Fort Worth Panther Fest Slide The City Fails While Boondoggle Patrons Faint From The Heat

What you are looking here is a screen cap from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram's online front page.

I checked the Star-Telegram after getting a text message telling me that the Panther Fest Slide the City operation had malfunctioned. But the beer and music part of the event would carry on.

Then a few minutes later I got an email telling me that Panther Fest is now a Multi-Injury Event, with MedStar deploying its AmBus multi-patient bus to North Main Street to assist with multiple people injured at Slide the City.

A few minutes later another email told me that the injuries are not water slide related, they are heat related. Multiple rehab units have now been deployed to help cool people down.

And just seconds ago another malfunction message, this one via a blog comment...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "On The Tandy Hills Finding A Hoodoo Towering Above The Fort Worth Skyline": 

SNAFU at the Slide Fest / Pantherfest. Dud Kennedy's Twitter page has the story. 

Film at 11. Belay my last. Film at 10 or not. Probably not. Who knows. 

_____________________________________

I have no idea what "Belay my last." means.

So, this latest Trinity River Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle product is one more rousing success.

I don't know why it did not occur to anyone that something might go awry with some out of state alleged charity operation coming to town to quickly set up a 2,000 foot long water slide running down Fort Worth's Main Street over the Paddock Bridge.

I heard yesterday that the slides had sold out. If I remember right sliding cost something like 25 bucks.

Sold out? Would that be a thousand slide tickets sold? Ten thousand?

How do the victims of this latest product of America's Biggest  Boondoggle get a refund?

On The Tandy Hills Finding A Hoodoo Towering Above The Fort Worth Skyline

Currently, early in the afternoon, at my location on the planet, the outer world has been heated to 90 degrees.

The Tandy Hills were not that HOT when I did a little hill hiking in the noon time frame.

Just to the west of Tandy Hills Hoodoo Central, at the north end of the View Street trail, I came upon the Hoodoo you see here, towering above the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth.

There is a town in Utah called Mexican Hat, so named because of a nearby rock formation which looks like a sombrero. I don't know why the town was named Mexican Hat and not Mexican Sombrero.

Anyway, the top of today's Hoodoo looks like the Mexican Hat rock formation.

A much higher than the norm number of hill hikers were on the Tandy Hills today. I came upon seven different groups of sizes ranging from two to five. Most crowded I've ever seen the Tandy Hills other than Prairie Fest, Manly Man Wild Woman and Brush Bashing Days.

On the View Street Trail I came upon the act of vandalism you see below.

Why would some miscreant mark up one of the Tandy Hills trail signposts in this manner?

Today's hill hiking had me wondering how it is I manage this activity when the temperature gets into the 100 degree zone. I suppose the extremely high humidity made today's heat a bit more daunting.

After the hill hiking was done it was off to Town Talk for my regularly scheduled Saturday treasure hunting.

I got 10 pounds of Italian sausage. I got home to find the box did not fit in the freezer. I opened the sausage box to find links strung together. 56 links. It took awhile to get them unlinked and re-packaged. I also got several pounds of carrots, 5 pounds of Gorgonzola. I think I am getting addicted to Gorgonzola. Also got broccoli, tortillas, yogurt, black beans, garbanzos and a watermelon.

It is time for lunch now.

Shocked To Learn Mary Kelleher Is A Naive Democrat Not A Fascist Neanderthal

Last night someone I call Anonymous emailed me something I'll call bizarre.

Yesterday, on her blog, Mary Kelleher blogged Her Story.

Last night Mary Kelleher's Story was causing all sorts of discussion at various locations on Facebook, including something called 9/12 Project Fort Worth.

It was part of the 9/12 Project Fort Worth Mary Kelleher Story discussion that Anonymous sent me.

In that discussion we learn that someone naively believes to be untrue the fact that gas fracking has caused a water faucet or two to spout flammable water.

We also learn, from that same someone, the shocking news that Mary Kelleher is not a Fascist Neanderthal, but is actually a Democrat.

Calling someone a Democrat is a rather slanderous thing to do, labeling a person with the same party label as Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Grover Cleveland, Andrew Jackson, James Monroe, James Madison, Thomas Jefferson and others.

Now that Mary Kelleher has been exposed as a Democrat, how can she possibly run again? Shouldn't she just resign in shame?

This same someone who outed Mary Kelleher as  a card carrying Democrat, also pointed out that she is relatively delusional and extremely poorly informed.

How can someone be relatively delusional? Does delusional  come in degrees? Partly delusional? Completely delusional?

When I read someone write something like this, saying someone is delusional and poorly informed, I always figure that person saying such a thing has had those words directed at themselves many a time, particularly when the person is seeming delusional and ill informed at the same time the person is saying such about someone else.

I knew little about the 9/12 group, other than it is held at about the same level of regard as the Tea Party, by those who are not delusional and who are well informed.

