Wondering Why So Many Fort Worth Locals Think Tubing Polluted Water With Gators Is Fun

A few minutes ago I found myself Googling for images of America's Biggest Boondoggle's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats to find myself surprised to find a lot of the images were from this very blog you are looking at right now, including the Pigs in the Trinity image you see here.

The Pigs in the Trinity were from a blogging titled Elsie Hotpepper's Artist's Rendering Of Rockin' The Trinity River With Pigs from way back on August 7, 2013. No wonder I didn't remember it, that's a long time ago.

The reason I was looking for a Rockin' the River image for illustrative purposes came about due to a conversation I had recently with a fellow transplant from the Pacific Northwest, during which the fellow transplant asked me why I thought the locals here turn out in such big numbers for things like Rockin' the Polluted River and Funday Sundays in the same polluted river? And in large numbers to do something rather, I don't know, un-fun looking, like that Slide the City deal a few weeks ago.

Well, I gave this question some thought. And what I concluded is there are not enough fun things to do in Fort Worth of the playing in water type fun.

The only other big city, with which I am familiar, is Seattle. I may have mentioned that before.

I can say with 100% certainty that if Seattle had a polluted river running through the town, which it doesn't, but if it did, there is no way you could get 100s of people to get in that dirty water to float on inner tubes and listen to music.

Why?

Because, unlike Fort Worth, Seattle has multiple venues where the public can enjoy being on a beach and get themselves wet in clean water.

Such as Green Lake, a lake several times bigger than America's Biggest Boondoggle's proposed Pond Granger. Green Lake has a big swimming area. With lifeguards. An actual pavilion. And now that you're making me think about it, an actual island. Green Lake is surrounded by a wide jogging, biking, blading paved trail with designated lanes and directions.

On Elliott Bay there is Alki Beach, miles of beach with beach amenities, like running water and modern restrooms. And on a warm day you can have fun playing in the waves or swimming. If you are like me and like cold water.

Near the Ballard Locks you'll find another beach at Golden Gardens Park. You saw that beach if you watched Sleepless in Seattle.

In Seattle Lake Washington also has several parks with beaches allowing for warmer swimming, in summer, than getting wet in Puget Sound. Such as Madison Park and Denny Blaine Park, which can be topless and clothing optional, at times.

Now, isn't it interesting I found so many links to Wikipedia articles about these various Seattle beaches and attractions? How many Wikipedia articles do you find when you Google for such things located in Fort Worth?

NONE. ZIP. ZERO. NADA.

Hence why hundreds upon hundreds of people will show up for something as unappealing as America's Biggest Boondoggle's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in a dirty, turtle, snake and gator infested river and think they are having themselves a mighty fine time, because a mighty fine time is hard to find, of the water sport sort, in Fort Worth.

Something needs to be done about this. The fact that so many people are getting in that dirty river is a symptom of something amiss that needs to be addressed. There used to be something called Casino Beach on Lake Worth. Could that be revived and turned into a legit swimming beach?

I have been told that long ago, in Fosdick Lake in Fort Worth's Oakland Lake Park, swimming and boating was allowed. Fosdick Lake is rather small. But small is better than nothing. With a little effort could not Fosdick Lake be restored to a non-polluted state and made beach and fish friendly?

Fort Worth needs to do something. That seems obvious, with the symptom of something being dire wrong being the fact that so many think it is a fun thing to go floating in a murky, dirty, polluted river.

While drinking beer and listening to music.

And now featuring alligators.....

Drought & Wenatchee Wildfire Brings Calls For Washington 4th Fireworks Ban While In Texas This Is Not A Problem

I saw that which you see here a few minutes ago via Tacoma's Queen V on Facebook.

I do not believe it to be true that the Sleepy Hollow fire is still burning, right now, like you see in the picture.

Sleepy Hollow is a neighborhood in Wenatchee. When you live in Western Washington you refer to Wenatchee's location as East of the Mountains.

