Entering Veterans Park's Wildscape Entrance Hunting For Fort Worth's Favorite Pearls Clutching Dowager Heiress's Missing Recount

In the picture you are looking at one of the Wildscape Entrances in Arlington's Veterans Park.

I had to be in Pantego this morning, so I thought, since I was in the neighborhood, I'd have myself a humid walk.

Early this morning, when I accessed the outer world to walk to the body of water where I do my daily swimming, the humidity was causing a strange dew-like thing to happen, which sort of seemed like an extremely light misty invisible fog.

Speaking of invisible fog, I am getting confusing messages regarding what I thought was a recount of the votes in the recent (May 11) Tarrant Regional Water District Board election.

A couple days ago I blogged A Thank You Has Me Wondering Who Is Overseeing The Impartiality And Accountability Of Marty Leonard.

That blog post generated a comment from someone named Anonymous, I then commented on the comment from Anonymous, which had Anonymous commenting on my comment. Below are the 3 comments....

Anonymous said...
Durango Texas,
You did not read very carefully, "Pol Adv by Marty Leonard" means she paid for the cards herself. Also, the Pearl Clutching Dowager Heiress is not overseeing and has nothing to do with the recount.

Durango said...
"Pol Adv by Marty Leonard" would seem to only indicate she authored the Adv. If it said "Pol Adv Paid for by Marty Leonard" that would clearly indicate she used her own funds. I was told be a fairly reliable source that Marty Leonard was going to be the TRWD Board's participant in the recount.

Anonymous said...
Better check the reliability of your sources before you comment.

I asked my reliable source about the Anonymous claim that "the Pearl Clutching Dowager Heiress is not overseeing and has nothing to do with the recount."

My reliable source then sent me a lot of information about this serious subject, including the following paragraph...

In the event of a dispute on whether to count a ballot, an observer’s role is nominal.  Should such a dispute arise, a recount committee member may submit an affidavit stating that legal votes were not counted or that illegal votes were counted.  The affidavit must be submitted to the recount coordinator (Marty Leonard).  Leonard would then have the discretion to order a recount of the disputed ballots.

The above paragraph was part of what seemed to me to be a rather legalistic document that seemed to me to be legit.

And so it goes. Texas election rules confuse and perplex me....

Walking With Indian Ghosts, Bobcats & Ticks To The Village Creek Green Bayou

Very early this morning I had myself a very refreshing long swim in a not too cool pool.

In the noon time frame I had myself a not too cool walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Not too cool, as in the hot and humid type of not too cool.

The Village Creek Blue Bayou  has turned into the Village Creek Green Bayou, as you can see in the picture, all green, no blue, not even in the sky.

As I was walking across the Village Creek Dam Bridge, on my way to the Green Bayou, I met two guys carrying fishing gear. I asked if they'd caught a lot of fish. One of the guys then told me that they did not even get a line in the water, because before that could happen they found that they were getting ticked off by ticks.

I got ticked off by a tick, years ago, camping somewhere near Mount Baker, the precise location lost to my failing memory. That particular tick ticked me in an extremely sensitive area. The pain was intense, so intense I dropped my drawers without warning to my fellow campers.

One of my fellow campers had tick experience. Or so she claimed. Next thing I knew a lit match was heating the tick to tick it off enough that it would release its grip. This worked. Relief was instant.  I quickly re-installed my dropped drawers.

The two guys I met today who got ticked off enough by ticks that they decided not to cast their lines, must have caught the ticks before they struck, I assume, because the two guys did not evidence being in any recent pain.

The stray dog that was living near the VCNHA parking lot was gone today. Once again, near that location, a large bobcat crossed the trail ahead of me. I think the stray dog was too big to have found itself bobcat food. At least I hope that's the case.

Last night's storm knocked out power at my location for an hour or so. The power came back on right about the time the sun set for the evening.  Power goes out way too often at my location. Rarely does it go out across the street, where Albertsons and other stores are.

The Last Wednesday Of May In Texas Brings Severe Thunderstorm Warnings

My computer based weather monitoring device started blinking RED about the same time the outer world at my location suddenly became very windy, followed by a short downpour and a few thunder booms.

