GC3B8ZZ Geocache: Baytown Bert's A Crying

GC3B8ZZ Geocache Hell?  You decide.

A group of us intrepid geocachers are going after these two caches next Saturday: Read what one fellow experienced just the other day: 

Blindzman wrote: Well I guess I should write a log for y'all to laugh at. My wife, son, daughter and me met up with CacheControl at about 9:00am on the trail and were separated at about 9:15am (mistake number 1) The first cache we went to was "A cache to cry over", it is in the same woods as this one. When y'all do it you will understand how much extra is involved in that cache. When we left there we were only .51miles from "BB's a crying". We thought it wasn't going to be that big of a deal. 

Well it took us at least 1.5 hours to get between them. The real problems was on the way out, it was only about .73 miles from the cache to parking so we started off & that hike took us almost 2.5 hours. Well between the two caches I knew I was not in that bad of shape but I also knew I was not in the best of shape either, we almost turned around but figured we did not want to give up. About half way out I realized how bad of shape I really was in and how dehydrated I really was with about .25 left on the way out. 

I honestly did not think I was going to make my way out the last .15, both my legs were cramped straight and I looked like double peg leg walking, it was on nothing but pure drive and will power. We finally came out of the woods at 2:30 directly in front of the parking and I fell down under the water spigot at the house and laid there for about 10 mins with ants covering me and really did not care because I was cooling off. 

Well from there it just got worst. 

The home owner finally found me and had me come into a breeze way to get out of the sun. While there I had them cut my pants off from the knees down. While out of the trail I had taken my outer shirt off and was in my undershirt, well that ripped off and I put my main shirt back on. CacheControl showed up and suggested we call 911 so I listened and when they showed up they started me on an I.V. 

CacheControl and Blindzman at San Jacinto Methodist Hospital in Baytown, texas

By the time we got to the hospital I felt so much better and refused to be admitted and went outside to wait on my family to show up. After about 10 mins the ambulance driver offered me her phone and my wife did not pick up so he suggested she may be in the ER waiting room so I walk in there with my cut off shorts no shoes and no shirt with my ripped under shirt hanging from my waist and the nurse were looking at me like they were fixing to call 911 on me again but for a completely different reason and my family thankfully was in there and off we went. 

Well thacatfish, and Geogeex showed up to check on me and after about 10 mins of sitting in the parking lot we headed home. I guess I have to say TFTC but don't know if we will ever reattempt this one again and we at least got the smiley. For all of y'all thinking of going after this one make sure you DOUBLE the amount of water you think you should bring.

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Jim McDonnel Represents Baytown Texas

Presenting pictures at the WTB Command at Fort Hood.

 Local pencil artist Jim McDonnel recently left his home in Baytown Texas and traveled to Fort Hood, near Killeen Texas to present the commanding general of the post with an original pencil drawing of a US combat soldier in full battle dress.  Jim is a staunch advocate for Wheelers for the Wounded also.  You may read more about this fine Baytown artist here.

This is Jim and Mike Thornton. He is a Navy Seal and Medal of Honor recipient.
He was a member of Seal Team One and a founder of Seal Team six.

WFTW banner at Fort Hood.

Jim McDonnel with Command soldiers of Fort Hood

Art League of Baytown - Face Off

I was back up at the Art League of Baytown today working on their computer print capabilities and adjusting a few file protocols and I took time to admire the many masks that Art league members and local students submitted for their first ever "Face Off" competition.  I photographed a few of them to show everyone how amazing they are.  Some are even for sale, but you must hurry to see or buy one, as the exhibit will be coming down very soon.

Susan Urban showed me her 3rd place winning entry "Chakra"

These two were made using the Raku Process

 

This one is my personal favorite. 2nd place Billie Brinkley "Tree Spirit: Seasons Change

I loved this one too!  Billie Brinkley "See Spot Run"

 

This is one of many made from a gourd.  Darla Hines "Relic Dancer"

Totally loved this one by Liz Caldwell!  "Its Coming"

The first place winner by "SAINT MARK" and "HOGGO" by Marsha Landers

 

Art League of Baytown is at 110 West Texas Avenue close to Roosters.

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Art League of Baytown - New PC!

