Riding Tacoma Waves With David, Theo & Ruby

For today's mid-day Tacoma fun David, Theo and Ruby waited til after Lego Camp to take me to Kandle Park to do some wave pooling along with a lot of other wave poolers.

We had a mighty fine time along with Mama Kristin.

In addition to this Tacoma public pool, with its big wave making machine, along with a wading pool and other water features, like a giant water dumping bucket and water machine guns, there are other Tacoma public pool parks. One of which has a lazy river.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth, Texas. Where it gets HOT.

Oh, why bother?

But it does make one wonder how it is one area of America can be so, well, advanced, progressive, modern, dynamic,and socially advanced while another area of America can be, well, not so much.

I took the above picture when we were leaving. Kristin took a lot of other pictures whilst we were wave pooling. I will likely share those later if we can figure out how to get them off Kristin's phone to my phone to this computer.

Other than the wave surfing my most amusing moment of the pool time was when a school girl friend of Theo's asked him if I was his grandpa.

Another amusing moment came when Theo and I were at the deep end, near where the waves generate, when a little girl wearing a flotation device asked if we could help her get to shore. She was very grateful when we got to where the waves were crashing at the end of their run.

We wave pooled for a couple hours, then had a picnic on the grassy knoll overlooking the pool, then it was off to Proctor to try out a new gelato joint.

In a couple hours we're heading to the north end of Tacoma, to Ruston, to see the results of a real public works project with a real dramatic water feature, a massive development which solved a real environmental issue.

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth. Again, why bother?

PHOTO UPDATE:

Swan Creek Blackberry Mountain Biking With David, Theo & Ruby

That is my niece, Little Miss Ruby, you see pointing at me from her outdoor art studio. I was in the kitchen, looking out. Soon Ruby sent her brother, Theo, in to inform me it was time to go mountain biking on the Swan Creek Mountain Bike Trails.

A few minutes later David, Theo and Ruby helped me load the bikes on which they had spent the afternoon performing maintenance tasks, after we went on the Tacoma Walmart's hyperdrive grocery cart ride hunting for a bike tire pump, among other bike-related items.

A few hours before the smoky sun set for the day we arrived at Swan Creek Park. After consulting the trail signage Ruby directed us to warm up on the roller coaster Pump House trail. We all did so until David sustained a minor injury which took him out of biking action, temporarily.

Leaving David and Mama Michele behind, Theo lead Ruby and me off into the wooded forest of Swan Lake Park.

We made our way back to Mama Michele and the recuperating David. Soon thereafter we began picking blackberries. A lot of blackberries. It almost seemed as if Ruby could eat her weight in blackberries.

Soon we exhausted the easy pickings of the Swan Lake Park blackberries, so we headed to the Tacoma Community College blackberry patch where we filled enough containers with enough blackberries to make a cobbler or two.

After we finished picking blackberries we got gas, but did not call grandma. We did get some ultra fancy ice cream products of which I was soon tasked with completing the consumption of two out of three of the ultra fancy ice cream products.

Soon we were driving through Taco Time where we loaded up on natural burritos, fish tacos, chicken quesadillas and Taco Time tater tots.

Today David, Theo and Ruby are taking me swimming where there is a giant wave making machine. Then this evening the trio is taking me to Ruston to the site of America's biggest Superfund site, which has now been turned into Tacoma's most popular residential destination, along with multiple other attractions, one of which is taking a bike powered carriage tour of Ruston.

America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known at the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision, has not reached the point where enough digging has been done to discover the site is a badly polluted area in dire need of being a Superfund site. With the potential to be America's Biggest.

That would be impressive for Fort Worth, to morph America's Biggest Boondoggle into America's Biggest Superfund site, which would make America's Biggest Boondoggle even a bigger boondoggle...

INCOMING ADDITIONAL PHOTO DOCUMENTATION

With Sheriff Help David, Theo & Ruby Find Their Uncle

Well, I arrived right on time yesterday in Seattle.

Most of the ride north was over a carpet of fluffy clouds.

Flying into and out of the Dallas/Fort Worth zone I was surprised at how green the landscape was looking.

A few hours later I looked out the window to see I was crossing over the Columbia River, from Oregon to Washington. The clouds were mostly gone, the sky was clear, free of the smoke I was expecting.

