Back Home After Long Dark Tour Of Wichita Falls Sheppard Air Force Base

Yesterday, an hour before noon, Spencer Jack's grandpa, my little brother Jake, picked me up at Miss Daisy's in order to eventually deposit me at the airport.

Prior to arriving at the departure part of the airport my little brother took me to his neighborhood casino where we had ourselves a mighty fine lunch of sweet and sour and teriyaki chicken in a big bowl of chow mien noodles.

After noodling, my airport chauffeur drove out into the desert where I picked some cotton and saw a big eagle nesting in a big tree.

Eventually the tour took us back to where we had been the day before, that being the north side of Camelback Mountain. The day before we were denied entry to the full parking lot where hikers park before attempting to climb to the summit of Camelback Mountain. But yesterday we drove right in and found a parking spot where we took a driving respite during which I enjoyed the scenery, including the cactus in obscene gesture mode you see above.

I do not believe I have ever seen hiking trails with as many hikers as I saw the two days I was up close to Camelback Mountain. Upon my next return to Arizona Spencer Jack's grandpa and I are going to attempt reaching the Camelback summit. Or give it our best effort.

One of the signs at the trailhead had an ominous Heat Warning. Heat was not an issue yesterday, or the day before, or today. The temperature was barely above freezing for my last Arizona swim.

Soon after leaving Camelback Mountain we arrived at my departure point. I sadly said goodbye to Spencer Jack's grandpa and soon found myself flying east towards Texas.

The flight seemed to go fast. Until we landed. Eventually all aboard were allowed off the plane. I then easily made my way via the DFW Skytrain to the B terminal were I found the tiny plane with takes me back to Wichita Falls.

The landing in Wichita Falls turned a bit bizarre. We landed and then began rolling along, on and on and on. The previous time I landed in Wichita Falls it took about five minutes between touchdown and being at the exit gate.

Last night after about 10 minutes of rolling along I decided to call my mom, figuring we must be about at the gate. I talked to mom a couple minutes. Finished the mom call and soon found myself perplexed at the continuing long plane taxi ride, along with my fellow flyers, including many who were Air Force types familiar with the Sheppard Air Force Base landing zone we were touring.

One joked the pilot must be looking for the McDonald's drive through. This seemed funny at the time.

At one point the pilot hit something which felt like how it feels when you run your vehicle into a curb.

At another point the pilot hit the brakes and then began a spin the plane around maneuver which had all aboard looking at each other, laughing and shaking our heads in wonderment.

After the spin around the dark tour of Sheppard Air Force Base continued. I made a couple more calls.

And then, in the distance, we saw what looked like the Wichita Falls Airport building. The pilot was then following blue lights lining the way, marking a route called C.

When it became obvious the pilot had finally found our end point those onboard let out a muted cheer.

And then the cheering was followed with a slight problem getting lined up with the moving walkway thing upon which one eventually escapes.

As we all exited the plane the pilot stayed inside his cabin, so there was no opportunity to thank him for the long dark tour of Sheppard Air Force Base...

A Few Days Left In Paradise Before Returning To Texas

For the first time in well over two weeks I find myself connected via computer to the Internet.

In less than a week I should be back in Texas connected to the Internet via computer pretty much whenever I want to be.

The computer I am currently connected to the Internet with looks out on the view you see here. Which some may recognize as the pool at my sister Jackie's house.

Sister Jackie took my favorite brother-in-law, Jack, to Nevada yesterday, stopping at Laughlin before reaching Las Vegas today. Somehow I came into possession of the multiple number security code which allowed me to gain access to the computer I am currently using.

I am sort of looking forward to being back in Texas. A lot of troubling stuff has happened there since I have been visiting modern America.

To get computer access I left Miss Daisy alone for the first time in a long time. I told her I would not be gone long. Due to extreme wind conditions I am going to limit Miss Daisy's outdoor activity today.