The storm burst did not last too long. I think the short storm burst may have been a prequel with a longer storm burst arriving soon.

Just heard a new boom.

Below is the Severe Thunderstorm Warning from the National Weather Service...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN FORT WORTH HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING FOR...

WESTERN DENTON COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... NORTHEASTERN PARKER COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... NORTHWESTERN TARRANT COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS... EASTERN WISE COUNTY IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS...

* UNTIL 715 PM CDT

* AT 610 PM CDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE METEOROLOGISTS DETECTED A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING QUARTER SIZE HAIL...AND DAMAGING WINDS IN EXCESS OF 60 MPH. THESE STORMS WERE LOCATED ALONG A LINE EXTENDING FROM PELICAN BAY TO WILLOW PARK... MOVING NORTH AT 35 MPH.

* SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE NEAR... COTTONDALE...WHITE SETTLEMENT AND WESTWORTH AROUND 615 PM... AURORA...BOYD...SANSOM PARK AND RIVER OAKS AROUND 620 PM... AZLE AROUND 625 PM... SAGINAW AND PELICAN BAY AROUND 630 PM...

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

FOR YOUR PROTECTION MOVE TO A STURDY SHELTER UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

IF YOU ARE CAUGHT OUTSIDE...SEEK SHELTER IN A STRONG BUILDING AND STAY INSIDE...AWAY FROM WINDOWS UNTIL THE STORM HAS PASSED.

Today I Could Not Wake Up The Fosdick Lake Lone White Swan

It has been several days since I last visited Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park in East Fort Worth.

The Lone White Swan who took up Fosdick Lake residence several weeks ago is still in the same spot, along with the Lone White Swan's entourage of ducks.

Today the Lone White Swan did not wake up from its slumber when I stood nearby snapping pictures. The ducks were equally sleepy.

I hope the Lone White Swan and the ducks aren't ailing from eating fish they caught in Fosdick Lake.

A Thank You Has Me Wondering Who Is Overseeing The Impartiality And Accountability Of Marty Leonard

This morning, in my mailbox, I found a note from Fort Worth's favorite Pearls Clutching Dowager Heiress, Marty Leonard, thanking me for helping re-elect Vic Henderson and Jack Stevens to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board.

Apparently Marty Leonard feels that these are honorable and experienced men whose election will bring about a continuing focus on water supply for Tarrant County.

Marty Leonard also let me know that my vote made a difference.

I guess it did.

Because I did not vote for Marty Leonard's honorable men, I voted for the honorable, experienced Mary Kelleher, who got the most votes in the recent election.

I wonder why Marty Leonard made no mention of her new fellow board member?

Did Marty Leonard pay for this 'Thank You" note with her own funds? If not, whose?

I have not heard how the recount of the vote that re-elected the honorable and experienced Henderson and Stevens is going.

Marty Leonard is overseeing the impartiality and accountability of the recount for the TRWD Board.

Who is overseeing the impartiality and accountability of Marty Leonard I can not help but wonder?

Can Anyone Find A Timeline Schedule Of Construction For The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

No, in the picture you are not looking at an artist's rendering of what downtown Fort Worth will look like if the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle ever builds the little lake, long ago promised, that many of the locals have taken to calling Pond Granger.

No, that ferry is not floating on Pond Granger, it is floating on Elliott Bay, in Seattle.

Elliott Bay is a natural body of water, part of Puget Sound, which is connected to the Pacific Ocean. It is not the result of a public works project run amok, that the public was not allowed to vote for.

This past week public works projects have been on my mind. Ever since the I-5 Skagit River Bridge collapsed in my old hometown zone of Burlington and Mount Vernon.

The building of the American Interstate System was one of the biggest public works projects in the history of the world. One would think there would be extensive records of its building, timelines, photos, all sorts of documentation.

But, there aren't.

Which brings me to the time line time table of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Is there one?

Back when the TRV Boondoggle began, well over a decade ago, wakeboard parks, happy hour inner tube floats, drive-in movie theaters and music venues were not part of the vision that I saw. I do sort of recollect mention being made of restaurants being part of the waterfront attractions. I don't quite see how the TRV Boondoggle's Woodshed Smokehouse fits that bill, what with it being upstream from the Trinity Uptown zone.

