Spencer Jack Gambles With Tulalip Orcas

Incoming this morning via email from Spencer Jack and his dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason.

Two photos along with this message...

FUD-

Spencer Jack took me on an after school adventure to Marysville.

We spotted 3 Orcas and countless tribal gaming machines.

Thought you'd enjoy the photos.

FUD-

Marysville is a town about 35 miles south of Spencer Jack's home abode of Mount Vernon. Prior to moving to Arizona, Marysville was the home zone of my Favorite Nephews Christopher and Jeremy, better known as CJ and JR.

The Tulalip Resort Casino is one of Washington's biggest casino complexes.

The Tulalip's are also host to one of the biggest fireworks selling complexes in Washington, and the world. This explosive Tulalip operation is called Boom City Fireworks.

There are a couple tribal casinos close to my current Texas abode, about 15 miles north, across the Red River, in Oklahoma.

The Kiowa Red River Casino, and the Comanche Red River Hotel Casino.

Since I have been at my current Wichita Falls location I have not ventured across the Red River into Oklahoma Indian Territory to visit the Kiowa and Comanche tribe's casinos.

Since I have not visited either of my nearby casinos I do not know if either have any Orca Pods frolicking for casino goers. But, I suspect not.

It is likely the closest Orcas to be found at this part of the planet are to the south a few hundred miles, in San Antonio, at Sea World.

In the short message about visiting the Tulalip Orcas and gaming machines no mention was made of whether or not there was any slot machine playing.

The summer prior to me moving to Texas Spencer Jack's dad and uncle, my Favorite Nephew Joey, took me to Las Vegas, where they made me their surrogate gambler, directing me at Keno and Video Poker.

I suspect Spencer Jack is continuing the family tradition of surreptitious gambling, using his dad as a surrogate...

Dickies Arena Defines What Fort Worth Is

What you are looking at here is a screen cap from a Fort Worth Star-Telegram article.

That confetti in the air is part of a celebration marking the start of construction of a Fort Worth Multi-Purpose Arena.

In Fort Worth not a lot happens, so when something does happen, or seems to happen, a big deal is made.

Such as years ago when a big TNT explosion's big boom marked the start of construction of three little bridges being built on dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

The construction of which has now been stalled for a year.

One can hope a similar stall does not hamper the construction of this simple arena destined to become a Fort Worth landmark, along with all those other well known Fort Worth landmarks.

This arena project came about as the result of a Fort Worth rarity. As in the public was allowed to, sort of, vote for it. Several years ago there was a ballot measure with three propositions relating to this arena, which if the voters approved these propositions this somehow obligated them to pay for half of the approximately half billion dollar arena, and approved the construction of the arena.

To approve the building of this arena voters voted yes on a fee on horse stalls, a tax on parking and a tax on ticket sales. Not an up or down vote on the arena, but instead voting on these three separate propositions.

You in democratic parts of America, and the world, I am not making this up, this is really how this arena came to be approved by the voters.

And now in this Dickies Arena will become Fort Worth landmark, CEO says article we learn that naming this arena after well known work pants is a great fit, according to the work pants maker...

Phillip Williamson, chairman and CEO, whose great-grandfather and grandfather helped found the company in 1922, said it was a natural fit to gain the naming rights. The workwear company is long time sponsors of the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo, he said.

“We’re committed and passionate about continuing to ensure Fort Worth remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation,” Williamson said. “We couldn’t be prouder to have the Dickies name on an arena that will become one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city.”

The article did not inform us as to how much Dickies paid to have the new Fort Worth arena have the Dickies name, or what other entities, if any, submitted naming bids.

I found the following paragraph to be interestingly confusing...

The city has already raised $25 million for the arena and in mid-July expects to issue special tax revenue bonds for the remainder. Voters approved the project in a special referendum in 2014. The city will pay the debt through hotel occupancy taxes, a car rental tax as well as revenues generated by taxes at the arena itself.

Okay, back in the 2014 referendum I do not remember mention made of these other revenue generating methods being part of what the voters approved. The Bass Gang was supposed to pay for the other half of the cost, with the public half raised by those aforementioned means, such as renting horse stalls.

