Another Look At Fort Worth's Sad Sidewalk Situation

Continuing on with my popular Fort Worth Sad Sidewalk Situation Series, today I took another walk around my neighborhood.

In the photo we are looking at some Fort Worth pedestrians walking along the west frontage road on I-820.

The couple on the right are both pushing strollers, with one kid in each stroller. The male of the pair is pushing the lead stroller, which in addition to kids is also packed with what looked like bags of groceries.

The guy on the left is opting to use the well worn dirt "sidewalk" rather than the street "sidewalk", likely because he is not pushing anything.

I don't know why it took me so long to realize I could go walking in my neighborhood, as on option, rather than driving to a park.  Maybe I subconsciously thought that walking the mean sidewalk challenged streets of Fort Worth seemed a bit dangerous.

The last time I mentioned the Fort Worth sidewalk shortage I also mentioned the seemingly odd location of utility poles at the side of John T. White Road.

Today, walking south on Bridgewood Drive, on a very narrow sidewalk, I thought it odd that utility poles shared space with the sidewalk.

This particular stretch of Fort Worth sidewalk only extends a short distance on Bridgewood Drive, terminating when it gets to Boca Raton Boulevard.

When I lived in Washington, in the relatively small town of Mount Vernon, the roads in my neighborhood all had sidewalks on both sides of the streets.

Whilst living in Mount Vernon, just like I do in Fort Worth, I would often drive to go hiking. The only close by hiking was about 2 miles east, to Big Rock, this Gibraltar like monolith that was quite a steep hike, with a very scenic payoff at the top.

All my other Washington hikes were a much further distance than I drive in Fort Worth to go hiking, whether it was just 25 miles to Anacortes to hike around Washington Park, or 30 miles to Deception Pass State Park to hike up Goose Rock. Or a much longer drive east, to hike up one of the Cascade mountains.

Unlike my current location, my old home zone was very hilly, as in very steep hills. I could get a good workout just walking down to my mailbox and back up to my abode. Eaglemont Golf Course was at the end of a steep road. It was on the Eaglemont Golf Course paved golf cart trail that I got myself in shape for my first mountain biking trip to Moab.

I think it is the buried memories of walking sidewalks in Mount Vernon, that causes me to feel irked when I make note of Fort Worth's really sad sidewalk situation.

Having Myself A Happy Valentine's Day In Texas

Super romantic type boy that I be, today is my favorite holiday of the year, Valentine's Day.

Each year, as soon as January ends, I start counting down the days til February 14.

Last night I got a pre-Valentine's Day surprise from Honey Bunny #1 in the form of hot out of the oven dark chocolate fudge brownies.

Normally I am not much of a chocolate fan, particularly when the chocolate is hot, but, if the hot chocolate product is paired with peppermint ice cream, like it was last night, well, you can pretty much get me to do anything, at least til the happy glow wears off.

It was way back late in the last century that I learned that pairing a chocolate product with peppermint ice cream is a good thing. The chocolate product at that taste bud pleasing point in time was chocolate cheesecake.

The origin of Valentine's Day is a curious tale.

Apparently a long ago Christian saint named Valentius was thrown in jail by the Romans for performing wedding ceremonies for soldiers who were not allowed to get married. While in prison Saint Valentius somehow cured the illness of the daughter of one of his jailers. Even so the nasty Romans proceeded with their planned execution of Saint Valentius. According to the enduring legend, prior to getting put to death, Valentius sent a farewell note to the girl he'd cured, signing the note, "from your Valentine."

Thus spawning a modern day world wide multi-billion dollar Valentine's Day greeting card and gift industry.

At some point in time Saint Valentius became Saint Valentine, with Saint Valentine's Day being an official feast day of the Anglicans.

By the 15th century, of the Middle Ages, Valentine's Day had morphed into a holiday where love bunnies declared their affection with things like flowers, candies, brownies and greeting cards, which came to be known as "Valentines."

I am not sure, yet, if any Honey Bunny is going to be cooking me a heart shaped Texas steak today. I can only hope....

Fort Worth & Other Texas Town's Low Literacy Ranking

Last night I learned from Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, that a new police and firefighter training center will soon have her town being the Envy of the Nation.

