My Mom & Dad Want You To Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Yesterday in my mailbox I found a Christmas Card from my mom and dad. On the card I thought it to be  quite a nice photo of my mom and dad, hence sharing it in this venue.

I was a little curious how this card came to exist, what with it sort of looking like a professional type photograph and what with going to a professional photographer, for such a thing, not something my mom and dad are known to do.

A few hours after receiving the card in question I was on the phone with my sister who lives in Arizona five miles from my mom and dad.

After an hour, or so, of discussing other matters I asked if she knew how this Christmas Card came to be.

Well.

Turns out my sister took the picture, well, multiple pictures, on more than one occasion, and eventually got the photo we see above.

I then asked how that photo was turned into a Christmas Card.

Well.

Apparently you can go to the online version of a drug store called Walgreens and upload  a photo, choose a card, write text and an hour later go and pick up a pack of Christmas Cards at the Walgreens most convenient to your location.

If only I earlier knew of this easy method of making a Christmas Card I might have ended my lifelong aversion to sending anyone a Christmas Card......

Hope You Have Yourself A Relatively Happy Holiday

Last week I walked into my closet in search of something I thought should be in there, some where.

I looked through three file cabinets and two chests of drawers, to no avail.

But, I did find two Christmas Cards sent to me way back in the 1990s.

On one Christmas Card there were last century versions of my favorite nephews, Jason and Joey.

On the other Christmas Card there were last century versions of my favorite nephews, Christopher and Jeremy.

I scanned those two Christmas Cards, then morphed them together and added my grandest favorite nephew of all, Spencer Jack, to make my 2014 Have A Relatively Happy Holiday Christmas Card.

This 2014 Have A Relatively Happy Holiday Christmas Card is sent via electronic means only, no hard copy versions are mailed the old-fashioned method to anyone.

The electronic version of my 2014 Have A Relatively Happy Holiday Christmas Card is not addressed to anyone specifically, it is intended for those who happen to see it electronically, sort of an automatic default Christmas Card List.

So in closing, let me repeat, I hope you all Have A Relatively Happy Holiday.

I know I will.....

The Postman Sometimes Rings Twice In Texas

The Postman Sometimes Rings Twice, which is what happened today, with the Postman twice ringing and delivering packages of the Christmas present sort.

One of those packages is that which you see here, it being a HUGE box dwarfing my tall Christmas tree.

I use an exotic tropical evergreen for my Christmas tree, not the cliche pine type tree with all its vexing needles spewing off an odiferousness which makes me way too homesick due those type trees tendency to scent the air to smell way too much like the Pacific Northwest.

In a very strange bit of coincidental irony, well, I'm not sure about the irony part, well, actually, I am not even sure about the coincidental part, but just as I was transferring my Christmas Tree photos from camera to computer, Spencer Jack's dad called to tell me he and Spencer had received a package from the same source as this HUGE package you see here, the one dwarfing my Christmas tree.

Jason and Spencer Jack had opened their HUGE package. I always postpone gratification of that sort, unless I am told I need to open it immediately, due to refrigeration needs. When the HUGE package arrived I texted the senders to inform them of its arrival and to inquire if I needed to refrigerate the package prior to opening.

I was texted back "no fridge need".

So, the reason Spencer Jack's dad called about this package was due to the fact that after he and Spencer opened it they discovered it was full of wrapped Christmas presents for me.

I got off the phone and proceeded to make my way to the location of my Christmas Tree, removed the HUGE package from its resting place, then proceeded to open it to find wrapped Christmas presents for Spencer Jack, his dad and Spencer's uncle Joey.

Spencer Jack and Jason are flying here on Monday to retrieve that which arrived at my abode erroneously and deliver to me that which arrived at their abode erroneously.

I suggested it might be easier simply to use the same USPS method that caused the Postman to Ring Twice today....

UPDATE: Spencer Jack's dad emailed photo documentation of the look of joy and surprise on Spencer Jack's face upon arriving home to find a package filled with Christmas presents for his uncle in Texas!

