Thanksgiving Week Internet Woes With D/FW Sam's Club Gas Gouging

I forgot about that which you see here til this Thanksgiving morning.

Monday morning my Internet connection ceased working. Calling for Spectrum tech support soon had me driving to the local Spectrum office to pick up a new router/modem device.

The new router/mode device did not fix the problem.

Spectrum then scheduled a tech guy to arrive by around 11 the next morning, that being Tuesday. I was scheduled to head towards the Dallas zone by one that afternoon.

The Spectrum tech guy showed up earlier than expected. The problem turned out to be not an easy fix. All wiring had to be replaced. And so it was, well before my departure time. With the Internet now working I was soon heading southeast via Highway 287.

By around four I was ready to leave D/FW. I stopped at my usual gas fillip location. The North Richland Hills Sam's Club located near Rufe Snow Road and 820.

Gas was $2.10.9. I did not call my mom to tell her I was getting gas.

I was about 10 gallons into the fill up process when I started to think the number I was seeing did not add up. By the time the number of gallons I had pumped reached 9.792 me, with my limited math skills, could see the pump was pumping at a rate well above $2.10.9 per gallon.

I ceased with the pumping and took the photo documentation you see below.

I then went into Sam's Club, to the service desk, to complain. Eventually I got the price difference refunded. But, I detected no sense that these Sam's Club employees realized how serious this type issue is.

I wondered how many of my fellow pumpers, filling up their tanks, paid any attention at all to the number of gallons being pumped and the total being charged. How many people have been gouged in this manner at this Sam's Club?

Or was my experience some sort of one pump anomaly? One would think the Sam's Club employees would have been right on this with some urgency. Coming back with me to the pump in question to see it make the mistake.

And how many people, realizing such a thing will go to the bother of complaining? It is a bit of a pain to do so. It helps when one is feeling righteously annoyed.

And I think I got more refunded to me than the actual overcharge. Slight compensation for the extreme annoyance.

Needless to say, on future trips to D/FW gas will not be pumped at Sam's Club in North Richland Hills.

After the Sam's Club ordeal leaving D/FW I thought I would have some evening commute traffic woes. But those turned out to be minimal. And soon D/FW was fading in my rear view mirror as I watched the sun set, which you see photo documented at the top, as I drive along eating my sushi on a stick late lunch....

Spencer Jack's Pre-Thanksgiving Non-Fiery Hike To Delicate Arch & Dead Horse Point

While Spencer Jack's dad's cousins, David, Theo and Ruby spent the week before Thanksgiving in Arizona, Spencer Jack has been one state north, in Utah.

Spencer Jack flew his dad into Denver several days ago, then drove west via I-70, through the Eisenhower Tunnel, past places like Vail and Aspen, which surprised the boys due to the large number of ski lifts they were seeing.

Eventually Spencer Jack got his dad to Moab where upon arrival they secured one of the 75 daily allotments for hikes into the Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park.

Spencer Jack and his dad called after they'd booked their hike into the Fiery Furnace, telling me it was a self-guided tour. I verbalized my astonishment that such was now allowed, when previously such was strictly verbotten.

Well, that night Spencer Jack took his dad to downtown Moab in search of a restaurant for their evening feeding, and in the process talked to multiple locals about hiking unguided into the Fiery Furnace. The locals also verbalized astonishment that such was allowed.

So, Spencer Jack and his dad decided to opt out of getting lost forever in the Fiery Furnace maze and instead decided to hike to Delicate Arch, which is where Spencer Jack is sitting above, in the aforementioned Arches National Park. and then drove to Dead Horse Point State Park, near the entry to Canyonlands National Park.

Above we see Spencer Jack tired of hiking, with his dad now piggy backing him. I believe that is the Colorado River we see a glimpse of, working on scouring deeper into the canyon. I vaguely recollect going to Dead Horse Point State Park and reading the story of why it was so named. Something to do with horses being accidentally stranded somehow on a mesa, and dying for lack of food and water. Or some such thing.

I think I have only been in Moab once when the town was not in tourist mode. That was a New Year's Eve. I think the year was 1995. I recollect snow on the ground and icy hiking in Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

I have no idea where Spencer Jack and his dad will be finding turkey in Moab today.

