Looking For Snakes & Armadillos In Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historic Area

In the picture you are looking at a colorful tree in the starting to green up Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington.

I used to see a lot of armadillos in this natural area. I can't remember the last time I saw one.

Village Creek Natural Historic Area is also the location where I've had more snake encounters than any other outdoor spot.

I've seen Copperheads, Water Moccasins and Rattlesnakes.

And my one and only Alligator Gar sighting. Since I saw an Alligator Gar in Village Creek I have never gotten back in a Texas lake.

I was a bit under dressed for being outdoors today. As in I got chilly. It was about 50 with a strong wind, hence the Wind Chill Factor making it feel colder than 50.

The air was heated to 44 this morning when I went swimming. With a strong wind. But the water was so much warmer than the air it felt like it was a heated pool. Which it is not.

I don't think I will be getting in the pool tomorrow morning.

Daylight Savings Time Has Me Up Too Early Thinking About Fort Worth's MHMR-Gate Scandal

Due to Daylight Savings Time messing with the time I am up way before the sun this second Monday of March of 2011, as you can see looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at the blue oasis below.

It is only 44 this morning and very windy.

I think the videos I have been watching of the tsunami in Japan have been causing me some bizarre water related nightmares. Every morning the news out of Japan seems to be worse than the morning before.

Total switch of subject from a Mother Nature disaster to a man made one.

I keep getting blog comments regarding the MHMR-Gate Scandal. This has been going on for several weeks now. A strange pattern has emerged with the comments. The pro-Paradise Center comments have been articulate, level-headed and well-written.

While the anti-Paradise Center, pro-MHMR and its CEO Jim McDermott comments have been mean-spirited, vitriolic, inarticulate, badly written and sort of nonsensical.

Like the comment I got this morning from the Ubiquitous Anonymous to the blog post titled "County Commission Gal Explains Fort Worth's MHMR-Gate Scandal In Detail....."

I agree with the short tv report on WFAA two weeks ago that a disgruntled employee and a few followers was picketing outside Paradise Center. Anon I agree that Fort Worth Star Telegram does not find this news worth reporting. The clients are not suffering. Ther are having fun with new staff and new peer leadership. Sebrina and Dale are back from Teresas little group. Paul is back and back to ordering supplies. Lynn has condensed alot of the paperwork to a smoother running center. Two of the male clients volunteered to keep the four bathrooms clean on a daily basis. Time to move on like the clients have. 

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram has shrunk back so deeply that it really does not function as a real newspaper anymore, leaving a town with a population over 700,000 with no real newspaper of record.

Let me see if I can sum up a short version of my understanding of the MHMR-Gate Scandal.

MHMR CEO, Jim McDermott and his staff came up with a scheme to use the Paradise Center to generate revenue. The woman who ran the Paradise Center, Teresa Davis, refused to agree to things she knew to not be true. Ms. Davis was then fired, with the reason given that she failed to attend a meeting.

At the same time Ms. Davis was fired, MHMR locked up the Paradise Center, denying Ms. Davis and her staff entry.

Inside the Paradise Center building were a lot of possessions of the Paradise Center which did not belong to Tarrant County MHMR.

Eventually, after complaints and protests. MHMR removed the Paradise Center possessions to a POD storage container.

The actions of MHMR was a major disruption for a lot of people who depended on the Paradise Center.

There is a lot more to this scandal than my short version. To me it is sort of like the Watergate coverup. The fact that Tarrant County officials seem to have done nothing to rectify this wrong, just adds to the scandal.

Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup Pageant Hopefuls Decapitate & Skin Snakes

CNN.com has an interesting article about an event ending today out in Sweetwater, Texas.

That event being the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

CNN's article is titled "Pageant Hopefuls Decapitate & Skin Snakes at Rattlesnake Roundup."

In this article I learned some things I did not know about the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup.

For instance, as part of the Miss Snake Charmer pageant that starts off the Roundup on Thursday, each of the contestants  chops off a Diamondback Rattlesnake's head, holding the murdered snake up with one hand while giving a beauty queen wave with the other hand, as cameras flash.

And then the contestants rub their hands in the murdered snake's blood to memorialize the kill with a handprint on a wall.

I also did not know that visitor's to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup could pay $10 to skin a Rattlesnake. And dip their hands in the blood to leave a memorial handprint.

The video that is at the top of the article is well worth viewing. There are several jaw dropping parts. Like a dad from, I think, Dallas, taking his kids to Sweetwater to hunt Rattlesnakes. In the video we see the kids catching snakes.

In the video you will also see the bloody handprints. Along with Miss Snake Charmer.

Below is my video of the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup. CNN's is much better than mine.

A Windy Visit With The Soldier In Arlington's Veterans Park

As you can see in the picture of the soldier standing guard at the Veterans Park Memorial in Arlington the blue sky of this morning became cloudy by noon.

And windy.

It is 3 in the afternoon now, with a brighter sky, heated to 72, with no return to total blue.

