Winds of Change or The Perfect Storm

As Hurricane Gustav prepares to take aim at the Gulf Coast of the United States, I am inclined to take a look at the other storm that is brewing in our Nation.

This past week, we were treated to a spectacle the rivaled any of the road productions of the Lion King. There was a lot of pomp and circumstance, lots of rich bright colors and a theatrical set that had the tell tale markings of Hollywood special effects designers written all over it. Thousands of free tickets were passed out to the unwashed masses to attend the acceptance speech of the now Presidential Nominee Barack Hussein Obama. After all of the introductions and numerous background videos, the crowd went into a frenzy as the "One" (not my word, it is actually a quote from Oprah) took the stage. After the obligatory pause for adulation, he began to speak. The speech was filled with passion and it was filled with hope, too bad there was little substance to the rhetoric.

The crowd went hysterical as their hero in shining armor welcomed his stead and their families on stage to stand stoically in sheer opposition to the oppression that the past eight years of mismanagement and incompetence has brought upon the American public.

"All is well with America", we are told, by the talking heads who are gushing with pride at the thought that "history" is being made as the first black man prepares to take the helm of the greatest nation in the world and leads us into a new world where change and hope prevail. The only problem being, there is still a pesky little matter called an election that has to take place first.

Enter the buzz kill! Friday, at high noon, John McCain took the stage in Ohio and unceremoniously proceeds to let the air out of the balloons that were flying so high just the previous night. He lays out the card that he has been playing so close to the vest that no one had a clue what was about to hit them. The Ace that he has been hiding up his sleeve is revealed to be Sarah Palin the little known Governor of the State of Alaska. You can hear the deafening silence as the Democratic party and their main stream media mouth pieces go into collective cardiac arrest as it dawns on them that McCain just pulled a rabbit out of the hat. They had no clue that he had plans to upset their apple cart by using such an out of left field move. They had their hearts set on attacking the established in crowd in the GOP ranks, not some unknown, former Beauty Queen first term Governor from a flyover State that lacks Electoral College clout.

Oh, the winds of change, they are a blowin', as penned by one of the lefts favorite sons, Bob Dylan. Yes Bob, they are and now the playing field has been given severe twist, as the GOP base sees the glimmer of a spark of hope in an otherwise dead campaign. If Mr. McCain stays the course he has begun and Sarah Palin continues to display the strength that she had shown in Alaska, we may see an energized group of conservative voters show up on election day and blow the "hope of change" message right out of the water... but that's just my 2 pennies.

Barbrook Memories

Wow, it seems that the years have been slipping by at a breakneck pace and most of the cool places and things that made growing up in Haltom City have begun to crumble or fade away.

As the mercury hits triple digits for the 11th day in a row, my mind drifts back to the lazy days of summer when all we had to do was soak up the sun at Barbrook. Driving down the winding road and entering in through the front gate was like stepping into another world, although Haltom City waited patiently for us at the top of the hill to make our return.

Whether you spent your time laying out on the dock, slipping down the slide or mustered up the courage to take the plunge off of the high dive into the deep cool water, you were guaranteed a good time. How many of us spent time learning how to swim in the almost artic waters of the Olympic pool at the top of the hill? Or maybe you slid down the big water slide the came down the hill, before it burned down.

I feel sorry for the kids of today's generation, who will never get to enjoy the Barbrook experience. The will never be able to eat one of those greasy hamburgers from the snack bar or play foosball in the wet sand by the locker rooms.

It is a shame that the last owners of the park did not do enough to keep the park safe and open for future generations to enjoy. The last time I was there, the floor of the pool had huge cracks in it and it was covered with dirt and slime. Not long after that, there was a little boy who apparently got trapped under the dock and drowned. It took several hours of diving to find him due the murky water. I guess the subsequent lawsuit and repair costs were too much for the owners to be able to open the park back up. We have lost a great resource for our community and I, for one, am saddened to see it gone.

Let me know about your memories of the pool and if you happen to have pictures I would love to see them.