The Trinity River Vision Spring 2014 Update's Perplexing Propaganda

This morning I opened my mailbox to find the eagerly anticipated Spring 2014 Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Update.

The TRVB Update was too big for my scanner so on the left you are seeing only part of the Update's cover.

If I remember right I've wondered before how much these full color TRVB Updates cost to publish and mail.

The Update is chock full of interesting propaganda, I mean, information, some of which I don't think has anything to do with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Like the news that construction of something called McMillan Plaza is moving along quickly. Or that the wait for the Airfield Falls Trailhead is almost over. Or that the trail around the Marine Creek Reservoir is almost complete.

The TRVB continues to attach the Panther Island label to various entities. Like Panther Island Brewing is opening on the non-existent island.

This bit of TRVB Update news had an amusing J.D. Granger quote which had J.D. saying "Panther Island Brewing is exactly the type of business we want on Panther Island. We want businesses that create a special culture, identity and excitement for the district."

We also learn that Panther Island Ice got a cool review, with that cool review, near as I can tell, coming from the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Update. Apparently the ice rink was an enormous six week success and will be coming back next year half again bigger and with a mechanized ice smoother.

The most confounding item in the TRVB Update was on the cover of the publication, that being the "news" about bridge construction.

"Panther Island bridge construction will officially begin this summer! The three new signature V-pier bridges will be located on Henderson Street, North Main Street and White Settlement Road. The bridges will be finished by late 2017 - early 2018. Building the bridges now - on dry land - will be cheaper than constructing them over water after the bypass channel is created."

Okay, first off, are we supposed to collectively forget that long ago the TRV Boondoggle dropped the plan to build "signature" bridges designed by some renowned bridge architect? Dropped because the signature bridges were too expensive.

There is nothing "signature" about these V-pier bridges.

Three or four years to build these bridges over the non-existent, imaginary, un-funded, un-needed bypass channel?

Construction will officially begin? When did construction unofficially begin? The start of construction of these bridges seems to be a constantly shifting target.

If the bridges ever do get built methinks they will likely end up being a monument to hubris, an example of what can happen when you try to build a public works project the public has not been allowed to vote on. Or maybe the water-free bridges will become some sort of internationally recognized symbol for a boondoggle, finally giving Fort Worth something internationally recognized.

In small, hard to read print, below the easy to read Bridge Construction info we learn "Local firm Freese and Nichols led the overall bridge project design and is engineer of record. Rosales + Partners of Boston, Massachusetts are responsible for the TRV bridge architectural design. These are the same firms that designed the award-winning Phyllis J. Tilley Memorial pedestrian bridge."

Award winning Tilley bridge? Was this an ultra legit award giving entity which handed out this award to this bridge, of the same status as the award giving entity which recently awarded Fort Worth the honor of having the best downtown in all of America?

I was not at all impressed with an up close look at the Tilley bridge. It appeared cheap and shoddy to me.

Now the newly redone, nearby 7th Street Bridge across the Trinity, now that is one good-looking bridge.

Who designed the 7th Street Bridge? Couldn't that designer design a similar look for the TRV Booondoggle's three currently non-signature bridges? Bridges like the 7th Street Bridge could really be a signature look for Fort Worth bridges.

And finally, regarding the bridges, another quote from that gift who keeps on giving, J.D. Granger...

"This is such a monumental phase of the project.  We are already 20% complete with this project, but the bridges will be the first part of the infrastructure people can physically see taking shape and going vertical."

It has been over 10 years and the project is only 20% complete? I am not good at math but at this pace is it expected to take 40 years to bring this boondoggle to fruition?

The bridges will be the first part of the infrastructure people can see? What about all the property destroyed by eminent domain abuse in the path of the project? That was all quite clearly visible......

Sidewalk Nightmares: Fort Worth's Aim To Be Walkable

On the left you are looking at a screencap of part of an article I read yesterday in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram titled Sidewalk dreams: Fort Worth aims to be a walkable city which I found to be a bit confounding.

A snip from the article...

Fort Worth City Councilman Dennis Shingleton said the city can encourage developers to build more sidewalks and connect developments with schools through various incentives.

