Memorial Day Memory Remembering My Old Home Zone In Mount Vernon Washington

A Memorial Day Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day that I actually remember, unlike so many of those Microsoft memories.

What we are looking at here is part of the front of my house at my former home zone of Mount Vernon in the great state of Washington.

There were two front entries, one from the carport on the left, and the other at the top of the stairs.

Above the carport I had a rooftop patio garden growing all sorts of good things.

Blueberries, strawberries, various herbs, tomatoes, a lot of flowers and I forget what else.

I do not try to grow anything at my Texas location.

Trying such would likely be frustrating. Way too many things can go wrong here.

Golf ball size hail pummeling the plants. Various critters, like locusts, feasting on the plants. 70 mph gusts of wind. A flooding downpour. Temperatures way too HOT.

Speaking of which, it is another HOT one this Memorial Day. Not predicted to hit 100, but neither was yesterday, when my vehicle's thermometer hit 102. 

I think I will dose myself with anti-bug spray, and arm myself with my anti-bug bracelets, and have a mighty fine walk around Sikes Lake in about an hour...


 

Memorial Day Weekend At Lake Wichita Veterans Memorial Plaza With Space Force

Years in the making, the Lake Wichita Revitalization Project's Veterans Memorial Plaza was scheduled to be complete by the 2023 Memorial Day Weekend. There is still some finishing work to be done, but the Veterans Memorial Plaza is now open, with the construction fence removed.

The Memorial was seeing a lot of visitors this final Sunday of May. The statue you see above is a memorial to those who served during the Vietnam War. The Vietnam War statue part of the Memorial Plaza has been in place for a couple years.

A World War II statue has been added, saluting toward the Vietnam War soldiers.

An homage to Gold Star Families and Relatives.

The backside of the homage to Gold Star Families. Homeland, Family, Patriot. Sacrifice.

Surrounding the homage to Gold Star Families were plaques representing each branch of the armed service. Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and one that sort of surprised me.

I had not heard mention made of the Space Force for quite some time. I thought it'd gone the way of much of the Trump nonsense. But, apparently Space Force is still in force.

One would think that the outhouse that had been at the Memorial Plaza location during its construction would have been removed by the opening of the Memorial Plaza.

Instead, the outhouse is laying on its side. The victim of vandals, or, more likely, a strong wind gust.

The parking lot and road to the parking lot remains a rutted, potholed obstacle course. Some time back it was announced that the parking lot and road to the parking lot were to be re-built. One would have thought that that might have taken place by the time the Veterans Memorial Plaza was completed.

Escaping Rain Under Lucy Park Covered Walking Venue With Memorial Day Hot Dogs

Rain arrived this morning, right on schedule, as predicted by the predictors.

The predicted rain so far has not fallen in copious amounts.

Instead it is reminding me of a stereotypical Western Washington winter rainy day.

Slow dripping. Under a gray sky. And not too cold.

Feeling the need to do some vertical moving I opted to drive to Lucy Park and avail myself of one of the park's covered walking venues.

As you can see, I was not alone in thinking driving to Lucy Park to avail oneself of one the the Lucy Park covered walking venues was a good idea.

My co-walkers fired up a grill and were soon cooking hot dogs and burgers. I politely declined the invite to join in due to having already made Memorial Day lunch plans at another location...

Lake Wichita Memorial Day With Big Brother & Long-Nosed Gars

 Last week I read 1984, you know, that dystonian novel by George Orwell that sort of missed its future foretelling mark when 1984 became the actual year, with 1984 not being quite as bleak in reality as Orwell foresaw it being.

And then over three decades after 1984 George Orwell's book was back being a book store best seller, along with borrowing waiting lists in libraries across America, and other parts of the world where the literate found themselves appalled to find the American president to be an Orwellian nightmare of doublespeak, doublethink and totally doubleplusungood.

The last couple days I have been having myself some computer aggravation. Every time I think I have solved the problem I find I am erroneous.

Feeling I had reached some sort of computer plateau I decided to take a break and join the throngs of Memorial Day memorializers at Lake Wichita for some sun time whilst enjoying the cooling breeze blowing from the lake.

I was not long at Lake Wichita, atop Lake Wichita Dam, when I saw that which you see above, which is the reason I mentioned 1984, because when I saw that which you see above I thought to myself it looked like what a 2017 version of 1984's Big Brother might look like.

Soon after seeing the Lake  Wichita Big Brother I saw the bucolic scene you see below.

These fisher people are fishing near the ruins of the Lake Wichita Pavilion.  All which remains of the pavilion, which succumbed  to fire in the 1950s,  are the wood pilings you see the fishing pole pointing towards.