Tomorrow morning the outer world in the Arizona Valley of the Sun is supposed to get down to only a few degrees above freezing. I will likely be appalling the locals by having myself a mighty fine time swimming tomorrow morning in one of the pools which feel too warm to my delicate heat sensitive sensibilities...

Is Hippie Spencer Jack Climbing Camelback Mountain With Me?

What you see here I found whilst checking email this morning, on this, my last day in Texas, for about a month.

A photo and a message from Spencer Jack's dad, my Favorite Nephew Jason, aka FNJ.

FUD-

Spencer Jack fashioned 1960s progressive America at school today.  

Thought you would enjoy seeing the soon to be 11 year old liberal Jones nephew’s cute photo.

Hope all is well,
FNJ

P.S. - Perhaps we can connect sometime soon in AZ. Perhaps we can hike Camelback Mountain together?

__________________

The 1960s? A time of rapid change, riots, assassinations, raging wars in Southeast Asia and the Middle East, Beatles, Beach Boys, Rolling Stones.

And Hippies.

I wonder if Spencer Jack's grandma Cindy, she being my favorite ex-sister-in-law, helped turn Spencer into a Hippie.

Spencer Jack and his dad are probably not aware of what a Flower Child their grandma and mom was back in those long ago days of peace, love and freedom.

Peace, love and freedom? Am I remembering right? That that was/is the Hippie Credo?

Am I to insinuate from Spencer Jack's dad's message that the boys will be in Arizona at some point in time this month?

I don't know about hiking up Camelback Mountain. That is in Scottsdale, where Spencer Jack's dad, my little brother, Jake, lives. There is a Camelback Mountain website devoted to climbing this mountain.

Wikipedia's description of hiking Camelback Mountain...

Two hiking trails ascend 1,280 feet (390 m) to the peak of Camelback Mountain. The Echo Canyon Trail is 1.14 miles (1900 m) and the Cholla Trail is 1.4 mi (2300 m). Both trails are considered strenuous with steep grades. The hiking path has dirt, gravel, boulders, and some handrail-assisted sections. The average hike requires a round trip time of 1.5 to 3 hours.

Closer to Jake than Camelback Mountain is Papago Park. There are a lot of fun things to hike to in Papago Park. Such as the Hole in the Rock.

The second highest mountain in the Phoenix mountain range is known as Piestewa Peak, formerly Squaw Peak. Spencer Jack's aunt Jackie, she being my sister, and I hiked Piestewa Peak back in March of 2012. We did not make it to the summit.

We could also go hiking on South Mountain. South Mountain Park is the biggest city park in America and one of the biggest urban parks in the world. A Republican president of the decent sort, who helped make parks, not destroy them, or open them to drilling, Calvin Coolidge, helped Phoenix acquire the South Mountain parkland.

The first time I drove the road to the top of South Mountain I saw bikers mountain biking on trails which I would not be comfortable riding. Treacherous.

A bike has been delivered to where I will be staying in Arizona. It is not a mountain bike, and so its wheels will not be seeing mountain bike trails. Those wheels will likely be seeing a lot of miles of paved trails trailing all over this location with multiple lakes, appropriately called Sun Lakes.

This is likely going to be my last blog posting for awhile. I am not bring a laptop with me. My only internet connection will be via my phone. Or when I am at my sister's in Chandler. I may be using this break from the Internet World, and my computer, to break my blogging addiction.

It is said it takes 21 days to break a bad habit, or start a new good habit...

Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster One Day Over 15 Years Ago

Not til this morning of February 2, did I realize, via the Fort Worth Connie D, that yesterday, February 1, was the 15th anniversary of the day the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry.

This seems so recent, yet it was 15 years ago. It may seem recent, but my memory of that day is hazy.

I remember laying on the floor, I think it was a Sunday morning, drinking coffee whilst reading the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, which way back then I still subscribed to the hard copy version.

