Hot Hiking In The Tandy Hills Natural Steam Bath

Smoggy View Of Downtown Fort Worth

That is the smoggy stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth you are looking at, past a wildflower blowing in the wind.

Some clouds were blocking some of the incoming sun rays in the noon time frame, a wind was blowing. the temperature was in the low 80s.

I figured I could do myself some Tandy Hills hill hiking today without overheating like being in a natural steam bath.

I figured wrong.

In summers previous I'd do Tandy Hill hiking when the temperature was above 100 without having steam bath issues.

I am being very perplexed as to the reason why I am overheating.

Could it be that I am weighing more than last summer and the summer before that? But, I thought that weight gain was all muscle.

Getting Close To A Fosdick Turtle While Thinking About Going To Ocean Shores

A few drops of rain dripped on me when I was in Hurst this morning. For a while the cloud activity was looking like it might go into downpour mode, turning Sam's Club into my rainy day walking location.

But, so far, the only drops that have dripped on me today have been those Hurst ones. And  a few drops from the fountain in the pool this morning. But, that really does not count.

I decided to visit the turtles who guard Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park today. I have visited the turtle you see in the picture previously. He (or she) is not a skittish turtle. He (or she) lets me get close to take pictures and does not seem to mind the bird tweeting noise the camera makes.

How does one tell if a turtle is a boy or girl I suddenly find myself wondering? How do you tell a boy snake from a girl snake? I am sitting here being surprised I've not thought about these serious issues before.

I was not too shocked today to see that the overfilled litter barrel I mentioned a couple days ago has been emptied and some of the litter in the surrounding area has been picked up. Or blown away.

Changing the subject from turtles and snakes and litter to something else.

One of my fellow Washingtonians, currently exiled, along with me, in Texas, is up north in our home state, escaping the Texas HEAT.

A couple days ago Steve A kindly let me know that the temperature at his current location, Ocean Shores on the Washington Pacific Coast, was 63 degrees. I can not think of a more pleasant place to be, right now, than Ocean Shores.

Just to listen to huge waves crashing would be such a good thing. When I'm up in Washington, this summer, maybe one of the Nephew David blogging outtings will be to Ocean Shores.

Just in from Steve A is something else from Washington. In this morning's blogging I rambled on about the price of gas, and the current low at my location of $2.98 a gallon. Steve A commented to that blogging commenting that he'd paid $3.87 for gas at Safeway in Hoquiam.

That is yet one more thing we are blessed with in Texas. Cheaper gas. This will likely cause Steve A to return to Texas.

Changing the subject from cheap gas back to Fosdick Lake.

I do not know why the picture I took of the turtle makes the water of Fosdick Lake appear to be such an appealing shade of blue, with the water appearing to be clean and clear.

It is almost as if my camera somehow automatically creates special effects and illusions.

At ALDI In Hurst I Found Gas So Cheap I'm Regretting Buying A Chevy Volt

In the picture you can likely guess we are not in Fort Worth, due to the telling clue that the roadway we are looking at appears to be landscaped.

We are in Hurst, standing on the ALDI Food Market parking lot, looking west, across Precinct Line Road at a RaceTrac gas station where gas is currently selling for $2.98 a gallon.

I recollect that before he quit running for president, Newt Gingrich promised he had a plan to get the price of gas down to $2.50. That did not seem to me to be all that promising a promise.

I remember when I was up in Washington for a month, almost 4 years ago, July 20 til August 20, that gas had almost reached 5 bucks a gallon upon my arrival. And then began to fall. If I remember right by the time I was being evicted back to Texas gas had fallen to $2.99 at the Puyallup Tribe gas station by their casino in Tacoma, causing a line that stretched to the freeway exit.

Soon upon arrival back in Texas I recollect gas going under 2 bucks at some stations, also causing lines. Just a few months later, the first week of 2009, my mom and dad were here, with gas costing only $1.31 a gallon, up from the low of $1.15 that I'd paid at a QT in North Richland Hills in late December.

With gas suddenly being so cheap I am sort of regretting buying a Chevy Volt. But am relieved to remember that that only happened in my dreams.

Hiking The Tandy Hills With My Sister Before Picking California Peaches

When I left air-conditioned comfort today my favorite sister, who lives in Arizona, rode with me to the Tandy Hills and then proceeded to talk to me the entire time I did my hill hiking, with me forgetting to take a photo opportunity time out.

