Durango Texas

All A Twitter At The Tandy Hills In Fort Worth

2009-11-09T14:42:00.004-06:00

A lone chair is all that remains of what used to be a one tent Tandy Hills Campground. Last month Princess Annie of Wink visited the site of the hobo camp, in the Tandy Hills Natural Area, and left a vase with flowers and 4 quarters.

All is now gone except for the forelorn chair looking north towards Interstate 30.

I still have not been able to find the infamous Witchey Tree or the Death Van. Maybe it was the ghost of the Witchey Tree Death Van that occupied the Tandy Hills Campground.

Speaking of Wink Texas Royalty, this morning I was startled to learn that the Queen of Wink is now one of my legion of Twitter Followers. The Queen is very smart. I'm hoping she'll help me figure out Twitter and if it useful in any meaningful way. This afternoon I am back on the side of thinking Twitter is useful.

I have now mastered the art of Re-Tweeting. This morning I Re-Tweeted Oprah. Two years ago if you had told me that on this day I would Re-Tweet Oprah, I don't know what scary thing my imagination might have conjured that to mean.

Today I came upon a dad hiking with his kids. You can't tell it from the picture, but I was quite a distance below them, zooming in close with the camera, as they were going down a rather steep section of trail. I heard the kids asking dad if there were snakes. I could not make out his answer. I hope it was no. Because I have yet to see a snake while hiking the Tandy Hills. Or an armadillo. Or a bobcat. I think maybe the Tandy Hills wildlife may had been greatly reduced in population before it became a natural area.

Murder At Hippie Hollow Nude Beach In Austin Texas

2009-11-09T09:51:00.004-06:00

Hippie Hollow Park, down in Austin, Austin being the capital of Texas, is the only legally recognized clothing optional public park in the State of Texas.

Austin is about 180 miles south of my Fort Worth location. That's a long ways to drive if I get a hankering to go skinny-dipping. By the time I drove all that way the hankering to skinny-dip would likely have passed.

So, when I get that particular hankering I have to find myself a not legally recognized clothing optional place to dip skinny.

Denniger Bolton has written a book titled Hippie Hollow - Murder on a Nude Beach. The story takes modern day Austin, stirs in murders at Hippie Hollow with a collection of Austin Weird characters, all investigated by an ex-rodeo cowboy, ex-Austin cop, B.B. Rivers, who is Austin's newest private investigator. The book is described as a "wild ride, humorous, irreverent and contemporary. Carlos Castaneda meets Hank the Cowdog."

I don't know how I came upon this Hippie Hollow book. I really need to start taking notes as my memory continues to fade.

Below is a semi-amusing YouTube video about the book and Hippie Hollow. The video is basically a 5 minute commercial. But, like I said, it is semi-amusing....

Technological Neanderthals In Texas

2009-11-08T17:09:00.005-06:00

Now this is pathetic.

This afternoon I was over at Miss Puerto Rico's. She showed me some photos on her cell phone that she took on her recent trip to the island to see her mom and dad in Coamo.

That is mom and dad in the picture. In a hospital in San Juan.

So, Miss PR was showing me the pics on her cell phone and asked me how she could get them off the phone and onto her computer where she could print them.

I had no idea how to do this. I use a camera to take pictures, not a cell phone.

And now here is where it gets a bit embarrassing. We can't figure out how to take photos off the cell phone, when I have the bright idea of using my digital camera to take pictures of the pictures on the cell phone. So, the cell phone gets laid on the floor, I set my camera to macro mode and disable the flash and take pictures.

This seems to have worked. But there's got to be a better way. Maybe Miss Puerto Rico should consider getting a digital camera.

Stopping Explosion Noises, Colorful Fosdic Lake Trees & Chili Delivery

2009-11-08T13:05:00.005-06:00

That is Fosdic Lake at Oakland Lake Park, at noon, this Sunday in Fort Worth, Texas. Each day as we get closer to the first freeze of the fall, the leaves get more and more colorful.

Swimming was pleasant this morning. Day after day in the 70s and the water is no longer very bracing. I'm a big fan of bracing.

I heard from one of my favorite Washington corespondents this morning, Miss CVB, pleading with me to shut up an explosion sound my blog was making. Others have also mentioned this to me, but since I heard no noise, I did nothing about it.

Til this morning. When I hear a complaint from Miss CVB I take it serious. She does not complain frivolously. Apparently the video of the Bushland, Texas explosion was auto-starting and looping over and over. I removed the video as soon as I realized how offensive it was to delicate ears. That and I hate it when websites or blogs make noises without me telling them to.

