Thinking About Doing Some Uncling With Mountain Lupine After My Mom Called About Getting Gas

With today being the last day of the month, with the month being April, I did what I always do on the last day of the month when the month is April, I went to Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area to walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt this naturally historic area.

In the picture you are looking at one of the Village Creek Natural Historical Area's Wildflower Areas.

This particular Wildflower Area is predominately colored by Pink Evening Primroses. You do see some other wildflowers when you are up close to this Wildflower Area, as in there are some Mountain Lupine (aka Bluebonnets) wildflowers trying to be noticed.

I heard on the radio this morning that an Arctic Blast is heading to North Texas, arriving on Friday, with record breaking low temperatures predicted, as in way closer to freezing than is the norm for early May at this location on the planet.

Speaking of the temperature, my mom called me this morning because, apparently, I have not called in awhile to tell my mom I got gas, how much the gas cost and what the temperature is. The Phoenix zone is already having 100 degree plus temperatures.

My mom asked me when I'm heading up to Washington. Why are so many people thinking I am heading up to Washington? Did I have a sleep walking episode and do some erroneous communicating?

I actually would like to head up to Washington and do some uncling.

Apparently uncling is not a word, because it just got red-flagged as a misspelling.

The lunch gong just went off. I must go have a feeding now.

Complaint Filed With The Texas Ethics Commission Over TRWD's Misuse Of Public Funds

On Friday I blogged about what I thought to be an ethically corrupt use of taxpayer funds by the Tarrant Regional Water District Board in a post titled Taking A Corrupt Shot From Tarrant Regional Water District Board Incumbents.

The following day the corrupt use of taxpayer funds showed up in my mailbox and in a blog post titled I Found 10 Pages Of Tarrant Regional Water District Propaganda In My Mailbox This Morning.

A lot of voters in the Tarrant Regional Water District zone are in extreme umbrage mode over the TRWD Board's unethical antics.

Including Fort Worth's Adrian Murray.

Today Adrian Murray announced, on Facebook that he....

Filed complaint with the Texas Ethics Commission this morning over TRWD's misuse of public funds in printing and mailing a 10 page 4 color glossy brochure promoting the Board of Directors just days before early voting begins in the board election.  Three fifths of the board is up for reelection and this was clearly a campaign mailer and should be paid for by the incumbents, not the taxpayer.

Addendum: The complaint filed with the Texas Ethics Commission is against each TRWD Board Member, individually, as in a separate complaint against each of the 5 Board Members, Victor W. Henderson, Hal S. Sparks, Jack Stevens, Marty Leonard and Jim Lane.

Texas Ethics Commission? Is this some sort of oxymoron? Or is this a rare legit Texas commission that has not been co-opted by the foxes that the commission is supposed to keep out of the henhouse?

Wikipedia has a short article about the Texas Ethics Commission, consisting of the following 4 paragraphs...

The Texas Ethics Commission was established in 1991 to "provide guidance on various public ethics laws" within the state of Texas. The agency is headquartered on the 10th Floor of the Sam Houston State Office Building at 201 East 14th Street in Downtown Austin.

It was created by a state constitutional amendment voted on by the voters on November 5, 1991, Article III, Section 24a.

It consists of 8 members and legislators are excluded from serving. By the constitution, the ethics commission recommends the salaries of members of the Texas Legislature, the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

The legislature has also given the commission various other duties, including the filing of financial disclosure statements for government officials.

I can not help but wonder if the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is going to share with its dwindling number of readers the information that a complaint has been filed with the Texas Ethics Commission regarding alleged misuse of public funds by the TRWD Board.

Such an allegation seems totally newsworthy to me...

My Niece Ruby's Skagit Valley Texas Bluebonnets

A couple days ago I blogged Blue & Max Take David, Theo & Ruby For A Muddy Romp In A Tulip-less Skagit Valley Field regarding Blue & Max taking two of my nephews and my only niece to the Skagit Valley to tiptoe through the tulips.

In that particular blogging I complained that I had politely asked my poodle nephews to get a good photo of David, Theo & Ruby surrounded by tulips.

All I got was the trio in a field of mud.

But, today Blue & Max were looking through the pictures they took of their trip to the tulips and found the above beauty with Ruby standing in front of a lot of colorful flowers, some of which are tulips.

