Where In The PNW Are David, Theo & Ruby This Time?

That asking me "Where in the PNW are David, Theo & Ruby this time?" question was asked in the subject line of an incoming email, last night, which included only one attached photo.

Which is that which you see above.

Along with that question in the email subject line, the text in the email also asked...

"Can you do it with just one pic?"

Hence the singular pic documenting the trio's most recent Pacific Northwest outing.

Upon seeing the above aforementioned pic the first thing which came to mind was one of my all time favorite locations, close to where I lived in the Skagit Valley, that being Larrabee State Park, accessed by one of the most scenic roads anywhere, Chuckanut Drive.

So, I Googled Larrabee State Park and then clicked on images to soon see the one below, which seems to mirror the one of the trio above...

From the Wikipedia Larrabee State Park article...

Larrabee State Park is a public recreation area located on Samish Bay on the western side of Chuckanut Mountain, six miles (9.7 km) south of the city of Bellingham, Washington. It was created in 1915 as Washington's first state park. The park covers 2,748 acres (1,112 ha) and features fishing, boating, and camping as well as mountain trails for hiking and biking. It is managed by the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission.

Larrabee was one of my favorite go to locations when I lived in the neighborhood. On a hot summer day on the beach, to the left of the rocks you see David, Theo, Ruby and their maternal parental unit, Michele, standing on, you would be seeing a large crowd. Swimming is possible, what with the water being clear, with a steep drop off, and the temperature of the water being refreshingly chilly.

To the north of Larrabee one finds Teddy Bear Cove. A clothing optional beach. I may have been at that location a time or two.

Hiking up Chuckanut Mountain was a year round destination when I lived in the Skagit Valley. At Larrabee one finds the southern remains of the old interurban transit train, now turned into a trail. Many a time I biked that trail from Larrabee to its end point at the Alaskan Ferry Terminal.

If I remember right the last time I pedaled the Interurban Trail was with the Tacoma Trio's cousins, Christopher and Jeremy. I recollect Jeremy getting a bit unsettled at one point on the trail where navigating a steep canyon is a bit challenging.

Again, if I remember right, the last time I was at the summit of Chuckanut Mountain it was with the Tacoma Trio's cousin Joey. One of the funnest bike rides in the Skagit/Whatcom zone is the long downhill coast from the top of Chuckanut Mountain. I'd pedaled to the summit before, and then did the downhill coast.

So, this time with Joey it became one of my infamous Nephews in Danger episodes. I instructed Joey to carefully control his speed, watching carefully for trail junctions. And that I would meet him back on Chuckanut Drive at the Interurban Trail parking lot.

I made it to the parking lot before Joey did, barely. At that point in time Joey indicated that was the best bike adventure he had ever had. I think the time I let Joey and his brother coast down the Mountain Loop Highway from the Monte Christo access point came later.

I am currently thinking I may be in Arizona this coming Thanksgiving at the same time the Tacoma Trio is at the same location. Maybe this time their parental units will let me have a 21st Century Nephews and Niece in Danger episode driving David, Theo & Ruby to the top of South Mountain...

Midwestern State University Traffic Jam With Two New Mustangs

I headed to the Midwestern State University campus this morning to take a shady walk in what I thought would be a virtually abandoned campus, due to the day being Saturday.

Well.

I soon found myself perplexed by a long traffic jam of vehicles trying to get to some unknown, to me, location.

Soon I was to learn the long traffic jam was trying to make its way to a drop off zone where incoming students could unload their goods.

I do not know why people did not just park on one of the many empty parking zones and then walk their stuff to its final destination, thus avoiding that long line moving in slow motion.

But, it all made for an entertaining spectacle.

And then I came to the location you see above. The new Centennial Hall building nearing its construction completion, almost ready for its grand opening next month.

Today I saw a pair of Mustangs running wild in the currently unfinished water feature in front of the new building.

This is the first two of an eventual four Mustang sculptures, one for each class, freshman, sophomore, junior and senior, With each class of Mustang bigger than the one before.

I have no way of knowing which two classes of Mustang I saw installed today. I suspect, maybe, freshman and sophomore.

These are realistic horse sculptures. Impressive.

I have been watching this new building get built for years, it seems like it began soon after my arrival in town. I like watching something like this progress. To my eyes this is a well designed building, with architectural nods to all the various styles of buildings on the campus.

I think I may attend the Centennial Hall grand opening event...

Broken Bike Happy Hot Walking Wichita Falls Circle Trail Not In Arizona

Well, I did sorta almost manage to take a patented Elsie Hotpepper style selfie today.

There must be some trick I do not know about which makes it so one can see the phone screen when one is out where the sun is in bright mode.

My bike is in malfunction mode with a pedal crank which suddenly turned noisily cranky the day after the night of thunderstorms two nights ago.

I do not like going to the bike doctor, so I will likely be procrastinating on doing so.