So, that is my exciting day in Texas this fine second Sunday of November. I made chili this morning, at 4 I'm bringing a bowl over to Miss Puerto Rico's. She is a fan of the jalapeno.

Sergeant Skinner Is Real Upset About Texas Trash

2009-11-08T07:03:00.004-06:00

My blogs get a lot of comments. For the most part the commenter is not upset about whatever he or she is commenting on. Often the commenter is sending some useful information.

Like this morning TxMoose pointed me towards HootSuite in a comment to a blogging where I was lamenting my troubles with Twittering.

My Eyes on Texas website gets more comments than the blogs. Often the commenter lands on a specific page due to a Google search and then comments on that specific page thinking it is an entire website.

In addition to TxMoose, this morning I also heard from the ubiquitous Anonymous and Sgt. Nick Skinner.

First, Nick Skinner's comment, followed by Anonymous....

What an extremely biased web page. You show some of the worst places in Texas yet show an intersection in Washington with tulips that make people believe that Texas is trash an everywhere else is beautiful. Why don't you let me critique your state. Anyone who thinks they learned something from your site is an idiot.

Ssgt Nick Skinner

Sent from my iPhone

Below, Anonymous is commenting about my webpage about Canton First Mondays Trade Days...

I found your Canton First Mondays site using Google. And I want to thank you for your work. You have done a really very good site. Great work, great site! Thank you!

Anonymous

I've no idea what webpage or pages Sgt. Skinner was looking at. I don't recollect having a picture of an intersection in Washington with a tulip. On my Eyes on Texas website, just like on this blog, if I experience something I like, me liking it is reflected in how I describe it. If I experience something I don't like or think is goofy, or just plain wrong, then that's how I describe it. I believe this is what is known as expressing ones opinion.

Now, people like Sgt. Skinner I really don't understand, beyond the obvious, as in not too bright and likely poorly educated, though smart enough to operate an iPhone. Is he a Sergeant with the Fort Worth Gestapo? Or the U.S. Army? I wonder what he saw that had him thinking I was showing some of the worst places in Texas? And how does someone like Sgt. Skinner work himself up to a state of umbrage so strong that he goes to the bother of typing a comment into his iPhone? And does iPhone add that "Sent from my iPhone" tag, or is Sgt. Skinner just real proud to be sending a message from his phone?

Perplexing.

The Grapes Of The Tandy Hills Vineyard & Re-Tweeting In Texas

2009-11-07T14:47:00.007-06:00

I'm having one of those way too frequent days where I feel technically challenged.

I get an email newsletter from something called WebProNews. Today WebProNews told me there were 8 reasons I need to stop ignoring Twitter.

Reason #4 mentioned the value of Re-Tweeting. I have had people Re-Tweet me, but I've never Re-Tweeted anyone. Today I tried to Re-Tweet, but could not figure it out, hence the feeling of being technically challenged.

Then someone, whom I basically consider to be challenged by all things technical, told me he Re-Tweets all the time. That it is real easy to Re-Tweet. I had had enough.

So, I got out of here and headed to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area.

It is an absolutely perfect November day, here in Texas. 70 degrees, a slight wind blowing, windows open. It was 60 when I went swimming this morning. It's like summer is returning.

The autumn leaves are really amping up the color show. I'm thinking conditions are perfect for a technicolor display that outdoes last fall's incredible colors. Today, as I drove along, I saw a tree that glowed incandescent shades of bright orange and yellow.

New to the Tandy Hills today, well new to me, were bushes with what looked like grape clusters. I was tempted to taste one, but what little common sense I possess, kicked in, and I decided against it. If they were edible, birds would be having a buffet. Nothing seemed to be eating the Tandy Hills grapes.

After I'd had enough of hiking through a Fort Worth vineyard I went to Town Talk. Saturday is my favorite day to go there. It's the busiest day. And the only day that always has a Fort Wort Gestapo Agent armed and guarding. I've no idea what has happened, on Saturday's previous, that brings about the need for a police presence.

Today I got 2 huge containers of hummus. I'm now on my 5th container of that Middle Eastern delicacy. Best I've ever had. 2 for $3. What a deal.

I guess I'll see if I can figure out Re-Tweeting. I like pointless time wasting. Apparently there is something called Twirl that can help.

Barbed Wire Fence Surrounds Dangerous Fort Worth Chesapeake Energy Pond

2009-11-07T09:56:00.005-06:00

You are looking at a manmade, well, Chesapeake Energy made, pond in east Fort Worth, located due east of the intersection of Brentwood Stair Road and Cooks Lane, about a third of a mile south of Interstate 30.

East of the pond, to the right in the view you're looking at, there is a Chesapeake Energy Barnett Shale natural gas drilling pad.