A week or so ago, I got a phone call from the Art League of Baytown (I'm a member in dubious standing) to give them 911 emergency service on their dead PC.  I threw down my plate of bacon-wrapped jumbo shrimp and pork & beans, kicked over a 6-pack of tepid Bear Whiz Beer, and hopped like a rabbit out to my awesome Jeep Wrangler Cosmic Blue 4-door rig, aptly named "tha Choppa"

I remember flooring it, as I am also a technical adviser for the club and Susan Urban sounded near tears.

Nefarious Art League member Baytown Bert and the esteemed Artist Susan Urban

"BB, we just gots to have this thing up and running or we can't cipher our Quickens (or something, I can't remember my own emergencies, let alone someone elses)," she blurted in my ear as I drove over.

"Ma'am...ma'am... MA'AM!  SUSAN!  Settle down.  I will either fix it, or I will bluff my way through."  I distinctly remember vowing and I sounded pretty danged confidant too, even to myself.

Arriving on the scene, I can still remember looking at the machine.  It was a Tandy TRS-80, if I recall.  It was covered in little paint-covered fingerprints and I could tell the artists had been all over it.

Holding back a loud guffaw, I proclaimed they needed a new machine, seeing how this one was originally purchased something like 40 years ago.  It was Ben Franklin's last contribution.

"Well..."  Susan said, obviously impressed.  "If you say so."

"Dang tootin'"  I said.  I call em like I see em."  Then she told me Gary Erwin had tried to fix it and I just rolled my eyes.  "Oh geeze... Gary wasn't even born when this computer was introduced."

I scribbled the name of a new Dell model out that folks are having success with and tossed it smugly on the desk.  "Just give me a call Missy when the new machine comes in and I'll saunter over and fix it right, with the "Quickens and all", and I walked out feeling smarmy.

Bobby Sutphin teaching a water painting class today.

 Well, the call came in today, just as I was shoveling a thick slab of jalapeno boudain between the cheek and gums and I - being a connoisseur of French cuisine (and very hungry), swallowed it without chewing.  Gulping down a scalding hot very black cup of chicory-laced French Market coffee and donning a minimum of clothing (as you can see above, Jane Lee is there and she's always impressed by my tactless attempts of covering myself), I darted out the door.

Baytown Sun Reporter and artist Jane Lee

The beautiful Bobby Sutphin was teaching a class and I'll be darned if I didn't receive a standing ovation when I came in.  Even the veteran Baytown Sun normally unflappable reporter Jane Lee gave up a couple hoorays, as she was moved to a flood of tears.  I was seriously humbled and probably to top Jane and impress me,  Susan Urban literally ran around clapping her hands.

I was danged impressed, but tried not to show it, so I announced I had to "do my wizardry computer crap and all," and I shut the door behind me, threatening immolation (them, not me) if I was disturbed. 

Well, isn't that what all IT professionals do?  To be honest, I'm not an IT professional.  I am a computer savant.  That's what I had printed on my business card.

Anyway, I took about an hour nap, letting the boudain settle, then with 3 shakes of a mouse cord, I did the magic we PC gurus do.  Stepping out of the room, I feigned total exhaustion and Susan and Bobbie helped me out to my Jeep.  I heard Jane tell the others "He puts his heart into his work, like us artists, but with more feeling." As soon as I went around the corner in my Jeep, I got a very smug look on my face and cackled loudly and went to find a geocache, hidden over by Lee College (GC3F1K5).  Oh the life!
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High Noon Gun Range Crosby Texas

High Noon Gun Range Crosby Texas

My bride and I made a visit to the High Noon Gun Range in Crosby Texas last week for the first time and bow howdy, the place is first class. Baytown does not have a public range since Mr. Turner shut down Turner's gun range behind Mobay, now Bayer and it is danged difficult to find a place close by to pop a few caps.  My previous experience with a local gun range in Pasadena has left much to be desired.  High Noon is expanding the range to 12 lanes and it is $12 per hour per person to shoot - no limit on the number of firearms.  At the current cost of ammunition, I don't know how anyone can afford to shoot for more than an hour anyway.  My .44 costs me a dollar every time I pull the trigger.

