Growing Disgust Over Downtown Fort Worth's Bad Santa Scandal

No, that is not the notorious Fort Worth Santa Claus terrorizing kids you are looking at here.

Yesterday I blogged about the Fort Worth Bad Sundance Square Santa Leaving Kids Crying.

Overnight that blog post accumulated a number of page views I have not seen previously in so short a time frame.

Apparently the Fort Worth Santa Scandal is of interest to a lot of people. I hope this does not hurt the number of downtown Fort Worth's booming post Thanksgiving shoppers.

Oh, that's right. I forgot that downtown Fort Worth is a ghost town on the busiest shopping days of the year, due to being the only downtown of a large American city with no downtown department stores.

I have blogged about the downtown Fort Worth post-Thanksgiving ghost town multiple times, in bloggings such as Having Fun Looking For Black Friday Shoppers Today In Downtown Fort Worth.

Apparently a large number of people have been appalled by the Fort Worth Santa Scandal. I wonder if the Downtown Fort Worth Inc. people have taken measures to make sure downtown Fort Worth never breaks the Santa seeking hearts of any little kids ever again.

I suspect nothing has been done. Fort Worth has a long storied history of doing nothing about things about which something should be done, which would never happen in a civilized American city.

I have been asking people in other towns if the Santas in their towns behave as badly as downtown Fort Worth's Bad Santa.

The replies have pretty much been universal disgust regarding Fort Worth and the town's Santa. However, more than one person in more than one town has told me that in various ways their town's Santas require a fee or donation of sorts before Santa will let a kid sit on his lap so has to hear the kid's Christmas wishes.

When I was a still believing in Santa kid, my parental units would take me and my siblings, annually, to our favorite Santa, located in downtown Sedro Woolley. That Santa was jolly and he gave you a big candy cane. There were other Santas in the Skagit Valley, back then, none charging a fee, except, maybe if you wanted the Santa photographer to snap a photo.

This morning I asked my little sister, the mother of David and the twins, Ruby and Theo, what the Santa situation currently was in Tacoma and the rest of Washington, as per her experience with her kids.

My sister replied with the Santa picture you see above of Ruby and Theo a bit unhappy to be sitting on Santa, while brother David looks away bemused. That photo is from four years ago.

Along with the above Santa picture from four years ago my little sister also sent the below Santa picture from this year's visit to the Tacoma Mall Santa.

Regarding the current Santa status in the Pacific Northwest, based on my little sister's experience, in part, she had this to say....

The Tacoma Mall Santa was awesome, he spent lots of time talking to the kids, knew all about toys, etc, but he died this year.  The new one was ok.  He looks great, but wasn’t as chatty.  Still, when he picked Ruby up he commented that she’d grown since last year and said some other stuff the kids thought was awesome.  They still believe in him, you know.  What irks me is that every damn holiday event now has a Santa and I’m like, people, my kids think he is real, how is he everywhere?!? The gold standard Santa in these parts is the downtown Seattle Nordstrom.  We’ve made it there a few years. Beautiful set up.  And that Santa rotates, one year the day we showed up he was Asian, another he was black.  The kids don’t seem to notice or care, which cracks me up.  I can see how great it is for families of color.

_____________________________

Sounds to me like my old home zone still treats kids right when it comes to Santa expectations.

I wonder what my little sister would have done if she'd run into a downtown Fort Worth type Santa situation, with her kids in line, eager to see Santa, then told Santa was closed for the night, heading home on his sled to the North Pole?

My little sister is a lawyer.

The result probably would not have been pretty for Santa or the city that did that to her kids....

Fort Worth's Bad Sundance Square Sister Cities Santa Leaves Kids Crying

At some point in time during the days surrounding Thanksgiving I learned via text message, and a Facebook post, that Ms. Layla Caraway was not happy, not happy at all, with Fort Worth.

When Layla Caraway is not happy about something, alarm bells ring, with concern expressed, by many, wondering and worrying what it is which has earned the Caraway wrath.

Well, you can read all about it via a slightly edited version of the Caraway Facebook post which details Fort Worth's latest embarrassment in all its shameful shame....

Okay, here's the deal - Saturday when we were downtown we stopped at the Santa line. We got in line (since it was short and I have something to tell Santa).

We were quickly told by another couple the line was closed. Oh, okay, no problem. Those in front of us must have been there before the line closed.