I do know that David, Theo and Ruby are flying back to Tacoma today. I do not know if they will have turkey in Arizona first. I will call later today and find out...

Pool Time With David, Theo & Ruby In Chandler Arizona With Spencer Jack In Fiery Furnace

The trio you are looking at here are Theo, Ruby and David. My nephews and niece from Tacoma.

The trio are currently visiting their grandma, and other relatives, currently located in Arizona, such as aunt Jackie, uncles Jack and Jake, .cousins Chris and Jeremy, and others, like Clancy and Fancy.

Where the trio are in this photo is a public pool in Chandler.

According to the trio's mother...

"We went to an awesome public pool in Chandler with a vortex pool, various waterslides, lazy river and a variety of diving boards. We went on a special family day, so it cost $1 for all of us!!! Pics to follow..."

Those aforementioned following pics are what you are seeing here.

On a sort of related note, last week I blogged about learning the shocking news From A Tacoma Postcard David, Theo & Ruby Will Never Come To Fort Worth.

I learned the Tacoma Trio would not be coming to Tacoma after I mentioned being momentarily confused via their postcard causing me to think the Tacoma Trio was in Fort Worth wanting me to come explore the town with them.

As I said in that blogging, I told my sister of my initial confusion to which my sister said,  "I can't see us coming to explore Fort Worth anytime soon. OK. Ever."

To which I said, "I can almost guarantee the kids would love the Fort Worth Stockyards. But, other than that. Nothing. Well, unless a storm blew in with tornado sirens. They might think that was fun."

Well, I feel terribly remiss in neglecting to mention to my sister anything about all the Fort Worth public pools the kids could enjoy during a visit to that fine "world class" town.

Imagine, I should have told my sister, the public pools in a town the size of Fort Worth, with what, a population about eight times the size of Chandler, obviously with a myriad of fun public pools being enjoyed by the public, in addition to one of the world's only defunct urban wakeboard park ponds.

Anyway, with that painful sarcasm out of the way, the rest of those aforementioned pics of the Tacoma Trio enjoying public pooling in Arizona...

That would be Ruby, below, shooting out of one of those waterslides. With Theo, above, about to hit water at the end of a long slide.

And then we have future Olympian David.

Whilst in Arizona David has been going by the new name of Michael. Something to do with uncle confusion.

Above that appears to be Ruby and Mama Kristin floated around on a Lazy River.

And Ruby now showing off her unique diving skills.

Which Theo then upping the ante with a reverse spin around dive into the pool.

I was scared to dive into a pool when I was these kid's age. I don't even think I knew how to swim at that age.

And here we have Theo and Ruby and a third unidentified swimmer. I forget what the name is of those floating tubes. Worms? Is that it? In the above photo I believe the kids are no longer at a public pool, but are at the pool at the place where their Aunts Clancy & Fancy are staying.

Yesterday whilst in the D/FW zone I began getting text messages from Spencer Jack and his dad. They have flown to Denver, then drove to Moab, where this morning they are going on the Fiery Furnace hike in Arches National Park. I expect to see photo documentation.

Trinity Trails "Could" Stretch To An Imaginary 219 Miles

Saturday night I was enjoying an immensely stimulating intellectual debate with D/FW's Trag Tickley, he being one of Facebook's most prolific instigators of thought stimulating debate.

Trag Tickley is so persuasive he almost has me turning into one of those left-leaning, liberal, progressive, free thinking American sorts.

So, after that Saturday night of sublime intense intellectual stimulation, the next morning Trag Tickley brought me back to the ridiculous, to yet one more embarrassingly stupid Fort Wort Star-Telegram propaganda piece, complete with an idiotic quote from Fort Worth's Mayor, Betsy Price.

Trag Tickley pointed me to this via a Facebook message which said...

Enjoy the delusional Betsy Price nugget buried in this story.

The "story" to which Trag Tickley refers is Expansion plans: Trinity Trails could stretch to 219 miles.

The use of the word "could" in the article title is a good clue you are about to read a Star-Telegram propaganda piece.

First paragraph contains the first error...