In the meantime, looking at that wannabe Elsie Hotpeper style selfie, it almost looks like I may be being happy, which is an increasingly rare state of mind for me of late.

Yesterday, and this morning, I thought I was on the fast track to returning to Arizona way sooner than I thought I would be. Possibly returning in just a few days. Currently I really do not feel as if I have totally recovered from my most recent Arizona visit, which lasted for 17 days last month, and included about 16 hours of airport waiting, all delays totaled.

And then about an hour before noon I got a call from Hank Frank & Spencer Jack's grandpa Jake and great aunt Jackie with news which makes it seem like I may not be returning to Arizona way sooner than I thought I would be.

So, feeling some sense of relief I exited my air conditioned abode for a natural HOT sauna bath-like walk for a couple miles on the Circle Trail.

And now I wait on the next installment of the days of our lives as the world turns another day. Or two...

Hiking Chain Lakes Loop By Mount Baker With Spencer Jack & Hank Frank's Grandma Cindy

Seems likely lately rarely a day goes by without me seeing photos from the Pacific Northwest which tend to cause me a twinge of homesickness.

This morning it was on Facebook such occurred.

In the photo, the one of the trio who is on the right, to the left of the snow capped mountain, is my favorite ex-sister-in-law, Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's Grandma Cindy.

I last saw Grandma Cindy on August 13, 2017 at Birch Bay, when Spencer Jack drove his Grandma and Dad to see his FUD.

That snow capped mountain is Mount Baker. One of Washington's five volcanoes.

Or is that Mount Shuksan, viewed from an angle I am not used to?

I know in the photo Cindy's hiking trio is hiking the North Cascades hike known as the Chain Lakes Loop. The Chain Lakes Loop is accessed from Artist Point, which is the end of the road on the north access to the Mount Baker ski area. A lot of snow has to melt before one can reach Artist Point each hiking season.

From Artist Point Mount Shuksan looms to the east, whilst Mount Baker looms to the south. Mount Shuksan is much more rugged than Mount Baker.

If I am remember correctly the last time I was at Artist Point was at some point in time in the 1990s. FNC and FNJ3 and I went hiking from Artist Point to the top of Tabletop Mountain. Years ago I webpaged that hike as part of my controversial Nephews in Danger series.

I forgot, must explain, FNC is Favorite Nephew Christopher, FNJ3 is Favorite Nephew Jeremy. I have two other nephews whose names start with the letter "J" who are older than Jeremy, so they are FNJ and FNJ2. FNJ is Spencer Jack's dad, Jason. FNJ2 is Hank Frank's dad, Joey.

When I lived in Mount Vernon, on a clear day, I could look out my kitchen and living room windows and see the Mount Baker volcano.

If there were no buildings blocking the view I might be able to look out my current kitchen window and see the stunning summit of Mount Wichita, which is about two miles distant.

For several years now, when hiking season opens in the North Cascades, Cindy takes part in something called the "Trek for Treasure". This is a competition where you get some clues and then hike to find something which proves you hiked the hike. I think this then gives you another clue, which points you to the next week's hike.

Or maybe it's a clue which points to the final treasure. I don't quite remember.

I first learned of this Treasure Trekking when the first person who ever led me to hike up Mount Baker, Maxine, told me about this hiking adventure she was competing in. I recollect being quite surprised when sometime later I learned my favorite ex-sister-in-law was also trekking for treasure.

When Cindy was my sister-in-law things like going hiking in the high country were just not one of the things she did.

I wonder if FNJ2 has ever told his mother about the Nephews in Danger episode when Joey and I hiked up Sauk Mountain when the trail was covered with ice and snow was falling. It was a bit treacherous.

I do recollect talking to Joey and us verbalizing how impressed we were to learn his mother had done that Sauk Mountain hike Joey and I had trekked up in a snowstorm...

Has The Trinity River Vision Riveron Review Been Officially Rejected?

Last month, after perusing it, we came to the conclusion that the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Riveron Review Needs A Forensic Audit.

That conclusion was reached due to there being some parts of the Riveron Review which seemed to be obviously tainted by self-serving "information" provided by, most likely, TRWD General Manager, Jim Oliver and TRVA Executive Director, J.D. Granger.

The Riveron Review cites input from the Army Corps of Engineers. But, in the list of who the Riveron Review reviewers interviewed, which shows up at the end of the Review, no one from the Army Corps of Engineers was interviewed. Just those responsible for the mess which has become an infamous Boondoggle, such as Oliver and Granger, and other perpetrators, were interviewed.

Those two had some explaining to do regarding the myriad problems which led to the demands for a forensic audit of the long-stalled imaginary flood control project.  There are three sections of the Riveron Review where it is obvious the Riveron Review interviewers were fed a load of self-serving propaganda, which apparently Riveron did not feel the need to question, or dig deeper.

Let's take a look at those three sections, one by one...