“We have a chance to impose our will — if you will the bully pulpit — on developers and tell them here is what we want — we want sidewalks that are six feet wide,” Shingleton said as an example.

Now, why is it up to developers to develop Fort Worth's sidewalks? Do developers develop the roads the developments use?

How is it that other towns manage to have sidewalks on both sides of all the roads that run through their town? Like Tacoma. In Washington. I've walked all over Tacoma. I do not recollect ever walking anywhere in Tacoma where I was not walking on a sidewalk, a nice, wide sidewalk, usually with a strip of landscaping between the sidewalk and the road.

This same sidewalk reality exists in many other towns in which I have walked. Fort Worth is actually the first time I have ever experienced a town which is so sidewalk challenged. Well, there was the time I walked around in Algadones, Mexico and noticed there were few sidewalks. If I remember right I have opined about this perplexing problem previously, that being the Fort Worth sidewalk shortage, not the Algadones sidewalk shortage. This is the first time I've mentioned the Algadones sidewalk shortage.

In addition to learning about Fort Worth's sidewalk dreams, in this article I also learned about something called the Blue Zones initiative which somehow is a vision for walkable healthy cities. And then regarding this Blue Zones project thing there was the following disturbing paragraph...

The Blue Zones project in Fort Worth is headed by Julie Wilson, who said they received over 800 applications for the initial 18 staff positions to run the five-year initiative, and they are still accepting applications.

Julie Wilson? Is she not the controversial lady who used to be the chief propaganda shill for Chesapeake Energy? 800 applicants for 18 jobs? Are these paying positions? If so, how much is being spent to pay for the 18 Blue Zone staffers? And from whence is the money coming? Could that money not be better spent building sidewalks?

Why doesn't Fort Worth do something revolutionary, well revolutionary for Fort Worth, and put a sidewalk building bond issue on a ballot?

In Fort Worth you really do not need to waste money doing any sort of study to figure out where to build sidewalks.

Fort Worth's beleaguered walkers have already determined where the sidewalks need to be. To find out where a sidewalk needs to be all one needs to do is drive a Fort Worth road, Bridge Street or John T. White Road, for example, and make note of where people have worn a path in the dirt along side the road.

That is where you need a sidewalk.

No study needed.....

Photo Documenting Tandy Hills Hoodoo Engineering Before Finding Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon At Town Talk

Even though I'd been on the Tandy Hills on Friday I decided to do some hill hiking again today, prior to my regularly scheduled Saturday Town Talk treasure hunting.

Yesterday I mentioned finding a new Hoodoo on the Tandy Hills and also mentioned that the main Hoodoo at Hoodoo Central was still standing, although looking a bit different than the version I saw the previous Saturday.

Yesterday's Hoodoo mention brought a comment and a question from Stenotrophomonas with that Stenotrophomonas question asking if I took a picture of the Hoodoo.

I had not.

The Stenotrophomonas comment....

Stenotrophomonas has left a new comment on your post "Today I Found A Hoodoo Fertility Symbol On Fort Worth's Tandy Hills":

Strange... I was in the Hills Thursday and the perennial hoodoo, that stood so precariously Saturday, was a mere stump of its former self. And then apparently restored to its previous delicate balance in this strong wind. Did you get a picture? Some new guerrilla art seems to be evolving near the Tower - look about 100 feet north of the entrance. 

So, sometime after Stenotrophomonas saw the fallen Hoodoo on Thursday, it had been resurrected by the time I saw it the next day. Who is behind these Hoodoo feats of rock engineering one can not help but wonder?

You can see, via the closeup Hoodoo view below, what I mean by feat of rock engineering. Note the balancing act and the little stabilizing rocks. It would seem this construction would be time consuming.

Even though the Hoodoo is a marvel of rock engineering, how does it manage to keep standing what with the powerful gusts of wind that have been hitting it, yesterday, and continuing today?

After admiring the Hoodoo I was off to Town Talk in search of Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon.

Mr. Galtex told me about finding Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon prior to leaving Texas for a Boston break. I told Mr. Galtex I was unable to find the Gummy Bacon on my last Saturday TT Treasure Hunt.

