Here's a big THANK YOU to the U.S. Army Core of Engineers!
I was raised in a small town in South Texas that grew up around a lake (Lake Whitney, Tx.) built in the 1950s. When I was growing up you could walk/ride/drive around the lake with little (or no) obstructions at all. It was nothing to drive down to the edge of the lake, back up and throw out a line... turn on the radio and munch on a sandwich/have a beer. Some of the most fun I ever had was with friends late at night on the shore of the lake, cold pizza & beer.
I guess it was about 1994 I really started noticing that (adjective that I'll refrain from using here) brown pipe fence being installed around the C.O.E. parks. Since then that brown pipe railing has gone from "blocking access to service areas and restrooms" to BLOCKING EVERYTHING! I went "home" as I call it, yesterday for the day... I've never driven in Reverse so much in my life!!! (backing out of areas that used to be accessible) Every single place I used to go to have fun is now blocked off either in part or TOTALLY by those STUPID brown pipe rail fences.
One park (where my wife and I share some very fond memories(it was where I took her four-wheeling for the very first time)) is completely closed. When I asked a local C.O.E. park employee why the park was closed I was told "well, the park wasn't gettin enough traffic to justify puttin in a toll station... so they just closed it down altogether" I won't even tell you how I feel about that... those of you who know me...already know.
So, let's give an appropriate "Hi and Hello" to those experts in SCREWING UP our local lakes!
Thank you C.O.E. for helping provide abundant business for America's steel pipe industry, you've single-handedly made them RICH.
Thank you C.O.E. for helping provide abundant business for America's paint industry, you've made BROWN their biggest seller.
Thank you C.O.E. for taking away areas which have been used for decades by folks who just wanted to get away from the "hustle and bustle" of everyday city life to have a little peace and quiet.
Thank you C.O.E. for contributing to the decline in 4X4 vehicles (since there's no place to drive them anymore THANKS TO YOU)
And finally, (last but not least) THANK YOU C.O.E. for charging us to camp, swim, have a picnic, put our boat in the water, or use the bathroom.
From a former "lake kid" I say the C.O.E. SUCKS!!!
My grandfather hated you, my parents hated you, and now I hate you.... see a pattern?
Don't get me wrong, I know there must be a level of control to prevent vandalism/crime/violence..... but by erecting 9 million miles of that ignorant looking brown pipe rail fence... personally, I believe you're contributing to it rather than preventing it. (people no longer have a place to blow off steam in a non-destructive manner) I.M.O.
Chuck
P.S. I know it probably seems I'm extremely mad.... but I've had 24 hours to stew over this. I'm not mad, I'm heart-broken that the place where I grew up has been violated in such a way by a bunch of "Greedy Yuppies". (that's putting it nicely).
I was raised in a small town in South Texas that grew up around a lake (Lake Whitney, Tx.) built in the 1950s. When I was growing up you could walk/ride/drive around the lake with little (or no) obstructions at all. It was nothing to drive down to the edge of the lake, back up and throw out a line... turn on the radio and munch on a sandwich/have a beer. Some of the most fun I ever had was with friends late at night on the shore of the lake, cold pizza & beer.
I guess it was about 1994 I really started noticing that (adjective that I'll refrain from using here) brown pipe fence being installed around the C.O.E. parks. Since then that brown pipe railing has gone from "blocking access to service areas and restrooms" to BLOCKING EVERYTHING! I went "home" as I call it, yesterday for the day... I've never driven in Reverse so much in my life!!! (backing out of areas that used to be accessible) Every single place I used to go to have fun is now blocked off either in part or TOTALLY by those STUPID brown pipe rail fences.
One park (where my wife and I share some very fond memories(it was where I took her four-wheeling for the very first time)) is completely closed. When I asked a local C.O.E. park employee why the park was closed I was told "well, the park wasn't gettin enough traffic to justify puttin in a toll station... so they just closed it down altogether" I won't even tell you how I feel about that... those of you who know me...already know.
So, let's give an appropriate "Hi and Hello" to those experts in SCREWING UP our local lakes!
Thank you C.O.E. for helping provide abundant business for America's steel pipe industry, you've single-handedly made them RICH.
Thank you C.O.E. for helping provide abundant business for America's paint industry, you've made BROWN their biggest seller.
Thank you C.O.E. for taking away areas which have been used for decades by folks who just wanted to get away from the "hustle and bustle" of everyday city life to have a little peace and quiet.
Thank you C.O.E. for contributing to the decline in 4X4 vehicles (since there's no place to drive them anymore THANKS TO YOU)
And finally, (last but not least) THANK YOU C.O.E. for charging us to camp, swim, have a picnic, put our boat in the water, or use the bathroom.
From a former "lake kid" I say the C.O.E. SUCKS!!!
My grandfather hated you, my parents hated you, and now I hate you.... see a pattern?
Don't get me wrong, I know there must be a level of control to prevent vandalism/crime/violence..... but by erecting 9 million miles of that ignorant looking brown pipe rail fence... personally, I believe you're contributing to it rather than preventing it. (people no longer have a place to blow off steam in a non-destructive manner) I.M.O.
Chuck
P.S. I know it probably seems I'm extremely mad.... but I've had 24 hours to stew over this. I'm not mad, I'm heart-broken that the place where I grew up has been violated in such a way by a bunch of "Greedy Yuppies". (that's putting it nicely).
