was there a Rush Creek Vision? Did the project that resulted in the Interlochen Canals get Federal earmark money courtesy of a corrupt Congressman? Or Congresswoman? To help grease the Congressperson's help was the job of managing the Interlochen Canal project given to that Congressperson's unqualified, unemployed son?

I actually know the answer to these probing questions. The Interlochen Canals and Lake Interlochen are the result of a private development envisioned by Bob Findlay. A nationally recognized project that turned a gravel pit and floodlands into a valuable piece of real estate.

The Interlochen Neighborhood covers 4.578 square miles and is home to 11,660 Arlingtonians.

I do not believe any property was stolen via the abuse of eminent domain to facilitate the Interlochen Canal Vision.

The Interlochen Canal Vision resulted, eventually, in the Lake Interlochen Homeowners Association that takes care of the upkeep of the canal system, which includes the impound dam on Rush Creek and the structures that control the inflow and outflow of Lake Interlochen.

I do not know if J.D. Granger and his cronies took one of their infamous junket parties to Arlington to check out the Interlochen Canals. Likely not.

I Love Texas & Other Idiosyncrasies

This morning I did my daily look at Facebook to see the daily look at former Fort Worth native and admirer of what the Bass Family has done to downtown Fort Worth, now exiled in Tacoma, MLK's, daily face photo, when I saw that MLK had shared a photo of a heart that says, "I LOVE TEXAS" on it.

I sure do love writing run-on sentences. But, I digress.

There were 3 comments regarding the I LOVE TEXAS heart.

I found the 3 comments amusing....

Tamera Royer: Hell yea.

Cow Thief: You can get the "I LOVE TEXAS" ones, but only at a few places. This is a special production run from NECCO. At one time I would get them and give them out but it got to the point to where people were DEMANDING them!

Tara Butler: Who doesn't?

Yeah. Who doesn't love Texas? There is so much to love that is so lovable in Texas.

From MLK's Facebook I LOVE TEXAS heart photo I learned that there is an I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page.

On the I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page I learned what John Steinbeck thought about Texas via the I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page's page description...

"I Love Texas" is all about the Great State of Texas and why we love her! 

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner." John Steinbeck

From the above we learn that, according to John Steinbeck, former Fort Worth native, MLK, is currently a foreigner.

MLK is temporarily returning to Fort Worth during the 4th of July time frame. I do not know if MLK's visit to Texas will be of long enough duration for her to lose her foreigner status.

Morning 12 Of April Dawns Blue & Dry In Texas

It appears that the 12th morning of April is beginning with a blue sky, judging from the limited view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world.

That outer world is currently heated to 31 degrees above freezing, heading to a supposed high today of 76.

The weather predictors are not predicting any rain to electrical action for today. The weather predictors are predicting rain and electrical action for the following 4 days, from Friday through Monday.

I got some interesting comments to yesterday's bloggings about the Bass family and David Lunsford.

I think I will go swimming now before it gets any hotter and whilst swimming I will ponder from whence my attitude towards Fort Worth's Bass family comes. Among other things.