Mr. Galtex, I think while still in Boston pigging out on Boston Cream Pie and Lobster Rolls, then gave me precise directions as to how to locate the Town Talk Gummy Bacon.

And so, today I found Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon, as you can see photo documented below.

Strawberry Flavor! Four slices, which you can view via the viewing window.

I did not realize til I saw it in person that the Gummy Bacon is a candy product. Even though the Gummy Bacon was cheap, as in 2 for a buck, I resisted the temptation. Well, actually, I am not much of a candy consumer. And bacon flavored gummy candy with a strawberry twist really has no appeal to me.

Having said that it seems a bit odd to say I got a lot of maple yogurt today. That also sounds not all that tasty, but it actually is.....

Today I Found A Hoodoo Fertility Symbol On Fort Worth's Tandy Hills

 I was back on the Tandy Hills today for the first time since last Sunday's downpours.

I found a couple new Hoodoos today, along with finding that the Hoodoo at Hoodoo Central, located at the north end of the trail which leads to the Tandy Hills from the park on View Street, is still standing.

One of the new Hoodoos is a different style Hoodoo than the other Tandy Hills Hoodoos.

One of those new Hoodoos, which you are looking at in the photo, may be some sort of symbolic celebration of spring type thing.

The reason I think this new Hoodoo may be some sort of symbolic celebration of spring type thing is due to the fact that this new Hoodoo erection appears to be some sort of primitive, rock-based, phallic fertility symbol.

Fertility symbols are common in many primitive, and not so primitive, cultures, being representative of the renewal represented by the arrival of spring, what with the return of green to the landscape, along with a plethora, in Texas, of colorful wildflowers and critter babies being born.

With just over two weeks to go before the annual Prairie Fest, this coming Saturday, April 26, the Tandy Hills have amped up the wildflower production and have ratcheted down the brown, with the greening of the Tandy Hills' trees, as you can see photo documented below, a view south, viewed today, by me, high atop one of the unnamed Tandy Hills.

Just a short time ago the primary color one saw at this location was brown. Now green dominates the landscape.

The last couple times I was hill hiking on the Tandy Hills I was bugged by a lot of bugs. Today's hill hiking was pretty much bug-free. Did that storm on Sunday blow the bugs out of town? I hope so. I prefer my Tandy Hills hiking to be bug-free.

What with the outer world being heated yesterday well into the 80s and only slightly chilling overnight, early this morning I had myself a mighty fine time getting much needed hydrotherapy in the no longer too cool pool, without needing to resort to the hot tub for shiver prevention.

I had my windows open this morning. This afternoon the outer world is again being heated into the 80s. I am resisting resorting to turning on the air-conditioning. I suspect my resistance may not last long...

Today We Discuss The Irony Of Why Your An Idiot

A few days ago, on Facebook, via Queen Vee, I was amused by that which you see on the left.

I commented on Queen Vee's Facebook posting, saying....

"It occurs to me that those who make this grammar error will not understand what is amusing about this irony...."

To which Queen Vee replied....

"Yes, I do believe you are correct on this."

The grammar  mistake we are looking at here is quite easy to make. When typing fast I have made this particular mistake, and then corrected it upon proofreading. At least I hope I've caught all the times I've made this error.

I am grateful that I have a wise grammar Nazi, Miss Julie, who kindly points out when I indulge in a questionable act of grammar abuse, like my abuse of whence and hence.

Now, in my distant past I knew a certified registered doctor diagnosed idiot who made this particular "your" grammar error repeatedly, along with other grammar errors. This particular idiot was prone to making comments anonymously, cluelessly clueless that her patented grammar errors identified her like a typed fingerprint.

Years ago I tried to explain a few grammar issues to this particular idiot and then quickly realized it was hopeless because to explain the grammar issues polysyllabic words had to be used, polysyllabic words such as "possessive" and "abbreviate".

As in "your" is what is known as a possessive pronoun, while the words "you" and "are" can be abbreviated as "you're".

As in "You're an idiot". Not "Your an idiot".

I also tried to explain to this particular idiot that one female is a woman, but when you get two or more females together they become women.

