Talking To My Mom While Visiting The Nguyens & Ducs In Fort Worth's Mount Olivet Cemetery

This morning at 9 I had to be at this place called Inwesco in one of Fort Worth's industrial blight zones. This particular blight zone is in the Sylvania Avenue / N.E. 28th Street area.

Just to the south of this particular industrial zone is the Mount Olivet Cemetery. I have heard mention made of this cemetery, but had not previously had reason to make a visit.

So, when I left Inwesco I entered the Mount Olivet Cemetery and had myself a walk around.

This is a very well kept burial ground. I have been to many a burial ground. My Grandma Jones, that being my dad's mom, liked to wander around cemeteries. I remember Mom and Dad bringing Grandma over to Ellensburg whilst I was going to Central Washington University. We took Grandma to the Roslyn Cemetery, which now that I am typing that and thinking about it, that cemetery is a long ways from Ellensburg, particularly if Mom and Dad and Grandma had just driven over the mountains to Ellensburg for the day. But I know it was a one day deal.

I digress.

The Roslyn Cemetery is this sprawling deal, on multiple hills. It is divided into something like 30 different burial grounds. Very segregated. For example, separate areas for Chinese, Mexican, African-Americans, Croatians, Germans, Serbians, Irish, Canadians and I forget what else. The various burial plots are maintained to various levels. Some of the headstones are elaborate, including photos somehow embedded in glass. Epic epitaphs on a lot of the headstones. Some telling a sad story. One of the burial grounds was the final resting place for those who died in one of America's worst coal mining disasters.

I have been to some interesting burial grounds in Texas. The cemetery next to Pioneer Plaza, in Dallas, comes to mind. Interesting headstones with interesting epitaphs, graves dating back to way before the War of Northern Aggression and the biggest Confederate memorial statue I have seen.

Mount Olivet Cemetery was nice, but it seemed sort of new. There must be an older cemetery in Fort Worth with graves dating back much further than I saw today, with old style headstones and epic epitaphs.

I did find the gravesites and elaborate monuments of several people of Vietnamese descent to be interesting. One of them had embedded photos, way bigger than what I have seen in Rosyln.

That is that of which I speak you see here.

The picture you see at the top was taken whilst I sat on a bench set in polished marble, talking to my mom. While talking to mom I looked up at the area where I'd seen headstones for people of Vietnamese ancestry, with names like Pham, Nguyen and Duc, to see that family of Ducs you see above, paying their respects.

By that pond you see in the background was a sign warning burial ground visitors not to fish or swim in the pond. I imagine without that sign there was a serious problem with a lot of unwanted fishermen and swimmers....

Spencer Jack Is In Friday Harbor Safe From Collapsing Washington Ice Caves

Incoming email this morning from Spencer Jack and his dad. That is Spencer you are looking at here, getting ready to board the Yakima Ferry to float to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.

At my current location there are no islands in need of a ferry boat to gain access. Fort Worth has an imaginary island it calls Panther Island, which requires no boat, or even a bridge, to access. All you need to do is walk onto the imaginary island over dry land.

Yes, the stereotype cliche is true, as stereotype cliches often are. The South is a bit eccentric, what with imaginary islands and happy hour inner tube floats with alligators in a polluted river.

I digress.

Back to this morning's email from Spencer Jack and his dad.

Subject line: Spencer Jack in Friday Harbor Safe from Collapsing Ice Caves

Spencer Jack insisted on a ferry ride today with hundreds of other tourists to Friday Harbor. We sailed west to a small town known as Friday Harbor located on San Juan Island. Did some shopping, after enjoying pan-fried oysters and salads for lunch.

With drinks. Shopping today we found our FUD's 49th August 11th birthday present. I'm sure he will enjoy such, as I think most history buffs would. It is just fitting of FUD. And when FNSJ and I come to visit FUD in DFW soon, we will enjoy this present with him. Spencer loves games. I suppose we need to ship to him this package unless he is planning a trip the PNW which for the first time in 5 days did not reach the 90 degree mark. Shipping may be standard, and not the overnight express when one ships perishable seafood. I suppose if we ship this package early enough, it should arrive before FUD starts his 'golden years.'  And way ahead of our late summer arrival.

