Up Early The Last Day Of April Thinking About Marrying An Older Woman & Donald Trump's Bad Behavior

Looking out my primary viewing portal on the world it appears we under a cover of clouds in my zone of North Texas on this last morning of April of 2011.

T-Storms are again forecast for today. We got a 2 day respite from thunderstorm forecasts.

The most surprising news in the past 24 hours was not that the Royal Will Windsor married an older women, it was that Donald Trump let loose with a lot of F-wording while giving a speech at one of his Trump buildings in Las Vegas.

I thought, previously, that Donald Trump was known to be a bit of a prude who did not spew profanity or approve of tattoos.

Last night's TRIP fundraiser at the Rahr & Sons Brewing Company was much more fun than I thought it would be. I did not consume any Rahr liquid product last night, fearing that doing so might cause a return of my Prairie Fest Hives.

It is well above freezing this morning, 70 degrees. This should make for a pleasant morning swim in a few minutes. After that the Tandy Hills and Town Talk are in my future for the day, creature of bad habit that I be.

Looking At A New Art Installation On The Tandy Hills While Thinking About Dancing With Elsie Hotpepper & BBQ

I'm so sleepy. Last night I was so tired I was in bed by 9. Then up by 5 this morning. I'm drinking iced coffee right now, to try and de-sleepify myself. I don't usually drink any stimulants in the afternoon, due to the stimulator having a too over stimulating effect.

I don't think I over-did the hiking on the Tandy Hills thing today, to the point of exhaustion.

Speaking of the Tandy Hills.

Today, under the Tandy Bamboo Teepee, which survived the 2011 Prairie Fest, still fully erect, there was an artwork that had been installed directly under the apex of the teepee.

Several Lake Worth Alliance water bottles had been duct taped together, along with some other materials, like the piece of red plastic you see duct taped in the lower left part of the picture.

I am not sure what the Lake Worth Alliance is. Does drinking water actually come out of Lake Worth? Isn't that lake heavily silted. With alligators living in it? I believe I have watched boaters and water skiers on Lake Worth from the outdoor patio of The Point on Lake Worth.

I think the water flowing through Lake Worth is the West Fork branch of the Trinity River. Eventually the West Fork joins up with the Clear Fork at the location where young J.D. Granger hopes to build a little lake in his mama's honor, called Lake Kay Granger. Or Kay Granger Pond. Or Kay Granger Puddle.

I don't believe the final name for the little lake has yet been picked.

Tonight you may see me at Rahrs & Sons Brewing Company watching a movie, listening to music, dancing with Elsie Hotpepper, eating BBQ and staying away from any Rahr & Sons liquid products due to my suspicion it gives me the hives.

But, right now I'm going swimming and lounge in the sun for awhile to make my skin produce some Vitamin D.

Take A TRIP To Rahr & Sons On Friday For Beer, BBQ, Music, An Auction & To Go Up A Creek In A Movie

Saturday, at the Prairie Fest, we ran out of TRIP printed material to hand out to the legions of people wanting TRIP printed material.

We were reduced to showing the legions of people the TRIP ad from this week's FW Weekly.

And writing the TRIP website address on random scraps of paper we scavenged from the ground.

For those few who don't know, TRIP is Trinity River Improvement Partnership.

TRIP proposes a sane "Alternative Plan" to the insane Trinity River Vision Boondoggle, with the very clever slogan, "Don't Move the River, Improve the River."

On Saturday Mrs. Caraway told me, due to the heat, I had to hydrate myself by drinking products from Rahr & Sons Brewing Company.

This coming Friday, April 29, from 6:30 til 9:30 you can go to Rahr & Sons Brewing Company for TRIP's next event.

I scanned the TRIP ad in FW Weekly, but the ad was bigger than my scanner. Then I remembered I can usually get a good enough reproduction of a printed thing by just taking a picture of it. And so I did.

The Rahr & Sons/TRIP deal is a fundraiser.

For $25 you get a Collector's Cup Edition Rahr Pint Glass, Live Music, a Silent Auction, Bar-B-Q, a showing of "Up A Creek," and complimentary samples of that Rahr brewery product Mrs. Caraway made me dizzy with on Saturday.

If I can manage to scrape together $25 I may go to this. But, I'm a bit wary of drinking much of that Rahr & Sons Brewing Company brewery product after Saturday's Prairie Fest's intoxicating over imbibing.

A Fun Day At The Prairie Fest With Granny Grassroots, My Daughter Layla & Rahr's Brewery Product

As of about 6:30 it seems like Mother Nature has once again spared the Fort Worth Tandy Hills Prairie Fest from a weather disaster.

It was hot. It was humid. It was windy. But no afternoon t-storm arrived.