I watched this operation through its various stages, because it is on the way to Village Creek Natural Historical Area, that being a walking zone I frequent infrequently.

Along Cooks Lane I watched a lot of pipeline being buried. I assume the pipeline is carrying natural gas from the Chesapeake wells in the area. Is it odorized?

Why does the sign on the barbed wire topped chain link fence that surrounds the pond have emergency numbers on it? What is the potential emergency that could arise from this pond?

This pond has seemed odd from the first time I saw it. When it is under blue sky the water has an off color, as if the blue is muted and murky, not in a muddy way, but in a milky way. Under this morning's gray sky the water had a less murky, milky look.

Is this fracking water? Is this the same type toxic chemical laden water that killed 17 cows in Louisiana, dead within an hour of drinking water from a Chesapeake pond.

To the west of the pond, between the water and Cooks Lane, sits the pipeline mechanism you see in the photo. Is it water going through these pipes? Or natural gas? Where did the water that is in the pond come from? What is in the pond that necessitates surrounding it with a barbed wire chain link fence? The pipeline mechanism is not fenced off, so, apparently it poses no emergency type danger, unlike the pond.

Now that there is a new Marshall in town, as in Dr. Al Armendariz has been appointed Region 6 Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, we might be getting some answers to some questions. Like how do we fix the Dish, Texas Barnett Shale natural gas ecological damage?

Speculation About Getting Blown To Smithereens In Dirty Ol' Town Fort Worth

2009-11-06T15:48:00.004-06:00

Fresh incoming from Don Young. The house next door to DY's house burned down Halloween night. The conflagration had Don Young ruminating about some fire, explosion doom possibilities....

The vacant house next door to mine burned to the ground Halloween night. We noticed a very bright "sunrise" from our bedroom window, less than 20' away, at about 5 AM. The FWFD was here in less than 3 minutes but could do little. It took about 30 firefighters 5 hours to snuff it but the big house was a complete loss.

Watching the massive blaze I realized that, if this had been an un-odorized gas pipeline I would not be sending this email. How dare City of Fort Worth's elected representatives toy with human lives and property in a dense urban environment. There is a damn good reason I have a sign in my yard that reads, Just Say NO to Urban Gas Drilling.

In the immortal words of Tarrant County Commissioner, JD Johnson:

* "The City of Fort Worth needs to look and study real hard. The closer you get into these neighborhoods ... and around schools and businesses, you need to be careful. Gas is explosive."

*spoken in the final scene of Dirty Ol' Town, 2005

DY

A Veterans Park Soldier Overlooks Flags At Half Mast For Fort Hood Massacre

2009-11-06T14:51:00.005-06:00

I had to be in Arlington today. I went for a short walk at Veterans Park. This was the first place I noticed flags flying at half mast. In Veterans Park a soldier overlooks the flags and the memorial 24/7. None of the soldiers who were murdered in the Fort Hood Massacre have yet had their names memorialized in brick, yet, at this location.

If you have not been to Veterans Park to see the new memorial, and are in the area, it is well worth a look. I was fascinated reading the memorial bricks. It was from those bricks that I learned there were Texas Choctaw code talkers who also helped fool the Nazis during World War II, along with the Navajo code talkers. There are a couple bricks for rebel soldiers who fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War. There are some bricks for soldiers who fought in the very short Spanish-American War. And of course, bricks for soldiers who were in World War I & II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War & the Iraq War.

America seems to have way too many wars.

High Noon In Texas With Dr. Al Armendariz Taking On The Polluters

2009-11-06T10:07:00.004-06:00

Good incoming from Don Young regarding yesterday's announcement that Dr. Al Armendariz has been appointed EPA Region 6 Administrator. It was Dr. Al Armendariz who got a lot of people's attention by documenting the extent to which the Barnett Shale natural gas drillers are polluting the air of North Texas.

Only on rare occasions do those of us crazy enough to fight back against Big Gas get any good news.

Today was a gusher!

Dr. Al Armendariz, a longtime clean air advocate and harsh critic of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has been appointed EPA Region 6 Administrator. Yes, you read that right.

Dr. Al may be the only man who can clean up the Dirty Ol' Towns in this Dirty Ol' State in Dirty Ol' Region 6. Think, High Noon, the 1952 movie starring, Gary Cooper. The synopsis:

"A town Marshall faces a deadly enemy but finds his own town refuses to help him."

Only this time, the bad guys are quaking in their boots and the Marshall has a well trained posse that is ready to ride. Underhanded, double-dealing Barnett Shale gas drillers and mayors are in the sights of the new Marshall and he's loaded for bear.

Take heed you heathen polluters. There's a new Marshall in town.

