Miss Martha Takes Us From Scenic Mosier Valley To Hurst's Chisholm Park Catching Catfish

Yesterday I blogged about fish in a blogging titled Seattle Salmon Infused With Cocaine & Antidepressants in which we learned some Puget Sound fish are currently contaminated with a lot of unseemly ingredients, rendering them unappetizing candidates for the barbecue grill.

Today Miss Martha brought about circumstances which led me and Big Ed to Arlington and then to the scenic Mosier Valley.

From the Mosier Valley we headed north, eventually ending up in the scenic town of Hurst and that town's scenic Chisholm Park.

Chisholm Park is a modern park with modern facilities, including modern restrooms with running water. And drinking faucets throughout the park. Another water feature is a large water park with multiple pools and water slides of various iterations.

The biggest water feature in Chisholm Park is a large pond which is stocked with fish  of the channel catfish and rainbow trout type.

Beginning the third week of April, every two weeks, the stocking of channel catfish takes place, all through summer and into fall.

Rainbow trout require cold water. So in Texas this means they can only survive in winter. Chisholm Park Pond trout stocking starts in December and continues every two weeks til March.

One can eat the fish one catches in Chishom Park without worrying about Puget Sound type contaminants, or worse, such as whatever it is that has signs warning one not to eat fish one catches in most Fort Worth bodies of water.

One thing perplexes me about Chishom Park. I have been perplexed by this perplexation previously and was freshly perplexed today. That what perplexed me is what you see below.

Chisholm Park has several of these type covered picnic pavilions which you see above. All of them are surrounded by trash cans anchored to the ground tilted towards the picnic pavilion.

Is this array of mortars positioned so as to easily facilitate the disposal of bones from barbecued meat products? I have no idea. All I know for sure is I have never seen anything like this in any other park I have visited anywhere.

Seattle Salmon Infused With Cocaine & Antidepressants

This which I saw on Facebook this morning definitely fits in the category of something I read about something in the Pacific Northwest which I would not be reading in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about something similar happening in the Fort Worth zone.

First off it is a long distance from Fort Worth to where there is any water in which salmon swim.

Let alone salmon contaminated with cocaine and antidepressants, and other things one does not want in ones fish.

The first two paragraphs from the Salmon Caught Near Seattle Are Full Of Cocaine And Antidepressants article.....

Things are not looking good in the Puget Sound.

Apparently, samples taken from the water showed high levels of Prozac, bug spray, cocaine, Zantac, ibuprofen and 77 other drugs. These drugs littered not only the water but also the tissue of juvenile chinook salmon.

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In Fort Worth one is advised to be cautious about consuming fish one catches in Fort Worth's various bodies of water, such as the Trinity River and Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park.

But, I do not remember ever reading what it is that the Fort Worth fish have consumed which has contaminated them. Excess e.coli? Fertilizer chemicals? I have no idea.

The Seattle salmon samples were taken near water treatment discharge areas. The Puget Sound zone treats water to the tertiary level of water treatment. I think 'tertiary' is the correct term. Meaning the highest level of water treatment.

Methinks if cocaine, bug spray and other bad stuff is making it through the water getting treated, to the point of a high level showing up in young salmon, well, this is just disturbing, and tertiary is not a high enough level of water treatment...

36 Hours Of BioBlitz Action At The Best Place To Stand In North Texas

I have been asked more than once by more than one person if there is going to be a Prairie Fest this year on the Tandy Hills. This morning in my incoming email I think I may have received an answer to that Prairie Fest question in a press release about the upcoming Earth Day weekend BioBlitz on the Tandy Hills.....

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 13, 2016

Contact: Don Young, President

Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area

info@tandyhills.org / 817-731-2787

36 Hours of Science in Action

at the “Best Place to Stand in North Texas”

WHO:
Friends of Tandy Hills Natural Area is the Host-Sponsor. Co-Sponsors are: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (Conservation License Plate Program), Texas Wesleyan University, Teaming with Wildlife: True to Texas, Texas Nature Trackers and Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department

WHAT:
Tandy Hills BioBlitz: Technology - Biology - Conservation - Community Engagement With help from nearly 40 of top scientists in Texas, the Tandy Hills BioBlitz will document all living species at the park over a continuous 36 hour time period. Specifically, scientists and naturalists will lead and supervise this photo documentation and data collection blitz. The results form a permanent and valuable snapshot of biological life at Tandy Hills. Community members and volunteers are invited to observe science in action and participate by making their own contributions via iNaturalist while exploring the urban prairie. A mini-festival (Saturday ONLY) will offer other activities including, wildflower walks, wild food hikes, solar telescope viewing and kite flying. Food & beverage available. Free & open to the public.

WHEN:
Friday, April 22, 2016 (Earth Day) 6:00 a.m. until, Saturday, April 23, 2016, 6:00 p.m. Saturday is public day with activities running from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.