However, it does appear, as of 6:30, some weather action may be on its way.

This was the biggest Prairie Fest yet. I was very entertained, sitting in the TRIP booth, watching the passing humanity and trying to find Cathy Hirt.

Dozens of people were sporting Cathy Hirt I.D. tags. So, I'd politely inquire if that name tag wearer was Cathy Hirt. None were.

One or two people seemed to know who Durango Jones was, but other than that it was an afternoon of total anonymity for me.

I met a Texas Livewire who calls herself Granny Grassroots. That is Granny G with the black TRIP t-shirt in the picture. Granny Grassroots was with us in the TRIP booth for much of the afternoon.

Texas breeds some great characters. Granny Grassroots would be one.

Granny Grassroots has a website.

One of my favorite moments of the day came when some guy asked if I was Miss Layla Caraway's dad. I said I was and from that point on we had ourselves a few minutes of amusing entertainment.

Earlier in the day another dialogue had me either married to or marrying Ms. Caraway. Something about divorces was said. It was way too much dialogue coming at me way too fast to remember it all.

And then there were the Elsie Hotpepper inquiries. Why is there so much interest in Elsie Hotpepper? It is very perplexing.

Yes.

Elsie Hotpepper was at the Prairie Fest. I said hello as Elsie passed by on her way to the Rahr's Brewery Exhibit.

Can you find Elsie Hotpepper in the picture?

Speaking of Rahr's Brewery. At some point in the afternoon a pair of guys showed up slurping on Rahr's Brewery product. I said something to one of the guys that caused him to spill his Rahr's Brewery product. This then somehow led to him giving me and Ms. Caraway coupons for some Rahr's Brewery product.

All in all, I had myself my funnest time yet at the Prairie Fest.

Til the end.

When the White Knight and Robin showed up for the dismantling part of the day. That turned in to a bit of a boondoggle. A boondoggle that I still managed to somehow find somewhat amusing and entertaining.

Come the 2012 Prairie Fest, I am going to take a much more active role in any part I am part of. No more black t-shirts is all I can say about that. And no duct tape. Or leaky pens. Or shortage of printed material.

I just got a call from Elsie Hotpepper, asking if I want to go saloon hopping. No. I am tired. I am in for the night.

I Was Not Up A Creek Without A Paddle Tonight At The Stagecoach Ballroom In Fort Worth

I made it safely back from the world premiere of "Up a Creek" at the Stagecoach Ballroom.

I really did not know what to expect to see in tonight's movie premiere.

I knew, sort of, what the subject matter was, that being promoting an adult version of improving the Trinity River and its tributaries and actually doing something about the flooding problem, other than building the world's best artificial wakeboard lake.

And stopping the bizarre Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

The movie starred a young lady from Haltom City named Layla Caraway. It tells the story of how it came to be that Ms. Caraway is so passionately fighting the bizarre political power structure that runs roughshod over Fort Worth and Tarrant County.

Or as one of the talking heads in the movie said, "Fort Worth, the eminent domain abuse capital of Texas."

No. I was not that talking head.

I must say, Don Woodard is a Fort Worth treasure. His letters to the editor of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram are great. But that man and his one-liners are even better. Clyde Picht is another Fort Worth Treasure.

There are a lot of Fort Worth treasures.

Unfortunately the current system of conducting business, in what is known as the Fort Worth Way, sort of stops Fort Worth's treasures from turning Fort Worth into the treasure it could be, rather than the poorly run company town it is.

Tonight, before the movie, while I hid in the dark, observing the crowd, a young lady approached me and asked if I was Durango. This type thing always makes me nervous, shy guy that I be. I said my name is not Durango. The young lady insisted that it was. And so I agreed. And then I learned it was she who emailed me today about something about Montana. It is from that email I know this was Georgia S. I met tonight.

I also met "Tarrant Liberty Guy" who had commented on my blogging earlier today about tonight's movie premiere, saying "Hope to see you and Ms. Hotpepper tonight!"

Well, Tarrant Liberty Guy saw me, but I don't know, for sure, if he saw Ms. Hotpepper.

"Up a Creek" will soon be available for viewing online. I'll  direct you to that when it is ready to be viewed.

In the meantime, I've got myself a problem with a video of J.D. Granger, who was not at tonight's TRIP meeting movie premiere.

Ironic, because it is J.D. who is sort of up a creek. With no clue he is missing a paddle or two.

Don't Litter At Tonight's Fort Worth World Premiere Of TRIP's Up A Creek Movie Documentary

I am not absolutely certain, but I think trash and litter in the Trinity River may be part of what is covered in TRIP's "Up a Creek: the Movie."

I went swimming (not in a creek) this morning, even though it was only 40 degrees. The water was warmer. I did not stay in the water long enough to induce a case of the shivering trembles.

