Biking Gateway Park At 107 Degrees Before Doing Some Crowded Town Talking On The Last Day Of August

The outer world was already 100 degrees HOT when I left my abode's air-conditioned comfort to drive to Gateway Park to do some mountain biking.

100 degrees, with the vexing heat index making it really feel like 107.

But, it really did not feel like 107 to me. Or even 100. Most of my pedaling took place under the shade of the Gateway Park jungle.

On the left you are looking at the Fort Worth Mountain Biking Association's sign that shows the various loops of the various miles of trails one can pedal on in Gateway Park.

Someone has taped another sign to the glass that protects the map. That taped sign says "Life is better on a mountain bike."

Some days life does seem to be better on a mountain bike. Rolling along at high speed on a single track trail usually does manage to elevate my mood. Endorphins released due to aerobic activity may account for some of the mood elevation.

Changing the subject from pedaling to something else.

I am appalled that today is already the last day of August. This month was eventful and flew by at hyperspeed. September will also likely disappear fast and by the start of October getting in the pool in the morning will start to be a bit bracing.

I went two times around my favorite Gateway Park mountain bike trail loop. And then it was off to Town Talk.

I have never seen Town Talk so crowded, with such long lines at the checkouts.

But, due to how efficiently the Town Talk checkers check, the wait was not long.

I got a lot of rabbit food today. Romaine lettuce, Iceberg lettuce, 10 pounds of broccoli crowns. Plus some non-rabbit food type stuff, like red onions, chicken legs, cheese, tortillas, bratwurst for my Labor Day Picnic and other stuff I am not remembering right now.

Speaking of food products. The lunch gong just went off. Time for a feeding.

Another HOT August Day In Texas With No Cooling Glaciers Available

My great nephew Spencer Jack's grandma, my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Cindy, knowing I am HOT today, as in a 104 HEAT index level of HOT, emailed me the cool looking photo you see on the left.

That big white mass of white is what is known as a glacier. That  particular glacier is one of many sliding down the slopes of the Mount Baker volcano, near my old home zone in Washington.

My favorite ex-sister-in-law has turned into a hiking maniac, something I really would never have envisioned her ever becoming back when she was my favorite sister-in-law.

Cindy has been going on some of the more grueling hikes I have ever been on. Like her hike last week to the Park Butte Lookout, which is the vantage point from which Cindy took the above photo.

I have blogged about Cindy's hiking exploits a couple times. Last Sunday in a blogging titled Hiking To The Park Butte Lookout With Cindy & Michele and today in a blogging titled More Mount Baker Hiking With Cindy, Michele, Ginny & Jeremy.

Jeremy is my youngest nephew. In today's blogging about Cindy hiking I included a couple photos of Jeremy in the same location, one of which is one of my all time favorite photos. Jeremy was only 7 when that photo was taken.

I wonder if he remembers the trauma he experienced that day. I will have to remember to ask the next time I talk to my favorite nephew Jeremy.

Clicking through locations on my computer based temperature monitoring device my location is once again the HOTTEST.

HOTTER than Phoenix.

With Western Washington shivering in the 70s. Which is to be expected, what with all those big cooling glaciers sliding down mountains....

Pondering A Labor Day Weekend Visit To Turner Falls Park In Oklahoma With A Stop For Coffee At WinStar World Casino

In the picture you are looking at the biggest waterfall in Oklahoma.

Turner Falls.

In Turner Falls Park in Davis, Oklahoma.

That is my little head barely out of the water, directly under the raging water of Turner Falls.

The visit to Turner Falls Park that found me getting wet was during a very HOT August day in the year 2000.

A couple years after that visit to Turner Falls Park I returned, with Gar the Texan, on a cold winter day, with that cold winter day being the first Saturday of the new year of 2002.

I know the precise date of that winter visit to Turner Falls because I just looked at the Turner Falls Park in Winter webpage I made documenting that visit.

On the winter visit to Turner Falls there was a lot more water raging over the falls than there was during the August visit. So much water was flowing through Honey Creek that it was flooding over one of the creek crossings one crosses to get to Turner Falls.

The reason Turner Falls Park came to mind this morning is I noticed a HUGE jump in visits to my Turner Falls Park webpage when I checked my website stats.

For a second or two I wondered why there was a Turner Falls Park webpage visitor's spike. Then I remembered this is Labor Day Weekend.

Turner Falls Park will likely be packed with visitors this Labor Day Weekend, to the point access may be denied to late comers. It is a big park, but there is only so much parking in the park.

A Labor Day Weekend drive up to Turner Falls Park sounds like a really fine time. With a stop at WinStar World Casino on the way north, or the way back south. WinStar World Casino has one of the best buffets I have ever buffeted at. With what may be the most tasty coffee I have ever tasted.

On The Last Thursday Of August Texas Sizzles At 101 While Washington Shivers At 73

101 feeling like 102 this last Thursday afternoon of August.

I was not out in the HEAT too much today. My longest HEAT exposure occurred this morning in Arlington during one of the annual vehicle emissions inspections.

And then later there was a HOT walk to Albertsons to get this week's FW Weekly.