WHERE:
Tandy Hills Natural Area, 3400 View Street, Fort Worth, TX 76103

WHY:
BioBlitz data gathering is important to Tandy Hill’s conservation mission for two reasons. It motivates and engages community participation AND the resulting data serves as a permanent scientific record for current and future management of Tandy's natural resources. In other words, to "keep it like it was" we need to "know what it is."

Taking A Fort Worth Walk On Another New Gateway Park Boardwalk Overlook

This morning I had a need to be in the area near Gateway Park.

So, I took the opportunity, since I was in the neighborhood, to check out progress on the east side of the park. Specifically to see if the boardwalk replacement was finished at that location.

A week or so ago I visited the new replacement boardwalk on the west side of the park.

I am not 100% certain, but I believe these new boardwalks are a product of America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Well, I was pleased to see the new boardwalk is finished on the east side of the park. This is a HUGE improvement. I took a few photos, which you see here, and after the photos I inserted a YouTube video I made back on September 29, 2014 of the old boarded up boardwalk.

The above photo of the new boardwalk is taken from the paved trail that meanders along the Trinity River in Gateway Park.

In the above photo we have stepped onto the boardwalk and are looking at some informational signage describing the various flora one sees from this location.

I did not know what to make of the below feature.

The round thing looked like it was made to spin. So, I gave it a spin to find it making a noise. I think the sound was supposed to be the noise made by water rushing over rocks. Maybe.

The furthest reach of the boardwalk posed another mystery.

When I first saw that green little Martian like thing stuck to the railing I thought it must be a spotlight aimed at the river. On closer examination I discovered that round, white area at the center is a view finder one looks through. The Martian rotates, directing the view finder to different views. The mystery is there is no magnification, like one usually experiences with such things. So, I have no clue as to the purpose. A second Martian was attached to another section of railing at another section of the boardwalk.

Below is the view from the aforementioned mentioned Martian looking west, back towards the paved trail from whence we came.

And below is the aforementioned YouTube video in which you will walk on the now gone boarded up boardwalk, giving you an appreciation of what a HUGE improvement this new boardwalk is to Gateway Park.

Tootsie Tonasket Picketing Okanogan County Courthouse Seeking Justice

The lovely lady you see here is known by various names. Tootsie Tonasket. Aunt Alice. Alice Odella. And Alice Hudson.

On Monday Aunt Alice and family and friends ventured to Okanogan to stage a protest in front of the Okanogan County Courthouse.

I blogged about this this morning on my Washington blog in Wade Hudson Family & Friends Picket Okanogan Courthouse For Justice.

For those who do not not know what happened to Wade Hudson that is causing his family and friends to protest I will copy an explanatory paragraph from previous bloggings....

On Saturday, September 26, 2015 33 year old Wade Hudson was brutally beaten to death in Omak, Washington by police person Shane Schaefer. Wade was murdered because he had a series of epileptic seizures from which he had not fully recovered and was not able to respond to the demands of this very aggressive, abusive killer in uniform. There is a civil law suit filed by Wade's parents against this murderer and a congressman helping to ask for an independent investigation into this death. The Omak, WA police agency has done an internal investigation and found the killer not guilty of murder. The evidence and witnesses do not support their decision. Please help us, Wade's family send this evil cop to prison and get him off the streets before he kills more innocent citizens for being very ill and disabled.

Why Does Fort Worth Not See Biggest Jump In Bus Riders Of Any U.S. City

Well, this which I saw this morning in the Seattle Times online certainly fits within our popular theme of things I read in west coast news sources online about something on the west coast that I would likely never see in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about a similar thing happening in Fort Worth.

The Fort Worth "T" bus system is a bit primitive. Long waits between buses. With the buses also being a bit primitive.

As in the Fort Worth buses provide a bit of a rough ride on the rough Fort Worth roads.

Even so, I really do not understand why more Fort Worthers do not ride the bus. It is fun. Like a ride in a crazy theme park.

Seattle has been adding new buses and bus lines of late. That and the Link Light Rail recently opened a new extension which extends light rail all the way to the University of Washington, via a tunnel dug under one of the Seattle Seven Hills. Capitol Hill? Queen Anne? I can never remember which Seattle hill is which.

Modern mass transit seems to be catching in the modern parts of America, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle and Dallas.

Below is a YouTube video I made eight years ago. In the video you will walk with me to Seattle's Westlake Center.

Westlake Center is one of downtown Seattle's square/plaza type venues.

We walk into the Westlake Center vertical mall, where the southern terminus of the Monorail is located, and then descend down several levels to the Seattle bus and light rail tunnel's Westlake Station. We'll get onboard a crowded Seattle bus. We will exit the bus in the cavernous Pioneer Square station and as we ascend to ground level you will see a line of buses coming into the station and leaving.