Googling 9/12 I quickly learned that this is a Glenn Beck creation.

I know of Glenn Beck. The town from which I moved to Texas, Mount Vernon, Washington, was Glenn Beck's hometown til he moved a few miles north, to Bellingham, during his high school years. I did not know of Glenn Beck when we shared the same town.

However, years later, long after I had moved to Texas, after Glenn Beck had become controversial and a bit of a national embarrassment, I recollect a bit of a scandal erupting in Mount Vernon when the Republican Mayor of Mount Vernon wanted to give Glenn Beck the Key to the City, or some such thing. An uproar ensued. The offer was withdrawn.

After that, if my memory is serving me correctly, Bellingham then offered Glenn Beck some sort of honor. I don't remember if that resulted in another uproar.

Eventually Glenn Beck moved to where his type is more accepted.

Texas.

Westlake, Texas, to be precise, that being a D/FW Metroplex town on the west end of Lake Grapevine.

I have met Mary Kelleher, Mary Kelleher is a friend of mine. Mary Kelleher is not naive or ill informed.

And being a Democrat is a good thing for a public servant to be, in many people's opinion....

UPDATE: I neglected to mention that the 9/12 Fort Worth group has been very helpful to Mary Kelleher and her efforts to bring truth, justice and the American way to the Tarrant Regional Water District Board. The 9/12 Fort Worth group also awarded Mary Kelleher a Badge of Honor after she got censured by the corrupt TRWD Board.

Til Today I Did Not Know The Mary Kelleher Story Included A Dog Swallowing Sinkhole

The longest blogging post in blogging history may have been published today by Mary Kelleher in a blogging titled My Story.

I thought I knew the whole story as to why Mary Kelleher became a local activist taking on local corruption and The Fort Worth Way.

I thought wrong. I only knew a fraction of the full Mary Kelleher story.

I sure did not know a gas driller caused sinkhole had swallowed up Mary's pet doggy.

Some edited blurbs from My Story, which ends with another part of the Mary Kelleher story I did not know...

"In 2003, I purchased a 6 acre tract of land in Fort Worth, Texas.  The property had a couple of small barns, electricity, and water well.  It was the best tasting water ever."

And then the Chesapeake Energy scoundrels enter the story...

"I was a little apprehensive about the drilling next door but it really wasn’t that bad.  It was noisy and there were a lot of lights and trucks but at night, the drilling tower reminded me of the Eiffel Tower and I couldn’t wait for my gas royalty checks!"

And after the drillers moved into Mary's neighborhood what happened to that good tasting water?

"In 2007, my dream home was finally built.  I was so excited! The new refrigerator with water and ice dispenser was connected to my awesome water well. Soon, my house reeked of rotten eggs. The water tasted horrible.  The water foamed white when it first came out of the tap.  The water left a lingering slimy feel and a black, oily substance at the faucets. It still does.  I put a filter on the refrigerator.  It didn’t help.  I ended up disconnecting the water from the refrigerator.  I had no idea what could have happened to my water.  I couldn’t drink it anymore because of the taste and consistency but I still use it to cook, shower, wash clothes, etc."

Well, now, this bad water part of the Mary Kelleher Story, I had no clue about. No wonder after getting no help from any of the governmental entities one would thing would help with such things Mary found herself motivated to get on the Tarrant Regional  Water Board.

Fat lot of good that has done.

So far.

Mary Kelleher needs a couple more actual public servants to join her serving on the TRWD Board...

Something Illegal From Spencer Jack's Dad Showed Up In My Mailbox Today

I opened my mailbox a few minutes ago and found an envelope from Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, also known as FNJ.

A few minutes later I opened the envelope and found that which you see here.

As you can read, FNJ had had himself some mighty fine Skagit strawberries and was wishing he could figure out a way to ship some to his FUD.

A couple days ago Spencer Jack and his dad successfully shipped FUD some FNJ2 (Favorite Nephew Joey) smoked salmon and dungeness crab.

I do not think strawberries would transit as well as smoked salmon. Especially when the temperature is nearing the 100 degree zone.

Back to today's incoming.

So, unable to mail his FUD some strawberries, FNJ decided to send me a different popular Northwest delicacy.

Special chocolates apparently available throughout Skagit County, year round.

Made in Seattle.

I looked at the little packet, read that it contained two 5mg squares, thought to myself this must be really good chocolate. Then I flipped the packet over to find out this is really special chocolate....

This product contains marijuana, SPOT uses cocoa butter fat, oils and/or alcohol to extract cannabinoids for use in our products. Always safe, natural and tested.

This product is infused with marijuana or active components of marijuana. Products containing marijuana can impair concentration and judgement. Do not operate a vehicle or machinery under the influence of this drug. There may be health risks associated with consumption of this product. It should not be used by women that are pregnant or breast feeding. For use only by adults twenty-one and older. Keep out of reach of children.

