Why Are The University of Washington Huskies In A Heart of Dallas Bowl?

I saw that which you see here this morning via the online version of the Seattle Times. The headline and that which appears below the headline confuse me.

Huskies to play Southern Miss in Heart of Dallas Bowl

The Huskies will make their sixth consecutive bowl appearance against Southern Miss on Dec. 26. The matchup at the Cotton Bowl is an intriguing one.

I don't pay all that much attention to football of any sort, but it sort of surprises me that I was unaware, that, apparently, the Huskies have made six bowl appearances against Southern Miss in a row.

I don't know why the current matchup is an intriguing one. Is it because the game is being played in the Cotton Bowl in a bowl game named the Heart of Dallas Bowl?

I thought the Cotton Bowl was played in the Cotton Bowl?

I remember the first time I visited Fair Park in Dallas and saw the Cotton Bowl. It was wide open so I was able to walk right out on to the field. I was surprised at how small and barebones the renowned Cotton Bowl was. I understand it has been much refurbished since I last walked on the field.

The last time I was at the Cotton Bowl was in January of 2009, with my mom and dad. Below is photo documentation, with mom and dad in their ubiquitous cowboy hats, mirrored behind them above the Cotton Bowl entry.

The Heart of Dallas Bowl takes place the day after Christmas. When does the storied Cotton Bowl take place?

And why are the UW Huskies playing in the Cotton Bowl in something called the Heart of Dallas Bowl? I asked a fellow former Pacific Northwesterner and the reply was that the Huskies are Bowl Sluts, that they will play in any bowl they get invited to.

I remember when it used to be a big deal when the UW Huskies played in a bowl game, way back when the only bowl game they could play in was the Rose Bowl, back when the Rose Bowl meant something and did not have goofy modifiers attached to its name, like the Cheesy Doritos Rose Bowl, or the In and Out Burger Rose Bowl.

So much seems to have gone so wrong in America, with this advertising attachments to Football Bowls just one more symptom.

How come the Heart of Dallas Bowl has no advertising modifier? Like the, I dunno, the Whataburger Heart of Dallas Bowl. Or the General Motors Heart of Dallas Bowl. Or some such other thing.

And why is this called the Heart of Dallas Bowl when the Cotton Bowl is a distance to the south and east of the Heart of Dallas?

One thing I know for absolute certainty, I will not be watching the UW Huskies win or lose the Heart of Dallas Bowl in the Cotton Bowl, in person, or on TV.....

I Wonder Why A High-Rise Building Boom Is Not Reshaping Fort Worth's Skyline?

That is a question more than one person has asked during the current economic boom where big cities all over America are seeing their downtown's transformed by new construction.

I have mentioned, previously, that nary a week goes by where I do not learn of some new big project, or projects in downtown Seattle, most recently yet one more new skyscraper, this one being of the super tall, well over 1,000 feet tall sort.

A couple weeks ago the Fort Worth Star-Telegram had an article announcing the first new semi-tall building in downtown Fort Worth in 7 years. That news had me asking I Wonder When A Super Tall Tower Will Be Built In Fort Worth?

A couple days ago I saw on Facebook that which you see above. A posting about an article in the Austin American-Statesman about the high rise building boom which is reshaping the Austin skyline.

So, that would make this blogging a variant of the bloggings about things I read in west coast online news sources which I would not be reading in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about something happening in Fort Worth. Only this time it is a Texas newspaper reporting something happening in a Texas town that is not happening in Fort Worth.

Now, why are towns like Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas and others seeing their downtown's in boom mode? With new residential towers, skyscrapers and other developments?

While Fort Worth's downtown flounders.

Well.

Seattle, Los Angeles, Austin, Dallas and other towns are not host to America's Biggest Boondoggle. None of those booming towns have absurdly mismanaged public works projects allegedly transforming their downtown's, with the development stalled for most of this century, with very little shown for all the time and money spent.

I have mentioned, more than once, Mr. Spiffy's wise observation that the reason downtown Fort Worth is so moribund, development-wise, compared  to other booming towns, is developers are rightfully wary, not knowing if the redevelopment project north of downtown is ever going to come to fruition and be the location where they want to invest their development dollars.

Or will the existing downtown still be the place to be when America's Biggest Boondoggle comes to its likely inevitable end?

No other big city in America has a noose hanging around its neck like Fort Worth does with America's Biggest Boondoggle choking downtown development.