From zero to 72 miles in about 15 years, the Trinity Trails has become quite the attraction for bicyclists, joggers and all sorts of outdoor enthusiasts across Tarrant County.

From zero to 72 miles? When I arrived in Texas, late in the last century, longer than 15 years ago, there were already miles of  paved Trinity Trails trailing alongside the shade-free Trinity River.

Oh yes, those Trinity Trails have become quite the attraction across Tarrant County. Unless, you know, you live in the Arlington part of Tarrant County with close access to River Legacy Park and that park's miles of paved trails, shaded by trees, along the Trinity River.

And then this paragraph...

According to the draft of a proposed strategic plan of the Trinity Trails, that could grow an to impressive 219 miles, closing gaps between 18 cities and along waterways, and creating a tourism mecca as well as a economic development opportunities. The trails would run along all 90 miles of the Trinity River in Tarrant County.

There we have the "could" word again. Yes 219 miles could/would be impressive. As would be creating any sort of tourism mecca in a part of America currently lacking any tourism meccas.

And this...

For example, the trails would loop completely around Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Benbrook. Or, someone in Crowley could get on the trails and make it up to north Saginaw, some 30 miles away, or from White Settlement to past River Legacy Park in Arlington. Eventually the trails will connect into Dallas.

Oh yes, one can really see that happening, paved trails looping around those two lakes. And someone from Crowley biking all the way to Saginaw. I have been hearing about that imaginary possible trail connection to Dallas ever since I have been in Texas.

Plus this...

“It’s pretty inspiring,” Pierce said. Steams & Valleys raised $450,000 to hire California-based MIG Inc. consultants to shepherd and write the new 10-year plan. “We’ve had a lot of great river plans, but things change so fast now. Is this very ambitious? No question it is. We want to look ahead to the river we want to have.” Consultants are in the thick of the planning process, asking for suggestions from groups, city leaders and the public.

Yeah. really inspiring. Somehow a California consultant firm was able to milk about a half million bucks from the local rubes to help come up with a plan as to where to pave imaginary trails which will never happen, judging, am I, by how little seems to happen with any sort of urgency in this lethargic part of America.

We've had a lot of great river plans? Things change so fast now? Consultants are in the thick of this trail planning process? Asking for suggestions? Who writes this stuff? Who approves it for publishing?

How are those three simple little bridges being built across dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island coming along? Along with the rest of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision?

Is Fort Worth's downtown homage to its founding, Heritage Park, still a boarded up eyesore?

Read the Expansion plans: Trinity Trails could stretch to 219 miles in its entirety for the full propaganda lunacy.

We will end with what Trag Tickely referred to as a delusional nugget from Betsy Price...

Mayor Betsy Price called the draft an amazing plan so far. “It used to be a muddy ditch. It’s a jewel now,” she said of the Trinity River.

During my time in Texas the Trinity River has not changed one iota. It was a littered, muddy, don't eat the fish you catch, polluted mess when I arrived and if anything, it is more littered, muddy and polluted now, in 2017. But, Fort Worth's mayor thinks the muddy ditch has turned into a jewel.

And people wonder why I and others think Fort Worth is totally ill-served by the fools who get elected to local public office and the sad excuse for a newspaper which reports on their embarrassing nonsense without identifying it as such...

Sunday Sunset Rolling Around Wichita Falls & Sikes Lake

This morning I rode my bike on a Sunday Morning Pre-Thanksgiving Ride Around Wichita Falls Light Fantasy followed at the other end of this Sunday by a sunset ride around Sikes Lake.

I am looking a little cold in this sunset selfie with the sun setting behind me. But, the outer world really was not all that cold.

Low 60s. With no wind, as you can see by the glassy still surface of Sikes Lake glowing behind me.

I had on sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt, whilst I saw others circulating around Sikes Lake in shorts and t-shirts. I was over dressed, in other words.

Another view of the Sikes Lake sunset, without me blocking any of the view.

When the sun finishes setting lights come on all around Sikes Lake, allowing for post-darkness outdoor activity. I have not partaken of such, but last night driving by this location, well after the sun had set, I was surprised by the number of people I could see making their way around the lake, even with the gale force wind continuing to blow, which had been blowing all day long.