The 2015 Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike Is Upon Us New Years Day

Yesterday, on Facebook, I saw that which you see here, that being a poster advertising the 2015, New Years Day Manly Men & Wild Women Hike on the Tandy Hills.

I do not do math well, and can not use my fingers to count right now because they are engaged in typing, but, since the first Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike took place on New Years Day of 2010 I think this upcoming Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike will be the 6th Annual Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike.

On Saturday, January 2, 2010, I blogged about that first Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike in a blogging titled Tandy Hills Hiking With Wild Women, Manly Men, The Queen Of Wink & Princess Annie.

How can it be, this upcoming New Years Day, that it has been five years since the Queen of Wink & Princess Annie journeyed all the way from their Kingdom in West Texas to do some hill hiking?

Time tends to fade memories, but my memory of that day, almost five years ago, is that the Queen of Wink, Annie and me could not keep up with the rigorous pace set by all the Manly Men & Wild Women. Eventually we found ourselves left behind, no Manly Men or Wild Women to be seen.

And so we made our way to my primitive form of mechanized locomotion and drove away from the Tandy Hills, eventually ending up in Arlington at a Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, where we vowed to get ourselves in shape and come back to a future Manly Men & Wild Women Tandy Hills Hike where we would not be left behind in the dust.....

Spencer Jack's Sick Chill Magically Cured By A Grandma Vera Afghan

A day like today, cold, cloudy and dripping, such as is happening at my current location in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex, a long distance north of being Deep in the Heart of Texas, with the cold, cloudy, drippiness being quite unpleasant, makes me think that I don't know if I could adjust, ever again, to living through a Western Washington non-sunny season, which is, pretty much, fall, winter and most of spring.

But, I think I'd be willing to try to make that adjustment, because I do remember how blissful those summer Pacific Northwest days can be, what with their natural air conditioning, bright blue skies.

And blackberries. Growing wild and free for the picking.

Nothing that I know of grows wild and free for the picking in Texas.

Well, there is the pear part of prickly pear cactus.

That is Spencer Jack sleeping above. Spencer Jack's dad, my favorite nephew, Jason, emailed me this morning, with the above photo and a question about one of Spencer's relatives who lives in Tacoma.

A paragraph from the aforementioned email...

Picked Spencer up from school yesterday----he wasn't feeling well. Later that night tucked him into bed a little early. Said he was freezing. He was in sweat pants and a long sleeve shirt, covered by a sheet, a blanket and his bed comforter. Still said he was cold. Checked the thermostat in the house, which indicated it was 70 degrees. Grabbed a fleece blanket and put it over all his beddings. Went back to check on him. Still said he was cold. Drug out a Grandma Vera blanket, as seen in the picture. Must have been enough, as he was asleep in minutes.

So, Spencer Jack is ailing. I hope it's nothing serious. As soon as I saw the picture I knew what part of it was which Jason referenced, that being a "Grandma Vera blanket..."

More accurately a "Grandma Vera Crocheted Afghan."  Grandma Vera was my mom's mom. I last saw Grandma Vera in July of 2002 when Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey and I dropped in to visit Grandma in Bellingham. I think it was that visit north in 2002. It may have been an earlier visit in 2001.

Anyway, as far back as my memory goes Grandma Vera had really bad arthritis, with her hands all crippled up. This did not stop Grandma from being a crocheting machine. No one knows how many afghans Grandma made. I know I have four currently in my abode. I am looking at two right now, folded up, in position to be used should the temperature drop too much.

In addition to afghans, Grandma crocheted caps, or whatever it is you call  those mainstay headgears of skiing or a snowy winter day. I do not know how many Grandma Vera crocheted caps I have here. At least a half dozen. On a cold winter day, up in Lynden, near the Canadian border, if Grandma saw kids walking to school, capless, she'd go out and cover them with one of her crocheted caps.

I imagine to this day, in Lynden, on a cold day, you likely will see a head or two covered with a Grandma Vera cap.