I went to Oakland Lake Park at noon to walk around Fosdic Lake today.

I've long been amazed at these ugly green litter barrels that litter Oakland Lake Park, along with these worn paper messages stickered on the barrels, saying "Don't Litter - Put It in the Can! Keep Fort Worth Beautiful."

Well.

You'd need to click on the picture to enlarge it, but, ironically, there is litter on the ground between the two litter barrels you see in the picture. There is a lot of litter in Oakland Lake Park. A lot of the litter floats in Fosdic Lake. I suspect this type litter is some of what ends up in the Trinity River when it goes in to flood mode.

At least we now know it is all the litter that is what is keeping Fort Worth from being beautiful.

I suspect if you go to the Stagecoach Ballroom tonight you may learn more about the bad stuff that goes in to and gets done to the Trinity River by its many abusers.

The Stagecoach Ballroom is located at 2516 E. Belknap, aka 377, in Fort Worth, just a short distance northeast of The Smoke Pit, with The Smoke Pit being my favorite place to get BBQ, whilst served by scantily clad servers.

The Red Carpet for the movie premiere starts at 6:30, with "Up a Creek" screening at 7:00. To fortify yourself, for viewing the movie documentary, adult beverages will be available. I'll be in the VIP area signing autographs with Elsie Hotpepper. Or not. I've not decided yet.

Below is map that should help you find your way to the Stagecoach Ballroom....

Up Early The Last Tuesday Of March Thinking About Exploding Tankers, Melting Bridges, Texas Boondoggle Referendums & The Paradise Center Scandal

I am up way too early this last Tuesday of March of 2011. Looking outside from one of my viewing portals I can see no stars or moons.

I suspect a heavy layer of clouds are lining the sky, because thunderstorms and rain are in the forecast for today.

I learned this morning that yesterday's tanker truck explosion on I-30, a couple miles to my west, caused the steel beams in the freeway bridge over Sycamore Creek to melt.

The westbound lanes of I-30 between Beach Street and Riverside Drive will be reduced from 4 lanes to 2, for months, while the Texas Department of Transportation makes emergency repairs.

Meanwhile up in Seattle, in other transportation related news, a group called Protect Seattle Now has managed to get over 27,000 signatures on a petition to put a referendum on the August ballot which will have voters voting on whether to go ahead with a multi-billion dollar tunnel project. Or not. 16,000 signatures are required to put a referendum to a vote.

Which has me wondering.

How come I don't read anything in the Fort Wort Star-Telegram along the lines of a group called Protect the Trinity Now has gathered over 27,000 signatures on a petition to put a referendum on the August ballot which will have voters voting for the first time on whether or not they approve of proceeding with the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle?

Maybe TRIP (Trinity River Improvement Project) has a petition in the works that I've not heard about.

Right now I am petitioning for the sun to arrive to provide illumination for my morning swim.

While I wait for the sun to arrive I have an incredible amount of fresh incoming Paradise Center Scandal material to digest. Including a pair of videos.

On Wednesday TRIP Invites You To Fort Worth's Historic Stagecoach Ballroom For The World Premiere Of The Movie Documentary "Up A Creek"

This coming Wednesday you will likely find me at Fort Worth's historic Stagecoach Ballroom.

No, I am not going to be at the historic Stagecoach Ballroom to dance with Dancing with the Stars' Edyta Sliwinska and Alec Mazo. That pair will be giving dance lessons at Fort Worth's non-historic Universe Ballroom.

I had no idea, til today, that Fort Worth had ballrooms.

On Wednesday you can join me, if I show up, at the historic Stagecoach Ballroom to watch the world premiere of the documentary movie "Up a Creek."

"Up a Creek" looks at various impacts of the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle.

I do not know if "Up a Creek" includes footage of the infamous J.D. Granger UTA breakdown.

I have no idea what this documentary movie is rated. But, since it's about Fort Worth I expect it to be filthy, with a lot of trashy stuff shown.

The historic Stagecoach Ballroom is located at 2516 E. Belknap in Fort Worth. You can easily find directions by Googling "Stagecoach Ballroom Fort Worth." That is how I found out where the historic Stagecoach Ballroom is located.

On Wednesday, March 30, 2011, doors open at 6:30 p.m. with "Up a Creek" screening at 7:00 p.m.

This is a TRIP event. TRIP is an acronym for Trinity River Improvement Project. TRIP is a non-partisan, non-profit organization which advocates cleaning the Trinity River, while supporting development that does not spoil the natural aesthetics and historic nature of the river.

Go to the TRIP website for more information.

I TRIPPED Up In The Botanic Gardens In Fort Worth Tonight Without Elsie Hotpepper

I lasted longer at the TRIP meeting tonight than I thought I would. I made it through the meet and greet part.