I knew of no lighted paved trail anywhere in the Texas town I previously lived in. This morning one my D/FW fonts of information, Trag Tickley, pointed me to an embarrassing article in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, an article with typical Star-Telegram mis-information, propaganda, and topped with a ridiculously stupid comment from Fort Worth Mayor, Betsy Price.

I must get around to blogging about that which Trag Tickley pointed me to. Later...

Sunday Morning Pre-Thanksgiving Ride Around Wichita Falls Light Fantasy

Four days to go til Thanksgiving.

I do not remember when I last was in holiday spirit mode so well in advance of the holidays.

I'm done with my Christmas shopping.

And all my Christmas decorating.

And all my Christmas card mailings.

Now, all I have to do is enjoy this latest iteration of the holiday season til it is blessedly over with at the start of yet another new year.

On Friday I rolled my bike's wheels to the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus intending to shoot video whilst riding my bike around the perimeter of Wichita Falls Fantasy of Light Christmas theme park.

On that day the wind which blew all day Saturday had begun to blow. Hence most of the video I took that day was noisy with the wind blowing over my patented pithy commentary.

So, on this almost dead calm, almost windless Sunday, this morning I rolled back to MSU and did two video iterations. I liked the second one best, so that is the one I YouTubed which you can watch and listen to below.

But before we get to that what are we looking at in these two photos, above and below?

Well, in the one at the top, located at the far southeast edge of the Fantasy of Lights, is your basic stereotypical Bethlehem manger scene, with some wise men on camels, a couple sheep, a couple shepherds, and Mary and Joseph in the manger with their newborn. The Joseph figure looks sort of worried and angry. I suspect he had just received word America's modern era Herod had blocked immigrants from migrating from Mary and Joseph's war torn oppressive middle eastern location to the new world of America. And so the desperate young family is stuck their with their baby, awaiting who knows what dire fate at the hands of the infidels from the west.

And then we move on from that poignant scene to the next one.

What appear to be the Village People on a carousel. The explanatory signage accompanying this installation really did not explain much. All that signage says is "NUTCRACKER CAROUSEL Adopted By First Bank".

Nutcracker Carousel? Aren't the Nutcrackers in the Nutcracker ballet production some sort of toy soldier figures? Even more confusing is the Village Person in white on the left. The banner on that Village Person's back says "Texas Nurses".

Before we get to the video from today, the full text of an article in this morning's Wichita Falls Times News Record, or is that Wichita Falls News Times Record? I can never remember. Just a second I will go look...

Oh my, both are wrong. The correct name of the local newspaper is Wichita Falls Times Record News. I don't mean to be rude, which I never am, but that newspaper name is just unnecessarily convoluted, hence my confusion. Why not simply call it the Wichita Falls News and leave it at that? Or Wichita Falls Times? Or Wichita Falls Record?

Almost forgot, here is the blurb from the Times Record News about that which I biked around today...

With the flick of a switch at dusk on Nov. 20, the MSU-Burns Fantasy of Lights displays will illuminate the campus of Midwestern State University and Wichita Falls with a festive atmosphere. Almost 40 lighted displays – including Peter Pan, The Three Little Pigs and a robot blowing bubbles – will light the night.

This year, guests will get an extra treat. Workers at MSU found a treasure that hasn’t been displayed in 15 years. Hidden in a crawl space of the Hardin Building, a vintage display spells out “Merry Christmas To All” in red and green neon letters. Students at the Carrigan Center transformed the neon letters to LED lights.

The lighted animated displays take about 1,300 hours to set up and maintain. Fantasy of Lights receives no state funding or federal grants, but instead relies exclusively on the generous donations and volunteerism of the city of Wichita Falls. To keep the timeless tradition going takes the effort of generous donors like you.

The holiday light displays that burn bright on the campus on Taft Boulevard are viewed by approximately 200,000 people every year – at no charge. 

And here is the almost wind free video...

From Tacoma Postcard I Learn David, Theo & Ruby Will Never Come To Fort Worth

Yesterday I found that which you see here in my mailbox.

Several weeks ago David, Theo & Ruby text messaged me saying they'd lost my address, asking me to send it to them again. I did so, figuring David, Theo & Ruby must be wanting to mail me something.