Now, would it not be a good thing to be able to access Fort Worth's bustling downtown in such a modern, efficient manner?        

Does A Tandy Hills BioBlitz Earth Day Weekend Come With No Prairie Fest?

I am more than a little tired. Have been up since before five. Have been having trouble sleeping.

But, enough about my litany of woe.

I needed to take care of something which could only be taken care of directly at the U.S. Post Office this morning.

I opted to use the Handley Post Office, which is the one I have been used to using for quite a few years.

But, it has been a couple years since I had the direct, in the Handley Post Office, experience.

Yikes!

Long line. One postal worker working slow. Real slow. She was working on one customer when I joined the line, eight people back. 37 minutes later the line finally moved. Eventually a second postal worker opened a second window. From that point the wait was not too much longer.

After finally getting my postal business taken care of, since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to drive to View Street, for a short jaunt on the Tandy Hills. I can't remember the last time I jaunted on the Tandy Hills, but it has been awhile.

Upon arrival I saw the sign you see above, advertising the upcoming Tandy Hills Natural Area BioBlitz on Earth Day, 6 a.m. Friday, April 22, til Saturday, April 23 at 6 p.m.

I have been asked by more than once by more than one person when this year's Prairie Fest was taking place. Additionally asking if I'd noticed any promoting of the 2016 Prairie Fest.

Well.

This Earth Day weekend is the usual time the Prairie Fest takes place.

I do not know what has become of the Prairie Fest. I've heard nothing. I suspect it has been replaced by this BioBlitz event.

I usually check out the Prairie Fest each year. I don't know if I will be checking out this BioBlitz deal. Pretty much ever time I've gotten blitzed the next morning I wake up with a splitting headache. I do not like waking up with a splitting headache....

Communing With Nature At North Richland Hills Fossil Creek Park

Today during my daily nature commune I discovered the best North Richland Hills park yet.

Fossil Creek Park.

Located a short distance south and west of Linda Spurlock Park at which I parked and walked a couple days ago.

Fossil Creek Park is so named because Fossil Creek runs through it. As you can see this park is wooded and scenic. With a waterfall or two.

An unpaved trail meanders along the creek's edge, at times right at the edge of a steep drop off.

The trail looks down upon what appear to be deep, swimmable pools, once of which had a school of fish holding steady against the current. I am guessing these fish were bass. I assume they are edible bass due to the fact that the water appeared to be clear.

I don't remember if it is Fossil Creek, or Little Fossil Creek, or both, which are the evil nemesis of Elsie Hotpepper.

Walking along Fossil Creek it was easy to see how high this creek's water reached in flood mode, due to the evidence of litter deposited high up on trees along the creek's bank.

Above you are looking south at the Onyx Drive South Bridge over Fossil Creek. Due west of that bridge is the entry to, and parking lot for Fossil Creek Park.

The City of Richland Hills Park Department's website's description of Fossil Creek Park described it as being as if one has left a densely populated urban zone to suddenly find oneself in the wilderness.

I am recalling that description from memory, but I believe I got the drift of it fairly accurately.

Because walking along Fossil Creek, hearing birds tweeting, the noise of falling water, the lush forest of trees, well, it was a good commune with nature today.

Apparently Dallas Is Walkable While Fort Worth Is Fratty With ZBonz

On Friday I blogged about being impressed with what I saw whilst walking the Bear Creek Trail in Keller, Texas.

Soon thereafter someone calling him or herself Anonymous commented with three interesting links...

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Still In Texas Walking Keller's Bear Creek Trail Finding A Castle, Palace & Sphinx": 

Fort Worth's newest park ZBonz opened earlier today.

Something to Bark About

_______________________

Here are the 10 most walkable neighborhoods in Texas and none are in Fort Worth. Every big city in Texas is represented save for one, Cowtown.

The 10 Most Walkable Neighborhoods in Texas

______________________

Fort Worth does, however, have the frattiest college in Texas and the 4th frattiest in the nation. That school is Texas Christian University or TCU as some call it. Frattiest schools have the highest percentage of male students involved in social fraternities. SMU in Dallas is rated as the 8th frattiest school and is the only other Texas school in the top ten.

The Frattiest Colleges in America

_______________________

So, what I am thinking, after reading this, is that Fort Worth has two things to bark about. One being a new dog park, and the other bark worthy thing being having the 4th Frattiest college in America.

In the article about the new Fort Worth dog park I read....

Fort Worth residents and their canine companions have been eagerly awaiting the completion of ZBonz, a new dog park located at 6950 W. Camp Bowie Blvd., and on April 9, that wait will finally be over.

Well. I am sort of a Fort Worth resident, though currently in North Richland Hills. I have not been eagerly awaiting the completion of the ZBonz Dog Park. I knew nothing about it til today.