As we are exiting the line, I notice they are closing the gates to Santa, with the people still in line??

Confused I watch as two little girls in two different families dissolve into complete meltdown.

Seriously?

With the few people standing in line, only 2 had kids, couldn't Santa see the 2 kids who had stood in line to see him?

I asked the kid guarding the gates, what gives? Let the kids go.

He said Santa closes at 9:30.

Looking at the big digital clock over the square, I pointed and told him, it's 9:25.

His response?

The clock is slow.

Seriously. He told me there was nothing he could do. I told him I wouldn't want his karma.

We lost sight of one of the broken-hearted girls, but almost everyone in Sundance Square was watching the other who could not stop crying.

So I went to the stage and told the kid on the stage, I will pay double the donation amount if you'll let that kid have one minute with Santa. He said he couldn't. I told him I want to know who your boss is, and don't say Santa. He laughed and told me he was a volunteer. Okay, who do you report to when you show up? He looked around lost and couldn't find them.

I then asked who he is volunteering for, Downtown, Inc?

That's when he told me Sister Cities.

You've got to be kidding. Lots of Santa money which could be going to CASA for abused kids, Tarrant Area Food Bank for hungry ones, or Union Gospel Mission for homeless ones is going to Sister Cities?

So I did the only thing I could think of, I took a $5 out of my purse, asked the mom if I could say something to her kid, and told her, Santa wanted me to tell you he's sorry that he has to leave but he wanted me to give you this and tell you he will see you soon and he knows you're a very good girl. Her family was very thankful, I just hope she tells everyone that Santa gave her $5 bucks.

And it saved me from accidentally making a donation to Sister Cities.

_________________________

Fort Worth farms out its Santa to a Sister Cities charity fund raising operation? With the Sister Cities Santa being installed on a throne in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square Plaza? Where Santa closes shop whilst kids are still in line waiting to see him?

Somehow this seems to me to be a perfect metaphor for what a messed up town Fort Worth is.

A  town with few streets with sidewalks, few parks without outhouses, multiple absurd boondoggles, boarded up eyesores, like downtown's Heritage Park, built to celebrate Fort Worth's heritage, but which also serves as a metaphor for Fort Worth's inept slow motion way of getting little done.

Can't Fort Worth manage to stick a Santa in its downtown plaza, without having to resort to it being a money raising charity operation?

A charity operation which leaves kids in tears, and adults disgusted....

Trailblazing Fort Worthers Can't Run A Family Farm On The Pot Frontier

I can not remember when last I blogged one of my popular series of bloggings about something I read in a west coast online news source, usually the Seattle Times, which I would not expect to be reading in an online Texas news source, usually the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

The de-criminalizing of one of Mother Nature's favorite herbs has reaped big benefits, in multiple ways, in my former home state of Washington, and one of my favorite states, Colorado.

So, other states have followed their lead, with the entire west coast, from California to Alaska, and British Columbia, Canada, now free from the oppression of criminalizing something which should never have been rendered illegal, with the majority of people in progressive states now realizing the actual crime was putting people in cages for something which should never have been a crime.

Some day, way in the future, maybe in the next century, Fort Worth and Texas may have progressed to the point where it is realized criminalizing marijuana is braindead stupid, let alone being so stupid that tomato plants are mistaken for pot plants.

Such as the world wide scandal caused by a SWAT raid terrorizing an Arlington commune community. An act of terror which seems far more criminal than someone growing a plant and smoking, or baking, the result.

Have the Arlington police and its SWAT team been criminally punished, fined and jailed for its incompetent, destructive , terrifying invasion of Arlington's Garden of Eden?

Nope.

The Garden of Eden is still seeking legal remedies for the crimes committed against them.

None of which would have happened if marijuana was not an illegal herb in Texas....

Incoming Photo Mystery From Spencer Jack's Dad

Last night around 9 my phone made its incoming text message noise.

At the point in time when I heard that noise I was watching the classic silent film "It".

"It" is the movie which made Clara Bow one of America's, and the world's, first superstars.

That and causing Clara Bow to forever be known as the "It Girl".

Clara Bow was also the prototype for the Flappers and the inspiration for Betty Boop.

So, after finishing watching "It" I looked at my phone and saw that my Favorite Nephew Jason had texted me two photos. I could see on the phone the photos were of Jason and his brother with our dear Grandma Vera.