It was while on the floor I learned of the shuttle disaster. Before thinking about it I would have said I heard the explosion. But I think that memory is conflating the shuttle disaster with the Sunday morning when I heard three loud bangs which I was to learn a few minutes later were Mt. St. Helens erupting.

If I remember right, I later learned people in the D/FW zone claimed to have heard the shuttle explosion. But, I did not hear anything. I also do not remember how I learned of the disaster. I know I did not have a TV on, or a radio. Yet I learned of it almost as it happened.

I Googled "Columbia Disaster" to see if anything refreshed any of my faulty memory. The Wikipedia Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster article is interesting. Many details I did not remember or know about.

The Wikipedia article includes a timeline of the disaster. The following is the D/FW part of the timeline...

9:00:18 Videos and eyewitness reports by observers on the ground in and near Dallas indicated that the Orbiter had disintegrated overhead, continued to break up into smaller pieces, and left multiple ion trails, as it continued eastward. In Mission Control, while the loss of signal was a cause for concern, there was no sign of any serious problem. Before the orbiter broke up at 9:00:18, the Columbia cabin pressure was nominal and the crew was capable of conscious actions. Although the crew module remained mostly intact through the breakup, it was damaged enough that it lost pressure at a rate fast enough to incapacitate the crew within seconds, and was completely depressurized no later than 9:00:53.

I do not remember if it was February 1, 2003 that the traffic alert signs on the D/FW freeways began telling us to "CALL POLICE TO REPORT SPACE SHUTTLE DEBRIS".

I took the photo you see above, of one of those alerts, on the 820 freeway in east Fort Worth.

Gateway Park Visit With Beautiful New Fort Worth Outhouses & Boondoggle Signage

Yesterday, for the first time in years, not since 2015, I visited Fort Worth's Gateway Park to see if there has been any progress with the progress in motion we have been told is in motion for years now, with that progress in motion information on signage in the park installed years ago by what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

Actually, now that you are causing me to think about it, it was via construction signs at Gateway Park where I first saw the Boondoggle referred to with Central City and Uptown added to the usual Trinity River Vision name. Panther Island District was added to the name years later.

I had previously seen the new overlooks which look over the Trinity River, which replaced boarded up boardwalks which had been a hazardous eyesore for years.

What you see above is near the entry to one of those new overlooks. The green/blue plastic signage is pointing to the "North Observation Deck" which I guess makes this one the "South Observation Deck".

Also at the entry to the South Overlook, I mean Observation Deck, is a Fort Worth staple, that being a classy outhouse.

Recently the nation, well, a few people in Fort Worth, were shocked to learn Fort Worth mayor, Betsy Price, is "fantastic friends" with Donald Trump. We all talked about this in Betsy Price Fantastic Friend Trump Fort Worth Sewer Flood Fix.

One can not help wonder if an Outhouse Factory is one of Trump's many business enterprises, one of those he operates via a shell corporation so as to avoid being identified as Trump's. That and even Trump probably wouldn't like his name slapped on something like TRUMP TOILETS.

Obviously I am always looking for some explanation as to why Fort Worth is the Outhouse Capital of America. This Trump Betsy BFF explanation is probably a long shot.

Below is a look at part of the South Observation Deck. That blue sign we see stuck on the deck has been added since I was last at this location.

Oh, turns out it is a sign informing us of something the whole world already knows, that being that "RECREATION ABOUNDS ALONG THE TRINITY RIVER".

On this sign we see multiple photo documentation examples of all the recreation abounding on the Trinity River. Starting with the upper left and going clockwise we shall try to identity the various recreation which is abounding. A kid holds a big fish, a group of skullers skulling, a pair of bikers stopped to do some canoodling (not sure on that one), a trio of paddleboarders doing some litter dodging, the instruction to download the TRWD Trails app, dozens of foolish people floating on inner tubes rockin' the river, kayakers with the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth behind them, and finally, a pair of cowgirls riding their horses on one of the Trinity Trails.

