#CookeCounty

[cooke-county-library]

Last week the library visited the Boys and Girls Club of Cooke County. On the tween side, the kids learned about the origin of the game "Rock, Paper, Scissors." They participated in a character-building exercise to think about their unique strengths and interests they can take with them when entering challenging parts of their day. The youth side got a presentation about the library using Mrs. Kim's "magic bag," which told them about the various resources at the library. They were excited about all of the great books! #CCLcommunityoutreach #communityoutreach #cookecountysfuture #cookecounty #boysandgirlsclubofcookecounty #EducateEngageEnrich

[myersjackson]

Catching a Glimpse at Life on Lake Ray Roberts

Having a Reely Good Day on Lake Ray Roberts

In Cooke County, Texas

No, no, you didn’t read that wrong. And yes, I spelled it right. How so, you ask… Well, the reason is that we are going to talk about enjoying Lake Ray Roberts in North Texas.

One such way to enjoy Lake Ray Roberts is by fishing. Whether you and the kiddos load up early in the morning, or you and some friends climb aboard a guided tour.

Making Memories on Lake Ray Roberts

First of all, fond childhood memories are created waking before the sun to find that best fishing spot. Filling your thermos with coffee (hot cocoa for the kiddos) and tossing some fruit and snacks into a lunch pail for later. Piling in the truck and driving to the store for some worms and/or minnows.

Then arriving at that best spot on the bank and tossing a line in. Unfolding some chairs and taking a seat as the bobbers float and the sun peaks over the horizon. Or, perhaps, you prefer fishing from inside a small boat. Out in the middle of the lake finding that school of fish huddled in their hiding spot. Nothing but the sound of the boat gently tapping the water as the waves come and go.

Of course, fast forward to Summer and Lake Ray Roberts is a place to take the family and cool off. There is plenty of space to have a family picnic or cookout. While the burgers cook, watch the kids splash in the water off of the shore which looks just like the beach. Off in the distance some passing sail boats may catch your attention. The sounds of laughter, chatter, splashing and jet skis are all part of a North Texas summer on Lake Ray Roberts.

Lake Ray Roberts Nature

Indeed Lake Ray Roberts is also the place for those who are just looking for a relaxing nature stroll. Leash up the dog(s) and lace up those walking or running shoes. Enjoy strolling along the trails observing the sights and sounds of the season. Thick, lush trees and foliage clothe the trees and landscape in the spring and summer. From the trees along the path you may see an Indigo Buntings, the Scissor-tailed flycatcher or a Western Kingbird. Fall brings with it gorgeous leaves of red and orange. Decorating the drab, leafless trees during the cold season are cedar waxwings, goldfinches, spotted sandpipers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, winter wrens, to name a few. With all of this talk about birds, let’s not forget the tall, long-legged egrets.

Certainly, Lake Ray Roberts has something to offer every member of the family each season of the year. What will you do on your next visit?

[vphill1979]

Something a little bit different (for me at least). From an early morning at the start of dove hunting season. #olympusom4ti #olympus #om4ti #om4t #texas #cookecounty #gainesville #photography #streetphotography #filmisnotdead #believeinfilm #staybrokeshootfilm (at Gainesville, Texas)

[sandrapuente]

@betoorourke conducts #QandA with #Gainesville voters at his 254th county stop! #CookeCounty #BetoforTexas #Texasissodangbigtho (at Museum At Santa Fe Depot)

[nineundergradlives]

Cooke County Morgue Unidentified Persons database, is Cooke County Chicago’s database for unidentified persons. What sets this database apart from other morgue databases? In 2013, Cooke County Morgue was the first database to put images of the deceased on the internet when available. The database does not explicitly show these photos. There is a case number date the body has been found, where the body was found a description of the body and items found, and finally a link to images if available. When there is an image available it is either listed as sketch or it is listed as a photo. Once users click on the photo there is a webpage that pops up saying,  “Please be advised of the potentially graphic nature of the images that you are linking to. They are from the autopsies of unidentified persons and some may be in a somewhat decomposed or damaged state” in which you must agree to continue.