Did our FUD ever visit those ice caves? I'm kind of lost as to where they located.   I suppose I could look such up, but I'm almost certain that FUD will reply with an answer when I wake.

Yes, FNJ, I have visited the Ice Caves a couple times. Once with your cousins, FNC and FNJ3 (Favorite Nephew Christopher and Favorite Nephew Jeremy).

That is Jeremy behind Christopher as we made our way to the Ice Caves. This visit occurred in Winter, when it is relatively safe to go inside, but still a bit scary. It was very careless for anyone to ignore the warning signs in Summer, particularly when it is HOT.

I have a photo album with more pictures of the Ice Caves, with FNC and FNJ3 inside. They are old-fashioned hard copy prints. Maybe I'll get around to scanning them later today.

UPDATE: Later is now. Go to my Washington blog to see photos of Chris and Jeremy inside the Big Four Ice Caves.

My last time to the Ice Caves was during the late Spring thaw. I led Spencer Jack's Great Aunt Michele and a group of kids she was the coach or counselor for. I can't remember what the exact deal was. We hiked the trail in til we could view the Ice Caves, which were not yet formed. The attraction was to sit on giant boulders at a safe distance and watch huge chunks of ice break free of the steep cliff above the Ice Caves come crashing down making a noisy cascade of ice.

I think the last time I was on the Mountain Loop Highway, in the vicinity of the Ice Caves, was with Spencer Jack's Uncle Joey, aka FNJ2. We were driving the Mountain Loop Highway, where in the Monte Christo ghost town zone I had Joey get his bike out and coast, at high speed, down the hill, whilst I followed in the pickup.

On my Washington website there is an entry in my webpage about the Cascade Mountains which mentions the Ice Caves. Below is the text, which should give Spencer Jack and his dad a good idea of how to find the Ice Caves.

Below is the aforementioned text, note the foreboding warning at the end...

Ice Caves
There is a road called the Mountain Loop Highway that goes from Darrington to Granite Falls. This road is in the Mount Baker Snoqualmie National Forest. It is the way to Glacier Peak which is one of the 5 volcanoes in Washington, and the least known and most difficult to get to. The Mountain Loop Highway is very close to the lowlands of Puget Sound and is easy to get to and closer than going up to the ski areas on Stevens or Snoqualmie Pass in search of snow to play on. There are many attractions on the Mountain Loop Highway, Mount Pilchuck, Granite Falls (the actual falls, not the town),  Monte Christo, an old mining town which is now a ghost town and a major mountain biking and hiking destination in summer and a cross country skiing destination in winter. But the most unique thing on the Mountain Loop Highway may be the Ice Caves which form every year as the winter's accumulation of snow that has slid off the mountain forms caves as water erodes the ice away. The Ice Caves are about a mile hike from the Highway. There are warning signs. 'Enter the Ice Caves at your own Risk', 'Ice Caves Dangerous on Warm Days'. People have died in the Ice Caves. 

I suspect I will soon be seeing photo documentation of a Spencer Jack Mountain Loop Highway trip. I wonder how much of the Monte Christo ghost town remains? As a kid that was a fun place to explore.

Hood County Issues Cowboy's Wedding License After Federal Lawsuit Filed

A couple weeks ago one would not thought possible we'd be seeing in Texas that which we've been seeing.

SCOTUS makes a ruling and pretty much universally, across America, the new law of the land prevails, causing rapid change, sort of like a revolution.

Except for a few holdouts here and there, like a county or two in Texas. And I think now, even those holdout county clerks are either doing their job or have resigned.

The Attorney General of Texas, currently in serious legal trouble which could send him to a life sentence in the slammer, made a fool of himself over religious rights or some such nonsense pertaining to county clerks doing there job.

One of the county clerk overbearing religious types was in Hood County. Name K.D. Lang. Or maybe Katie Lang. Ms. Lang managed to embarrass Hood County, Texas and much of America with her bone-headed statements regarding doing her job and the SCOTUS ruling.

I do not know if Ms. Lang decided to do her job without further nonsense, or if she resigned, or if she was fired.