Years ago a hurricane, I think it was Hermine, or maybe an earlier one, caused the Trinity to flood. That flood destroyed sections of the paved trails in Gateway Park, leaving the trail in sections hanging over the edge of the river, and closed off by cyclone fence. The most recent time I eye witnessed this was in May of 2015. You can go to the Finding Imaginative Sign Progress By America's Biggest Boondoggle On Saturday Gateway Park Bike Ride blog post and see photos of the sad state of the Gateway Park paved trails at that point in time.

Well, yesterday I was pleased to see, all that was damaged has been fixed, totally removed, with new paved trail installed further away from the river. HUGE improvement. That is a section of the new paved trail you see above.

On that last visit to Gateway Park, when I saw signage identifying the project as part of the Trinity River Central City Uptown development, I saw bulldozers and other heavy equipment busy churning up the earth where a long abandoned sewage treatment used to hide mysteriously behind easily crossed cyclone fence and decades of foliage growth.

That long abandoned sewage treatment plant is all gone now, and what you now see is a big hole, and a lot of earth scraped clear of vegetation. No further activity was noted.

And then I came to something which appalled me, years ago, when I first saw it. A HUGE installation of signage touting the wonders of what America's Biggest Boondoggle was going to do to Gateway Park.

I was freshly appalled to see this signage yesterday, when I saw it and realized it had all been upgraded. With the new signs touting even more things no one currently living on the planet will probably live long enough to see. You can see the new signs have added the important detail of including those green/blue signs you see giving directions all over the zone of occupation of what originally was called the Trinity River Vision.

Searching the blog the earliest I could find where I blogged about this signage was October 10 2010, eight years ago. That blog post is titled The Trinity River Vision's Gateway Park Vision.

The details showing all the wonders to come have grown much more elaborate, showing many of those equally imaginary "community requested recreational amenities" on a large map of Gateway Park. On this big sign there is also mention made of what have become known as J.D. Granger's Magic Trees. The billboard refers to the Magic Trees as "a key initiative, including the planting of over 80,000 native oak and pecan trees."

This billboard includes a "KEY TO GATEWAY PARK AMENITIES" such as "new parking, new entry towers, new pedestrian bridge, new splash park (where is the old one?), new boat launch, existing boat launch, new rock weir (again, where is the old one?), new playground, new picnic area, new ecosystem restoration (again, where is the old one?), existing dog park, new mountain bike course, new equestrian trails, new primitive hiking trails, new soft paved trails, existing trails, existing disc golf course, new scenic river overlooks (I knew I called them such for some reason, before they became observation decks), new concession areas, new restrooms (again, where is the old one?), new skate park (again, where is the old one?), new baseball/softball fields, new soccer fields, existing baseball/softball fields, existing soccer fields.

Now.

How much has America's Biggest Boondoggle spent over the decades on its incredibly prolific sign posting fetish? I think I have asked this question previously. It seems, if I remember right, former TRWD Board Director, Mary Kelleher, tried to find out, but ran into yet one more brickwall block on that information which would seem to be something the public should have access to, the Boondoggle being a public works project, after all.

Supposedly...

I suspect I will be checking in on Gateway Park more frequently. It will be interesting to see if I can detect anything happening...

No Haltom City Buffalo Elsie Hotpepper Lunch With Fried Blackberry Pie

Well, I have had myself a day. A long day. A long day of feeling like I was inside an amusing situation comedy, but not laughing all that much.

The day began with an early drive into bright sun and heavy wind to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metromess town of Haltom City.

The destination today was a new one, not the regular monthly trek to a specific location in Euless.

Today's new trek's destination was via this bumpy route called Haltom Road.

Did you know Haltom City does not open its library til a half hour before 11? Neither did I. Soon after finding that out I found out Haltom City is one of the D/FW towns in which driving can grind to a halt due to a train crossing town.