I found the blue flowers behind the first row of purple tulips to be interesting. These blue flowers appear to be Texas Bluebonnets.

The last time I was on Mount Rainier, August 11, 2008, I made the mistake of opining that a particular wildflower looked to be a Texas Bluebonnet. If I remember right I was told what I was looking at was a Mountain Lupine.

Well, color me shocked. I was right. The Mountain Lupine is a Bluebonnet. The state flower of Texas grows on Mount Rainier. And on the Flats of the Skagit Valley.

Taking A Sunday Walk With The Roses In Arlington's Veterans Park

The last time I visited the soldier who stands guard at the memorial in Arlington's Veterans Park was way back in July of last year.

I don't know why 10 months have gone by without me returning to one of my favorite parks in the Dallas/Fort Worth/Arlington Metroplex zone.

It'd also been 10 months since I'd been to Arlington's International District to get Asian goodies at my favorite Asian grocery store, that being Saigon Cho Market on Pioneer Parkway.

The best Asian goodie I got at Saigon Cho today was 5 pounds of very lean ground beef. Asian ground beef is coarsely ground, which will make it excellent for a big pot of chili.

Nothing much had changed at Veterans Park since my last visit.

The view you see below I always find enjoyable. One would never think one was in the center of a metropolitan area with a population over 6 million when one looks at this view with nary an element of civilization as far as one can see.

Veterans Park was blooming a lot of wildflowers today. Flowers that weren't wildflowers were also blooming a lot of color, in the Xeriscape area.

Including a lot of red roses. Red roses smell good.

The above patch of pink Evening Primroses is the biggest Primrose patch I have seen this wildflower season.

I had myself a might fine time swimming this morning. At that point in time I did not need sunglasses. I think I may go for another swim this afternoon, along with some lounging under the now fully exposed sun. I am trying to reduce my pastiness level so I can lounge on a sunny beach without getting sunburned

Why Is Captain Clean So Mad At The TRWD Board One Can Not Help But Wonder?

With this morning's check of my mailbox I found the score is now 3 to 1 in the Mailer War between the TRWD Incumbents and the BNK Candidates to replace the TRWD Incumbents, with the BNK Candidates having the 3 to 1 advantage in election mailer output.

The BNK Candidates' Mailers are clearly election campaign literature, while the TRWD Candidates' one and only election mailer was a deceptive piece of election propaganda disguised as a 2012 Tarrant Regional Water District Board Report.

I never thought to wonder, til now, why this was a 2012 Board Report when the year is 2013.

In the latest BNK election message we learn more about why Captain Clean is so mad at the TRWD Board.

For instance, Captain Clean is mad "Because they used our money to buy themselves a private deer hunting lease and a luxurious private helicopter."

You can read Captain Clean shouting above, in the front page of the mailer that "While water shortages and pollution threaten our quality of life the Tarrant Regional Water District is busy spending our money on selfish perks for themselves!"

As you can see below, Captain Clean continues his mad tirade on the other side of the mailer, insisting "It's time to clean out the pipes at the Tarrant Regional Water District."

And that "The Tarrant Regional Water District's selfish perks must come to an end!"

What is Captain Clean's solution to ending the TRWD madness???

Apparently Captain Clean thinks "We must stop the lavish lifestyle of the TRWD Board and focus on what really matters - WATER!"

To accomplish this Captain Clean suggests we "Vote for THREE new Board Members to the TRWD, Basham,  Nold and Kelleher.

You can learn more at the BNK Flush the TRWD website.

Early voting starts April 29, til May 7, with the election taking place Saturday, May 11.

Biking The Gateway Park Jungle Because Elsie Hotpepper Won't Go To The Prairie Fest With Me

This final Saturday of April was the first time I've pedaled the Gateway Park mountain bike trail since late last winter.

On that particular late last winter Gateway Park bike ride the predominant color was brown. As you can see, via the photo, the Gateway Park jungle has returned, with the predominant color now being green.

Today, with it being Saturday, April 27, the 2013 Prairie Fest is taking place.

I could not find anyone to go to the Prairie Fest with me this year. It is well known that I rarely go solo to anything.