My bride and I were shooting to two firearms.  Her Kahr E9 - 9 mm and my Charter Arms Bulldog Pug in .44 Special.  this is basically the same revolver David Berkowitz, more commonly known as the Son of Sam killer used.  The Charter Arms Bulldog Pug has a short barrel and at one time was referred to as a Saturday Night Special, but at 30 feet, I could easily put four out of five shots in the head of the target.  This revolver incidentally only holds five cartridges.

My Bride shooting the Kahr E9 9mm and I shoot the Charter Arms .44 Special.  

My five foot three inch Bride easily handled the large caliber .44 Special.  Both of us wore ear plugs and ear muffs to dampen the massive noise, which can ruin a person's hearing.  Before we fired, we reviewed proper muzzle control and she loaded the magazines herself.  We met our friend Aaron Burton also, but I failed to get a photo of him.

I returned a day later with Daniel Blackford to complete the shooting requirement portion of my Concealed Handgun License renewal.  He can be reached by email for classes at dblackford001 AT gmail.com or by his Facebook account.

Daniel Blackford and I pose for a photo at my Concealed Handgun License test.

Both days of shooting we observed conventional gun range safety, which is paramount for everyone on the range.  In this photo, I am wearing the Center for Disease Control's official Zombie Task Force shirt.

Daniel Blackford is an Ex-Secret Service agent under President Bill Clinton and a certified Concealed Handgun Permit Instructor.  He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the law and concealed carry.

 My favorite gun shop in Baytown is Magnum Firearms in Baytown on the corner of North main Street and Park Street.  They will be getting a web page soon, but for now, here is their Facebook page.  I believe in supporting local Mom and Pop businesses as much as possible.
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Fun In The Sun Baytown Texas

My bride and I loaded up my awesome 2011 Cosmos Blue Jeep JKU Sport and our doggies for a day of adventure and headed east on I-10 for Anahuac, Texas - which spell check identified as Nahuatl, which I suspect was the original language over there.  I know it is in Channelview.  We stopped at the entrance to the Wallisville Lake Project to grab a geocache (GC36NMH), but it was in pieces.  I logged it as a find and alerted the cache owners, TxDwight and TxJoAnn56.

We briefly perused the fruit stand at I-10 and FM563, but decided we would buy from the other stand at High Island, later in the day.  We decided to make another stop at the Jackson Cemetery in Anahuac, as there is a geocache there also, called "Thriller" (GC33KBD). 

My bride is a descendant of the Barbers and the Barrows and we found a goodly number of gravestones of a branch of the Barrow family.

While I searched for the tiny geocache we let the dogs explore and my bride looked for kin folk's grave stones.  If you are interested in learning about geocaching, the Baytown area has over 300 "caches" hidden and the number is growing every day.  It's a wonderful family and kid-friendly activity and will take you to obscure parks, cemetery's and generally get a person off the couch.

A branch of the Barrow Family are buried at the Jackson Cemetery in Anahuac, Texas

When we returned home, I went on the Internet to ancestry.com and could not link these folks with my wife's side of the family.  She is a direct descendant of Daniel Barrow and Ruby Amanda Barber and not this line. I photographed the headstones and submitted the pictures on findagrave.com for those who research this kind of stuff.  Its actually very popular and my brother TJ Bustem and sister Connie Byrd are heavily involved.

I call my Jeep Wrangler "tha Choppa" as it takes me anywhere I want to go, like a helicopter. "Get to the Choppa!"

We headed for a hike and a drive through the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge to see if we could see some gators, but it was already very hot and we were unsuccessful. If you want to see wildlife, I advise going 60 miles south to Brazos Bend State Park instead.

At the Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge, we walked the boardwalk.

The last time I was down on this beach and what is left of SH-87, was about 10 years ago with the Baytown Chapter of the TX4X4 Cyber Club, now defunct, with the Boyd brothers, Bruce and Marshal.  Bruce was the President of our chapter and was tragically killed in a motorcycle accident on SH-146 in late 2003.  I haven't seen Marshal in a long time, although I talked to Bruce's wife the other day.  We led a group of over 120 Jeeps and 4-wheel drive trucks to Sabine Pass over the destroyed road.  The man at the fruit stand remembered the event.  I turned leadership of the whole club, which I founded, over to someone else and it is now called TX4WD.

