On A Tandy Hill Gazing Enviously At Downtown Fort Worth

In the picture you are standing with me on one of the Tandy Hills, looking west at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, about which, we learned yesterday, the entire nation of America is envious.

We have yet to learn why the entire nation of America is envious of downtown Fort Worth.

Are other towns in America envious because their downtowns do not have a boarded up, cyclone fence surrounded park at the heart of their downtown, celebrating their town's heritage?

Are other towns in America envious of Fort Worth's downtown because their towns have a lot of noisy construction going on, with way too many shoppers shopping in way too many stores, while downtown Fort Worth is so peaceful, with few stores and zero construction.

Well, zero construction unless one expands what one considers downtown Fort Worth to include where America's Biggest  Boondoggle is building three simple little bridges in a slow motion four year construction timeline.

Anyway, I had myself a mighty fine time doing some high speed hill hiking today, with a good breeze blowing air that was chilled to the mid 80s.

America Is Shocked To Learn Downtown Fort Worth Is The Envy Of The Nation

Over the years, a time or two, maybe three, someone will ask me what I have against Fort Worth. This question is usually asked after I have pointed out something as being, well, wrong.

Like some Fort Worth entity claiming this, that or some other thing in Fort Worth is causing the rest of Texas, the nation or the world to experience spasms of extreme envy.

Soon upon arrival in Texas I noticed the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had a chronic problem with this type nonsense, saying someone somewhere else was green with envy over some perfectly ordinary thing in Fort Worth.

I long ago made a webpage titled Green With Envy with a lot of examples of the Star-Telegram's envy verbiage.

Sometimes I will feel compelled to point out other odd propaganda nonsense. Two examples, also from the Star-Telegram.

Years ago a banner headline in the Sunday Edition proclaimed "TRINITY UPTOWN TO TURN FORT WORTH INTO VANCOUVER OF THE SOUTH".  Years after this proclamation, what was then known as Trinity Uptown, is now known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Another example was the Star-Telegram's chamber of commerce type propaganda claiming that a lame little food court type enterprise called the Santa Fe Rail Market was modeled after Seattle's Pike Place Market and public markets in Europe and would be the first public market in Texas.

The Santa Fe Rail Market propaganda was so bone-headedly stupid I was actually embarrassed for the Star-Telegram. Not only was this not the first public market in Texas, it was not even the first  public market in Fort Worth.  And how could the Star-Telegram not know about the Dallas Farmers Market, which actually does resemble Seattle's Pike Place? I documented the Santa Fe Rail Market lunacy on several webpages.

Needless to say, but I will anyway, the Santa Fe Rail Market long ago failed and no one in 2015 is thinking America's Biggest Boondoggle is turning Fort Worth into the Vancouver of the South.

Which brings us to the present. Yesterday I blogged about a new skyscraper in Seattle, along with opining about the moribund state of development in downtown Fort Worth. Someone calling him or herself Anonymous made an amusing comment to that blogging which led me to something even more amusing....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "A New 101 Story Seattle Skyscraper Is Not America's Biggest Boondoggle":

Meanwhile back at the Cowtown ranch:

The high life: Fort Worth downtown penthouse for sale

The first sentence of the FW Business Press article that I'm posting has to be a joke. Doesn't it?

________________________________________

Oh my. Did the Star-Telegram take over the Fort Worth Business Press? The sentence to which Anonymous refers is...

How would you like to gaze down upon the downtown that has become the envy of the nation? Fort Worth’s downtown is tops in the country, according to livability.com, and with a penthouse view you can check it out anytime you want.

The last paragraph of the article is a doozy too....

“We are seeing more people attracted to everything that downtown Fort Worth has to offer, from shopping and dining to museums and culture,” Bentsen said. “The Omni Penthouse provides a beautiful home base for exploring and enjoying this great city.

________________________________________

Now, Fort Worth's downtown is a totally fine place, but the pretending it is something it is not is real annoying.

Fort Worth's downtown is not the envy of the nation. Downtown Fort Worth is not on the nation's radar screen. Most of America knows zero about Fort Worth. Nothing in downtown Fort Worth is of the iconic recognized around the world, or America, sort of thing.