I called Elsie Hotpepper, thrice, thinking she might go Prairie Festing with me. I thought Elsie Hotpepper might go Prairie Festing with me because the last time I had myself any fun at the Prairie Fest it was with Elsie Hotpepper and her supply of adult libations of the sort I rarely consume.

Elsie Hotpepper did call me back, a couple times. One of those times I was in the pool, unable to hear my phone make its incoming call noise. I think it was that missed call that brought about my third call to Elsie Hotpepper attempt.

Another reason I was not feeling strongly motivated to help bring Power to the Prairie was on Friday I had myself an exhausting day with way too much human interaction and bruising bus rides that left me feeling in need of peace and quiet.

Hence the bike ride through a jungle.

However, I did subject myself to way too much human interaction, of short duration, with my regular Saturday visit to Town Talk. Today I saw, upon arrival, that the Town Talk reader board read "PRODUCE SALE."

For me, "PRODUCE SALE" meant two bags of red spuds, 8 yellow peppers, 8 green peppers, 2 bags of spinach, 5 pounds of broccoli crowns, 3 pounds of onions, dozens of Anaheim peppers and a lot of other stuff I am not remembering right now.

Currently the outer world, at my location, is supposedly heated to only 70 degrees, at a minute or two past 6. However, even though the temperature is supposedly only 70, I am way too hot inside this abode. I had the windows open all afternoon. This may have been a mistake that I think I am about to rectify by firing up the air conditioner.

Surprised By A Gateway Park Memorial To Trinity River Drowning Victim Malik Cisse

Today was my first time back in Gateway Park since a teenage boy drowned in the Trinity River, at that location, a couple weeks ago.

When I read about the drowning I was perplexed by the line in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram article that said, "Students told officials that they had been jumping off a dock into the water."

A "dock" in Gateway Park, from whence someone could jump into water 25 feet deep?

The only thing I could think of that someone might characterize as a "dock" is the remnants of the abandoned, boarded up, boardwalk eyesores that the City of Fort Worth has let fester for years.

When I came upon the memorial, you see above, it was clear to me that it was the boarded up boardwalk that was being referred to as a "dock".

In addition to flowers at its base, the memorial cross has the name of the drowning victim, Malik Cisse, 5-11-95, 4-13-13.

Below is another photo I took today. What I saw in this photo bothered me.

A plywood barrier to the "dock" access has now been installed. The other entries to this "dock" were blocked prior to the drowning. I have used the now blocked, previous to the drowning, un-blocked, access to access the "dock" a couple times for photo taking purposes.

I have opined several times, on this very blog, that I thought it was irresponsible of the City of Fort Worth to let this eyesore fester.

And now a teenage boy, attracted to this attractive nuisance, has drowned. What had been a picnic to celebrate the end of Carter-Riverside High School's soccer season took a preventable tragic turn.

Now, why did the Star-Telegram not describe the site of the drowning accurately I can not help but wonder?

Calling an abandoned, damaged, partially boarded up boardwalk eyesore a "dock" seems to me to be a bit of a misrepresentation.

I Found 10 Pages Of Tarrant Regional Water District Propaganda In My Mailbox This Morning

The Tarrant Regional Water District mailer I blogged about yesterday in a blogging titled Taking A Corrupt Shot From Tarrant Regional Water District Board Incumbents showed up in my mailbox this morning in all its 10 page full color glory.

On the left you are looking at the back page of the mailer.

In the upper right corner you see the word PAID. As in Presorted Standard U.S. Postage was PAID to mail this mailer.

Who PAID?

You PAID.

Yes, you the taxpayer who lives in the Tarrant Regional Water District PAID to mail this propaganda mailer. You also PAID to produce this rather slick production.

Was this slick production mailed to all the voters residing in the Tarrant Regional Water District? Or was this slick production only mailed to those, like me, who live in the select areas of the Tarrant Regional Water District that are allowed to vote?

And how is it that taxpayer money can be spent to produce and mail this slick production that amounts to being campaign propaganda for those on the TRWD Board who are running for another term on the board?

