The Final Monday Of April Dawns With Possible Incoming Storms

Looking skyward on this last day of April it appears less stormy than yesterday morning. However, today storminess is in the forecast, with possible rain and lightning strikes.

I hope I can get in some salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation by doing some hill hiking before any precipitation precipitates.

It is 39 degrees above freezing, already, on this Monday morning.

I've got my windows open, but am not getting a satisfying incoming cooling. The ceiling fan is spinning and that is not providing a satisfying cooling either.

Something in the air is annoying my eyes, again. A burning sensation.

Among the many things I liked about being in the desert in Arizona, last month, was nothing irritated my eyes. And I did not need any sort of spray intervention to keep my respiratory system functioning correctly.

It is now that time in the morning when I quit whining in blogging mode and go swimming where I whine quietly to myself.

Visiting Veterans Park Before Visiting Arlington's International District

On my way to Arlington's International District, today, I stopped at Arlington's Veterans Park to visit the veteran who guards the Veterans Park Memorial.

As you can clearly see, this morning it was cloudy and windy in Arlington.

What you can not see is that both of the park's parking lots were almost full. There was not one large singular activity that accounted for the almost full parking lots, but a lot of individual activity of individuals and small groups of individuals.

After visiting Veterans Park I visited 3 stores in Arlington's International District. That being 2 stores that are Asian themed and one, Import Market, that is more Middle Eastern/Russian themed.

I got a jar of Ginger Paste at the Import Market. I have no idea what this is used for, but it was on sale for $3.99 and the description on the jar made it sound as if there are all sorts of uses for it. I also got Whole Wheat Pita Bread. I'd not seen Whole Wheat Pita Bread before.

I looked all over the Import Market for Hummus. I found cans of chickpeas, but no Hummus.

The customers in the Import Market appeared to be more multi-cultural than the Asian themed stores I went in, where I tend to be the only Anglo in the store.

I did see one other Anglo in one of the Asian stores. She was stunningly beautiful, exotically so.

Many of the Asians in the Asian stores are dressed very stylishly. The Asian stores are run very efficiently. The Middle Eastern/Russian store has some quirks in how it operates, with the quirks being part of what is interesting. For instance, many items have no indicator of the price. So, I bought the Whole Wheat Pita Bread not knowing what it cost til I saw it scan at $1.49.

If you live in the Arlington zone and have not shopped in Arlington's International District, you really should check it out.

I wonder why no one opens a Uwajimaya type complex in the D/FW zone? Uwajimaya is in Seattle's International District. Uwajimaya is an Asian store on steroids, with one of the best food courts I've ever had the pleasure of being pleased in.

The Final Sunday Of April Has Arrived After A Night Of Sleep Walking

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world, on the last Sunday of April, gray seems to be the color scheme this morning.

Eventually today is supposedly going to be partly cloudy. Currently the sky is totally cloudy.

I've got my windows open so the steady breeze can blow in naturally air-conditioned air that has been chilled to 68 degrees.

Eventually the sky furnace will turn on and the windows will need to be closed. But, with the scheduled high today being only 83, maybe I'll be able to avoid turning on the un-natural air-conditioning.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to one of my personal problems.

I had a sleep walking incident last night. That makes two nights in a row. The previous night I walked in my sleep and opened the patio door. And left it open. Last night I woke up and could not find my pillow. I looked all around the bed. Then got out of bed. The pillow was nowhere to be found in my bedroom. Or the closet. Or the bathroom.

So, I exited my bedroom, looked in the kitchen, and then the living room, to find the pillow on a coffee table.

I find these sleep walking incidents to be very disturbing due to the fact that I have no idea what else I may be doing whilst sleep walking.

It is time to go swimming now. Later this morning I think I will go to Arlington's International District.

Pedaling The New Veridian Trail At Arlington's River Legacy Park

The Thin Ribbon Of The Veridian Trail

No, what you are looking at in the picture is not some location on the Tandy Hills. I did not go to the Tandy Hills tonight, did not go to Prairie Fest x3 Part 2.

Instead of joining the throngs on the Tandy Hills I joined the throngs at River Legacy Park and had myself a real fine time going on a real long bike ride.

The orange cones that had been blocking entry from the River Legacy trail to the new paved trail that trails off into the Veridian Project had been set aside.

So, I pedaled that new Veridian trail until it terminated.