Shopping? Downtown Fort Worth does not have a single department store. No Neiman Marcus, no Nordstrom, no Macys, not even a Penneys or a Sears. Downtown Fort Worth has zero grocery stores. Fort Worth is the only town in America with a population over a half million with zero department or grocery stores in its downtown. For a town closer to a million in population than a half million, Fort Worth's downtown is very small.

Fort Worth's downtown is tops in the nation according to livability.com? Is Livability one of those entities that the downtown Fort Worth association sent a totally exaggerated description of the wonders of downtown Fort Worth, resulting in the prestigious accolade no one has ever heard of?

On the day after Thanksgiving, the busiest shopping day of the year, downtown Fort Worth is a ghost town. The downtown that is the envy of the nation is a ghost town. I think it was either last year's day after Thanksgiving, or the year before, I blogged about this phenomenon in a blogging titled something like Having Fun Looking For Black Friday In Downtown Fort Worth.

Anyway, enough of that, except to say, do you think a city which actually had an enviable downtown would promote that their downtown has become the envy of the nation? Even if it were true it's an embarrassing braggart, blowhard type thing to say. And for someone to say such about a downtown like Fort Worth's, which definitely has not become the envy of the nation, well, it is beyond embarrassing. Don't those who write this type nonsense realize American's outside of Fort Worth read this type thing and laugh?

Running Ghost-Free At Village Creek Unable To Find Fort Worth Weekly

Yesterday I got myself no heavy duty aerobicizing of the inducing endorphins sort due to a Euless doctor visit wreaking havoc with my regular schedule.

A cool pool bout just does not do it for me, endorphin-wise. This morning's cool pool bout started before the sun arrived.

Today in the noon time frame I was in Arlington, near where the Indian Ghosts haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area. So, I decided to go jogging.

Well, actually running. Today was run as fast as I can as long as I can and then walk day. Breathe hard. And repeat.

And sweat like a fat pig in a sauna.

Above you are looking at the Village Creek selfie stick which I have shown you before. This is a wider view of the mirror ball. I detected no Indian Ghosts hovering about me when I got the picture off the phone today. Maybe the Indian Ghosts have taken a quick trip to Washington, D.C. to see the Pope. The Indian Ghosts were probably pleased to hear the Pope speak of their ancestors.

Changing the subject to something else.

This week's Fort Worth Weekly is not be found, by me, at any of the usual locations. This is the annual Best of Fort Worth issue.

I have been told by a fairly reliable source, who included photo documentation, that Fort Worth Weekly has given one of its coveted Critic's Choice awards to a popular Fort Worth centric blog, with Fort Worth Weekly saying that that blog is a reminder that watchdogging still has a place.

I did not know we needed a reminder to know watchdogging still has a place.

The online version of Fort Worth Weekly was messed up when I tried to glean the Critic's Choice thing about that watchdogging blog. I'll go check and see if it is still messed up. Be right back.

Still messed up.

Ever since the esteemed, highly regarded Gayle Reaves decided to find a better job than being the editor in chief of FW Weekly, the Weekly has gone downhill like a sled out of control. The website being messed up and the Weekly not being delivered are a couple examples.

A New 101 Story Seattle Skyscraper Is Not America's Biggest Boondoggle

Continuing on with our popular series of items I read in west coast online newspapers, usually the Seattle Times, which is not something I have ever read, or expect to read, in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about a similar thing happening in the Fort Worth zone.

This morning it was once again the Seattle Times where I read of yet one more building project in downtown Seattle, of the sort one does not read about happening in downtown Fort Worth.

This time it is a 101 story skyscraper, a mixed use building with 1,200 residential units, 150 hotel rooms and a lot of office and retail space.

This skyscraper will once again have Seattle having the tallest building on the west coast. Currently the 73 story U.S. Bank Tower in Los Angles, at 1,018 feet, is the tallest, taller than second tallest on the west coast, Seattle's Columbia Center at 76 stories, but reaching only 933 feet high.

The article about the new 101 story Seattle skyscraper did not say how tall it was expected to grow.

Since I've been in the Fort Worth zone I have only seen one semi-tall building built. The Omni Convention Center Hotel.

