Biking The Trinity Trail Looking At Dismal Skyscrapers Thinking About CatsPaw, MLK & GG

Yale Dean Of Architecture Designed Skyscrapers

A week ago today I blogged a blogging titled On The Dried Out Tandy Hills Looking At The Upgraded Tarrant County Courthouse & Bass Family Damage To Downtown Fort Worth.

Basically I was opining about the Bass Family, and Ed Bass, in particular, and how I saw the Bass impact on downtown Fort Worth.

Today, whilst biking the Trinity Trail this subject was brought back to the forefront of my consciousness when I was fairly close to a pair of skyscrapers I'd opined about.

Last week's blogging generated some commentary from three different commentors whose opinions I highly value, CatsPaw, MLK and GG.

I'd suggested that the architect who designed those aforementioned skyscrapers must have been a C Student and were reflective of Bass Bad Taste.

CatsPaw then had this to say.....

My goodness, you're cranky today. Your "C-student" was quite highly-regarded and a former dean of the Yale School of Architecture. I first came to Fort Worth in 1977. City Center went up between 1978 - 1983. In the late 70s and early 80s, downtown had gotten rather dismal. I used to work in the old Continental National Bank building (now gone) and often had lunch at the Richelieu Cafe (gone) or at the restaurant in the Blackstone Hotel (now the Marriott) where the waitresses were about 80 if they were a day. We hung out after work hours at the old Daddio's where the Flying Saucer is presently. That area was pretty rough and if there had been sagebrush and tumble weeds, they would have been blowing along Main Street after 5 pm. Regardless of one's view of the Bass family or some of the buildings or development, there's really no question that they have been uniquely instrumental in the revival of downtown.

I first saw Fort Worth in August of 1980. I do remember the downtown being very dismal. And skyscraper-free. At least I do not remember there being any sort of skyline back then.

And then MLK disagreed with me....

Durango, I rarely disagree with your observations, but I'll have to object to your obvious dislike of the Bass family. I lived in Fort Worth when it was not a place to be, nothing to do, no one living down there. Ed Bass built Caravan of Dreams, an excellent music venue which closed a few years ago (still crying about this). He realized he wanted a place to live downtown, so he built Sundance West...so the urban pioneers came and made downtown FTW a great place to live/work/play. I think Fort Worth owes quite a bit to our benefactors. Whereas they do own most of downtown or fund most of the progress there, they do have excellent taste and have Fort Worth's best interest at heart.

Now, we must keep in mind that I saw something like Caravan of Dreams from a totally different perspective than someone who lived in Fort Worth during the dismal years. I read the hype about Caravan of Dreams soon upon arrival. When I finally made it to the Sundance Square parking lots to check it out I just sort of thought it was strange and tacky. The geodesic cactus garden dome seemed real odd to me. Still does.

Only recently, thanks to Wikipedia, did I learn that that geodesic dome, along with the now defunct Caravan of Dreams, is yet one more thing Fort Worth has Ed Bass to thank, or blame for. I did not connect Ed Bass to the Arizona Biosphere II Geodesic domes debacle til I read the Wikipedia article.

GG, while appreciating all the Bass family has done to Fort Worth, had some issues regarding the billionaires...

I agree that the billionaire Bass family has done a lot for revitalizing downtown Fort Worth. The problem I have with Sundance Square is all the government tax handouts they have gotten in the form of TIFs and sales tax rebates over the years. And they are still going to the trough for another $11 million in TIF money and $2.5 million in city sales tax rebates for the new buildings that will be near the new public, I mean, private plaza. I'm amazed at how the public simply ignores government handouts to billionaires, but gets outraged if some poor person gets a housing voucher or welfare benefit. If the Bass family really has Fort Worth's best interest at heart, they wouldn't be asking for all this public tax money for their private projects. It's not like $2.5 million over 15 years means a whole lot to a billionaire. But it could certainly help pay for fixing/maintaining public pools, improving rather than cutting library funding, and giving city workers some of the salary back that they lost in furloughs, to name a few examples. As a FW outsider, I don't think this 'tax taking' is acceptable behavior for billionaires who own most of downtown.

Regarding my opinion about the Bass family contribution to the development of downtown Fort Worth. My problem with this is I see it as a not a good thing if one family has this level of influence over how a town develops. MLK thinks the Bass's have excellent taste. While I don't.

Taste is a subjective thing.

While the Bass Performance Hall may be an acoustic marvel, aesthetically, to my eyes, it is an out of place eyesore with ridiculous giant angels stuck to its side blowing horns at the Barnes & Noble across the street.

When Ed Bass complained about the sunken plaza design of the downtown Tarrant County College campus, that complaint set in motion, it seemed to me, the torpedoing of that project, one that I opined might actually give Fort Worth its first iconic building that people in other parts of the planet might recognize as being Fort Worth.

Unlike that pair of Bass skyscrapers designed by a Yale School of Architecture dean.

I also do not like the Bass tendency to slap their name on the buildings they help bring about. Like the Bass Performance Hall, or the Bass name slapped on to the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame & Museum building.

Additionally, I have a problem with the idea that Fort Worth needed these particular benefactors to fix its apparently dismal downtown. Would not a more democratic process be preferable? If you removed the Bass influence from Fort Worth, do you really think downtown Fort Worth would still be a dismal mess in 2012?

And for all the supposed improvement brought to downtown Fort Worth, courtesy of Bass intervention, the town is still the biggest in America without a single downtown department store. Still totally dead on the biggest shopping day of the year, the day after Thanksgiving.

Without a benefactor playing Big Daddy to Fort Worth's collective Big Babies, might Fort Worth not have managed to figure out how to put on its Big Boy Pants all on its own?

Instead, in Fort Worth you have this weird mentality where a Good Ol' Boy Network runs the town like some sort of private fiefdom, for the benefit of all the little people.

It is this weird mentality, in my opinion, that gives rise, in this town, to strange aberrations from the way a normal town operates, giving rise to abominations like the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle. A plan hatched by the Good Ol' Boy Network, in cahoots with the local corrupt congresswoman, who got her ne-er do well, unqualified son, the job of running the almost billion dollar project.

I drove Fort Worth's booming West 7th Avenue yesterday. Did all that growth come about from Bass help? Or private enterprise?

Fort Worth's downtown has the largest percentage of land used as parking lots of any big city in America.

Who owns most of the parking lots? The Bass Family.

Land is too valuable to use as parking lots in a vibrant downtown. I wonder what could possibly be done to bring some of that booming West 7th level of dynamic change to downtown Fort Worth?

I would not be so bold (or rude) as to suggest evicting the Bass Family from downtown Fort Worth might be a good place to start.

Trying To Wakeboard Today At Cowtown Wakepark

The Cowtown Wakepark Jewel
In The Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Crown

Today I pedaled the Trinity Trail to get a closeup look at Cowtown Wakepark.

Yesterday I visited the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Woodshed Smokehouse.