DY

Bushland Texas El Paso Natural Gas Pipeline Explosion Near Amarillo

2009-11-06T09:46:00.007-06:00

A natural gas pipeline owned by El Paso Natural Gas exploded yesterday in Bushland, Texas, sending flames 100s of feet in the air. Three people were injured, homes were shaken, window blinds melted.

The pipeline exploded around 1am in the little town off Interstate 40 about 15 miles west of Amarillo.

Potter County Sheriff's Chief Deputy Roger Short said he could see the flames and hear the roar from his home 20 miles away.

Residents were evacuated. One house was destroyed with several others badly damaged. Firefighters had the flames mostly under control by 5:30am, with small grass fires continuing to burn.

Of the three injured one was in satisfactory condition in an Amarillo hospital, one was treated and released and one was transferred to a Lubbock hospital burn center.

Okay, Chesapeake Energy, tell us again why those people on Carter Avenue in Fort Worth should have no worries about what you want to do under their homes.

Stuck In The Mud With Rachel & Rescued By Kid Durango In Durango Texas

2009-11-06T06:33:00.005-06:00

That is a car in the Texas town named after me. Durango.

A few days ago Moby Dick sent me an email asking me about Durango, Texas.

Last night Rachel sent me an email asking me if I could tell her how to contact Moby Dick, saying "I am looking for any breathing, upright (even that's negotiable) Durango, TX citizen or really anyone at all associated with this town. Found you in a google search (obviously) and as you know, information on this place is slim pickin's. I'm trying to find a kid in Durango who saved my life last week in, of course, Durango. All I got was his first name."

I then asked Rachel for details of how a Durango kid, let's call him Kid Durango, saved her life.

Rachel then directed me to her blog, where her Durango ordeal is told in 2 parts.

Short version, Rachel was taking the scenic route home to Dallas after attending a wedding in Austin at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Rachel was driving along, saw a sign indicating she was in Durango. Pulled over to look at a map. Got stuck in mud.

A mild panic ensued. Rachel called her mom and dad, seeking advice. Then Rachel's cell phone went dead. After I don't know how much time Kid Durango showed up. Driving a jeep with a wench. He pulled Rachel's Honda Civic out of the mire.

As this was happening Rachel's cell phone came back to life with a call from mom and dad. Rachel told them her current status which had mom screaming for her to get Kid Durango's license plate number. Apparently Rachel and her mom live in morbid fear of being random roadkill.

Back mobile again Rachel shouted out her profound thanks to Kid Durango and asked him what his name was. Brett was the answer. And now Rachel is seeking the full name of Kid Durango. I doubt Moby Dick is going to be any help. Both he and Rachel live in Dallas.

So, anyone from my favorite Texas town reading this who knows Brett, please help Rachel with her "What's Brett's Last Name" project. Thanks.

Another Bad Day In Texas In Durango Computer World

2009-11-05T15:34:00.008-06:00

I believe the red you see in the picture is called Sumac. It was coloring up the Tandy Hills today.

Speaking of today, I am having myself a day today. My one longtime reader may remember my recent trauma over websites being hacked, which ended up with me moving my websites to a new server.

I have not gone a long enough time, trouble free, to feel safe. Yesterday I learned one of my websites was generating a dire warning. Worse than anything previous. The warning is coming from anti-virus programs, like Avast and Norton.

About a half hour before I was scheduled to take off for the Tandy Hills I discovered what I thought was a huge security hole in the permissions settings on my websites. I started changing the settings, then thought I needed to walk away and think it through. It's a good thing I did that, because the permissions were set correctly and the changes I was making was causing access to be denied. I was back here about 1.5 hours later and quickly fixed that problem. It being a problem that I had created.

But, I still had that other website generating the dire warning. From Norton I learned the precise location and name of the offending file. But that folder and file no longer exists. It was deleted on the old server.

So, I'm thinking this is some legacy woe that is somehow causing this one domain to be still flagged as a problem. Norton has a thing where you can request a review if it is your website and you know it is problem free. I had to create an account first. No big deal. I had to verify site ownership by placing code from Norton in the root directory. Again, no big deal.

But. The Norton instructions were very bad. Norton told me to place a line of code,

"wiye0k1nf3iakqnwf5djo6f7k9eqj74vf3n2mbh8w0z3m1906izjjqcuowlgz5x-kznkn8wj3suia8r5vlkokpd-yg45fn2cbkjza01zc38el7j6orsxk5h5jeo-d85a",

in the root directory.

Well, I've traveled this road before. You can't just put code randomly in a directory. So, I made it both an HTML file and a .txt file and named it what Norton called it. Which was nortonsw_a0c259d0-ac7c-0.html.txt, removing the .txt for the .html verson.

