Going Over The Edge In Fort Worth With Elsie Hotpepper

I learned this afternoon that this coming September 15, 2012, Elsie Hotpepper and I will be going Over the Edge in Fort Worth, rappelling down the Pier One Imports Corporate Headquarters building that was taken over by Aubrey McClendon to be used by Chesapeake Energy as the operating center from which to run Chesapeake's shadow government of Fort Worth.

It is 4 months until September. I don't know if, all things currently considered, Chesapeake Energy will still be operating in September.

If you want to rappel down the Chesapeake Energy building you can register here.

There are 4 registration levels. TOP ROPE for $10,000. HIGH FLYER for $6,000. DYNO for $2,500. HANG DOG for $1,000.

The higher the level the more you get for your money. For $10,000 a TOP ROPE gets its organization's logo on all promotional materials, including post event videos, the DFW website, brochures, posters, emails, print ads and e-newsletters. Their logo on the back of all participants t-shirts. Their logo on all event signage. Four people going over the edge. Choice of rappelling time. Choice of your team name. Chance to buy additional rappel spots at a special discount price. A complimentary photo, video and commemorative t-shirt. And recognition in DFWI annual report.

For $1,000 HANG DOG gets one reserved spot to go over the edge, video and commemorative t-shirt.

Clearly TOP ROPE is a much better bargain than HANG DOG.

From the Over the Edge website...

Sign up for "Over the Edge"– and Rappel down a building in Downtown Fort Worth! Get a whole new view of Downtown Fort Worth during this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to experience big thrills and excitement! If you want to live on the edge, this is your chance! Go as a solo climber, or sign up a representative from your organization. Pool your money and "toss your boss." Or give this unique experience as a gift for the thrill seeker in your life.

Toss your boss? Once in a lifetime opportunity? Didn't Fort Worth's now ex corrupt mayor Mike Moncrief go over the edge last year? Does this once in a lifetime opportunity mean that by next year Chesapeake will likely be defunct, making this coming September your last opportunity to rappel down the building while still owned by Chesapeake?

I am very stodgy about this type thing. To me rappelling down the side of a building sounds like about as much fun as floating in an inner tube in the Trinity River. But, Elsie Hotpeper wants to go over the edge, so I guess I won't be a killjoy about this.

Walking To Pre-Lunch At Sam's Club Before Getting Soaking Wet

Woman Escaping Sam's Club Under Bumbershoot

Today, during my regularly scheduled walking/hiking time, rain was raining down. I was in no mood to shield the rain with a bumbershoot, so I went to Sam's Club and let Sam's roof keep me dry.

At Sam's Club I had a tasty pre-lunch of chicken-fried steak, sausage, kolaches and blueberry muffins. The pre-lunch helped fuel my Sam's walk.

About the time I was ready to leave Sam's, a downpour started pouring down, with extreme velocity, causing an almost concussive effect. A very loud throbbing.

Shoppers trying to escape Sam's waited under cover for the rain to abate. I got tired of waiting for the abating and made a run for it. Got totally soaked, but the running got me some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation.

Now, hours later, it is no longer raining, the sky has partly cleared, the temperature is only 68, I've got my windows open, birds are chirping.

And I'm dry.

Changing the subject from being dry to something else.

You know how some old people are set in their ways and get all crotchety when someone does not agree with some foolish thing the old person believes? I've had that type experience today. Only the person with the erroneous beliefs is not all that old. It occurred to me that this person spews what this person thinks in the same manner that a hyper-religious sort proselytizes their beliefs with absolutely no consideration of the possibility that what they believe may not be believed by others. Or just simply wrong.

No, this person I am referring to is not Elsie Hotpepper. She is crotchety though, currently refusing to go kayaking with me in the Trinity River.

May Day 11 Postponing Going To Fort Worth's Trinity Uptown Drive-In Movie Theater

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on the morning of May Day 11 the sun is not visible due to being shielded from my eyes by a layer of clouds.

There is evidence in the form of puddles that indicates some precipitation precipitated overnight. I did not hear any rain pitter pattering on my windows.