Then a few miles later a haze began to appear. Eventually I could not tell what I was flying over. The Cascade mountains? What? Usually I see the Washington volcanoes popping up above the rest of the mountains. Yesterday nary a mountain was to be seen through the thick smoky haze.

As we descended to Sea-Tac I could tell we were coming in from the south. Unlike Texas, the landscape of Western Washington was not looking evergreen. Instead brown seemed to be the dominant color, both on the ground and in the sky.

Soon upon landed I texted "The Uncle Has Landed".

A few minutes later I walked out of the security area where I soon found myself attacked by three Washingtonians, watched over by a Washington Sheriff escort.

Those three attacking Washingtonians were David, Theo and Ruby. That is the attack you see photo documented above.

A few minutes later I jokingly asked who was gonna carry my bags for me. Theo quickly grabbed one, then David the other. I felt a little bad that the two nephews were doing such heavy lifting, but they did not seem to mind.

On the ground the smoky haze turned out not to be too annoying, except for the diminishing of visibility.
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Soon I-5 came into view. Stalled traffic jam for miles. The onboard navigators, David and Theo, used their traffic monitoring device to determine it would take a long time to get to Tacoma from our location.

So, Ruby suggested we go to Southcenter to Duke's to wait out the traffic congestion. At Duke's we had ourselves a mighty fine selection of seafood, including alder smoked salmon, dungeness crab and hail caesar salad. And the best french fries ever.

After Duke's David, Theo and Ruby took me to Legoland, I mean, the Lego Store. We got ourselves some Legos, then headed back to I-5 where traffic was flowing fine til we got to Fife, so we exited and took the scenic route back to Tacoma.

After a few minutes at the home location, where the home security chief, Eddie the Poodle, gave me a thorough checkout before giving his approval, we then walked to Ruby's Annual Potato Fry Party, via wide sidewalks, with a grassy landscaped area between the sidewalks and street.

At the Potato Fry Party I met a lot of people. No selfie type photos were taken, because, you know, that is so outdated and just not done in polite company.

I had some interesting conversations at the Potato Fry Party, Texas oriented questions. I shall save that for a future blogging, perhaps after I return to Texas.

Today when David, Theo and Ruby get back from Lego Camp we are going to work on our bikes. I hope that goes well...

Heading North To The Smoky Pacific Northwest Without Elsie Hotpepper

Last week when the news of how bad the smoky haze which has descended upon Washington from Canadian wildfires became known to me I figured by the time I arrived late this afternoon that the bluest skies I have ever seen, along with hills the greenest green, would have returned.

However, last night Mount Vernon amateur meteorologist, Miss Linda, told me the choking smoke has gotten worse. Currently the Pacific Northwest has the worst air pollution in America

For illustrative purposes I found the photo you see here, via the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Known as the P-I, along with the Seattle Times, for you reading this in Fort Worth, these are what are known as real newspapers, covering real news, and  practicing a practice known as investigative journalism.

For instance if that tower you see through the above haze had started being constructed, with a four year construction timeline, and if that construction stopped shortly after starting, a few feet above ground level, the local newspaper journalists would investigate and let their readers know what was causing the problem.

Meanwhile in an American backwater called Fort Worth...

Visit Fort Worth's Infamous Graveyard Of Broken Promises.

For the next couple weeks Internet access for me is going to be a bit erratic. I am not hauling my laptop with me for the first time in a long time.

Tonight my nephews David and Theo, and niece Ruby, are taking me to a Potato Fry Party. I may take pictures. I may blog those pictures later tonight. I really have no idea at this point in time.

This morning I arrive at D/FW for an almost three hour wait to catch a plane heading to Seattle. I do not know if Elsie Hotpepper is going to use her TSA Homeland Security credentials to get past airport security to come find me and take me to McDonald's for lunch.

I suspect Elsie will bail on lunch, which is her norm...

Biking To Metal MSU Bikers Thinking About Ruby Tuesday Flight North

This first Sunday of August, day six, also known as the anniversary of the Hiroshima atom bomb bombing. And my mom and dad's anniversary.

Mom's first anniversary without dad.