What I do know is last week the pair of cowboys you see above, Jim Cato and Joe Stapleton, left Brokeback Mountain to ride into Granbury to get themselves hitched, only to find Ms. Lang refusing to issue the pair a license to marry.

The cowboys then filed a federal lawsuit against Hood County, with the result being Hood County then issued the license they sought.

I do not know if the wedding has already taken place, or if it will take place at a future date with a big shindig on the Hood County Courthouse Square.

Granbury puts on some of the best festivals I have ever seen. Like Granbury's 4th of July Parade and General Granbury's Birthday.

I assume that the General's birthday party still takes place. I had a mighty fine time my one and only time going to the General's birthday party....

Did A Gun Toting Texan Dinosaur Come From Facebook's Texas Gun Rights?

I saw this on Facebook. I assumed it was from a Facebook page called Texas Gun Rights, what with the bottom of the graphic being Facebook.com/TexasGunRights.

I went to Facebook.com/TexasGunRights and after perusing it for a bit somehow I don't think this graphic came from there, what with the graphic seeming to mock open carry gun-toting Texans as being dinosaurs.

Then again, upon going to the Texas Gun Rights Facebook page, below is the first thing I saw.

The above was followed by multiple similar type items. So, I can't tell for sure if this is some sort of parody joke type deal or someone is being serious, or if the gun-toting Texas dinosaur came from this location.

I will likely never know the answer...

Sound Transit $15 Billion Project Not Happening In Tarrant County Where The Poor Have Cars

Continuing on with our popular series of things we read in west coast online newspapers that one would never read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, that which you see here is from the Seattle Times.

An article titled Sound Transit planning heats up for light-rail expansion and public vote.

Can you imagine reading in the Star-Telegram a headline like "TRWD Planning for $1 Billion Trinity Uptown Vision Project & Public Vote"?

Read the Sound Transit planning heats up for light-rail expansion and public vote article. Make note of how detailed the article is. Make note that the article mentions project timelines. Make note that the article details the issues being faced by Sound Transit prior to putting the $15 Billion project to a public vote. Make note how big the project is, covering three counties, each of which is way bigger than Tarrant County.

In Tarrant County there is no comprehensive public transit covering the entire, small, heavily populated county. Only Fort Worth has any form of public transit, that being a fleet of little buses which run on limited routes and a train which travels to Dallas and back several times a day.

A few days ago Elsie Hotpepper sent me that which you see below, which succinctly sums up how the developed. progressive parts of America and the world view public transportation.

Meanwhile, in Tarrant County, apparently, or so I have been told, most of the locals think only poor people use public transit....

Today A Big Village Creek Snake Blocks My Way After Last Night's Fireworks Extravaganza

I only rolled my wheels a couple hundred feet in Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area Indian Ghost Sanctuary when I slammed the brakes to a skidding stop when the giant snake you see here slithered into view.

The snake stopped slithering long enough for me to take a picture, then it continued slithering and I continued on my way.

Later on in the wheel rolling I had another snake encounter, almost rolling over a little green snake.

I saw no signs anywhere in the Village Creek zone of any type of fireworks having been set off.

My location on the 4th of July was extremely quiet. Until the sun began to set. Then I started hearing firecrackers crack, with the cracking coming from various directions, so it was multiple people doing the firecracking.

A short time before the explosions began I had had multiple text message exchanges with Elsie Hotpepper where I told the Hotpepper my zone was dead quiet, while she told me she was taking heavy fire.

What was odd about last night's banging is it was all one note. The same type crack, over and over again, as if wherever those doing the firecracking got their firecrackers there was only one type available.

Are cherry bombs illegal in Texas?

At my old home zone in Washington last night I would have seen rockets getting launched with followup red blare, bombs bursting in air. Loud whooshing noises followed by loud bangs with displays like one sees at a fireworks show.

Last night, from my expansive balcony view I saw nothing being shot into the sky.

Just those one note firecracker cracks. Over and over again.

Spencer Jack's dad called last night. He and Spencer had attended the annual Big Lake Fireworks Show the night before. This always takes place on the 3rd of July. I don't know why.