A couple dozen homes and other property was totally obliterated by the wildfire.

Tonasket is also East of the Mountains. Tootsie Tonasket has been reporting day after day of temperatures well over 100, as in one day the HEAT hit 112. Tootsie's A/C went kaput overnight.

Currently there are a lot of people in Washington suggesting it would be a good idea for a total ban on fireworks this year, what with the entire state in emergency drought mode.

Yesterday a pair of hoodlums drove up I-5 in Western Washington setting off fires by launching flares as they drove along.

At my old home location in the East Thunderbird neighborhood of Mount Vernon the 4th of July was like a war zone. This is an extremely hilly, heavily wooded area. I would sit on my rooftop deck watching the explosions, ready to put out anything burning that landed on the roof. The launching area for my immediate neighbors was from the top of the cul-de-sac. A barrage would be launched and then another cul-de-sac would try and top it. After a few years of this it went from entertaining to annoying.

The Skagit Valley has several Indian Reservations where one could buy just about any firework type explosive made. There are dozens of Indian Reservations in Washington. Such as the Tulalip Reservation, which is where Boom City is located. Boom City has a website. The Tulalip Tribe also has a casino, nautical themed, with a giant Orca soaring out of the sea at the entry. Washington has dozens of casinos.

I don't like gambling, but I enjoy a good casino buffet.

I think Texas has only two Indian Reservations. And they are very small, with few Indians. I don't know if the Texas Indians sell fireworks on their reservations.

My first 4th of July in Texas came as a big surprise due to it being so un-explosive. I figured Texas would be much more explosive, firecracker-wise, than my old home zone, what with that whole cowboy western gun thing that much of Texas embraces.

Is it because there are no Indian Reservations selling fireworks that Texas is so quiet on the 4th of July?

I know the quiet has nothing to do with Texans not being as patriotic in their 4th of July celebrating as my old home zone. Best 4th of July parades I've ever seen have been in Texas, such as the Arlington 4th of July Parade and Granbury's.

I read yesterday the Confederate Battle Flag will not be in this year's Arlington 4th of July Parade. What if a Rebel shows up with the banned flag, despite the ban? I suspect booing would ensue. America can sure change fast when well motivated. Even the Texas part of America....

Spencer Jack Is On A Hoodsport Quest To Find His Former Aunts

Yesterday Spencer Jack and his dad emailed me from Ocean Shores, that being a Washington tourist zone on the Pacific coast, where Spencer Jack had his first video documented driving lesson on the Ocean Shores beach.

Years ago in my antique 1965 Fastback Mustang I got stuck driving on that beach whilst trying to cross a creek. It was after dark. I probably should not have been beach driving.

I digress.

Back to the present moment.

A few minutes ago fresh incoming from Spencer Jack and his dad. They have now left the coast and are on the west side of Hood Canal.

The message accompanying four pictures....

FUD-----

Nephew Spencer Jack in Hoodsport trying to locate his aging former aunts who unfriended him. We looked for them at the tavern, the liquor store and the library. Locals who know the pair well said we just missed them at two of the mentioned places.

FNJ & FNSJ

For reasons fathomable to no one,  two of Spencer Jack's aunts unfriended him and his dad on Facebook. Now, that pair long ago unfriended me for reasons also unfathomable. Suffice to say Spencer Jack's former aunts have what are known as issues.

So, that first picture at the top has Spencer Jack at the entry to Hoodsport, looking for his former aunts. Currently those aunts are living in a cabin a few miles to the west, at the eastern edge of Olympic National Park, at Lake Cushman.

Apparently the next stop on Spencer Jack and his dad's quest took them to the Hoodsport Library. I think the boys must have known this would be a very unlikely location to find the former aunts.

Then it was on to Hoodsport's liquor store. The last time I was at Hoodsport Washington still had state run liquor stores. Now it appears someone named Laurie runs the town's liquor store. Or one of them. I have not been back to Washington since whiskey is sold in grocery stores, with the state out of the liquor selling business.

