66% Of Skagitonians & I Have No Interest In The World Cup

I must say, before I say anything else, that I am not much of a sports fan, professional, amateur, any of it.

Watching someone play a game seems way too passive to me. Not that I've ever been drawn to play any of these games that seem to enthrall way too many people.

The only sport I have ever enjoyed watching is basketball. Basketball is fast paced. To get to the professional level you have to be a highly evolved athlete with the control and athleticism of a ballroom dancer. You'd have to be a Dancing with the Stars viewer to get how true that is.

Over the years, before Aubrey McClendon stole the team and moved it from Seattle to a forlorn existence in Oklahoma City, I have no idea how many Seattle Supersonics games I've seen in person. Even playoff and championship games.

I even enjoyed watching my sisters play basketball in high school and college, even though I find, generally, girls playing basketball to be somewhat excruciating to watch, but not nearly as excruciating as watching girls play softball.

I went to the very first game the Seattle Sounders played in Memorial Stadium in Seattle. I'd never gone to a soccer game before. I enjoyed it. Mostly because the place was packed, the people were wildly enthusiastic and Mount Rainier hovered to the south. A very nice setting.

The World Cup is currently underway. Bizarrely, to me, this is the world's biggest athletic event. Bigger than the Olympics?

My old local newspaper, the Skagit Valley Herald had a poll this morning, asking "What do you think about the World Cup?" 66% said they had no interest. 15% said they loved it.

I suspect my opinion about soccer and its worldwide, except for America, appeal may be in need of adjustment, but this is what I think. Sports that are popular in America are expensive, that being basketball, football, baseball and hockey. All require special facilities, and some, special uniforms.

All soccer requires is a flat piece of land and a ball. So, the poorest country in the world can afford to play soccer.

Soccer is extremely simple. Back and forth, up and down the field, occasionally taking a shot at the goal.

A game can end in a tie. Like, I believe, the World Cup game between the U.S and, I think, the U.K., did.

There are no breaks in soccer. It just goes on and on and monotonously on. Not exactly commercial friendly for American TV.

America may have way too many entertainment options, compared to a lot of other nations. In other words, soccer, here in America, competes with a lot of far more exciting, far more entertaining things to do and watch.

In my humble opinion.

I really don't think it is possible for soccer to ever attain the popularity in America that it holds on much of the rest of the world. It seems it has been decades now that I've been reading that soccer is finally taking off in America, that this is the year soccer comes in to its own in America.

I think the only way that could happen is to alter the game and Americanize it. Get rid of the goalie so that there is a lot of scoring. Have multiple timeouts so cheerleaders can do their thing. Have a big break between halves so there can be a halftime show.

Full disclosure, I have never made it through more than a couple minutes of a World Cup game. For all I know there is a big half time break with a big half time show. I doubt it though.

Okay, I'm done with my semi-politically incorrect diatribe of the day.

Looking Out At Texas While Drinking Coffee On My New Patio

You are looking out at the Saturday morning, 2 days before the Summer Solstice, view from one of my computer room windows, looking out at my newly refurbished bedroom patio balcony.

I like the change. It's more like a sidewalk cafe.

I drank coffee and read the paper out on the new balcony this morning. It was very pleasant. After drinking coffee and reading the paper I went swimming. That was also very pleasant.

It may be 2 days before summer, yet this morning the air felt pleasantly enough temperatured that I opened the windows. I do not recollect ever doing this at this point in the year, in Texas, before.

It is not even 9:30 yet and we are already at 83 degrees with a Heat Index of 87, heading to a high, again, of 98.

Monday's high, with Monday being the first day of summer, is predicted to be 100. If we hit 100 on the first day of summer, I'm thinking this is an omen of a very HOT Texas summer. Very HOT.

I have now closed the windows. It is totally possible they may not be opened again until the cold winds of fall begin to blow.

Turner Falls Park In The Arbuckle Mountains In Oklahoma

Every year around this time the number one most visited page on my Eyes on Texas website becomes Turner Falls Park in Oklahoma.

Apparently a lot of people want to visit a waterfall, rare in these parts, see some mountain scenery. Also rare. Go swimming in the crystal clear water of Honey Creek. Go hiking, cave and castle exploring. Do some camping. Stay in a cabin. Or just go for the day for a picnic.