This product has intoxicating effects and may be habit forming. This product may be unlawful outside of Washington state.

Yikes! What was my nephew thinking? Sending something like this to my mailbox? Doesn't he know Texas is one of the most intolerant states in the union regarding marijuana? Texas does not even allow medicinal marijuana, which is a good indicator of how backwards and behind the times the Lone Star State is on this issue.

I have not ingested a cannabis type product this century. I believe the last time I did so was with Wanda at Seattle's Fremont Solstice Street Fair. A purveyor was purveying hash brownies. If I remember right they cost one buck. A Seattle cop was standing a few feet away, an indication that Washington has been tolerant on this issue for a long time.

I recollect that Wanda and I got a bit goofy and giggly after we ate the brownies. But not excessively goofy and giggly.

After I read the back side of the chocolate packet I looked again at the front side, which you see above and read the following that I'd not noticed upon first perusal...

CAUTION: When eaten or swallowed, the intoxicating effects of this drug may be delayed by two or more hours.

Two or more hours? That would almost be my bedtime. I will need to plan ahead before I try this latest Washington product to arrive at my location....

Rolling My Hot Wheels Past Fort Worth Thorns & Sculptural Art

With the temperature only 14 degrees short of being 100, and with the humidity being extremely high, it seemed a good idea, at the time, to take my handlebars on a sunny roll around my neighborhood.

I opted to go a more adventurous route than my repetitive regular route.

The more adventurous route added a few more miles and a few more steep hills.

The more adventurous route also took my handlebars by the scene you see here, the massive work of sculptural art which greets Fort Worth's visitors coming from the east, if they think to look north as they pass this location on I-30.

One thing aggravated me whilst rolling my wheels today.

Part of today's biking route has me rolling on one of Fort Worth's ridiculously narrow sidewalks.  This would be between the old abandoned Krogers building and the East Regional Library (closed Fridays because Fort Worthers don't read on Fridays).

The last time I biked on that sidewalk I complained about the mesquite brush which hung over the sidewalk. That was months ago. Today the thorny brush was worse. Very dangerous, what with there being little barrier between sidewalk and high speed road. Dodging a 3 inch thorn could have someone careening onto the road.

Is a city liable if someone is injured due to an accident caused by their poorly maintained sidewalks?

I remember when I first saw what is now known as The Drowning Pool in Fort Worth's Water Gardens that I remarked that that did not look safe. Sadly, years later that safety problem became undeniable, with four victims drowned. Fort Worth forked over a lot of money to compensate the survivors of that tragedy.

I tried to break the offending twigs and get them out of the way. I was unsuccessful in this endeavor. Previously I was successful in removing an offending mesquite twig menacing the sidewalk on Boca Raton Boulevard.

I suppose, for safety's sake, when one is biking in Fort Worth one should always include a pruning device in ones accessory bag....

Starry Starry Skagit Night Has Me Lamenting Not Seeing A Texas Milky Way

I saw that which you see here, this morning, on the Skagit Breaking News website.

I saw the photo and thought, oh no, is Fort Worth's renowned photographer propagandist up in my old home zone of the Skagit Valley engaging in his patented brand of hyper-realistic digital photo manipulation.

Then I read the caption below the photo to learn the photo was taken by a guy named Andy Porter, with the view being from the Samish Overlook, looking at the Skagit Valley, with the Milky Way in full glow mode above.

I have not seen the Milky Way in all its milky glory since I have been in Texas. At times, at my current location, I can see quite a few stars twinkling at night, but never the Milky Way.

The most milky I have ever seen the Milky Way was whilst houseboating on Lake Powell in Utah. The night sky was lit up with stars to a level I did not realize, til then, was a possible earthbound view of the space above.

I have not been to the Big Bend Country zone of Texas, where Marfa has magical lights and I assume the sky at night shines big and bright, even though it is not in the heart of Texas, more to the west of Texas.

Anyway, I wonder what Fort Worth's renowned photographer propagandist would do with scenery which requires no lipstick to make a pig look pretty? Scenery such as what one sees in much of Utah, or my old home zone, or many locations in Texas, like the Guadalupe River, or Big Bend National Park or Guadalupe Mountains National Park.

Which leads me to wonder, are the headwaters of the Guadalupe River in the Guadalupe Mountains?

The Dallas Conspiracy Behind Removing A Grassy Knoll Sign From Dealey Plaza

I saw that which you see here several days ago, on Facebook.

Apparently the City of Dallas wants a JFK conspiracy theorist to remove that Grassy Knoll sign.

I am assuming that by now this tacky sign has been removed.

It's been over 50 years since that unfortunate assassination in Dallas day.

Every time I have been to Dealey Plaza I have seen the X painted on the road, marking the spot where the first bullet struck.