Due to the rain related potential mud issues I won't be doing any hill hiking today on the Tandy Hills. I am not a fan of muddy hiking.

I also won't be doing any swimming this morning because my pool is currently being shocked.

I don't know what my means will be today of acquiring some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation.

I learned in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, this morning, that I won't be able to watch a movie at Fort Worth's new Trinity Uptown drive-in movie theater as soon as I thought I would. The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's drive-in movie theater construction it taking longer than originally planned. Apparently problems arose regarding drainage, parking lots and landscaping.

J.D. Granger, he being the genius project engineer behind much of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, is fine with the delay. He just wants the project done right, no matter how long it takes.

When the Trinity Uptown drive-in movie theater opens it will be interesting to see if it will be as huge a success as the Cowtown Wakepark.

Gumpar The Permian Explains What Is Wrong With Getting Married In North Carolina

America has a lot of problems that should be the focus of attention, in my opinion.

Real problems.

Things like veterans of America's many foreign wars ending up homeless after their return home.

I grow real tired of some issues getting demogauged simplistically, usually by Republicans, but sometimes by left leaners.

Demogauging about issues like the supposed scourge of illegal immigrants, the majority of whom come from Mexico, with the problem easily solved by easily granting work visas to Mexicans wanting to do jobs in America that Americans don't want to do.

Another demogauged issue that bugs me is all the brouhahaing over the supposed threat to the sanctity of marriage between a man and woman, by those who think anyone should be able to marry anyone they want to marry.

The idea that this issue is being voted on seems bizarre to me.

I believe the state I was born in, Oregon, and the state I grew up in, Washington, have now made it legal for anyone to marry anyone they want to marry.

Now, while I think this is a ridiculous issue, I totally understand that in a representative democracy that the people can make the majority view the law. Hence around 30 states not taking the more liberal Oregon/Washington view on this issue and voting in various measures to make it the law of a particular state that only a man and woman can get married.

I was going to ignore this subject til I read a blog this morning, the blog of someone I'll call Gumpar the Permian, not wanting to embarrass this individual by using his actual name.

Gumpar the Permian, in a blog post titled "Brainless North Carolinian's" wrote...

Apparently a majority of people voting in North Carolina have agreed they are unable to think for themselves. I could hardly believe it. They have decided that the government should tell them who they can marry. It's incredible! I've heard several people opine that India is bad because they have "arranged" marriages. I assume the marriages are arranged by the children's parents, but I'm not an expert.

Now keep in mind that Gumpar the Permian is an educated in Texas boy who had no history, civics or political science classes, whilst being educated.

I can not help but wonder how a majority of people supporting a measure on a ballot means they are unable to think for themselves? These are dots I can not connect.

And, India is "bad"? Due to arranged marriages? I did not know India was "bad". Did you? And not all marriages in India are arranged marriages. This type thinking is a product of a bad Texas education, it seems to me.

And then there is this from Gumpar the Permian...

However, in North Carolina, it's up to the government to determine who you can marry! Happy days. I guess your parents can still try to arrange it for you, but if the government doesn't agree then it doesn't count. Why oh why oh why? The government has no business dictating matters of love, relationships or marriage. None, zero, zilch. That's a very personal thing. We should not allow the government to tell us what to eat, what to drink, or who to marry.

I don't quite see how Gumpar makes the logic leap where the majority of North Carolinians approving a ballot measure, about what constitutes a marriage, turns into government dictating what North Carolinians can do.

See, if Gumpar the Permian had ever been exposed to something like a civics lesson he might have learned that America's government, at the federal, state and local level is founded on the idea that the government is of the People, for the People and by the People. In a representative democracy the People are the government.

Does this always work out well? No. Sometimes the people support something like banning the sale of adult beverages with a Prohibition Amendment to the Constitution that then ends up getting repealed when the People realize they'd made a big boo boo.

Now my view on this whole marriage thing is that that archaic institution should be abolished.