Eventually I reached my first destination. A short time after that, since I was in the neighborhood, I decided to check out how Gateway Park is doing. I took some photo documentation, but that will have to wait til tomorrow, because the Gateway Park part of the day was not situation comedy material, maybe tragi-comedy material. We'll see how I think about that when I tell about that which I saw in that Fort Worth location if I get around to doing so tomorrow.

Leaving Gateway Park the Beach Street route back to Haltom City takes me by Town Talk. Til today it had been a couple years since I'd been in Town Talk. Yogurt Sale on the reader board is what caused me to stop. The hope I'd find some exotic yogurt. I miss good exotic yogurt. Siggis comes to mind.

Dud. Town Talk is worse now than years ago when I decided to stop stopping. Sometimes a new owner thinks he/she has some great ideas, but those great ideas are not what was working in the first place. I can't see myself stopping at Town Talk ever again..

After Town Talk, like I said I was doing, I headed back to Haltom City, to a sub-city of Haltom City called Fuel City.

I expected Elsie Hotpepper to show up at Fuel City for lunch. I waited and waited and waited. Eventually I had a fried blackberry pie and a couple tacos, consumed whilst watching the Haltom City Herd which consists of a couple really big longhorns, a zebra, and a buffalo.

After about an hour of waiting for Elsie Hotpepper I got a text message telling me a pickup was ready in five minutes. I headed to the pickup zone, then headed to a bank back in Fort Worth to deposit a check. The route to the bank was adventurous, through Haltom City/Richland Hills No-Man's Land, eventually reaching smooth passage on Handley-Ederville Road.

Two seconds at the bank and it was realized the person who issued the check had neglected to sign the check. So, a phone call was made, and it was back to Haltom City, this time via the fast route on the 820 freeway to 121.

Nope. Total traffic jam on 820, so it was Randol Mill Road, back to Handley-Ederviille, back to 121 and then back to Haltom City where the check was signed, and then back to Fort Worth to the bank, via the southbound 820 route, which was not jammed.

After the bank, due to that aforementioned traffic jam, the route to the next destination, WinCo, an alternative route had to be taken. So, once more it was back to Randol Mill Road, via Brentwood Stair, and whatever the name of the road which connects the two, then crossing over the Trinity River and a new bridge which was actually built over real water, in way less than four years, in Fort Worth, at the same time that embarrassing bridge boondoggle limps along in another part of town.

Crossing that bridge the road goes by Gateway Park, then it was right on Beach, by Town Talk, again, then back to Haltom Road, driving by Fuel City and the zebra, buffalo, longhorn gang.

And now the I need gas light was on. No problemo. I stopped at a gas pumper I've pumped at many times. Inserted the card, entered the PIN. And then "CARD INVALID" or "CARD DECLINED". I don't remember for sure. I was already stressed out. That card had just been used to make that aforementioned check deposit.

I figured gas pump malfunction and continued on to Sam's Club where I had pumped previously. Same result. Total rejection.

Use another card? Can't find it. I don't have dozens of cards. Where is the other one? I start to get concerned. I have enough cash to get enough gas to get where I need to go, but still, why was the card getting rejected? I wanted to go to WinCo and get stocked up. I needed that card working. Figured it'd work at WinCo, that the card problem was a gas pumping malady.

I get to WinCo, take out the card, look at it, see the expiration date is 1/2018. I see that and think, wait, I just replaced this card with a new one the bank sent me last month.

At this point I am totally befuddled and completely bum puzzled.

And then I shuffle some papers on the paper holding thing between seats and I see another card. I pick it up. It's the new card. The one I had just used to make a deposit. Why was the old card in the vehicle? I'd activated the new card from inside my abode, took out the old card, or so I thought, and stuck the new card in my card holder.

I still have absolutely no clue by what mysterious means this confusing card conundrum happened.