This morning I took my bike on a ride. Eventually ending up on the MSU (Midwestern State University)  campus where I soon found  myself running into that which you see here.

A pair of bikers memorialized in metal. An homage to the Hotter n' Hell 100, the latest iteration of which takes place towards the end of this current month.

I won't be riding in the Hotter n' Hell 100, but I likely will venture to downtown Wichita Falls, to the MPEC (Multi Purpose Event Center) to partake in the festivities.

That is if I make it back in time from my journey north and west, which starts up the morning of this coming Tuesday.

Tuesday morning I will land somewhere at D/FW  Airport, brought to town by some flying device the nature of which is unknown  to me. Jet? A plane propelled by propellers?  I have no idea. Years ago I landed in Juneau, Alaska, arriving on a 707, soon finding myself on a small plane propelled by propellers, to fly to a little town called Hoonah, where there was no airport, so the plane had to land on the water. That was an adventurous landing.

I am almost 100% certain the plane that will fly me to D/FW will not be landing on water, even though Lake Grapevine is nearby.

I have almost three hours to kill after I land at D/FW before my plane to Seattle takes off. Elsie Hotpepper may use her TSA Homeland Security credentials to get past security to take me out to lunch at one of the airport's many fine dining locations, like McDonalds.

When I land in Seattle I believe I will be getting picked up by David, Theo and Ruby, then brought to Tacoma where the annual neighborhood Potato Fry will be taking place at Ruby's, next door to David, Theo and Ruby's.

Apparently Ruby has become a commonly used name in the Pacific Northwest.

On Friday David, Theo and Ruby will be taking me to the far north, to Birch Bay, where we will stay til Monday.

On Tuesday I will be back in the air again, heading south to Phoenix, to see my mom. And my sister, Jackie, and, I hope, nephews Chris and Jeremy, and my favorite brother-in-law, Jack.

Starting the next day I should be having myself a mighty fine time having a morning swim with the Sun Lakes Ladies.

I get back to Texas August 22, arriving in Wichita Falls an hour before midnight. The next morning I get to drive back to the D/FW zone. I will likely be a bit tired....

Bizarre DFW NBC TRV Bridge Boondoggle Propaganda

Yesterday I blogged about Visiting Fort Worth's Infamous Graveyard Of Broken Promises.

In that blogging about Fort Worth's ghost town of abandoned bridge piers I mentioned being puzzled as to why no D/FW media entity seems interested in finding out why the construction of these simple little bridges, the construction of  which began with a TNT bang way back in 2014, has stalled.

Ironically, soon after mentioning the lack of media interest in Fort Worth's embarrassing bridge boondoggle, Captain Andy, Elsie Hotpepper and others pointed to a new piece of absurdly embarrassing D/FW media propaganda regarding Fort Worth's ridiculous bridge fiasco.

This time the perpetrating propaganda purveyor is DFW's NBC affiliate in a "news" story titled Plan from Two Cities on the Same River : Fort Worth construction underway on Panther Island Trinity project.

Click the link to read the article and watch the "LIVE" from Fort Worth clip from DFW NBC local TV news, which seems to channel the spirit of Ted Baxter, in both male and female Baxter versions.

The local NBC TV "news" story leads one to think Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision is well underway, unlike the Dallas version of the vision. Even though Dallas has actually completed two actual signature bridges, actually built over water, known as the Trinity River. DFW NBC TV's report also gives the impression that Fort Worth's river vision only recently came to be, when the sad reality is this myopic vision has been limping along since the beginning of the century.

Some choice bit of ironic idiocy from  the print version of the DFW NBC TV article about Fort Worth's Bridge Boondoggle, including, as always in such articles, choice bits of utter nonsense from Congresswoman Kay Granger's boy, J.D....

The Fort Worth redevelopment area along the river will become what is now called Panther Island with construction of a new flood control bypass canal across a bend in the river north of downtown.

The redevelopment area will become what is now called Panther Island? After a flood control bypass is constructed across a bend in the river? That paragraph is what is known as meaningless gibberish. More accurately stated the redevelopment area will be known as Panther Island if the ditch ever gets dug to separate that chunk of land from the Fort Worth mainland, creating an imaginary island.