However, when I plugged the phone into the computer in order to retrieve the photos a third photo showed up. A photo which surprised me. That would be the photo you see above of a dapper dark haired guy, looking annoyed, in a trench coat and tie.

Upon closer look I realized the dapper guy in the trench coat was me. And behind me, on the right, is the home I grew up in in Burlington,  Washington.

I do not remember owning a trench coat. The only time I remember showing up at my old home location attired in a tie was in October of 1994 when we gathered there prior to heading north to Lynden for my Grandma Jones (Dutch translation Slotemaker) funeral.

Maybe Jason has the answer to this mystery.

And maybe Jason also has the answer to the mystery of why he sent me the two following photos.

These two photos also appear to be from the 1990s.

In the photo below that would be Spencer Jack's Favorite Uncle Joey standing next to Grandma Vera. Grandma Vera was my mom's mom.

And then we have Jason with Grandma Vera. I can not tell what house Jason and Grandma Vera are in. I do not recognize the refrigerator or the windows. In the picture with Joey I am assuming that photo took place somewhere in Lynden, due to the windmill needlework hanging on the wall.

And what is Jason promoting on that t-shirt?

If I remember right, and sometimes I do, Grandma Vera passed away in fall of 2003.  And if I am still remembering right, the last time I saw Grandma Vera was in summer of 2001, when Joey and I drove up to Bellingham to visit Grandma at her new abode. Grandma was on the 4th floor. I remember when we left, as we got to the parking lot, Joey told me that Grandma would be at the window waving at us. And so she was.

I am feeling wistful. Currently I have three siblings who think it would be a good idea for me to go to Arizona for Christmas.....

Power Walking Wichita Falls With A Flock Of Sikes Lake Seagulls

I am feeling mighty fine. I have recovered from both Thanksgiving and my recent rare bout of ailing from a sore throat, cough, congestion and most of the other maladies which come with a cold.

Yesterday, that day being Sunday, I returned to Mount Wichita, a day after Saturday's pitifully weak singular summit climb. Sunday's mountain climbing went much better, albeit with the additional challenge of a strong wind battering me, particularly at the summit.

Today I opted to power walk north to Sikes Lake. A strong breeze walked with me, which made the windbreaker I was wearing extremely useful.

At Sikes Lake I came upon something one does not expect to see hundreds of miles from any salty ocean type bodies of water.

A flock of seagulls.

The photo above only shows a few of the large flock of Sikes Lake seagulls. For photo purposes I zoomed in for a close up of the blue heron guarding the flock of seagulls, with the zooming in cutting off most of the seagull population.

A couple weeks ago I took a photo of a blue heron at this exact same location. I assume it was the same bird today. This particular blue heron is not skittish about human contact, unlike most birds of this species I have encountered over the years.

It is now time for some Thanksgiving aftermath.

Turkey soup for lunch.....

The Aging Mystery Of Wichita Falls Mary Contrary

 A couple weeks ago Mary Contrary of Wichita Falls, not to be confused with Mary Not Contrary of Fort Worth, posted on Facebook the results of a scientific analysis which indicated when Mary Contrary's Mental Age, Emotional Age and how old she Appears were averaged, Mary Contrary was determined to be 94.

Many were surprised to learn how old Mary Contrary is, including Mary Contrary.

Then, on Saturday, as in yesterday, another Facebook Scientific Analysis determined that Mary Contrary would perish in a bull fight at Age 95.

Concerned she only had one year to live Mary Contrary re-took the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis to find herself shocked to learn, as you can see above, that in the past couple weeks Mary Contrary has aged seven years.

With Mary Contrary now scientifically determined to be 102 I was starting to have some doubts about the scientific validity of this Facebook analysis.

So, I decided to submit myself to the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis.

Well, imagine my shock and surprise when I got the results of the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis and found them to be uncannily accurate.

I guess this means that Mary Contrary likely actually is a centenarian. I must say, just judging from Mary Contrary's appearance, she really does not look as old as the Facebook Scientific Age Analysis indicates she is....

Post Thanksgiving Bloated Climb To Mount Wichita Summit

Beginning Wednesday, three days of excessive consumption of food products had me feeling like a python that had swallowed a goat.

Not that I actually know what that would feel like, I'm only guessing it would feel similar to my current state of bloatage.

Wednesday's overeating was Italian themed with too much lasagna.

Thursday's overeating was Mexican themed with too much off all things Tex-Mex related.