 THE PROJECT

The Central City Flood Control Project 

The task force essentially considered three choices as proposed by the USACE:
 
Build the existing levees an additional 10 feet taller, requiring an additional 150 feet on each side of riverway, negatively impacting businesses and neighborhoods, and resulting in an even more inaccessible riverfront 

Build a 1.5 mile flood control bypass channel, which would be a very complicated, expensive, and ambitious project that would potentially transform the City and its relationship to the waterfront 

Do nothing and accept increased flood risk, damage and loss of people and property

The Trinity River Vision (TRV)* 

After public debate and agreement, federal, state and local government stakeholders and sponsors agreed to the initial USACE design for the three inter-related elements of the Central City Flood Control Project:
-The 1.5 Mile flood control Bypass Channel 
-The three Bridges at Henderson, Main, and White Settlement that will span the Bypass Channel 

-Clean up and ultimately enable future development and recreation in the area between the river and channel, known as Panther Island

__________________

Public debate? And agreement? Cite some evidence of that please.

Okay, after the Riveron Review was released locals with a functioning memory quickly pointed out Army Corps Of Engineer's Document Contradicts Controversial Riveron Review.

The Army Corps never suggested the levees be built 10 feet taller. And what businesses or neighborhood would have been impacted if such had happened? It's an industrial wasteland. The Boondogglers fed the Riveron Reviewers this propaganda because it is used to justify the diversion channel, which is key to their ill-conceived, ineptly implemented economic development scheme.

Do nothing and accept increased flood risk, damage and loss of people and property? The area in question has not flooded for well over half a century due to those levees already in existence. As we learned via the Army Corps of Engineer's document the existing levees could be brought up to post-Katrina standards for a few million bucks paying for some shoring up of the levees in a few locations.

Meanwhile, there are areas of Fort Worth and Tarrant County which do have increased flood risk, which have already suffered property damage, and have already drowned people, due to the failure to address those actual flood issues, whilst funds are wasted on an area where there is no legitimate flood risk.

And now on to the next element of wanton misinformation in the Riveron Review...

Sequencing a Capital Project 

Three bridges were designed for Main Street, Henderson Street, and White Settlement to span the eventual bypass channel. The bridge design was approved by the City, USACE, TXDOT and the TRVA Board. Bridge design work was done by the firm of Freese & Nichols and Rosales + Partners, and construction is being performed by Sterling under the direction of TXDOT and with the support and coordination from the City and TRVA, respectively.

It is critical to understand the complexity and sequencing of a project of this nature. There are multiple stakeholders working on what is essentially three projects: the bypass channel to provide flood control; the three bridges spanning the channel; the utility and other elements necessary to create habitable land in the island that is formed once the channel is in place. 

To safely and economically deliver this complex project, the bridges need to be essentially completed by the time the channel begins construction. This approach allows the project participants to sequence dependent activities among each other with a minimum of starts and stops to re-evaluate and re-design which would be required if building bridges over a completed, water-filled channel.

_________________

Take a moment to ponder the utter absurdity of the above three paragraphs from the Riveron Review. Basically they are repeating the nonsense that these three simple little bridges are being built over dry land, as if there was some other option, as if someone has somewhere suggested that the three bridges not be built til the cement ditch is dug and filled with water.

To safely and economically deliver this complex project the bridges needed to be built by the time the ditch gets dug? Again, as if there is any other option. And pretending this is by some grand design. Economically? The three simple little bridges are now in year five of being built in slow motion.

Clearly it is obvious a fully funded, correctly engineered project of this sort would have been building the bridges at the same time the ditch was built under the bridges. Now, if the bridges ever do get completely built, it does not take a whole lot of common sense to realize it complicates the ditch digging to dig under the bridges.

We have already seen a parking garage on the imaginary island fail due to a sinking foundation. It does not take much imagination to imagine the big OOOPS which will likely happen when/if that ditch gets dug under those bridges with their host of design problems.

Oh oh, we have a sinking V-pier.

Why did the Riveron Review interviewers accept this bill of goods they were being sold by the foxes  guarding the hen house?

And now on to the final element of wanton misinformation in the Riveron Review...

The 7th Street Bridge 

Unrelated to the Central City Flood Control Project, TXDOT was involved in another nearby effort to build the West 7th Street Bridge on the west side of downtown Fort Worth. 

Leveraging lessons learned from this effort, TXDOT approached the Central City Flood Control Project participants about leveraging the experience and design template for the West 7th Street Bridge to the bridges at Henderson, White Settlement and Main that will eventually span the channel. 

Initially the local government sponsor was responsible to pay for any budget overages and the State obligation would be capped. TXDOT made an offer to take on the obligation of budget overages if the local government sponsor would agree to use the 7th Street Bridge plans for all three of the new bridges. 

The USACE, in reviewing this proposed change, indicated that the design change would require formal USACE review and would require significant rework to the proposed design of both the bridges and bypass channel. Accepting the West 7th Street proposal was ultimately rejected for two reasons.  