So, instead of a photo of the Tandy Hills of my own, I swiped one that appeared today on the Tandy Hills Natural Area's Facebook page.

I seem to be swiping pictures of late.

Today my oldest sister, who is currently lost somewhere in the wilds of Alaska, complained, quite vociferously, about me swiping from Rosie the Rat Dog's Alaska! blog, saying, "I have to check your blog to learn what pics you are pinching from Rosie."

I think I am feeling umbrage regarding this assertion that I am doing pic pinching from Rosie.

There was a steady wind blowing across the prairie today, but not strong enough to counteract the steambath effect.

To cool down, after getting too HOT, I went to Town Talk to stand in the cooler and pick California peaches.

I have picked oranges in a California orchard, but I've never picked California peaches til today.

I think I may go ride my bike at River Legacy Park this early evening.

Between swimming for an hour this morning and HOT hill hiking I don't feel like I have gotten enough exercise today.

Will J.D. Granger Be Floating In The Trinity On a 4th Of July Rockin' The River Happy Hour Inner Tube??

J.D. Granger With Gaggle Of Gals

Someone named Anonymous left a new comment on an old post this morning. The old post was posted a few days ago, a cautionary tale about turning around before drowning on the Trinity River.

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Turn Around To Not Drown While You Are Rockin' The River": 

There's a photo at DFW.com of JD Granger rockin' the river. It looks like JD attended the 6-29-2012 event and he is in party pic #114. 

When I got to pic #114 I was expecting to see J.D.. Granger in an inner tube, floating in the Trinity River, with a beer cooler.

Instead I found a photo of J.D. Granger wearing a t-shirt with a slogan that informs us "I DELIVER FOR THE RIVER."

I have absolutely no idea what that slogan means.

I agree with the others, whoever they are, who find it odd that J.D. Granger has not demonstrated his inner tubing skills whilst Rockin' the River at one of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Thursday Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats.

One would think J.D. would do so to demonstrate to all the naysayers that it is perfectly safe to immerse oneself in the Trinity River water, even though testing shows high levels of things you don't want to have at a high level in anything that gets you wet.

Someone, I don't remember who it was, suggested J.D. can't get in an inner tube in the water because he is embarrassed by his beer gut.

J.D. Granger Demonstrating His Beer Drinking Technique

That is ridiculous. Looking at the above photo of J.D. do you see a beer gut? I don't. Which is remarkable considering the copious amounts of beer J.D. is rumored to consume.

Even if J.D. did have a beer gut that he was embarrassed to expose to the general public, there is no river rule prohibiting covering a beer gut with a t-shirt.

Methinks that maybe J.D. has seen secret reports with detailed data about what is actually floating in the Trinity River.

I believe this Thursday's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float takes place a day early, on Wednesday, because Wednesday is the 4th of July.

I am thinking maybe J.D. Granger has been waiting for a special occasion, like the 4th of July, to participate in his first Trinity River Inner Tube Float.

A Relatively Full Day In Texas With Relentless Heat & Artwork From Spencer Jack

Today has been a relatively full day, including 3 non-gas related calls to my mom, 2 to 2 of my sisters, email from my long lost cousin, Freddie, and snail mail from Spencer Jack.

Spencer Jack mailed me the refrigerator art work you see in the picture, plus some photos from when we were in Arizona, plus a Whale Watcher's Guide that Spencer made.

Spencer Jack is quite the crafty kid. I've not heard from Spencer Jack's namesake, currently up in Alaska, today, so far.

I emailed the Hotel Tacoma a couple minutes ago about making reservations for the Arctic Room. This is a difficult room to book, with few openings.

I finally heard from Elsie Hotpepper who is still right on the edge of having some sort of nervous breakdown.

I'm fairly certain that Betty Jo Bouvier and the former star of LOST, Honey Lulu, are on their way to, or have already arrived in Hollywood to go to lunch at the Saddle Ranch where Betty Jo may ride the mechanical bull.

Meanwhile I am still in Texas sweltering from the relentless heat when I'm not being chilled by the relentless air-conditioning.

Walking Around Fosdick Lake With The Don't Litter Signs Littering The Park

Don't Litter This Sign

Today by the time of my mid-day constitutional the temperature had not yet reached 90. And a good wind was blowing. So, with it being semi-chilly I decided to go for a walk around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

There is some shade whilst walking around Fosdick Lake, but nothing that rises to the shade level of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area .