The last time I heard Spencer Jack's former aunts refer to the Hoodsport Liquor Store they called it the Candy Store. I was told we were making a run to the Hoodsport Candy Store. I wondered why til we reached Hoodsport and I learned what type candy they were seeking.

I assume the above is the referenced tavern, with it being one of the two locations, along with Laurie's Liquor Store, where the former aunts had recently been spotted.

Now I am wondering if Spencer Jack and his dad continued their quest to find their former aunts, by heading west up the steep hill that leads to Lake Cushman. It's about 8 miles, if I remember right, from the Hoodsport turn west off Highway 101, to the Cushman Cabin.

If Spencer Jack and his dad venture into Cushman Cabin territory I hope they have their cameras ready to snap the expressions of joy and surprise on their former aunt's wrinkled faces....

The Janitor Has Me Looking At J.D. Granger & Matt Oliver In Goofy Glasses With Their Girlfriend

An amusing blog comment from The Janitor on yesterday's blogging about America's Biggest Boondoggle's claim there are no gators swimming with the tubers while Rockin' the River.

The Janitor has left a new comment on your post "Panther Island Pavilion Propaganda Claims No Gators Rockin' The River With The Tubers": 

Speak of the devil:

Messrs. Matt Oliver & JD Granger in their goofy gravitas eyeglasses.

The Janitor did not mention the lady on the left. According to the caption, standing next to Matt Oliver, that is Shanna Cate.

I am not 100% certain, but I think Shanna Cate is the Trinity River Uptown Central City Panther Island Vision Boondoggle's Human Resource Director.

You know the person an employee reports to if any shady shenanigans are going on between management and an employee, creating a hostile work environment, like if someone felt a co-worker  was getting preferential treatment due to being involved, flagrante delicto, with a member of management. That type thing.

Anyway, I think Messrs. Oliver and Granger look very business-like in their goofy gravitas eyeglasses.

I wonder why Ms. Cates is not looking business-like in goofy gravitas eyeglasses?

Are We Having A Showdown At The Fort Worth Stockyards Cattle Pen?

Big Ed emailed me asking why I'd not opined about this.

With the this to which Big Ed referred being the info contained in the article you see part of here, screen capped, titled Showdown: History and the future face off in Fort Worth Stockyards.

Recently something called the National Trust for Historic Preservation put out its annual list of what they considered to be America's Most Endangered Historic Places, with the Fort Worth Stockyards on this year's list.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation apparently thinks a $175 million project planned by Fort Worth's Hickman family, partnered with a California developer called Majestic Realty, is an "insensitive development" which threatens the historically significant Fort Worth Stockyards.

I don't know where in the Stockyards this proposed development is to take place, but one paragraph in the article tilted me to being against this development....

“It certainly ought to be a wake-up call to [Majestic owner Ed] Roski and the mayor that trading those cattle pens for modern-day restaurants and retail is foolish,” Murrin said. “Our national and international reputation is what tourism in the Stockyards is based on. It’s not just preservation for preservation’s sake. It’s good business.”

This project wants to take down the part of the Stockyards which is a stockyard? That being the cattle pens and the walkway that takes you above the cattle pens? That walkway is what the cowboy is standing on in the above photo.

And the cattle pens are where the Fort Worth Herd lives when the Longhorns are not in Trail Drive mode.

I was hoping this proposed development was an improvement, not something destructive, because the Fort Worth Stockyards could use some work.

Much has improved since I first visited the Stockyard, but many boarded up eyesores remain, such as the New Isis Theater.

Why does the city not do something about the New Isis eyesore is a question I have been asking since late in the last century.

The sidewalks in the Stockyards could use some work.

After dark the lighting in the Stockyards is terrible.

It has long seemed to me that Fort Worth sort of turns its back on its one and only actual tourist attraction that people in other parts of the planet actually know about. Visit the Stockyards on any summer Saturday and you will run into a European or two or three. Often Germans.

