Seattle Got Embarrassed By Something Which Should Embarrass Fort Worth

Continuing on with my popular series of bloggings about something I read in a west coast newspaper that one is very unlikely to read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

First off I must mention again that Fort Worth may have the highest number of outhouses, per capita, of any town in America.

Along with the highest number of parks, per capita, with outhouses instead of modern restroom facilities with running water.

In some Fort Worth parks, such as Oakland Lake Park, one can now find a solar powered trash compactor, compacting trash near the park's outhouse.

Meanwhile, in a west coast town called Portland, great success has been had with something called a Portland Loo, basically a solar powered mini-restroom, with running water for hand washing.

I learned of the Portland Loo this morning in the Seattle Times, in an article titled After embarrassment, Seattle finds public toilet that's just right.

That is a screen cap of part of the article that you see above, including a picture of a Portland Loo.

The embarrassment the article's title refers to I had never heard of, previously, likely due to the fact that this particular Seattle embarrassment occurred well after I began observing Fort Worth's myriad embarrassments.

The Seattle embarrassment came about in 2003, soon after the city spent $5 million for five high tech, self-cleaning toilets.

A million bucks a toilet? That's not even the embarrassing part.

Apparently these  mini-restrooms were quite roomy and luxurious. This had them become popular spots for drug use, for homeless people to wash their clothes, for hookers to use as a base of operations and for other couples to do that thing that married people do that results in babies.

In 2008 the Seattle mini-restrooms were sold on Ebay for $2,500 a piece.

The Portland Loos are way cheaper than the Seattle Million Dollar Loos, costing around $230,000, including installation.

Like Fort Worth's trash compactors, Portland Loos are solar-powered. I have no clue what the sun is powering, or what the backup is on Seattle's many cloudy days.

The Portland Loos have their hand washing sinks outside the facility, thus discouraging desperate bathers.

Now, when I read about these new Loos and Seattle being embarrassed by their failed Million Dollar Loos it crossed my mind to wonder how one town can be embarrassed by such a thing, while another town is not embarrassed by having outhouses in their parks. With no running water.

And aren't even embarrassed that their town's imaginary best urban waterfront music venue in Texas is serviced by outhouses, dressed up by concrete enclosures.

Those of you new to the plot, that town with outhouses at the imaginary best waterfront music venue in Texas is Fort Worth.

Fort Worth drug a Portland streetcar to town in an attempt to get the locals to buy into the idea of a modern streetcar.

Maybe Fort Worth could drag a Portland Loo to town in an attempt to get the locals to buy into the idea of modern, hygienic, restroom facilities....

A Storm Respite Returns Blue Sky To North Texas

Look what has returned to my location in North Texas.

Others are reporting seeing the same thing.

Blue sky.

With nary a cloud to be seen in any direction from my patio viewing platform on the outer world.

This morning I am in the best mood I have been in since the day before May 9.

Why?

I have no idea. Have I been experiencing SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder)?

The gray gloom that has hovered over Texas for much of May is a lot like a stereotypical Western Washington winter, pre-drought. Day after day after day of gray. With rain.

I did not know Washington made me SAD until I left Washington on a rainy winter day, arriving in Texas six days later to find my spirits suddenly lifted by day after day of warm temperatures and blue sky.

And then my first ice storm experience hit with a cold shock rendering me temporarily SAD again.

Storms are predicted to return this afternoon, followed by more tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day after that, on into the foreseeable future.

I suspect I shall soon be SAD again....

Trinity River Turns Into Dallas Lake After The Amazing Race Ends There

I saw that which you see here a few minutes ago on Facebook. I think that is Reunion Tower on the south end of this view looking east at the Dallas skyline.

That would make this the iconic view of Dallas seen during the opening credits of Dallas, with a lot of water added.

I am not sure about it, but I think the Dallas version of the Trinity River Vision envisions recreational lakes being in this flood plain. Along with a tollway. I may be wrong about this.

I can't imagine how that would work when a flood event, like you see here, comes to town.

My mom called last night to find out if I'd been flooded. Apparently the flooding in Texas is big national news, as well it should be, what with it being of biblical proportions. Almost.

Yesterday I got around to watching the season finale of The Amazing Race, with Dallas being the Final Destination City. This was the second time Dallas was the Final Destination City.

When the racers left Peru their clue told them to head to their Final Destination City and find their way to AT & T Stadium.

There have only been a few times whilst watching The Amazing Race where I am familiar with the territory being covered. With those times being race legs, or final destinations, or starting points in Seattle, Los Angeles, Utah and D/FW.