A month or so ago the extremely erudite, Mr. Spiffy, opined as to why downtown Fort Worth is a moribund ghost town with little new construction.

America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision Boondoggle, is stifling new development because developers do not know if America's Biggest Boondoggle will ever come to fruition. And if it miraculously does come to fruition, will what The Boondoggle has, at times, referred to as Uptown, be where one would want to put ones development dollars, instead of the current downtown Fort Worth zone, south of The Boondoggle's Uptown, currently bizarrely known as Panther Island?

Recently I was sent an email from which I learned a reporter for the Star-Telegram, for some reason, thinks The Boondoggle has a projected project completion timeline of 2023. I have read this nowhere else.

How this relatively simple project can take far longer than far more complicated engineering projects, be it the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Panama Canal and many other feats of engineering, documented on this very blog, to have been completed in a shorter time period than America's Biggest Boondoggle has been boondoggling along, is a perplexing mystery.

Even more mysterious is why is it the locals, or the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, don't insist in getting some answers as to why this project has turned into America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Currently, the only construction project that I am aware of, anywhere near the downtown Fort Worth zone, is those three simple little bridges The Boondoggle is building over dry land, with a four year construction timeline, to connect Fort Worth's mainland to an imaginary island.

Why are other big American cities currently experiencing a construction boom in their downtown's, such as what is taking place in Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle, and others, while Fort Worth is moribund?

If America's Biggest Boondoggle is not the cause, what is?

A Long Wait In Euless At The Dr Pepper Star Center With Fuzzy Fish Tacos

Today I decided I would photo document what I look like when I have grown tired of waiting for someone to return.

Elsie Hotpepper has been giving me selfie taking lessons.

I don't see that the lessons have brought much improvement. I always look the same. Apparently tiring of waiting causes no alteration in my demeanor. Basically it seems I always look grumpy.

Anyway, I was doing the waiting at the Dr Pepper Star Center in Euless. I don't know if that is what the entire huge sports complex is called, or just the ice hockey arena.

I swiped the phone awake and sent a couple text messages, then checked Facebook. Then the phone made a noise which caused me to look at the part of the phone that points out things, like if you are wi-fi connected. The phone told me I was wi-fi connected. How could that be, I wondered? I tapped on the wi-fi connected part of the screen to see a long list of active wi-fi spots, with my phone connected to the "open" City of Euless wi-fi.

So, does the city of Euless have city-wide wi-fi? Or was this just a Starcenter thing?

Whatever the answer, discovering I was connected to wi-fi made the phone much more useful for time passing. I watched a YouTube video or two. Listened to the part of the Nixon/Dean Cancer on the Presidency tape that I had not yet completed. Watched a few Facebook videos.

I was engrossed in video watching when the party I had been waiting for showed up. The time was coming up on an hour past noon. I was hungry. A Fuzzy's Tacos was nearby. Fish tacos sounded like a good lunch plan.

Fuzzy's Tacos fish tacos not being as good as Taco del Mar fish tacos is the most important thing I have learned today.

A Visit To Miss Puerto Rico's Babies With Belly Baby Belly Up & Hissing

This morning Miss Puerto Rico told me that the Babies were missing me because I had not visited in well over a week.

So, this afternoon I made the long trek to the home Miss Puerto Rico has made for her Babies.

When I got past the security check I hurried down the hall so as to shut off access to the hiding place under Miss Puerto Rico's slumber pad, due to the fact that when I last visited the Babies, Bella, also known as Belly Baby, hid under the bed and could not be coaxed out.

Today I could not find Belly Baby, at first, so I visited her sister, Coco.

After about 10 minutes Belly Baby made her presence known.

With a little effort I was able to pick up Belly Baby, who, I must say, has grown a bit bigger since I last picked her up. If she gets much bigger I fear I will risk putting my back out lifting her.

Belly Baby was very cooperative taking selfie photos, about a dozen, the best of which you see above.

I think Belly Baby was intrigued by the noise the phone made when a picture was taken. That and she seemed to really like looking at herself on the phone.

After we finished the photo session I continued my ongoing, so far futile, attempt to get Belly Baby to purr. Her sister I can get to make noises of contentment, but no such noise from Belly Baby.

