Will Fort Worth National Recreational River Ever Gain A Real Island?

I saw that which you above this morning on Facebook, in an article titled Missouri National Recreational River Gains An Island.
The first paragraph of the article...

Not every unit of the National Park System can brag about adding an island to its landscape, but Missouri National Recreational River can. And it's no small island, either; Goat Island runs about 800 acres.

Can anyone guess what struck my imagination about this article about an actual island in an actual scenic river, with that river running about 800 acres in size?

800 acres?

That is the acre number usually cited for the size of Fort Worth's imaginary island, not called Goat Island, but named after a different four legged critter.

Panther Island, where there is no island, will never be what anyone sane would call an island, and which is currently an industrial wasteland in the process of being connected by three simple little bridges being built in ultra slow motion over dry land, to the Fort Worth mainland.

I saw this photo of Goat Island, located in a channel of the Missouri River near Vermillion, South Dakota and wondered to myself if part of the ongoing Fort Worth delusion nonsense might be explained by something as simple as the possible fact that those in Fort Worth responsible for mis-leading the town in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, actually have never seen a real island, thus not realizing a cement lined ditch does not an island make.

The same people who thought it made sense to label its downtown "Sundance Square" where, for decades, there was no "square", confusing downtown Fort Worth's few tourists looking for a non-existent square. Maybe those who thought it okay to refer to their downtown as Sundance Square had not been to towns with actual town squares, hence not realizing how stupid it was to do anything such labeling where no square existed.

Eventually some semblance of common sense came to downtown Fort Worth, and the parking lots some long thought were Sundance Square were turned in an actual small square called Sundance Square Plaza.

And then there is that other example which long had those who knew better wondering if those who touted it as doing so, as in "Trinity River Vision To Turn Fort Worth Into Vancouver Of The South" had not actually been to Vancouver, thus not realizing how ridiculously stupid it was to think anything could possibly turn anything in Fort Worth into anything resembling anything in Vancouver.

So, maybe the solution to putting an end to Fort Worth embarrassing itself, over and over again, is to put an end to the town being run by that good ol' boy and girl network which has run Fort Worth in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, for decades, cuz, it really is not working.

For instance how it that plan to supposedly lure multiple corporations to Fort Worth going? Any success yet? Anyone bite on any of the concessions and tax breaks?

I wonder if the solution might be figuring out how it is some towns lure corporations to move to their towns, without offering bribes?

Something to ponder...

Arizona Visiting Miss Daisy's Stormy New Chandler Location

Visiting my mom's new home location for the first time.

Miss Daisy has moved a few miles to the northeast of Sun Lakes, to a new location in Chandler.

Chandler is also the town where Jason, Joey, David, Theo & Ruby's Aunt Jackie and Uncle Jack live, along with their cousin, Jeremy.

Miss Daisy's youngest has twice visited mom's new location since the move a couple weeks ago.

In this photo taken last weekend I can not tell who is looking happier, mom or Miss Daisy's youngest, David, Theo and Ruby's, Mama Michele...

Near as I can currently tell, the next time I will be in Arizona will be, maybe, during the Thanksgiving time frame, two months from now.

Possibly David, Theo, Ruby, Spencer Jack and Hank Frank will be in the Valley of the Sun during the same time frame...

Favorite David Nephew's Happy 9/11 Birthday #11

Today is my one and only Favorite David Nephew's 11th birthday.

Of course I had hoped to attend this year's  Happy Birthday David Festivities in Tacoma.

But, for multiple reasons, not the least of which is my invitation must have been lost in the mail, I do not get to do the Happy Birthday David thing in person this year.

But, there is always next year, and eternal optimist that I am, I am almost 100% next year on 9/11 I will be in Tacoma.

And if not on 9/11/20, then 9/11/21, for sure, because I would not want to miss David's Bar Mitzvah.

For Happy Birthday purposes I searched for photos of my one and only redheaded relative.

The first one you see here is from August of 2017, at Birch Bay, way up north, near the Canadian border. David is so young in this picture, only 9 years old.