At Cowboy Stadium the racers ran into a Roadblock. Each of the boys opted to play, since it was football related. They had to get in uniform, then a cable hoisted them to the stadium's roof where they were handed a playbook, then dropped back to the field, where the playbook told them they had to catch a touchdown pass and score a field goal.

Two of the boys were football savvy. The other two weren't. It was amusing.

The next clue had them going to P2 Ranch in Alvarado. I'd never heard of this place. Nor had the taxi drivers. I later learned the ranch was down by Burleson. That is a bit of a distance from the stadium, with the route taken appearing to be all country, no freeway. This seemed odd.

At P2 Ranch the racers had to get in cowboy gear and be drovers on a cattle drive herding longhorns to a pen. This was across a lot of land, through water, horses got skittish, one racer fell off her horse. It all seemed risky to me.

Phil eliminated the fourth team to arrive at the ranch. The other three teams were told to go to the aforementioned Reunion Tower to find their next clue.

I have no idea by what route the teams made their way back to Dallas. This was not shown. But one team, known as the Bickersons, due to their constant bickering, made it to Reunion Tower well ahead of the other two teams.

Reunion Tower was another Roadblock. with the girls having to do this one. They had to rappel down the tower looking for their next clue, a route marker. Hayley Bickerson found what turned out to not be the route marker, thus costing them their lead and likely the win.

The other two saw the correct route marker and quickly made it to the location. A mud pit near the railroad tracks by Reunion Tower. They had to drive a Monster Truck to get through mud to get to their final challenge.

That final challenge was a bit tiresome, but when the clue was finally released it told them to find their Final Destination at Continental Avenue Bridge. One taxi driver did not know where that bridge was, the other did, telling the taxi driver who did not know that it's by the new bridge.

So, this iteration of The Amazing Race ended on a bridge that runs parallel to one of the Dallas Trinity River Vision actual signature bridges, the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

All in all, The Amazing Race made Dallas and Texas look real good.

No mention was made, during the final episode, of that town to the west which makes other towns, far and wide, green with envy....

A Memorial Day Walk Over Fosdick Falls In Oakland Lake Park

That is a Memorial Day look at Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park you are looking at here.

No raindrops dripped on me whilst I walked around the lake, but the clouds looked, and continue to look, extremely threatening.

Memorial Day had the park being much busier than the norm. But I saw only two groups attempting to have a Memorial Day picnic.

Several people were attempting to catch fish that one is advised not to eat.

I thought Fosdick Lake would be flooded more than it was. The lake will have to rise a few more inches to put the paved trail on the east side under water.

Fosdick Lake did have enough extra water to cause Fosdick Falls to be roaring like a mini-Niagara.

I don't know how many homes could be electrified by the hydro power potential currently pouring over Fosdick Dam.

Maybe one small doghouse.

A New Cove Has Been Added To Mallard Cove Park

This morning I took the backroad way to Sam's Club, a route which takes me by Mallard Cove Park.

I was curious if the almost non-stop deluging had flooded Mallard Cove Park with Trinity River mud.

Well, as you can see, via the one and only picture I took of Mallard Cove Park today, there is no readily seen mud.

However, Mallard Cove has greatly expanded, with an even bigger "cove" across the paved trail from the original Mallard Cove.

Everywhere I drove this morning I saw a lot of water standing around doing nothing but waiting to cause trouble when more water arrives.

Witnessing The Miracle Of A Litter Free Flooding Trinity River Under A Bumbershoot

On the way to Town Talk I decided to park at Quanah Parker Park and take my Bumbershoot on a short walk in the rain.

The last time I saw a flooding Trinity River from this location, years ago, the river had an amazing amount of litter, in a wide range of color and size, flowing by.

During this current flood event I have seen the Trinity River in several locations and have not seen much litter flowing by.

Does this indicate the chronic Texas littler problem has improved? Or has all the rain already flushed most of the litter to the Gulf of Mexico?

I just realized I do not know where the Trinity River enters the Gulf. I suspect  the beaches in that area, wherever it is, would make for some interesting beachcombing.

Today's Town Talk treasure hunting went well.

Organic Fuji Apples from a town in Washington called Wenatchee, Texas Ruby Red Grapefruit, Carrots, Cinnamon Rolls, 5 pounds of Gorgonzola and a gallon of Organic Milk, plus other stuff I am not remembering right now.

I Don't Think Texas Frat Bros Should Be Sent Home For A 5% Tip

What you are looking at here is a screen cap from this week's Fort Worth Weekly's Last Call column.