-The design itself would impact and potentially weaken other structures and was not acceptable as presented.
-Any design change would also have triggered USACE requirements to study and evaluate the resulting flow, turbulence, and other hydrodynamic effects, likely adding years to the project timeline.

_________________

The above misinformation propaganda stems from what we learned way back in October of last year, which we blogged about in America's Biggest Boondoggle Unravels As Trinity River Vision Scandals Grow.

At that time we all learned, via a rare instance of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram doing some accurate reporting on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, in an article titled How a split between Rep. Kay Granger and her son changed Panther Island forever. that J.D. Granger interfered with his mother's economical plan to have the Boondoggle's three bridges be of the same design as the well regarded West 7th Street Bridge.

J.D. Granger was stung bad by this embarrassing revelation. Many thought this should have been the final straw which got him fired. But, a smoke screen of nonsense was thrown up. Among the misinformation J.D. Granger spewed in defense of his mistake was the claim that the West 7th Bridge had piers in the river. Which is not true, which is clearly illustrated in the America's Biggest Boondoggle Unravels As Trinity River Vision Scandals Grow.blog post.

For some reason renowned design expert, J.D. Granger got it in his frat boy head that V-piers would be just the ticket to make the channel promenade something special. Unlike that well regarded West 7th Street Bridge design.

Just a couple days ago we blogged about the decade old video of the Trinity River Vision model of the diversion ditch and the three bridges. That model does not show V-piers supporting the bridges.

J.D. Granger's V-piers have been a engineering nightmare. Which makes the two reasons the Riveron Review gives for the rejection of the West 7th Street Bridge design particularly specious and blatantly wrong.

Claiming the West 7th Street Bridge design would somehow impact and weaken other structures, and such a design change would require the Army Corps of Engineers to evaluate the design, you know, like what has been missing from the current project, which is one of the reasons for the cut off of federal funding.

And to claim using this obviously superior West 7th Street Bridge design, instead of the tacky V-pier design, would add years to the project timeline, well that claim is beyond embarrassingly stupid.

The V-pier design bridges are now in year five of slow motion construction, with the current project timeline having the bridges possibly completed in the next decade.

Yes, one can clearly see how using a proven good design, such as the West 7th Street Bridge design, already spanning a river channel, would take way way way way longer than J.D. Granger's  non-signature, non-iconic, V-pier bridges.

Has the West 7th Street Bridge weakened other structures near it? No? I didn't think so.

And once again let's repeat it is Time For J.D. Granger's Forensic Job Performance Review...

Good Reason For Creepy Obsession With J.D. Granger

I wrote the following last month whilst trying to make my way to Arizona, and then forgot about it til this morning...

Recently we learned an oxymoron minion, and fellow minions of the Fort Worth Way, were of the opinion we have a creepy obsession with J.D. Granger and his assignation history, including supposedly soliciting a TRV mole to get into paparazzi mode at J.D. Granger's nuptials, which apparently took place last February on an island near Cancun.

Well.

Those minions also feel J.D.'s office hanky panky is no one's business, and making public comments about this is just a terribly creepy thing to do.

Well.

First off, I only came to know of what went on inside the offices of the TRVA because someone privy to the office situation was not happy about it. Felt it was morally and ethically wrong, and felt those paying the bills, as in the Fort Worth public, needed to know.

The person telling me about it felt J.D. Granger created a hostile work environment, you know, one where someone has an affair with the married boss, and then seems to get work benefits, as in promotions, trips and such. Well, such behavior would get most bosses fired, or held to account in some manner.

But not in the nepotism corrupted Tarrant Regional Water District, or its offspring, the Trinity River Vision Authority, of which J.D. Granger was made the Executive Director, with zero qualifications for such a position, but given the job because he is the son of a local congresswoman who it was hoped would be motivated to get federal pork barrel funds funneled to Fort Worth.

J.D. Granger is paid over $200,000 a year, plus benefits and other perks. For doing a job which if it was done by a professional qualified project engineer would have been long over, as in J.D. Granger's sweetheart pork barrel high paying job would be no more, and he would have had to go back to being a low paid low level district attorney.

But, J.D. Granger has actually said, I think it was to NBC News, that he intends to keep working on the Panther Island project until it is completed. And then retire.

How many executive director project engineers are able, with mother's help, to milk a single public works project til they retire?

So, yeah, I guess I do have a sort of J.D. Granger obsession. I have long had a bad habit of when I see something I know is wrong, I tend to point out that fact.

However, I have also long thought the circumstance J.D. Granger found himself gifted with is not his fault. And how nice it is for him that he has been able to milk the public trough for so long.

It is Fort Worth, the Fort Worth Way, as in a town rife with corruption, which is the real problem, and is the real reason J.D. Granger was given such a job, for which it is now clearly obvious he was not qualified to do, and is the reason I make mention of the J.D. Granger Scandal at regular intervals.

Because the J.D. Granger Scandal is a symptom. Why would the people of a town put up with such an obvious case of corruption?