And then there is this badly written paragraph which I assume the Star-Telegram editors, if they still have any, will fix...

The Stock Show moved from the Coliseum in the Stockyards in north Fort Worth to the Will Rogers in 1945. Bass called said it “was an historic move and defines what we are.”

Was that last sentence intended to be "Bass, when called on the phone, said it "was an historic move and defines what we are."

Yeah, I would agree with that, making a big deal out of this arena, and calling it Dickies, really does sort of define what Fort Worth is....

Not Picking Big Heads Of Wichita Falls Wild Cauli Flowers

Yesterday, I had a hot humid walk before an incoming Arctic chill where I discovered, a short distance south of my abode, a colorful field of wild looking flowers.

Today, I walked again on the Wichita Falls Circle Trail, where a short distance north I found what looked to be what you see here, a field of what, until an expert corrects me, I am calling Wild White Cauli Flowers.

I hope one of the two renowned horticulturists of my acquaintance, Miss Misty of Texoma or Miss Julie of Fort Worth, is able to correctly identify these big white bloomers if they are not actually known as Wild White Cauli Flowers.

As you can also see in the Cauli Flower picture, Spring has greened up this formerly drought stricken part of the planet, while water drips through Holliday Creek, slowly ambling through Holliday Gorge on its way to meet up with the muddy red Wichita River.

Hot Humid Wildflowers Before Arctic Chill

I have been having myself a day of computer aggravation. I shan't bore you or myself with the details.

Suffice to say the upper limits of my blood pressure have been tested.

Around noon, not realizing the outer world was HOT, extremely humid and almost totally wind-free, I decided to go on a walk south on the Circle Trail.

The walk south turned into a short walk south due to that aforementioned unexpected HOT humid thing.

Just yesterday I mentioned the shortage of wildflowers coloring up the landscape at my location in North Texas, particularly the total absence of the State Wildflower of Texas, the Bluebonnet.

Well, today, just a short distance south of my abode I came upon the colorful spread of wildflowers you above.

But again, no Bluebonnets.

About an hour after my return to my abode the wind suddenly began howling from the north. The wind from the north brought a quick drop in temperature. It is no longer HOT and humid.

Today I was the closest yet this year to firing up the air-conditioning, but then that Arctic blast from the north arrived, putting off for another day the beginning of this year's cooling season...

Spencer Jack's Warm Sunny Easter Tulips With No Texas Bluebonnets

Moments  ago, incoming phone text from Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, with the picture you see here and the text you read below...

Have yourself a Happy Easter. Spencer Jack's tulips are in full bloom. Today is slated to be sunny and warm here in the PNW.

A few days ago I saw a few tulips blooming in a big flower pot in the front yard of a house in my Caribbean neighborhood.

I do not see many tulips or daffodils blooming in Texas. So far, this Spring blooming season I have not seen many wildflowers at my current north Texas location near the Oklahoma border.

I have yet to see a single bloom of the State Wildflower of  Texas, the Bluebonnet.

I suspect Bluebonnets may be late bloomers at my North Texas location and soon the landscape will be showing fields of blue...

Happy Easter Bunny Bertha Inspired Questions

This is a combo Bertha and Happy Easter Bunny blogging due to the screen cap I capped from a Seattle Times article about Bertha included a chocolate Easter Bunny.

Happy Easter, one and all.

Just remembered, in addition to being a combo Bertha and Happy Easter Bunny blogging this is also yet one more of those popular bloggings about something I read in a west coast online news source, usually the Seattle Times, about something I would not be expecting to read in a Texas online news source, usually the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, about something going on in Texas, or Fort Worth.

I think I have mentioned previously that Fort Worth is currently host to America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision. The vision is a bizarre pseudo public works project the public has never been allowed to vote on, which claims to be a much needed flood prevention plan,  preventing flooding where flooding has not happened for well over a half a century due to levees the rest of America helped pay for way back in the 1950s.

This bizarre public works project is also an economic development scheme designed to line the pockets of multiple players in the Fort Worth oligarchy, including Fort Worth's Congresswoman, Kay Granger, and her son, J.D., who, as America's Biggest Boondoggle's Executive Director is responsible for the non-progress of this project which has been limping along for most of this century.

