Bogusity On The Circle Trail With Elsie Hotpepper's Laundry

On this last Saturday with the time still Standard, before time springs forward an hour, so as to supposedly save a Daylight hour, I opted to take myself on a noontime walk north on the Circle Trail, eventually entering my Caribbean neighborhood via the town in Spain called Granada, before making my way to Barbados and Haiti.

Whilst on the Circle Trail I saw that which you see here. What appears to be a paternal parental unit watching his boys wade in the pristine waters of Holliday Creek as it rampages through Holliday Gorge on its way to the Wichita River.

Recently I discovered my phone has "scene" settings. The above photo was taken in "spring scene" mode. This mode renders a photo which looks like a hyper reality version of what my eyes actually saw.

In Fort Worth rendering a hyper reality photo version of a scene is known as Luenserizing. It has been awhile since I have seen a  Luenserized photo of some Fort Worth scene. Did the locals wise up to the bogusity of that type photo propaganda and put an end to that nonsense?

I have no idea. But I sure like that word I made up.

Bogusity.

The act of doing something bogus. Or fake.

Even though the sun is currently blocked by a thick layer of clouds the outer world was heated into the 60s whilst I was out in it today. Quite pleasant.

As I walked along the Circle Trail I got a text message from Elsie Hotpepper. I would then sit on a Circle Trail bench to reply and then by the time I had walked a few hundred feet to the next Circle Trail bench a new Hotpepper message would arrive. Very convenient.

Mostly this series of Hotpepper text messages had to do with Elsie's new relationship with Laundry. Due to the cryptic nature of the Hotpepper replies I was unable to glean many details about this Laundry relationship....

Why Is Record Construction Frenzy Not Sweeping Downtown Fort Worth?

This blogging falls into the category of things I read in west coast online news sources, usually the Seattle  Times, which I would be shocked to be reading in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about some similar thing happening in Fort Worth.

Fort Worth has been attempting to have itself a construction frenzy in its downtown zone for most of this century.

Early this century Fort Worth copied a voted-on-by-the-Dallas-public public works project known as the Trinity River Corridor Project.

A couple years after Dallas voters approved their Trinity River Corridor Project a copy cat plan was foisted  on the Fort Worth public, without a public vote.

The Fort Worth river project was originally known at the Trinity River Vision. But, years later, is now known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Or, more commonly, America's Biggest  Boondoggle.

One element of the Dallas river vision is three signature bridges over the Trinity River. Two of those bridges have been built.

Meanwhile, Fort Worth's copycat vision also tried to see three signature bridges, but those bridges eventually became three non-signature simple little bridges being built over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

The construction of Fort Worth's simple bridges began a couple years ago, with an astonishing four year project timeline. However, due to design errors, construction on those simple little bridges has been halted since last March.

No one knows if or when those bridges will ever get built. Or exact details as to the nature of the design errors.

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram does not cover local issues, like a bridge building scandal or a public works project's inept mismanagement.

Three paragraphs from the Seattle Times Record construction frenzy sweeps downtown Seattle; more building to come of the sort you likely will never read in the Star-Telegram about similar  activity in downtown Fort Worth.

Seattle’s historic building boom somehow keeps soaring to new heights, and probably won’t slow down anytime soon.

Last June, the Downtown Seattle Association found a record number of buildings were under construction, at least since it began counting in 2005.

But that mark didn’t last long. In its newest tally, released Thursday, the group found 68 major buildings under construction in the greater downtown area at the end of 2016, a new high-point from at least the previous 11 years.

How is it that Fort  Worth has had a supposedly vitally important economic development (along with an unneeded flood control aspect) underway for most of this century with little to show for the effort? Let alone any sort of building boom.

Well, to be fair, and I am always fair, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision has completed that important aluminum homage to a trash can at the center of the completed roundabout near the wooden V-pier monuments to bad engineering.

Also, to be fair, the TRCCUPID Vision did manage to open a wakeboard park, which quickly became a boondoggle  metaphor for the entire Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision with the wakeboard park's bad design, bad economic model and inept execution.  America's Biggest  Boondoggle has also managed to open an ice skating rink for a few weeks in winter.

And, let us not forget to make note of America's Biggest Boondoggle's success at putting Fort Worth on the map by being the only major American city to host Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats in a polluted river requiring regular testing to make sure the e.coli level is low enough to be safe for humans. With this Rockin' of the River taking place at an imaginary pavilion, on an imaginary island, touted as being the biggest urban waterfront music venue in Texas.