The 25 mile stretch of road-beach between High Island and Sabine Pass.

The tide was in, along with a heavy stinky kelp deposit, which ran for miles.  The coastline is replete with trash and plastic and looks terrible, but this stretch of the coastline has never been pretty to me and others.  Hurricane Ike rearranged it considerably and the state has cut an alternate path inland, which due to the debris and oil-laden sand on the coast, forced us up onto it.  It's still very much a 4-wheel drive trail though, so beware if you think you can do it in your Zephyr.  We had a Chevy truck follow us for about 4 slow miles before they finally decided it was too risky and turned back.  Charles Goss and I rescued a man and his truck here one time who had been stuck for 18 hours.

Just for fun I drove up on a fallen log.

If I was going to "wheel" this beach, I would have aired my tires down and disconnected my sway-bars, but we were the Lone Ranger out here and it is never a good idea to wheel alone.  There are still plenty of obstacles, logs, giant chunks of asphalt, boggy quicksand, and debris to "crawl" over though - just don't do it alone.  My next beach run will be down south to Matagorda and 30 miles of pretty danged good beach.  The best though are North and South Padre Island.  I call this stretch of beach we are on, HISP.  High Island to Sabine Pass and it is pretty much boring and ugly, but in Texas, where most everything is private property, a person has to go to what is available if they want to test their machines against the terrain.

WL Jenkins Park Wish List

WL Jenkins Park - The Bark Park - Skate Park - JC Holloway Park

One of my favorite things to do is walk with my bride and doggies in WL Jenkins Park and the Bark Park.  It's a wonderful place and is used heavily by people exercising, walking their dogs, and running.  I sent this request list to the Parks Superintendent, Scott Johnson this morning:

1.  Probably 5 times a week, my wife and I walk on the trails in Jenkins Park.  Often we carry trash a long ways before we can deposit it in one of the trash cans.  Would the city consider placing a few cans on the trail in the interior of the park along the trail connecting the two parks (JC Hollaway Park)?  I think more people would help keep the park clean if there are more cans.

A speckled King Snake crawls across the trail.  It is harmless.

2. One of the pine trees inside the small dog park needs back-fill around the roots, or the tree will probably die.  There may be others, especially since so many new trees have been planted.


3.  There are large number of cigarette butts, and small debris on the trail behind the skate park, making it look trashy.

Here are the fast results!

4.  The old water fountain stub-out by the bathroom is a tripping/knee gouge hazard.

The stub-out which needs attention.

David Lee at WL Jenkins Park

While we were there, we ran into a friend, the honorable David Lee!  David ran unsuccessfully for City Councilman, but he would be a good one.  We had a real good visit talking about the city and the future expansion of Baker Road and the effect it would have on Crockett Park.
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Fresh Catfish & Panko!

Big FAT fresh catfish fillets and Panko you ask?  Why yes...  Geeze!  Throw in coconut oil, parsley, Tony Chachere's, salt, and cilantro and what have you got?  Something delicious I tell you.  I browned the fillets in a skillet and then finished them off at 500 degrees in the broiler.  The second secret to success is the tarter sauce.  In my experience, nothing can top Louisiana Tarter Sauce! Now for the proof!

Baytown Texas Annual Water Report 2011

I've been saying it so long I sound like a broken record.  I like Baytown water so much... I had it piped up to my house.  The stuff is delicious!  If you want to bump it up a notch, filter it yourself, but don't think because you buy water in 24-pack plastic bottles that you are getting something special.  Read it for yourself.

Baytown gets a bum rap all the way around is so many ways and usually it is undeserved.   Concerning our water...?   It just don't float.

MIO - the Real Story is Propylene Glycol

My bride and I were asked today if we had tried MIO, the new sweet drink energy enhancer. I did some research on it. I don't think we will add it to our shopping list.

 The reason is propylene glycol.  Propylene glycol, also called 1,2-propanediol or propane-1,2-diol, is an organic compound (a diol or double alcohol) with formula C₃H₈O₂ or HO-CH₂-CHOH-CH₃. It is a colorless, nearly odorless, clear, viscous liquid with a faintly sweet taste, hygroscopic and miscible with water, acetone, and chloroform.