This morning I learned, via the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, in an article titled Texas cities fare poorly in measure of literacy, that Fort Worth's level of literacy will not be making this town the Envy of the Nation, coming in at #52, five ranks less literate than Dallas at #47.

The most literate city in Texas is Austin, at #23.

The most literate city in America is Washington, D.C., with #2 being Seattle, in the other Washington.

No mention of this literacy ranking was seen this morning in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. I highly doubt the mayor of Seattle will be opining that Seattle's high literacy ranking has made Seattle the Envy of the Nation.

Because making such a claim would be seen as really really goofy when made in an extremely literate town.

While such a claim can be easily made in Fort Worth.

Does making a goofy Envy of the Nation claim, about something in Fort Worth, not cause much local eye rolling because of the town's relative illiteracy? One can only wonder.

This America's Most Literate Cities study is a product of Central Connecticut State University. The study ranks cities with populations in excess of a quarter million, focusing on six key literacy indicators, those being the number of bookstores, Internet resources, library resources, the population's educational attainment, newspaper circulation and periodical publishing resources.

With most of my existence spent in the highly literate Seattle zone, then being exiled to the much less literate Fort Worth and Texas zone, it sort of explains one of my problems I encountered upon arrival in Texas.

I found I could not speak at the speed level I was used to using in the Pacific Northwest. I'd get in communication situations where I found myself not being understood. I soon learned to drawl my speaking speed down, at times.

There have been many times where a Texan has asked me if I am from England. Or Canada. Just last week, whilst depositing a check, the bank teller asked if I was from Boston. Boston? Why Boston I asked? Because of your accent, said he. I don't think this guy knew what a Boston accent actually sounds like. A Pacific Northwest accent is definitely not a Boston sounding accent.

Now to be fair, and Lord knows I am all about being fair, I have met many totally literate Texans. Gar the Texan comes to mind. Yes, I did find myself having to slow down my speaking speed to be understood, but not all that much. Elsie Hotpepper is another extremely literate Texan, albeit with a much more pronounced drawl than Gar the Texan.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram's Bud Kennedy is a highly articulate, very literate Texan. But, in my experience in Texas, for every literate Texan Bud Kennedy there have been 3 or 4 Texan Dud Kennedy's who could have benefited from spending more quality time in school. And maybe reading something, somewhere, every once in awhile....

Mayor Betsy Price Thinks Fort Worth Will Once Again Be The Envy Of The Nation

A couple minutes ago I got email from Facebook telling me that MW, aka Mr. Galtex, had tagged me on Facebook. That sounded serious to me, getting tagged.

So, I logged in to Facebook to see I'd been tagged with an alert about Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price, who has resurrected some Fort Worth verbiage that I thought had been rendered extinct, due to its tendency to cause giggling.

Then I got another email telling me that someone named Anonymous had made the following comment about the same subject...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Damp Driving Texas Roads With No Sidewalks & Dangerous Telephone Poles": 

Fort Lurch is once again the envy of the nation.

From the article: Fort Worth breaks ground on $97.5 million police, fire complex

"We will be the envy of the nation," Mayor Betsy Price said. 

I am really curious as to what it is that is so special about this new police and fire training center that Betsy Price thinks the rest of America is going to be envious of it.

The painful reality is most of the rest of America knows pretty much nothing about Fort Worth, let alone knowing about something in Fort Worth that might make someone envious.

Now, do I want to go to the bother of adding this latest Green with Envy, Envy of the Nation type nonsense to my Green With Envy webpage?

Maybe I will let blogging about Fort Worth again being the Envy of the Nation suffice.

Damp Driving Texas Roads With No Sidewalks & Dangerous Telephone Poles

It is a bit damp at my location on the planet on this 2013 State of the Union Speech Day.

With me in no mood to put on my galoshes and walk under a bumbershoot, I opted to get in my daily salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, today, by walking in Walmart.

My usual route to my neighborhood Walmart is via John T. White Road. Which might have you guessing correctly that that is John T. White Road in the photo, looking a bit damp.

As you can see, John T. White Road is a four lane boulevard, with a grass covered median.

And no sidewalks.

I think I've mentioned my opinion regarding Fort Worth's sidewalk shortage previously.