Visionary J.D. Granger envisioned the Woodshed Smokehouse as a gritty place with no air-conditioning, with outdoor showers and an outhouse.

Well before the Woodshed opened, the visionary J.D. Granger foresaw the need for the more than 700,000 citizens of Fort Worth to have the opportunity to participate in the water sport of wakeboarding in dirty, polluted water.

This coming summer the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle will see the opening of the first new drive-in movie theater in America in decades.

Truly visionary.

I was very impressed to see the Cowtown Wakepark up close today, to see the fine attention paid to detail.

Fort Worth Shabby Chic From The
Trinity River Vision Boondoggle

The designers of this world class venue obviously paid close attention to the Fort Worth design aesthetic, that truly unique shabby chic look that Fort Worth does so well, and no other big city seems able to emulate to the Fort Worth level.

Cowtown Wakepark's landscaping appeared to be designed to look totally natural, like most of Fort Worth's freeway exits. Tall grass and weeds. A smattering of litter, for color. A general unkemptness to the look.

It can't be easy to design and achieve this type look, creating the illusion of chaotic slobbiness.

The next time I bike the Trinity Trail, out of Gateway Park, I'll make it beyond Cowtown Wakepark to see if I can find the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Drive-In under construction. It'd be cool to see the tall grass and weeds, of the landscaping, when they are in the installation phase, before the litter arrives.

Has anyone heard what the financial arrangement is between the Cowtown Wakepark and the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle? How big a slice is J.D. Granger's operation getting off of this likely very lucrative pie? How much did it cost the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle to add this lake to the vision?

The 3rd Wednesday Of April Dawns Cool & Clear In Texas

The icy blue view of the outer world at my location on this 18th morning of April matches this morning's icy cool temperature of only 22 degrees above freezing.

My swimming pool is still in being treated mode, so no cool pool for me this morning. With these semi-frigid temperatures the water is likely not as warm as the last time I immersed myself in it.

The Fort Worth Main St. Arts Festival starts up tomorrow.

I am currently planning on going on Saturday. My means of conveyance to downtown Fort Worth will be via one of the Fort Worth adventure buses.

The rock and roll ride on Fort Worth's natural gas powered buses is a fun thing. I don't know why more people don't get on board.

Something in the air is back bugging my eyes again. I think I will move to a desert where I can breathe easier.

Elsie Hotpepper is being cranky with me. Near as I can tell this crankiness is caused by me going to the Woodshed Smokehouse without her.

A Walk Along The Trinity River With Lunch At The Woodshed Smokehouse

Occupying Woodshed Smokehouse For Lunch

Today I walked the Trinity Trail and met Madame X for lunch with Tim Love at the Woodshed Smokehouse.

The walk along the Trinity River was interesting.

But, first lunch was had at the Woodshed.

Skinny Madame X had the Skinny Chicken sandwich, while I had the Woodshed Burger.

I recently had a Double Double Burger at In-N-Out. I prefer the Double Double to the Woodshed Burger, though the Smoked Cheddar is a nice touch.

There were not as many people at the Woodshed for lunch today as there were the first time I was at the Woodshed, that being the Occupy Woodshed protest where we had libations and chips. Some overhead fans have been added to add some air circulation to the un air-conditioned Woodshed.

Woodshed Designer Outhouse & Shower

The entrepreneur behind the brilliant Woodshed concept, J.D. Granger, insisted there be no air-conditioning because he felt cool air would detract from the gritty atmosphere he was hoping to create.

I'm guessing the cool outhouse that is part of the Woodshed complex, along with the outdoor shower, is also part of the gritty atmosphere design of J.D. Granger.

I did not know what the parking situation was at the Woodshed and I knew it was easy to park at Trinity Park, with Trinity Park being a fairly short distance to the Woodshed.

Do Not Go Over Your Limit Of 5 Rainbow Trout

Why is most of Trinity Park's parking blocked? And the Trinity Trail blocked, heading east? This made parking a bit more difficult than I had anticipated.

The URBAN FISHING AREA sign you see in the picture has perplexed me previously. In most areas you are advised not to eat any fish you catch in the Trinity River.

However, this sign informs you that a Texas Fishing License and Trout Stamp are required to catch your limit of 5 Rainbow Trout per day.

A person standing near me as I read the sign muttered, "There ain't no trout in that damn river."

The Fort Worth Forbidden Zone

I don't know about that, but I sure saw a lot of turtles and what looked to be a big snake, plus multiple instances of big fish jumping out of the water making big splashes.

Just a short distance upriver from the URBAN FISHING AREA, maybe 500 feet, there is a very dire warning sign that made me wonder how it was that Rainbow Fish were available for catching a few feet downriver.

FORBIDDEN ZONE - NO TRESPASSING - CITY OF FORT WORTH - RAW WATER INTAKE

That really does sound dire. This is the only place on the planet where I recollect having found myself in a FORBIDDEN ZONE. Does this mean raw water is being sucked out of the dirty river at this location? Or is raw water flowing in to the river at this location? I prefer my FORBIDDEN ZONES to be very clear about the reason for the forbidding.

Fort Worth Bikers Crossing Trinity River

There are several dam bridges crossing across the Trinity River, some of which are part of the Trinity Trail. I don't quite understand the thinking behind the dam bridge crossing you see in the picture.

The 3 guys had to carry their mountain bikes across the dam bridge because the path across is a line of big rocks, with the river waterfalling between the rocks.

A short distance downriver there has been at least one instance of someone falling into the river at a similar crossing and drowning.

It seems sort of irresponsible, to me, to have a paved trail lead to a dam bridge that is topped with a line of big rocks that you have to traverse carrying your bike overhead.

The 3rd Tuesday Of April Thinking Fort Worth Must Focus On Basics Like Sidewalks

I won't be going swimming on this morning of the 17th day of April.

The reason I am not going swimming this morning has nothing to do with the fact that it is a chilly 50 degrees in the outer world at my location.

The reason I am not going swimming is because the pool is not usable because late Monday afternoon the water got its first shock treatment of 2012.

Due to using the pool not being cool and the fact that I've been overdoing the exercise thing I'm taking a day off of straining my aging self.

Changing the subject from my decrepitude to Fort Worth's decrepitude.

This morning on the front page of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram I read a paragraph of the sort I have not often read in this newspaper, what with its tendency towards propaganda and self-aggrandizing blowhardedness.

The paragraph I am talking about was in an editorial about Fort Worth's budget deficit titled "Budget shortfall means Fort Worth must focus on basics"....

We still have areas in Fort Worth where even the essentials are lacking. A good quality of life in these neighborhoods would mean curbs, sidewalks and access to a grocery store that doesn't take two bus transfers and three hours to reach.

I thought I was the only person in this town, which frequently makes other towns Green with Envy, due to the wonders that one beholds here, who has noticed the many streets without sidewalks and the narrowness of many of the sidewalks that do exist.

I can't help but wonder why Fort Worth does not send out some sort of task force to some other towns in this world which have managed to figure out how to have sidewalks along side their streets to learn how this wonder of the modern world might be imported to Fort Worth.