The current symbol of just how bad this boondoggle has  become is a bridge building project which began way back in 2014,  with an astonishing four year bridge building project timeline, with bridge construction now stalled for over a year, with no explanation as to why the simple  little bridges being built  over dry land are no longer being built.

Recently the Trinity River Vision Authority released its Spring 2017 Trinity River Vision Update with no update as to what has stalled the bridge construction. We blogged about this in Spring 2017 Non Existent Trinity River Vision Bridge Debacle UPDATE.

Which brings us to what I read in the Seattle Times today about the Bertha Tunnel Project in an article titled Inside the Highway 99 tunnel: Bertha’s done digging, but the roadway work rolls on in.

Bertha began her tunnel boring about the same time the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle began trying to build bridges over dry land. Bertha ran into a snag which stopped boring for around two years. But, Bertha eventually got back boring and is now leaving the tunnel behind her, with road decks now being added and the tunnel expected to be open to traffic in early 2019.

Apparently the Highway 99 Alaskan Viaduct Replacement Project is well engineered by qualified adults who know what  they are doing. Part of the project design  took into account the possibility of a boring delay.

Three illustrative paragraphs...

Joe Hedges, state Highway 99 administrator, recently said the completion of the tunnel itself represents halftime for the project. Nonetheless, workers were busy installing roadways even during Bertha’s two-year breakdown, and some 600 people remain on the job.

That by itself prevented delays from getting worse, said Brian Russell, vice president for HNTB, which wrote the technical designs for the tunnel structures.

The tunnel’s relatively new “design-build” contract, which hands final engineering to the bidders, gave Seattle Tunnel Partners (STP) flexibility to juggle its work schedules so the upper deck and walls kept advancing north, behind the tunnel machine. Under conventional bidding, where the state writes the design, the decking might be done by other companies, and might not begin until after the underground tube is finished.

Okay, why do we not read anything similar to the above in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the problems with the Trinity River Vision project? Who designed the project? Who are the contractors? Why is whoever is  the bridge building contractor not asked what the problem is which has stalled  construction?

Read the Seattle Times Inside the Highway 99 tunnel: Bertha’s done digging, but the roadway work rolls on in article and notice how detailed the information is. Including animated graphics showing each stage of the ongoing tunnel construction. Why do you not see anything even remotely similar in the Fort Wort Star-Telegram about any aspect of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle?

Why do the Fort Worth locals whose town is being impacted by being the host to America's Biggest Boondoggle not demand answers as to what and who has caused this mess? What causes a population to be so passive? How can Americans in one part of America be so different from Americans in another part? Better education?

I have no idea what the explanation is. All I know for sure is the toleration for incompetent corruption in Fort Worth, in various forms, is extremely perplexing...

Spring 2017 Non Existent Trinity River Vision Bridge Debacle UPDATE

Earlier, when I blogged about the Trinity River Vision Authority Live Look At Bridges Not Being Built & Other Nonsense. I said my original intention had been to check out the latest TRVA UPDATE via the Trinity River Vision Authority website.

But, I  found so many pitifully bizarre items, such as live cams showing non-progress of America's Biggest Boondoggle, along with pitifully bizarre propaganda on a page titled PANTHER ISLAND BRIDGES - PROGRESS IN MOTION that I did not get around to the equally pitifully bizarre Trinity River Vision UPDATE til now.

That is the cover of the Spring 2017 Trinity River Vision UPDATE you see above. Below is the table of contents.

The contents in the Spring 2017 Trinity River Vision UPDATE include more than the insipidness listed in the above contents. Such as one page titled UPDATE OF PANTHER ISLAND BRIDGES which explains in detail why the construction of those bridges has been stalled for over a year, stalled since the Spring 2016 Trinity River Vision UPDATE.

Obviously I jest, there is not one word about the year of zero bridge construction progress.  All we get is idiotic propaganda,  apparently aimed at what the Boondoggle assumes are the easily duped Fort Worth masses.