And that when you happen upon a great treasure it is not a great "fine", it is, instead, a  great "find".

Also, a "stocking" is something one wears on ones foot, while "stalking" is something some idiots do before making anonymous comments that are not anonymous due to their fingerprinting verbiage.....

UPDATE: After over a couple hundred page views I would have thought by now someone would have commented something like "You're an idiot. It's contract and contraction, not abbreviate and abbreviation".

I Am Almost 80% Certain Today I Found A Texas Bluebonnet In Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area

A week or so ago I was on the Tandy Hills and took a picture of what I thought to be the State Wildflower of Texas, that being the ubiquitous Bluebonnet.

I put the picture of what I thought to be a Bluebonnet on this very same blog you are reading right now, which then had someone called Anonymous commenting something along the line of "You clueless, ignorant Yankee, have you not spent enough springs in Texas now to be able to know a Bluebonnet when you see it?"

This comment totally destroyed my limited confidence in my wildflower identifying ability.

Today, en route to getting coffee and other stuff at ALDI, I had a quick visit with the Indian ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area. There I saw a patch of what I think may be authentic Bluebonnets.

That is that about which I speak, above.

To my uncultured eyes the above wildflower looks pretty much like the one I saw a week or so ago on the Tandy Hills. I may have made the same mistake, again, and the above is not a Bluebonnet, but is the same wildflower I saw on the Tandy Hills.

I really think it would be helpful if the Texas wildflowers came with labels....

Rolling My New Tires To Fort Worth's Mallard Cove Park

Today I rolled my mechanized wheels to the park closest to my abode, that being Mallard Cove Park, to roll my non-mechanized wheels on this beautiful spring day in Texas.

Yesterday and today's main theme has been tire woes.

A few days after I last rolled my bike wheels in Gateway Park I saw that the front tire had lost some air. This was the tire that still had an auto-seal inner tube in it.

About a year ago, at the same park was at today, I rolled that same front tire over a mesquite thorn, saw the puncture happen, quickly pulled out the thorn, and then, not trusting the auto-seal thing, figured the tire would quickly go flat. But, it stayed inflated.

So, yesterday I pulled my bike from its resting place and found the tiny thorn that had punctured the front flat tire. Then pumped the tire back to full. And then pedaled the tire for a few minutes. Today that tire remained inflated, so I'm thinking the self sealing thing is continuing to work on that tire.

Now my other tire woe.

Yesterday when I went to drive to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, as I opened the door I looked down to see the driver's side front tire looking dire. I was in no mood for a repeat of the flat tire trauma that transpired back in the winter of 2008. Six years later and it was time to replace the front tires again.

This morning I took the bad wheels and the vehicle they roll under to Discount Tires and got new rollers. Discount Tires is walking distance from my abode. So is Firestone. I don't like Firestone. Discount Tires has always been a good experience.

So, I am back at 100% in the tire department  on all counts.

Now, back to Mallard Cove Park. Today I startled a flock of ducks. I do not know if they were Mallards.

See that bench, above, that my handlebars are pointing at? There are seven of these benches along the paved trail in Mallard Cove Park, including three in the "traffic" circle that roundsabout at the location you are looking at in the picture.

These benches boldly spell out "FORT WORTH" on the bench back. Along with the symbol of Fort Worth, that being Longhorn horns.

I have never seen  anyone sitting on one of these benches. How much do they cost, I can not help but wonder?

Walking With My Little Sister & The Indian Ghosts & Turtles Who Haunt Arlington's Village Creek

Today my favorite little sister who lives most of the time in Arizona went walking with me and the Indian ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

As you can see today the usually skittish Village Creek turtles were enjoying sunning themselves on their favorite log.

I think the gusty wind made the turtles less skittish than they usually are. I know the gusty wind had that effect on me.

Whilst talking to my sister I learned I was erroneous regarding a photo Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew, Jason, emailed me last week. Turns out one of the few things I was right about in describing the picture was correctly identifying the person wearing a white helmet with no discernible chin as being Spencer Jack's very special Aunt Clancy.

I thought Spencer Jack was standing by his Aunt Clancy taking a picture of whoever it was who was taking the photo which was sent me. That is the picture I am talking about below.