Among the downtown Seattle projects currently under construction is another expansion to the Washington State Convention Center. This is a $1.4 billion expansion. Many of the downtown Seattle construction projects are residential towers. And more downtown hotels.

Unlike Fort Worth, market forces are bringing about the hotel and residential construction, without the need for public assistance, such as Fort Worth required to get the town a new convention center hotel.

Maybe Fort Worth could try that increasing the minimum wage thing, which Seattle enacted a year or two ago, and see if that helps stimulate the sleepy town from its moribund doldrums.

Fort Worth also might want to consider hiring real project engineers to direct its projects, rather than giving the job to a local politician's offspring, so as to  motivate  that politician to secure federal pork barrel funds.

Towns wearing their BIG CITY pants do not rely on corrupt nepotism to secure money for their town's projects. Fort Worth might want to consider sending out an Investigative Task Force to try and discover how it is some  towns manage to graduate to wearing BIG CITY pants rather than small town knickers...

Spencer Jack May Move Somewhere South

Shocking news from Washington.

Text message, with photo documentation, from Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew, Jason...

Spencer and I are considering moving south. It snowed in Anacortes yesterday.

I do not know why Spencer Jack and his dad have suddenly become such weather babies.

Maybe it is because they have experienced escaping the Western Washington winter a time or two for warmer southern climates, like that which one finds in Disneyland at Christmas, or Arizona.

Apparently, for months now, the sun has only rarely made appearances in the Western Washington sky, according to another bit of photo documentation from Spencer Jack and his dad.

According to that other bit of photo documentation Seattle has had only 3 sunny, mild days since October.

I do not know, for sure, what counts as a mild day. But I suspect a cold day, with the temperature in sub-freeze mode, but with a clear blue sky does not count as a mild day.

Now, that view of downtown Seattle does look a bit gloomy. Without the cloud cover, from this view, one would be seeing Mount Rainier hovering to the south.

At my current southern location, a couple thousand miles from Seattle, the sky was mostly blue yesterday, with the air heated to somewhere in the 80 degree realm. Today there is a chance of rain, supposedly, with the air chilled from yesterday's 80s to somewhere in the 60s.

Brrrr.....

Snowflake Blizzard With Real Desperate Housewives Of Wichita Falls

Yesterday, walking along the Circle Trail, with a strong warm wind blowing from the south, I suddenly found myself in a blizzard of white snowflakes.

The white snowflakes were not frozen. They were blowing from the trees you see here.

Spring has already sprung in North Texas. These trees, sprouting white snowflake flowers, have sprouted into blooming mode since I walked by them just a couple days ago.

I don't know what brand of tree these are. Texas Whitebuds? White Crape Myrtles? White Cherry Tree blossoms? I have no idea. However, I do know a Texas horticulturist known as Miss Julie who knows the answers to these type tree questions.

Changing  the subject.

There is this Wichita Falls lady I know who is known as Mrs. Brown. I do not know if Mrs. Brown has a lovely daughter or not.

Yesterday, via Mrs. Brown, I found  myself invited to a social networking event tonight at the Wiskeyta Club.

Near as I can tell this is a meet and greet type production of a group known as the Real Desperate Housewives of Wichita Falls.

During the course of my time in Wichita Falls I have met multiple housewives. I have not experienced any of them as being a particularly desperate type of housewife. Several have seemed quite real though.

I do not know if Mrs. Brown is a Real Desperate Housewife of Wichita Falls, or simply an invitee, such as me, to their soiree at the Wiskeyta Club.

Texas #1 In College Campus Hate Group Recruiting

Shocking news this morning.

Texas, one of the nation's most progressive liberal states, for some apparently unfathomable reason, has more hate groups recruiting haters on college campuses than any of the other states in the union.

The Texas State Legislature has shelved its ongoing in depth discussions about bathrooms to make time for discussing this latest instance of Texas being #1.

This new poetic license ethic regarding "news" is really liberating.

In other words, I made up that bit about the Texas State Legislature ceasing with their ongoing bathroom debates in order to debate more important issues.

The reality of this Texas being #1 in college campus hate group recruiting is that this "news" is not all that shocking.

Hate groups are more of a Southern thing than a Northern, Western, Midwestern or Northeastern thing.

Well, except for  Idaho.

So, since Texas is, by far, the biggest state in the South, both in size and population, it seems logical that Texas college campuses would attract more hate group recruiters than any of the other states where such bad behavior is prone to exist.