How is this not obvious to anyone who can see what is happening in other booming towns in America, compared to what is not happening in Fort Worth?

We are almost to 2016, with Fort Worth remaining the only city in America with a population over 500,000 with zero department stores and zero grocery stores in its downtown. Fort Worth is the only city in America with a population over 500,000 which is a ghost town on the biggest shopping day of the year.

Why are these obvious symptoms of something wrong not something being addressed? When I first arrived in Fort Worth the downtown had a vertical mall, with an ice rink on the ground floor. One could access this vertical mall via a subway, after finding parking space on giant free parking lots.

The subway and those giant free parking lots disappeared in the Radio Shack Corporate Headquarters, city-enabled, Boondoggle.

Why are the Fort Worth Boondoggle's and the damage they do not talked about, with those who perpetrate this damage on the city held accountable?

Currently no one seems to be holding America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island Vision, responsible for the dearth of development in downtown Fort Worth.

Whatever happened to all the development which was supposed to occur along Lancaster Avenue, once the old overheard freeway came down, with the road upgraded, landscaped, and bizarre lighting artwork installed? Where are the new restaurants, resident towers, department stores, grocery stores  and more along Lancaster Avenue?

Oh, I think I know.

Any developer who might think of sinking money in that area, at the far south end of downtown Fort Worth, is concerned that north of downtown, where America's Biggest Boondoggle has its imaginary island, that that is where growth will be happening, so the developer thinks let's just wait and see before we commit any money to building anything......

Expecting No Fort Worth Orca Baby Boom Anytime Soon

I saw that which you see here this morning in the Seattle Times online.

This particular instance of something I see in a west coast online news source, which I would not expect to see in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, does not quite fit the usual theme where I see something happening on the west coast, or elsewhere, that is of the sort of thing that could be happening in Fort Worth if the town were a bit more, well, lively and progressive.

But, there is absolutely nothing Fort Worth could possibly do to see the town hosting an Orca pod with baby Orcas.

Just like a west coast town, like Seattle, is not likely to have an alligator show up at popular inner tubing venues, while, in Fort Worth, such does happen.

I think I have mentioned before an encounter with an Orca pod.

Way back in the last century.

Way back then it was more common to call these gentle animals Killer Whales than Orcas.

My mom and dad and I were out in the San Juan Islands, if I remember right, fishing off Orcas Island, appropriately, either gigging for cod or trolling for salmon. I don't remember which. I do remember it was a beautiful day, clear blue sky, late in the afternoon, Mount Baker hovering to the east, Mount Rainier visible way to the south.

Suddenly we started seeing large black forms gliding through the water, some sort of arching out of the water. As the black forms got closer we realized it was a pod of Killer Whales. My mom got a big nervous, dad killed the engine. We sat there as the big 'fish' got closer and closer. Suddenly we were surrounded as the pod passed on both sides of the boat.

At one point one of the Orcas sort of seemed to stop to look us over, almost looking like he was smiling at us, sort of like how a dolphin does. Amongst the pod was a baby Orca.

This incident pre-dated the era of never being without an image recording device. This incident remains the number one thing I have experienced of which I regret I was not able to photograph. Let alone take video.

I wonder what is up with the Puget Sound Orca pods having so many babies? Is the warmer water causing the whales to be more frisky? Or are the Orca pods just doing well due to the water being cleaner and the humans being nice to them, no longer terrorizing them with threat of capture and exile to Sea World?

It has been decades since the threat of capture and exile to Sea World was ended. I suspect the Orca pods now have a sense that they have become Wildlife Superstars of the Great Pacific Northwest. And thus happily adding to the size of their families, I mean, pods.

Orcas are extremely intelligent mammals. Probably smarter than some humans I know. I know for 100% certainty there are no Orca racists, or Orca racist collaborators. I wish I could say the same about the humans with whom I come in contact.....

Floating With Fort Worth Fosdick Ducks For A Fountain Inspection

Today for something slightly different than the preceding 7 days I drove to Oakland Lake Park to float in for a close look at the beautiful work of aquatic art in the middle of Fosdick Lake known as Fosdick Fountain.

Several of my Favorite Fosdick Ducks joined me in taking a close look at the Fosdick Fountain.

We could not get too close without getting chilled by the fountain mist.

Who knows what pathogens lurk in that Fosdick mist?

Before the close up look at Fosdick Fountain I tried to go jogging. This did not go well. I am back feeling like a lumbering blob. I think I am missing the cool pool warmup followed by the post swim real warmup, which had begun working real well up to Thanksgiving morning's likely last swim of the year.