Uploaded the file. Clicked on the "verify" button. Got told verification failed. 10 minutes later I get an email from Norton, with the email now step by step explaining what I already knew to do, correctly, and had already done, correctly. Only to fail.

So, I tried again, in the oft chance I'd somehow mis-copied something. Failure again.

This had me remembering why I long ago bailed using Norton's Anti-Virus software. Norton programs are worse than getting a virus.

The Texas Blahs Caused By Twitter & Barnett Shale Gas Drilling Pollution

2009-11-05T10:35:00.007-06:00

It is a beautiful blue sky day, 72 degrees HOT, windows open, here in the little Texas burg that calls itself Fort Worth.

I should be in a good mood, all things considered. Instead I have an overarching case of the BLAHs.

I believed this case of the BLAHs was brought on by spending too much time with Twitter the past 3 days. I have been in experimenting mode with Twitter, to see if I really could make use of it.

This morning I pretty much decided, for the most part, that Twitter is useless. Or maybe my limited comprehension abilities render it impossible for me to make use of what may actually be useful about Twitter.

One of my Tarrant County co-horts is off on a secret mission this morning. I know no details, except it is a secret mission. This is not the first secret mission she has gone on. I hope it's not some sort of eco-terrorist thing. Then again, Texas could use a little eco-terrorism. There are way too many evil-doers getting away with doing dirty deeds here.

Wyatt Earp needs to come to town and bring law and order with him.

Arresting Fort Worth's Mayor Mike Moncrief would probably be a good start. I keep thinking the feds are going to arrest the man and charge him with racketeering, or whatever the proper charge is for benefiting monetarily from decisions made due to your political position. I don't see what the difference is between accepting bribes, for favors done, and having vested interests in the Barnett Shale natural gas drilling companies, giving the mayor a motivation to agree to every fool thing the gas drillers ask for.

You want the drilling distance restriction reduced? No problem. You can drill 300 feet from someone's house. You need water? No problem. Just stick a pipeline anywhere you want. You say it'd cost too much to put vapor containment equipment on the drilling sites? No problem, we can live with a little air pollution, no matter how bad study after study indicates it is. You want to run a pipeline under Fort Worth citizen's homes and pump non-odorized gas. Not a problem. We'll help you get the job done by using eminent domain, if that helps.

Maybe I am feeling BLAH due to the air that I breathe. The windows are open. I'm about 600 feet from a Barnett Shale natural gas well. It's either Twitter or the Barnett Shale that is making me BLAH. Maybe a combo of both.

News From Texas That Mount Rainier Put On A Flying Saucer Show Last Friday

2009-11-04T15:36:00.009-06:00

I just got an interesting email from the Songbird of the Texas Gulf Coast, Alma, down in Port Aransas, sending me pictures of some cool-looking cloud formations that swirled above Mount Rainier in my old state of residence, that being Washington, supposedly this past Friday.

Drivers were pulling to the side of Interstate 5 to take pictures.

Way back on June 24, 1947 a pilot named Kenneth A. Arnold coined the term "flying saucer" to describe 9 unusual objects he observed flying in a chain near Mount Rainier, heading towards Mount Adams at what amounted to supersonic speeds at a time in history when no earthly planes had broken the sound barrier.

After he described the flying object's shape as looking like a flat saucer or disc and described their motion as being like that of a saucer skipping across water the press quickly grabbed hold of the term "flying saucer," many of which were reported being seen in the following days.

This singular event ignited the UFO phenomenon that continues off and on to this day, as in last winter, or was it the winter before, there was a UFO widely reported to have been seen down by Stephenville, here in Texas.

Arnold's account was found to be highly credible. And then it was corroborated by others who had witnessed the same thing and were equally credible. In the days that followed numerous other credible witnesses described seeing stuff in the sky over Washington they'd not seen before. And then on Day 10 came a primary corroborative sighting, this time by a United Airlines crew over Idaho on their way to Seattle who saw disk-like objects pacing their plane.

The next day Arnold met with the pilot, Captain, E. J. Smith, and co-pilot, to compare the details of what they saw. Within days there were sightings over Tulsa, Oklahoma and Phoenix, Arizona.

The last photo of flying saucer like clouds swirling around Mount Rainier is the view from Gig Harbor. Gig Harbor is on the Olympic Peninsula on the other side of the Narrows from Tacoma, accessed by parallel suspension bridges.

These spectacular cloud formations are called lenticular clouds. They occur when the air flow over Mount Rainier hits a precise condition where the air gets pushed up, then cools and condenses into clouds. A moist onshore flow preceding an incoming rainstorm sets up the conditions that makes these clouds.