Grandma Vera has been gone now for over a decade. That seems impossible. I think it would please Grandma Vera if she knew that over ten years later her eldest grandson was in Texas, talking about her on that newfangled thing, the Internet, which sort of annoyed her. Grandma Vera did not understand why everything was dot com this, dot com that. I remember trying to explain what dot com was, to limited avail.

I think Grandma Vera would be quite pleased to know her Great Great Grandson, Spencer Jack. I imagine by this point in time, if Grandma Vera were still alive, Spencer Jack would likely have a large supply of his own Grandma Vera crocheted afghans and caps.

Okay, I am feeling homesick and melancholy and sad now. Damn Seasonally Affected Disorder....

The Confederacy Of Dunces First Public Vote On The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle

Yesterday after I blogged about the Confederacy of Dunces "My City. My Trinity. Fort Worth finding its way back home" photo exhibit, an amusing blog comment arrived from Ignatius J. Reilly...

Ignatius J. Reilly has left a new comment on your post "J.D. Granger & His Confederacy Of Dunces Is Now Programming Propaganda Photo Exhibit Products": 

Mr. Jones, you did not make note of a part of the TRV's press release that reeked with irony, that being the following sentence.

"A second gallery will feature community submitted photographs, the public is encouraged to vote on their favorite image."

For the first time in its history, that which you call The Boondoggle is allowing the public to vote on some aspect of The Boondoggle, albeit a very minor aspect. 

Ignatius is correct, I did not make note (in my blog post) of this first time ever public vote on any aspect of The Boondoggle.

However, I did make note of this historic fact, when I read it, and intended to mention this shocking development. But, then forgot to.

So, thank you, Mr. Reilly, for noticing this history making event and commenting about it.

As for the Confederacy of Dunces, or Dunce Confederacy, I opined yesterday that maybe we need to make this the new name for The Boondoggle.

That which is known as The Boondoggle has gone through several name changes. From Trinity Uptown, to Trinity River Vision, to Panther Island.

So, I guess it only makes sense that that which we used to refer to as the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, eventually to become known simply as The Boondoggle, may now become known as the Dunce Confederacy.

The term "Confederacy of Dunces" comes from a Jonathan Swift essay, in which Swift said, "When a true genius appears in the world, you may know him by this sign, that the dunces are all in confederacy against him."

Sadly, there is no loud genius, appearing to be heard, who is speaking truth to the Fort Worth Confederacy of Dunces. Fort Worth has no real newspaper, of the daily sort, printing the results of investigative journalism.

Thus, the Dunce Confederacy basically operates in a vacuum with no checks or balance.

Fort Worth Weekly does what it can, but can not afford to annoy the local businesses who buy advertising.

Come to think of it, I don't think I saw a single ad in Fort Worth Weekly this summer from the Dunce Confederacy, formerly known as The Boondoggle, advertising their weekly Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float Beer Parties.

You reading this outside the Fort Worth propaganda bubble, back in November we had a good example of the Dunce Confederacy in action. The occasion was the ground explosion, I mean, ground breaking, for the Dunce Confederacy's Three Bridges Over Nothing. Three very simple bridges which are scheduled to take longer to build than the Golden Gate Bridge and many other feats of modern engineering.

Only a Confederacy of Dunces would have a celebration to make note of something as lame as the start of this slow motion bridge construction project.

Go to the blogging I wrote that day, titled A Big Boom Begins Boondoggle Bridge Construction Three Months Late and you will see the Dunce Confederacy in action, including video (if the Dunces have not removed it) where you can hear J.D. Granger, his Mama Kay, and Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price, give a good verbal example of what Dunces sound like when they say stupid stuff which has no grounding in reality....

J.D. Granger & His Confederacy Of Dunces Is Now Programming Propaganda Photo Exhibit Products

It seems so long ago, but it was only last September, when an embarrassing brouhaha broke out over a photo exhibit in the Amon Carter Museum, with the brouhaha being caused by an exhibit of photos of the Trinity River by Chicago photographer, Terry Evans.

Ms. Evans made the mistake of taking honest photos of what her eyes honestly saw, unaware, as she was, of the Fort Worth aesthetic when it comes to how Fort Worth is to be portrayed to the outside world.