Turns out mostly everyone in the picture is looking at Spencer Jack taking the picture, with Spencer Jack not at the far end of the table, That is a big mirror at the end of the table, reflecting back Spencer Jack.

So, there you go, I'm glad I cleared that all up.

The biggest news I learned today whilst walking with my sister was that one of my favorite nephews may be getting married. I would need to go to that wedding, if invited. Hopefully Aunt Clancy won't make a spectacle of herself like she did at the last nephew wedding I  went to, that being Spencer Jack's dad's.....

A Dry Walk With The Oakland Lake Park Fosdick Lake Fosducks

To the left you are looking south at the long and winding trail that winds around Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park in Fort Worth, Texas.

This morning when I went for my regularly scheduled dip in the no longer too cool pool the sky was totally blue, totally void of any clouds, despite the forecast today for thunderstorms and rain.

Then a short time later the clouds arrived, covering the blue in a matter of minutes, or so it seemed.

By the time I rolled my motorized wheels to Oakland Lake Park the sky appeared to have extreme dripping potential, but no drippage dripped on me whilst I was walking.

I'd intended to bring the flock of Fosducks a treat in the form of whole wheat tortillas today. But I forgot.

I suspect the Fosducks are well fed. A couple other people did not forget to bring treats for the Fosducks and had the flock in happy quacking mode.

Speaking of being in a happy quacking mode.

Last night I went to visit Miss Puerto Rico and got a Spanish speaking lesson. I get my Miss Puerto Rico Spanish speaking lessons when she forgets to speak English to me. Sometimes the bout of Spanish can last a half hour or longer before she realizes she is speaking Spanish. As I listen I can understand a surprising amount of what is being said.

Where Was The D/FW Local Network Live Coverage During Sunday's Early Morning Thunderstorm?

On the left you are looking at a screen cap of a scene you could have seen on any of the Dallas/Fort Worth TV Network Affiliates, be it FOX, ABC, NBC or CBS, last Thursday, during what turned out to be a relatively un-eventful stormy weather event.

I was watching one of my many guilty pleasures, that being Hell's Kitchen, on FOX, suspended in suspense when we went to commercial, not knowing if the men's team had successfully made their 10th plate of lobster ravioli, thus beating the women's team for the first time.

However, after a commercial or two, a very earnest, excited weather dramatizer broke in because he had some important storm information to share so that viewers could remain safe and stay out of weather harm's way. I had Hell's Kitchen recording on the DVR, so I hit the fast forward button til I caught up with live TV, a half hour later, with Hell's Kitchen never back and the weather dramatizer still weather dramatizing.

On FOX the live weather news continued non-stop til the end of prime time programming. I assume the other local networks did like-wise, to varying degrees.

So, this morning, around 4, I was wakened by an explosive boom. I thought one of my neighborhood gas drilling sites had exploded, because the boom did not sound like a thunder boom. Then I saw a flash of lightning, then another boom. Then I knew, we were thunderstorming.

Heavy rain, then heavy hail soon joined the thunderstorming.

Now, when a violent storm pops up in the wee hours of the morning, do Pete Delkus and his fellow weather dramatizers rush to get back on air, to let us know what we need to know to keep safe? If  I got out of bed this morning and turned on my TV would I be seeing live bad weather coverage?

When I'm watching TV in prime time, during a storm, I'm fairly aware there is potential danger lurking about. I can read, so information crawling across the screen, or a Doppler map type deal in the upper left of the screen, easily lets me know what I need to know.

Did Thursday's live weather dramatizing keep those people safe from giant hail in Denton? Like those in the Denton Walmart, or in their cars in the Denton Walmart parking lot, did they have access to Pete Delkus and his weather dramatizing co-horts working hard to keep everyone safe?

Really, who is it that the live emergency weather broadcasting is helping keep safe? Those watching TV are already under cover, already know a storm is in progress, already know to keep an ear open to the possibility of a tornado siren screeching a warning.

So, did all four local network affiliates go live this morning to let us sleepers know what we needed to know to keep us safe? If not, how totally irresponsible of them......