All this important document tells us about the stalled bridges is "Contractor installs portions of the steel bars on one of the Henderson Street signature V-piers." And "Work continues on the bridge abutments on Henderson Street and White Settlement."

I assume a cartoon figure was used to illustrate a contractor moving dirt because no actual contractor has been working on the bridges for over a year.

How much money does the Tarrant Regional Water District and its crippled step-child, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision spend on these ridiculous propaganda productions, both in print and in webpage form?

Are there no responsible, sensible adults anywhere in this operation? How is this type nonsense going to print and then into people's mailboxes without someone with common sense intervening?

This type propaganda touting imaginary accomplishments is what the old Soviet Union used to do, lying to the Soviet people about the wonderful accomplishments of their Soviet government, til it all came crashing down.

When will Fort Worth come to its senses and put an end to this nonsense?

You can check out the entire Spring 2017 Trinity River Vision Update yourself to read a pitiful self serving message from J.D. Granger's mama, and learn all about last winter's Panther Island Ice Rink Season, plus all the events at Panther Island Pavilion, where there is no island or pavilion, along with a look at the TRVA Construction Zone, but not the stalled bridge construction. There is an announcement about the important news of the newly-redesigned TRWD.com website, and the announcement of this year's date for the TRWD Flyfest, whatever that is (some sort of festival celebrating the flies attracted to the Trinity River?) and an important public service section with Trinity Trails Safety Tips to help you stay safe on those incredibly dangerous Trinity Trails.

Again, how much money is wasted on this nonsense?

David, Theo & Ruby With Grandma & Grandpa In Arizona

Last week my Favorite Nephews David and Theo and my one and only Favorite Niece, Ruby, took their parental units to Arizona to visit their Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Jackie and Uncle Jack, along with their cousins, my Favorite Nephews Christopher and Jeremy.

Oh, they visited their Uncle Jake, too.

In the first photo you are in Aunt Jackie's backyard, with David, Ruby and Theo having a campfire powwow between dips in the pool.

I had the best of intentions to be in Arizona during the time frame of David, Theo and Ruby's visit, but my best intentions did not get me there.

Yesterday the twins and David's mother, my Favorite Sister Michele, emailed me seven or eight photos taken during last week's Arizona visit.

Four of those seven or eight photos are what you are looking at here.

I am guessing the following three photos were taken Sunday, at the brunch in Aunt Jackie's backyard, prior to flying back to Washington, hence the goodbye hugs with Grandpa and Grandma.

That would be David giving Grandpa a goodbye hug, with Grandma awaiting goodbye hugs in the foreground.

Next up it was Theo's turn to say goodbye to Grandpa.

And then Ruby giving a goodbye hug to Grandma, with Theo looking on and Aunt Jackie standing in the patio door behind Theo.

Are these not among the cutest kids you've ever seen?

David, Theo and Ruby are big Disneyland fans. When asked which was more fun, Disneyland or Arizona with Aunt Jackie and Grandma and Grandpa, the unanimous verdict was that both Disneyland and Aunt Jackie's were equally fun, but in different ways.

I think Ruby may be a politician in the making. I was hoping to do a video interview with Ruby regarding her opinions about Donald Trump....

Trinity River Vision Authority Live Look At Bridges Not Being Built & Other Nonsense

Last night I found myself blogging about the attempt to Stop Another Stolen TRWD Board Election after Elsie Hotpepper sent me a couple TRWD election mailers targeting senior citizens with ridiculous propaganda about an evil Dallas man supposedly trying to control Fort Worth's water.

Thinking about corrupt mailers had me thinking that the troublesome stepchild of the Tarrant Regional Water  District known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, or America's Biggest  Boondoggle and the quarterly updates which used to show up every three months when  I had a Fort  Worth mailbox.

These TRVA UPDATES were always slick full color pieces of incredibly shameless propaganda touting all the amazing imaginary wonders that had taken place, or would take place in the previous or upcoming quarter. Or at an imaginary time far in the future.

I figured the TRV Boondogglers were still wasting money with an online version of their quarterly update, along with wasting money with the printed version.