Turner Falls Park has several concession stands selling a variety of good stuff. Like snow cones. And other edibles.

On weekends you'll find arts and crafters selling their wares.

The first time I drove north, out of Texas, crossing the Red River to Oklahoma and then north past Ardmore, I was perplexed at signage indicating I was passing over or through something called the Arbuckle Mountains. Mountains? I saw no mountains. The freeway has a scenic overlook. I stopped. I saw nothing scenic.

And then, on an August Saturday, early in this century, Turner Falls was the destination. Turner Falls is only a few miles west of Interstate 35. Soon after you exit the freeway you find yourself surprised by what amounts to being sort of scaled down mountain type scenery. Complete with a mountain type, twisting and turning road.

You come to an overlook which looks down on Turner Falls. That is that view, zoomed in the photo at the top.

Back during the Great Depression the CCC built trails in Turner Falls Park, including a rock trail that leads from the overlook to the Honey Creek valley below. This is one of several locations in the Turner Falls zone that are not comfortable for anyone with any degree of acrophobia.

In summer Turner Falls falls a bit less water than it does after a heavy winter rain. When I saw Turner Falls in August the falls was a pleasant trickle that you could swim under. When I saw Turner Falls in winter that same activity would have likely been not a good idea.

That is Turner Falls in August in the picture, being a pleasant trickle of a waterfall. That is yours truly being that little pinhead in the water, with the falls hitting me.

I have met locals who claim to have never seen a waterfall. I've also met locals who claim they've never ventured north to Oklahoma. I've also met locals who claim they've never seen a mountain.

I'm thinking if you are a local, as in Texan, and have never seen a waterfall, mountain or Oklahoma, have yourself a fun daytrip and head north to the Arbuckle Mountains this summer.

Heading to Turner Falls you'll drive right by the 5th biggest casino in the world, that being WinStar World Resort Casino, just a couple miles north of the Texas/Oklahoma border. It was in that casino I had the best coffee I have ever tasted. And a really good buffet.

Blissed Out From A Fort Worth Endorphin Overdose

You are looking up the Fort Worth Space Needle from the top of Mount Tandy. I was not at the Fort Worth Space Needle for lunch. I was there before lunch.

When I look up at the Fort Worth Space Needle it makes me dizzy, particularly if it is windy, which today it was.

I am trying to figure out how to break my endorphin addiction. It really is a tiresome monkey to have on my back.

Today I got up well before the sun did, was in the pool after the sun showed up. And then coming up on noon that endorphin withdrawal woe started to kick in.

And so I headed to my usual place where I get my endorphin fix, the Tandy Hills.

After today's HOT Hill Hiking I am feeling particularly blissed out by all the endorphins coursing through my veins.

The hiking got off to a semi-bad start today. As I descended Mount Tandy and took a left, heading south from the first junction, I was surprised to see the Fort Worth Water Department back in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, with several trucks, being un-natural. One big truck blocked the trail I was on. That truck's engine was running. I was in no mood to get a dose of diesel fumes in my face, so I reversed direction, altering my carefully planned hiking route for the day.

It all worked out fine in the end. I did not get any diesel fumes in my lungs, that I noticed.

My soul food lunch turned out tasty, particularly the oven-fried chicken. I've only recently discovered this chicken cooking method. It's very easy. I soak the chicken in buttermilk, to which I've mixed in some pepper. Then I roll the chicken in corn meal, to which I've added more pepper, powdered ginger, paprika, thyme, oregano and salt. The chicken goes in a glass cooking dish, on which I've smeared butter, and then stuck in the oven at 375 for an hour.

Tomorrow the leftover chicken gets turned into stir-fry with Vietnamese spring rolls, which are very easy to make.

My noisy construction project is complete, so peace and quiet reigns supreme once more. Between that and the endorphin overdose, I'm feeling blissful.

The feeling likely won't last.

Happy Father's Day With My Dad & Paisano Pete

Father's Day is Sunday.

That's my dad in the picture. This morning I was hunting for a picture I knew I had of my nephews in the pool at Excalibur in Las Vegas, when I came across this picture of my dad.