Despite the care that Cooke County has put into protecting the database users and the bodies, there was still an overarching discomfort with the new changes to the database. In the Daily Mail the decision was headlined “Morgue posts gruesome photos of unclaimed dead bodies in an effort to help families find their lost loved ones.” Other news source used language like vulgar, graphic and disturbing.  Despite the generally despite discomfort there is an overall acceptance of the usefulness of the database.  Cook County Medical Examiner Dr. Stephen Cina said "We're hoping that that photo can trigger somebody's memory, that you know, that person grew up down the street from me, or that person used to live nearby and I know where their mom is," and continues to offer images in the database.

This artifact reveals how distance is not necessarily the standard for death on the internet, in “Death on the Internet: The Rise of Livestreaming Funerals” Lex Berko quotes mortician Caitlin Doughty as saying  “The physical dead body is proof of death, tangible evidence that the person we love is gone, and that we will someday be gone as well”, “To have death and mourning transferred online takes away that tangible proof. What is there to show us that death is real?” The Cooke county Database reintroduces bodies to the internet, not just dead names and descriptions, but raw vulnerable dead bodies. Bodies that are displayed on metal examination tables, dead unseeing eyes often open to aid identification, undoctored, and once clicked on unveiled.

There is also the implicit concern of consent when considering these bodies. Walter Freeman and Lobotomy's Visual Archive displays the bodies of the lobotomized and one could argue that the visual display is a record of history which removes some of discomfort, they are haunting, but not necessarily disturbing. These images more than likely were not consented to, but time does provide some distance. The bodies in the morgue which you can read about on the website, are not disposed of until claimed, although in Cooke County they have recently debated when is an appropriate time for cremation. The oldest body in the database goes back to 2005, although the oldest remains go back to 1983. These bodies are displayed without consent and users know they exist offline. Regina Galindo’s art work stays with people as a consenting fictional dead body. Consent allows makes users feel less voyeuristic or less intrusive when confronting tabooized subjects. Unclaimed persons displayed on a public platform positions the subjects in tension with privatization of death and the actual abject nature of the dead. The bodies are vunerable and marginal in their marginality. These bodies may be saved, but the person is not, at least as long as they remain unclaimed.

-Kim Mayes

[monkeybrat0903]

This photo describes last night accurately @thewildespirits @mielkeway16 🍸🍹🍷#18 #cookecounty #hudsons #Iloveyou

[citygirlcool]

Japanese Garden- Explore #216 10-22-2014 - Chicago Botanic Garden - Glencoe IL by Meridith112 on Flickr.

[moonfattie]

pasture study at the HL Backbone Ranch 4x6" 2007 #western #landscape #acrylic #pleinair #prairie #prairiestyle #cookecounty #cattle #texanart #northtexas

[cooke-county-library]

We built 3D paper sculptures with the kids at The Boys & Girls Clubs of Cooke County, Inc yesterday afternoon. Cooke county is raising some amazing engineers, architects, and artists! #steam #CCLsteam #boysandgirlsclub #cookecounty

[myersjackson]

A Look At Valley View, Texas from the Backroads

Enjoying the North Texas Countryside

From the backroads of Valley View

Valley View, TX has so much to offer her residents. This small town has no grocery stores, but abounds with several convenience stores and a variety store offering necessities. Those living just on the outskirts of town appreciate these conveniences for that quick trip for milk or gas. However, this North Texas countryside has so much more to give those who want to get away from the sounds of the city.

To begin with is the peaceful tranquility of the country. Just the sounds of a few cows and perhaps the neighbor’s dog barking as the delivery truck drives by. Oh, and the sounds of the birds visiting each season.

In fact, there is nothing like sitting on the porch sipping coffee and listening to the birds wake the countryside up with their early morning chatter. Admire the roadrunners as they scurry across the street and across your property. These tiny birds look nothing like the famous roadrunner of our childhood. Have you ever heard their sound? They sound like a playing card in the spokes of a spinning bicycle tire. Not something you would hear in the busy city streets.