Unless we get a major heat wave.

Which can happen this time of year. Three days in a row in the 80s is all I need. Is that asking too much?

I saw several instances of flags at half mast as I drove around today. The only thing I can think of is the recent spat of mass murders. Do we fly flags at half mast for that now?

Arlington Pit & Fort Worth Wall Of Shame Examples Of Civic Irresponsibility

I saw that which you see here this morning on the front page of the online version of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Clicking the headline Creek erosion pits Arlington homeowner against school district actually worked, with the Star-Telegram allowing me to read the article without insisting I become a subscriber.

In that article I learned about a big pit growing from a creek in an Arlington resident's backyard, with the creek part of land owned by the Arlington school district.

A month or two ago I blogged about a Fort Worth erosion nightmare known as the Pulte Wall of Shame. I blogged about this in Why Is Fort Worth's Best Public Servant Ignoring The Pulte Wall Of Shame?

The best Fort Worth public servant being referred to is Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price. As far as I know Fort Worth's best pubic servant has still not checked out the Pulte Wall of Shame, or directed the city to do anything about this growing menace.

The Arlington mayor apparently is slightly more deserving of a best public servant accolade, due to at least paying some minimal lip service to the nightmare being endured by one of his constituents. We learned this in the following paragraph in the Star-Telegram article...

Tinderholt and Scism have enlisted Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams in their cause. Williams said he has seen the erosion behind her house and found it distressing, but he said there are many others facing major erosion problems around the city.

So, apparently neither the Arlington School District or the City of Arlington can do anything about a growing pit that gets closer to swallowing a home with each incoming storm.

Has the Star-Telegram reported, yet, on the Pulte Wall of Shame? Has anyone seen any mention made in the inner pages of that dwindling newspaper? I believe Fort Worth Weekly has also ignored the Pulte Wall of Shame, despite pleas by those affected for some sort of journalistic help.

Why would the City of Fort Worth, and its highly esteemed mayor, turn a deaf ear to something like a golf course's giant wall in the process of crumbling and tumbling onto Fort Worth resident's property?

Is the owner of the golf course a member of Fort Worth's ruling oligarchy, known locally as the Good Ol' Boy (and Girl) Network? Is Betsy Price, or her husband, or one of her many minions, somehow invested with a vested interest in the Eagle Golf Club Fossil Creek?

Why would a city wearing its grown up pants totally ignore a failing wall which was allowed to be built with substandard construction techniques approved by city inspectors?

When the Pulte Wall of Shame comes tumbling down, with property damage and possible loss of life, how BIG of an increased liability will the city face due to ignoring the many pleas to do something about this problem?

Making certain all the water features in the Fort Worth Water Garden were safe would have saved Fort Worth a lot of money, rather than waiting til one of those features turned into a Drowning Pool before fixing an obvious problem.

Very perplexing.

Equally perplexing is how could any legit media operation declare Betsy Price as being Fort Worth's Best Public Servant in its annual Best of edition? That is sort of like a damned by faint praise type thing. Because if that woman is the best Fort Worth has in the public servant department, well, it seems that is a big clue why the town has so many problems.

Problems like a severe sidewalk shortage and America's Biggest Boondoggle come quickly to mind, along with other problems I could probably think of if I took a minute or two to think about it.

Oh, I know, the majority of Fort Worth city parks have no modern plumbing. That's right, the city that is the envy of the nation has America's highest number of outhouses populating its city parks.

Would it not be a good thing if Fort Worth ever had itself a public servant of the mayor sort who was an advocate of things like sidewalks, modern facilities in the town's parks, public transit of the modern sort, easy access to help for citizens with problems like crumbing walls and an open mind, heart and ears?

I know, never gonna happen. Which is yet one more example of how I am a doomed eternal optimist partially braced for the horrific nightmare that Donald Trump or Ted Cruz could be the next president.....

Gun Toting Santa Guards East Fort Worth From Possible Incoming Christmas Refugees

On the way to ALDI today I noticed that Santa was back doing his yearly duty, guarding the eastern entrance to Fort Worth from atop the Fort Worth Gun Outlook Post.

As I exited my vehicle to walk into ALDI a really BIG goober in a really BIG truck pulled up, window down, asking me if I was around these parts. I said I was.

