Have A Happy Wedding Wishes To Gar The Texan & Miss De Pew

In the picture you are looking at Gar the Texan and his soon to be new wife, Lisa De Pew, holding up their license to wed.

I do not know if Lisa De Pew is the soon to be new wife's real name or stage name. Sounds French to me.

My sources tell me that this soon to be new wife is an authentic, certified, English speaking American, with a pronounced Idaho accent.

Being from Idaho Lisa would likely have really liked it when Gar the Texan had a Pocatello-doo, which is what is called a mullet in Texas and elsewhere, which many believe was invented in Pocatello, Idaho around the time Gar the Texan was born.

It takes a long time for fads to migrate all the way to Texas, particular little towns in West Texas, which is why Gar the Texan was sporting a Pocatello-doo well into this century, long after the mullet fad had died in the non-hinterlands.

Last night the Queen of Wink and I were discussing the important issue of Gar the Texan's soon to be new wife and we both agreed that this match seems to have a better chance of succeeding than the previous match, what with this soon to be new wife speaking English and being older than 18.

How many wives Gar the Texan has actually had has been a rather open, confusing debate. The number ranges from 3 to 7.

I believe the confusion comes from counting the common law wives in with the state sanctioned lawfully wedded wives. I am almost 100% certain there have been only 2 state sanctioned lawfully wedded Gar the Texan wives, with Miss De Pew becoming the 3rd state sanctioned lawfully wedded Gar the Texan wife.

It speaks to the quality of Gar the Texan's kind, forgiving nature that all of his ex-wives, both common and state sanctioned, are expected to be in attendance at today's ceremony.

Well, it's about time to put on a white shirt and a black tie and head to Cowboy Stadium for the big event....

Biking The Gateway Park Cliffs Before Getting A Rabbit Food Supply

Since it is Saturday and I lack the imagination to do anything new, I drove myself to Gateway Park to roll my bike tires.

Due to rain deluging yesterday morning for what seemed to be a long enough duration to render Gateway Park's mountain bike trails too muddy to ride, I planned on pedaling the paved trails.

However, upon arrival at the Gateway Park parking lot it became apparent that the mountain bike trail was being biked.

And so that is what I did. Totally dry. No mud. Maybe yesterday's deluge did not deluge on this location.

In the picture you are looking at the location of the new section of mountain bike trail that I find just a bit unsettling.

If one were pedaling fast one might not react fast enough when one comes to the point in the trail where a detour takes a hard right.

I would guess there has been a pedaler, or two, who quickly hit the brakes, so as not to take an unwanted cliff dive in to the Trinity River.

After I had rolled my tires a sufficient number of rotations I returned to my motorized transport and drove to Town Talk.

Today I got enough lettuce to keep a dozen rabbits happy for a month. Romaine and Green Leaf. Plus things that would not keep a rabbit happy, like chicken legs and Jalapeno Jack cheese.

Well, it's about time to get ready for Gar the Texan's latest wedding....

What Phase Of The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Project's Timeline Are We Currently Looking At?

I have mentioned previously that both the town I am now located in, Fort Worth, Texas and the town from whence I came, Mount Vernon, Washington, have downtown river projects underway. With major differences.

Fort Worth's river project is known as the Trinity River Vision. Mount Vernon's is not known as the Skagit River Vision.

Ironically, the Mount Vernon river project is actually visionary, while the Fort Worth river project does not seem very visionary.

Mount Vernon's river project addresses an actual flood control issue, protecting downtown Mount Vernon from being destroyed by a flood, a situation which has come close to happening several times in the past couple decades, with a wall of sandbags and 100s of sandbaggers coming to the rescue.

Fort Worth's river project does not address any actual flood control issue, even though that is the bill of phony goods that has been sold to the apparently gullible Fort Worth public. Downtown Fort Worth has not been threatened by a flooding Trinity River for well over a half a century, due to the fact that huge levees were installed, back in the 1950s, under the direction of the Army Corps of Engineers, which do a good job of keeping the river under control.

The Fort Worth un-visionary Trinity River Vision's plan is to take down the functioning levees and replace them with a gigantic flood diversion channel, which will likely be like the Great Wall of China, as in visible from the moon.

You reading this in the sane parts of America, I guarantee I am not making this up.

Even harder to believe...

In order to secure federal money to help pay for this new bogus flood control that the federal government, meaning you, already paid for, decades ago, to insure the cooperation of Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger, her totally unqualified son, J.D., was given the job of overseeing Fort Worth's screwy river project.