I think it was the last time I walked around Fosdick Lake that I made mention of the dozens of litter barrels that litter the park, with signs pasted on the litter barrels saying "Don't Litter - Put it in the Can! Keep Fort Worth Beautiful."

Well,  a lot of the "Don't Litter" signs have peeled off the litter barrels and are now littering up the park. Like on the Fish Consumption Advisory warning sign you see above.

I think anti-litter signs blowing around and littering is what may be an example of irony.

I'm not sure though, I am a very bad judge of irony.

I have not seen much litter in the litter barrels that litter up Oakland Lake Park. Not that I've looked in many of them. Many of the litter barrels littering up Oakland Lake Park are near the playground areas and the picnic tables.

Please Empty This Can

There is one lone litter barrel on the east end of Fosdick Dam, not near any picnic tables or playgrounds. That particular lone litter barrel is full of litter, so full it is spilling out and over the dam.

I think a lone litter barrel overfilled with litter in a park littered with "Don't Litter" signs may also be an example of irony. Again, I am not sure.

What was also ironic, to me, was the fact that this over filled litter barrel was missing its "Don't Litter" sign. Apparently people don't like to put litter in barrels with a sign advising them to do so. But, they'll go out of their way to fill, to the point of being overfilled, a litter barrel with no Don't Litter sign.

I suspect by the next time I walk around Fosdick Lake the Fosdick Dam litter barrel will be empty.

Thinking About Going To The Arctic Circle While Walking With The Indian Ghosts Who Haunt Village Creek

Me In Village Creek Miiror

That is not me being reflected off some polished stainless steel on the Alaska Pipeline in the picture.

You'll have to go to the Rosie the Rat Dog Alaska! Blog to see what's reflected on the Alaska Pipeline in a blogging titled Pipeline Pleasure.

Yesterday Rosie made it to the Arctic Circle. That has not been blogged yet. But I've seen photo documentation sent via email.

UPDATE: Rosie has now blogged about getting to the Arctic Circle in Survival of the Fittest. Apparently there was an incident with a bear and an outhouse.

Yesterday my regular daily walking constitutional was disrupted, like it often is, by a doctor's appointment in Euless.

So, today, despite an hour in the pool this morning, I really was in need of breathing in some polluted outdoor air.

I went to my preferred location when the temperature approaches 100 in either real temperature or real feel temperature, that being the shaded trails of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

Today is not being dead calm, which means a good steady wind kept the steambath effect in check.

I am almost 100% I have mentioned, previously, my fondness for goofy sign verbiage. There is a good chance I've mentioned the goofy Village Creek sign verbiage before.

Today I looked at the sign again and was struck by the goofiness of "Firearms and hitting golf balls are PROHIBITED."

I guess that means you can not enter the park packing heat, but you can enter the park with your golf club and balls, as long as your don't hit your balls.

"Please deposit litter in trash receptacles."

Now, if this Park Rule was not on this list would people just be tossing litter all over the place, rather than in the garbage cans, I mean trash receptacles, located throughout the park?

"Alcoholic beverages are prohibited by ordinance."

Why not simply say "No Alcoholic Beverages Allowed"?  If you're going to mention something is prohibited by ordinance, shouldn't the specifics of that ordinance be cited?

"Please keep glass containers off soccer field."

There's a soccer field in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area?

"Parking in designated areas only."

As far as I know, there is only one parking lot for the Village Creek Natural Historical Area. It is located off Dottie Lynn Parkway. Is there another parking lot I don't know about, hence the pluraling of areas?

I see via my computer based temperature monitoring device that we have gone over the century mark, again, at my location. I think that is 4 days in a row. I don't remember how many days it takes to break the record.

Another Hot Day In Texas Trying To Be Informed Instead Of Just Opinionated About Oxford Commas

At almost 4 in the afternoon it is only 101 degrees at my location. I think that is colder than it was at this time yesterday.

It is windier today than the past couple dead calm days, with that wind blowing slightly counteracting the 31% humidity, making the Real Feel of the temperature only 105.

I don't know what has happened to me this year. I've somehow become a temperature wimp. Where years previous I enjoyed get HOT under the noonday sun, acclimating to the HEAT. This year, so far, that is just not working for me.