Boggling and perplexing.

And creepy, real creepy...

Hank Frank Shocked Reaction To Elderly FUD

Incoming text message from my Favorite Nephew Joey this afternoon, which included the photo you see here, and the following message...

"Henry's facial expression when I told him how old you are. Happy Birthday, FUD."

In  a little over a month little Hank Frank will be one year old.

Not even a year old yet and I am already Hank Frank's Favorite Fuddy Duddy.

Looking at this photo it looks like Hank Frank is practicing for his walking debut.

This morning, before church, leaving ALDI, I called Hank Frank's great grandma, Miss Daisy, in Arizona, to do my annual wishing her a happy birthday.

When one is one of a dozen siblings, give or take a sibling or two, one learns not to make much of a big deal over a birthday, unlike some people do.

I have long been of the opinion that it is the birthing mother who should be getting happy birthday messages, not the one who got birthed.

I realize my opinion on this matter is not widely subscribed to.

I learned yesterday that David, Theo and Ruby are planning on taking their parental units to Arizona for Thanksgiving in a couple months.

It sure would make for a mighty fine time if Hank Frank flew his parental units south during that same time frame. Add Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's Uncle Jason and we would be having ourselves one mighty fine family reunion.

That is if I were to also show up...

Decade Old Scale Model Trinity River Vision Video Irony

Last night on YouTube, for mysterious reasons unknown to me, a video showed up among the YouTube video recommendations, tailored for my viewing preferences, with that recommended video being over a decade old.

Published by the Trinity River Vision on April 1, 2009.

A decade seems like a long time for a vitally needed flood control project to not have completed that vitally needed flood control project. Which would seem to indicate that vitally needed flood control was not vitally needed after all.

I wonder how all those property owners who had their property taken by the Trinity River Vision's eminent domain abuse feel now, over a decade after their property was taken for the imaginary public good.

One would think an imaginative lawyer could conjure quite a legitimate fraud case against the Trinity River Vision at this point in time.

Below is the dating info from YouTube which accompanied this video.

The video itself seems bizarre after all these years, touting what now seems to totally be imaginary wonders of what any honest person knows is a failed vision.

In the video there is bragging about this scale model of the imaginary island and the diversion ditch being one of the biggest such models ever built.

In the model we see water flowing under what are now known as the Panther Island bridges. The video does not show these bridges as being built upon V-piers. But the video does show the bridge piers in the model, being in the water filled ditch.

And at one point the model demonstrates how those bridge piers are designed not to impede the flow of litter careening down the Trinity River when it is in flood mode. How bizarre.

Also, one can not help but wonder how much was spent building this model of the imaginary wonders of the imaginary flood control plan? Such info is of the sort one hoped would be part of the Riveron Review of the mess which has become America's Worst Boondoggle. But, the Riveron Review turned out not to be any sort of forensic audit.

So, we did not learn how much money J.D. Granger has been paid over all the years he has been Executive Director of this mess. Or how much "extra" money J.D. Granger has been paid past the time such a project should have been completed, if managed correctly, such as what happens in non-corrupt, modern cities in America.

J.D. Granger has actually publicly admitted he plans to stick with the Panther Island gravy train until it is completed, and then retire.

Watch the jaw droppingly embarrassing Trinity River Vision video below. In that video you will see a young version of J.D. Granger, before a decade of boondoggling stress has noticeably aged him...

Where Do You Think David, Theo & Ruby Took Us On Their Latest Adventure?

Three incoming emails this morning, coming in from David, Theo and Ruby.

Each of the three emails had photos attached, with no explanatory text.

But, the third email did ask the following question...

"At which pic did you figure out today’s adventure?"

Well.

This first pic is the one you see here of the trio about to board a Washington State Ferry.

There is a ferry dock in Tacoma from whence one floats to Vashon Island. I figured that is not the ferry we are seeing here, due to the second photo not showing a scene one sees from the ferry to Vashon, on either the Tacoma or the island side.

With the second photo I thought the scene looked familiar. Port Townsend? Did the trio have their parental units drive up Hood Canal and the Olympic Peninsula to board the Port Townsend ferry to Whidbey Island.

And then it was the next photo which had me fairly sure I knew where the trio's most recent adventure took them.

I don't know why, for sure, but when I saw the above driftwood fort photo I thought to myself, it was Port Townsend in the second photo, and this is the beach at Fort Casey.

The photos in the second email confirmed I did correctly figure out where the trio was adventuring.

That is Ruby jumping high on the open plain above the Fort Casey fort.

The photo above pleased me. Theo is deep inside the Fort Casey fort. I can see some major restoration has taken place, on the floor and via paint. During all the years I had fun at Fort Casey the fort, for the most part, was left in natural ruins mode, with some improvements, but mostly left in its ruins of a fort state.

Another example of the newly polished up Fort Casey, with one of the guns and its surrounding enforcement looking all freshly restored.

