Spencer Jack Visits His Greatest Family Member For The First Time

Yester evening I got a few incoming emails from Spencer Jack's dad, FNJ (Favorite Nephew Jason).

One of the emails had a picture of Spencer Jack at Birch Bay. I blogged about that and Birch Bay on one of my other blogs in a blogging titled Spencer Jack Takes Me Back To Washington To Birch Bay.

There is nothing in Texas remotely like Washington's Birch Bay. How can I say that? Well, from Birch Bay you can clearly see a volcano. And mountains in Canada.

The first email of yester evening, prior to the two with pictures said, in part....

FUD--

Spencer and I are currently en route to visit his greatest family member.

We will send you photo documentation upon arrival this late afternoon.

FNJ

Greatest family member? I had no idea what that meant. Were Spencer and Jason arriving in D/FW in the late afternoon? Well, it was already well past late afternoon at my location, so I figured we were talking about a late Washington afternoon.

About three hours after the email about visiting Spencer's greatest family member I got an email with the picture you see above, with the subject line of the email saying "Spencer Jack meets his great great grandmother."

I had not seen this before. The gravestone for my Grandma Vera. Grandma Vera is my mom's mom.

Vera Sundean Porter 

December 26, 1910 - September 23, 2003

To be totally accurate the gravestone should say Vera Sundean Wilder Porter Huntley.

LaVerne Wilder was Grandma's first husband, and the father of my mother Shirley. Yes, that's right, LaVerne and Shirley. Grandma's second husband, Dr. Jim Porter, is who I always thought of as my Grandpa. It was at Grandma and Grandpa's 25th wedding anniversary party, attended by my actual Grandpa, that led me to learn I had another Grandpa.

That night I asked my brother how can mom be 31 when Grandma and Grandpa have only been married 25 years. Young and naive little boys were we. My brother and I decided the next morning I would ask at breakfast. It was then we learned about our other Grandpa, who we never actually knew.

It's a complicated story.

This was the morning we learned why mom's maiden name was Wilder, not Porter. And that Aunt Mike and Uncle Jim were mom's half-sister and half-brother. And that Uncle Willard was mom's full brother, or whatever one calls a sibling ones shares a mom and dad with.

When I saw Grandma Vera's gravestone I thought how can it be that long ago that Grandma died? 2003? I remember like it was yesterday, I was walking with the Village Creek Indian Ghosts, talking to my Arizona sister. We knew Grandma was not doing well. I asked my sister if she would be flying north for the funeral when that eventuality came to pass. As we had this conversation we did not know that Grandma had died that morning.

There was no funeral. Grandma Vera did not like them and did not want one.

It would please Grandma Vera immensely to know her Great Great Grandson, Spencer Jack had come to visit her. It would also please Grandma Vera to know how much we still all think of her. Looking around the room I am in right now I can see several things that remind me of Grandma Vera. Including two afghans, a knit cap and a pillow case.

It would not please Grandma Vera to know that only a few short years after her passing Uncle Jim, Aunt Mike and Uncle Willard would be joining her in the Great Beyond. Grandma Vera would have been most shocked at the passing of Aunt Mike. We all were. Alzheimer's.

It has been years since I've been to the Custer Cemetery where so many of my relatives now live. I don't remember how to get there. Let alone find gravesites once I am there. My last time being there was for the burial of Grandma Vera's little brother, Uncle Pete. The first time was for the burial of Grandpa Porter. That was one big funeral. I remember an overflowing church, somewhere in the Custer zone.

I wish we'd thought to take video of Grandma Vera. But she likely would have objected. Grandma Vera was a character. Funny. What little personality I have likely came in large part from Grandma Vera....

A Doctor Visit Had Me Rolling My Wheels In River Legacy Park Along A Still Flooding Trinity River

A doctor appointment had me in Euless this morning. The location of that appointment was a short distance from Collins Road. A short distance south on Collins Road, from that location, takes one to the Collins Road entry to River Legacy Park.

So, since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to roll my bike wheels on a few miles of the River Legacy Park paved trails.

That is the Trinity River my handlebars are looking at. Well, actually the handlebars are on the bridge that crosses Hurricane Creek, so that would be Hurricane Creek and the flooding Trinity River you are looking at.

In the River Legacy Park zone there are two creeks, Hurricane and Boyd Branch, which serve during a flood as escape valves, with the Trinity rushing in at high speed, filling multiple flood control basins that look like lakes, particularly now that they have been filled up. The Trinity has now receded enough that water is flowing back into the river from Hurricane Creek, instead of vice versa. I have seen this going both ways at the point in the process where Hurricane Creek becomes a roaring rapids.