I  have not made note of any hate group recruiters making their presence known at my neighborhood Texas college, Midwestern  State University. From what I have seen of the MSU students I don't think such behavior would be tolerated...

In Fort Worth That Trump Boy Don't Act Right

I do not remember where it was I saw that which you see here. Most likely it was via Facebook.

A Lone Man holding a sign which opines the opinion, "TRUMP THAT BOY DON'T ACT RIGHT'.

I could not tell, for certain, that the needed apostrophe was between N and T on the sign.

Above the Lone Man, and his sign, the road sign indicates he is on Granbury Road.

I am assuming this is Granbury Road in Fort Worth. Maybe at the intersection of Granbury Road and Seminary Drive.

Among Fort Worth's 800,000, give or take a person or two, population there are some highly intelligent individuals who possess common sense and an evolved conscience. I know this because I met a few of them during my long incarceration in Fort Worth.

I do not know if I have met this Lone Man with the sign, but due to the message on the Lone Man's sign, I am fairly certain he is a highly intelligent individual who possesses common sense and a conscientious conscience.

Stunning Sikes Lake Wind With Wichita Bluff Views

Til this morning I forgot that yesterday my phone had recorded that which you see here.

A blooming tree of some sort being colorful at Sikes Lake, clearly indicating spring is bout to be sprung.

Cherry tree? Crape Myrtle? I have no idea.

Yesterday morning I returned books to the Wichita Falls Public Library. After that I checked in on the progress at the Wichita Bluff Nature Area, where I quickly determined progress towards completion is progressing quickly.

Such was confirmed this morning via an article in the Wichita Falls Times News Record about stunning views awaiting the Wichita Bluff project's completion.

More often than not the use of that "stunning" word strikes me as ridiculous hyperbole. Actual stunning views are not seen all that often. When you think about it, when was the last time, if ever, you were stunned by a view?

With out thinking too long about it, some of the views I can remember possibly being stunned by are the first time I saw the Grand Canyon, Zion Canyon, Delicate Arch in Arches National Park, Bryce Canyon, Mount Rainier up close, the Railroad Grade Coleman Glacier trail on Mount Baker, multiple other Cascade Mountain trail views and likely multiple other stunning views I am not remembering right now.

Like Devils Tower in Wyoming, that is another view which may have stunned me. Just remembered another one, Houseboating on Lake Powell takes one to one stunning scenic view after another, including the stunner known as Rainbow Bridge.

Maybe if one has never seen anything of the extremely scenic sort one might be stunned by the views one sees on the Wichita Bluffs.

Yesterday I was stunned at Sikes Lake, but not by anything scenic. I was stunned by strong gusts of warm wind. That and that stunningly colorful tree you see at the top....

Underappreciated American Cities Other Than Fort Worth You Should Totally Move To

No, that is not Fort Worth's Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District you are looking at here.

Though I can understand how someone might think so, what with this looking sort of like some of the propaganda which has been foisted on the apparently easily duped Fort Worth citizenry by dupers employed by the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

I saw that which you see here in an article titled, all in capitals, UNDERAPPRECIATED AMERICAN CITIES YOU SHOULD TOTALLY MOVE TO.

The underappreciated city you see above, with its already installed river vision, is Providence, Rhode Island.

Fort Worth was not one of the listed underappreciated cities. But, Houston was. I read the article and still don't understand how Houston is underappreciated.  San Diego and Salt Lake City apparently are also underappreciated.

Most of the underappreciated cities I had some awareness of.

A recognized level of national awareness may have been one of the criteria for a city being underappreciated, as in Americans had to have some awareness of the city. Which might explain Fort Worth not being underappreciated. Even though Fort Worth is becoming better known, what with being the host city for what has become known as America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is another of the underappreciated American cities cited in this list of towns you should totally move  to.

As you can see, Milwaukee also has what appears to be its own version of a river vision, already installed and floating boats.

Meanwhile, in underappreciated Fort Worth, that town's river vision has been blindly stumbling along for most of this century, with no project timeline and ever shifting project completion dates.

Such as a couple years ago construction began with a TNT explosion on three simple little bridges being built over dry land, with an incredibly long four year construction timeline. About a year ago construction on those bridges halted due to design errors, with that halt, at the time, only supposed to last about a month. It is now a year later. Anyone seen any action on that one bridge stuck with its wooden V piers piercing the sky?

During the stalled bridge construction period, the project's executive director, Kay Granger's son, J.D., told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram that most of the project's infrastructure should be completed by 2023.