In other words, Terry Evans did not take Chamber of Commerce type doctored photos, with manipulated lighting, filtering and a big dose of over saturating.

The Terry Evans photos looked at the Trinity River under the harsh light of day, not under the more forgiving light of darkness.

The forgiving light of darkness is the preferred lighting mode of way too many of those who have way too much influence over what  happens in Fort Worth, and which may be why so much which happens in Fort Worth ends up looking a bit ugly, when looked at in the realistic light of day.

Back in September I blogged about this Amon Carter/Terry Evans brouhaha in a blogging titled A Star-Telegram Review Of An Amon Carter Museum Exhibit Leads To Much Ado About Photos Of The Trinity River.

That blogging contained what may be the most embarrassing J.D. Granger verbiage he has uttered, and Lord knows there has been a plethora of embarrassing verbiage uttered from that boy's lips.

On Facebook, regarding this photo exhibit, J.D. said, "I firmly believe there are two people at fault right now. I point this out to encourage our beautiful river community to direct your comments at both of them to help educate them about our Trinity River in Fort Worth. We are victims of an outta town arrogant and ignorant photographer and a reporter who failed to educate herself about our community before she inked this junk."

The "beautiful river community" may be my favorite part of this Granger nonsense. Plus, "victims"? You tell the truth, or in this case, take honest photos, victimizing the community, because the allegedly beloved river is the object of an honest look? I suspect J.D. Granger likely has serious issues with mirrors as well.

So, after stewing about this victimhood for a couple months what does the Executive Director of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle do? He takes time out from his busy schedule of working on the complex, fast moving engineering project over which he is responsible to "Program" another "Product" of The Boondoggle.

In an article on The Boondoggle's website titled “My City. My Trinity. Fort Worth finding its way back home” Exhibit to Open at Fort Worth Community Arts Center we learn The Boondoggle is sponsoring a photo exhibit  including Trinity River  photos taken by the photo propagandist who helped stir up the Terry Evans controversy, Brian Luenser.

Part of the breathless "For Immediate Release" announcement....

FORT WORTH, TX -- The Trinity River and its tributaries ebb and flow through every corner of Fort Worth creating a unique opportunity for our city. Fort Worth was founded along the Trinity River because of the vitality the river provided. However, as time passed the community turned its back to the river. The Trinity became something that the community quickly drove across or beside forgetting the prominence it once played. In recent years, the Trinity River has experienced a resurrection in Fort Worth as the community has awoken to all that the river can provide. Today the Trinity River is returning to its original glory delivering water needs, open areas for recreation in and along its banks and a place to escape the hustle and bustle of one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. A deeper understanding of this wonderful amenity has developed as the public realized that the Trinity River can serve as a link that brings our entire community together.

The “My City. My Trinity.” exhibit features works of art from members of our community who have embraced the Trinity River and all that it has to offer our city. One gallery within the exhibit will feature photographs from Brian Luenser and Gordon Henry, both Fort Worth based photographers. A second gallery will feature community submitted photographs, the public is encouraged to vote on their favorite image. 

“This exhibit is a gift to the community for their continued support of the Trinity River and their commitment to continue improving and embracing the opportunities it affords our city,” said Trinity River Vision Authority Executive Director, JD Granger.

This shift in perception would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of a select group of organizations. Thanks to water quality initiatives the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) has implemented over the last 20 years the Trinity River is the only river in a large urban area in Texas that you can jump in and embrace.  The river is now enjoyed by kayakers, canoers, water skiers, tubers and swimmers alike. TRWD has also constructed a number of low water crossings and water access points for the community’s enjoyment. However, the amenity that TRWD is most appreciated for is its contribution to the beloved Trinity Trail system. TRWD has built and maintains over 58 miles of trail in the comprehensive Trinity Trails system. This system is connected to a strong on-street trail and park network provided by the City of Fort Worth which includes Trinity Park and Gateway Park. The full Trinity Trail system provides over 70 miles of continuous trails and connects to 31 neighborhoods. 

The above propaganda is right up there with the worst of The Boondoggle's embarrassing propaganda.