A possible Thunderstorm is scheduled for later today.

We are due for a Thunderstorm in these Thunderstorm prone parts.

Swimming went well this morning. The water has now warmed to a level where a long stay in the pool does not result in an hour of intense shivering.

I think I may be going for another swim. I am scheduled to go over to Miss Puerto Rico's at 4.

Daylight Savings Time Has Arrived In North Texas Making Me An Hour Late

Due to the government mandating that time be shifted an hour, I am up later than I would have preferred.

It is past 8, well after the arrival of the sun, this second Sunday of March.

As you can see, looking through the bars of my patio prison cell, it is a sunny Sunday in North Texas.

Sunny and 60 degrees.

Which means, even though I am running late, I'll be going swimming this morning.

I think around noon I will be heading to Veterans Park in Arlington and then on to the ALDI in Pantego. That is what I did last Sunday, and creature of habit that I be, I tend to repeat myself.

We Need To Thin Down The Population Of Rattlesnakes At Our Ranch

The Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup, in Sweetwater, Texas, is taking place this weekend.

Hundreds upon hundreds of rattlesnakes are executed over a 4 day period.

Some people object to these snake executions as being barbaric.

There is an official Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup website. But, for some reason, the webpage I made of my visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup  usually Googles in the #1 spot.

Due to Googling in the #1 spot a lot of people come to the erroneous conclusion that I am somehow associated with the Roundup. I get asked all sorts of strange questions about rattlesnakes. Frequently from the U.K.

A couple hours ago I saw an incoming email with "Snake Resources" as the subject line. I figured this would be a Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup related question. Asking how much my rattles cost? Or do I sell rattlesnake meat? Or do I have hats made from rattlesnake skin? Or necklaces made from rattlesnake fangs?

Instead the "Snake Resources" email was of an entirely different sort.

Below is the message in the email...

We need to thin down the population of rattlesnakes at our ranch. Do you have any names of research companies or resources that would like hundreds of live rattlesnakes from Montana?  We have wranglers who can keep them alive for whoever wants them.  

Please contact me,
Linda / 406-581-8358

I've seen rattlesnakes in Eastern Washington, so I guess it shouldn't surprise me too much that there'd be rattlesnakes in Montana. In her email, Linda included 3 pictures of rattlesnakes on her ranch. That is one of them at the top.

Is there anyone out there who can help Linda with her rattlesnake problem?

Below is the YouTube video I made years ago of my one and only visit to the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Roundup....

The Shadow Of The Tandy Hills Thin Man Takes A Hot Saturday Hike

It was well into the 70s when I hiked the Tandy Hills today. Very pleasant with a minimalist need for outerwear.

The burned log I found laying atop the Tandy Escarpment yesterday was gone today. All that remained was a blackened spot on the Escarpment and ash. Where did the log go?

Yet one more Tandy Hills Mystery to add to the Bamboo Teepee and randomly placed rusted vehicles.

I've got the windows open with absolute minimalist clothing and I am overheating.

I think it is time for the first turning on of the ceiling fan in 2011.

Okay, the fan is spinning. Let's see if it cools me off.

I heard from Mr. Galtex regarding me swiping a couple of his Seattle photos. I mentioned this in a blogging earlier today. He said someone ratted me out. I hate snitches.

Mr. Galtex told me it's raining. In Seattle. That is shocking news.

I need to go attend to some rattlesnakes now. The ceiling fan has done its job.

Mount Rainier Made A Rare March Appearance For The Viewing Pleasure Of The Fort Worth Galtex's

I think I've already mentioned that a pair of downtown Fort Worth residents, the Galtex's, are up in Seattle enjoying the rain.

Yesterday the Galtex's took an elevator ride in Seattle's tallest building, the Columbia Center, to the Sky View observation deck.

The clouds parted, giving the Galtex's a rare March look at The Mountain known as Rainier.

In downtown Fort Worth, no matter how high you are, you can see no mountains.

Mr. Galtex has a blog called Glimpses on which he documents the Galtex Travel Adventures. Currently Mr. Galtex is documenting their Seattle visit.

I like Mr. Galtex's blog profile description of himself, "I am retired and do pretty much what I damn well please." I have no idea why Mr. Galtex uses a pseudonym on his blog, calling himself Mike Wegner.

A couple paragraphs I liked from Mr. Galtex's "Gone Seattle-ing" blogging....

We spent our first afternoon as we always spend our first afternoon in a new place, walking around the neighborhood. My first impressions are all good: we are in the middle of downtown, and within three or four blocks we've found a Belgian waffle shop, a gelateria, several Thai restaurants, three supermarkets, twelvety-seven coffee shops, and more fresh seafood than I could eat in a lifetime. People actually live here.

The train from SeaTac airport to downtown costs only $2.50, and it took us to within a block of our hotel. Buses and trains converge in the downtown area in a large underground tunnel, making it very easy to transfer from one line to another. A public transportation system that is logically designed and efficiently run -- it's enough to make an old Texan like me weep with joy.