The slow motion progress of this project does not much seem to bother the locals. I don't think the majority of the Fort Worth locals have any awareness that public works projects, never submitted to a public vote, built in slow motion, directed by an unqualified local politicians's son, criminally abusing eminent domain, is not the norm in modern democratic locations in America and the world.

Meanwhile, on a sort of related note. Recently the parent of America's Biggest  Boondoggle, the Tarrant Regional Water District, had one of its meetings. These meetings are recorded in video form, viewable by anyone who wants to look.

A couple days ago Elsie Hotpepper emailed me regarding the most recent TRWD meeting with a link to the meeting's video, along with telling me to "check out Agenda  Item 13 on the last TRWD meeting, where at the 1:18 mark Mary Kelleher tries to get J.D. Granger to answer a simple question."

The questioning had something to do with funding America's Biggest Boondoggle, cost estimates, or changing budget estimates, or some such thing. Mary Kelleher asks J.D. who approves the change, to which J.D. answers "the Congress", to which Mary Kelleher asks the question again. And again. After several repeats, back and forth, Mary Kelleher finally pins J.D. down regarding it being J.D.'s mother, not the entire Congress, who is responsible for whatever it is that is being questioned.

I did not listen to the entire meeting and all its agenda items. Was the Boondoggle's bridge debacle discussed? I suspect no is the answer to that question....

Spencer Jack Blizzard Geographically Confuses Me

Yesterday Spencer Jack and his dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, sent me that which you see here.

Along with a text message which said...

Just another PNW Blizzard with more snow expected tonight.

I do not know how I ever managed to live in that frigid climate. A couple days ago I read somewhere that February was the coldest on record in my old home zone of Washington.

I have received no reports of the expected additional snow adding to the alleged  blizzard accumulation.

When I saw this picture it was yet one more iteration of an incident  where I find myself having trouble remembering geographic details of my old home zone.

It took me a minute or two to realize that in this picture Spencer Jack and Jason are heading down the hill which has Lincoln Elementary School behind them. Is this called Lincoln Hill? I don't remember, but that does not sound right.

I realized what I was looking at when I noticed Mount Vernon's Tulip Tower in the distance. Which indicated that at the bottom of the hill Spencer Jack and Jason would be either getting on I-5 or going under I-5 to downtown Mount Vernon.

At my current location north of being deep in the heart of Texas there was no blizzard yesterday. And no snow today.  Instead the air is currently being heated to one degree less than 60, under a gray, cloudy sky, which has done a little dripping.

Tomorrow the high is scheduled to reach 84...

Apparently Neo-Nazis Are Known To Operate In Wichita Falls

Yesterday I happened upon The complete list of American cities where neo-Nazis are known to operate.

This complete list listed the states in which neo-Nazis are operating and the cities in those states where the neo-Nazi operations are supposedly taking place.

Both my old home state of Washington, and the state in which I currently reside, had towns on the neo-Nazi list.

The town I resided in in Washington, prior to moving to Texas, Mount Vernon, is not on the list of Washington towns where neo-Nazis supposedly operate.

Seattle and Spokane are the Washington towns alleged to be harboring neo-Nazis operations.

Mount Vernon may not be a neo-Nazi town, but, the town I reside in currently, Wichita Falls, is on the list of four Texas towns in which the neo-Nazis are supposedly doing their operating.

In addition to Wichita Falls, the Texas towns with neo-Nazis supposedly operating are Austin, San Antonio and Dallas.

I have no way of knowing if by "Dallas" this neo-Nazi list means Dallas/Fort Worth.

Some states, according to this neo-Nazi listing, have no neo-Nazis operating. Such as the state I was born in, Oregon, supposedly has no town with neo-Nazis operating.

And Idaho, a state well known for its surplus of skinheads and lunatic fringe types, supposedly has no towns in which neo-Nazis are known to operate.

Since I have been in Wichita Falls I have seen nothing which has seemed to be of the neo-Nazi ilk.

I have seen some extremely odd tattoo installations combined with odd haircuts whilst walking among shoppers in Wichita Falls' Walmarts.

Maybe I have been obliviously shopping amongst neo-Nazis whilst in Walmart, with zero awareness of such.

But, I don't see how one could be much of a neo-Nazi hater type and shop at the local Walmarts, what with the diversity of people I see shopping and working there.

I wonder when and where the Wichita Falls neo-Nazis meet? Are the meetings open to the public? I have not experienced anything new for a week or two. Attending a neo-Nazi meeting would qualify as doing something new...