The river is returning to its original glory?

The river has experienced a resurrection?

The community has awoken to all the river can provide?

The public realizes the river can serve as a link to the community?

The river is the only river in an urban area in Texas that you can jump in and embrace?

And the best of the nonsense, predictably from J.D. Granger, telling us this exhibit is a gift to the community, with that gift given because of the continued support, by the community, of the river, along with the community support for improving the river and embracing the opportunities the river brings to Fort Worth.

The "community", as in voters, has never been allowed to vote for any of this, you clueless Dunce. How does the Executive Director of The Boondoggle know what the community wants?

There have been ZERO elections in which the community of voters has approved of anything The Boondoggle is doing.

Did the community want the world's premiere wakeboard lake? Did the community want the world's first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century? Did the community want an ice rink? Did the community want the name "Panther Island" applied  to an area of urban blight, which is not an island? Did the community want happy hour inner tube floats on the river, with music?

If so, exactly by what means did The Boondoggle's Executive Director learn that this was what the community wanted, when the community has never approved of any of The Boondoggle's boondoggling via an election, including this embarrassing photo exhibit intended to childishly counter the Amon Carter Terry Evan exhibit?

Like I said.

A Dunce.

Leading what amounts to being a Confederacy of Dunces. A Confederacy of Dunces building bridges over nothing, in slow motion, to connect to an imaginary island, with a future island-making ditch to be dug, years from now, if ever, to fix an imaginary flood problem and make that imaginary island.

Confederacy of Dunces. I think this may be my new name for The Boondoggle....

Pantego Puzzlement Leads Me To No Man's Land In Arlington's Veterans Park

It was not soon before midnight, last night, that I returned to my abode after an exhausting night of Dancing with the Fort Worth Stockyard Cows.

Even though I got home late I got up early, before the sun, which enabled a sunrise hot tub bout which was quite salubrious.

Prior to noon I needed to go to Pantego to get myself bum puzzled  by a big electronic device which eventually gave me money.

No, there are no casinos in Pantego with slot machines. I have to drive all the way to Oklahoma or Louisiana to lose money by that method.

I was not long in Pantego before I headed to Veterans Park in Arlington.

Above you are looking at the Veterans Park Veterans Memorial, from the northeast side of the memorial.

To the south of the memorial, new signage has been installed since my last visit.

I had not heard that a Vietnam War Memorial was being added to Veterans Park.

When I saw the sign I wondered if this new memorial will be modeled after the Vietnam Wall Memorial in Washington, D.C.?

Fair Park in Dallas has a Vietnam Wall Memorial modeled after the one in Washington, D. C., but with the Dallas Wall memorializing only the names of Texans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone and you've not seen  the Vietnam Memorial in Fair Park, well, it is worth the trek to find it. It is very well done.

I'm sure the Arlington Vietnam War Memorial will also be well done. Arlington seems to have a habit of doing most things well. Except for things like public transit.

Today I hiked the more rugged area of Veterans Park.

As I gazed upon the scenic wonderland it caused me to wonder if this area you see here is not some sort of homage to the Veterans of World War I, with this being an art installation representing No Man's Land, with those rock structures representing trenches.

Or it may just be part of the Veterans Park Disc Golf Course.

Then again nothing stops this from being a dual purpose type deal.

Christmas In The Fort Worth Stockyards With Dancing Cows, Pete Delkus & Too Many Fort Worth Police

Last night, that being the third Monday night of the last month of 2014, I found myself in the Fort Worth Stockyards, making my way to the vicinity of Booger Red's Saloon, home of Buffalo Butt Beer, when I came upon a raucous scene I had not anticipated.

Being face to face with one of the most notorious faces in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

Pete Delkus.

The premiere Weather Drama Queen of North Texas.

I have lost track of the number of times I have been peacefully minding my own business, watching some television show on ABC, to find the show suddenly interrupted by Pete Delkus excitedly informing me that a rotating cell has been detected some long distance from my location, that may drop hail or spin into a tornado.