Below is a look at one of the lakes filled by Boyd Branch. This one is the last one you come to before you reach the 7 miles end of the trail mark.

Above, on side of the lake opposite the handlebars you can see a little spot of white rising above the green. That would be the Dallas Cowboy Stadium.

I came upon two instances of the sign you see below, posted beside the trail.

The signs inform that the trail is closed ahead, that a better safer trail is being built due to erosion repairs.

Well, the trail was not closed at any point. I already mentioned I made it to the 7 mile end point. I saw no signs of any trail erosion. The paved trail appeared. to me, to be in great shape.

At the 5 mile point I came upon that which you see below, newly installed since last I rolled on this trail.

A bike repair station! On the left, attached to cords, are a  selection of various tools one might need to make a bike repair. The sign on the tool holder has one of those smart phone code deals which told you to scan it to get bike repair instructions. On the right is an extremely solid bike tire pump, with a gauge.

My worst flat tire experience ever occurred near this repair station. It was miles of walking the bike back to civilization. Walking when the air was heated to over 100. I don't think this bike repair station would have been of any use to me on that occasion.

As I drove into the Viridian development zone on Collins I was amazed at how much this has grown since I was last at this location. The landscaping along the road is impressive.

About a year ago I biked into the Viridian development. That was not possible today, not from the River Legacy Park trail. You can see why below.

I wonder if Viridian is going ahead with their original plan to turn the lake you see here into a public access beach type deal. Years ago I was told that that was the plan, back before Viridian was put on hold due to the Great Recession.

I had two snake encounters today. The first encounter was with a big snake. This gave me a good dose of adrenalin. The second snake was a little one.

A surprising number people where enjoying rolling their wheels. Many of them appeared nearing what one might characterize as elderly. I know I hope to be an 80 year old biker one day.....

Fort Worth's Fourth Has Five VIP Levels With Some Having Private Bathrooms & Cash Bars

Captain Andy pointed me to that which you see here, last night.

I did not get around to clicking on that which Captain Andy pointed me to til this morning.

The link went to a webpage on the City of Fort Worth website with interesting information about how one can join the Fort Worth Oligarchy to have oneself a mighty fine VIP experience at Fort Worth's Fourth.

I will copy the information in its entirety for those wondering how one celebrates the Fourth of July in Fort Worth VIP style....

Fort Worth’s Fourth is coming back to Panther Island Pavilion, and this year you can celebrate the Fourth of July in style, thanks to new VIP experiences offered at the festival.

Five new VIP sections will be located across the festival grounds, each offering a unique experience. Access to the VIP areas will range in price based on the amenities the section offers. VIP amenities include prime fireworks and water show views, reserved seating, shaded lounge areas, private bathrooms and cash bars, VIP parking options, and more.

Prices for the five VIP areas range from $10-$40 per person depending on the experience. Access to each area is limited and tickets should be purchased online in advance.

As always, admission to the festival and all family activities such as zip lines, bounce houses, water slides and more, are free to the public. There will be live music from Jimmy Buffett tribute band The Land Sharks and high-energy cover band Downtown Fever.

Food, soda, water and beer will be available for purchase onsite. Gates open at 2 p.m.; live music will be onstage 6-9:30 p.m.; fireworks begin at about 10 p.m.

__________________________________________________

As always admission is free, along with all family activities?

But, for a fee Fort Worth 4th of July celebrators can gain access to one of five VIP areas, each offering different unique VIP experiences.

Including private bathrooms!

The VIP price ranges from $10 to $40 per person, depending on ones VIP level. The information does not include what price point includes access to those private  bathrooms.

Are the regular non-VIP people relegated to using one of those two lovely concrete enclosed outhouses which The Boondoggle has installed at the world's imaginary premiere urban music venue? I'm guessing extra outhouses are brought in for a special occasion.

I am also guessing those "private bathrooms" one pays extra for are also outhouses.

At what VIP level does one get a "cash bar"? A cash bar? As opposed to giving away booze for free? Will beer be available to be purchased with cash by the non-VIP people?

Is this a Trinity River Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle Product? I assume so, what with it taking place at Panther Island Pavilion, where there is no pavilion or island. And what with alcoholic beverages being prominently featured, at the cash bars.

How are the freeloading riffraff kept from using the VIP's special private bathrooms? Will there be security guards? A chain link fence separating the VIP's from the freeloading riffraff?