Methinks that it'd take just a fraction of the almost billion dollars currently slated to be wasted on the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, to install sidewalks beside Fort Worth's many sidewalk-less streets.

Pursuing Indian Ghosts 171 Years After The Battle Of Village Creek In Arlington

In the picture you are looking at one of the historical markers that you come across when you visit the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

This particular marker is outside of the Natural Historical Area, sitting along side the paved trail that runs through the Bob Findlay Linear Park, eventually taking you to River Legacy Park.

This trail is also known as the Pioneer Trail.

The information on this historical marker gives answer to those who might question why I'm always referencing the Indian Ghosts who haunt this particular place.

I will use Dragon Speak to quickly transcribe what is written on this historical marker.....

Near this site, two scouting parties of Texas Volunteers rendezvoused in their pursuit of Indians during the Battle of Village Creek on May 24, 1841. This encounter was the last fought in Tarrant County and resulted in the permanent abandonment of settlements which the Caddo had inhabited here since the Spanish first explored this region in 1542.

General Tarrant, for whom the County was later named, led 69 Volunteers from settlements near the Red River in an early morning attack on the villages of the Caddo and other tribes which were located along Village Creek. Tarrant's Volunteers destroyed two large Caddo villages south of here and then pursued fleeing Indians north along the creek. From the second village, located in the vicinity of Village Creek Historical Park, two scouting parties of ten men each set out. Henry Stout, an experienced scout, led one party northward along the creek trail. John B. Denton, for whom Denton County was later named, led another party sweeping northwestward on another trail. The two scouting parties rendezvoused here and, over the objections of the more experienced Stout, pursued further north into the thickets that grew along the creek as it neared the Trinity River. There, they were indeed ambushed and Denton was killed. Denton was the only Volunteer to be killed. His death was as much the result of his contest with Stout over who had the most courage as it was their contest with the Indians. The dramatic account of Denton's death, as retold by Arista Joyner in her book, Arlington Texas, Birthplace of the Metroplex, appears below.

Stout halted where the trails came together and warned his men that the Indians were likely heading for the thickets just beyond this point to lay a trap for them. Just then, Denton rode up from the other trail and asked Stout why he had stopped. Stout told him what he had told his men, and added that his men "would go as far as any other." The two men were obviously piqued at each other. Denton quickly spurred his horse onward (pictured) and Stout followed until they came across another larger trail, one end of which led over a hill to the west and the other part headed east (current day Randol Mill Road). The trail crossed the creek where some villages were. The men proceeded northward and crossed the creek at the lower end of a horseshoe bend (just west of current day Lamar Blvd.) and saw beyond them a cornfield and on through the trees, another village was discernible. They crossed the field and entered the creek. Denton halted momentarily. Stout rode up in front of him and said, "If you are afraid to go in there, I'm not", and he spurred his horse ahead. Denton, already emotionally fired, shouted angrily, "I'll follow you to Hell. Go on."

Soon after entering the creek, they were ambushed and Denton was killed. (Also see trail markers at ambush site, 1 mile north, and in Village Creek Historical Park, 1.5 miles south, along this trail).

And now you know why there are so many Indian Ghosts haunting this location.

Biking Arlington's Lake Interlochen Neighborhood Wondering About Possible Cowtown Wakepark Shenanigans

In the picture you are looking at one of the Interlochen Canals in Arlington's Lake Interlochen Neighborhood.

Today I pedaled past the Indian Ghosts, who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area, to pedal the streets of Interlochen.

Pedaling the streets of Interlochen avails one of some good hill action.

Just last week, if my memory is serving me correctly, I blogged about the Interlochen Canals and Fort Worth's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The vision that gave Arlington the Interlochen Canals did not envision having one of the canals host the world's premiere wakeboarding lake.

Have any of Fort Worth's hard hitting newspapers done any investigative journalizing into how the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle's Cowtown Wakepark is doing?

I'm curious how the deal to build the Cowtown Wakepark came about. How much did it cost the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle project to add that little lake?

Many people were less than pleased with the shenanigans of J.D. Granger and the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle that gave Tim Love a sweetheart deal and a new restaurant.

But, I have read nary a word about the shenanigans that brought about the world's premiere urban wakeboard lake.

Another Cool Blue Monday In Texas

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world it appears that this morning is the start of yet one more Blue Monday in Texas.

Today is Day 16 of April, already the 3rd Monday of the 4th month of 2012.

Yesterday's storming did not drop a lot of water at my location. Which should have my favorite hiking locations dried up quickly.

The drying process would be accelerated if the temperature went into HOT mode.

Currently the temperature is not in HOT mode at only 22 degrees above freezing. Today the temperature predictors are predicting it will only get to 73. It is like winter has returned.

I think I will go swimming now before it gets any colder.

A Sunday Walk With The Fosdic Lake Ducks

Serene Sunday Fosdic Lake

The rain stopped raining down in semi-downpour mode before noon.

So I decided that a walk around Fosdic Lake in Oakland Lake Park would be good for some of what ails me.

But, as I drove on to Oakland Lake Park's westside parking lot, big drops began to hit my windshield.

The big drops only dropped a few drops before stopping the dropping.

But, I grabbed a bumbershoot anyway, in case the rain began to drop again.

It didn't.

However, I did hear one loud clap of thunder.

A Quacking Fosduck Enjoying The Storm Respite

The time is now rapidly approaching 3 on this Sunday afternoon. Methinks the storming is over at my location on the planet, for now.

I had myself a real fine time this morning swimming in the rain.

When a downpour gets you soaked before you make it to the pool, there is none of the usual temperature acclimating to the slightly cool pool water needed.

The sun is looking like it may be breaking through the cloud cover. I'm thinking I might enjoy a second swim of the day, a rain-free swim, with possibly some poolside lounging.

I am trying to get sufficiently suntanned so I am not an albino spectacle when I go swimming with the dolphins that live off South Padre Island.

The 3rd Sunday Of April With Thunder & Rain & No Tornado Sirens So Far

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this 3rd Sunday of the 4th month of 2012 it does not appear that much wet drippage has dropped on this part of the planet, so far, on this day that the weather predictors have predicted will be very wet.

My local bird population is in heavy duty tweeting mode this morning, apparently happily oblivious to the prediction that severe storms are possible this morning.

I am very happy that Mother Nature decided to stop being such a blowhard this morning. The non-stop racket of wind chimes was really wearing on my hyper-sensitive nerves.

When this Sunday ends, with it being April 15, already half of the month will have passed into history. It is a month since I flew to Phoenix. I really tire of the ever faster passage of time. I seem to be aging at an accelerated pace.

I just heard my first thunder boom of the day. The sky is beginning to look a bit menacing.

Methinks I need to get in my morning swim in before lightning bolts start striking my neighborhood.

Yikes! Suddenly a downpour of heavy duty drippage has arrived. I may re-think that swimming plan.