There are multiple of these lookout type towers at Fort Casey. The funnest games of hide and seek I ever played were played at Fort Casey. Or was it just playing tag and chasing my siblings? I don't precisely remember, other than the fact that Fort Casey was always super fun. There are hidden scary areas, with pitch black passageways. A dropped and broken flashlight could produce trauma. Or if a brother turned off a flashlight at key times to scare his little brother

The steps you see the trio on here are one of many which took one in and out of the depths of Fort Casey.

It takes a long time to explore all of Fort Casey. There are two big gun emplacements dug into the cliff which overlooks Admiralty Inlet. These are outside the main fort. One of those is not what Theo, David and Ruby are sitting on above.

Fort Casey is an early example of America building a defense system which soon became obsolete. Way back in the 1890s the narrow entry into Puget Sound, Admiralty Inlet was considered strategic to the defense of Puget Sound. So, three forts were built. Fort Casey on Whidbey Island, Fort Worden at Port Townsend. And Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island.

These fortresses were intended stop any incoming invasion. Construction began in 1897, completed in 1901, and then considered no longer an adequate defense soon thereafter, what with the advent of enemy battleships with improved weapons.

Fort Casey is now a state park, of the historical sort, full name Fort Casey Historical State Park. Fort Casey is located within an even larger park reserve, known as United States Ebey's Landing National Historical Reserve.

Fort Ebey is north of Fort Casey, close to Oak Harbor and the current Whidbey Island Naval Air Station. Fort Ebey was built in 1942 as a World War II Puget Sound coastal defense. Fort Ebey's remains are not nearly as elaborate as Fort Casey, but the gun bunkers can still be seen and explored. And the cliffs of Fort Ebey are way higher than the cliffs of Fort Casey.

Fort Ebey State Park was a frequent go to place for me when I lived in the neighborhood. Great hiking, with adventurous trails. And being in the rain shadow of the Olympic Mountains, little rain, and somehow this results in something extremely odd to see growing in Western Washington.

Cactus.

I also recollect picking wild strawberries at Fort Ebey.

If I remember right the last time I was at Fort Casey was back in the 1990s. And on that visit exploring Fort Casey was not on the agenda.

On that day David, Theo and Ruby's cousin Joey and I parked at Fort Casey to ride our bikes on the ferry to Port Townsend.

Whilst at Port Townsend, Joey, who in addition to being the trio's cousin, is one of my many favorite nephews, and also the proud papa of Hank Frank, and I pedaled to Fort Worden.

If you have viewed the movie named An Officer and a Gentleman you have seen Fort Worden. After Fort Worden Joey and I explored around Port Townsend. At some point we heard the ferry whistle and made it back, barely, for the last sailing of the day.

That turned into one wild ferry ride. With Admiralty Inlet being somewhat narrow, as in less than four miles wide at its narrowest, this makes for some strong tidal action when Puget Sound is in extreme tidal change mode. When this happens the result is a rock and roll ferry boat ride where it is virtually impossible to walk the deck.

By the time we got back to Fort Casey the park was closed and there was a note from the ranger telling us he figured we were on the last ferry, to knock on his door and he'd open the locked gate for us. And so we knocked and the ranger kindly let us exit.

Last month whilst I was visiting Spencer Jack and Hank Frank's Grandpa Jake, in Arizona, we were lamenting all we missed, which we so often enjoyed, whilst living in the Skagit Valley of Washington. So close to so much good stuff that neither of us are anywhere near at the current point in time.

Some of the funnest times I have ever had were taking my four oldest nephews to various locations in Washington when they were kids.

It sure would be fun to take my two youngest nephews and my first favorite niece on some Pacific Northwest Adventures. Hiking Mount Baker and Tabletop Mountain comes to mind. As do the Ice Caves. And Washington Park in Anacortes (favorite nephews Chris and Joey used to call this Bunny Park) and then there is, well, I could go on, but I'm getting homesick...

What I Love About Fort Worth...

The following was written last month whilst I was stuck in limbo trying to fly to Arizona. I forgot about this, til today, along with another blog post I wrote whilst in the air, with that one being about the controversial Riveron Review of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Without further adieu, let's see what I love about Fort Worth...

A few days ago I made mention of the latest fiasco of the ongoing Panther Island mega fiasco which has become America's Biggest Boondoggle. Well, maybe not the Biggest Boondoggle, I should probably concede, as it has been pointed out to me that nothing regarding Fort Worth is the Biggest or Best at anything in America. Perhaps it would be more accurate to refer to the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision as America's Worst Boondoggle.

So, like I said, a few days ago I made mention of this fiasco after reading about a parking garage sinking which is part of the Encore Panther Island residential complex so highly touted as the first of many imaginary projects blooming on Fort Worth's imaginary island.

Well, apparently a guy named Dylan took some umbrage regarding what I have said, or say, about Fort Worth and its various shortcomings, like America's Worst Boondoggle, and so Dylan commented the following...