Then I made it part way into the main show, before my Adult Attention Deficit Disorder kicked in, which had me thinking I could be doing something else, until the impulse to leave could be resisted no longer.

It would have helped if Elsie Hotpepper had showed up, as expected, at Fort Worth's Botanic Gardens tonight.

The promised hors d’oeuvres turned out to be a buffet table laden with tasty goodies. Waiting in the line reminded me of good times in Las Vegas and Reno waiting in a slow buffet line behind people older than me.

I was deathly afraid someone at this thing might recognize me. I hate it when that happens. So, I went in Clark Kent mode, with glasses. It worked. No one recognized me.

After about a half hour of sitting solo, eating hors d’oeuvres, this nice lady in a slinky black dress indicated I should come to her. I did so. She told me the show was about to begin. And that I could go get myself a good seat.

Good seat, to me, means a seat located in the back near an exit.

Well.

Imagine my surprise when the show starts up and the nice lady in the slinky black dress was introduced as, and I hope I get the name right, Layla Caraway.

Like the seeds, I think.

Miss Caraway gave a good introduction as to what TRIP is all about. As in sane management of the Trinity River. As opposed to the current insane management of the Trinity River.

Miss Caraway ended her speech introducing a documentary, produced by KERA in Dallas, about the Trinity River. It is a good documentary.

But.

I had already seen it.

This was when my AADD started kicking in.

So, I decided to slink away in the dark and return to my present moment, free of something I'd already seen.

Imagine my shock, as I exited, to literally bump into Miss Caraway. It was very awkward. I explained that having seen that documentary had caused my AADD to kick in. Miss Caraway explained that the documentary would soon be over and speakers would be speaking.

But.

Once the AADD kicks in, there is no turning back. It really is a difficult condition to live with.

I must say, the Trinity River Improvement People have put together a rather impressive operation. It obviously is more reality based than the Trinity River Vision. TRIP seems to be wanting to actually solve actual real problems, rather than build Wakeboard Parks and unneeded flood diversion channels and a little pond pretending to be a lake.

It seems to me that if TRIP gets its message right and accurately aims that message at the Trinity River Vision, that the people in the rest of America, who are helping pay for the Trinity River Vision, will join with TRIP in demanding that the Vision to Nowhere be permanently blinded.

Before it hurts people.

The Cold First Saturday Of March Thinking Of A TRIP & Swimming

The view is steamy looking out my viewing portal on the world on the first Saturday of March.

There may be various reasons for the steamy window, but I think the primary cause is the temperature outdoors has plummeted to a measly 7 degrees above freezing.

39 degrees may wreak havoc with my plan to go swimming this morning.

In addition to the cold temperature, gusty winds are blowing with a steady pace of around 20 mph, making it feel like 25 degrees out there.

Tonight, starting at 6, TRIP has its first event. TRIP is the short way of saying Trinity River Improvement Project. Near as I can tell TRIP is an adult version of the infantile Trinity River Vision, known as TRV.

With TRIP you get no Inner Tube Trinity River Happy Hours. And no Cowtown Wakeboard Park. And no un-needed, unnecessary flood diversion channels.

I don't know if I'm going TRIP up tonight. With my go with the flow nature it is too early in the day to commit myself to something as far away as 6 o'clock.

In the meantime I think I'll put on my long underwear and go swimming. Or try to.

TRIP The Trinity River Improvement Partnership's Fort Worth Rebels

It has been brought to my attention that a group of rebels has formed with the goal of trying to Save the Trinity River from its current course of being severely altered by the myopic Trinity River Vision Billion Dollar Boondoggle.

It is risky business rebelling against The Fort Worth Way in these parts.

In the picture of the pair of Trinity River Inner Tube Happy Hour imbibers there is a "Vote NO! Save The Trinity" sign.

That is a bit misleading. In Fort Worth the voters are not allowed to vote on massive public works projects in their city.

The Rebel Group calls itself  the Trinity River Improvement Partnership (TRIP).

On Saturday, March 5, 2011 TRIP is hosting its premiere event at the Fort Worth Botanic Gardens. Unlike voting on public works projects, the Fort Worth public is invited to this event.

At the event you will find hors d’oeuvres. Hors d’oeuvres is fancy French-speak meaning food. In addition to food you'll also listen to speakers and view a film. I don't know for sure what the film is. It may be the infamous J.D. Granger UTA video. I've not seen this video, but I've been told it is highly informative.

TRIP has a website where you can learn more about plans to "Save a River...Save a Billion!"

Go to the Star-Telegragh to learn more about Saturday's meeting and to RSVP to make sure you reserve yourself a seat.