Proposition 11 Wins Slight Victory For Foes Of Eminent Domain Abuse In Texas

2009-11-04T08:47:00.004-06:00

There was an election yesterday in Texas, just like there was in most of the rest of America. In Texas we had several Propositions to vote on. All passed.

Including Proposition 11 which alters the Texas state constitution to make it more difficult for local governments to use eminent domain to seize private property to give to a private developer.

The Texas state-wide revulsion to outrageous cases of eminent domain abuse has been fueled by what was done to hundreds of citizens in Arlington so the Dallas Cowboys could have a place to build a football stadium. This is widely believed to be the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history.

In North Texas we also have had a lot of people annoyed by how the Barnett Shale gas drilling industry has run roughshod over property owners, particularly what has happened in Dish, Texas, with landowners losing large slices of their property to pipelines, effectively destroying the value of their land.

Of yesterday's Proposition 11 approval, Texas Governor Perry said, "The voters of Texas have sent a clear message: Don't mess with private property rights."

Texas Farm Bureau President Kenneth Dierschke said passing the Proposition was an important, but incomplete, victory. Dierschke says the Texas eminent domain laws still favor the condemner of property.

The founder and director of Texans Uniting for Reform and Freedom (TURF) said, "Texans sent a strong message with their vote that they want eminent domain reform, but Proposition 11 did not get the job done."

Well, Proposition 11 certainly came along 5 years too late to stop Jerry Jones and the City of Arlington from committing the worst case of eminent domain abuse in American history. But I think Proposition 11 would stop Jerry now. That and the fact that the City of Arlington has told Jerry Jones there will be no more abuse of eminent domain in Jones' quest to build more parking lots.

Bill Gates & His Microsoft Minions Took Over My Computer Last Night

2009-11-04T07:37:00.004-06:00

When I woke my computer up this morning I was not happy to see that none of the programs I'd left running were still running. I could tell the computer had been re-started because the WeatherBug window was open, which it always is on a re-start, til I close it.

Then a little message balloon popped up telling me that critical security updates had been installed which required the computer to be re-started. I clicked on the balloon to see what these updates were, but the balloon went away without telling me.

The normal procedure for Windows XP updates is I'm told they've been downloaded and are ready to install. I then hit the install now button.

Usually the critical Microsoft Windows XP security updates say something like an issue has been discovered that could allow someone to take over your computer, this update fixes that issue. It's worded totally different than that, but I've got the drift of the message right.

I find it very ironic that the only entity I am aware of that takes over my computer, without my permission, is Microsoft. Isn't this some sort of crime? Or should be. I think Bill Gates needs to do some hard time behind bars again.

We Are Busy Getting Drunk At The Durangrilla Bar In Durango Texas Tonight

2009-11-03T17:38:00.005-06:00

There is a town in Texas, down Waco way, called Durango. I did not know there was a Durango, Texas when I moved to Texas. My Internet nickname was Durango long before Texas came across my radar screen.

I just got an email from Moby Dick, who says he, or she, is a "traveler who likes to explore Texas."

Miss or Mr. Dick asked me, "Are you from Durango, TX? Do you live in Durango, TX? Have you been to the Durangrilla Bar in Durango?"

I answered "NO" to all 3 of Moby Dick's questions.

When I learned there was a town in Texas named after me I had to go check it out, and so I did. And then I made a webpage about it. I had not thought to look, for quite some time, but I just Googled "Durango Texas" and was appalled to see my webstuff overwhelms the actual town of Durango. I guess this explains why I get questions like "Do Harriet McBee still live in Durango?"

I barely hit the publish post button when I heard back from Moby Dick. Here is what he/she said (I don't think he/she has seen the blog, so he/she is unaware of the gender confusion)

I checked out your web page....so here's an update.

A buddy of mine owns some property about 3 miles away from Durango (we both live in Dallas) so when we take the boys down to camp at his farm, we always eat at what is now known as "Durangril-la" ( I guess a bad play on Shangrilla) but it's the same place as the Durango Inn you show in your web page. They actually have a damn good hamburger and, of course, ice cold beer. One of the best things on the menu (you should make another trip) are the "white wings". These are a small chicken breast strip wrapped around a jalapeno pepper and that whole thing is wrapped in bacon and deep fried. They are about the size of a billiard ball, maybe slightly smaller. Damn, those are good! Happy travels.

The Bluest Skies I've Ever Seen Are In Texas At Fosdic Lake In Fort Worth

2009-11-03T13:24:00.006-06:00

I used to think the bluest skies I've ever seen were in Seattle, with the hills the greenest green, but today I'm thinking Texas is being bluer and greener than Seattle. It is definitely warmer and less cloudy.