Friday's overeating was American themed with too much turkey and all that entails.

So, today I am avoiding food, for the most part, and I hauled my bloated carcass to Lake Wichita Park to facilitate some mountain climbing to the summit of Mount Wichita.

I was only up for one haul to the summit.

After enjoying the solitude of the summit, and recovering from extreme oxygen debt, as I made my way slowly down the steep slope I saw a jogger running towards the mountain, and then, as I finally reached ground level, the jogger proceeded to run up the mountain at the same pace he was running on level ground.

You can see the annoying jogger halfway up Mount Wichita on the right in the picture above.

I doubt I will ever be in good enough shape to be able to run up Mount Wichita. It'd probably help if I did not eat so much....

Spencer Jack Thanksgiving Eve Salt Lake City Blizzard

Incoming from Spencer Jack and his dad late last night.....

FUD --

I was sure I was done sharing our pre-Thanksgiving Day Utah trip photos with you.

But....Spencer and I were touring downtown SLC this evening after experiencing a day of sunshine and warm weather.  

We were at Barnes & Noble and when we exited thinks turned ugly fast.

Blizzard like conditions.

Saw a semi turned on its side from high winds on the interstate. Windshield wipers were going fast shoveling off snow all the way back to the hotel.

When we returned to the hotel, I asked the desk attendant if this storm was expected. He looked at me and asked, "what storm?" We left the hotel 2 hours prior and it was 55 degrees and sunny. He continued to stare at us like we were crazy.

Nonetheless, Spencer Jack was more than happy. We found a snow sledding worthy hill within walking distance from the hotel, but were absent of the sled. He adapted to 'butt sledding' quickly.

I'm glad I packed the snow suits.

Hoping this storm will pass soon as we both have early afternoon turkey dinner events to attend back in the snow free Skagit Valley, which requires our morning flight to be operating on-time.

Happy early Thanksgiving, FNJ & FNSJ

_____________________

I don't know if Spencer Jack has had enough wheels on ice experience to render it a safe idea for him to be driving in a Utah blizzard.

Is that a fire burning behind the boys?  Outside their hotel? Outside the Barnes & Noble?

If my memory is serving me correctly, and sometimes it does, downtown Salt Lake City is a bit hilly, sort of built on a slope.

I don't know if that is Spencer Jack or his dad doing the makeshift sledding below.

What I do know is it looks cold.

I wonder what the town I am currently in does for sledding purposes if, or when, snow covers the ground. Do people head to Mount Wichita for some sliding action?

If the Wichita Bluffs Nature Area would ever get completed it might afford some good sliding action.

I'm guessing Spencer Jack by now has driven his dad to the airport and is either in the sky or waiting to be airborne.

I wonder if Spencer Jack's dad remembers when we flew back from Las Vegas back in the late 1990s? Soon upon being in the air I remember pointing to the right and telling Jason and Joey that that was Zion we were looking at.

This was a Southwest Airlines flight. So, naturally there was some goofiness. As in the stewardess informed us that today was our pilot's birthday. And that he was the youngest pilot flying Southwest.

27 years old.

Yikes, I remember thinking. And then as we neared Salt Lake City, where we were doing a touchdown, the pilot informed us that to gain some lost time he was going to execute some sort of extra steep descent. He was informing us of this so as not to worry those who were used to a  more sedate descent.

Ironically, nothing seemed unusual about the descent. And when we got off the plane at Sea-Tac we happy birthday greeted the pilot and thanked him for the smooth landings.....

Spencer Jack In 'N Out Of Utah The Day Before Thanksgiving

Early evening before Thanksgiving incoming photo from Utah.

Text with photo....

Spencer Jack pictured working the late lunch at one of his family's favorite burger joints.

I read the text before opening the photo and figured the family favorite burger joint being referenced was McDonald's, due to our familial affection for my Favorite Brother-In-Law, and Spencer Jack and Jason's Favorite Uncle, Jack, running an Empire of McDonald's in Arizona.

But instead it is an In 'N Out burger joint at which Spencer Jack is working the late lunch.

I am assuming this is in Salt Lake City, with the boys exploring that town before flying home to Washington tomorrow. My assumption may be incorrect.

Spencer Jack's dad has opined being impressed with the In 'N Out burger operation before. I similarly opined, with my opinion based upon experiencing In 'N Out Double Double Burgers and Fries at two Arizona locations, one being in Phoenix, near the airport, the other in Scottsdale.