The next photo is from earlier this year, a Friday in the March version of 2019.

 

On the above occasion David was leading his twin siblings, Theo and Ruby, on a horse expedition in the Arizona desert, whilst his grandparental and parental units, and others, such as me, watched.

A couple days after David rode off into the desert he was at Aunt Jackie's where he directed his siblings, and others, into the cool pool, at the instigation of Uncle Jake.

Eventually David convinced his Favorite Uncle to get in the pool with him to do some water gymnastics.

And then it was off to In 'n Out, or some such place, for David and his Favorite Uncle's favorite libation.

Blackberry milkshakes. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAVID!!!

Anonymous Wondering About Fort Worth Boondoggle Spending Million Bucks On Trash Can Homage

Yesterday's blog post about the Star-Telegram Being So Done With Foot-Dragging Games On Panther Island generated an apropos email on the subject from someone we will call Anonymous, even though we know the email address of Anonymous, with that email address providing a good clue as to who Anonymous is.

The Anonymous email...

We all thought what you had to say about the Panther Island project having trouble getting federal funding was right on the mark. Particularly on the mark was your saying "Yes, it does not take much common sense to see that it probably does not look good to those handling the federal purse strings that at the same time a town is begging for federal funds the town is holding Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tubes Floats, and starting up a bizarre river boat cruise line to sail the polluted river. Among additional nonsense. Done any wakeboarding at Cowtown Wakepark lately?"

Sometimes it seems your blog is the only honest reporting about the Panther Island project and all its problems. In the past you've asked how much money was spent on that Wakepark failure. Spending money on that type thing can not possibly look good to those in Washington who are responsible for doling out federal funds. 

Another thing you could have mentioned which seems wasteful for a project asking for outside help is the million dollars spent on what some say looks like a giant cheese grater, and you have referred to as an homage to an aluminum trash can. Why would a million dollars be spent on such a thing for a project not adequately funded?

___________________

That is a photo of the aforementioned giant cheese grater which looks like an homage to an aluminum trash can you see above. That photo was taken earlier this year, or maybe it was last year. I can not help but wonder if the tacky roundabout surrounding the homage to an aluminum trash can is still a litter, weed covered, un-landscaped mess.

Another element we neglected to remember to mention is all the money which has been wasted due to the paying of exorbitant salaries to the likes of someone like J.D. Granger and his latest wife, over a period way longer than which they would be paid if the project were completed in a normal timely fashion, such as what would happen in modern, non-corrupt, non-nepotism allowing towns in America...

Star-Telegram So Done With Foot-Dragging Games On Panther Island

Monday of the second week of the 2019 version of September starts off with an, uh, interesting editorial in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, titled...

We’re so done with the bickering, foot-dragging and blame games on Panther Island

Okay, so after limping along for most of this century the Star-Telegram is now done with the slow motion Trinity River Vision which has become America's Dumbest Boondoggle.

Read the editorial in its entirety, via clicking the link, above, to get the entire Star-Telegram foot-dragging about foot-dragging.

We'll look at some choice bits gleaned from this editorial---

The first paragraph...

All summer, flaws in the Panther Island project have been exposed — muddled missions, a confusing structure and flawed communications.

Uh, it has been way way way longer than just this summer that flaws in America's Dumbest Boondoggle have been being exposed. Let's just take a look at this look at the flaws, posted way back in October of 2018, America's Biggest Boondoggle Unravels As Trinity River Vision Scandals Grow.

And then this from today's editorial...

But the real problem is that no one has any answers about why the project can’t win federal funding or what to do about it.

Win federal funding? As if getting money from the more prosperous parts of America is some sort of game show prize.

No one has answers as to why America's Dumbest Boondoggle does not qualify for federal funding?