Spencer Jack's Driver's Training On the Beach In Ocean Shores Washington

A few hours ago an incoming email from Spencer Jack's dad had a picture of what looked like Spencer and his dad about to board a British Airways plane, with the text in the email telling me "Spencer Jack boards the Concorde en route to visit his Uncle."

The Concorde?

The Concorde has long gone to the same resting place as America's Space Shuttle.

En route to visit his uncle? As far as I know Spencer Jack has only two uncles. Those being me and my Favorite Nephew Joey. This is not a good time to be visiting Spencer Jack's Texas uncle, so I assumed the uncle being visited was Joey.

That Joey was the object of the visit was confirmed in follow up emails, one of which had a video attached, with the message in the email being "Killing time waiting to meet Uncle Joe."

That attached video you can watch below, where you will see Spencer Jack having his first driving lesson, on the sands of Ocean Shores. In the picture below, before you get to the video, Spencer Jack is waving at you, with waves of the Pacific Ocean coming to shore behind him.

I do not know if the Texas Gulf Coast has any beaches which are also highways. Washington has Ocean Shores with miles of beach road. If I am remembering right, Long Beach, south of Ocean Shores, also has beach driving.

My last time driving on the beach at Ocean Shores was in the summer of 2001. The driving was done on a real fun tricycle mountain bike type conveyance.

And now, the video of Spencer Jack taking his dad on a drive beside the Pacific Ocean...

Panther Island Pavilion Propaganda Claims No Gators Rockin' The River With The Tubers

A few minutes ago Elsie Hotpepper emailed me what you see here.

What you are looking at is a screen cap from America's Biggest Boondoggle's Panther Island Pavilion Facebook page.

Seems like just a couple days ago I blogged a blogging titled An Alligator Is Rockin' The River At Fort Worth's Imaginary Island Pavilion.

Two paragraphs from that blogging...

The TRWD spokesman is Matt Oliver, hired after an extensive search for a qualified experienced spokesman discovered that the son of the TRWD's manager, Jim Oliver, was best suited to adhere to the TRWD's policy of employing corrupt nepotism whenever possible.

Anyway, wildlife expert, Matt Oliver, informs us that there is nothing to fear from an alligator enjoying Rockin' the River near the imaginary island and pavilion. That alligators are just like turtles, what with being shy and minding their business unless intruded upon by hundreds of foolish people floating in inner tubes.

So, we have the spokesman for the parent of America's Biggest Boondoggle reassuring people there is no danger from the gator that took up residence in the Panther Island Pavilion zone, where there is no island or pavilion.

Meanwhile, America's Biggest Boondoggle's Panther Island Pavilion Facebook page is telling people there are no gators in the federal flood way were the tubing  takes place.

Federal flood way? This is the first time I've heard the confluence of those two forks of the Trinity identified as a federal flood way.

The Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle has always been big on exaggerated propaganda.

Touting things like three simple little bridges being built in slow motion for four years are going to be signature bridges. You know, like the Golden Gate Bridge is.

Or propaganda like touting that Panther Island Pavilion, where I think I have already mentioned there is no island or pavilion, is the only urban waterfront music venue in Texas and other exaggerations regarding that rather sad, aesthetically speaking, music venue, with old subway stations turned into stages, a service garage turned into a beer hall/music stage, and for restrooms, a couple concrete enclosed outhouses.

Yeah, that is one world class music venue. Now with gators.....

UPDATE: I have been erroneous in saying TRWD spokesman, Matt Oliver, is TRWD mis-manager, Jim Oliver's son. Jim Oliver is Matt's uncle. I learned this from TRWD board director Mary Kelleher's blog in a blogging titled Croc In River....

Jumpin Rudy Wants You To Check Out The VIP Bathroom Amenities At Fort Worth's Fourth

Incoming email this morning from the entity who goes by the name of Jumpin Rudy.