Spencer Jack's grandma, my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Cindy, is one of those rare Washingtonians with air-conditioning. Jason said his mother was conditioning her house to 71 degrees. That sounded cold to me. It was from Spencer Jack's grandma's house the fireworks were viewed.

Western Washington broke its temperature record yesterday, something in the 90s, with the number varying depending on where in Washington ones thermometer was getting hot.

Jason told me Spencer Jack convinced him to stop at a fireworks stand by the time they passed through the 3rd Indian Reservation on their drive back home from the coast. So, fireworks of various sorts were purchased and exploded last night.

I have yet to see any video documenting Spencer Jack's fireworks.....

The 4th Of July Is A Good Day To Ponder Lincoln's Gettysburg Address

On July 4, 1776, the day the Continental Congress finally voted for Independence from Great Britain, future president, John Adams, wrote his wife, telling Mrs. Adams that today "ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward, forevermore..."

In 1776 how did John Adams know that America would one day span the continent? It was over a quarter century later that Thomas Jefferson made the Louisiana Purchase from France and sent Lewis and Clark to check out the new land, all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Those Founding Fathers, including John Adams, were very smart, very forward thinking, coming up with a democratic republic that was the first on earth.

Less than a century after those Founding Fathers founded America the world's first democratic republic was in dire straits, due to rebellious Southern states thinking they could leave the Union to start up their own new nation so as to preserve their odious practice of making slaves of fellow human beings.

Four months after the most deadly battle of the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln journeyed to the battle site to participate in the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg.

The principle orator at that Gettysburg dedication was not Mr. Lincoln. It was a guy few remember today named Edward Everett, a politician, pastor, educator, diplomat, senator and governor, known for his stirring orations.

Well, Edward Everett's Gettysburg oration lasted over two hours. And was not memorable.

And then it was President Lincoln's turn to speak, a three minute address in which Lincoln predicted "the world will little note, nor long remember what we say here."

Mr. Lincoln was wrong. His Gettysburg Address is the most quoted speech in American history. And is known by democracy loving people the world over.

Most of us know the Gettysburg Address by heart, with its iconic opening line of  "Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal", so I won't repeat the entire three minute speech here.

The Wikipedia article about Abraham Lincoln has a real good summing up of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address that I will repeat here....

In 272 words, and three minutes, Lincoln asserted the nation was born not in 1789, but in 1776, "conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal". He defined the war as an effort dedicated to these principles of liberty and equality for all. The emancipation of slaves was now part of the national war effort. He declared that the deaths of so many brave soldiers would not be in vain, that slavery would end as a result of the losses, and the future of democracy in the world would be assured, that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth". Lincoln concluded that the Civil War had a profound objective: a new birth of freedom in the nation.

A new birth of freedom, with actual freedom for all the people living in America. A war to preserve what was then the world's one and only democratic republic.

Now I am wondering if people in the states which were part of the Confederacy actually do grow up knowing Lincoln's Gettysburg Address?

Lately I think we have learned the majority of the people who live in the states which made up the Confederacy now realize those state's rebellion against the Union, to preserve slavery, was not a noble cause, not then, and certainly not now, a century and a half later.

Anyway, have a safe and fun 4th of July doing what President John Adams suggested a long time ago, with hot dogs added, because I am sure if John Adams knew hot dogs were in America's future, he would have mentioned that in his 4th of July suggestions to his wife....

Washington Heat Waving In The 100s While Texas Chills In The 90s

No, that is not a trio of Fort Worthers jumping in the Trinity River at Thursday's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Float you are looking at here.

The looming volcano in the distance is a pretty good clue this location is no where near Fort Worth.

That and the ultra clear, clean, blue water free of alligators, but currently, apparently, blooming with dreaded algae.

What you see here are a couple items from yesterday's Seattle Times front page that I found interesting, due to the heat subject, so I morphed them together in one image.

That would be Lake Washington being jumped into, with that volcano being Mount Rainier.

My old home zone is wilting. East of the Mountains is experiencing day after day well over 100, while West of the Mountains is a little cooler. When I saw this yesterday Seattle was sweating at 87 degrees at 3 in the afternoon, while I was perfectly comfortable at my Texas location at 93 degrees.