So, went into WinCo, got the goods, and then proceeded to have myself a mighty fine drive back to Wichita Falls where I will likely be having nightmares involving bank cards tonight...

Today Mom Is Having A Happy Arizona Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday, if I am counting correctly, and I usually do, if the arithmetic is simple, my mom's birthday number today is 85.

On my way to downtown Wichita Falls I called mom to do the Happy Birthday phone call.

I got the answering machine. Mom is such a gadabout.

So, an hour later, when I was leaving downtown Wichita Falls I called mom again. Still not home.

I then called mom's regular chauffeur, my sister Jackie, to ask if she knew where mom was currently located.

Out in the car was the answer. That was the exact same answer I got the last time I called my sister to ask if she knew where mom was.

A couple minutes later my sister handed off her phone to mom so I could do the Happy Birthday thing.

My mom is expecting a visitor in a few days, so mom and my sister were out and about getting supplies for the incoming visitor.

In the photo above you are looking at my mom, a couple months ago, enjoying Thai food for the first time. In this case Pad Thai. David, Theo and Ruby's mom was in town for a couple days and at one point when the lunch hour arrived asked if mom was feeling adventurous, culinary-wise.

Yes was the answer. The question was asked because my sister saw a Thai restaurant at their present location where they'd gone shopping for some special item the precise nature of which I have now forgotten.

I am thinking I have mentioned mom and Thai food before.

Anyway, the last time I was in Arizona, on my last day in town, I was asked where I'd like to go eat on the way to the airport. I said Thai sounded good. This soon turned into a series of a sort of Abbot and Costello Who's on First type exchanges, which eventually lead to Chinese food at the Big Wa in Tempe where I had Moo Goo Gai Pan, rather than Pad Thai.

I suspect I will be having Thai food in Arizona at some point in time in February. That and maybe a McDonald's fish sandwich, likely in Maricopa.

Today I learned a bike has already been delivered to where I will be staying in Arizona. And mom told me they are having a winter heat wave. So swimming is also on the menu, along with that fish sandwich and Pad Thai.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, mom, see you in a few days...

Betsy Price Fantastic Friend Trump Fort Worth Sewer Flood Fix

It seems like just yesterday we blogged about the latest insanity from the Fort Worth Zone of Delusion, with that delusion provided by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Then Elsie Hotpepper pointed us to an indication the delusion pathology is spreading to other D/FW news sources.

Such as NBC DFW.

NBC DFW is the DFW NBC TV local affiliate. In a "news" story from that source titled  Trump Praises Fort Worth Mayor, How It Could Help City we learn several surprising things.

Such as....

Fort Worth is in the national spotlight as President Donald Trump calls Mayor Betsy Price a "fantastic friend." This week, the president singled out Price, thanking her for attending the U.S. Conference of Mayors and thanking her for her long friendship.

Oh my, you just can not make up idiotic nonsense this idiotic. You out in the non-delusional non-Fort Worth part of the nation, had you noticed Fort Worth being in the national spotlight? Because Trump called Betsy Price a "fantastic friend".

A fantastic friend.

A fantastic friend who Trump thanked for her long friendship.

Proof please.

Has Betsy been to Trump Tower? Overnighted in the Lincoln bedroom in the White House? Lunched with Melania or any of the previous wives? Been told she reminds Trump of Ivanka? Trump never lies or makes up stuff, so he and Betsy must really be longtime fantastic friends. They probably exchange Christmas cards and call each other on their birthdays, because, you know, that's the type thing fantastic friends do.

And then this doozy from Trump's fantastic friend...

"I was proud the president recognized Fort Worth during his remarks. With a potential $1.8 trillion infrastructure package on the table, it's good to be noticed, and we are ready to get to work," Price said in a statement.

So, the local grifter thinks Fort Worth may get itself some graft from her fantastic friend, the grifter in chief.

Others opined about all that could be done in Fort Worth with the money Betsy is going to get from her fantastic friend...