Bridges that would cross that future canal are under construction, even before digging of the canal that is slated to begin next year.

The bridges are under construction? Did the DFW NBC reporter not notice the weeds growing amongst the long stalled bridges? And the rusted rebar? That imaginary construction began with a bang way back in 2014. It is now past halfway through 2017. It took about that much time to build the Golden Gate Bridge. Over water. Digging  the canal is slated to begin next year? Really? And where did this erroneous information come  from?

J.D. Granger, executive director of the Fort Worth Trinity River Vision Authority, said the redevelopment area on the new island doubles the size of the Fort Worth Central Business District.

Yes, Granger has repeated this pretty much every time he is "interviewed" for one of the local media's propaganda pieces. Doubles the size of the Fort Worth Central Business District? Anyone know the whereabouts and  measurements of the Business District to which Granger refers? New island? As opposed to the old island? And by what rational stretch of the imagination is this going to be an island, even if that ditch is ever dug and water diverted into the ditch?

“This is very much going to have a functional purpose for flood control, and on top of that a wonderful backdrop for development — a beautiful promenade all along the water’s edge, and immediately adjacent to that you’ll be able to dine and have great residential looking over the water every day,” Granger said.

Great residential looking over the water every day? What does that mean? A functional purpose for flood control? Where no flood has occurred for well over half a century due to levees built and paid for way back  in the 1950s.

A 300-unit apartment is due to break ground in December near what is planned to be an urban lake on the Trinity.

The apartment about to break ground chestnut is always part of these propaganda pieces. Has the builder applied for building  permits yet? Does anyone know precisely the location of the shore of this urban lake which has changed size multiple times throughout the decade? Why does J.D. always use the "urban" modifer to describe this possible lake? Aren't all the lakes in a city urban lakes? And what is meant by "urban lake on the Trinity'? The Trinity is a river. How do you have a lake on a river? You can dam a river, creating a reservoir, which is often referred to as a lake. Isn't this particular proposed "urban lake" simply a section of the Trinity River which may be widened to create an imaginary lake?

“It solves the majority of our flood issues in our community, which is a huge issue for us given our population growth,” Granger said.

Now, the above is the most  embarrassingly stupid doozy to be uttered by J.D. Granger during the entire multi year period in which he has been uttering insipidly idiotic utterances.  This solves the majority of the flood issues in our community? As has already been mentioned, this area has not flooded for over half a century. However other areas of Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, such as Haltom City, have serious, unaddressed flooding issues. Deadly flooding issues.

“To be in a Texas city in a waterfront community in a landlocked area is a very, very unique opportunity,” Granger said. “So we’re working very hard to capitalize on it, because that’s something very special.”

Waterfront community? In a landlocked area is a unique opportunity? The water in this currently imaginary waterfront community comes from the Trinity River. The polluted Trinity River, where frequently the pollution reaches levels deemed unsafe for humans.

As for "very, very". Has no one mentioned to J.D. Granger the famous quote from Mark Twain regarding what apparently is one of J.D.'s very favorite words?

"Substitute 'damn' every time you're inclined to write 'very'; your editor will delete it and the writing will be just as it should be."...

Visit Fort Worth's Infamous Graveyard Of Broken Promises

UPDATE: Ridiculously Bizarre DFW NBC TRV Bridge Boondoggle Propaganda

Way back in early July, after receiving photo documentation from Captain  Andy, and after reading a bizarre article in the Fort Worth Business Press, I blogged J.D. Granger Spews Trumpish Bridge Propaganda Exposed By Captain Andy.

In that blogging we learned about the absurd means by which J.D. Granger claimed he and his minions had assembled a scale model of one of the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision's bridge V-piers, which Granger then claimed was dissected to prove to Doubting Thomases that the design of the forlorn bridges was workable.

And that construction could resume on the long stalled bridge building project, the construction of which began years ago, with a then astonishingly long project timeline which way back then had the bridges completed by 2018.

And now we are past the middle of 2017 and the non-existent bridges of what has become  known far and wide as America's Biggest Boondoggle are still in stall mode. We learned this yesterday from Captain Andy, who messaged the following report, which Captain Andy indicated, in his opinion, was not worthy of a Bridge Boondoggle Update. I thought otherwise, hence what you are reading now.