Dylan has left a new comment on your post "Will Panther Island's Encore Include Sinking Bridges?": 

The Panther Island Project has many issues, especially with the bridges that engineers are concerned about and contractors don't know how to build.

That said, many people would like to see the project as a whole come to fruition. Aside from Panther Island, there are many great things happening in this city. TEXRail is now open, a new arena is under construction (though it's a bit small), new hotels are under construction, and new residential buildings are being built throughout the urban core. There's certainly more happening in Fort Worth than in Wichita Falls.

So, I'm curious: Why do you hate Fort Worth so much? Is there anything positive you can say about the city? 

_________________

I shall try to help Dylan alleviate his curiosity.

Let's see if we can answer Dylan's probing question. Why do I hate Fort Worth so much? Well. I do not hate Fort Worth. Over my time of observing Fort Worth I have made note of a number of things which I do not think worthy of a modern era American city with a large population.

Let's just look at that first thing Dylan mentions in a la-de-da, no big deal way. Those three bridges, which Dylan tells us have been a bit of a problem because engineers have concerns, and the contractors do not know how to build the bridges which have been stuck in eyesore mode for years. And apparently the majority of the Fort Worth locals, and those who run Fort Worth in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, are okay with this, year after year after year.

Let's just start with why I have long given myself permission to say what I really think about Fort Worth, without doing any sugar coating. Early on I was offput by what I would characterize as false bragging. I would see this reflected frequently in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in what I came to call Green With Envy Syndrome, where that newspaper would have an article about something or someone and would claim that this that or the other thing was making towns far and wide green with envy, or give Fort Worth bragging rights, or some similar verbiage.

I found this bizarre. And then I soon also found myself personally experiencing longtime locals verbalizing what seemed to me to be totally delusional ideas about their town. This sort of struck me as some sort of be true to your school thing. That and some sort of civic inferiority complex and jealousy of Dallas, which is an actual world known town.

Let's take Sundance Square for example. When I moved to the DFW zone, signage in the downtown Fort Worth area pointed to Sundance Square. I had trouble finding a local who could tell me where this square was. Some thought it was parking lots by the downtown Chisholm Trail mural. After a couple years I learned that Sundance Square was the name given a multi-block downtown Fort Worth revitalization plan, with apparently no one realizing naming this Sundance Square, where there no square, was not a good idea.

And then after a couple decades of confusing the town's few tourists an actual square was built on those parking lots which had long been rumored to be Sundance Square, and then named Sundance Square Plaza.

Pointing out this non-existent square absurdity does not mean I hate Fort Worth, it means I find something goofy and not big city worthy.

And then there is a Fort Worth inept embarrassment such as the long closed, cyclone fence surrounded Heritage Park. A park supposedly celebrating Fort Worth's heritage. This has been a boarded up eyesore for over a decade, located at the north end of downtown, across from the Tarrant County courthouse. What sort of self respecting town would let such a thing go on, un-fixed, for so long? Pointing this out does not mean I hate Fort Worth.

The kid who pointed out the emperor wore no clothes, did not point this out because he hated the emperor. Instead the kid felt sorry for the emperor's embarrassing clueless naked condition and thought someone should mention it to him.

Same as pointing out that Fort Worth streets have few sidewalks, Fort Worth parks have way too many outhouses. And there are way too few parks for a city of Fort Worth's size. And way too few public pools.

And then add in the fact that Fort Worth charges an entry fee to its only two unique parks, those being the Fort Worth Refuge and Nature Center, and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden. Charging entry fees to two of a town's few parks is not worthy of a big city. Pointing this out does not mean I hate Fort Worth.

Oh, I almost forgot when Fort Worth's city government, under the corrupt leadership of mayor, Mike Moncrief, decided it was a good idea to make Fort Worth the world's first experiment in massive urban gas fracking. Where I lived in east Fort Worth this resulted in two nearby frackings, noisy, dirty, dusty frackings which no modern city would allow on such a massive scale within its borders.

During the period when Fort Worth was getting fracked the town was basically run by a shadow government of Chesapeake Energy, operating out of the Pier 1 Imports building.

And then there is that Boondoggle which Dylan indicates he and others would like to see come to fruition. I have never ever said I thought the concept of the Trinity River Vision was a bad idea. I have said the idea has never been properly vetted, as in analyzed and examined and discussed in public forums of various sorts.

Then sold to the public. Who then vote to approve the public works project after being convinced it is a good idea. Thus funding the project in the way such projects get funded in other areas of America. Just look a few miles east of Fort Worth to Arlington to see how such miraculous wonders occur.

For instance, since Fort Worth began trying to build three simple little (un-funded) bridges over dry land, voters in Arlington voted to build a new baseball ballpark, which is nearing completion.

Dylan makes reference to that new Fort Worth arena, kookily called Dickies. The vote to build this was typically Fort Worth goofy. Half the funding from private sources. Half from the public who somehow approved of their half by passing three separate bizarre ballot measures. With one measure approving a fee on event tickets, another approving a fee on livestock stalls, and another an add-on fee on parking.