As you can see there are also non-fisher people wandering about under the watchful eye of the Lake Wichita Big Brother.

Another view of the Lake Wichita floating dock. That dock looks nice and stable today, but if one visits it on a windy day, when whitecaps wave across the lake, the ride on this floating dock can be sea sickness inducing. The last time I was on this dock when it was in rocking mode it reminded me of being on the Port Townsend/Keystone Ferry ferrying from the Olympic Peninsula to Whidbey Island during a stormy tidal change, with the ferry rocking so much walking was extremely difficult.

As you can see fishing and walking was not the only activity at Lake Wichita this Memorial Day. The people you see here are on the Circle Trail  on top of Lake Wichita Dam, heading north away from the Lake Wichita Big Brother.

Okay, I have mentioned the Lake Wichita Big Brother a couple times. Now let's see what it is this Big Brother is looking out from.

A fishy sign. Can you find Big Brother?

This Fish of Lake Wichita sign identifies all the fish which live, or try to, in this lake.

I have never seen anyone swimming in Lake Wichita. I know in the past, long ago, swimming in this lake was a popular summer thing to do. A streetcar system delivered  people to the lake. Long ago Lake Wichita was a popular resort-like destination, with multiple attractions in addition to fishing and swimming.

There is an ongoing attempt to revive Lake Wichita and restore it to some semblance of its former glory.

Methinks this effort should be accelerated.

I have seen the Lake Wichita Revitalization plans. If those plans come to fruition it will be a real good thing.  I do not understand why there is not a more vigorous effort to bring about this lake's revitalization. I've heard other towns in America fund such developments by having its citizens approve of some sort of funding  mechanism, rather than rely on car washes and selling memorial bricks to raise money.

If Lake Wichita does get revitalized and swimming again becomes doable I sort of would like to know a couple of those Fish of Lake Wichita are no longer in the lake. Like the long-nosed gars. Or the channel catfish. The other Fish of Lake Wichita look harmless.

I have never liked fish with whiskers. Or long sharp pointy noses...

Memorial Day With Cousin Scott In Vietnam

Memorial Day, the start of the Summer season, even though Summer does not arrive for a few more weeks.

I erroneously thought Memorial Day was the day we remembered relatives and friends who had passed away. And that Veterans Day was the day we remembered those who served in America's military.

When I saw multiple people posting Memorial Day homages to fallen soldiers, and those who served, I felt compelled to point out that Veterans Day was the day for that type homaging.

But, before doing so I Googled "Memorial Day" to learn I was wrong, as I often am.

This morning my cousin Scott's daughter Olivia posted the photo of her dad you see above. My cousin Scott then commented with...

"i was probably 20 when this was taken. sitting in the office in saigon and maybe listening to anti-war music my uncle gerry sent me..."

I don't know why, but my cousin Scott refuses to use capital letters.

I also don't  know why cousin Scott and his sister, cousin  Linda, insist on calling our youngest uncle, Uncle Jerry, when Uncle Jerry is known only as Uncle Mooch by my side of the family, and since my side of the family is more numerous I think our naming conventions should be the standard.

Then again, it is true that Uncle Mooch's wife, Jane, rather strongly objected the first time she heard Mooch's nephews and nieces call him Uncle Mooch. Jane relented when it was explained the Uncle Mooch name derived from a Disney character we liked, named Moochie.

I remember it being a big deal when cousin Scott returned to the states from one of his Vietnam tours. I recollect one memorable Thanksgiving, if I remember right, with it being a big deal that Scott was home.

I remember when Uncle Mooch was shipped out for military duty. I remember it being a tearful departure with Grandma Jones (Anglification of Slotemaker) and all of us at Sea-Tac, back in the good ol' pre-terrorist days when you could bid someone farewell right at the gate.

I think Uncle Mooch was in the Air Force. But on the ground, somewhere in the Middle East. Turkey maybe? Or was that Uncle Mel? I know Uncle Mel was stationed in Turkey during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Anyway, I hope y'all had yourselves a very memorable Memorial Day....

A Memorial Day Walk Over Fosdick Falls In Oakland Lake Park

That is a Memorial Day look at Fosdick Lake in Oakland Lake Park you are looking at here.

No raindrops dripped on me whilst I walked around the lake, but the clouds looked, and continue to look, extremely threatening.

Memorial Day had the park being much busier than the norm. But I saw only two groups attempting to have a Memorial Day picnic.

Several people were attempting to catch fish that one is advised not to eat.

I thought Fosdick Lake would be flooded more than it was. The lake will have to rise a few more inches to put the paved trail on the east side under water.

Fosdick Lake did have enough extra water to cause Fosdick Falls to be roaring like a mini-Niagara.