North Texas Comforts of the Country

Then there is the mind calming presence of a pond. When work and life’s responsibilities have your mind going in too many directions just take a stroll down to the pond. Just stand at the edge of that pond and listen to the water gently trickle. Watch the small circles form on the water when the tiny minnows come up for air. Careful! A frog might just jump from the grassy edge into the pond after those minnows. What a beautiful spot to wash away the day’s worries!

Also, there is the opportunity for growing and raising your own food. From livestock and poultry providing milk, eggs and meat, to crops providing herbs, fruit and vegetables. Making the dependence on a supermarket less necessary. And with the over abundance that grows, many stands can be found along the backroads selling meat, dairy and produce. Most using the honor system for payment. One mustn’t forget the bees and their honey. A delicious natural sweetener, local raw honey is also packed with medicinal properties the store bought variety lacks. Local raw honey is also beneficial for those suffering from allergies.

Lastly, one of the best landscapes for watching the sun kiss the trees each morning or those hypnotizing colors of pink and orange paint the evening sky is the North Texas countryside! All part of another peaceful day on the farm on the North Texas backroads of Valley View.

[vphill1979]

Detail of Tree. #hasselblad #hasselbladxpan #fujifilm #tx1 #35mm #35mmfilm#analog #analogcamera #analogphotography #bw_society #blackandwhitephoto #blackandwhitephotography #buyfilmnotmegapixel #ishootfilm #ishootfilm #shootfilm #shootfilmnotmegapixels #hp5plus #hp5 #ilfordhp5 #ilford #texas #cookecounty #callisburg (at Callisburg, Texas)

[myersjackson]

Valley View County Clerk Marci A. Gilbert

Handling Valley View Records is Cooke County Clerk Marci A Gilbert

Valley View, TX is one of 5 cities in the north Texas County of Cooke County. The city sits in the southern part of the county and is home to nearly 800 people. Interstate highway 35 and the railroad pass right through the middle of Valley View. On one side is the city square while on the other side is FM 922 and scenic country living.

While driving down 922 into the rural parts of Valley View, TX those looking to move to the country may see property, land and acreage for sale. When sitting on the side of the road gazing at the acres of trees and vegetation lying just behind the For Sale By Owner sign, one may have some questions. Beyond the initial of “how much?”.

Such as questions about plays, maps and various additional real estate related questions. But on the side of FM 922 in Valley View is a difficult spot to get answers to those questions. This is where the Cooke County Clerk comes in.

Cooke County’s County Clerk is Marci A. Gilbert. Marci spent just over seventeen and a half years as Chief Clerk for Cooke County Justice of the Peace Precinct 1. Currently she is the District Clerk for Cooke County, a position she has held for nearly 3 years. At the Cooke County clerk’s office records can be found for all real estate and property in Cooke County, including Valley View.

In effect, having researched all information a buyer will be prepared to purchase Cooke County real estate. Such as 111 +/- acres in Valley View, TX soon to go to auction with Myers Jackson America’s Auctioneer.

Indeed, Marci A Gilbert and the Cooke County Clerk’s Office is located at

101 S Dixon

Gainesville, TX 76240

(940) 668-5450

[vphill1979]

Rock detail. #hasselblad #hasselbladxpan #fujifilm #tx1 #35mm #35mmfilm#analog #analogcamera #analogphotography #bw_society #blackandwhitephoto #blackandwhitephotography #buyfilmnotmegapixel #ishootfilm #ishootfilm #shootfilm #shootfilmnotmegapixels #hp5plus #hp5 #ilfordhp5 #ilford #texas #cookecounty #callisburg (at Callisburg, Texas)

[vphill1979]

Happy Thanksgiving 🦃🍁🍽 #hasselblad #hasselbladxpan #fujifilm #tx1 #35mm #35mmfilm#analog #analogcamera #analogphotography #bw_society #blackandwhitephoto #blackandwhitephotography #buyfilmnotmegapixel #ishootfilm #ishootfilm #shootfilm #shootfilmnotmegapixels #hp5plus #hp5 #ilfordhp5 #ilford #texas #cookecounty #callisburg (at Callisburg, Texas)