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival April 19 - 22 On Historic Red Bricks

I was surprised yesterday to learn, via an email from the Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. people that it is already that time of year that the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival takes place.

Thursday, April 19, through Sunday, April 22, to be exact.

The first time I experienced the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival it did not take place in Downtown Fort Worth.

A tornado spun its way through Downtown Fort Worth on March 28, 2000, wreaking havoc with Main Street and other streets in Downtown Fort Worth, so that year the Arts Festival was moved to the location where Fort Worth tries to contain its culture, the Cultural District.

I was less than 2 years into my Texas Exile when I experienced the Main St. Arts Festival. This was to be the first time in Texas, and in Fort Worth, that I experienced something that was better done than I'd experienced elsewhere.

In other words the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival is bigger and better than any similar festival I ever attended in Washington.

The Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival was also the first place I experienced the bizarre Texas custom of making you buy coupons in order to buy something like a hot dog and a Coke. You wait in one line to trade your dollars for coupons and then you wait in another line to pay for your hot dog and Coke with coupons.

A Texan later told me, after I experienced the coupon payment method at the State Fair of Texas, that the reason for the coupon method was that it was too hard to find short term help that was able to make change, but that they were able to count coupons.

I also later learned that there were parts of Texas where people could be found who could make change and thus the coupon purchase method was not used, like Canton First Mondays. It being another Texas thing that is better and bigger than I've ever experienced anywhere else.

There is a blurb on the promotional poster, above, that about sums up the Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival...

"Let your imagination spin wild at one of the top-rated arts festivals in America. Enjoy revolutionary art, sensational music and delectable food on the historic red bricks of Downtown. The Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival - a kaleidoscope of sight, sound and soul."

Historic red bricks? What is it with Fort Worth and its red bricks. I remember years ago asking a Fort Worth native I called Beth the Reporter why Camp Bowie Boulevard is a cobblestoned mess. She told me that the brick roadway was unique and Fort Worth kept it because it is so special.

I informed Beth the Reporter that there was nothing special or unique about that cobblestoned road. I recollect asking her if she'd been to the Texas town of Ennis, which has a cobblestoned street. I have seen several towns in Texas with cobblestoned streets and squares.

What is historic about the red bricks of downtown Fort Worth? Does anyone know?

Foot Traffic Only On The Tandy Hills With Native American Butterflies

Foot Traffic Only With The Stunning Skyline Of
Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth
In The Distance

I planned to enter the Tandy Hills today from the View Street location. But when I arrived there there were way too many vehicles and people. So, I drove to the top of Mount Tandy where there were no vehicles or people.

On the Tandy Hills there is a cable fence that marks the eastern edge of the Natural Area.

The FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY sign you see attached to the cable fence is a short distance to the south of the Tandy Hills Shrine, halfway down Mount Tandy.

I don't know why there a need for a FOOT TRAFFIC ONLY sign at this location due to the fact that being on foot is about the only means of conveyance that one might use to traverse the landscape past this sign.

Is This A Native American Butterfly?

Changing the subjects from silly signs to butterflies.

A couple days ago I was amazed at the number of butterflies hovering all around me as I biked with the Indian Ghosts at the Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

The past couple days I've been seeing even more butterflies hovering all around me on the Tandy Hills.

It is like the butterflies are being playful. They remind me of Avatar.

Speaking of Indian Ghosts, the butterfly in the picture, who kindly stayed still long enough for me to photograph him or her, has a color scheme that looks, to me, to be very Native American.

The wind continues to blow. I continue to hear annoying wind chimes. The sky continues to look stormy.

The 2nd Saturday Of April Dawns Windy & Warm

The 2nd Saturday of April, day 14, is currently being very windy and heated to 40 degrees above freezing.

As you can sort of see, via the view from one of my viewing portals on the outer world, the sky above the pool looks to be a bit stormy.

But the weather predictors are not, currently, predicting stormy weather for today at my location in North Texas.

However, a few miles to the north, in Oklahoma, hatches are being battened down in anticipation of big hail and tornadoes.

The weather predictors are predicting storms for North Texas tomorrow, but not as severe as today's prediction for Oklahoma.

Something in the air is back irritating my vision orbs. I tire of excessive blinking.

I think I will try to make my way to the pool, in between wind gusts, and go swimming now.

Hiking The Tandy Hills Before Sunday's Big Storm & Tonight's Paradise Center Camp Bowie Bingo

Yellow Blooms Sticking Up On The Tandy Hills

If the weather predictors are correct I only have a couple days to get in some good hill hiking before a BIG STORM drops a lot of wet on the Tandy Hills and North Texas on Sunday.

So, I had myself some endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation on the Hills of Tandy today in the noon time frame.

I do not recollect the Tandy Hills ever looking so lushly green as they are currently looking.

I neglected to mention that I hiked the Tandy Hills late yesterday afternoon.

Of late I've come across some strange things on the Tandy Hills.

Yesterday when I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy I startled a couple sitting on a slab of cement, with their two pit bulls. They'd hiked from the View Street entry to the hills. Their first time hiking the Tandy Hills.

Rather adventurous, I thought, to make it from View Street to the base of the Fort Worth Space Needle. The man of the couple said he was a little concerned about finding their way back due to the seemingly confusing maze of trails. I described an easy way to find their way back, via crossing the escarpment of Tandy Falls.

A few minutes after giving those directions I crossed that escarpment and headed up the hill to the trail that leads in from View Street. I was near the top when I was startled by the loud noise of an animal coming up fast behind me.

It was Stenotrophomonas.

Stenotrophomonas has not made any blog comments for awhile, not since the Tandy Highway Sanitary Sewer Flood, if my memory serves me correctly. I'd wondered what had become of Stenotrophomonas. I think Stenotrophomonas has become some sort of fitness nut since I last saw him, judging by the speed with which he runs up steep hills.

When I arrived on top of Mount Tandy today there was an AT & T van, parked outside the fenced area around the Fort Worth Space Needle. And a Volvo parked up against the cable that blocks easy entry to the Tandy Wagon Trail.

As I was heading back up Mount Tandy, after completing my hiking regimen, I came upon a guy who said he was lost. He said when he started his hike he parked by what he said was a power company van. I suggested AT & T and that he likely parked at the top of the hill I was heading up.

I did not remember the car parked there was a Volvo, so I could not ask if he was driving a Volvo. The guy was insistent that he did not park at the top of Mount Tandy. And that he'd not parked on View Street.

There ain't a lot of other options. It is several hours later, I hope that guy is not still wandering around trying to find where he parked his car.

Changing the subject from lost souls to bingo.

Tonight is Paradise Center Camp Bowie Bingo. It is Free Food Friday, where you get 2 hot dogs, chips and a drink. And I'll get another chance to win another bike.

The Morning Of Friday The 13th With Fizzled Missiles & Noisy Wind Chimes

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this morning of Friday the 13th, this particular day in April does not seem to be boding ill so far.