I am not sure I know what a Fratty school is. Is this a good thing? Or bad? Since Fort Worth ranks so high, I'm guessing it is the former. Is J.D. Granger a TCU product?

As for Fort Worth walkability, two paragraphs from that article...

According to our calculations based on Walk Score data, Dallas is the big winner when it comes to walkability. Not only did Downtown Dallas nab our number one spot for the most walkable neighborhood in the state with an 89 out of 100 Walk Score, but Dallas also tied for the most neighborhoods to make the top 10 list, with a total of three neighborhoods. Austin came in a close second place to Dallas, with three neighborhoods in the top 10 list, including the number two and three slots.

Which cities didn’t fare so well? Houston, San Antonio and El Paso, which made the bottom slots of our list, and Fort Worth, which didn’t make an appearance at all.

Downtown Dallas is the most walkable neighborhood in Texas?

Well.

I have walked all over downtown Dallas. And downtown Fort Worth. I find neither all that great a walking experience, but I would have to pick Fort Worth's downtown as the more walkable. Did Fort Worth lose points because of that shameful Heritage Park eyesore blighting the north end of its downtown?

Much of Fort Worth lacks sidewalks. But the downtown area has wide sidewalks on many of the streets. Walking from one end of downtown to the other is easy. The traffic is light, there are few people. Walking around downtown Dallas is a bit more challenging.

How did Dallas rank top in Texas? This makes no sense to me. Downtown San Antonio seems very walkable to me. And more interesting than downtown Dallas.

Now that you have me thinking about it, downtown Dallas does have a lot of attractions. Is Deep Ellum considered part of downtown? How about the Dallas Farmers Market? Downtown Dallas has a department store or two. Neiman Marcus comes to mind. Downtown Fort Worth is sadly lacking in the department store department.

Anyway, these type lists are usually a bit silly. This one seems to be a bit sillier than most...

Modern Capp Smith Park In Wautauga Texas With Passive Muscovy Ducks

In years gone by my Saturday norm was to hike the Tandy Hills, or bike Gateway Park, and then go to Town Talk.

But, the passage of time changes what one does on any given day of the week That and location plays a factor.

Currently my location is in North Richland Hills.

So, on this 2nd Saturday of April I stopped at the close by, biggest I have ever seen, Super Walmart to get myself some earplugs. I had trouble finding that which I was looking for and so resorted to asking one of the Walmart guides. I asked the Walmart guide if this was the biggest Walmart in the world. She indicated it is one of the biggest. It seems about double the size of the Eastchase Super Walmart I have been used to frequenting.

After finishing with the Walmarting I headed west to what is known as the Denton Highway, then headed north to what is known as the town of Wautauga to take a walk around Capp Smith Park.

In the first photo you are looking at something, again, that one rarely finds in a Fort Worth park.

Modern restroom facilities, with running water, including a drinking fountain.

I could not figure out what danger was presented by going beyond the point of this warning sign.

Capp Smith Park has a water feature created by a dam at the south end of the park, damming up a little creek. Fish swim in the pond that the dam created. I saw some guys fishing. I saw no signs warning fish catchers not to eat the fish they catch.

Capp Smith has a variety of features, such as this sun shaded amphitheater type area you see on the right. There are exercise stations located along the paved trail which makes a circle around the dammed pond.

And there is yet another modern restroom facility with running water at this relatively small park in Wautauga, Texas. The restroom facility you see below is at the south end of the park, which would make that first restroom facility we saw located at the north end.

A couple days ago when I found a modern restroom facility in the relatively small North Richland Hills Linda Spurlock Park I opined that maybe Fort Worth should send out a task force to find out how these small towns manage such modernity. Now add Wautauga to the towns the task force should visit.

Continuing on, I came to the scene below

Three guys taking turns taking pictures of themselves with a flock of Muscovy Ducks who seemed impervious to the intrusion. When the guy on the left saw I was taking a picture he got all apologetic and quickly moved away from the ducks. I said, no, I wanted you in the picture.

I then walked down the slope to the guys and the ducks. They said they'd been there about 15 minutes, with the ducks just sitting there, acting all nonchalant, instead of skittish, which is the duck norm.

I don't remember when last, before today, I'd been to Capp Smith Park. This used to be one of my roller blading destinations. My last time at this park may have been the time I tried to teach Gar the Texan how to roller blade.

Teaching Gar the Texan how to roller blade did not go well. He wobbled about 200 feet, then plopped down on a bench with a couple old ladies. Gar the Texan did not think he could do any more rolling. And so the attempt to teach Gar the Texan how to roll was ended.

We then went to a nearby Chili's bar, which presented a much more familiar type activity for Gar the Texan. Soon he found himself embroiled in a domestic dispute which was being disputed on adjacent bar stools.