Western Washingtonians start wilting when the temperature gets in the high 70s. When it gets into the 80s the temperature becomes a major event, called a HEAT WAVE, with thousands seeking relief on the beaches that are located all over Western Washington, both of the salt and fresh water sort. Or by going shopping or to the movies, those being locations with air conditioning. Most Western Washingtonians do not have air conditioned domiciles.

I think the year was 2004 when I flew up to Washington in early August, leaving a Texas heated well over 100. Arriving in Washington with the temperature in the high 70s. It seemed chilly to me. The locals were in full "it's too HOT" whine mode.

The last time I flew back to Washington, July of 2008, for what turned out to be a miserable month in multiple ways, I flew out of Love Field with Dallas heated to 108. I got to Sea-Tac after dark. The temperature was in the 50s. And it was drizzling. And I was soon shivering.

My dear sweet little baby sister took pity on me not bringing cold weather clothes with me and got me a nice insulated jacket at Costco and sweatpants. My first night there was spent shivering in the basement under a cover of multiple blankets that I had to find in the middle of the night because I was so cold.

On my third day of trying to get warm I discovered my sister's unused third floor loft type bedroom space. It was roomy and had a big bathroom. And window air-conditioning units. I was told that this space was too HOT to use in summer. That the air conditioners did not make it cool enough. I begged to move up there from the frigid basement.

Permission was granted.

Soon I was back comfortable. I was met with disbelief when I said I did not want the air-conditioners on, aghast were they that the digital temperature reading device on the air conditioners was indicating it was 81 degrees. Too hot for a human to bear. I don't think they understood that 81 degrees is about what I chill my Texas space to and feel quite comfortable.

Right now I have the A/C set to 85 and am feeling a bit chilled by the cold air blowing on me.

Looking at that above info from the Seattle Times I am wondering why Western Washington lakes start getting algae infested when the temperature gets HOT. Does that same woe plague Texas lakes, where it gets way HOTTER? Seems like I remember about something unfortunate growing in Lake Texoma. Was it algae? I don't remember. Maybe it was giant catfish....

Jumpin Rudy Takes A Close Up Look At The TRWD's Airfield Falls Trailhead Boondoggle

Interesting email from Jumpin Rudy this morning...

In today's Star-Telegram: Airfield Falls Trailhead remains unfinished months after it was scheduled to open.

Seems like late is normal for TRWD. I've been watching this project for a while, periodically climbing over the No Trespassing barriers to get a better look. It's quite impressive. Someone spent a lot of money on installing landscaping and irrigation. The landscaping hasn't been well tended after installation, though. The last time I was out, they were working on a huge post to mount the pieces of the C-9.

My guesses: 

• there are design/engineering/safety issues trying to mount pieces of an aircraft on a 20-foot pedestal
• this project is over budget

It's odd for a normal public entity to withhold comment for such a large project, but history shows TRWD is anything but normal.

________________________________________

I was unable to read the Star-Telegram article, due to not being a subscriber, but I think I can glean from Jumpin Rudy's final sentence that the TRWD refused to comment regarding the tardy project.

I thought I remembered America's Biggest Boondoggle including propaganda about this Airfield Falls Trailhead project in one of their quarterly mailings touting all the imaginary things they have done or are going to do.

I Googled "Airfield Falls Trailhead" and at the top of the list was a link to America's Biggest Boondoggle's website, with the link going to a page from February 2, 2013 titled Airfield Falls Trailhead Update. That is a screen cap of part of that page you see above.

Two paragraphs from the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle's Airfield Falls Trailhead Update....

Last year the Tarrant Regional Water District (TRWD) began working to create a one-of-a-kind trailhead at the entrance to Tarrant County’s only natural waterfall located in Westworth Village. The Airfield Falls Trailhead is located adjacent to the Pumphey Drive entrance to the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base.

In addition to new recreation opportunities, the project also focuses on another of TRWD’s missions with the addition of a conservation garden. The trailhead will feature native plants so visitors to Airfield Falls will be able to see how and what to plant during different seasons. This beautiful new trailhead is currently being designed and construction is scheduled for spring 2013.