I stayed in the pool for a long time this morning. The water did not feel as if it had been heated up all that much from yesterday's 75 degrees. It's that warm out there again, today, at 1pm. Windows open.

My power bill was only $18.92 last month. I think something must be wrong with the meter.

I spent all morning in Twitterland, ignoring my blogging duties, well, sort of ignoring them. At noon I had to get out of here. So I did. I went to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. No matter how many times I've walked around Fosdic Lake I've never found Oakland Lake. There really aren't a lot of places it could be hiding.

Now, you had to admit, don't you, Fosdic Lake is one serene looking lake. With no wind ruffling its surface, today Fosdic Lake was like a mirror. I didn't need to tell you that, you can see it yourself in the picture above.

The temperature was being so perfect the Fosdic Lake turtles were having themselves a real fine time basking in the sun. I'd never seen so many of them lined up on one log. And today they weren't being all jittery when I stood there taking pictures of them. Only a couple of the turtles jumped in the water. Usually they all bail ship, one by one.

The Tandy Hills Have Dried Out Somewhat From The October Texas Deluges

2009-11-02T13:57:00.005-06:00

Today was the first I've been to the Tandy Hills Natural Sanatorium Area in weeks, due to the deluges of October.

The endorphins released by hill hiking have greatly improved my dire outlook.

Fall has fallen harder since the last time I saw the foliage on the hills.

The hills were still a bit wet, but I had no mud issues. I did have an issue where I was chased by a pack of 3 dogs. They probably just wanted to be petted.

I tried to find the Witchey Tree and the Death Van to no avail. I followed what I thought the van's course was, took a left and headed west at the point where I thought the driver would have lost control and careened down the steep ravine. But, I found no Witchey Tree or Death Van. I did get bit by some bugs. That rarely happens to me.

It is day 2 of November and there are still wildflowers coloring up the Tandy Hills. I don't remember when the first freeze happens here in Texas.

I heard from one of my Washington corespondents this morning. She was east of the mountains, that is Washington speak, meaning she was east of the Cascade Mountains, in the Tri-Cities, where she said it was 27 this morning. I'm at 75 right now at 2 in the afternoon in Fort Worth.

The pool should be a pleasant temperature tomorrow morning.

Why Bother Going To Church With Texas Spiny Lizards?

2009-11-02T10:16:00.006-06:00

I've had a couple days in a row of spending way too much time doing something that is likely nothing but a waste of time. It's left me in a state of mind I've been in before. As in.

Why Bother?

I'll feel like the bother was worth if it, or when, I get the feedback I'm looking for that indicates I have not been wasting my time. So far that feedback evidence has not arrived. I may be looking for it to soon.

Yes, I know I'm being cryptic, not being specific about what I've been wasting time on that has caused me this over-arching feeling of wondering why do I bother.

No, I did not take that "Why Bother?" picture when I went to church yesterday.

This morning I learned, from one of Fort Worth's best botanists, he likes to call himself "DY," that the alligator I saw lurking by my pool last night was actually a Texas Spiny Lizard. It must have been a distant relative to an alligator, because it sure looked like one. Biggest lizard I've ever seen out in public, not in a zoo.

I think it has dried out enough that I can go search the Tandy Hills today and find the infamous Witchey Tree. And the rusted Death Van. I am hoping the hill hiking endorphin fix may break me out of this dire "Why Bother" mood I am being plagued with at the present moment.

Miss Puerto Rico's Mom & A Possible Alligator

2009-11-01T16:41:00.006-06:00

Miss Puerto Rico called me around 3 this afternoon. She wanted me to come over. She was in the midst of a family crisis due to her 84 year old mom taking a fall that broke some bones that resulted in an ambulance taking mom from Coamo to San Juan.

Mom is stabilized enough to be operated on tomorrow.

Miss PR's sister, who lives in Miami, flew to the island, soon after the fall. She is now back in Miami. Miss PR's brother, Tito, an army hero who served in Iraq and who is now stationed at Fort Bliss in El Paso, was flown to San Juan by the Red Cross. He got there today. He called while I was at Miss Puerto Rico's.

I stayed long enough to stabilize the situation and then escaped. On my way back here I walked by the pool and was startled to see the large reptile you see in the picture. I don't know what it is. Gator? I'm thinking more than anything temperature-wise, this reptile may cause me to re-think my morning swim habit.

Gar The Texan Is Drinking Wine In Milan Italy At McDonald's

2009-11-01T12:03:00.005-06:00

Gar the Texan travels the world looking for unique McDonald's. I limit my search for unique McDonald's to North America. The world is just too big for me.