And then I flipped Belly Baby belly up. Previously she liked this, wrapping her front legs around my arm, then blissfully, I thought, closing her eyes. But not purring.

But, today when Belly Baby went belly up, about two seconds later, she hissed at me like a lioness about to swallow its prey. I quickly disengaged from close contact with Miss Hissy Fit. I thought when she was back grounded Belly Baby would run away to one of her hiding places. Instead she slowly walked a few feet away and sat herself down under her favorite chair, staring at me, as if saying, you aren't done with me yet, are you?

Well, I was. Done with her for today. For the most part.

When Coco left me she hopped up on Miss Puerto Rico's Lazy Boy. Soon after Belly Baby hissed and hopped off me, Belly Baby left her under the chair refuge spot to hop up and join her sister on the Lazy Boy.

Now that both Babies were on one chair I got hold of their mouse on string toy and got them fighting over that. Then we had a bout of chase the laser light and then it was time for me to leave.

All in all it was a good visit with the Babies, but I really don't think they miss me all that much, well, I'm sure Belly Baby does not miss me, maybe Coco does, a little.....

Jogging Around Fosdick Lake Before Fall & Yom Kippur Arrive

The first day of Fall falls upon us tomorrow, along with Yom Kippur.

I will be celebrating the Autumnal Equinox by driving to Euless for my regularly scheduled monthly doctor appointment.

I have not decided how I will be celebrating Yom Kippur tomorrow.

Today I celebrated the day before Yom Kippur and the start of Fall by driving to Oakland Lake Park for a HOT jog around Fosdick Lake.

92 degrees when I arrived at the lake, according to my vehicular temperature monitoring device. My phone argued with the vehicle, with the phone claiming the air was cooler, at 91.

Dead calm, no wind chill factor.

I was not the only one jogging around the lake. One of the fellow joggers was a rather large lady in some sort of head to toe sweat suit.

Literally.

I asked her how she could stand the long pants and long sleeves. Her  reply told me it was her sweat suit, you know, to help her sweat.

I forgot to mention the tree above, rising next to the white egret, looking out at the sputtering Fosdick Fountain. That tree must not have received the notification that Fall begins tomorrow, because that tree has already turned on its Fall leaf color.

I think I will go Google Yom Kippur now, since I don't actually remember what this particular Jewish holiday is for. All I remember of Yom Kippur is one of the Israeli/Arab wars is called the Yom Kippur War, due to that war starting on Yom Kippur.

The Tired Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Looking For Little Caesar's And A Greek Pizza

That is the Shadow of the Tandy Hills Thin Man you are looking at here, with his walking and snake whacking stick in upright position.

This morning whilst in the pool, well before dawn, I swam in the darkness and thought to myself I really do not get enough exercise.

Hence today's return to the Tandy Hills. My last time trying to hike the hills was on Saturday. That attempt was aborted due to rain.

I had myself a bad bout of insomnia last night. I never nodded off til well past midnight and then woke up over and over again due to scary nightmares, with the same nightmare starting up again every time I fell back asleep.

Basically the short version is today I am an exhausted, yawning mess.

Yawning is a rarity for me. It is sort of embarrassing. During one of today's yawning bouts I fear I troubled the person I was talking to, due to an assumption being made that I was bored. And so yawning. I think I had explained to this person that I was sleep deprived, but I'm too tired to remember.

Anyway, the hill hiking went well. By the time I hiked back to the summit of Mount Tandy I was feeling rejuvenated.

Pizza is baking in the oven.

A couple weeks ago, at Town Talk, I found myself some oversized whole wheat pitas. I then discovered the pitas make excellent pizza crusts.

Pizza is so easy to make I don't know why anyone would go the bother of having Domino's deliver one of their bad pizzas. Or Papa John's.

Now if Little Caesar's delivered and if the Little Caesar's in Texas had the Greek Pizza like the Little Caesar's had in Washington, well I would find myself having a pizza delivered, every once in awhile. How come the Little Caesar's Texas pizza menu is so, well, bland?

Anyway, the pizza bell just rang. I'm both hungry and very sleepy.....

Maclura Pomifera Almost Knocked Me Out Today Jogging With Indian Ghosts

That is a Maclura Pomifera you see me holding. More on that later.