So far, having J.D. Granger oversee this screwy river project has seen the construction of the world's premiere urban wakeboard lake, the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century, an imaginary music venue with an imaginary island hosting inner tubing beer parties in the polluted Trinity River.

And a restaurant.

Again. You reading this in the sane parts of America, I guarantee I am not making this up.

Now, back to Mount Vernon's river project. What got me back on this subject was an article I read this morning in Mount Vernon's newspaper online.

Oh, I must mention. My old hometown has an actual newspaper of record functioning with journalistic integrity, which is one of the many reasons I found the Fort Worth Star-Telegram so jarringly different upon first exposure. I was not used to a newspaper functioning as a Chamber of Commerce cheerleader spewing propaganda.

Today's article in the Mount Vernon newspaper is titled "Phase 2 of revetment project is on target." That is a screen cap of the article above.

So, reading that phase 2 of the Mount Vernon river project is on target finally gets me to the point I wanted to make, via questions I have asked before....

Why is there no timeline for Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle? What phase are we currently in? When is the targeted completion date of any phase of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

Is there a timeline for Fort Worth's river project?

If so, what is it?

If not, why not?

Is the reason the Mount Vernon river project has a project timeline, with targeted phases of completion, with a projected project completion date, because the Mount Vernon river project is being run by an actual qualified project engineer who is not the un-qualified son of the local congressman?

The Middle Of August With North Texas Chilly & Wet

67 degrees?

The middle of August in Texas with the outer world being naturally air-conditioned to a chilly 67 degrees?

My windows open in the middle of August? I don't believe that has ever happened before.

The outer world is currently being chilled to a temperature about 13 degrees colder than I chill my interior space using unnatural mechanical means when the outer world is being heated into the 100 degree zone.

While Texas is missing out on that rumored Global Warming thing, up in my old home zone of the Western Washington part of the Pacific Northwest the natives have been experiencing a record number of days heated to 80 degrees and above.

In Western Washington 80 degrees and above is considered to be very HOT.

The information gleaned via my computer based weather monitoring device that you see above indicates a light rain is falling.

Whilst I was having my morning swim it was not a light rain that was falling. It was a heavy rain that was pummeling me with big drops of cold wetness. Along with thunder booming in the distance.

I do not see any outer world walking, hiking or biking on my schedule for today. Unless I take myself on a walk inside Sam's Club....

The Queen Of Wink Is Now A Durango Roadtripping Guest Blogger With Taos Tales

Today the Queen of Wink is the Guest Blogger on my Durango Roadtripping blog in a blogging titled The Queen of Wink Roadtripping to Taos New Mexico.

The Queen of Wink solo roadtripped herself to Taos this past weekend to have herself a three day adventure.

That adventure included getting tossed into the Rio Grande whilst river rafting, drinking copious amounts of coffee, drinking less copious amounts of liquid refreshments at the one year anniversary of the Mesa Taos Brewery, catching wild salmon for dinner in downtown Taos, being awakened by bear splashing in the Rio Grande, experiencing vertigo whilst walking across the Rio Grande Gorge, meeting numerous Taos natives at the Taos Pueblo, along with other stuff you will have to read for yourself in the Queen of Wink's blogging about her visit to Taos.

My one and only time in Taos I also stayed three days. However, it seems the Queen of Wink crammed more into one day in Taos than I did in three.

The Queen of Wink is barely 25 years old, hence her ability to be so active without collapsing in exhaustion, including staying up til 2am in downtown Taos, while I am 22 years older and get tired just thinking about staying up til 2am.

Pedaling Gateway Park To The Flotsam Of Trinity Falls On The Trinity River

Trinity Falls

I figured the Gateway Park mountain bike trails would not be suitable for rolling over due to a downpour or two that poured down water in the past couple days.

However,  I felt the need for bi-pedaling speed, so I drove myself to Gateway Park to park and pedal on the paved trails which are not affected when rain pours down.

I left Gateway Park at one point and saw City of Fort Worth workers working to get flotsam and jetsam out of the Trinity River that had back up behind Trinity Falls.

A lot of flotsam in the form of floating litter was swirling at the base of Trinity Falls. Why does this flotsam swirl around instead of simply continuing its journey to its destiny of eventually littering the Gulf of Mexico?

After an hour of pedaling, give or take a minute or two, since I was in the neighborhood, I stopped in at Town Talk. I had a good reason to stop in at Town Talk. I needed cheese and yogurt. So, I got Swiss Cheese and Mango Yogurt. Along with some other stuff.