So, starting a few days after that I eagerly opened the mailbox anticipating incoming from my Tacoma nephews and niece.

After weeks of nothing from Tacoma I sort of forgot about it. And then yesterday the postcard you see here arrived. On the postcard a label was stuck informing me there had been some delivery difficulty, the nature of which I was unable to determine.

I was barely back in my abode when David, Theo and Ruby, and their mother, texted me asking "Did our postcard get to you?"

I replied that it had arrived a couple minutes previous. A reply to that told me they'd mailed the postcard weeks ago.

What spooky coincidental timing. Texting asking if I had gotten the postcard minutes after I got the postcard which was weeks late in arriving.

My mailbox is in a location without good lighting. When I got the postcard out of the mailbox I was without my reading glasses, just returning from a long bike ride. When I first read the message on the postcard I mis-read Worden as Worth and thought the kids had written "We want you to come explore Fort Worth with us."

Yikes, I thought, they are in Fort Worth? I thought they were supposed to be in Arizona? But then I checked again, even before better light and reading glasses, to read the message correctly.

I told my sister of my initial confusion to which my sister said,  "I can't see us coming to explore Fort Worth anytime soon. OK. Ever."

And then my reply to that struck me as both amusing and revealing, due to it being how Fort Worth is talked about when talked about to non-Texans. This is what I replied...

"Well, I can almost guarantee the kids would love the Fort Worth Stockyards. But, other than that. Nothing. Well, unless a storm blew in with tornado sirens. They might think that was fun."

Nothing of interest in Fort Worth to three kids from Tacoma other than the Stockyards?

Fort Worth Zoo? Those kids have been to the San Diego Zoo, Woodland Park Zoo, the Tacoma Zoo, Northwest Trek, and others I probably don't know about.

Parks? I'd be embarrassed to take them to a Fort Worth park. What if they needed a restroom? David, Theo & Ruby live a short distance from Point Defiance Park, a huge Tacoma park which could likely contain all Fort Worth's parks. Point Defiance Park has miles of trails through old growth forest, an actual fort in Fort Nisqually, miles of beach with crystal clear water, the Tacoma zoo, and I think, an aquarium and multiple other assets one would not find in a Fort Worth park. Such as modern restrooms in multiple locations.

Swimming pools? Tacoma has multiple public pools in various iterations. One with a giant wave pool, another with a lazy river.

Sundance Square Plaza? Tacoma has two plaza type locations, with water features kids play in, that pretty much dwarf Fort Worth's little plaza, which is sponsored by a Japanese auto maker. The kids have also been to Seattle's Westlake Center, which also dwarfs Fort Worth's little plaza, and also has a water feature. And a monorail. And a vertical mall, and access to a light rail tunnel underground.

Cabela's? The sporting goods store which the Star-Telegram helped propaganda-ize would be the top tourist attraction in Texas. when six months after opening it was not even the only Cabela's in Texas, and now is not even the only Cabela's in the D/FW Metroplex.

David, Theo & Ruby live a short distance from two Cabela's, one a short drive to the south on I-5, the other a short drive to the north on I-5. Both built without trying to con Washingtonians with idiotic nonsense about a sporting goods store being the top tourist attraction in Washington. Both built without being conned into providing incentives such as Fort Worth willingly provided, you know, so as to get that top tourist attraction in Texas.

Okay, maybe get out of Fort Worth and take the kids to Arlington to Six Flags Over Texas. Nope. They've been to Disneyland and Disney California. But, the kid's parental units might like Six Flags, due to the admission fee being a fraction of what it costs to go to Disneyland. Then, again, you get what you pay for.

Well, I guess I could take them to one of Fort Worth's Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats. Such is not available anywhere else in the world. Floating in a muddy river regularly contaminated with too many toxins, like e.coli, while listening to music coming from an imaginary pavilion on an imaginary island. You can't find that type entertainment in Tacoma. Or anywhere in Washington, or probably the entire west coast, including British Columbia....

Did MSU Flying Monkeys Return Tin Man To Yellow Brick Road?