Did we not learn that one of the problems is that there has never been the required by the federal government "cost-benefit analysis"? And that it was finagling by J.D Granger and his mother to attempt to get by without the needed cost-benefit analysis which resulted in its non-existence? Apparently the finagling was done because J.D.'s mother knew the ill-conceived, ineptly implemented pseudo public works project could not survive a legitimate analysis of its imaginary flood control aspect. Let alone the crony-inspired economic development aspect of the Trinity River Vision scheme.

You can read for yourself the Army Corps of Engineer's actual flood control recommendations in their un-corrupted form via the Army Corps of Engineers recommendations in Army Corps Of Engineer's Document Contradicts Controversial Riveron Review.

And then there is this gem from today's Star-Telegram editorial...

We’re 18 years into study and work on this problem, and taxpayers are no safer from a catastrophic flood. But hey, we can marvel at half-built bridges over dry land.

Taxpayers are no safer from a catastrophic flood? There has been no flooding in the zone in question for well over a half a century due to levees built way back then which have done their intended job ever since. Meanwhile, there are actual areas of Fort Worth, and Tarrant County, which do have actual, not imaginary, flood control issues, which are not being mitigated, not being fixed.

And then this follow up gem...

Jim Oliver, the water district’s general manager, insisted that these kinds of multi-year projects have ups and downs. And he noted that the board had already agreed to the tax extension.

Really? Can Jim Oliver give us some examples of other such projects which have had similar ups and downs. We'll wait, take your time.

How does this guy keep this job which pays him over $300K a year, plus perks and benefits? I've been told he has a Napoleon Complex, exhibiting classic Little Man Syndrome. I have never understood why the way he bullied TRWD board member, Mary Kelleher, was not enough to get him fired. Maybe if Fort Worth had an actual newspaper of record, reporting on the bully abuse, Oliver would have been long ago terminated, and possibly a qualified replacement found who actually knows how to get a project completed.

The final two paragraphs from today's editorial followed by one final comment...

One of them will be proved right. And the reality is, none of this would be necessary if any federal funding could be pried loose to keep the project moving.

That could be key to the funding question. The federal government is interested primarily in flood control, and the “optics issue” of the board’s involvement in planning festivals and condo construction may have given reluctant bureaucrats a reason to overlook the project.

Yes, it does not take much common sense to see that it probably does not look good to those handling the federal purse strings that at the same time a town is begging for federal funds the town is holding Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, and starting up a bizarre river boat cruise line to sail the polluted river. Among additional nonsense. Done any wakeboarding at Cowtown Wakepark lately?

And another thing that common sense clearly indicates is the fact that if this were an actual, legitimate, dire needed flood control project, needed to protect the people from a catastrophic flood, then why does the town not pay for it itself, like town's wearing their big city pants do? Relative to what other towns spend on legit public works projects a billion bucks is not all that much, you know, particularly if spending that money is protecting your people from an imaginary catastrophic flood.

If this were a legitimate flood control project, along with a sensible economic development scheme, the project should be able to be sold to the public, who would then vote to approve a bond issue raising the funds to pay for the project. Going begging the more prosperous parts of America to pay for such is just embarrassing.

Again, if this were a legit, actually needed flood control project, a billion bucks is not that HUGE a price tag, all things considered. I know of other towns in America where the voters repeatedly approve projects costing way more than one billion bucks. I think the most recent transit bond passed in Los Angeles was for something like $94 billion. The Seattle zone's most recent transit bond was for over $50 billion. Other towns in America support similar public works projects, with the locals being the primary funding source, without relying on federal welfare.

And those more prosperous towns in America get things done. During the same time frame Fort Worth has been limping along with its blind Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, Los Angeles has built multiple miles of rail transit, built a new $4 billion football stadium, is getting ready to host another Olympics. In the current decade Seattle has also built miles of rail transit, along with a $4 billion transit tunnel under downtown, which also removed the Alaskan Way Viaduct and is rebuilding the Seattle Waterfront, and a new $4 billion floating bridge across Lake Washington.

Meanwhile, during that same time frame Fort Worth has managed to be unable to build three simple little bridges over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to a ridiculous imaginary island.

And now, after foot dragging for most of this century, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram is sort of "so done" with Panther Island...