This could be yet one more age related malady.

Speaking of which, I'd not read Gar the Texan's blog in awhile, so I'd not been updated on Gar's latest bloggings about Gar and his interesting opinions about religion and politics. Or his many medical maladies. I visited Gar the Texan's blog after seeing the following amusing slogan on Facebook, which made me think of Gar the Texan.

So, after being reminded of Gar the Texan's obfuscated opinionizing by a slogan on Facebook, I went to Gar the Texan's blog to learn that he is finally getting one of his many ailments operated on. That and in a blogging following the medical update he opined some of his religious and political opinionizing that has the effect of making me wince and feel slightly embarrassed for the boy. Then I remember from whence he came, that being the dusty little West Texas town of Wink, where history was taught by the football coach, if at all.

Reading Gar the Texan's fractured prose reminded me of something else I was amused by today on Facebook, courtesy of CatsPaw.

CatsPaw is a real stickler for grammar. Make the mistake of improperly using a word like "who's" and you will learn this first hand if you are on Miss CatsPaw's radar screen.

I've been perplexed times previous by how not having a comma in front of an 'and' can change the meaning of what's being said.

I don't think I've heard of the Oxford Comma before today, which really is a sad indicator of how ignorant I really am.

Now when someone like Gar the Texan commits this sort of communicative grammar confusion, saying that he invited Washington and Lincoln, who are a pair of Rhinos, when he meant to say he was inviting a pair of Rhinos, plus Washington and Lincoln, well, Gar the Texan chronically claims the reader has a reading comprehension problem, never considering that his bad grammar might be the actual problem.

And now back to our main subject.

The temperature.

Earlier today I blogged about Rosie the Rat Dog getting cold in an Ice Museum somewhere by the North Pole area of Fairbanks, Alaska.

A couple days ago Rosie blogged about having to run the RV's a/c because the temperature was in the sweltering low 80s.

Checking the current temperature in Fairbanks, I don't think Rosie is needing to run the RV's a/c at this point in time.

Actually I don't think Rosie the Rat Dog is currently in her RV. I believe that at this point in time the Rosie the Rat Dog entourage has left the Mother Ship, somewhere in the Fairbanks zone, and is heading north in the SUV to the Arctic Circle.

Did I just use an Oxford Comma? I don't know. I've already admitted I'm ignorant.

This morning it crossed my mind how amazing modern communication is. Daily tracking someone's roadtrip, via email and blogging. Daily getting photos of the ongoing trip.

Is this societal progress? Or not? I'm not sure. But I am enjoying the virtual Roadtrip to Alaska.

Rosie The Rat Dog At The North Pole With Ice Museum Appletinis

I am finding the Rosie the Rat Dog Alaska! Blog to be very educational.

For instance, I had no idea there was a McDonald's at the North Pole. I knew Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus lived at the North Pole, but I had no idea the town was candy cane themed, including the McDonald's.

I also had no idea the mosquitoes are really as big in Alaska as they have always been rumored to be. I saw photo documentation of the North Pole and Big Mosquitoes in Rosie's blogging titled I'm a Believer.

I do not know, for sure, what Rosie and Entourage are believing. Is it that Santa Claus is real? Or that the mosquitoes in Alaska are enormous?

I think it was after visiting Santa Claus at the North Pole that Rosie directed the RV towards Chena Hotsprings. Apparently the water in the Hotsprings was too hot for the girl's delicate constitutions, so they left the hot water and went to the Chena Hotsprings Ice Museum.

In Rosie's blogging titled The Thirsty Brrrr! the Ice Museum looked pretty cool. In more ways than one. The girls had to wear provided parkas to keep warm in the chilled to 20 degrees museum.

Apparently there is overnight lodging in the Ice Museum for only $600 per person. You are provided a caribou fur blanket. But there are no restroom facilities. I am almost 100% Rosie did not stay overnight in the Ice Museum.

The Ice Museum has a chilly bar where Appletinis are served in a carved from ice cocktail glass.

From the photo documentation it appears one drinks ones Appeltini bare handed. Seems like one would get cold.

In my current location, where the outer world is heated to 90 degrees an hour before noon, being in an Ice Museum having an icy Appletini sounds like a real good thing. Someone should open an Ice Museum in North Texas.