Gar the Texan is currently in Milan, Italy. Milan is one of the fashion capitals of the world. I think Gar may be in Milan to show off his latest fashion line, in addition to looking for unique McDonald's. Or it might be something else. Gar the Texan is like some sort of secret agent. You really never know what he's doing.

Maybe he's on the search for a new wife again. I read somewhere he'd lost his spark with one of his wives. I think it's the current one that's gone spark-free, but I'm not sure. It is hard to remember these things.

Since he's been in Milan, Gar the Texan has befriended several of the locals and they have been taking him to various wine distributing locations where some excessive imbibing has gone on, at least judging from some of the semi-incoherent blogging I've been reading coming out of Italy.

During one of his wine empowered Milan wanderings, Gar the Texan found his way into some sort of mall that is designed to look like a cathedral. Or maybe it was an old cathedral, turned into a mall. The mall is cross or T-shaped, with faux marble floors and high ceilings, hence the cathedral-like reference.

Gar wrote something about an old lady living in an abode above the cathedral mall, who likely still lives there because Italians don't know about the democratic capitalist concept of using eminent domain to take people's property. In his wine infused stupor Gar used imminent instead of eminent to attach to domain.

So, Gar the Texan was wandering around in this mall, looking for more wine, when he came to the center of the cross, or the cross of the T. On one corner there was a Prada store, the opposite corner, a Louis Vuitton store, another corner another upscale store. And in the 4th corner there was the latest addition to Gar the Texan's collection of the World's Most Unique McDonald's.

I do not know if Gar the Texan found the wine he was seeking in the Milan McDonald's. Or if he got a Big Mac. Or what. He leaves out a lot of details.

I Forgot About The Switch To Standard Time, Seattle vs. Dallas & Last Day For Texas Giant

2009-11-01T09:02:00.007-06:00

I thought I slept in this morning, getting up at 6:30. I was half an hour into staring at the computer monitor when I realized I'd forgotten about the time change.

One benefit of the change is the sun lit up the place an hour earlier than it did yesterday. I thought my morning swim would be warmer than yesterday's, due to the fact that we got into the 70s yesterday. But the water didn't seem to pick up any of that heat.

My therapist, Dr. L.C., felt compelled to once more opine that she questions my sanity regarding going swimming. Apparently she stuck her hand in her pool and had to use a heat pad to recover from the shock. I think she exaggerates.

The Seattle Seahawks are in town, playing in the new Dallas Cowboy stadium for the first time. I suspect Dallas will defeat Seattle. I learned of this game whilst reading this morning's Seattle P-I. It starts at 10am Seattle time, which would make it noon here. Do all those football fans do the beer drinking, barbecuing, tailgating thing when the game starts early?

I have only been to one NFL football game in my life. Years ago in the Kingdome. I have no memory of who Seattle was playing. I do remember thinking watching football on TV is a lot easier than watching it from seats up high in a stadium. When you're there in person and the game stops for a commercial break it seems disorienting. You couldn't really watch the cheerleaders do their thing during the commercials because they were so far away and tiny. This was before the invention of giant TV screens.

I'd go Arlington and try and walk amongst the hoopla and take pictures, but I can think of no way to do this without paying $40 to park. Which I'm not going to do.

Today is the last day you can ride the Texas Giant Wooden Roller Coaster at Six Flags Over Texas. The last train leaves the station at 7pm. It is being re-built into a faster, smoother, less bone-jarring ride with new elements never before seen on a wooden roller coaster. Or so the hype says.

I have ridden the Texas Giant exactly once. I found it back wrenching in addition to bone-jarring. I like roller coasters. I did not like the Texas Giant. The new version of the Texas Giant is supposed to be ready to go for the opening of the 2011 Six Flags season.

Pre-Dawn Fort Worth Fire Lights Up The Tandy Hills

2009-11-01T08:52:00.004-06:00

Incoming from Don Young reporting about a house on fire very close to home and the Tandy Hills. Currently I don't think there are any suspicions that this fire was in any way caused by Barnett Shale gas drillers.....

FIRE ON VIEW STREET

The house next door to mine burned to the ground this morning. We noticed a very bright sunrise coming in our window when it was supposed to be dark, about 5 am. The FWFD was here in less than 3 mins.

The place has been vacant for several years and had a lot of wood in it. Burned steady since there was little wind. The FD is still here at 8:20. Arson is suspected but it could also be someone stealing copper from the electrical system that was still turned on.

My property values are dropping rapidly.

DY

Note to DY: Your Earthlink mailbox is full and is bouncing back email.