What I had not noticed, previously, til I looked at the photos I took today whilst driving, in all the years I've driven on John T. White Road, is how absurdly close utility poles are to this road, stuck in the ground where one might expect a sidewalk to be. Is this normal operating procedure to stick poles this close to a road? Seems sort of dangerous to me.

On the right side of the road, in the second photo, you can see a pedestrian walking on the well worn dirt path where most towns would have a paved sidewalk.

I remember during my month, that seemed like a year, in Tacoma, summer of 2008, I walked a lot of miles. I don't recollect walking any street in Tacoma that did not have a sidewalk, on both sides of the street, with most of the sidewalks being of the sort I've not seen in Fort Worth, as in about twice as wide as a Fort Worth sidewalk, with a landscaped strip between the sidewalk and the road.

I've not gone sidewalk inspecting in other Texas towns to see if this is a chronic Texas shortage, or just isolated to Fort Worth. I suspect this particular type shortage may be widespread in Texas.

Other than Fort Worth, the Texas towns I am most frequently in are North Richland Hills, Hurst, Pantego, Arlington and Bedford. I'll check those town's sidewalk situation the next time I am in those locations.

Walking With Frita Fremont Talking About Bikinis & Late Arriving Stale Christmas Cookies

Frita Fremont called me real early this morning to tell me that she wanted to go on a walk with me later in the day. I said, okay, I'll call you when I go walking.

I stuck a ham in the oven around 10 this morning, then a little before noon I pulled the ham to pour a glaze over it and then left my abode to go on a walk with Frita Fremont around my neighborhood.

I think I have mentioned Fort Worth's sad sidewalk deficiencies previously.

The example of a town without sidewalks, that you see in the above photo, is looking north, with the I-820 frontage road next to the pedestrian worn dirt path where a paved sidewalk would be in a modern American city with modern American amenities.

Enough about Fort Worth's sad sidewalk situation for now. Back to Frita Fremont.

Among the many interesting things Frita talked to me about today was her bikini issues. I really have no bikini issues of my own, so it is interesting to hear about the bikini issues of someone who does have bikini issues. I hope Frita is able to resolve her bikini issues before it is time for her to take a Spring Break down south on South Padre Island.

Changing the subject from Frita's bikini to the U.S. Postal Service.

On the last day of last month I blogged my opinion that the U.S. Postal Service's bad service may border on being criminally neglectful. My pique was raised regarding a package the USPS claimed it was unable to deliver on December 21.

I requested re-delivery, twice, left notes for the mailman, wrote a letter to the Postmaster. Got zero feedback and no package.

And then today I returned from my walk with Frita Fremont and what do I find? The long missing package mysteriously showed up at my door!

Sort of.

There was a note telling me where I could find the package. I went to that location and there it was. That is the tardy parcel post in the photo above, the box with the words "PRIORITY MAIL" printed a couple times on it.

I wonder how slow non-priority mail is?

What was in the box, I know you are sitting there wondering? Well. Christmas cookies. A tin filled with homemade stale Christmas cookies. I'd say more, but I really do try to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. Most of the time....

My Defective Walmart Air Bed Somehow Turned Into An OSHA Bed Bug Issue With Me Getting Some Beauty Rest

Last week, after the Super Bowl, I mentioned in a blogging that an air bed that I bought at Walmart had had a massive failure upon first inflation.

Yesterday I stuck the defective air bed back in its box and attempted to return it to "Satisfaction Guaranteed Or Your Money Back" Walmart.

There was no line when I got to the customer service center, which quickly removed one potential annoyance.

I sat the air bed box on the counter and handed the customer service guy the receipt whilst I explained how the air bad had massively failed upon first inflation.

And then the experience turned into a Seinfeld episode.

The customer service guy, in a very friendly manner, told me that it was good that I returned the product in its original box. And that it was good that I had the receipt.

But, if I was wanting my purchase price refunded, that was not possible, because I'd opened the box.

Huh? said I. How would I know the product was defective without opening the box? Walmart sold me a defective product, how can you not give me a refund?

It is an OSHA regulation about bed bugs and air beds, said the customer service guy.

Are you making some sort of joke, said I?

Another customer service person chimed in that it was not a joke, pointing me toward a list stuck to a wall, one of which was an OSHA regulation not allowing the return of air beds, due to bed bugs.