It was nice to learn this Friday the 13th morning that the North Koreans did not have good luck launching a missile.

All night long it was very windy at my location on the planet. I was hearing wind chimes all night long. I do not like wind chimes. I think wind chimes should be banned.

I also think saggy pants should be banned. I read this morning that some judge somewhere that I've already forgotten sent a guy to jail for wearing saggy pants in public.

I saw a lady in Wal-Mart, yesterday, who I thought should maybe get some jail time for what she was wearing in public.

Clearly I am in a very anti-libertarian mood this Friday the 13th morning.

At this point in time it is already 35 degrees above freezing. I probably should shut my windows before it gets any hotter.

I think it is hot enough to go swimming now.

Biking With The Village Creek Indian Ghosts To Arlington's Interlochen Canals

Interlochen Canal In Arlington

That is one of the Interlochen Canals, in Arlington, you are looking at in the picture.

Today I was able go bike riding with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Village Creek Natural Historical Area because the park closed sign was no more.

Until the next flood.

For the first time in over a year I left the Indian Ghosts behind, exiting the Historical Area to the Bob Findlay Linear Park, also known as Pioneer Trail.

Seeing the Canals of Interlochen today got me wondering how it was Arlington was able to builds these canals. Was there a Rush Creek Vision? Did the project that resulted in the Interlochen Canals get Federal earmark money courtesy of a corrupt Congressman? Or Congresswoman? To help grease the Congressperson's help was the job of managing the Interlochen Canal project given to that Congressperson's unqualified, unemployed son?

I actually know the answer to these probing questions. The Interlochen Canals and Lake Interlochen are the result of a private development envisioned by Bob Findlay. A nationally recognized project that turned a gravel pit and floodlands into a valuable piece of real estate.

The Interlochen Neighborhood covers 4.578 square miles and is home to 11,660 Arlingtonians.

I do not believe any property was stolen via the abuse of eminent domain to facilitate the Interlochen Canal Vision.

The Interlochen Canal Vision resulted, eventually, in the Lake Interlochen Homeowners Association that takes care of the upkeep of the canal system, which includes the impound dam on Rush Creek and the structures that control the inflow and outflow of Lake Interlochen.

I do not know if J.D. Granger and his cronies took one of their infamous junket parties to Arlington to check out the Interlochen Canals. Likely not.

I Love Texas & Other Idiosyncrasies

This morning I did my daily look at Facebook to see the daily look at former Fort Worth native and admirer of what the Bass Family has done to downtown Fort Worth, now exiled in Tacoma, MLK's, daily face photo, when I saw that MLK had shared a photo of a heart that says, "I LOVE TEXAS" on it.

I sure do love writing run-on sentences. But, I digress.

There were 3 comments regarding the I LOVE TEXAS heart.

I found the 3 comments amusing....

Tamera Royer: Hell yea.

Cow Thief: You can get the "I LOVE TEXAS" ones, but only at a few places. This is a special production run from NECCO. At one time I would get them and give them out but it got to the point to where people were DEMANDING them!

Tara Butler: Who doesn't?

Yeah. Who doesn't love Texas? There is so much to love that is so lovable in Texas.

From MLK's Facebook I LOVE TEXAS heart photo I learned that there is an I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page.

On the I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page I learned what John Steinbeck thought about Texas via the I LOVE TEXAS Facebook page's page description...

"I Love Texas" is all about the Great State of Texas and why we love her! 

"Texas is a state of mind. Texas is an obsession. Above all, Texas is a nation in every sense of the word. A Texan outside of Texas is a foreigner." John Steinbeck

From the above we learn that, according to John Steinbeck, former Fort Worth native, MLK, is currently a foreigner.

MLK is temporarily returning to Fort Worth during the 4th of July time frame. I do not know if MLK's visit to Texas will be of long enough duration for her to lose her foreigner status.

Morning 12 Of April Dawns Blue & Dry In Texas

It appears that the 12th morning of April is beginning with a blue sky, judging from the limited view from my primary viewing portal on the outer world.

That outer world is currently heated to 31 degrees above freezing, heading to a supposed high today of 76.

The weather predictors are not predicting any rain to electrical action for today. The weather predictors are predicting rain and electrical action for the following 4 days, from Friday through Monday.

I got some interesting comments to yesterday's bloggings about the Bass family and David Lunsford.

I think I will go swimming now before it gets any hotter and whilst swimming I will ponder from whence my attitude towards Fort Worth's Bass family comes. Among other things.

Fort Worth's Corrupt Conflicts Of Interest From Yesterday & Today On My Blog & In Fort Worth Weekly

Yesterday I got a blog comment from someone named Anonymous to a blog post from over 3 years ago; January 4, 2009, to be precise.

The blog post commented on was titled "Corrupt Conflicts Of Interest Taking Over Fort Worth."

The comment seemed to allege an erroneous allegation about someone named David Lunsford.

About David Lunsford the January 4, 2009 post said...

And in yet one more example of a conflict of interest, this morning I learned that Lead Gas Drilling Inspector, David Lunsford, now works for a pipeline company. Lunsford has been quoted as saying he rarely received complaints. Lunsford was known to dismiss gas drilling concerns out of hand. One can not help but wonder how much effort Lunsford put into protecting the public, when he had a cushy pipeline job waiting for him.

I do not remember who was sending me info about these conflicts of interest and David Lunsford, now, over 3 years later, though I sort of have a slight inkling as to who it was.

I referred to this individual as "Deep Throat." Very original.

I hit the publish button on the comment, yesterday, and thought no more about it.

Until today when I was reading the latest edition of Fort Worth Weekly.

The comment from Anonymous, to my blog post from over 3 years ago, was......

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Corrupt Conflicts Of Interest Taking Over Fort Worth": 

From Check your facts - David Lunsford had no cushy pipeline job to go to. He left because of the illegal corruption brought about by the new city manager. In fact because of his high standards and not wanting involvement in the city's illegal actions he quit. SO before you go throwing blame around you need to check your facts. 

And then, just a few minutes ago I'm reading this week's FW Weekly's Static column titled "Smart Career Move", to read the following two paragraphs....

Remember Fort Worth Mayor Ken Barr? He helped draft the city’s first gas well ordinance in 2001 and then stepped down as mayor. Barr’s departure allowed the oil-rich ex-Sen. Mike Moncrief to become mayor and provide protection for the industry in those early years before anyone knew to ask questions about pipelines, water usage, toxic emissions, infrastructure damage, decreased property values, etc.

What happened to Barr? He went to work for Chesapeake. So did Brian Boerner, Fort Worth’s former environmental manager. The gas industry also hired David Lunsford, who was Fort Worth’s lead gas inspector in those early years and never met a drill rig he didn’t love. Meanwhile, little known (and ethically challenged) Eastside resident Danny Scarth served on the city’s gas drilling task force in 2006 and was so friendly to drillers that they financed his campaign for city council, where he remains.

Methinks maybe it is this guy or gal named Anonymous who needs to do him or herself some fact checking.