Yesterday after I took a Roll Through MSU With Cinderella & Dorothy On The Yellow Brick Road I verbalized being concerned as to the whereabouts of the Tin Man, due to the Tin Man not being with Dorothy, the Cowardly Lion, the Scarecrow or Toto at the massive MSU (Midwestern State University) Holiday Season Christmas Theme Park.

I have no way of knowing if the Tin Man, as was speculated, had been Flying Monkey-napped by the Wicked Witch of the West, or had simply wandered off, or took a coffee break.

The missing Tin Man worried me almost all night long. So, today I rolled myself back to MSU to find myself relieved to see the Tin Man back with the rest of the gang heading to the Emerald City via the Yellow Brick Road in the Merry Land of Oz in Texas.

If the above were a video you would be seeing the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion in motion mode. The Tin Man slowly swings his ax whilst squeaking, while behind him the Cowardly Lion waves an arm holding a can of tin lubricating grease. The Scarecrow, Dorothy and Toto were also in motion mode in various ways today.

Maybe before this latest iteration of the "Holidays" is mercifully over for another year I will wander through the MSU Christmas Theme Park and take video of all the action.

And in other news, this morning I was pleased to learn I am now the Wichita Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau's Outdoors Adventure Guru. This gets me many perks, including ice water anytime I visit WFC & VB's offices in Ray Clymer Hall at MPEC (Multi-Purpose Event Center) in downtown Wichita Falls.

Best free ice water since the last time I was in South Dakota at Wall Drug....

Washington Outhouse Landing Thought Not To Fly In From Fort Worth

I saw this this morning on Facebook, via Tacoma's Queen V, which had me thinking, before learning the details, that this was yet one more interesting Fort Worth outhouse installation.

But, why would Queen V in Tacoma be seeing this?

Well, turns out this outhouse took flight a couple days ago during a big, bad windstorm which battered Western Washington.

I do not know in what town and on whose house this outhouse landed.

The reason I assumed this was in Fort Worth was because of the number of times I have seen similar such things in what is known as the Outhouse Capital of the World, with more outhouses per capita than any other major town in America.

Having more outhouse per capita than any other town in America is yet one more Fort Worth claim to fame which has cities Far and Wide Green With Envy regarding Fort Worth.

Most Fort Worth parks have no modern facilities, no restrooms, no running water. But do have picnic tables and outhouses, with no place to wash ones hands.

Even Fort Worth's only real tourist attraction, the Fort Worth Stockyards, considers indoor plumbing to be a luxury. We have blogged about this a number of times, most recently in Is Indoor Plumbing An Imaginary World Class Fort Worth Luxury?

That most recent blogging about Fort Worth's paucity of indoor plumbing was prompted by some foolish nonsense in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about some mundane thing in Fort Worth being "World Class" and thus worthy of being considered for something I don't remember. The Amazon HQ2 location? Maybe that was it.

Most of Fort Worth's city parks can not be accessed by a sidewalk. Because Fort Worth has the fewest sidewalks per city street mile than any other major city in America. But that's a whole different issue than the Fort Worth indoor plumbing shortage....

Roll Through MSU With Cinderella & Dorothy On The Yellow Brick Road

This mid November Wednesday was warm enough to make for a mighty fine bike ride today, mighty fine, even with a mighty strong wind blowing in from the north.

Today I once again found myself rolling through the MSU (Midwestern State University) campus Christmas Happy Holiday Season theme park.

The lights were on and the animation was animating, with a piano player playing for dancing girls dancing,a Ferris wheel spinning, along with the spinning wagon wheels of Cinderella's pink chariot, which is what you see above. From this angle you can not see Cinderella looking all cozy inside her carriage, but you can see those jealous evil step-sisters look evil in the foreground.

I am unclear as to what the Holiday Season connection is between Cinderella and Christmas. The same is true with the below exhibit.

But you have to admit, even though the Christmas connection might be a bit confusing, Cinderella, along with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion and Toto make for a festive piece of Holiday Season merriment.

But, where is the Tin Man? Has he already entered the Emerald City ahead of the rest of this gang? Or lost on the Yellow Brick Road? Did the Flying Monkeys snatch him? Or the Wizard of Oz?

I don't know.

I shall look more earnestly for the Tin Man the next time I visit...