Below is what Captain Andy had to say about J.D. Granger's still stalled bridge construction....

Still nothing. Someone posted that they finally poured a pier. I drove by this afternoon and no v-pier has been poured. The site looks abandoned and with all the rain, the weeds are slowly reclaiming the site as the rebar begins to show signs of rusting. Not worthy of a new bridge update imo, but just wanted you to know, whatever column they may have finally poured, it wasn't one that mattered. When this debacle finally ends,  I'm wondering if we will find out what the heck happened. If I had to guess, I'd say the v-piers are structurally deficient and can't be redesigned. But that's just speculation.

___________________

The reason, in my opinion, making mention of the still stalled bridge construction was a worthy thing to do is the fact that this bizarre reality does not seem to be newsworthy to any of that which passes for news sources in the Fort Worth zone.

America's Biggest Boondoggle is headquartered on the ground floor of the Star-Telegram building. Is that what prevents that sad excuse for a newspaper from acting like one regarding what one would think a legit newspaper would consider to be an issue of great public interest, the facts about which the public has a right to know?

Even though the public has never been allowed to vote on this public works project which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Why has the town's "independent" news source, Fort Worth Weekly, not done some investigative journalism looking into Fort Worth's notorious bridge mess?

Regarding the apparent engineering problem with the Boondoggle's bridges, just look at that V-pier form in the photo above. Imagine that form filled with concrete. And then the supports removed. What happens then. A quick crash to the ground? How were/are these V-piers supposed to support themselves?

Fort Worth's Graveyard of Broken Promises, that being the location of multiple rusting rotting V-pier forms, has become Fort Worth's top tourist attraction, with visitors having little interest in the nondescript downtown, instead asking how to get to the location of the million dollar Homage to a Trash Can and Ground Zero of America's Biggest Boondoggle.

Fort Worth has long sought something to make the town "special" to the rest of America and the world.

Being the location of the world's biggest experiment in urban gas fracking did not do the trick.

But being the location of America's Biggest Boondoggle with its bridges stuck trying to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island, seems to have given Fort Worth a tourist attraction the likes of which the town has not had  previously.

Add to that the spectacle tourists get to witness when throngs of Fort Worth natives float the polluted Trinity River on inner tubes, listening to music coming from an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island.

What is the actual problem with the stalled construction of these simple little bridges? Does anyone know?

UPDATE: Ridiculously Bizarre DFW NBC TRV Bridge Boondoggle Propaganda

Long Ago Wheels Rolling In Burlington's Berry Dairy Days Parade

Of late I have had reason to look through my collection of photos. Doing so I have come upon a few from long ago, photo documenting moments which I had long forgotten had been committed to the photo documentation process.

Such as the three photos you see here.

In the first photo that would be me, with my bike crepe papered red and white.

I have absolutely no memory of this. I assume my bike was dressed up in this manner because I was rolling my wheels in Burlington's Berry Dairy Days Parade.

My dad, with mom's help, built many parade floats in our Burlington garage. Most of the floats only floated in the Burlington parade. But, one of the years, after we won the Best Float Award we hauled that float east a few miles, to Sedro-Woolley, to float in the Loggerodeo Parade.

I do not believe that prize winning float was either of the two you see below.

Above we are in front of our Burlington house, getting ready to parade. That is sister Clancy Nancy sitting on a throne looking very regal while my little brother, Jake, and I get ready to pull her past the throngs of parade watchers.

When I saw the below photo, before I installed my reading glasses, I thought I was seeing a new sibling was on the float.

But, I think that is an actual doll in the little berry, not my little sister, Jackie. I think this was the float which got us on the cover of Darigold's company magazine, due, I think, to the float displaying Darigold products hanging from tree branches behind the two big berries.

My little sister, Jackie, was the centerpiece of the most complicated, biggest parade float my mom and dad ever made. I believe that float was the last one ever built.

I can find no photo documentation of that most complicated, biggest parade float, so word pictures will have to suffice.

On a big square base, with a large square cut out of the center, my dad built a giant frame on which crepe paper turned the frame into a strawberry.  Atop the strawberry there was a seat. And on that seat my, at the time, littlest sister, Jackie, sat, attired like a Berry Dairy Princess.