Incoming Jars From Linda Lou's Skagit Valley Jam Factory

I found a box in my mailbox today, from Linda Lou.

The box contained four jars, products of Linda Lou's Skagit Valley Jam Factory.

Earlier in the week, or maybe the week before, whilst talking to Linda Lou, I made mention of the fact I miss the plethora of free for the picking produce one finds growing in the Skagit Valley, and everywhere else in Western Washington.

I made special mention of missing blackberries.

Linda Lou then said she would be sending me some of her patented Skagit Valley Linda Lou Blackberry Pepper Jam, along with a sampling of her other preserved specialties.

I have been looking forward to this jam's arrival ever since.

And today that arrival arrived.

I opened the box and the first thing I saw is the note you see above, surrounded by jars.

The note said...

Hi There,
Here are the preserves as promised. Hope they arrive to your domain intact. Peach Chutney - Somewhat Spicy, good with chicken, fish or pork. Raspberry Jam - Needs no explanation. Picked at an organic farm off McClean Rd. here in Mt. Vernon. Fig Jam - Good with crackers and cheddar with a dollop on top. Blackberry Pepper Jam - Crackers, or really really good bread, with cheese, blackberry on top.

I took the four jars out of the box and found the Fig Jam, the Raspberry Jam, the Peach Chutney, with the 4th jar not looking like Blackberry Pepper Jam, but instead looked like long spears of an orange product, with the jar's label labeled Organic Pickled Carrots.

This must be some sort of clever trick. The Blackberry Pepper Jam has been disguised to look like carrots. That is the only explanation I can think of with my feeble imagination.

Whatever is in each of these four jars the contents will be treated like rare delicacies, savored over a long period of time.

Thank you, Linda Lou!

Tale Of Two Town's Waterfront Attractions: One Real One Imaginary

I saw that which you see above, this morning on the front page of the Seattle Times online version. The photo illustrating an article explaining why it has become easier than ever for Amazon tech hires to buy homes in Seattle.

That buying homes thing is not what I found interesting. It is the photo I found to be interesting.

Most photo views of downtown Seattle are either from Elliot Bay, looking east at the skyline, with the Space Needle on the left, and the sports stadiums on the right, with the Seattle skyscrapers between them. That and ferry boats and cruise ships on the waterfront, along with a giant wheel. Or the most popular view, that being from Queen Anne Hill, looking south, with the Space Needle looming tall above the Seattle skyline, with Mount Rainier hovering in the distance.

In the rare above view we are looking south across the south end of Lake Union. The Space Needle is that stick sticking up on the right. The towers you see are not the main part of the Seattle skyline, but are mostly what makes up the Amazon campus. Somewhere amongst those towers are the Amazon spheres my favorite Ruby niece took me to see a couple summers ago.

Anyway, looking at the above photo of part of downtown Seattle caused me to realize why I have such an automatic revulsion reaction when I read ridiculousness in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about that which has become America's Dumbest Boondoggle, the Trinity River Central City Uptown Panther Island District Vision.

I think my revulsion at the ridiculousness began almost two decades ago when I read a banner headline on the front page of the Sunday Star-Telegram, screaming "TRINITY UPTOWN TO TURN FORT WORTH INTO VANCOUVER OF THE SOUTH".

I remember thinking to myself have these idiots never been to Vancouver? What can they possibly think could possibly turn this landlocked scenery free town into anything remotely resembling Vancouver?

Who could have dreamt that that ridiculousness would continue on for so long, soon to be boondoggling along into its third decade, with Fort Worth still not even remotely resembling Vancouver, or, actually, any other actual big modern city in North America, most of which have streets with sidewalks, city parks without outhouses, and no public transit of the Molly the Trolley sort.

Why would any sane city want to artificially turn their town into something it is not? Look at that view of downtown Seattle. See all that water? All that waterfront? And that is only part of it. To the left, out of view, is Lake Washington, across Elliot Bay, that land you see across the bay, is even more waterfront, as in West Seattle. To the right of the photo, out of Elliot Bay, is more waterfront, along the shores of Puget Sound.