In this week's Go Home, Frat Bros Last Call a bartender complains, at length, about a "pack of dude-bros celebrating their graduation" by buying over $100 of drinks whilst tipping 5% of whatever the total was.

That 5% had the bartender feeling deeply insulted.

The part of what the bartender had to say that I found interesting was....

"....maybe you have no idea about standard tipping practices in American bars, where a buck per drink or 15-20 percent of the total bill is pretty typical (and appreciated). Maybe you’re from Washington State, where the minimum wage for tipped employees is $9.32 an hour versus $2.13 virtually everywhere else. Maybe you’re from another country, where nobody tips anyone. Maybe you’re simply obtuse. I have no idea. But if nobody tells you, you’re likely to bop about your bar-going life unwittingly making enemies behind every bar in town. Don’t be that guy!"

I was a year or two into my Texas exile when I first learned that in Texas tipped waiter/waitress workers got paid a fraction of the minimum wage. I remember upon learning this wondering how such a thing is legal.

I doubt my old home state is the only place in America where $2.13 is not the going hourly wage for bartenders.

Is this $2.13 an hour a Texas only thing that this particular bartender erroneously thinks is standard across America, except for Washington?

It seems to me that when one buys a beer or a margarita in a bar one is already paying an inflated price for consuming such outside the comfort of ones domicile.

I don't remember the last time I bought something from a bartender.

I do remember soon upon being in Texas being intrigued by the now long gone Baby Doe's in Dallas. Then going to Baby Doe's to find myself paying around 5 bucks for one bottle of beer to sip whilst watching the light show emanating from the Reunion Tower.

After paying around 5 bucks for one bottle of beer it certainly never crossed my mind that the bartender who sold it to me expected a tip, or that he was paid a fraction of the minimum wage.

I have read there is a growing movement to put an end to the tipping practice in some locations in America. I assume Washington is one of those locations, along with other locations which are phasing in raising the minimum wage to $15.00.

Would the Last Call bartender prefer keeping the current compensation method or would he prefer being paid $15 an hour, with no tipping expected or allowed?

Is Spencer Jack Lincoln Dressed For Memorial Day?

This morning I found that which you see here in my email.

The only explanation accompanying that which you see here was....

Spencer Jack's politics schooling requires dressing the part. Abe Lincoln, less the beard. Outfit courtesy of your favorite ex sister in-law.

My favorite ex sister in-law is Spencer Jack's grandma Cindy.

I did not know my favorite ex sister in-law could sew.

Let alone re-create clothing from the 1860s.

Is Spencer Jack attired as Abraham Lincoln for some sort of Memorial Day event at school?

Is Spencer Jack going to be reciting Lincoln's most memorable words, the Gettysburg Address, what with the Gettysburg Address being about the best Memorial Day speech ever uttered?

Is Spencer Jack a history aficionado like his favorite great uncle is? I have no idea. I suspect so though, what with Spencer Jack having already developed a love of reading, at his relatively young age.

Washington Is In Drought Mode With Fort Worth Catching More Rain Than Seattle

Lately, a time or two, I have blogged about something I saw on a west coast newspaper and opine that that was something I would never read in the Star-Telegram about something happening in Texas.

Well, this morning the opposite sort of happened, that being that which you see here from the Star-Telegram, a headline telling us that in Fort Worth rain is falling this year, not Seattle.

Which is true. Pretty much all of Washington and much of the west coast is suffering a severe drought.

I think I lost my train of thought.

Continuing on anyway, disregarding a lost train.

I've have explained to locals a time or two, regarding Seattle's reputation for getting alot of rain, that the actual annual total of rain falling on Seattle and rain falling on the D/FW zone are almost the same.

The difference is the way the rain falls.

In Western Washington you can get day after day after day after day of a slow rain, taking a long time to amount to an inch. While at my location in Texas an inch can pour down in a couple minutes.

I never experienced a Texas style downpour during all my years in Washington.

I remember a couple months after my Texas exile began I was driving from Keller back to my then abode in Haslet when I suddenly found myself in a Texas downpour. I slowed to a crawl, could barely see the road, did not know what to do. The concept of a flash flood had not been explained to me, as that type thing relates to Texas, at that point in time.

I don't recollect flash floods of the sort that happen here being an issue in Washington. Landslides, yes, but water rising rapidly like what happens here, no.

Anyway, about a minute ago the rain started coming down again. So far it is a slow motion Washington type rain. But, I heard a bit ago that a lot of rain is expected to pour down over the next couple days. I suspect some heavy duty downpours will soon be pouring down.

I wonder if anyone down at that Creationism Museum by Glen Rose is working on building an Ark yet?