And then late in the afternoon I felt the need to yell at Miss Puerto Rico about something, so I hunted her down and did the necessary yelling, which had Miss Puerto Rico laughing because she's not heard me do all that much yelling. I think I may have been laughing too. It was a bit funny.

Checking temperatures this afternoon I found I am the HOTTEST of any of the temperatures I check. My mom and dad in the Phoenix zone are currently not even above 100 degrees, chilling at 98. With rain and flash flood warnings. It is the monsoon time of year in Arizona.

While my current home zone is being heated to a HOT 101, my old home zone is being naturally chilled to an icy 73.

I keep my air-conditioning set to around 80.

If I were up in Washington, right now, I would be shivering, with the locals not understanding why I am thinking I am cold.

Some of the Washington locals can be so insensitive when it comes to understanding how cold their climate is to one who lives in a HOT part of the planet.

This morning the pool actually felt a bit cool for the first time in a long time. That bit of cool is a harbinger of cooler pools to come.

If I remember right, by the end of September it becomes a bit more challenging to get in the pool. And then by the end of October I have to involve the hot tub in the process to make it work.

Tomorrow morning I do not think I will need to do any warming up in the hot tub.

Miley Cyrus Has Me Wanting To Go Twerking Friday Night At Billy Bob's With Connie D

Did Betty White really say what it indicates she said in the graphic on the left?

I saw this on Facebook, via the Fort Worth Connie D.

This is the funniest thing I have read regarding the extremely serious Miley Cyrus MTV VMA brouhaha.

The Miley Cyrus MTV VMA brouhaha caused me to learn a new technical term.

Twerking.

I had never heard of this twerk word before last Monday morning. I had no idea what twerking was. Even after I watched the Miley Cyrus MTV VMA embarrassment I still did not really understand what twerking was.

So, I researched this serious twerking subject and blogged about this technical twerking issue on my Durango Tech No blog in a blogging titled The Miley Cyrus MTV VMA Twerking Caused Me To Learn A New Word & Dance Move, where, in addition to sharing the technical definition of twerking, I also included a video that teaches one the art of the twerking dance moves.

I am considering replacing my salubrious daily hour of  early morning endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation, gained by swimming, with an hour of salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation gained by twerking.

I wonder if Connie D would like to go twerking with me Friday night at Billy Bob's?

A Discombobulating Detour Through Haltom City

Today started off fine with my regular early morning swim.

As noon approached a doctor's visit in Euless began to have a discombobulating effect on the day.

After an uneventful lunch I decided to drive north the short 6 mile distance to ALDI.

Driving to the ALDI in Hurst takes me through the 121/820 road construction mess.

On the way north through the mess the signage confused me, the new road alignment added to the confusion. I thought I was on the correct lane, the one heading to D/FW Airport and Precinct Line Road. Instead I was on the flyover that exits to Davis Boulevard.

No big deal.

I had intended to take the TCC/Davis Boulevard exit if the freeway appeared jammed when I got to that location.

When I got to ALDI I saw that Precinct Line Road was backed up worse than I'd ever seen it. My intention had been to take backroads to return to my abode, after ALDI.

When I exited ALDI and turned on to Precinct Line Road it soon became apparent that the 5 southbound lanes were being squeezed down to two. But, the freeway entry lane option was clear sailing. So, I changed my mind and decided to take the freeway, 5 minutes to home, option.

Big mistake.

Again the construction had changed the road alignment since I'd last passed through this mess. The signage again confused me. And before I could fix the mistake I found myself heading west on 820 for the first time in years.

I figured I'd get off at the first exit and make my way south on surface streets. Good plan, but there were no exits. All were closed. Til I got to Rufe Snow Road. Eventually, after waiting through maybe 5 green light cycles I reached the spot you see in the photo above.

I took a left when that light turned green and headed south on Rufe Snow. Eventually I came to 183. I headed west on 183, thinking I'd quickly come to Beach Street, then make my way past Town Talk, then home on Randol Mill.

Eventually I did make it to Beach Street, but not before a mighty fine tour of beautiful downtown Haltom City where I saw that the Haltom City Theater is celebrating being alive for 65 years and is in need of some sprucing up.

I think today was the most driving I have done in the D/FW zone since my mom and dad were here in 2009. By the time I got back to air-conditioned comfort I felt like I'd driven 70 to 80 miles. But, my odometer indicated the reality was I'd only driven 22 miles.

I don't think I will be driving to the Hurst ALDI anymore til the road construction is complete. Why is it seeming like deja vu, me saying that?

Please Help Fort Worth Weekly's Peter Gorman

Incoming from Elsie Hotpepper pointed me to the need to please help Peter Gorman.

Peter Gorman is an award winning journalist who wrote some of Fort Worth Weekly's more memorable pieces, such as Can of Worms, regarding the can of worms known as Haltom City.

Deep in the Peruvian jungle Peter Gorman found himself three staph infections which have turned into an ongoing battle.

A webpage in indiegogo.com titled Help Peter Gorman Please has been set up, along with a Facebook page title Help Peter Gorman Please.

The indiegogo.com article says in part....