With 5 special VIP zones, each with their own special attributes, one can assume this must entail 5 separate enclosures to separate those who have paid for the privilege of being a VIP, from those who are not VIPs.

All in all something just seems, well, un-American about this VIP thing at Fort Worth's Fourth of July. Then again, it is sort of The Fort Worth Way to be a bit un-American at times.....

I Want A Donald Trump Plus A Couple Bush Piñatas To Smack

I saw that which you see here this morning on Facebook via both Miss Julie and Elsie Hotpepper.

The Miss Julie version seemed to indicate that the source was Mother Jones (no relation).

After Donald Trump's embarrassing longest I'm running for President speech in history, with his idiotic insults to our Mexican neighbors, on both sides of the border, I read that a Mexican piñata maker made a piñata of Donald Trump, with the piñata having an appropriately big mouth under Trump's patented mysterious hair style.

The above was the first look I got of the actual piñata, with the big mouth and unfortunate coif.

It  concerns me that America might be so foolish as to somehow elect Trump. Such an outcome does not seem remotely possible.

But, I thought the same thing prior to the 2000 election, that that which ended up being the result could not possibly happen.

And yet George W. Bush got elected.

Twice.

And is now poised to eventually replace James Buchanan as the Worst President ever by those who rank such things.

Another president from Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson, has had a Harry S Truman type post-presidency rise in the estimation of those who rank the presidents. In one or two surveys LBJ has joined Truman as one of the Top Ten Presidents. In one survey LBJ was tied with Ronald Reagan at #11.

I think it is likely pretty much universally agreed that there is no chance George W. Bush is going to experience an LBJ/Truman type rise in esteem as the years pass.

Unless somehow Iraq and Afghanistan miraculously morph into peaceful, economically booming, democractic examples of a better way for the other troubled countries in that region.

Fat chance in hell of that happening.

More mortifying, to me, than the idea of Trump somehow managing to get elected is the idea that George W's little brother, Jeb, could possibly be a third Bush president.

Were either to happen, Trump or Bush, methinks I will be making plans to seek refuge in Mexico. Or Canada. Likely my choice would be Mexico. I've always liked Mexico and Mexicans.

Canada and Canadians, not so much. That ending every sentence with "eh" really wears on my nerves.....

Kay Granger's Ironic Anonymous Avenger Hubris Detector

That which you see here was emailed to me yesterday by an entity I will refer to as the Anonymous Avenger.

What the Anonymous Avenger emailed me was a message from J.D. Granger's mama, Kay Granger. That is the face of Kay clipped off at the top of the message.

Did the Anonymous Avenger somehow get into Kay Granger's iPhone and acquire this? Or was it on Facebook, visible to everyone, with the Anonymous Avenger somehow screen capturing it on his or her iPhone, so as to email it to me?

The subject line of the email simply said "Ironic?"

I read the message and was not quite sure what was ironic.

The only thing I thought might be being referred to as ironic was Kay Granger's mention of her town's start as a fort being built at the confluence of the West and Clear Forks of the Trinity River, what with Kay Granger being part of the bizarre plot to destroy that historic confluence and turn it into what many refer to as Pond Granger, that being the little lake at the former confluence, brought about by what is known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, a boondoggle Kay Granger strongly supports because it will be giving her ne'er-do-well son, J.D., a job until it is time for him to retire.

Not being sure as to what was possibly ironic about Kay Granger's history lesson I replied to the Anonymous Avenger saying "I am feeling stupid this morning. I am not sure I get what is ironic."

To which the Anonymous Avenger replied "She is mentioning the very confluence she seeks to destroy."

So, I got that ironic part right.

And then the Anonymous Avenger added a further irony, which I had missed, saying "And she says General Worth did not live to see his project completed. She won't either if her son remains in charge".

Ouch. That is one pointed Anonymous Avenger.

I think Kay Granger is nearing 80 years old. She could easily last another 20 years. If she could stretch that 20 by another 10 I'm guessing she'd at least last long enough to see America's Biggest Boondoggle's three simple bridges, being constructed in slow motion, completed. And maybe she'd live long enough to see the ditch dug under the bridges, thus creating the imaginary island she worked so long and hard to bring about.

Let's see, in another 30 years J.D. Granger should be about his mother's current age. He would likely long been retired from America's Biggest Boondoggle.

And, with Fort Worth following the North Korea nepotism model, one of J.D. Granger's kids will likely then have followed dad's footsteps, being named Executive Director of America's Biggest Boondoggle by Jim Oliver's son who will have nepotistically replaced his dad as TRWD Dictator, I mean, Manager.

It's The Fort Worth Way.