I asked the customer service guy why would the Occupational Safety & Health Administration have a rule about bed bugs and air beds that causes Walmart to not make good on its satisfaction guaranteed guarantee?

The customer service guy then totally empathized with me thinking this was totally nuts.

The customer service guy then told me that while Walmart could not refund the purchase price I could have in-store credit for the amount of the purchase price, or get another air bed of equal or higher price.

Why would I want to go through the bother of trying out another of these INTEK air beds, I asked?

The customer service guy then told me I could get an air bed from another manufacturer as a replacement.

I said something like are you telling me I can go get another air bed, that costs more than the the defective one, from a different brand?

Yes, was the answer.

So, I walked to where the air beds were located and picked up a Queen sized Beautyrest air bed.

The defective INTEK air bed cost something like $59.95, plus tax. The Beautyrest air bed cost $89.95.

I took the Beautyrest air bed to the customer service guy. He quickly made the transaction and had me sign something and gave me a new receipt.

I left Walmart with the new Beautyrest air bed, leaving the INTEK air bed with the customer service guy.

Now, why, if OSHA thinks returned air beds present a bed bug danger, did Walmart keep the possibly bed bug infested air bed?

Why could Walmart not simply refund my money and then stick the possibly bed bug infested air bed in to some HAZMAT container, prior to incineration?

I went to the OSHA website to see if I could find the specific regulation regarding bed bugs and air beds.

I found nothing about air beds. I did find some OSHA bed bug issues.

Googling 'air beds bed bugs' I found that there are people recommending that if you have a bed bug woe that you might want to switch to sleeping on an air bed, because air beds are not happy homes for bed bugs!

Like I said, like a Seinfeld episode....

Don Young's SUPER Bash Report

 

In the picture you are looking at part of the army of Brush Bashers who Bashed Brush the day before the Super Bowl, that being the 1st Saturday of the 2nd month of 2013.

Below is Don Young's amusing account of this year's successful Brush Bash....

There was no power blackout and no delay of game at the, one-day-a-year Brush Bash at Tandy Hills Natural Area on February 2, 2013. But like that other big game last weekend ours game was one for the record book.

About 25 dedicated FOTHNA volunteers backed up by 50 workers from the Sheriff's Dept. took to the field sending more than 236 cubic yards of invasive, prairie-choking, woody plant material to the compost pile. We basically stiff-armed a bunch of privet into oblivion making a touchdown in the process.

City of Fort Worth PACS staff led by playmakers, Bobby Muriel and Billy Roden, went on the offensive, spending several days cutting the brush and treating the stumps at selected locations within the park. Michelle Villafranca and Suzanne Tuttle of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge double-teamed to help oversee the project that follows a key provision of the Master Plan playbook for Tandy Hills. 

The new panoramic view from the Outdoor Classroom benches is like having seats to the Super Bowl on the 50 yard line minus the crowd.

Debora Young and Anne Aldefer were the key FOTHNA staffers huddled on the sideline making sure everything went according to plan and players enjoyed good field position until the play clock ran down. Longtime FOTHNA staffers, Phil Hennen and Myra Waldrop kept the brush moving downfield.

Game Balls went to every single worker who showed up. They were in the red zone most of the day insuring that 2013 was another championship season. Special Teams award goes to Scoutmaster Martin Grunow and the Scouts who helped remove an ancient pile of roofing shingles.

For those who failed to show or were on injured reserve, you will not be penalized BUT you missed a good one. There is no off-season for privet which is perpetually guilty of encroachment. We expect your participation next season. The Hall of Fame awaits you.

Check out post-game photos from FOTHNA super-volunteer, Scott Ausburn, here....

Flood Forces An Alternative Route To Walk With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts Pondering The J.D. Granger Memorial Plaque

Last night a storm dropped a lot of water, in addition to banging my windows with hail, along with some strong thunderstorming.

A storm dropping a lot of water cuts back on my hiking, biking, walking options.

Walking around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park is always doable, no matter how much flash flooding has flashed.

But, my usual Sunday constitutional takes place at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area where I walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the area.

So I drove to my usual entry place for my usual walk with the Indian Ghosts, sort of expecting the parking lot, and park, to be closed, due to flooding.