America's Biggest Boondoggle's Imaginary Reality Programs & Products

Yesterday Elsie Hotpepper sent me a link to yet one more product of America's Biggest Boondoggle, telling me to check out the sponsors.

Fort Worth Weekly is now a proud sponsor of The Boondoggle's products?

What has gone wrong with The Weekly? This week's cover article covers the extremely serious situation regarding the rundown condition of the childhood home of a local golf legend.

It's a long article.

Back to The Boondoggle.

How many websites does The Boondoggle have under its boondoggle umbrella? Does The Boondoggle have in their employ a webmaster churning out these websites? How much is spent on the various Boondoggle domains and websites and all the other propaganda in various forms The Boondoggle churns out to create the illusion that The Boondoggle is a legit operation doing big things?

On The Boondoggle's Panther Fest website we learn....

You won’t want to miss this! Start your summer flying down a potentially world record-breaking 2,000 ft water slide–right on North Main Street.

Potential world breaking water slide? With beer, music and food? A new domain and website was needed for this? Why could this not simply been a sub-domain of The Boondoggle's Panther Island Pavilion website? As in pantherfest.pantherislandpavilion.com thus saving the cost of buying yet one more domain.

Speaking of The Boondoggle's Panther Island Pavilion website. On that website we learn that the venue is Texas's Premiere Waterfront Stage.

Stage? Pavilion?

Near as I can tell a platform with a  partial roof over it is what The Boondoggle is calling a pavilion. As for stages, the old subway waiting stations now are numbered, as in STAGE 1, STAGE 2. You get the idea.

The premiere waterfront stage in Texas? I would think other waterfront stages in Texas would take umbrage at this bogus claim.

I've said it before, but I will say it again. The supposed premiere music stage in Texas is serviced by outhouses. Not modern American restroom facilities. Outhouses.

You reading this in more civilized, modern areas of America, I am not making this up. The premiere waterfront stage in Texas is serviced by outhouses.

I also found the following blurb from The Boondoggle's Panther Island Pavilion website to be amusing...

Panther Island Pavilion is a product of, and programmed by the Trinity River Vision Authority as part of the Trinity River Vision Master Plan. © Panther Island Pavilion - All Rights Reserved.

Product? Programmed? Has The Boondoggle actually paid to copyright the Panther Island Pavilion name?

And then we have The Boondoggle's original Trinity River Vision Authority website. I have been amused at the hubris of the below paragraph of propaganda on The Boondoggle's home page, more than once...

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.

On that aforementioned home page of The Boondoggle I saw a link.

 Panther Island Signature Bridges.

This is ridiculous, I thought to myself. The Boondoggle is still referring to those three simple little bridges, being built in slow motion, over dry land, as being Signature Bridges?

I clicked the link and soon saw that which you see below....

The Boondoggle is actually now calling these little bridges, being built to connect the mainland to an imaginary island, built over dry land, in a time frame longer than it took to build the Golden Gate Bridge, Panther Island Signature Bridges?

Below is the propaganda that you see in the screen cap above...

The Trinity River Vision is no longer a vision, it is a reality. For several years, work along the Trinity River has been on-going preparing for this project milestone. The signature bridges are a collaborative effort between the Trinity River Vision Authority, TxDOT, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The three signature bridges positioned along the realigned Trinity River will begin construction in late summer 2014. The estimated construction cost for all bridges is $66 million. Serving as the gateways to Panther Island, the bridges create the foundation for a unique, urban waterfront community. The project partners will make every effort to minimize the inconvenience of this major construction project and will utilize multiple methods to keep residents and business owners informed. 

The Boondoggle is no longer a vision? It's a reality? Well, I guess that is true. Any project which has taken so long to do so little, well, that is a reality. For years work along the Trinity River has been on-going in preparation for this milestone?

Really? What would that work be. What would that milestone be?

Is the milestone starting the supposed construction of the three little bridges with the four year project timeline?

How come more taxpayers are not fed up with this embarrassing nonsense? How come so few people realize how embarrassing it is going to be, if those bridges ever actually get built, with the ditch dug under them actually filled with water, when one of Fort Worth's few tourists asks where this Panther Island island is, to have the local point across the ditch and say it's that there, on the other side of that signature bridge.

One would have thought the lesson of Sundance Square would have been learned. Where for decades there was no Square, with most of Fort Worth's few tourists  assuming Sundance Square to be the parking lots at the heart of downtown, where, finally, an actual little Square was built.

If The Boondoggle built Sundance Square Plaza they would have touted is as a Signature Plaza, the Premiere Plaza in Texas....