The Thunder Rolls In North Texas On This Dog Day Of August

For the last half hour, give or take a minute or two, thunder has been booming, rain has been dropping.

When this booming and dropping was going on I was not near my computer based weather monitoring device.

When I returned to being near my computer based weather monitoring device I saw it was flashing red with the warning....

"SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING, AREAL FLOOD AD."

What is an "AREAL FLOOD?" I assume that "AD" word that got cut off in the warning was hoping  to spell "ADVISORY."

Earlier today the forecast for this point in time, in the early evening, was for diminished storm action. Instead we are getting more storm action than what happened this morning when storm action was predicted.

My hatches were already battened down, so I am totally prepared to weather this current storm. As long as it does not go into tornado mode at my location....

Today I Found East Fort Worth's Abandoned Harrison Cemetery

For years I have driven by the obscured by brush Texas Historical Marker you see in the picture.

This Texas Historical Marker is located near where Meadowbrook Drive intersects with Meadowbrook Boulevard in far East Fort Worth.

As I've driven by this overgrown Texas Historical Marker, dozens of times I've told myself that one day I need to stop and see what it is that is being historically marked with a Texas Historical Marker at this location.

Today was finally the day I got around to seeing what was being marked here.

I wondered if it might be one of the ubiquitous Bonnie & Clyde crime spree locations. Or something equally nefarious, figuring that this Texas Historical Marker must mark something notorious, hence its overgrown, uncared for state.

It was a bit of a damp challenge to get up close enough to read the Texas Historical Marker to learn it had nothing to do with Bonnie & Clyde, but instead was marking a cemetery.

Harrison Cemetery to be precise.

The information on the marker describing Harrison Cemetery....

When first used, this one-acre cemetery belonged to Tarrant County pioneer D.C. Harrison. The earliest known grave is that of Mary E. Harrison (1864-71). Several early settlers used this site, including R.A. Randol (1850-1922), the operator of Randol Mill, who bought this tract in 1895 and deeded it forever as a burial ground. Graves here number about sixty and include those of the Edward Deason family, Randol's first wife Ronda(Harrison) (1859-82). His brother John C. Randol, who died in an 1894 mill accident, and his wife Nancy Cannon Harrision (1833-83), mother of Ronda Harrison Randol.

Randol is a rather well known name in this part of the country. A section of Randol Mill Road, it being a road which seems to run all over Tarrant County, is near Harrison Cemetery.

Why has this cemetery fallen into such a shameful state of being untended and overgrown with jungle-like foliage?

Seems odd that this cemetery would warrant a Texas Historical Marker, but not warrant being cared for.

Very perplexing....

Taking A HOT Walk On Top Of A Dam

In the picture you are looking at two things in short supply in Fort Worth, Texas.

One of those two things in short supply is the body of water on the left, with the other of those two things in short supply being the sidewalk you see in the center of the picture.

I think sidewalks are so named because they are paved walking zones on the side of a road. Which would seem to indicate that what we are looking at in this picture is not a sidewalk because there is no road on either side of it.

What we are looking at is the paved trail on top of Fosdick Dam in Oakland Lake Park. I had myself an extremely HOT walk today walking around Fosdick Lake.

As you can see, via the picture, there are currently clouds where usually there is a clear blue sky. Those clouds may be part of incoming possible rain that is predicted to arrive soon.

A Long Walk To A Mailbox Filled With Birthday Cards

I had myself a long endorphin inducing aerobically stimulating swim early this morning. By the time my midday need to aerobicize rolled around I was not in the mood to drive anywhere to bike, hike or walk in the humid HEAT.

Instead of driving somewhere to walk I walked to the mailbox.

In the mailbox I found several birthday cards.

My mom called me yesterday and asked if a birthday card had arrived. It had not. Mom said that likely was because it was mailed on the 8th.

My favorite aunt, she being my dad's big sister, writes the best letters. This year's birthday card's letter delivered. Very amusing. My aunt taught high school English, which may explain why her letters are so good. And perfectly handwritten, as in flawless handwriting, a skill I no longer have.

I took the birthday cards to my favorite picnic table and opened them, read what was inside and took the picture above. Then I called my mom  and dad to tell them the card had arrived and to thank them for the contents.

When my mom called yesterday I was informed that I had the number wrong when I blogged about mom and dad's anniversary last week. It was number 62. Not 63. How do I so routinely make mistakes such as these?

Very perplexing....