Whenever I bike through Gateway Park I see the massive collection of Orwellian signage from the TRV Boondoggle touting the Gateway Park Master Plan.

What is the time table for the Gateway Park Master Plan? Is there one?

Trying to get info about the building of I-5 in Washington led me to the Washington State Department of Transportation website, which led me to some Washington projects, with time tables, that brought the TRV Boondoggle, with its non-time tables, to mind.

The Seattle zone has 3 public works projects underway that dwarf the TRV Boondoggle, both in scope and cost.

This summer the world's biggest tunnel boring machine will begin digging a tunnel under downtown Seattle for a new roadway to replace the earthquake damaged Alaskan Way Viaduct. Estimated cost, $4.25 billion. Completion date, 2015.

One of the floating bridges over Lake Washington is in dire need of replacement. This is now taking place, with the new bridge scheduled to be open in 2014. Estimated cost for the new bridge and other improvements, related to the bridge, $4.65 billion.

The other public works project underway in the Seattle zone are extensions to the Link Light Rail system. The various links have various completion dates. I don't know what the estimated cost is of the various new Link Light Rail routes, except for the fact that the number is in the billions and the public voted on the projects.

So, why is it that there is ZERO time line time table info for the extremely important, totally bogus, flood prevention economic development project known as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

What can we expect to see from the TRV Boondoggle in 2015? A bowling alley? Roller rink? World's biggest collection of outdoor trampolines? When is Pond Granger scheduled to be filled with water? When is the scheduled completion date of the 3 ordinary non-signature bridges over the un-needed flood diversion channel?

Speaking of that, when is the scheduled completion date of the un-needed flood diversion channel?

Why is there no time table for the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle? Does it have anything to do with the project being underfunded?

Does it not seem that the public has the right to know a completion date for various projects of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle? Even though the public did not vote for the Boondoggle?

The Day After Memorial Day Betty Jo Bouvier Took Me On A Trip To The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial

This morning, the day after Memorial Day, Betty Jo Bouvier remembered to email me a memorable link to a website that is The Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

You click on a state, this brings up a list of the towns in the state which had at least one Vietnam War Casualty.

You then click on the Veteran's name to find a surprising amount of info is provided.

I knew of only one Vietnam War Casualty.

Dennis Linnell.

Dennis graduated from Burlington-Edison High School, but his Home of Record is listed as Mount Vernon. I first looked at the Burlington list, expecting to find Dennis Linnell, there was only one name listed and it was not he.

At the top of the Persons from Washington page it says "The name you seek may not be under the city you expect." Which is why I looked in Mount Vernon and found Dennis.

When you click on the PFC DENNIS RICHARD LINNELL link below is what you see...

Clicking on full profile brings up....

From the above we learn that Dennis Linnell began his tour of duty in Vietnam on August, 17, 1970 and was killed less than 3 months later, on November 11, 1970.  Dennis was only 20 years old.

Clicking on the link in the sentence "DENNIS R LINNELL is on the Wall at Panel W6, Line 52", brings up a photo of the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, with Dennis R Linnell highlighted to facilitate finding the name...

Included is a rubbing from the Vietnam Memorial Wall of Dennis R Linnell...

Rubbing? Is this done by placing a sheet of paper over the name and then running a pencil back and forth?

I believe there are over 50,000 names memorialized on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. An amazing amount of effort has gone into making this Virtual Wall Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Tomorrow Marty Leonard Will Be Clutching Her Pearls Overseeing The TRWD Board Election Recount

Message from BNKer, John Basham regarding the TRWD Election Recount starting tomorrow.

Apparently TRWD Board Member, Marty Leonard, will be anxiously clutching her pearls whilst overseeing the impartiality and accountability of the recount.

Below is what Mr. Basham had to say about tomorrow's  recount and related issues....

Durango,

Okay, so I've paid my $14,000 to the TRWD, put together a group of lawyers and "observers", and I'm preparing for tomorrow's beginning to the recount.

Funny thing.... The TRWD must designate a "Recount Coordinator" to oversee the impartiality and accountability of the recount.... and that person is...drumroll... Marty Leonard...

Oh, well.... There will be 5 counting tables with 3 "counters" at each table recounting the ballots by hand (starting of course with the paper ballots, which I'm told is well over half)...