If marriage was abolished, overnight we'd solve the divorce problem. I can not help but notice that many of the people who whine about the sanctity of traditional marriage, speak from the voice of experience, due to their multiple marriages. People like Rush Limbaugh come to mind.

Then there are those highly publicized travesty marriages between men and women. I'm thinking of Kardashian sham marriages and Brittney Spears type marriage debacles. These type people should be banned from getting married.

And reproducing.

I am all for any government dicates that might put a stop to the Kardashians.

In one more bizarre bit of erroneousness from Gumpar the Permian, Gumpar opines....

There's no need to waste time debating about the merits of gay marriage. If you want to get married, by all means, get married. It doesn't hurt me in any way. However, in North Carolina, you'll need permission from Beverly Purdue, the current governor. The only time she should be involved is if you'd want her blessing to marry one of her sons. Even then, it's just a blessing.

Does Gumpar the Permian actually think the voters of North Carolina approved a ballot measure that gives their governor the duty of passing permission on all North Carolinian marriage proposals?

I really think some people should have to pass some sort of civics test to be allowed to vote.

Hiking The Tandy Hills With Coyote Kill

Tandy Highway

In the picture you are looking north on the Tandy Highway, deep in the shade of the Tandy Forest, today in the noon time frame.

Rain is in the forecast for a couple days, starting tomorrow, so today may be the last time I am able to get hill hiking endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation til North Texas returns to its usual dried out state.

Swimming this morning was very pleasant, partly due to the fact that the air was colder than the water in the pool. Which made the pool feel heated.

Currently clouds are between me and the sun and me doing some poolside lounging in preparation to get sufficiently suntanned so as not to get sunburned when I go swimming with the dolphins on the South Texas Gulf Coast.

Hiking the trails of the Tandy Hills I sure see a lot of signs that there have been a lot of feet trampling on Fort Worth's best prairie. I think this is a very good thing, helping to keep the foliage at bay and not totally overtaking the trails.

Coyote Kill?

Today, the FWISD (Fort Worth Independent School District) orange flags were once again stuck in the ground all over the Tandy Hills

We learned a few days ago the orange flags are directional beacons for herds of Fort Worth school kids being bused in for some healthy prairie time.

I was a bit perplexed by one of the orange flags.

Coyote Kill.

What does that mean, I can not help but wonder? Is it the name of a plant? Or the site of a murder, from whence the corpse has been removed?

Someone, somewhere must have the answer to the Coyote Kill mystery.

May Day 10 Thinking About Rockin' The River In A Kayak With Elsie Hotpepper

The morning of May Day 10 is dawning with a blue sky, as you can see via the view from one of my viewing portals on the outer world. With May having 31 days, by the end of today, almost a third of May will be history.

Time moves ever faster as I get old ever faster.

At this point in history the ground level at my location is only 27 degrees above freezing, heading to a high today of 82.

Yesterday after I mentioned that I had considered kayaking among the floaters in J.D. Granger's upcoming Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats on the feces infested Trinity River someone named Anonymous commented....

"Looks like the stage is up on the river's edge again for the J.D. & Friends Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon."

I did not know the name of the river floating event had been changed to Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon. I guess it's a more fitting name.

Elsie Hotpepper has been suffering with some serious ennui issues of late. Maybe it'd give her something to look forward to if I asked her if she wants to kayak with me at the upcoming Poop O'Matic Float A'Thon.

In the meantime, I think I'll go swimming before it gets any colder.

Biking River Legacy Park Thinking Of Kayaking With The Trinity River Alligators

River Legacy Park Trinity River Kayakers

My physical therapist told me I'm not getting enough exercise, so I decided to bike to the end of the River Legacy Park trails this early evening.

Many other people had the same idea. I don't know how many of those biking, walking, skateboarding, roller blading and kayaking were doing so due to advice from their physical therapist.

Just this afternoon I watched a disturbing video of an alligator attacking a guy in a kayak in a lake in Florida. No alligator harm was done, except for panicking the guy into a profanity spewing reversal of his kayak to escape the marauding reptile.