And then In "N Out opened in Texas.

I had waxed poetic about the deliciousness of In 'N Out burgers to fellow former Pacific Northwesterner, Big Ed. So, Big Ed and I went to the In 'N Out on West 7th in Fort Worth.

Not good. Not good at all. Not even remotely resembling what I experienced in Arizona. And the fries were HORRIBLE. Frozen type fries out of a bag. Not the fresh cut type I had in Arizona.

Reminded me of when the first Costco opened in Texas. Also in Fort Worth. I eagerly went to the Grand Opening, excepting a Costco the likes of which I was used to in my former state, which is the home location of Costco.

However, instead of fresh sushi and fresh roasted coffee and other things I was used to in west coast Costco's I walked in to find myself greeted by multiple Remington statues for sale. And horse saddles.

I am not making this up.  Horse saddles for sale at the entry.

The Texas Costco's improved when others opened. By the time the Southlake Costco opened, with Southlake sort of being a Yankee enclave, I finally sort of had a Washington type Costco I could go to.

I do not know what the problem is with Texas In 'N Outs. Maybe my bad  experience was a fluke. I've not heard others complain about the Texas In 'N Outs who have been to In 'N Outs in its original locations.

Anyway, Spencer Jack seems to have taken his dad on a mighty fine road trip. I'm guessing Spencer will be wanting to take his dad back to Utah for some more eye popping sight seeing. Bryce Canyon and Arches National Park come to mind....

Spencer Jack Hiking Zion National Park With Mountain Goats

When last we heard from Spencer Jack he was Dangling in Danger over the Grand Canyon South Rim.

Overnight photo documentation arrived documenting Spencer Jack in danger in Zion National Park.

Along with video of the drive into Zion from the east. With mountain goats. Video viewable below.

Text accompanying the photos and video....

FUD -- We spent last night in Page, AZ. The bright sunshine woke up us in the morning and we headed east after looking over Lake Powell.  I amended our itinerary from Moab to Zion late yesterday when I checked the weather forecast for today.   

Today's visit to Zion National Park was one of the most amazing places I have been. Spencer told me out of the blue that he had never been on a hike like what we did today.  It was a beautiful and warm all day. Zion was beyond what one could imagine.  Pictures do not do any justice. We entered from the east and soon greeted by a family of mountain goats. Spent the whole day hiking before exiting to the west.

Wanted to also see Bryce Canyon today, but spent too much time at Zion. We will save that, Moab and the Canyon Lands for another time.

Hope you enjoy the pictures. Ended up finding Spencer snow a top of I-75. We are crashing in Richfield, UT tonight.

After I finish sending these pictures to my FUD, Spencer is requiring that I find an open ski resort for tomorrow.  

- FNJ

____________________

Well, it sounds as if the boys enjoyed Zion National Park. I can not tell via the photos, or the text, if Spencer Jack actually took the right turn off the main road which leads one up Zion Canyon to as far as one can go due to the canyon turning into The Narrows surrounded by the Temple of Sinawava.

Before we get to the snow and Spencer Jack's video of mountain goats running rampant in Zion National Park let us start today's road trip in Page, Arizona, at the bridge crossing over the Grand Canyon before it becomes totally grand, overlooking Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

I am fairly certain in the below photo Spencer Jack and his dad are now in Zion National Park, having entered the park via its east entrance.

Zion has a way of making everything and everyone look extra tall.

Again I am not certain, but I believe the trail you see Spencer Jack on below is the trail one accesses from the east end of the Zion Tunnel, with that trail leading to an overlook of Zion Canyon.

Yes, the trails in Zion can be a bit treacherous in places,  with steep dropoffs. Spencer Jack looks not to be in too much danger, below, though.

Under an overhang Spencer is helping keep the rock from falling down.

I am not sure about the below photo. Spencer may be at the over look looking into Zion Canyon, but it appears he is inside a cave. I recollect no cave at this location. I do recollect a balancing rock, of sorts.

Methinks this road trip has caused Spencer Jack to develop an affection for Utah redrock, just like his Favorite Great Uncle has had for decades.

In Zion and Grand Canyon Spencer Jack was bundled up like he was very cold. And then he finds some snow on Interstate 75 and plays in it without any apparent winter type outerwear.

And now the aforementioned YouTube video of Spencer Jack driving into Zion National Park and discovering a herd of mountain goats....