Page 1 of this mailer I showed you yesterday. Page 2 is a full page photo of a water falling over ledges. Page 3 is some propaganda spewed from TRWD Board President, Victor W. Henderson, Page 3 I also showed you yesterday, that being a list of the TRWD Board of Directors, including those up for re-election. Page 4 describes the Water District, along with a map and a wetlands photo. Page 5 is about Flood Control, including a photo of the infamous 1949 downtown Fort Worth flood, along with text mentioning the miles of Trinity River levees. Page 6 is all about the Recreation benefits the TRWD is bringing the people. Page 7 is about TRWD's Water Conservation efforts. Page 8 has a big photo of the Lawn Whisperer, along with "Water Saving Superheroes" propaganda. Page 8 is about Water Quality, along with two photos showing litter. Page 9 is all about the TRWD In the Community, consisting of 5 photos and more propaganda. Page 10 you see above.

While Page 5 says "One of TRWD's primary functions is to manage a 27 mile flood control system that spans Fort Worth. Working together with the United States Army Corps of Engineers, we maintain the levees and related structures that provide vital protection to residents along the Clear and West Forks of the Trinity" no mention is made of the plan to take down many of those levees that have protected Fort Worth for so long, with that plan brought courtesy of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Speaking of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, there is no mention made of this TRWD pet project any where in their 10 page propaganda piece. The words "Trinity River Vision" appear no where.

Why is that?

Are the TRWD Board Members up for re-election concerned that being associated with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle might cost them some votes?

Taking A Corrupt Shot From Tarrant Regional Water District Board Incumbents

I find the ethically questionable antics of various Texas government agencies and much of the Texas public's who cares attitude (for the most part) both perplexing and amusing.

A good example of this ethically questionable antics syndrome showed up in my email today, with the email showing me the example having the subject line: A Corrupt Shot from the Incumbents.

What incumbents you wonder?

Well, the incumbents you are wondering about are the incumbents currently on the Tarrant Regional Water District Board who are up for election this coming May 11.

And what have these incumbents done that is so corrupt?

Well.

The Tarrant Regional Water District has mailed out a very slick, full color, 10 page campaign advertisement, I mean, informational brochure.

The "informational" brochure tells the voters, I mean, people they serve, all that the Tarrant Regional Water District Board members have done to put an end to flooding, conserve water, provide an everlasting supply of fresh drinking water, make the Trinity River as pure as a mountain stream and others things which should make voters, I mean the people they serve, want to keep these people serving them.

Well.

No where in this "informational" brochure is there any mention made of an upcoming election.

No where in this "informational" brochure is there any mention made of who paid for this brochure.

If the Tarrant Regional Water District did not pay for this brochure, who did?

If the Tarrant Regional Water District did pay for this brochure how is this not some sort of a violation of election campaign laws?

Like I said previously, I find the ethically questionable antics of various Texas governmental agencies and the Texas public's who cares attitude (for the most part) both perplexing and amusing.

And might I add, to those Texans with a "who cares?" attitude, well, you get what you vote for. If you like ethical bankruptcy, just keep voting the ethically bankrupt rascals in office, over and over again....

Riding A Fort Worth Bus To Sundance Square While Not Enjoying In-N-Out Double Double Burgers

What you are looking at in the picture is the interior of a Fort Worth bus. Today I got myself a Fort Worth bus day pass and hopped on board the #21 to make  my way to the transfer station where I hopped on board the #2  bus which took me to downtown Fort Worth's Intermodal Transit Center.

Near as I can tell, by Intermodal Transit Center, Fort Worth means you can take a bus to get on an Amtrak train. And vice versa.

Today I learned that riding a Fort Worth bus is great exercise, particularly the articulated bus ride from the transfer station to downtown. This is one very bumpy ride that I think must do wonders for the abdominal muscles.

By articulated bus I mean a bus that can bend in the middle like an accordion. The only other articulated buses I have been on are the ones that run through the Seattle bus tunnel. The Seattle articulated buses are like well suspended Cadillacs, while Fort Worth's are like not so well suspended oversized VW buses.

In other words, the Fort Worth articulated buses, and the un-articulated Fort Worth buses give riders a much more adventurous ride than the sedate, smooth riding Seattle buses.

When I exited the #2 I had myself a fine time wandering the streets of downtown Fort Worth for the first time in a long time. One of the things I was wanting to see is Sundance Square. Ever since I moved to Fort Worth Sundance Square has perplexed me. Because there is no Sundance Square in downtown Fort Worth. There are signs pointing visitors to Sundance Square, but there is no square. Eventually, I and others concluded that by "Square" downtown Fort Worth means "parking lots".