So, according to Jumpin Rudy the conservation garden, mentioned in the TRCCUPIV Boondoggle's propaganda got installed and then got neglected.

Well, the Boondoggle  propaganda did say this garden would feature native plants so visitors can see how and what to plant during different seasons. So, I guess the Boondoggle lesson is to plant plants native to Texas, then let them fend for themselves, just like they would have to do growing naturally in Texas.

Yeah, I'm sure that's the lesson.

When is the plug going to get pulled on America's Biggest Boondoggle? I hope it isn't after something tragic happens like someone getting attacked by an alligator, water moccasin or snapping turtle while Rockin' the River at the Boondoggle's imaginary island...

Lake Washington Used To Be A Polluted Mess Like The Trinity River But It Got Cleaned Up

Yesterday I found myself Wondering Why So Many Fort Worth Locals Think Tubing Polluted Water With Gators Is Fun, during which I found myself reading the Wikipedia article about Lake Washington.

The Wikipedia article about Lake Washington had one paragraph that detailed in greater detail than I knew or remembered of how Lake Washington was restored to being a lake full of clean, clear water, safe for swimming and home to a lot of tasty fish.

Below is the paragraph I am talking about, under a heading of Water Purity...

Water Purity
Around 1900, Seattle began discharging sewage into Lake Washington. During the 1940s and 1950s, eleven sewage treatment plants were sending state-of-the-art treated water into the lake at a rate of 20 million gallons per day. At the same time, phosphate-based detergents came into wide-use. The lake responded to the massive input of nutrients by developing unpleasant blooms of noxious blue-green algae. The water lost its clarity, the desirable fish populations declined, and masses of dead algae accumulated on the shores of the lake. Citizen concern led to the creation of a system that diverted the treatment-plant effluents into nearby Puget Sound, where tidal flushing would mix them with open-ocean water. The diversion was complete by 1968, and the lake responded quickly. The algal blooms diminished, the water regained its clarity, and by 1975, recovery was complete. Careful studies by a group of limnologists from the University of Washington showed that phosphate was the culprit. Since then, Lake Washington has undergone major improvements, drastically improving the ecology and water quality, making the water twice as clear as it was in 1950.

Now, this is what I am thinking.

Here in Fort Worth, where there is no body of water twice as clear as it was in 1950, we have this entity called the Tarrant Regional Water District and its foster child known as America's Biggest Boondoggle, that being the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle, holding floating events in the Trinity River at a location they call Panther Island Pavilion, where there is no island or pavilion.

Spokesmen for America's Biggest Boondoggle, via their Panther Island Pavilion Facebook page, have propaganda-ized that getting wet in the Trinity River is no different than getting wet in your drinking water, what with your drinking water coming from the same source, that being Lake Eagle Mountain and Benbrook Lake. The PIP propaganda neglects to mention, however, that the water that comes out of your tap has been treated, unlike the water the Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats take place in.

If the Panther Island Pavilion Propagandists think the Rockin' the River water is as clean as drinking water, how about a publicity photo of all of them drinking a glass of water fresh out of the river. With chief PIP Propagandist, J.D. Granger, taking the first gulp.

With America's Biggest Boondoggle stalled in slow motion from its original goal of altering the course of the Trinity River, creating some sort of waterfront feature that will somehow spur economic development, but which has morphed into multiple variations of beer parties, some on dry land, some in water, is it not time to do some serious priority assessment?

Such as, why not make the #1 priority cleaning up the Trinity River, like Lake Washington was cleaned up? Figure out what causes the spike in e.coli when the temperature rises and fix it.

Again, why is that not the priority?

Recently I read a PIP Apologist opine something along the line that for years now critics have been whining that America's Biggest Boondoggle should not be encouraging people to get in that polluted river, when the fact of the matter is that over the years of The Boondoggle boondoggling thousands of people have gotten wet in that water without growing a third nipple or having their hair fall out.

So, I guess as long as no one comes out of the Trinity with an extra nipple or bald, all is good and it is totally aesthetically pleasing to get into that murky brown water where you can not see what is swimming with you, be it a turtle, a snake, a gator or a plume of cow manure.....