The End Of The Veridian Trail

The new Veridian trail is very narrow. I don't quite see how it is intended to be used. A pedestrian trail connection to the River Legacy trail? With bikes banned?

I have to say it was fun biking on this trail, going real fast.

The parking lot where I usually park at River Legacy Park was full tonight. The park was way busier than my mid-week visits. But the traffic on the trails was not quite as frenetic.

I was quite impressed with the number of over inflated people out getting themselves some exercise tonight. There was one really big pair at the end of the trail, the 7 mile mark. They did not appear to move too fast. I hope they made it back to their vehicular transport before it got too dark.

CatsPaw Takes A Close Look At Fort Worth's Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge

That is an artist's rendering of what Fort Worth's  Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge will look like upon completion in about a month.

I got the artist's rendering from the Freese and Nichols website. Freese and Nichols are the Fort Worth based constructors of this architectural wonder.

Quoting from the Freese and Nichols website...

The 386-foot-long Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Bridge across the Trinity River will be an important and highly visible pedestrian bridge connection between downtown Fort Worth and the City’s Cultural District. With the bridge’s prominent location at historic Trinity Park, the aesthetic design is of paramount importance. After evaluating multiple concepts, an elegant “stress ribbon” design was selected by a design committee. This arch-supported stress ribbon bridge will be the first of its kind in the United States. The bridge was designed in collaboration with noted bridge designers Rosales + Partners and Schlaich Bergermann und Partner.

The cost of this architectural marvel is only $3 million.

America is flush with cash, while Fort Worth is not flush with cash, so you in the rest of America contributed $2.3 million of the $3 million for this direly needed bridge that will help connect Fort Worth's downtown to its isolated Cultural District.

Looking West At The $3 Million Bridge Under Construction

If you visit Fort Worth and want to walk across the bridge you helped pay for, I think you will likely be able to do so without paying Fort Worth any more money.

However.

Having said that, I must warn you that Fort Worth has a bad habit of charging admission fees for things that most towns consider to be life enhancing amenities to be used, free of additional charge, by everyone.

A couple days ago I blogged Questions About Fort Worth's New Pedestrian Bridge Across The Trinity River, after which, CatsPaw, she being the renowned Fort Worth photo journalist and graphic designer, sent me three photos she took yesterday of the Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge under construction.

One Of A Kind Stress Ribbon Bridge

Looking at these photos one can clearly see how this little bridge could easily cost $3 million.

If I remember right the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge cost around $1 billion. That is 333 times more expensive than this new bridge in Fort Worth.

Just guessing, but I suspect Tacoma's new bridge is way more than 333 times bigger than the new Fort Worth bridge. If I remember right the Tacoma bridge carries 6 lanes of traffic. Plus pedestrians.

I don't know if the new Tacoma Narrows Suspension Bridge got any federal grant money to help with the funding. If I remember right it was something like 7 or 8 counties voted in the proposition that led to the construction of the new Tacoma bridge.

One Month Til The Grand Opening

In Fort Worth we don't believe in the public voting on things like public works projects.

I have not yet learned how it was that the Phyllis Tilley Memorial Pedestrian Bridge came to be constructed.

However, I do know for certain it was not the result of a public vote.

CatsPaw took these photos yesterday. It appears that there is a lot of constructing still needing to take place if this bridge is going to look anything remotely like that artist's rendering at the top, by the time of its Grand Opening in May.

The Segway Experience With CatsPaw In Fort Worth's Botanic Garden

CatsPaw surprised me today by letting me know that, via Groupon, she'd signed us up for a Segway tour of the 109 acre Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

Are Segways able to go off-road? On trails?

Before we are led on our tour we get personal instructions on how to operate the X2 Segways.

I have been all over the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. I may be wrong, but I don't think there are all that many areas where something like a Segway would be allowed, just like how a mountain bike or golf cart would not be allowed.

And then there are the elevation changes. Do Segway's easily navigate elevation changes?

The information that comes with the Groupon says that riders must be able to make motions such as climbing and descending stairs without assistance.

Climb and descend stairs? What does one do with ones Segway whilst climbing and descending stairs?

Also the Groupon ad says riders must weigh between 100 and 275 pounds. I guess I need to lose some weight before I get on a Segway.

It will be interesting to see how this Segway ride through the Botanic Garden works.