This Morning I Heard From A Relative Of Geronimo About Jesse James

I get a lot of comments to my various blogs. They are often interesting. Or amusing. Or both.

But it is not my blogs that usually get the best of the comments, it is my Eyes on Texas website that usually gets the best of the comments, only on that website, I call the comments "Feedback."

Years ago, after a local bit of nonsense sprung up in Granbury about Jesse James, I added "The Truth About Jesse Jame" to my Eyes on Texas website.

This morning I got "Feedback" from a relative of Geronimo, asking me about Jesse James.....

The man known as deacon reminds me of some of the Jennings. They were in Kansas City, Missouri at that time, left in 1869. Albert A. Jennings, who is a cousin of the James Brother, as well and the Youngers, he was there in Missouri for while since he left Reddish River North Carolina after his marriage to his wife Mary Pollanna Muse. 1853, the son of John Thomas Jennings and Nancy I. Irving or Irvin, one of the founding people probably founded the place between Fort Worth and Dallas. I suspect Albert A. Jennings was a member of the James gang. For some reason he changed his last name from Jennings to Gennings or Gennins, like he was on the lam.

Also have you heard the story were Jesse James sold the rifles and ammo to the Lakota Sioux that ended in the destruction of another cousin, General George Armstrong Custer, even though he really deserved what he had did to my red brothers.

Guess I would classify myself part Indian, for interest sake, i am married to the great great great granddaughter of Geronimo, through his second wife and daughter Tosey, who married Jose Ramirez. Of course my wife was born in a place called Idabel, Oklahoma.

On your page you should have the photo of Jesse James when he was there, took with some sheriff or somebody of that time.

On The Dried Out Tandy Hills Looking At The Upgraded Tarrant County Courthouse & Bass Family Damage To Downtown Fort Worth

Close Up Look At Beautiful Downtown Fort Worth

I decided to go with my sunny optimistic nature and go to the Tandy Hills today assuming that sufficient time had passed since Sunday's deluge to dry the trails sufficiently to allow mud-free hiking.

My sunny optimistic nature was not disappointed.

But, I would have been happy to have Mother Nature dial back on the humidity a bit.

In the picture I zoomed in, as best I could, on the Tarrant County Courthouse. That is the pointy structure to the right of that short skyscraper that looks like it is not completed yet.

Downtown Fort Worth does not have any, for want of a better way to say it, interestingly designed skyscrapers. I assume there has never been enough money in the downtown Fort Worth skyscraper budget to build a memorable one.

The twin towers to the south of the courthouse, the eastern one of which you see in the picture, are particularly odd. It's like some C-Student architect thought it clever to have cut-outs and indents that give the appearance that the building gave up being completed. And no one thought to tell the C-Student architect that that particular design looks tacky. And so it was built.

I am not sure, but I think these particular twin skyscrapers are buildings that the Bass Family helped bring about. The Bass Family really is responsible for a lot of what ain't right about downtown Fort Worth.

Or so it seems to me.

I know there are those in Fort Worth who are beholden to the wonders that the Bass Family allegedly has brought downtown Fort Worth, but methinks Fort Worth would be a lot better off if the town put on its big boy pants and did not rely on one family's demonstrably bad taste to dictate how the town looks.

Anyway, after a multi-million dollar remodel the Tarrant County Courthouse's clock tower lost the scaffolding that has covered it for a long time. I believe there is still work to be done.

How is the plan to take down the Tarrant County Courthouse Annex coming, you know, that building with the fake covering that looks like yet one more bad downtown Fort Worth building designed by a C-Student architect?

At least that particular eyesore is not called the Bass Tarrant County Courthouse Annex, unlike way too many other eyesores in the downtown Fort Worth zone, that have the Bass name, in various iterations, attached to them.

The 2nd Wednesday Of April Dawns In Texas After A Night With The Searchers

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell on this second Wednesday of April it would appear that this particular day in Texas is starting off with a clear blue sky, despite the weather predictor's prediction of rain and thunder for today.

Currently, at my location, it is 31 degrees above freezing, heading to the weather predictor's predicted high of 80.

Changing the subject from my favorite one to something else.

Last night I watched the John Ford/John Wayne movie, The Searchers.

I've been wanting to watch this movie ever since I read that it was loosely based on the Cynthia Ann Parker story.

Very very very loosely based would have been far more accurate. The movie started off with a caption letting it be known that what you were watching was in Texas. But, near as I could tell, the majority of the movie was filmed in the Monument Valley of Arizona and Utah.

I don't know why John Ford could not have used some of the classic Western scenery that exists where the West begins.

I am sure if someone tried real hard some classic Western scenery could be found in Texas.

I think the sun has brightened up the outer world sufficiently that I can go swimming now and enjoy the classic Texas scenery that surrounds the swimming pool.

Pedaling Past Huffines Veridian In Arlington's River Legacy Park With A Lot Of Other People

Bike Resting At The River Legacy Park 7 Mile Marker

I had intended to ride my bike with the Indian Ghosts at Village Creek Natural Historical Area today. But, that park was closed due to flooding.

So, I headed to River Legacy Park, instead.

I pedaled all the way to the end of the paved trail, to the 7 mile marker, at the far northeast side of River Legacy Park.

When I decided to give up bike riding, well over a year ago, I really thought I would never see this location again.

It has now been several years since the River Legacy Park paved trail has terminated at this northeast location. When this trail was opened I remember reading that the trail would soon be extended to the east, to eventually connect with the Dallas paved trails along the Trinity River.

But, that particular river vision has not happened.

I was very surprised at the number of people I saw biking, blading, walking and pushing baby strollers at River Legacy Park today. Such a change from when I first visited this park soon upon my arrival in Texas.

There seems to be an uptick in visitors in all the parks I visit.

Methinks Texans are getting more active and this is why Texas is not ranking as high as it once did in various obesity level rankings. This is not a sad state of affairs in a state which claims everything is bigger in Texas. This is one area where I think Texas does not want to be bigger.

I am looking forward to biking at River Legacy Park on a Saturday or Sunday when the weather is good. It should be very busy, seeings how it was so busy today, on a Tuesday.

The Huffines development, that abuts the north side of River Legacy Park on the east side of Collins Street, that was sort of mothballed after the 2008 economic meltdown, continues to have work done.

New Trail To Huffines Veridian Development

I saw a large sign being constructed near where the River Legacy trail goes under Collins Street. The sign looked like V's. If my memory is serving me correctly, the Huffines development is called Veridian, hence the V's.

Paved trails are being constructed from the River Legacy Park paved trail to the Huffines development. That was a bit of a surprising development. Seems like such a trail would be developed after the development got developed.

Pedaling around 12 miles on the River Legacy Park paved trails sort of indicated to me that I have been missing this type of exercise. I don't think I was pedaling at as fast a pace as I used to.

The 2nd Monday Of April Dawns Blue & Fog-Free In Texas

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world, on this 10th morning of April, there appears to be a blue glow phenomenon occurring.