Some in the city would like to see federal money go to solving an aging sewer and drainage system. "We can use the money in this area to fix the infrastructure," Irwin said. "The streets flood when it rains really hard." Irwin said the water comes up to their curb on Hulen Street, but the problem gets even worse further down the street. "It's a valley down there near Central Market. It really floods. Cars can't get through there. They drown out the cars," Irwin said. "Water would be up to the window of a small sports car."

We do not know who this "Irvin" person is or why this "news" story suddenly switched to quoting this Irwin person's hopes as to what can be done with all this money Betsy is going to get from her fantastic friend. Irvin does give you a good idea of what sad shape Fort Worth is in, and how dire need of help the town is.

The "news" story then switches to quoting a person named Wiggins with her thoughts about how dire the needs are in Fort Worth for Betsy's fantastic friend's incoming federal aid...

"The cars just come flying through here and pushes the water up. It's crazy," stylist Tara Wiggins added. Wiggins said students at nearby Arlington Heights High School must wade through the water. "It's even hard for the students that are on their lunch break," Wiggins said. The idea that Fort Worth is on the president's radar is a comforting fact for Wiggins. "He's actually looking at Fort Worth. He actually knows Fort Worth. It's not just another town in a state that he's over," Wiggins said.

Oh honey, it's not just Trump, we think everyone is over Fort Worth and its backwater backwards grifting ways. These people actually think Fort Worth is on Trump's radar due to his supposed fantastic friendship with Betsy Price, and thus Trump is going to somehow direct federal infrastructure funds to Fort Worth to fix the town's flooding problems and antiquated sewers?

These people are describing what sounds like some really bad flooding issues in Fort Worth, which apparently the town is doing nothing to fix, other than hope Betsy Price's fantastic friend sends the town some money.

And yet, at the same time areas of Fort Worth regularly go under water, around a billion bucks is being slowly spent on America's Biggest Boondoggle, touted, in part, as a vitally needed flood control project, where there has been no flooding for well over a half century, due to levees American taxpayers paid for long ago.

Half of that billion boondoggle bucks is slowly being doled out to Fort Worth from federal funds, thanks to incoming pork courtesy of Fort Worth Congresswoman, Kay Granger, whose unqualified son, J.D., was installed as executive director of what has become America's Biggest Boondoggle, also known as the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District, where, currently, three simple little bridges are taking years to build over dry land to one day maybe connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

And now, due to Betsy Price's fantastic friendship with Trump, some in Fort Worth apparently think even more federal money will be doled out to Fort Worth.

You know, money funneled to Fort Worth from the more prosperous parts of America, you know parts of America which fund their own infrastructure improvement needs by voting on these things called bonds. I know such is possible in more, well, uh, normal parts of Texas.

The Texas town I am currently in, much smaller than Fort Worth at around 100,000 population, is a town which wears its big city big boy pants, unlike Fort Worth which wears little boy knickers. The Wichita Falls City Council just approved a big bond issue to be put before the voters this coming May. Six different bond measures, each with multiple facets. Such as one bond issue to complete the Circle Trail, make improvements on Lake Wichita, and other park improvements. That is just one of the bond issues. Another has to do with infrastructure upgrades, roads, drainage, and such.

Are the majority of Fort Worth's citizens so clueless as to how civic improvements happen in modern towns in America that they actually think such comes about due to a town's mayor being a fantastic friend of an extremely unpopular president?

Pitiful.

I need to share the details of the upcoming Wichita Falls bond vote, and compare that to how Fort Worth approved the building of a little arena, with the approval coming via the passing of three separate propositions which the voters were allowed to vote on, like one proposition was to charge a $1 fee to rent a livestock stall.

That passage of the three separate propositions approving fees supposedly somehow gave voter approval for the building of the arena. That arena vote was one of the most bizarre things I have witnessed during my time of being amazed at what a backwards backwater Fort Worth is, and continues to be, even though the town's mayor is a fantastic friend of the man on a downhill slide to being the worst president in American history.