When my mom and dad retired they took off in their RV for a Roadtrip all over America and parts of Canada, like New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

At the tail end of mom and dad's long Roadtrip I met up with them in Las Vegas, where my mom loaded me down with a box of Christmas presents I was somehow supposed to schlep back to Washington on the plane. However, UPS handled that chore.

In the picture my dad is in Texas, in Fort Stockton, standing in front of Paisano Pete, Pete being the World's Largest Roadrunner.

Yesterday, or the day before, I suggested to Gar the Texan that he take a long solo Roadtrip, rather than one more sterile cruise. Gar the Texan said the idea of a Roadtrip made him anxious. This struck me as very sad.

I have a lot of things I am grateful for, due to my dad. Number 1 may be my love of a Roadtrip. My dad made all our family vacations totally stress-free.

I'll give you an example. The first Roadtrip to California and Disneyland. My siblings and I were looking forward to this like you would not believe. I think us kids being so gungho made mom and dad happy.

We were barely 30 miles into the trip when our trailer had a serious malfunction. An axle had broken. My dad calmly took it apart. We then drove into Everett, found a mechanic to fix it. A couple hours later we were back on the road, with mom making us potato rolls with ham and cheese.

Mom and dad made the little mishap just part of the adventure.

Later that same trip, our station wagon had another woe. This time it happened in Hollywood. The repair took several hours. Me and my brother were in heaven as we took off to explore Hollywood.

Years later I was to have a clutch go out, in Hollywood. I'd long ago learned, from my dad, not to get upset, that's it's just part of the fun.

I have never had any anxiety about driving in traffic or in a new town. I remember when we made our way into the Los Angeles zone for the first time, I paid attention to my dad driving, my mom helping with directions, checking a map.

About 5 years after this first family trip to Los Angeles and Disneyland, I drove myself there for the first time, in my now antique 65 Fastback Mustang. It did not even cross my mind to be anxious about driving in Los Angeles or worry about getting lost.

This is thanks to my dad.

I've known others who were not so blessed in the parental unit department. Who, when a little calamity occurs, it causes them to get all wigged out. Like, I remember a sudden flat in Death Valley, 5 miles from our Stovepipe Wells destination. Two of the members of my traveling party got totally wigged out and turned into major drama queens. Over a flat tire.

While I was thinking to myself, this is cool, a flat in Death Valley. What's the worst that happens? We walk to Stovepipe Wells and call for help. What actually happened is the flat was easily replaced with the spare, with the flat easily fixed the next day in Bishop, California, which turned out to be a really fun place to stay awhile.

Another thing about my dad. I have never, ever, absolutely never seen my dad lose his temper. Ever.

This is why I have such an aversion to people losing their temper. It seems like such a sign of weakness and stupidity to me.

Anyone who knows me has never seen me lose my temper. Something may aggravate me, but I do not deal with it by acting overtly angry to someone. There are far better, effective ways to deal with that type stress.

One thing I know for sure, if all the world was as blessed as me in the dad department, this would be a far far better world.

Happy Father's Day, dad.

Another HOT Fort Worth Friday With Betty Jo Bouvier Burning & Soul Food

That's the clear blue sky view out my computer room window, this Friday morning in the Fort. Worth, that is.

Currently, at 9am, it is 83 with a Heat Index of 88, heading to a high of 98. In other words, it is HOT. And gonna get HOTTER.

I went swimming for a long long time this morning, shortly after the sun arrived to light up the place.

The remodeling my patio project ran into a snag yesterday which required replacing a long support post. Yesterday afternoon the construction noise became so noisy I hauled my laptop over to Miss Puerto Rico's for some peace and quiet.

Last night I received disturbing photo documentation from the Wild Woman of Woolley, Betty Jo Bouvier, of her latest pyromaniacal accident. This is not the first incident where Betty Jo has caused a burn pile to go explosive, doing extensive damage to her usually well-managed hair.

As you can see, this time the fire explosion sort of turned half of Betty Jo's hairstyle into a Princess Leia look. Maybe Betty Jo can somehow give the other side the same treatment and achieve a balanced look.

I think maybe it is time for Betty Jo to re-consider this whole Wild Woman of Woolley thing. It seems too dangerous to me.