Just a couple days ago, thanks to an email from one of my favorite Southern Belles, Miss Connie, I learned about a couple locations in the south Dallas zone where large alligators are known to reside. From that same email from Miss Connie I also saw a photo of the biggest alligator gar ever caught in the Trinity River.

I have it on my to-do list to blog about that which Miss Connie led me to see, but I've become a really bad procrastinator, of late.

Since I have been biking the River Legacy trails again, on several occasions, I have seen kayakers exiting or entering the Trinity River from the kayak launch pad that was added a couple years ago. I remember when I saw that kayak launch pad built thinking to myself that this is never going to be used.

Shows what an accurate prognosticator I am.

I have a kayak that I have not kayaked in in years. I had a momentary thought, last summer, to kayak among those enjoying feces infested floating in the Trinity River via J.D. Granger's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, but I never was sufficiently motivated to go to the bother.

Maybe I'll take my kayak for a spin in the Trinity River in River Legacy Park. I could add this to my exercise regimen.

Making My Way Through The Thick Tandy Hills Foliage

As you can see, via the picture, the foliage on the Tandy Hills continues to get more lush, green, thick and colorful.

Soon, unless Mother Nature does something, some of the trails are going to become very narrow, or disappear all together, for the duration of the green time of the year in North Texas.

The temperature was in the low 70s when I got my endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation today.

I remember a time arriving in Tacoma in August of 2004 with the locals in full heat swoon mode because the temperature was in the high 70s. The locals were swooning while I was shivering.

Speaking of ennui, which if I remember right I spoke of a couple days ago, indicating I had succumbed to a mood of ennui. I think my ennui mood may be contagious. Elsie Hotpepper is now showing signs of ennui.

Since I can not escape my ennui mood I think I will go lounge in the sun for awhile and bake at 81 degrees. The pool will be available if I need some cooling.

The Chilly 2nd Wednesday Of May Going Swimming With Mister Mikogo

Looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell on the morning of May Day 9, I see a little cloud action blowing by.

Clouds I see, but what I feel is air currently chilled to being only 29 degrees above freezing.

61 degrees is cold. Eventually, if the temperature predictors are correct with their prediction the air will at some point today get 20 degrees warmer than its current chilly state.

I have yet to see this BIG moon people are talking about. Even my mom has seen the BIG moon and asked me if I've seen it. My mom has macular degeneration, so there are a lot of things my mom can not see.

This morning I get to have fun trying to make something called a Mikogo connection. A Mikogo connection connects two remote computers, through Mikoga, allowing the users on both computers to look at the same thing at the same time.

Before I get Mikogaing I think I will go swimming before it gets any colder.

Walking Around Fosdic Lake Pond Scum With Ducks

Fosdic Lake Covered With Green Pond Scum

It has been a few days since I last visited Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. During my absence the layer of thick green pond scum has grown bigger and thicker.

The cold front that has blown in from the north has blown most of the Fosdic Lake pond scum to the south end of the lake.

The water that is not covered with pond scum had a black inky color to it today.

That cold front has made it unseasonably cold in North Texas on this 8th day of May. Only 68 degrees coming up on 3 in the afternoon.

It will be interesting to see what happens to Fosdic Lake when we get to the super HOT days of summer.

There are still a few ducks living on Fosdic Lake. Including a young mama duck and her brood of duck babies. I think I mentioned this family the last time I visited Fosdic Lake. The mama duck and duck babies were in the exact same location as the last time I visited them.

Mama Duck With Babies & No Baby Daddy Duck

Usually ducks, particularly mama ducks with duck babies, quickly waddle off when I get close. But, this duck  mama did not seem to care that I was taking pictures of her and her babies.

I think the duck mama may be a bit traumatized trying to raise her family on a lake that is quickly getting covered by green pond scum.

In addition to ducks, there were a lot of humans enjoying the brisk breeze blowing in from the north.

One lady lake walker had a little dog on a leash. The dog had had it's fur colored a very unnatural reddish-pink. I asked if I could take a picture of her unnatural looking dog. The lady said the dog was camera shy. I took that as a polite way of saying no.