But, you never know, Betsy Price's fantastic friend might just turn the town around. Why maybe Trump can convince Jeff Bezos to open Amazon's HQ2 on Fort Worth's imaginary island industrial wasteland, which may someday be connected to three simple little bridges, which the public has never voted for, and may never see.

Yeah, sounds like a real good idea to send some more federal dollars to Fort Worth...

Time Agrees That Trump Boy Don't Act Right

Fort Worth's number one citizen activist, Gale McCray, has taken his message all over America, including to America's capital, Washington, D.C., where Abraham Lincoln, who has been regularly spinning in his grave in appalled disgust at what his Republican party has become, helped Mr. McCray hold up his now iconic sign....

"TRUMP THAT BOY DON'T ACT RIGHT"

Gale McCray has yet to take his sign to the west coast, a location where he would be enthusiastically welcomed.

Taking his sign on a Tour of Europe would also likely generate a lot of attention.

I do not know how one would pack such a sign to take along on a plane. It would not fit in the overhead bin storage area.

Maybe the sign rolls up to be inserted in a protective carboard tube.

I saw the above Time magazine cover this morning on Facebook, via the aforementioned Gale McCray.

Since our current fake president has introduced us all to the make believe concept of fake news, this fake news thing has really taken off in all sorts of variants.

It seems to me that Gale McCray has become what used to be known as an American Folk Hero. A Will Rogers of few words for the digital age.

We could really use a few more American Folk Heroes in our current troubling times. A Mr. Smith going to Washington type American Folk Hero would be a real good thing.

If you've never watched Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, you really should, applicable as is its message to what's gone wrong with 2018 America.

You will see why Mr. Smith's message is applicable to America today just by watching the clip below of Mr. Smith's famous filibuster. I wonder if Beto O'Roarke is able to give a Jimmy Stewart Mr. Smith type impassioned speech. I hope we get to find out when O'Roarke replaces the current greasy Texas embarrassment named Ted Cruz...

David's Disneyland Recovery With Route 66 Radiator Springs & Brunch

UPDATE: Though the initial Disney diagnosis was food poisoning from tainted salmon, it is now thought possible David's sickness was a bout of influenza, due to his mother coming down with the flu within 24 hours of returning home.

Photo documentation arrived Sunday morning documenting some of nephew David's last day in California before heading north to Tacoma with his little brother and sister, Theo and Ruby.

By Saturday morning David had recovered from his bout of food poisoning from tainted salmon served at Disneyland's Blue Bayou restaurant at Pirates of the Caribbean.

The first couple photos document David, Theo and Ruby brunching at the Disney Grand Californian Hotel where they were joined by Pluto and a large Disney rodent who I do not recognize.

After brunching David felt good enough to go to Disney California. It is at Car Land in Disney California where we see David, Ruby and Theo in front of Mama's Michele and Kristen.

Route 66 is in the Radiator Springs Racer zone of Car Land. I first learned of this Disney Route 66 location a couple years ago when Spencer Jack sent me a couple photos which had me thinking he'd taken his dad somewhere along Route 66. But, what I was seeing did not look like any part of Route 66 I had ever driven on. Eventually I was told this was in Disney California. I think the actual Route 66 terminates a few miles north, in Santa Monica, if I remember right.

Eventually everyone was exhausted enough to leave Disneyland, Disney California and the Grand Californian and make their way back to home in Tacoma.

Above see what appear to be an extremely tired David, with Ruby and Theo resting on a less tired looking Mama Kristen. They are sitting at the Grand Califronian waiting area waiting for a taxi to come take them to John Wayne Airport, a few miles to the west.

I was informed yesterday by David, Theo and Ruby's Aunt Jackie that this coming October 23 through 26 is my next opportunity to go to Disneyland with a pair of Disney loving twins and their big brother.