Change of subject from Betty Jo Bouvier's latest hair debacle.

Lately I have been channeling my inner African-American and making soul food. I'm doing so again today. Oven-fried chicken legs, mashed sweet potatoes and diced celery sauteed in butter.

Lunch is around 1. Don't be late.

Yet One More HOT Day Hitting The Trails In Texas

I did not overheat hiking the Tandy Hills Trails, today, like I did yesterday. Today I remembered to take a picture. I feel compelled to document, via photos, my Tandy Hills Hiking.

We are looking north, in the picture, on a flat section of trail. As you can see it is not very smoggy today. We have not been getting those dire Level Orange Pollution Watch warnings lately.

When I got back here and checked my email I saw that Elsie Hotpepper wanted me to go out for lunch with her. I'm guessing Elsie is trying to make up for that horrendous Tuesday night debacle with the Hotpepper Peptomobile.

HOT temperatures really stifle my appetite. This must be why every summer I lose weight without trying to lose weight. The melting process has definitely begun. If I shrink into the 170s again I'll try and force myself to eat more.

I'm sort of jealous of all the people I see who seem to have absolutely no trouble putting on extra pounds. Then again, I have seen, up close and personal, the virtual garbage dump of bad stuff an obese person shoves in their mouth to maintain their ever bigger size, and I really don't want to go that route.

I guess I'll just have to learn to live with being perpetually skinny.

Another HOT June Thursday Morning In Texas

As you can see, in the Thursday morning view from my computer room window, there is not a cloud in the sky.

And, at barely past 9 in the morning, it is already 84, heading towards a predicted high of 98, with the Heat Index making it feel like it is over 100.

If I had Audio-Vision, right now you'd be hearing an awful lot of banging and sawing. My patio balcony is getting changed from solid wood to a wrought iron-type railing.

I think I'll like the change, but I'm not liking the noise.

Yesterday I did not blog about hiking on the Tandy Hills, even though I did. Hike. I made it to the hills a little before 3. It was HOT. Too HOT. I got so HOT I forgot to take a picture documenting yesterday's HOT hiking.

I was on the HOT hills for almost an hour and a half. I don't think I was able to drink enough water to keep up with what was oozing out of me. The end result had me feeling really good, but a bit, well, loopy.

By the time I made it back to my vehicle all I could think of was the walk-in cooler at Town Talk. So, I made my wobbly way to that cooler. After spending too much time in the cooler, I exited to find boxes of sweet potatoes for 29 cents a pound. So, I got a lot of sweet potatoes.

Lunch today is mashed sweet potatoes and BBQed pork chops. Promptly at one. Or not. Don't be late.

The Fort Worth City Council RadioShack Prostitution Debacle

You are standing on the Trinity Trail, next to the Trinity River, looking west under Fort Worth's Main Street Bridge at RadioShack's defunct corporate headquarters.

Eight years ago Fort Worth's City Council approved a RadioShack incentive package worth up to $96 million over a 30 year period. This generosity was supposed to help RadioShack afford its new headquarters and to keep the company in Fort Worth.

Yesterday, Fort Worth's City Council approved an additional $10.7 million in tax rebates, to keep RadioShack in town.

RadioShack had been threatening to relocate and claimed it was exploring offers from other towns.

Yeah, right. That is believable.

What other town would want RadioShack, if it required prostituting itself to acquire the failing company as a hometown business?

In an unusual development, 3 of the 9 City Council members, Kathleen Hicks, Jungus Jordan and W.B. "Zim" Zimmerman, voted against the Ruling Oligarchy and against the RadioShack tax rebate.

What with all RadioShack has cost Fort Worth, I do not understand why Fort Worth does not ardently encourage the company to hightail it out of town. Because of RadioShack we lost those big, free parking lots that made going to downtown Fort Worth so nice and easy. And we lost the world's shortest subway, also free to use, to take you from those parking lots to the heart of downtown Fort Worth.

And what did Fort Worth get in return? Short version. Yet one more massive, embarrassing boondoggle. And in the end, even with the help from Fort Worth, Radio Shack could not afford its new headquarters. The building is now, primarily, a campus for Tarrant County College.

And this boondoggle is now being rewarded with $10.7 million in tax rebates.