The city erases the X, it reappears. I assume this has been going on for decades.

The X marking the spot also strikes me as tacky.

But, not as tacky as what I saw in Dealey Plaza the first two times I visited that location, way back late in the previous century.

At that point in time one could buy a ticket to ride in a limousine which mirrored the one JFK was killed in. The first time I saw this, coming around the corner from Elm to Houston or Houston to Elm, whichever it is, I was appalled to see it and hear the soundtrack, with gunshots firing right when the limousine passed the X which marked the spot.

The second time I saw this limousine, months later, it was parked above the Grassy Knoll, awaiting some Assassination Re-Creaters to fork over the fee to have that one of a kind experience.

On subsequent Dealey Plaza visits that limousine was nowhere to be seen. I assume the city shut that tacky operation down.

With that Grassy Knoll sign sitting on the Grassy Knoll, I am wondering if there is a Triple Underpass sign somewhere near the Triple Underpass, which you see in the background, behind the Grassy Knoll.

Changing the subject, slightly, on my mom and dad's first visit to visit me in Texas I took them to Dealey Plaza and the 6th Floor Book Depository Museum. Mom and dad rushed through the museum, not seeming very interested in any of it, which surprised me, because it is a very compelling experience, done very well.

Upon leaving I resignedly asked if they found that experience at all interesting, to which my mom said, "we lived through all that so we really don't need to see something like that."

I was a bit appalled.

So, walking back to my vehicle I continued being a tourist guide trooper, telling mom and dad we were walking through Dealey Plaza.

What is Dealey Plaza? I was asked.

Where the assassination took place, I replied.

Over there is the infamous Grassy Knoll, I then pointed out.

What is the Grassy Knoll? I was asked.

Where some think a shooter shot from, I replied.

And there's the famous triple overpass.

Triple overpass? What's that?

It was frustrating. They lived through it, so a museum was of no interest.

A few minutes later, though, mom and dad were having themselves a mighty fine time in the Dallas Farmers Market....

Spencer Jack's Fast Delivery To Texas Of His Uncle Joey's Smoked Salmon

Last month I blogged about Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey's Big King Salmon Catch Of The Day.

Yesterday in the early evening I got a text message from Spencer Jack and my Favorite Nephew Jason....

Smoked salmon is scheduled for delivery at your doorstep tomorrow by 10:30 am. Spencer and I just dropped it off this afternoon in Burlington. I will be amazed if you have it tomorrow. Hopefully I packed enough ice to keep the salmon chilled. Brother Joe specially cooked the King Salmon he caught near the Queen Charlotte Islands for you.

I texted FNJ that the smoked salmon had arrived, somehow managing to get to its destination ahead of 10:30 am.

FNJ texted back, confirming his prediction that he would be amazed if the smoked salmon arrived in the time frame predicted.

When I opened the box I was surprised to find something in addition to smoked salmon.

That surprise was my favorite Pacific Northwest delicacy, dungeness crab. A lot of dungeness crab. That would be a little peak at the crab you see above, in between a couple bags of smoked salmon.

I have not had my favorite Pacific Northwest delicacy since late July of 2008, when my mom and dad showed up in Tacoma with some dungeness crab they found on their drive up the Oregon Coast.

Opening the box I was quickly transported back to Washington, the air filled with smoked salmon perfume.

The air smells better in Washington than at my current location. I remember my last drive north, driving solo from Texas back to Washington. As I crossed Snoqualmie Pass and began the I-90 descent to sea level, the mountains covered with fir trees, the air began to smell like Christmas trees. I had never noticed this so drastically when I lived in Washington.

Thank you Favorite Nephew Joey. And FNJ and Spencer Jack for the expedited delivery.

Rolling Wheels Through Wilderness Searching For Arlington's Vietnam War Memorial

Today I decided to roll my mechanized wheels to a wilderness location to pedal my handlebars to the scenic scene you see here.

I don't have to go far in my rural location on the planet to be in wilderness that looks untouched by man.

About 8 miles takes me to a park in Arlington called Veterans Park, which would make that which you see here the Veterans Park Wilderness.

Bus loads of school kids celebrating the end of the school year were cluttering up the park today, along with way too many disc golfers.

It was way back in mid December of last year that I was last at Veterans Park. At that point in time I saw a sign that indicated to me that some sort of Vietnam War Memorial was going to be added to the existing Veterans Memorial. I figured with it being about six months later that the new memorial would be ready to be seen.

I figured wrong. Nothing new, the same sign I saw months ago.

Now I'm wondering if maybe the sign is the Vietnam War Memorial.

Unlike America's Biggest Boondoggle, that being Fort Worth's Trinity River Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle, Arlington is very modest with its signage.

In this instance, however, Arlington seems to maybe be emulating American's Biggest Boondoggle in putting up a sign indicating something is about to be built.

And then nothing happens....