So, I went to the Trinity River Vision Authority website where I soon found myself amused and appalled by what I saw, just on the entry page. That is a screen cap of the TRVA website's entry page you see above. A big banner at the top touting the beginning of bridge construction. A live cam of bridge progress not in motion. A link to a page about the "Panther Island Signature Bridges", a screen cap of part of the bridge page is what you see below.

Construction on these simple little non-signature bridges has been stalled for over a year, yet the Boondoggle still has live cams showing the non-progress on two of the bridges.

The propaganda about the bridges on this page devoted to them is also appalling and amusing...

The Trinity River Vision is no longer a vision, it is a reality. For several years, work along the Trinity River has been on-going preparing for this project milestone. The signature bridges are a collaborative effort between the Trinity River Vision Authority, TxDOT, City of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The three signature bridges positioned along the realigned Trinity River will begin construction in late summer 2014. The estimated construction cost for all bridges is $66 million. Serving as the gateways to Panther Island, the bridges create the foundation for a unique, urban waterfront community. The project partners will make every effort to minimize the inconvenience of this major construction project and will utilize multiple methods to keep residents and business owners informed. 

No longer a vision? But a reality?

Another amusing, appalling, embarrassing tidbit on this page is...

Estimated Project Schedule

HENDERSON ST. BRIDGE
Late 2014 - Early 2018
WHITE SETTLEMENT ROAD
Late 2014 - Early 2018
NORTH MAIN STREET
Late 2014 - Early 2018

Eventually I found my way to the Trinity River Vision Authority online version of their quarterly update, the cover of which you see below.

But, this blogging has already gone long, well before I got to the UPDATE part, so I think the Trinity River Vision Authority Spring UPDATE will be the next thing I blog about, likely later today....

Vote Kelleher & Beatty To Stop Another Stolen TRWD Board Election

Well, I foolishly thought, what with the last Tarrant Regional Water District Board election resulting in the biggest election fraud investigation in Texas history, with that investigation ongoing, that the perpetrators of that election fraud would tread lightly with the upcoming TRWD Board election in which Mary Kelleher is seeking re-election, with Andra Beatty hoping to join her.

I thought wrong.

Today I was sent examples of mailers being sent to Senior Citizens. Propaganda pieces featuring current Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, and disgraced former Fort Worth Mayor, Mike Moncrief, warning voters, just like the last election, to not let a Dallas businessman disrupt our water.

One of the mailers warns--- VOTERS BEWARE: Two of the candidates running for Water Board (Mary Kelleher and Andra Beatty) have been helping Dallas businessman Monty Bennett with his ongoing efforts to disrupt and take over control of our local water supply. Please BEWARE of FALSE information from them or Mr. Bennett.

Yes, that is actually good advice. BEWARE  of FALSE information (known as propaganda) from those same people who stole the last election, getting a record number of votes for  TRWD incumbents Jim Lane and Marty Leonard, with around 10,000 of those votes coming from absentee ballots, the absurdity of which is what sent up the red flags of obvious fraud.

These shameless people have no scruples.

Preying on the fears of senior citizens, cynically figuring senior citizens can be easily duped.

The above mailer tells senior citizens to vote early by mail, you know, those absentee ballots which were so useful to the TRWD incumbents the last election.

What does the TRWD Board, and the oligarchy which runs Fort Worth, have to fear from having another "outsider" join Mary Kelleher on the TRWD Board?

If "outsiders" controlled the TRWD Board all sorts of uncomfortable questions might get asked with answers unable to be avoided.

Questions such as why does J.D. Granger still have his job as Executive Director of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, with that project's vision having turned into a mismanaged muddy mess.

A muddy mess with the construction of three simple bridges being built over dry land, stalled for over a year.

Stalled with no explanation.

Questions about how much money has been spent on the TRWD's Trinity River Vision for items like various forms of propaganda, such as quarterly updates, websites, signage and other "image" enhancers intended to dupe the public?

A Dallas businessman is trying to get control of the local water supply? I guess this type nonsense worked the previous election, well, combined with absentee ballot fraud, but if I were a senior  citizen, with this type idiocy directed at me, well, I would feel insulted that Betsy and Mike, my fellow senior citizens, think I am this stupid and so easily duped....