I did not hear any of the predicted thunderstorming last night and it does not appear that any of the predicted rain fell on my location.

And this morning the predicted fog has not fogged up the view, unlike yesterday's foggiest day I've ever seen in Texas.

When this second Tuesday of April ends a third of April will already passed in to history.

Today I am hoping, if Sunday's rain have not left the park closed, to go biking with the Indian Ghosts who haunt the Village Creek Natural Historical Area in Arlington.

Before I do that I think I will go swimming before it gets any hotter than the current 30 degrees above freezing.

Walking Around Calm Fosdic Lake Getting Bit By Fire Ants

The Fosdic Lake Mirror

Going to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake was my walking choice today.

Walking in addition to, this morning, putting in a lot of walking miles, or so it seemed, at Academy Sports, Wal-Mart Supercenter and Super Target.

Driving in a dense fog in North Texas was very strange today. It seemed like I should have been hearing foghorns and big waves crashing.

Walking around Oakland Lake Park today I saw a lot of evidence of brightly colored eggs being destroyed.

As you can see in the picture, Fosdic Lake was very calm today, even though water was falling over Fosdic Falls. The lake was acting like a perfect mirror, reflecting the line of trees that line the western shore.

There were a lot of people enjoying the calm after the storm, and before the next one, today around Fosdic Lake.

The grass in Oakland Lake Park is in dire need of mowing, or harvesting into hay bales.

Today I sat down for a bit, my feet buried in the tall grass. After a couple minutes of sitting I realized I had fire ants visiting my shoes. I go out of this relatively unscathed, with just a few fire ant bites, unlike the last fire ant attack incident, when I was on the ground to take a picture and stood up to find I had a lot of fire ants on me.

I had myself a fine swim early this morning. Right now I'm thinking that cool pool water might make fire ant bites feel better.

The 2nd Monday Morning Of April Is Very Foggy In Texas

The Monday morning view from all my viewing portals on the outer world is the foggiest I ever remember seeing from this location.

It is a thick fog that feels like drizzle when you step outside.

Apparently the weather predictors have now decided to predict rain and more thunder from now through Wednesday.

I do not know where I will be getting any bi-pedal endorphin inducing aerobic stimulation today.

Of late I have managed to make the swimming a bit more strenuous and perhaps a bit more aerobic. But I don't know if that aerobic-ness has reached an endorphin inducing level.

I went to Miss Puerto Rico's yesterday late in the afternoon for the first time in a long time. I did not stay long. We need not discuss why.

I got back to my abode looking forward to watching The Amazing Race to find that once again some sports thing running on too long had delayed the start of the race. I have no idea what sports thing did the damage last night. I'm fairly certain it was not football. That would seem to leave baseball, basketball or golf as the likely culprit.

I think I will walk out into the super dense fog and go swimming now before it gets any foggier or lightning starts striking.

Dry Tandy Hills Hiking Before Rain Ruined Easter Picnics & Arlington Disaster Area Credential Concerns

Wildflowers Atop Mount Tandy

When I arrived at the top of Mount Tandy today a few big plops of raindrops hit my windshield. When I exited my vehicle I could hear thunder rumbling to the north of me.

I momentarily considered aborting the hill hiking, but then decided to risk getting wet and struck by a lightning bolt.

The rain did not go into downpour mode until I had re-ascended Mount Tandy and was back in my dry vehicle.

In the picture you are looking at part of the prairie on top of Mount Tandy. This is the largest open field of wildflowers in the Tandy Hills zone. Much larger than the open fields of wildflowers drivers-by see from View Street.

I don't believe many people know how to venture to the top of Mount Tandy to see the big open field of wildflowers.

Simply drive Oakland Boulevard til you come to Barnett Street, head west on Barnett, past Martel Avenue, past the entry to the NBC broadcast center, then take a left on the barely paved road you'll see as the road bends. Drive towards the Fort Worth Space Needle and you'll find yourself surrounded by a big open prairie covered with wildflowers.

Trail In To The Tandy Jungle

The Tandy Jungle was being particularly rain forest-like today. Next time I think I need to bring a machete with me to hack my way through

I got in my hour of salubrious endorphin inducing aerobic hill hiking and then headed to Wal-Mart to get a Razzleberry Pie. And some other stuff.

The route to Wal-Mart took me by Oakland Lake Park where I saw a lot of people had set up elaborate Easter picnic parties, hauling in chairs, tables and big BBQs. I think a lot of people had their Easter picnics rudely interrupted by the severe Thunderstorm that has been banging and dripping for a couple hours now.

The route to Wal-Mart also took me by one of those freeway message signs that seem all too often to have goofy messages, like "Click-it or Ticket" or "Texas Motor Speedway Congestion."

Today the message was something like "Arlington Disaster Area Credentials Required For Entry."

I don't know where the Arlington Disaster Area is. I guess the intention of the sign was to let people heading to the Arlington Disaster Area know they would not get into the disaster area without the proper credentials.

What about all those hapless people without credentials heading to the Arlington Disaster Area via roads, other than the freeway, roads that don't have these important message boards?

It must come as a shock to those hapless people to get to the Arlington Disaster Area to find that they are denied entry due to not being properly credentialed.

The storming seems to finally be letting up. I think I might grab my credentials and go see if I can find the Arlington Disaster Area.

I Slept In Missing My Easter Sunrise Service

The sun has risen before me two mornings in a row. This is unprecedented.

As you can see via looking at one of my favorite views of the outer world, the ground appears to be dry. I do not believe any of the predicted rain dropped to the ground at my location.

Looking skyward the sky appears to be cloudy and thus not sunny on this 2nd Sunday of April.

Speaking of the sun rising, today is the day known as Easter, celebrating the day when the alleged Son of God rose from the dead and journeyed to North America to spread the Word of God to the Indians, and eventually Joesph Smith, so he could begun the Mormon religion.

I've never understood how the Mormons are able to believe Jesus ministered to the Indians when there is not even the slightest evidence that any of the Native American tribes became Christians until the Spanish arrived and begin brutalizing the natives to save their heathen souls.

America is such a religiously tolerant country. I believe the majority of Americans consider themselves Christian. Even so, we may elect a president who is Mormon and who believes Jesus preached to the North American Indians after rising from the dead in Jerusalem.

I don't believe we've yet had a Jewish president. Or a Scientology president. But we may get ourselves a Mormon president. Like I said, America is such a religiously tolerant country.

Happy Easter!

I Heard From Anonymous & Anthony Today About Fort Worth Being The Envy Of The Planet

In the photo you are looking at the exit from Interstate 35W to Northside Drive, that being the south freeway exit to the Fort Worth Stockyards, arguably, Fort Worth's only semi-well known tourist attraction.

Other than a sporting goods store that is the #1 tourist attraction in Texas.

On March 27 I mentioned this littered, eyesore of an un-landscaped freeway exit in a blogging titled While I Was Out Of Town Fort Worth Again Became The Envy Of Other, Older, Larger Cities.