Peter is a noted and award-winning journalist and adventurer - also a damn good friend, father, brother, guide and simply all-around one of the good guys, and there ain't many good guys left.

For nearly 30 years Peter has been working with Ayahuasca, and in Peru in the deep jungle -- he is a living legend.

Let's keep it that way

This recent trip the jungle sunk its teeth in really, seriously deep and Peter picked up three different staph infections - a flesh eating bacteria - that tore into him and threatened to eat his leg away below the knee. 

As I write this, his leg has been saved - however, he's not out of the woods yet.

Peter is still fighting the infection - battling against it going systemic - throughout his entire body. 

Peter writes: "(It's) ...been in the muscle for six weeks. Been on drip for six weeks. In Iquitos, in the jungle, in Iquitos and here at the hospital and now here at home. I'm about to have an IV as a matter of fact. I've already lost a lot of muscle. I'm trying to keep it from reaching the bone and going systemic."

Peter needs funds to help pay for medical costs - now.

Peter's long-time friend Alan Shoemaker writes:

"...he has already spent 80 grand... and the two skin grafts, IF the leg is saved, will cost around 15 grand... and the antibotics he needs now and everything else, nursing care at home for a month, etc... so yes, this will bankrupt him easily... We can help. Please."

Walking With My Sister & The Village Creek Natural Historical Area Indian Ghosts

Next Monday, September 2, is Labor Day.

There has been a Labor Day, or two, since I have been in Texas where I have had trouble finding myself an unoccupied picnic table on which I could barbecue my Labor Day barbecue.

The Labor  Days where I have had trouble finding a picnic table have been at various parks in the Lake Grapevine zone.

On Monday if I want to find myself a picnic table I now know of a place I can go to, close to my abode, with plenty of picnic tables, with very few people ever using them.

The plentiful picnic table place of which I speak is Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area. Those are a few of the Village Creek NHA picnic tables you see above. As you can see, big fire pits are included.

An additional attraction to a Village Creek Natural Historical Area Labor Day picnic is you get to share the space with the Indian ghosts who haunt this particular place.

My sister who spends most of her time in Arizona walked with me and the Indian ghosts today. We walked for about an hour. My sister gave me an update on my mom's post knee surgery status, among other things.

With one of those other things being my sister planting in my mind the idea of flying up to Washington in October to help with a complex babysitting project. I have multiple reasons why it might be a good idea to fly up to Washington.

It has been over 5 years since I have done so.

Most of the painful residue of that fateful month during the summer of 2008 has dissipated, or faded to irrelevance.

Changing the subject from painful residue to something else.

This morning I looked in my refrigerator to be reminded that on Saturday I got a 5 pound bag of broccoli crowns at Town Talk. So, this morning, with an almost fall chill in the air, I decided to make broccoli cheese soup.

We are currently scheduled to have several days in a row over 100, starting tomorrow, so hot soup seemed like a real good idea. That and barbecued chicken.

Time for lunch now....

Today I Was Schooled In Green By Fort Worth Weekly

I did not get around to reading last week's Fort Worth Weekly until today, two days before this week's Fort Worth Weekly becomes readable.

Last week's Fort Worth Weekly has an article titled Schooled in Green which managed to surprise me.

Til an hour ago if you'd ask me if I knew anywhere in the world where the geo-thermal method of heating a space was being used I would have said there are geo-thermal heated greenhouses in Iceland.

So, imagine how surprised I was to learn that Tarrant County has several new schools which are geo-thermal heated and cooled.

Is this type thing happening all over America? And the world? I have no idea. What I do know is this sure seems to be a good method to heat and cool a school.

Biking Mallard Cove Park Finding A Giant Pipe Bed & Tires

By the time the noon time of the day arrived I felt as if I needed an additional endorphin boost to the one I got early this morning via swimming for an hour.

I did not feel like driving very far, so I drove to the park closest to my abode, that being Mallard Cove Park, to pedal my bike.

I rolled a couple times around the paved trails and then exited the park to the wild zone.

The wild zone to the west of Mallard Cove Park sort of spooks me. As in, I get nervous that suddenly a scary human is going to pop out  from behind a tree.

Or be hiding somewhere, like when I looked inside the giant pipe you see above, I thought it might be someone's bedroom or a home for snakes.

As can see, there were no humans or snakes in the pipe.

This wild zone seems to be a bit of a dumping zone. Why would someone leave a giant piece of pipe laying in the woods?

Or the mattress with matching box spring you see below. The mattress appeared to be fairly new.

Maybe someone was camping at this location, hauled in a mattress for a comfortable night's sleep and then decided it was too much bother to haul the mattress back home. Or left it for the sleeping comfort of others.

And then there were the tires. What is it with Fort Worth and its multiple tire graveyards?

I saw the above tires from the same location I found the giant pipe, with that giant pipe laying about 20 feet from the cliff's edge. There are more than a dozen tires strewn on this particular Trinity River sandbar.

How do tires get to these type locations? Do tires float? Are tires recyclable?

All in all, I had myself a really fine time rolling around Mallard Cove Park, getting just the right amount of endorphins to have myself feeling real good.