Happy Father's Day To My Dad, Brother, Brother-in-Law, Nephew, Cousins & All The Other Good Papas

Above is a screen cap of Google's Father's Day animated Google Doodle with the animation paused on the part of the animation which looks to be a human Father holding a baby.

Google's animation appears to expand the Father's Day concept to the entire Animal Kingdom, with a fox, bird and possum and their offspring representing the non-human part of the Animal Kingdom.

The Fathers in my immediate relative circle are my dear ol' dad, the pa of me, my brother and my three sisters. My brother is the pa of two of my nephews, Jason and Joey. My brother-in-law is the pa of my other two nephews, Christopher and Jeremy. Jason is the pa of my nephew, Spencer Jack.

Jason is being a dad cut from the same mold as my dad, what with taking Spencer Jack on fun vacations. Currently I think Jason and Spencer Jack are still in Hawaii, but I do not know that for certain.

It was from my dad I learned to love a Roadtrip. Dad always made Roadtrips stress-free. Unflappable he was, not matter what, a vehicle breakdown, driving in Los Angeles for the first time, no matter what, totally unflappable.

I learned my highly evolved level of unflappability, driving-wise, from watching my dad drive in vexing traffic situations, like on the streets of San Francisco, a trailer in tow.

My first Roadtrip that took me to San Francisco, and beyond, free of the parental units, I was driving up Lombard Street, hoping to drive down the curvy downside, but my old Mustang's clutch started slipping. I had to back down the hill, other cars honking at me. I was unflappable, thanks to dad.

Later that same trip, after watching a late night taping of Laverne & Shirley at Paramount Studios, the clutch totally gave out on the streets of Hollywood. The clutch died right in front of a big service station. Spent the night sleeping in the car. Next morning the service station was able to fix the clutch. I was unflappable, again, thanks to dad.

I actually remember that weird night stuck in Hollywood as quite amusing. But was glad to see LA in my rear view mirror the next day.

Over the years there have been many a Roadtrip incident where my dad inherited unflappable-ness has been a good thing.

I remember a flat tire in Death Valley. There were two vehicles on this Roadtrip. The Goober Twins went into full panic mode at the flat tire. Their dad was not an unflappable sort, so they never learned the art of unflappability. I knew worse case scenario we could walk the five miles to Stovepipe Wells where I had made reservations for that night months prior. Turns out the spare worked fine, easily got to Stovepipe Wells, then the next day had a mighty fine time in the California town of Bishop getting the flat tire fixed.

That flat tire incident became known as the Curse of the Luxor Obelisk.

Anyway, Happy Father's Day.....

June 21 Summer Solstice Nude Hiking Father's Day On The Tandy Hills

Weeks ago the Tandy Hills Natural Area sent notice, via Facebook, that, in addition to being Father's Day and the Summer Solstice, today is also Nude Hiking Day.

Before installing the CLOTHING OPTIONAL BEYOND THIS POINT sign on the Tandy Hills the Fort Worth city attorney was asked if it was okay for the Tandy Hills to be a proper location to celebrate this important international holiday.

The Fort Worth city attorney gave the okay, with a few cautionary parameters. So, check out those parameters before you take your clothes off on the Tandy Hills today. Or any other day.

What with all the rain that has drenched the Tandy Hills and surrounding areas in the past several weeks I am thinking today would make for a possibly muddy naked hike.

For that muddy reason alone, I think I will forego participating.

Unless I change my mind.

The Indian Ghosts Close Village Creek Due To Flooding While Mallard Cove Dries Up

This afternoon I heard the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area calling me.

So, I rolled my motorized wheels to Arlington to find the Natural Historical Area closed due to flooding.

That surprised me since it has not rained, as far as I know, since Bill visited on Wednesday.

I did not feel like rolling on to one of Arlington's other parks where I take my handlebars, like River Legacy or Veterans Park.

So, I dejectedly turned around and headed home.

I got to Cooks Lane and then it occurred to me to continue north on Cooks Lane, past John T. White Road, to Randol Mill Road to take a left to check out Mallard Cove Park to see if it was a muddy mess from being flooded.

Well.

I got to the Mallard Cove Park parking lot, got out, walked til I had a view of the paved trails and was surprised to see no indication that this place had been recently inundated with water. I figured when the water receded there would be mud, litter, logs, all sorts of a mess.

But, if I have not seen it flooded, today I would not have thought anything at all unusual had happened here. The grass was recently mowed. Everything looked clean as new.

Below is the picture I took from the same vantage point as the picture above. You can see the bench above under water in the picture below...