Subject line: FORT WORTH'S FOURTH
Text in email: In Sunday's paper. Sorry for the potato quality pic. Check out the VIP amenities: VIP BATHROOMS!

I am not sure I know what a potato quality pic is, but I cropped the pic Jumpin Rudy included in the email and ran it through a photo filter to render it less potato-ish.

I blogged about those VIP bathrooms a week or two ago in a blogging titled Fort Worth's Fourth Has Five VIP Levels With Some Having Private Bathrooms & Cash Bars.

Now, here is what I am thinking.

With my perspective tainted by being from way up north and the west coast, where modern restroom facilities are the norm, not the exception, it strikes me as really embarrassing that a city would have an event where it is advertised as a VIP extra that you get access to a bathroom.

The advertisement in the Star-Telegram made it clear this embarrassment is yet one more product of America's Biggest Boondoggle. I ran the proud "PRODUCED BY TRINITY RIVER VISION AUTHORITY" part of the ad through the potato filter, with below being the barely legible result.

Does it only seem odd to me that America's Biggest Boondoggle goes by so many different names? Trinity River Vision Authority. Trinity Uptown. Central City. Panther Island. Why not just settle on calling it America's Biggest Boondoggle, which is an accurate name?

No Indian Ghosts Haunting Arlington's Village Creek On This Last Sunday Of June

My handlebars went to Arlington this last Sunday of June to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

What the handlebars are looking at is the scourged ground left behind when Village Creek ceased being in flood mode.

Village Creek was flowing with crystal clear water today, the likes of which I have not seen before with Village Creek.

If the Trinity River ever got as crystal clear as Village Creek is being today, well, inner tubing in that river would not seem nearly as unappealing, what with one then being able to see what was sharing the water with you.

The above view is looking northwest, from the Bob Findlay Linear Park that runs  through the Interlochen neighborhood.

The below view is also looking northwest from the Interlochen neighborhood, but not on the Bob Findlay Linear Park.

As I approached the area you see above I saw those two bikers struggling to lower their bikes to a dam I have walked across many times, but would never consider using as a bike crossing, due to what  is on the other side is not exactly bike friendly. The pair making this trek, a man and woman, were not youngsters, much closer to being elderly than youngsters.

The path the bikers were on eventually leads to the Village Creek Blue Bayou Overlook. I did not see them when I got to the overlook. They had plenty of time to beat me there, what with the route they were taking being much shorter than the paved route which brought me to the Overlook.

A teenage kayaker drowned in Village Creek when he tried to kayak the flooding rapids. Seeing the scourged remains of the flood today had me wondering where that kayaker kayaked, as in where did he put the kayak in, and where did it turn into a fatal accident?

Way too many locals seem to think it is a good idea to go kayaking in a flooding creek or river. Do there need to be "NO KAYAKING WHILE FLOODING" signs sharing space with the "FISH NOT SAFE TO EAT" signs?

I saw no Indian Ghosts today....

The Supreme Court Has Brought About An Unexpected Texas Wedding Boom

A week ago if I saw that which you see here in the Seattle Times I would have screen capped it and added it to my list of bloggings about things I see in west coast newspapers that I would never see in a Texas newspaper.

But, starting yesterday, items like you see here, from the Dallas Morning News, are showing up in newspapers all over Texas.

Yesterday morning, June 26, 2015, 82 year old George Harris and 85 year old Jack Evans became the first same sex pair to get themselves legally hitched in Dallas County.

Meanwhile, yesterday a Fort Worth policewoman became the first to get married to her now former girlfriend in Tarrant County.

On Friday same sex couples were showing  up in large numbers at county courthouses across Texas. It is sort of amazing how a ruling by SCOTUS could have such an immediate impact.

What's next on this common sense train America seems to be on? Universal decriminalization of marijuana? Amnesty for those in prison for some marijuana crime? Actual Universal Health Care like other advanced nations have?

And what's next for Texas?

Does Texas have any sort of recall the governor type deal to be used when the people realize they have elected a clueless moron?