Hasn't RadioShack done enough damage to Fort Worth?

Why the desperation to keep this extremely poorly performing company in town?

The only other urban area I have lived in is the Seattle metropolitan area. The Seattle area is home to many large corporations. I do not recollect Fort Worth style prostitution being practiced in the Seattle metropolitan area to service various corporations.

The Microsoft campus in Redmond makes the RadioShack headquarters look tiny. I don't recollect Microsoft blackmailing Redmond for any concessions. Maybe this occurred but did not cross my radar screen.

Costco is headquartered in Kirkland. I don't recollect Costco having any RadioShack style hissy fits to get tax breaks.

Amazon is located in Seattle. In a fairly large building. I don't recollect Amazon threatening to leave if Seattle did not do its bidding.

Boeing moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago. I don't recollect this move being the result of Seattle saying no to some Boeing demand. The planes remain being built, for the most part, in the Seattle area.

So, I really think Fort Worth needs to grow up and quit prostituting itself anytime a business deigns to consider Fort Worth its home. The Cabela's con debacle comes to mind. Would it not be refreshing if the Fort Worth Star-Telegram investigated how other towns reacted to Cabela's concession demands? It might be eye opening for the locals.

Bottom line, I think the Fort Worth City Council needs to reconsider this latest extension of one of its worst boondoggles. Retract the rebate and advise RadioShack to be careful not to let the door slam it on its butt on its way out of town.

RadioShack has done enough damage to Fort Worth.

Saloon Hopping With Elsie Hotpepper To Billy Miner's Saloon In Fort Worth

Last night I was really looking forward to Elsie Hotpepper picking me up in the Elsie Hotpepper Peptomobile and going to downtown Fort Worth to Billy Miner's Saloon.

I have previously gone to a burger joint with Elsie Hotpepper, in non-saloon hopping mode, to the Love Shack in the Fort Worth Stockyards. We were a bit disappointed in the Love Shack's Dirty Love Burger. It did not seem to live up to the hype.

The last time I was really impressed with a burger, was in Phoenix, on February 22, 2004. An In & Out double cheeseburger. Even though I was already plenty full from having spent 2 hours at a Happy Hour, and, even with me due to get on a plane, I had myself 2 In & Out double cheeseburgers. This made for the most explosively bloated plane ride ever.

So, it was with eager anticipation I anticipated a Billy Miner's Saloon Cheeseburger. This anticipation was made even more acute due to the fact that well-known local burger gourmet, Gar the Texan, had given the Billy Miner's Saloon Cheeseburger a rare 5 stars.

Cut to the cheese, I'd give the Billy Miner's Saloon Cheeseburger 4 stars. Not quite to In & Out 5 star worthiness. But close.

Now, you may be wondering who Billy Miner is or was.

Well.

Unlike most large towns, Fort Worth embraces its criminal past. Maybe this type embracing is part of the reason why Fort Worth, collectively, seems to have little problem embracing its criminal present, in the form of those, like the town's mayor, Mike Moncrief, a modern era Sundance Kid who does his robbing in much more sophisticated ways than using a gun to hold up a train.

Both the Sundance Kid and Billy Miner liked to rob trains. Fort Worth named its downtown collection of parking lots after the Sundance Kid, calling the parking lots "Sundance Square."

I believe this is the only downtown square in America named after a criminal.

Like the Sundance Kid, the legend of Billy Miner is that he was usually fairly non-violent in his criminal pursuits. During Billy's life of crime he spent 36 years in prison. He escaped from 5 of his prison homes.

Pinkerton agents were always after the Sundance Kid. Same with Billy Miner. Billy was chased all over America, while robbing trains and stage coaches. Billy was a suspect up in Canada, in British Columbia, in Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Illinois and Michigan.

Obviously Billy Miner was very eclectic in the states and provinces he chose to work in.

Billy died at 71 years old, on September 2, 1913 in a Milledgeville, Georgia jail.

I can not help but notice that neither Texas, or Fort Worth, is listed among the locations where Billy Miner practiced his craft.

Regardless, even though Billy Miner may never have consumed a Cheeseburger in Fort Worth, or robbed a Texas train, he still is the sort of criminal we like to honor as a genuine folk hero, here in Fort Worth.