Then every candidate who is on the ballot is allowed to designate ONE person to each of the three counters at each table.... (good thing we ran as a three slate team)....

So we will start this process tomorrow morning at 9am in the warehouse of the Elections Department.... And will count until no later than  6pm.... this repeats daily until all ballots are counted or I call it off.

But not to worry.... If I still don't pick up the 90 votes needed in recount I can always run next year..... errr oh wait.... Charlie Geren steps in and changes the play (it's a sneak).... He has MOVED next year's election to 2015!

Yep, it's true, and the Governor just signed it.... Such is life in the cesspool of Fort Worth politics.

Oh, and Happy Memorial Day.

Warmest Regards,

John

A Memorable Memorial Day Mountain Bike Ride In Fort Worth's Gateway Park

I had myself a memorable Memorial Day bike ride today on the Gateway Park mountain bike trail.

The bike ride was memorable because I don't ever  remember seeing so many people biking on this trail as I saw today.

And many of the mountain bikers were little tyke mountain bikers. Little tykes, as in little kids of the 4 or 5 years old variety.

As you can see via the view over my handlebars of the Trinity River and the cloudy sky above the river, Memorial Day in North Texas is not a clear blue sky day.

It is only 80 degrees in the outer world at my location, which really is not all that hot. Yet I keep turning the dial on the A/C cooler and cooler. Ceiling fans spinning, A/C running, minimal clothing and yet I am still uncomfortably warm.

I have not heard from Spencer Jack's dad or Uncle Joey today with an update into their ongoing search for proof that the Federal Highway Administration National Bridge Inventory Database information about the recently collapsed Skagit River I-5 Bridge is erroneous. Yesterday Spencer Jack's dad had a run in with law enforcement when he got too close to the collapse in an early morning evidence search.

I have blogged about this serious issue a couple times on my Washington blog.....

The Collapsed I-5 Skagit River Bridge Was Built in the 1960s not 1955 and My Nephews Jason & Joey Continue to Try to Find Out When the Collapsed I-5 Skagit River Bridge Was Actually Built.

I just got incoming info via email from BNKer John Basham about the recount of the votes cast in the recent Tarrant Regional Water District Board Election.  Apparently a current TRWD board member, the Self-Entitled Dowager Heiress Marty Leonard will be busy clutching her pearls whilst overseeing the recount for the TRWD.

I shall hit the publish button on this blogging and then blog about the recount....

A Littered Walk With Village Creek Indian Ghosts, Lizards & Lost Dogs

This last Sunday of May I had myself a hot, humid walk with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Today I found myself additionally haunted by the pile of litter piled up behind the Village Creek Dam Bridge.

Why do so many people who live in this part of the planet release so much litter to the outer world to be disposed of by Mother Nature's flushing system?

It really does not seem all that difficult, to me, to dispose of things, like empty cans and bottles, in a way that renders it unlikely that a can or bottle will somehow end up in a Texas stream of water that flows into the Trinity River and then makes its way to the Gulf of Mexico.

On a more pleasant note, today on the Village Creek Blue Bayou overlook there was a cute yellow lizard practicing yoga poses.

Above you are looking at the aforementioned yoga practicing yellow lizard in the Cobra Position. The lizard  did not seem to much care that I was visiting real close. It winked at me a couple times.

Why is it I find reptiles of the snake variety totally creepy, while I think reptiles of the lizard variety are cute?

On a sadder note...

Several days ago, the last time I walked with the Indian Ghosts, at the picnic area one comes to as soon as you leave the parking lot, there was a dog, with no human nearby. The dog at that point in time seemed both nervous and sort of needy. Like he was hoping I was going to take him home.

Today I walked into the picnic area to see someone had left a bowl of water next to a bowl of dog food. I sat at a picnic table and started making where are you doggy noises.

After about a minute of making where are you doggy noises the dog showed  up. He walked to about 15 feet from me and then stood and stared. After a couple minutes of staring he partially sat down, still staring at  me. After a couple more minutes he laid on the cement, resting his head on his front legs while still staring at me.

I talked to the dog for a few minutes. After awhile the pleading staring got on my nerves, so I left.