So, last year it was announced that, after all these years of there being no Square in Sundance Square, Fort Worth was finally going to build one.

On one of the parking lots.

And call it Sundance Plaza. I assume to continue the tradition of confusing tourists.

I was a bit surprised to find that Sundance Plaza is a long ways from becoming a square. The parking lot in front of the Chisholm Trail mural, where the plaza is being built,  is a construction mess, with two new buildings being built on the west and east ends of the former parking lots, with the new plaza currently pretty much a hole in the ground. However, there are multiple signs, all around the construction site, such as the one you see above, where the guy in the cowboy hat is telling the Butch Cassidy lookalike in the derby, that "THERE'LL ALSO BE A NEW OUTDOOR PLAZA. A REALLY GREAT SPACE  THE WHOLE CITY CAN BE PROUD OF."

Below you see some of the signage around the Sundance Plaza construction site, with one of the new buildings, butted up against the old Flying Saucer Emporium building, with the Angels on the Bass Performance Hall blowing their horns on the right.

Isn't this Sundance Plaza project well past its projected completion date?

Regarding downtown Fort Worth, other than the construction zones, I have never seen downtown Fort Worth looking so good. Lots of street activity, new restaurants, many open to the street, well manicured landscaping.

I must repeat, because I was surprised to find myself thinking this, downtown Fort Worth is looking really good.

I also thought I'd never find myself saying that downtown Fort Worth is a much more lively, people oriented downtown that what one finds in Dallas. Then again, it has been a few years since I've wandered around downtown Dallas. Maybe downtown Dallas has improved just as much as downtown Fort Worth has.

After an hour or two of wandering around downtown Fort Worth my group of wanderers grew hungry. So, it was back to the Intermodal Transit Center to hop back on the #2 bus to head west to 7th Street.

The feeding choices were Sweet Tomatoes or In-N-Out.

All the wanderers had been to Sweet Tomatoes, but only I had been to an In-N-Out. So, it was to In-N-Out we went.

Today was my 4th In-N-Out Double Double Burger. The first two were consumed in Phoenix in 2004. Number 3 was consumed in Tempe, (or was it Scottsdale?) in 2012. I don't know what it was, for sure, but the Fort Worth In-N-Out Double Double Burger did not match the Double Double Burger of my memory. It seemed smaller, messier, not as tasty. And the french fries, something was way off with the fries. Almost as if they were powdery. As in flavorless starchiness. Very disappointing. I think I will be waiting til next I am in Arizona or California to have an In-N-Out Double Double Burger.

As you can see in the above photo of the In-N-Out Burger joint, traffic on 7th Street is a congested mess. Methinks something needs to be done to ameliorate this, but what that amelioration might be, I have no idea.

But, I am almost 100% certain the traffic congestion is not going to be solved by the 300 bikes, newly operational, that I saw at several kiosks in the downtown zone today. I saw no one riding one of the bikes.

Even though I saw no one riding one of the 300 bikes, several seem to be missing from this 7th Street kiosk. Or maybe those are just empty spaces awaiting incoming bikes.

Like I said, 7th Street is terribly congested. But one block to the south, on Crockett Street, one finds a totally more sedate, better designed street experience. I think Crockett Street benefited from being developed long after long established 7th Street.

Crockett Street has wide sidewalks, well designed landscaping, with an overall more pleasant street walking experience than 7th Street.

Finishing exploring the 7th Street zone it was back on the #2 bus to head back to the Intermodal Transit Center. This bus had no seating available, standing room only, which made the ride a very rock and roll, standing on a subway train-like experience. I was enjoying the carnival ride aspect, but was sort of relieved to finally get off the ride at the Transit Center.

From the Transit Center we had to switch to an eastbound #2 bus to the transfer station, then back on the #21 to return to the starting location.

Today the buses were well timed. Very little waiting to make a switch.

It only cost $3.50 for an all day pass on the Fort Worth bus system. I really don't understand why more of the locals don't have themselves a really fine time trying out out this mode of transport. I saw more than one family group, today, with little kids, with the kids having a lot of fun on the Fort Worth bus carnival ride.