This just is not a normal way to have the public vote to approve a public works project. Pointing out this obvious fact does not mean one hates Fort Worth.

Switching back to the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

Pointing out the various absurdities of this Fort Worth embarrassment does not mean I hate Fort Worth. It is absurd that this boondoggle was foisted on the town's population as being a much needed flood control project. When the area in question has not flooded in well over half a century, due to levees long ago paid for by the rest of America. And if this were about actual needed flood control, why has the project not been actualized with any semblance of urgency?

And, might we add, there are actual serious flood control issues in Fort Worth and Tarrant County. Deadly, property damaging flood issues in multiple locations.

Just look at what happens in the West 7th area when too much rain falls on that poorly planned new development.

Pointing out that Fort Worth is woefully lacking in the urban planning department does not indicate I hate Fort Worth.

When I moved to DFW, to the hamlet of Haslet, on the border with Fort Worth, huge tracts of open ranch land were all one saw, looking south to the teeny skyline Fort Worth barely poking the sky way in the distance.

It may have been 1999, maybe 2000, when Fort Worth had one of its many failures at luring a corporation to locate a facility in town. This instance was a HUGE Intel facility, to be built on land in the triangle formed when 287 exits I-35 on its way to Amarillo.

An overpass was built over I-35 as evidence of the effort Fort Worth would go to to please Intel, in addition to a lot of other perks. But, Intel went elsewhere, I believe to the town I am currently in, Chandler, Arizona. It does not take a rocket scientist to see why Intel would prefer this town to Fort Worth.

That new overpass was pretty much abandoned. I remember a period of time when a big pile of trash remained dumped on it for a long time.

And now, years later, the epic bad urban planning Fort Worth is infamous for is on full display at that location. Crossing that overpass over I-35 one now comes to a collection of stores, like Costco, Winco, Target, and many others. That is on the west side of the freeway. On the east side there is more development of the retail sort, including a mall.

Thousands of homes have been built on that open ranch land I saw when I was first in Texas.

And for the most part the roads are still in the same sad state they were in when I first drove them. North Tarrant Parkway, on its way to Highway 287 now goes around a poorly designed, un-landscaped, mess of a roundabout, which you exit to get on the same entry to 287 in the same bad condition it was in two decades ago.

I am appalled every time I see what has happened in that area of Fort Worth with which I was so familiar when I first moved to DFW. In modern America, like where I am right now, all that development, retail and residential, would had resulted after careful urban planning. Roads would have been upgraded, infrastructure, such as drainage, installed, parks built, and then the homes and businesses get built.

Pointing out the fact that Fort Worth lacks modern urban planning does not mean I hate Fort Worth. How many more kids are going to drown due to the increased water run off from all that poorly designed development?

I almost forgot that Dylan asked if there was anything positive I could say about Fort Worth. Well, over the years visitors visiting from the Pacific Northwest have unanimously been impressed by two Fort Worth attractions. The Fort Worth Stockyards and the Fort Worth Botanic Garden.

I have long thought Fort Worth sort of neglects the Stockyards. The lighting at night is terrible. The sidewalks are in bad shape in way too many places. And I've already mentioned Fort Worth is making a mistake now charging an entry fee to one of the town's few actual attractions.

I see I have gone long-winded with this, and boarding begins soon, if there is not another delay.

Before I close I want to make mention of another thing Dylan had to say, that being saying there is certainly more happening in Fort Worth than Wichita Falls. That comment came after Dylan mentioned the "great" things happening in Fort Worth, with those things being a new small arena under construction, new hotels under construction, new residential buildings and that TEXRail is now open.

TEXRail is a train link from downtown Fort Worth to the DFW airport, built on existing rail, covering about 20 miles. So, that and a few buildings under construction are great things happening in Fort Worth?

Well, let me point out to Dylan that Fort Worth is a town around 800,000 in population. Wichita Falls has a population around 100,000. Wichita Falls is still recovering from a multi-year drought which hit the town hard.

Wichita Falls has way more park acreage per town size than Fort Worth. And I have never seen an outhouse in a Wichita Falls city park.Wichita Falls has one public pool. For Fort Worth to have the same pool number, ratio-wise, Fort Worth would have eight public pools. Wichita Falls is part owner of a waterpark, Castaway Cove, thus making for a much less expensive entry fee than Arlington's Hurricane Harbor.

Downtown Wichita Falls has been making a lot of improvements since I first saw its rundown reality.

Unlike Fort Worth I have experienced no delusional verbiage about something ordinary in Wichita Falls being the envy of anyone. And, I like how Wichita Falls seems to have a sense of the town's history, its booms and busts, its ups and downs. I've detected zero false bragging in Wichita Falls about anything, well, there is that historical marker denoting the World's Littlest Skyscraper...