The BIG goober then asked me if I knew where the Spit & Stomp Shop was, or some name like that. I said I had never heard of that shop and asked what they sold.

Guns and ammo was the BIG goober's reply.

Oh, well, said I, I think what you are looking for is Fort Worth Gun, just get back on Eastchase and cross the freeway where you can not miss the HUGE Santa guarding Fort Worth from on top of the gun shop.

The BIG goober thanked me mighty profusely and then was on his way.

After I was done with my ALDI business I decided to head back to the machine gun toting Santa to take  the picture you see above.

The BIG goober's Big truck was parked in front the gun supply supermarket.

Now, I can not be the only person to whom it strikes that this just a bit tasteless, in this age of frequent mass murders, by guns, that a store would stick a heavily armed Santa on its roof, aiming his gun at the freeway?

Fort Worth's Streetcar Line Will Not Be Ready To Ride Anytime Soon

This blogging is going to be the latest in our popular series of bloggings about something read in a west coast online news source which would be surprising to read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

In this case the screen cap came from today's Seattle Times. An article about Seattle's latest streetcar line being almost ready to ride.

A paragraph from the article...

Voters approved the $134 million line in the 2008 Sound Transit 2 sales-tax measure. Service was supposed to begin in early 2014, connecting next year’s Capitol Hill light-rail station to the existing International District/Chinatown Station and Pioneer Square.

Imagine that.

Voters voted on a transit measure.

The Seattle/Tacoma/Everett tri-county zone seems to pass a lot of transit measures. The voters must see the value in improving public transit, making it easy to get around without needing to find a parking space.

The key to successful public transit is not having long waits to hop aboard. Currently, the new streetcar line is practicing its regular schedule, with trolleys running about every 10 minutes, but with no passengers onboard.

This is an electric streetcar powered system, with overhead power lines. The streetcars are hybrids, like some electric cars. Going downhill, braking power is converted to stored battery power to be burned when the streetcar is back heading up steep First Hill.

A couple years ago Fort Worth for a short time toyed with the idea of having a streetcar line run from downtown, south to the Magnolia Avenue zone, if I am remembering correctly. This project was somehow associated with America's Biggest Boondoggle,  then still only known as the Trinity River Vision. I suspect the association with the inept Boondoggle is part of what doomed Fort Worth's attempt to have a modern streetcar line.

I remember a sample streetcar was shipped in from Portland. Was it one of Portland's MAX train cars? I don't remember. I do remember Portland's MAX transit system is not known as a streetcar system. I remember that which was brought to display in Fort Worth did not look like a streetcar to me.

It would greatly behoove Fort Worth to build a modern streetcar line, looping from downtown to the Stockyards to the Cultural District, passing by, or going over, The Boondoggle's stunning signature bridges, if those complicated feats of engineering ever finish getting built.

Imagine what a boost such a transit line would be to Fort Worth. It would be transformative. In a real way, not an imaginary, hope it works way, like that vision The Boondoggle sees.

Can you imagine a forward thinking transit proposal being put before Fort Worth voters? A real vision for the future? And the voters approving the proposal?

No, I can't quite imagine that happening either.

But, it sure would be a good thing for Fort Worth if it did....

My Favorite Ex-Sister-in-Law & Cousin Olivia In Maui Possibly With Spencer Jack

Last month I blogged about Celebrating Retirement With Spencer Jack On A Beach In Maui.

The retirement being celebrated was that of my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Spencer Jack's Grandma Cindy.

After seeing that Spencer Jack was on Maui the following Facebook exchange occurred  between me and my Favorite Cousin Scott.

Scott Barry: tell spencer to say hello to cousin Olivia while he's on the island...

Durango Jones: Spencer, your cousin Scott wants you to say hello to your cousin Olivia whilst you are on Maui. I think Olivia manages a big hotel somewhere on the island. She should be easy for you to locate. You could maybe ask your cousin Scott for precise directions...

Scott Barry: liv owns the marriiott hotel north of lahaina...

Durango Jones: There you go, Spencer. Drive your mom to the Marriott north of Lahaina and find Olivia.

And now, on this evening of the 2nd day of December I got email from Spencer Jack's dad,  my Favorite Nephew Jason, with the above photo and text saying....

Cindy and cousin Olivia. In Maui.

I assume Spencer Jack drove his Grandma to Olivia's Maui Marriott where he took the above photo, but I am only making an assumption, based on very flimsy evidence. All I can say, with absolute certainty, is that that is, in fact, Olivia and Cindy in the photo.