Anyway, Pete Delkus was surrounded by a lot of Dancing Cows. And a mini-orchestra providing music, with a couple singers singing. It really was a festive affair. You can watch a snippet of the festive affair in the video below.

As I stood watching the Dancing Cows a nice young lady asked if I would like some hot cocoa. I politely declined. She then asked if I would like some cookies. I said yes please, saying I hope one is white chocolate macadamia nut. To which she replied one was, with the other one being a plain ol' chocolate chip cookie.

Soon after escaping the Dancing Cows and Pete Delkus, to continue on my way to Booger Red's, I came upon a poster informing me that the Dancing Cows with Pete Delkus mayhem was a Chick-fil-A Christmas thing.

Which explained the Dancing Cows and the event being a Toy Drop Off.

This also explained the long line of cars, with Santa and his Helpers taking packages from the cars in exchange for hot cocoa and cookies.

One thing of note which bothered  me about last night's visit to the Fort Worth Stockyards.

That being there seemed to be, to me, way too many Fort Worth police cars stationed around the Stockyards. I have been in many a tourist attraction over the years and I do not recollect ever seeing such a heavy handed type police presence at what would seem to be an innocuous night in the Stockyards. I have never noticed multiple Fort Worth police cars during daytime visits to the Stockyards.

Or was there an ISIS terror threat about which I was unaware? I did notice two Fort Worth police cars parked on Main Street, at the Exchange Street turn into the Stockyards, parked near the long abandoned New ISIS Theater.

Methinks if the Fort Worth police think a heavy handed police presence is needed, then park your police cars somewhere out of sight, get out of the car and walk the Stockyard beat.

And now for your viewing pleasure, Dancing Cows & Pete Delkus in Christmas Festive mode in the Fort Worth Stockyards, with heavy police protection...

Tacoma's Foss Waterway Development Authority vs. Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Authority Boondoggle

A couple days ago, whilst sorting through my YouTube videos looking for a video I made six years ago of a drive over Tacoma's Two Bridges Over Water, I came upon another video I made during that year's stay in Tacoma, a video of a walk around Tacoma's Thea Foss Waterway.

You can watch that video below, in which you will see a pair of Tacoma Link street cars, full of riders, crossing paths in Tacoma's Museum district, which is not called The Cultural District.

Those Tacoma Link street cars are free to ride from Tacoma's Intermodal Transport Center where you can hop a bus, train or streetcar, to go to all sorts of locations, after parking in a big parking garage, for free.

At the Tacoma Intermodal Transport Center you will also find Freighthouse Square, a Fort Worth Santa Fe Rail Market-like development on steroids, which has thrived for years, rather than die a quick death like Fort Worth's pitiful public market attempt.

Watching that video I made years ago, made well after the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle was well underway, with its slow motion construction, I was struck by the similarities between what Thea Foss Waterway has become and what the Trinity River Vision purports to want to be.

Both have bridges. That is the Thea Foss Waterway Bridge below, built across water in way shorter time than four years. The TRV Boondoggle currently has three simple bridges under construction, over dry land, with the water to be added later. Maybe. With these simple bridges slated to take four years to build.

Above you are looking at just a small section of the Thea Foss Waterway. What is called the Esplanade meanders along the waterway for about 1.5 miles. I believe that is about the length of the Fort Worth Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's imaginary promenade alongside its imaginary channel alongside its imaginary island.

Below is another look at the Thea Foss Waterway Esplanade. When I visited for a month in August of 2004 I had myself a mighty fine time roller blading on the Esplanade.

The Thea Foss Waterway Development is a mixed use type of deal. There is a large marina with boats of all sizes, restaurants, a big apartment complex, which you see part of on the left above, stores, parks, other amenities, including museums, some of which are accessed by crossing over a freeway spur via what is known as The Bridge of Glass.

Above you are looking at the broad stairway which leads to the aforementioned Bridge of Glass, where you will find an installation of Chihuly Glass worth millions. That cone shaped structure is part of the Museum of Glass.

Okay, now that I have given you some idea of what the Thea Foss Waterway is, let's talk about how this development came to be.