That particular blogging generated a couple rather good comments today, one from Anonymous and one from Anthony....

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "While I Was Out Of Town Fort Worth Again Became The Envy Of Other, Older, Larger Cities": 

Wonderful insight. You are right in many ways. But also, you have to give FW credit, they are trying very hard to give themselves a facelift. The current attitude is only natural if not sophomoric (society as a whole is a bit too familiar to high school). And while certain parts of the city improve (w. 7th), other aspects (the exits) might fall off for a while. SOMEone has to stand on the soapbox and TELL the others how much BETTER they are in order for them to BELIEVE it and make the CHANGE. It will be interesting to see if FW makes the break, or if the recent boom will turn in on itself. 

Anthony has left a new comment on your post "While I Was Out Of Town Fort Worth Again Became The Envy Of Other, Older, Larger Cities": 

Well, sure, Dallas is the older, larger city. I can see why Fort Worth (and Arlington and Denton) are lumped into the Dallas region. But I don't think that invisibility to non-Texans inherently neuters Fort Worth's cultural value. The moral of the story is that there's a gross disconnect between Fort Worth's institutions and its grassroots artistic efforts. I'd like to get people thinking -- and talking -- about why. Just food for thought. 

Methinks Fort Worth and way too many Fort Worthians are way too isolated from the rest of America and the world.

Many Fort Worthians act like it is a major excursion into a foreign land to cross 360 to the Dallas side of the D/FW Metroplex.

Me also thinks if more Fort Worthians visited other cities in America, that they'd return to Fort Worth wondering why so much in Fort Worth is so craptacular compared to where they'd just been.

They'd return wondering why Fort Worth has so few sidewalks and why so many of the sidewalks that do exist are so narrow.

Return wondering why Fort Worth looks so messy, with so much litter on the ground.

Return wondering why Fort Worth's streets and freeway exits have so little landscaping and look so tacky compared to what they've seen in other towns.

Return wondering why Fort Worth does not have a real newspaper like other towns in America.

Return wondering why Fort Worth calls part of its town the Cultural District, when other towns don't feel the need to do this.

Return wondering why Fort Worth has public works projects that the public has not voted on.

Methinks if all the citizens of Fort Worth got a glimpse of how other towns operate, they'd return to Fort Worth with a whole new Fort Worth Vision for the future that would blindside the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle and the good ol' boy Fort Worth Way that caused that particular TRVB blight on the democratic way America is supposed to operate.

Of course, I am a realist, I know nothing is going to change for the better in Fort Worth. I know that the Fort Worth Way is that way for a reason.

I just have not been able to figure out the reason and am ready to give up after over a decade of being perplexed about so much being so craptacular and so few seeming to realize the level of craptacularness with which they are living.

It is sort of entertaining, though, I must admit, to be an irritated observer of so much that is so perplexing.

The Shoppers At The Northeast Mall Need To Eat More Of Aunt Annie's Pretzels To Get To A Proper Inflation Level

Northeast Mall's Under-Inflated Shoppers

I am not a fan of walking around in a mall. It has been several years since I've last done so in Texas, and that would have been at the Ridgmar Mall in West Fort Worth.

Today, for reasons we need not discuss, I found myself in the Northeast Mall in Hurst.

Walking all over the Northeast Mall in Hurst I soon found myself thinking that there were way more under-inflated people than I am used to seeing in Texas.

Not quite the number of under-inflated people I see when I visit states to the west of Texas, but way more under-inflated people than I see when I visit my neighborhood Wal-Mart, where way too many people look as if they've been over-inflated to the point where they are in danger of exploding.

If the throngs crowding into the Northeast Mall today are indicative of America when the economy is not doing well, I don't know if I want to be anywhere near a mall when the American economy goes back in to BOOM mode.

And have Aunt Annie's pretzels greatly improved since I last had one, years ago, at the Grapevine Mills mall? The line at Aunt Annie's was 20 to 30 people long. Waiting for a pretzel.

I Did Not Get A Barbie Doll Water Bottle On My First Bike Ride Of The Year

Well. I have now gone on my first bike ride in well over a year.

I thought it wise not to go a long distance my first time out on the new bike. So, I went to Quanah Parker Park to pedal the paved trail.

All went well. The bike rides comfortably with no annoying quirks. I like the newfangled disk brakes. They make for a different stopping experience than the method of brake pads squeezing the wheel rim.

Where you see my bike parked, in the picture, is the end of the trail, marked by the sign that says "END."

If you could see to the right of where the bike is parked you would see the HUGE Chesapeake Energy complex that sprawls across a former baseball field complex at the north end of Oakland Boulevard.

After I was done with the bike ride I continued west on Randol Mill Road to go to Town Talk. The Tent Sale I mentioned earlier today turned out to have no tents for sale, but instead was a bunch of stuff I did not need, being sold under a giant tent.

A lot of people, other than me, were eagerly buying the stuff that was under the tent in the Tent Sale. Things like plastic Halloween pumpkins, Barbie Doll water bottles and Christmas decorations.

It is time for lunch now.

The Day Before Easter Thinking About Riding A Bike & Camping In A Tent

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the outer world on this 7th morning of April you might guess I got up after the sun did this day before Easter Sunday.

You would be guessing right.

The winter-like chill that has plagued us the past few mornings seems to have abated.

This morning, at 61 degrees, we are almost 30 degrees above freezing.

I see a bike ride in my future for today. Where I will pedal I do not currently know.

I will likely go to Town Talk today. I drove by Town Talk on Wednesday and saw their reader board said "Tent Sale Thursday - Saturday."

I could use a tent. It has been years since I've gone camping. The Queen of Wink caused me to think of tent camping a couple days ago. I used to have all the stuff one needs to go camping. I have no idea what has become of all that stuff.

I think I'll go swimming now before it gets any later, or hotter.

Thanks To The Miracles Of Modern Communication I Know Theo's Mom Is Out Of Surgery

That is my nephew Theo in green, in his backyard, collecting eggs in last Saturday's Easter Egg Hunt at his house in Tacoma.

This afternoon I was driving to pick up a new bike when  my phone lit up, saying "MaPa". When I call my mom and dad I call on the "AzMaPa" number.

Incoming on the "MaPa" number meant something was up.

I flipped open the phone and said the standard hello. My mom asked me if I'd talked to anyone up north. I said I had not and asked why, what's wrong?

Apparently my little sister, Theo's mom, called my mom today, describing terrible pain. My mom told my little sister to get to a doctor. When my little sister went to the doctor the doctor sent her to a hospital to have her appendix removed before it burst.

After talking to mom I called my big sister, she being my other sibling still in Washington. I talked to my big sister awhile and then she got a call from the hospital.

I was walking around Wal-Mart when the phone text thing made its noise. It was a text message from my big sister telling me my little sister was out of surgery.

All this had me thinking our modern world and its ease of communicating sure does make it a small world after all, just like Disneyland predicted decades ago.