My park closed by flood expectation turned out to be correct. So, I drove to the east side of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to the Interlochen neighborhood. I knew the flooding would either have abated enough to allow a dry creek crossing, or I could just walk the trail in the Bob Findlay Linear Park and avoid Village Creek.

As you can see, via the picture above, at some point during last night's flash flooding water washed over the dam bridge, leaving some driftwood, but, by noon, the bridge was dry, and so I was able to do my regular Sunday walk with the Indian Ghosts, albeit from a different direction.

I was not the only person opting to enter the Village Creek zone via Interlochen. A lot of other people were walking around the "Park Closed Due To Flooding" gate.

Below you see one of those gate crashers walking across the dam bridge that usually is the first one I come to when I enter the park from the regular parking lot.

The water rushing under the dam bridge at high velocity made a very familiar noise which caused me to wonder how long it has been since I've last experienced a real waterfall. Turner Falls up in Oklahoma? Snoqualmie Falls up in Washington? Tandy Falls in Fort Worth?

Speaking of water in Fort Worth.

I have previously read the memorial plaque that you come to when you exit the Village Creek zone to the Bob Findlay Linear Park.

Today I read it again. I found one particular paragraph interesting.

"Bob developed Interlochen Estates, a select residential area featuring a sophisticated lake system. He received national attention on this development for his conversion of abandoned gravel pits located on a flood plain."

Reading the above paragraph had me wondering if some day in the future, 20 or 30 years from now, when, maybe, the Trinity River Vision is actually something someone can see, if a similar plaque might be installed on the shores of Pond Granger honoring the brains behind the TRV Boondoggle, J.D. Granger.

"J.D. developed the Trinity River Vision, a private economic development area with a sophisticated pond, built using public money, with no input from the public in the form of voting for the project. J.D. received national attention for his part in removing existing flood control levees, replaced with a massive flood diversion channel, which failed when first flooded, causing billions of dollars in damage, while losing an untold number of lives."

I somehow really doubt there will one day be a J.D Granger Linear Park in Fort Worth. Then again, I have seen some mighty strange things happen in this town.....

Cold Tandy Hills Hiking With Giant Brush Piles & Asian Pears

View Street Trail View Of Downtown Fort Worth

I was back on the Tandy Hills today, getting myself some salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, before going to Town Talk for some shopping stimulation.

Yesterday the view, from the top of Mount Tandy, of the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, was lit by a bright clear blue sky.

Today's view, from atop View Ridge, on the trail that leads to the Tandy Hills from View Street, was not lit by a bright clear blue sky.

The lack of a bright clear blue sky, mixed with a bit of fogginess, made for a less than stunning view of the skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

Yesterday I did my hill hiking attired on top with a t-shirt. Today I did my hill hiking attired on top under more than one layer, and still got cold, prior to amping up my heartbeat by running up a steep hill.

During the course of my hill hiking I came upon three other groups of hill hikers, with each hill hiker more appropriately attired than was I.

I think my temperature perception have been thrown off a bit due to the fact that I have gotten wet in the pool the past 3 mornings. I was not going to try swimming this morning, til l woke up my computer and saw the over night low had been 51 degrees, thus making the 24 hour average well above 50, thus meeting my swim temperature criteria.

I will not be making a swimming attempt Sunday morning, due to the fact that the high is barely getting above 50 today.

I forgot to mention, as I walked the View Street Trail to the Tandy Hills I came upon the giant pile of brush you see in the picture.

I assume this giant pile of brush is left over from last Saturday's Tandy Hills Brush Bash.

Is this brush pile awaiting removal? Or is it to be used to make a giant bonfire during the upcoming Prairie Fest 2013, bringing people to the prairie, Saturday, April 27?

I can not remember the last time I experienced a giant bonfire. Homecoming, my senior year of high school?

Changing the subject from lighting up a Texas prairie to Town Talk.

There were an awful lot of Town Talkers today. The parking lot was overflowing, cars were parked on the lawn. Inside the store the congestion was not too stifling and checking out I had no wait.

I got a dozen Town Talk avocados today. I see a lot of guacamole in my future. Along with a lot of Asian Pears. And some White Cheddar Pirate Booty. Plus other stuff.

I did not see the Tamale Kid today working the Town Talk parking lot. I worry about the Tamale Kid.