I have no idea what number twelvety-seven is. But it sounds like a lot.

You can find a link to Mr. Galtex's Seattle photos on his blogging about Seattle.

In the photo with the Space Needle in the background you are looking at the Alexander Calder sculpture, "The Eagle" in the Seattle Art Museum's Olympic Sculpture Park.

As you can also see, when the forecast is for clouds and rain in Seattle it does not mean for certain that is what is going to happen.

The Alexander Calder Eagle sculpture resided in downtown Fort Worth when I moved to Texas. It was displayed in front of the Fort Worth National Bank until 1999. I thought it was in front of the Bank One building, but Google tells me otherwise.

The Eagle was purchased by the Seattle Art Museum and spirited away in the middle of the night, to some local consternation, if  I remember right.

Please don't tell Mr. Galtex I swiped a couple of his photos from his Flickr account where it says the photos are copyrighted with all rights reserved.

Looking Out The Window At Yet One More Perfect Saturday In Texas Thinking About Mount Rainier

Looking out my favorite viewing portal on the world on this second Saturday of March of the year 2011 I can see it is yet one more blue sky morning in Texas.

It is 3 degrees above 50 out there, so I will be going swimming this morning.

I had disturbing nightmares last night. The only thing I can remember, besides the fact they were disturbing, is I found myself repetitively repeating "I'm sorry, I keep forgetting I am not in the secular world."

Changing subjects, not that there was much of a subject.

I learned from Mr. Galtex this morning, via a blog comment he sent last night, that, despite the day after day of forecasted dire weather with rain, he and Mrs. Galtex saw The Mountain yesterday whilst high above Seattle in the Columbia Center.

"The Mountain" is Washington-speak meaning Mount Rainier.

I have not seen The Mountain in well over 2 years. On my birthday of 2008 I saw The Mountain up close for the first time, documented in the video below...

Admiring Tandy Hills Art Installations While Spotting A Wildfire & Thinking About West Coast Tsunami Damage

I think of all the art installations in the Tandy Hills Natural Area the Rusted Hulk of twisted metal you see in the picture may be my favorite.

The Rusted Hulk seems a more permanent art installation than the recently arrived Tandy Bamboo Teepee. Which still stands.

Near the Rusted Hulk art installation I was appalled to see that someone had drug a log on top of the Tandy Escarpment, above the currently dry Tandy Falls.

And lit the log on fire.

I took a picture of the burned log, but my photo skills did not do it justice.

Why would someone do this? Particularly when Fort Worth and its environs are under a Red Flag Warning. Which means conditions are ripe for wildfires. As I drove away from the Tandy Hills today I heard on the radio that I-287, near Rhome, was shut down due to a wild fire.

From part way down Mount Tandy, looking north, I saw the plume of white smoke you see in the picture. I've no idea if this is the Rhome wildfire.

It does not look like the smoke from previous wildfires that I've seen in Texas. They've all been a big wall of smoke.

Change of subject.

I am being a bit surprised that the tsunami from the Japan Quake has actually done damage on the West Coast. The recent bad quake in Chile brought similar West Coast tsunami warnings. But no damage was done.

The Japan Quake Tsunami has swept 5 out to sea in California and Oregon, with 4 making it back to shore and one still missing, he being a photographer taking pictures near the mouth of the Klamath River in Del Norte County, California.

Crescent City, California has again suffered tsunami damage.

17 people died on the West Coast due to the 1964 Alaska Quake tsunami, with 11 of the dead in Crescent City. Damage estimates in Crescent City are already in the millions. Other coastal towns, like Santa Cruz also sustained damage.

I have never seen a tsunami. But I have been caught by a rogue wave. This was one of the strangest experiences I've ever had. It was in the Ocean Shores area of the Pacific Coast of Washington, at the rock jetty that juts out into Grays Harbor.

The Ocean Shores zone has very wide sandy beaches. It was a Sunday. I was with my little sister, walking on the beach with a lot of other people. Suddenly it was apparent an incoming wave was way bigger than the norm. We were nowhere near the water's edge.

People who were at the water's edge began running away from the ocean. As the water kept coming I picked up my little sister and started running. The water caught up with us. I got up on a big piece of driftwood. The surging water knocked us off and pushed me forward, clinging to my little sister.

Eventually the power of the wave subsided, with insufficient water to drag us back out with it as it receded. Everyone on the beach made it out safely. I will never forget the image of an older lady wearing a big fur coat, totally drenched. And laughing. Like she was counting her blessings that she'd survived something quite phenomenal.

I do not recollect ever seeing scenes like those I've seen coming out of Japan today. Some of the tsunami images look like the tidal waves of tsunami legend.

The Japan Quake has had me on edge all day. Then again, that feeling may have been caused by staying in the pool way too long this morning, thus activating another severe case of the shivers.

It is currently 76 in my zone of Texas. No earthquakes. No chance of a tsunami.