Today, as I rolled along on my way to Arlington to the Village Creek Natural Historical Area for my regularly scheduled Sunday jog with the Indian Ghosts who haunt this location, I had the radio playing loud.

The vehicle has six speakers, so sound sounds like it is coming from multiple directions. As I waited for a light to turn green suddenly sound seemed to be coming out of my jogging pants pocket.

After a few seconds of being puzzled by the sound I realized it was my phone. I struggled to extract the phone from the pocket. By the time I freed the phone and touched the screen I think I rejected the call. I then saw the rejected call was from Spencer Jack's dad, he being my Favorite Nephew Jason.

I got to Village Creek and text messaged Jason explaining the phone answering debacle and that I was about to go jogging for a few miles.

Shortly before taking the picture you see above the phone made its incoming text message noise. I stopped jogging under some shade to soon find myself reading the following text message from the aforementioned Jason...

Having lunch at the Reading Railroad Terminal Market. The Amish lunch makers apparently don't work Sunday's, so I had to settle for an antipasto salad. Off to the Wanamaker building to hear the organ. Call back after you have completed your marathon training, if desired.

As I read Jason's text message I was almost clobbered by that green thing you see me holding. This is the time of year these delicious looking pieces of tree fruit fall to the ground. Maclura Pomifera is this fruit's fancy name. It is also known as Osage orange, horse apple, hedge apple, bois d'arc, bodark and monkey ball.

Monkey ball?

I gleaned this monkey ball info from the Wikipedia article about the serious Maclura Pomifera issue.

When I was finished with the jogging, which, incidentally, went well today, and was back in air-conditioned vehicular comfort I called Jason. The call went to voice mail. I left a message, then headed for home. A mile later Jason called back. Sounds like he's having himself a mighty fine time in Philadelphia, going to museums, visiting Benjamin Franklin's grave, having lunch (yesterday) with some friendly Amish Dutch girls and other stuff I am not remembering.

Spencer Jack's Dad & Favorite Uncle's Philadelphia Visit With The Pope

Just yesterday I asked Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, aka FNJ, if he was planning on seeing the Pope when the Pope came to town.

FNJ said no to the Papal visit.

So, what do I find in my incoming email this afternoon?

A photo of Spencer Jack's dad with the Pope.

In addition to the photo of the Pope there was another photo, with that one being FNJ with what looks like the Liberty Bell behind him.

The text in the email said....

Toured the Liberty Bell, not covered in snow, this afternoon with FNJoey after taking a picture with the Pope.

So, if FNJ is in Philadelphia apparently he took his little brother, he being Spencer Jack's Favorite Uncle and my Favorite Nephew, Joey, aka FNJ2, along.

I didn't think one was allowed to get as close as FNJ appears to be to the cracked Liberty Bell.

And why are there no pictures of FNJ2?

The Liberty Bell photo appears to be a selfie, taken by Jason of himself and the cracked bell. The Pope photo does not appear to be a selfie, which might indicate FNJ2 took the picture.

Two days ago FNJ implied, with tricky verbiage, that the next day he was heading over the newly re-opened North Cascades Pass, driving by Liberty Bell Mountain, to check out the remains of the Eastern Washington wildfires.

Below is the part of the original Liberty Bell text message which did not seem to indicate it was to Eastern Pennsylvania FNJ was heading....

Heard the east is much warmer. 85 degrees daytime high. Looking forward to such. As I am going to visit Liberty Bell tomorrow. Wish me a safe journey. Will for sure share new photo documentation of the Liberty Bell, and post the Eastern Washington devastating fires. -FNJ

I am guessing that FNJ thought he would be able to take some Eastern Washington wildfire photos whilst flying over them. That plan may have gone awry due to cloud cover or the route not flying over anything burned or burning.

Anyway, I guess I really don't know where FNJ and FNJ2 are. I am fairly certain I know where FNJ3, my Favorite Nephew Jeremy, is, as in somewhere in the Phoenix metro zone, likely Tempe.

I wonder if Jason invited the Pope to visit Spencer Jack's school in Mount Vernon. Spencer Jack's school is called Immaculate Conception. I am almost 100% this is a Catholic school. I know it's not Lutheran....