Since both of the photo posers look so young, I must point it out that that is Spencer Jack's Grandma on the right, apparently old enough to retire, which would make that Olivia on the left....

Today The Bluest Sky I See Is Glowing Bright In Texas

As you can see via the skyward view looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, blue sky has returned to my location on the planet.

I suspect my current bout of SAD (Seasonally Affected Disorder) will soon abate.

I had to pick up an optical device in downtown Fort Worth this morning. This had me in my vehicle earlier than the norm.

Dew made visibility an issue that had to be taken care of before rolling any wheels.

I thought I had taken care of the dew related visibility issue completely until I reached the point where I needed to see out of the rear view mirror whilst merging on to the freeway. It was when the bright sun hit the south facing window, and mirror, that it became apparent visibility was still a problem. Hitting the roll down the window button quickly solved the problem.

Among the many good things I can say about downtown Fort Worth one is getting there is real easy, even during rush hour. It took about 8 minutes once I got on the freeway to get to my optical device location at West 6th Street and Houston.

Currently, two hours before noon, the outer world at my location is a bit chilly. 45 degrees. I think in an hour or two I will expose myself to the cold to get some much needed Vitamin D and some endorphins....

A Tale Of Two Town's Multi-Purpose Arenas

I saw that which you see here this morning on Facebook. A post from KING 5 News, in Seattle, about a new Seattle arena getting closer to being a done deal.

I saw this and thought I was looking at something coming to me via a west coast online news source which would likely not be something I would read in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about something similar happening in Fort Worth.

Which, actually, is sort of not exactly true.

The Star-Telegram has had an article, or two, about a new multi-purpose arena in Fort Worth. An arena whose construction was approved by voters in an election held over a year ago, in which voters passed three propositions, with the three propositions proposing goofy things, like one proposition allowed the charging of a $1 fee to rent an arena livestock stall.

So far I don't believe any dirt has been moved to begin building Fort Worth's new arena.

I read the KING 5 News article about the new Seattle arena. That article made no mention of what the new arena is projected to cost, or how many attendees would be able to be in the new arena.

So, I Googled "Chris Hansen Seattle Arena". Chris Hansen grew up in Seattle before ending up managing hedge funds in San Francisco. An activity which apparently made Chris Hansen a lot of money and want to spend some of that money on a new Seattle Arena. Googling came up with multiple websites with info about the new Seattle arena.

Including a detailed Wikipedia article titled Sonics Arena. The Wikipedia article had a link to a Sonics Arena website, a screen cap of which you see below.

No amount of Googling will cause you to find a Wikipedia article about Fort Worth's proposed multi-purpose arena, or a Fort Worth multi-purpose arena website.

Because such articles do not exist.

I wonder why?

From what I can glean, the Seattle Arena is a bit more evolved than the Fort Worth Arena, including having a big parking garage, a plaza and mixed use office buildings.

Seattle voters have not been asked to vote on anything goofy under the pretense that approving a goofy proposition gives the go ahead to build.

From the Sonics Arena website....

The Arena will be developed and primarily financed with private funds. The public participation is designed to be self-financing and requires no new taxes or fees. The public financial participation will be repaid solely with Arena generated revenues that would not otherwise exist. The MOU includes multiple layers of protection built into the financing that protect the general funds and bond ratings of the city and county from being affected. 

Fort Worth's new multi-purpose arena is estimated to cost $450 million. Seattle's is estimated to cost $490 million.

Fort Worth's multi-purpose arena will seat about 14,000 for concerts. Seattle's will seat 19,000. I do not know if basketball and hockey are able to be played in Fort Worth's multi-purpose arena.

There has been criticism directed at those behind Fort Worth's multi-purpose arena that the price is out of whack for the small number of visitors it can seat.

And one can assume the Fort Worth arena will not see as much action as an arena hosting an NBA and NHL team, meaning the Fort Worth arena will sit idle a lot of the time.

And if a big concert type act comes to the D/FW zone, given a choice are they going to opt to choose an arena that can hold only 14,000 ticket buyers? Or a venue like the Dallas Cowboy stadium? Or that place in Dallas where the Mavericks play basketball?

Read the Wikipedia article about the Seattle Arena  history and make note of all the finagling which goes on to make something happen, like a new arena, in Seattle.

Contrast that with a town that has people voting yes or no on whether to charge $1 to rent a livestock stall, and then not much of anything happening over a year after the vote....