You can see mud in the lower left of the above picture. Where did all that mud go? You can see other pictures of what a flooded Mallard Cove Park looked like in the blogging titled Mallard Cove Park Is Underwater With Some Mysterious Bubbles Burbling along with video of the burbling.

All in all I ended up having myself a mighty fine time rolling my wheels around Mallard Cove, even though there were no Indian Ghosts making their presence known...

The Fort Worth Way Runs Deep With Corrupt Cronyism

A few days ago on the Mary Kelleher blog I read a blogging titled You Make the Call...Cronyism or Not! where Mary Kelleher described an instance of wanton cronyism to which she objected at the most recent TRWD Board Meeting.

Mary Kelleher's questions about the cronyism were pooh poohed by the TRWD Dictator, I mean, Manager, who Mary Kelleher refers to as Mis-Manager, Jim Oliver.

Apparently Oliver does not understand what cronyism is, because he tried to claim that Mary Kelleher's relationship with campaign contributor, Monty Bennett, was cronyism.

Clearly Jim Oliver does not understand what cronyism is.

As you can see, via the definition above, cronyism is the appointment of friends and associates to positions of authority, without proper regard to their qualifications.

You know, like how without consulting the TRWD Board, Dictator Oliver hired an unqualified Assistant Tarrant County District Attorney named J.D. Granger to be the Executive Director of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

That is a case of classic, corrupt cronyism.

And why cronyism is frowned upon due to the bad results which frequently follow.

Results like a boondoggle.

The thing with corruption of the TRWD sort is those involved in the corruption don't think they are doing anything corrupt, because they do not get called on it by anyone with the clout to make it stop. Yet one more example of how Fort Worth suffers due to not having a real newspaper doing real investigative journalism.

In other words, the TRWD, as it operates in Texas, could not get away with its corrupt shenanigans in my old home state with its multiple real newspapers. And a well educated progressive population of voters.

If an election took place in, let's say, Seattle, where a ridiculously out of proportion number of absentee ballots showed up, with the result of the election giving two controversial characters a landslide win to a level never seen in previous elections for that position, well, there would be a clarion call for an investigation.

In Fort Worth, nary a peep. Not from the Star-Telegram, not from the Fort Worth Business Press, not from Fort Worth Weekly.

Maybe the FBI is on the case. We can only hope.

Did the Star-Telegram ever share with its readers the notoriously corrupt act of cronyism in which a TRWD Board Director finagled a sweetheart deal to use TRWD public funds to rescue a bankrupt friend by paying double market value for said friend's contaminated land on which the first drive-in movie theater of the 21st century was built?

Corruption and Cronyism runs deep in Fort Worth.

Real deep.

It is part and parcel of that which is known as The Fort Worth Way.

This will not change until Fort Worth gets a real newspaper and the people of Fort Worth cease being sheep.

The South has a long history of the type corruption that is considered perfectly normal by way too many in Fort Worth and its environs.

Back in the last century, next door neighbor to Texas, Louisiana, had a politician named Huey Long who operated in the Fort Worth Way.

A book and movie sort of based on the Huey Long story, named All the King's Men, is instructive regarding corrupt cronyism. The King in All the King's Men is Jim Lane, I mean, Willie Stark, played by Broderick Crawford.

Willie Stark was quite popular with the voters, for awhile, bringing all sorts of vision to his bleak state, running roughshod over those who did not share his vision. Eventually meeting an untimely end, an end more dire than the criminal investigations I suspect may be in the future for Fort Worth's Willie Starks....

Hope Everyone Is Having A Happy Juneteenth All Things Considered

Prior to moving to Texas I had not heard of Juneteenth.

In 1980 Texas was the first state to declare Juneteenth to be a state holiday. Since then 42 other states, including my old home state of Washington, have joined Texas in officially recognizing this holiday.

Why Juneteenth? Why not September 22, when Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation? Or January 1 when the Emancipation Proclamation went into effect?

Well, the answer to that question has to do with Texas, with Texas being the last state of the Confederacy restored to being under American control.

It was not until June 18, 1865 that 2,000 federal troops arrived at Galveston Island to begin the post Civil War occupation of Texas.

On June 19 Union General Gordon Granger stood on a balcony at Galveston's Ashton Villa to read to the crowd below what was known as General Order No. 3, with that order being the total emancipation of slaves.

Celebrating erupted among the last of the African Americans to learn they were now free.

And now, all these years later it is more than a little sickening that there are still some Americans who are hate filled moronic idiotic evil creeps who need to be removed from the planet.....