All natural waterfront. With manmade attractions built on the waterfront, as in miles upon miles of private development, with not one inch of that waterfront being the result of some bizarre vision to create such out of nothing, under the guidance of some local politician's unqualified, inept, son, and expecting to do so via the largess of federal money doled out from the more prosperous parts of America, such as Seattle.

Let's take a current, 2019, look at the Vancouver of the South.

That wide creek is known as the Trinity River. Those buildings across the river are the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth, someday destined to become the Vancouver of the South, just as soon as the Trinity River creek can be diverted into a cement lined ditch diverting water around an 800 acre industrial wasteland, creating an imaginary island, imaginatively already named Panther Island.

Since 2014 Fort Worth has been trying to build three simple little bridges over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to that imaginary island. But that bridge building has been slow, now in its 5th years, currently slated to maybe be completed sometime in the next decade.

That is if you in the more prosperous parts of America can be convinced to send federal funding to Fort Worth to help with its imaginary (un-needed) flood control project and ineptly implemented economic development scheme where local delusionists conjure visions of riverwalks, waterfronts, lakes, canals, houseboat districts, thousands of residents and other never gonna happen nonsense.

All on what is currently an industrial wasteland still waiting on its EPA investigation which will likely discover epic levels of ground pollution costing a fortune to mitigate, which will likely be the final death knell of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. That or the digging of the ditch under one of those possibly finished bridges causing the bridge to sink or collapse.

Or, J.D. Granger reaching retirement age, with that bringing to a close the lifespan of the main beneficiary of what has become America's Dumbest Boondoggle.

I just had a thought which surprises me that it had never occurred to me before.

A thought which vividly points out the obviousness of the Fort Worth Vancouver of the South embarrassment. Can you imagine another city somewhere in North America, let's take Boise, Idaho for example, touting some project as a "VISION TO TURN BOISE INTO FORT WORTH OF THE NORTH".

No, would never happen, because there is not one single thing about Fort Worth any town anywhere in America would want to emulate.

And that fact is what the people who run Fort Worth in what is known as the Fort Worth Way might want to ponder.

A ridiculous project touted as turning Fort Worth into the Vancouver of the South is not the solution to what ails Fort Worth.

I don't know if there is anything a town like Fort Worth could ever manage to do which would cause other towns to want to turn themselves into the Fort Worth of the North, or East, or West, but I do know for sure the solution ain't copying Vancouver, or San Antonio, or...

Spencer Jack & Jason Ask If I Recognize This?

That "Recognize This?" question was asked last night about the above photograph, with the asking coming from Spencer Jack and his dad, my favorite Jason nephew.

A couple things I see in the photo give me possible clues as to what I am looking at. In the distance it appears possibly that is what is known as Big Rock, at the center top. That would make this view looking southeast from a somewhat elevated view point.

To the upper center left I see a clump of trees which look sort of familiar.

Could this be a photo of my old hometown of Burlington, Washington? With the photo taken from a location part way up Burlington Hill?

But, where is the Skagit River? Shouldn't the Skagit River be seeable from this vantage point?

That clump of trees which looks familiar looks like the clump of old growth fir trees which made up the southeast corner of the park across the street from the Washington Avenue house in which I grew up, with the park at that point in time being known as Maiben Park.

If this photo is of Burlington I would hazard to guess the photo was taken prior to the 1950s.

At some point in the 1950s the Skagit River flooded Burlington as far as the location of Maiben Park.

And now that you are causing me to think about this, this photo must have been taken way before the 1950s, because I am not seeing Roosevelt Grade School, or Lincoln Grade School, which was across the street known as Fairhaven Avenue. Lincoln Grade School burned down long before my eyes ever saw Burlington. I believe Roosevelt Grade School was built in the 1920s, named after the first president with the Roosevelt last name.