 Propylene glycol is used:

• As an ingredient in the oil dispersant Corexit, used in great quantities during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill
• To deice aircraft wings and empennage
• As a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations (notably, diazepam, which is insoluble in water, uses propylene glycol as its solvent in its clinical, injectable form)
• As a humectant food additive, labeled as E number E1520
• As an emulsification agent in Angostura and orange bitters
• As a moisturizer in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste, shampoo, mouth wash, hair care and tobacco products
• As a carrier in fragrance oil
• To produce polyester compounds
• As a base in deicing solution
• As an ingredient in massage oils
• In hand sanitizers, antibacterial lotions, and saline solutions
• In smoke machines to make artificial smoke for use in firefighters' training and theatrical productions
• In electronic cigarettes, as a vaporizable base for diluting the nicotine liquid
• As a solvent for food colors and flavorings
• As an ingredient, along with wax and gelatin, in the production of paintballs
• As a moisture stabilizer (humectant) for snus (Swedish style snuff)
• As a cooling agent for beer and wine glycol jacketed fermentation tanks
• As a nontoxic antifreeze for winterizing drinking water systems (for example recreational vehicles), and in applications where the used antifreeze eventually will be drained into the soil, water, or a septic system
• As a less-toxic antifreeze in solar water heating systems
• As a solvent used in mixing photographic chemicals, such as film developers
• In cryonics
• As a working fluid in hydraulic presses
• As a coolant in liquid cooling systems
• To regulate humidity in a cigar humidor
• As the killing and preserving agent in pitfall traps, usually used to capture ground beetles
• As an additive to pipe tobacco to prevent dehydration
• To treat livestock ketosis
• As the main ingredient in deodorant sticks
• As an ingredient in UV or blacklight tattoo ink
• As a lubricant in air conditioning compressors
• As a wetting agent, used to determine drying time in paints and coatings
• Used in the beverage mixer Sweet N Sour.

Propylene glycol has properties similar to those of highly toxic ethylene glycol (monoethylene glycol or MEG). (Note: infrequently, propylene glycol may also use the acronym MEG, but as an abbreviation of methyl ethyl glycol - the industry standard acronym for propylene glycol is PG or MPG (monopropylene glycol).) The industrial norm is to replace ethylene glycol with propylene glycol when safer properties are desired.  Source: Wikipedia

Frankly, I will pass on voluntarily putting this in my body....

Baytown Remembers Fallen Texas Heroes 2012

Baytown Remembers Fallen Texas Heroes Click the link to see the slideshow of photographs from the giant fund raiser on Texas avenue for the Portrait of a Warrior gallery, on May 19, 2012. It is going to be a yearly event and was attended by many of hundreds of people, including Major General Jimmie J. Wells.

At least 5 photographers submitted photographs for the slide show and many are part of the wonderful group from the Baytown Photo Club. I am especially grateful to Ren Fitts for the use of his photographs and his constant vigil over veteran's rights,

Also in attendance were Mayor Stephen DonCarlos, City Manager Bob Lieper, State Representative Wayne Smith, Military recruiters, pencil artist Jim McDonnel,Sammy Mahan, Organizer extraordinaire Joni Kelton, Kevin Troller, Justice of the Peace Don Coffey, Professor John Britt, Conrad Garcia Jr., Liz Caldwell, Jane Lee, Elke Meyers, Byrd Reed, Deb Robinson, Janet Albright, Gary Erwin, Richard Hardy, LOST Inc, and of course, Ken "the Dauber Pridgeon.

Ken is painting each and every fallen warrior from Texas who died as a result of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the war in Afghanistan.

Many of us were brought to tears listening to Jimmy Smith, father of Jeremy Smith talk about his fallen son and how Ken's artwork has allowed him to deal with it.

Texas Avenue is rapidly becoming the go-to place in Baytown for venues such as this one and I am sure time will prove the renovation costs have been well spent. I talked in length with city councilman Scott Sheley concerning this and he assures me it is a very big positive for Baytown. Many people were personaly involved in making this happen, but I think it would only be fair to throw a big high-5 to Joni Kelton for her part as the MC.  If you don't know that name, you will.  She like Ken and so many others are what make Baytown, Baytown.
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