Prickly Pear Cactus Is Blooming On The Tandy Hills For Today's Prairie Fest x3 Part 2

Blooming Tandy Hills Prickly Pear Cactus 

The temperature was in the low 80s when I did my Tandy Hills hill hiking today. A steady breeze made for some good wind chilling.

I saw my first Prickly Pear Cactus bloom of the year, today.

Soon I should be able to harvest some Prickly Pears and make some Prickly Pear Jam.

I drove on View Street on my way to Town Talk, post hiking, and saw that Prairie Fest x3 Part 2 is all set up and ready to go.

CatsPaw sent me some good bridge pictures this morning and an invite to ride a Segway through Fort Worth's Botanic Garden. I must turn these two items into separate bloggings.

But, before I blog about bridges and Segways I think I'll go do some poolside lounging. After going swimming.

The Windy Final Saturday Of April Is Part 2 Of Prairie Fest x3

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this final Saturday of April you can not see how windy it is or feel how hot it is.

Well, I can tell you it is a bit breezy and 68 degrees.

Part 2 of Prairie Fest x3 starts up later today, with music and wildflower tours starting at 4 pm.

I hope it is not too windy for the Prairie Fest x3 kite fliers and prairie painters today.

I think I may go to the Tandy Hills before 4 today and do me some windy hill hiking.

But, before I do that I think I will go do some windy swimming and have fun dodging the whitecaps rolling across the pool.

Where Have Fort Worth's Fosdic Ducks & Turtles Gone?

Fosdic Mama Duck & Babies

It has been a few days since I've walked around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park in East Fort Worth.

Something appears to have gone dire wrong since the last time I had a close up look at Fosdic Lake.

Every year, during the HOT heat of summer, when the temperature goes over 100 day after day, Fosdic Lake can take on a greenish hue, due to algae flourishing in the warm water.

It is currently a bit less than 2 months until summer. The temperature has gotten into the high 80s and low 90s a couple times this year. Currently it is 89.

Yet, for some reason Fosdic Lake has a huge mass of green vegetative matter floating over much of the lake.

I only saw about 10 ducks today and five of them were the babies you see in the picture.

Where have all the Fosdic ducks gone? And the other Fosdic birds? Are the Fosdic birds being like a parakeet in a mine? Do they know that Fosdic Lake has turned foul and have escaped to cleaner waters?

None of the Fosdic ducks I saw today were in the water. Maybe they do not like floating in a high wind. As it was being very windy today in the noon time frame. Or maybe ducks don't like floating with little islands of algae.

Green Algae Vegetation Blown Up Against Fosdic Dam

Usually the Fosdic ducks are very skittish. Usually when the ducks are land bound they quickly get lake bound when I get close to them. Today none of the ducks seemed to care that I was close to them. It was like I was the least of their worries, with a new worry taking top precedence, that being their home that was growing green.

And where were the Fosdic turtles? The turtles love it when the temperature is as hot as it is today. Usually I'd see dozens of Fosdic turtles, swimming in the water, sunning on logs. Today no turtles.

What is Fosdic Lake going to be like when the heat of summer arrives? Will it become totally choked with algae?

This is all very disturbing.

The Final Friday Of April

Looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell on the final Friday of April, day 27, there appears to be some cloud action.

But, no rain is in the current forecast, for today.

However, on the last day of April, Monday, April Showers are in the forecast.

It was windy all night, again, which had me hearing wind chimes tinkling. I do not like wind chimes.

A couple days ago a couple people emailed me asking if it was I who was found dead beside his bike beside the Trinity River. This seemed odd to me, like those people who call to see if I got struck by the tornado they'd just seen on CNN twisting somewhere in Texas.

I'd not bothered to click on the link to the story about the dead biker that those asking if I'd died, politely included in their query, til last night.

I was surprised to learn that the dead biker was found in River Legacy Park. On Tuesday. I biked in River Legacy Park on Monday and Wednesday oblivious to the fact that someone had met his tragic end there.

On a happier note, I was happy this morning to read in my favorite newspaper, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that Trader Joe's is opening in Fort Worth on June 15. I have only been to one Trader Joe's, somewhere between Sea-Tac and Tacoma. I liked Trader Joe's a lot. I suspect it will be very busy, like In-N-Out, when it opens.

It is currently 68 degrees. I think I will go swimming now before it gets any hotter.