So, Spencer Jack and Jason, did I recognize Burlington correctly? Or is this a view of old Mount Vernon, looking north, and that lump in the distance is not Big Rock, but is, instead, the aforementioned Burlington Hill?

Wichita Falls MSU Centennial Hall Built Over Dry Land In Less Than 2 Years

Til today it had been a day or two or three since I rolled my newly refurbished bike for a tour around my neighborhood.

Today's bike tour eventually took me to the Midwestern State University, also known as MSU, campus, which is currently crowded with new students.

The start of the new school year is when the campus seems to be the most crowded, soon be thinned by the 2019 versions of Limbaugh and Hannity, not able to pass a college level course, and thus turning into college dropouts.

I digress.

The four horses you see here, splashing though a pond, are Mustangs. My first car was a 65 Mustang Fastback.

Again, I digress.

Mustang is the MSU mascot, so you see various iterations of that particular horse all over Wichita Falls.

The four Mustangs you see splashing above are part of MSU's new Centennial Hall, construction completed yesterday, building dedication scheduled for some time today.

Construction began in December of 2017, completed in less than two years.

Construction of Centennial Hall began over three years after the small town of Fort Worth began trying to build three simple little bridges over dry land, to try and connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island.

I assume building a big building is a bit more difficult construction project than building three little bridges over dry land. But, those Fort Worth bridges still are no where near being completed, with the current completion timeline some point in the next decade, if money can be found.

I suspect MSU's Centennial Hall was a fully funded building project before construction began, whilst Fort Worth's hapless project has never been fully funded, waiting for the public works project equivalent of federal food stamps.

Unlike Fort Worth's pitiful bridges this new MSU building, to my eyes, is an interesting, well designed structure. The building seems to pay homage to all the various architectural styles one sees on the MSU campus, from the old to the new, with the part of the new building you see behind the Mustangs, that tall glass wall, being the modern, 2019 style, part of the building.

I also like how Centennial Hall looks different from every angle. Lots of curves, angles and arches. Every color of brick on the MSU campus is incorporated into the various facets of the building.

I strongly suspect no local politician's unqualified son had anything to do with engineering this new MSU building.

The Mystery Of The Absent Blog Poster

I was on the road, heading northwest on Highway 287, with DFW in my rear view mirror, when I got a text message from Spencer Jack's dad asking "Is everything okay in Texas? Your absence from blog postings has many of us concerned."

Yes, I can see how such could be concerning.

On Friday I drove to the DFW zone for the first time in a couple months.

Then the day after Labor Day I found myself convinced to return to DFW, again, and stay for a couple days.

I have no idea why anyone would want my take on anything, but someone made me an offer I did not feel like refusing, who wanted to bounce ideas off me about my take on Texas, Tarrant County and Fort Worth.

Of course, I protested, saying but I am not a Texan, I am not a Fort Worthian. My ideas are worthless.

I have lost count of the number of times I have been told over the years that my opinions on Texas or Fort Worth  were of no validity due to not being a lifelong Texan, or a native Fort Worthian.

The not being a native Fort Worthian, as an opinion invalidator, particularly amuses me, due to the fact that it is my opinion about Fort Worth's ridiculous Trinity River Vision about which I am supposedly not supposed to opine, due to not being a native of that town.

But, that Boondoggle subject about which I opine has been begging for federal welfare dollars for years.

So, it is okay for Fort Worth to beg money from the rest of America for its ill-conceived imaginary flood control and economic development scheme, but it is not okay for the rest of America to opine regarding how Fort Worth is wasting America's money with things like building three simple little bridges over dry land to connect the Fort Worth mainland to an imaginary island?

Anyway, I had myself an interesting couple days at an undisclosed location somewhere in the DFW Metroplex. During which, among other enjoyments, I enjoyed the Tandoor Indian Buffet in Arlington for the first time in years. That and my favorite chile relleno in the world, at Esperanza's in Fort Worth.

And the only other thing I am gonna say is while I might be willing on the spur of the moment to take a drive to DFW, there is no way I can be convinced to move to Washington, D.C...