Historically the Thea Foss Waterway was an industrial zone. Those industries polluted the waterway. In 1983 the Environmental Protection Agency designated the waterway and Commencement Bay a Superfund cleanup site.

Tacoma city and business leaders then created the Foss Waterway Development Authority with its goal being the restoration of the waterway to being a dynamic part of Tacoma. From that point on the FWDA has set precedents in planning, engineering and development, in cooperation with regulatory agencies and the public.

In 2014 the result is a mixed use urban village combining housing, retail, restaurants, along with recreation amenities.

The Thea Foss Waterway is on ongoing development, growing and expanding.

So, how does Tacoma, a town a quarter the size of Fort Worth, population-wise, manage to pull of a massive public works project, successfully, including the building of bridges, water features, walkways, along with cleaning up a pollution mess, while Fort Worth dawdles along with an embarrassing boondoggle which had an explosive celebration celebrating the start of the four year construction of Three Bridges Over Nothing?

I think part of the explanation for the difference is in Tacoma adults are in charge. The executive director of the Foss Waterway Authority is not the unqualified son of a local congresswoman. The Foss Waterway Authority sets and meets clear goals with project timelines.

Fort Worth's Boondoggle has no actual goals or project timelines, unless one wants to count that four year goal to build three simple bridges over dry land.

Comparing the Foss Waterway Development Authority website with the Trinity River Vision Authority website is very revealing.

The Tacoma website it totally reality based, sharing information about projects already completed, or in progress. The Fort Worth website is mostly propaganda, sharing pseudo information about plans which have no plan or project timeline, such as the Gateway Park Master Plan.

The Fort Worth website does a lot of bragging about things they should be embarrassed about, such as their various "Products" and "Programs".  Products like ice rinks, drive-ins, breweries and wakeboard parks. Programs like Rockin' the River Inner Tube Floats and music festivals.

You will find no information on the Fort Worth website about project timelines. You will find a lot of propaganda puffery.

The Tacoma website has a page listing the Foss Waterway Development Authority's Completed Projects.

You will find no similar list on The Boondoggle's website.

The mission statement type blurbs on the two website's home pages are telling.

From the Thea Foss Waterway Development Authority website...

The Thea Foss Waterway is quickly becoming a popular place to live, work and play. Mountain views, marina access, walking distance to downtown Tacoma and nearby services make Foss Waterway an attractive master planned community. Development sites are available along the Foss Waterway, just 35 miles south of Seattle. The Foss Waterway Development Authority (FWDA) is the coordinating agency for the waterfront's development. We can be advocates for developers through our established relationships with regulatory agencies.

From the Trinity River Vision Authority website...

The Trinity River Vision Authority (TRVA) is the organization responsible for the implementation of the Trinity River Vision (TRV) - a master plan for the Trinity River in Fort Worth, Texas. It is underway now - connecting every neighborhood in the city to the Trinity River corridor with new recreational amenities, improved infrastructure, environmental enhancements and event programming. The TRV will create Panther Island (formerly Trinity Uptown), a vibrant urban waterfront neighborhood, expand Gateway Park into one of the largest urban-programmed parks in the nation and enhance the river corridor with over 90 user-requested projects along the Trinity Trails.
Every time I read the TRVB's propaganda about 90 imaginary user-requested projects I cringe. I tell you, the Fort Worth Boondogglers, led by J.D. Granger, have no shame, no matter how absurd the propaganda they spew.

A master plan to connect every neighborhood in the city to the river? Can we see that plan please?

The plan is underway? Really? Where can we check out the project timeline for that plan which is underway? Such a timeline does not exist on The Boondoggle's website.

And, before I shut up, I must add one important thing. The Boondoggle is not yet at the point, if it ever gets there, when pollution issues come up that need mitigating, such as Tacoma had to deal with. The area where The Boondoggle is boondoggling is an industrial wasteland. It is highly likely contamination is going to be encountered if digging into the ground ever actually takes place.

Does the EPA Superfund still exist? Methinks that may be the only federal money The Boondoggle may actually be able to get its hands on.....