A door in the strawberry gave dad access to the interior. Dad was the giant strawberry's motor. Dad had built a steering mechanism to help guide the giant berry.

People were easier to amaze,  long ago,  which had parade watchers puzzled as to what was moving that giant strawberry.

And then about a third of the way along the parade route there are railroad tracks crossing Fairhaven Avenue. Those railroad tracks proved problematic, bringing float movement to a halt.

My non-floating siblings, and mom and I, had been walking along the parade route, following dad and Jackie, but from the sidewalk. When the giant strawberry got stuck, after a minute or so, at least it seemed that long, or longer, some parade watchers realized dad needed some help, and so they boosted the giant berry over the railroad tracks.  I remember loud clapping and cheering as dad resumed rolling that giant berry down Fairhaven, with Princess Jackie, waving to the crowd.

I do not remember if we won an award that year.

I know photos of that giant berry with Jackie on top exist, but I do not know where....

Meanwhile In Fort Worth & Other Locations Dominated By Dimwits

I saw that which you see here, yesterday, via the Seattle Times.

45 new restaurant openings in Seattle.

Will the economic devastation from that $15 minimum wage ever cease?

Meanwhile, in Fort Worth and other locations dominated by dimwits...

Oh, why bother.

So, next week I am going to be seeing Seattle and much of the Western Washington Pacific Northwest zone in person for the first time in almost a decade.

I will get to eye witness, up close, the horrific results of an area of America dominated by well educated liberal progressives, as contrasted with what I see in less well educated conservative, non-progressive areas of Texas, such as Fort Worth, where little happens, slowly.

Such as attempting, for years, to build little bridges over dry land connecting nothing to nothing over nothing. Or decrepit parks allowed to fester in utter decrepitude year after year after year, such as Fort Worth's embarrassing boarded up celebration of the town's apparently limited heritage, Heritage Park.

I will be staying for a few days in Tacoma, a town where the streets have sidewalks, on both sides of the street, with a landscaped barrier, in most locations, between street and sidewalk.

What a concept. Sidewalks. Probably something those damn liberal progressives came up with, deranged mental midgets that they be.

One can only wonder how much more their economy would be booming if Seattle, and Western Washington, had not raised the minimum wage to such an economy stifling level...

David, Theo & Ruby Coronado Beach Combing For Soon To Be Favorite Uncle

Sometime around five o'clock in the afternoon, a week from today, for the first time ever, if all goes according to plan, I should be meeting the trio you see here for the first time.

From the left, in more ways than one, Theo, Ruby and David.

It has been a long time since I have had the fun of being an uncle to ones so young.

And this will be the first time I have ever gotten to be an uncle to a niece.

I am eagerly anticipating doing some heavy duty uncle time.

The picture you are looking at here is from a week or so ago, in San Diego. Judging from what I see in the background, Theo, Ruby and David are where some like it hot, Coronado Beach.  I make that judgment due to seeing a famous beach front hotel in the background which Marilyn Monroe used to like to play in.

Starting August 11 David, Theo, Ruby and I will be at another beach, though this one is not quite as famous as Coronado Beach, Birch Bay, way north, by Canada, not Mexico.

I highly doubt Marilyn Monroe ever played on the Birch Bay beach. However, I am fairly certain Bing Crosby and Loretta Lynn may have.

I was surprised to learn last night that I likely will not be seeing Spencer Jack or his uncle Joey when I am up in Washington this month. Apparently my nephew Joey will be fishing while Spencer Jack will be east of the mountains at Lake Chelan.

In Western Washington one refers to the the eastern half of the state as east of the mountains, due to the east side of the state being east of the barrier which bisects the state, known as the Cascade Mountains.

I also learned yesterday that much of Western Washington will be sweltering with record breaking HEAT this week, possibly going over 100, a degree which never happens on the west side of the mountains.

David, Theo and Ruby are rare Western Washingtonians in that their abode has air-conditioning.

At my current location currently the outdoors is being naturally chilled to a relatively chilly 76. Quite a drop  from the recent 100s. Rain is scheduled to drip, along with some thunder booming.

I am taking off now on a bike ride before the dripping and booming begins...