I don't know how many homes could be electrified by the hydro power potential currently pouring over Fosdick Dam.

Maybe one small doghouse.

Is Spencer Jack Lincoln Dressed For Memorial Day?

This morning I found that which you see here in my email.

The only explanation accompanying that which you see here was....

Spencer Jack's politics schooling requires dressing the part. Abe Lincoln, less the beard. Outfit courtesy of your favorite ex sister in-law.

My favorite ex sister in-law is Spencer Jack's grandma Cindy.

I did not know my favorite ex sister in-law could sew.

Let alone re-create clothing from the 1860s.

Is Spencer Jack attired as Abraham Lincoln for some sort of Memorial Day event at school?

Is Spencer Jack going to be reciting Lincoln's most memorable words, the Gettysburg Address, what with the Gettysburg Address being about the best Memorial Day speech ever uttered?

Is Spencer Jack a history aficionado like his favorite great uncle is? I have no idea. I suspect so though, what with Spencer Jack having already developed a love of reading, at his relatively young age.

A Memorial Day Walk Around Fort Worth's Fosdick Lake With A Lonely Turtle

Am I remembering wrong? It seems like Memorial Days previous in Texas, on the times I've decided to go into Memorial Day picnic mode in a Texas park, that finding an unoccupied picnic table was difficult.

Today finding a picnic table was not an issue, due to using my in-house picnic table to support the weight of the massive slabs of pork ribs I have BBQed for today.

Prior to consuming massive slabs of BBQed pork ribs I used my mechanized motion device to take me to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdick Lake. I figured this location would be as busy as it was on Easter.

I figured wrong. There was nary a single BBQing picnic happening. A few guys fishing. A few people sitting on benches, enjoying being outdoors in the muggy humidity. But no Memorial Day picnic action.

Maybe the inclement weather, with its few drops of water, scared  people off of going to the bother of a Memorial Day picnic.

The kid you see above, petting a turtle, had passed me earlier on my walk, speeding by on his bike. He braked to a stop when he came upon a turtle on the trail. The kid and I speculated as to what was wrong with the turtle that had him out of Fosdick Lake, sitting in a vulnerable spot on a sidewalk.

After about 5 minutes of turtle talk the turtle decided to walk, slowly, on to the grass, but heading away from the lake.

Is it turtle mating season? I've seen odd turtle behavior in times previous, when the cute reptiles leave their watery home searching for someone to experience conjugal bliss with them.

Well, enough of this talk about conjugal bliss. It's time for some BBQ.....

Memorial Day Weekend's Sunday Thinking About A Proper Historical Memory Marker For The Caddo Indians Of Arlington's Village Creek

I had intended to roll my bike's wheels over Gateway Park's mountain bike trails today.

However, my intention was un-intentionally altered when I discovered rain had come to earth at my location on the planet at some point in time during the night.

Rain has a tendency to render dirt into mud on mountain bike trails. I am not a fan of rolling my wheels over mud. It can get messy.

So, I decided to head east instead of west, to a place where I can roll my bike's wheels with the Indian Ghosts who haunt Arlington's Village Creek Natural Historical Area.

Visiting Arlington's Indian Ghosts has become very popular on Saturday and Sunday. Today the parking lot was the closest to being full I have ever seen it.

In the picture above my handlebars are not in the Village Creek Natural Historical Area looking at a historical marker. My handlebars are a few feet off the Bob Findlay Linear Park looking at a historical marker.

This particular historical marker tells the tale of why this location is haunted by Indian Ghosts, with this tale told from the Texan white man perspective, not the Native American perspective. Or a balanced perspective.

Years ago, way back in the last century, a short time after I'd read Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, I was heading to Reno with a stop at Lava Beds National Monument on the way. The Lava Beds are in Northern California, a maze of lava tubes and caves. It is the location of Captain Jack's Stronghold.

Captain Jack and his band of Modocs caught the world's attention when they successfully defended their position in the Lava Beds from United States Army forces sent to capture  them.

At the turn off from the main highway, on to the road which takes you to the Lava Beds, there is an old historical marker, erected closer in time to the 1872-73 period of the Modoc War, than the present time. That historical marker tells the story of the Modoc War and Captain Jack from the white man's perspective. As in, I was sort of appalled at how slanted and biased that historical marker was.

However, inside the Lava Beds National Monument the history of the Modoc War and Captain Jack is told in the same enlightened way it was told in Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee.

Which brings me back to the historical marker you see above, located near where John B. Denton was killed during the Battle of Village Creek.

A  couple blurbs from the Battle of Village Creek historical marker....

"General Tarrant, for whom the County was later  named, led 69 Volunteers from settlements  near the Red River in an early morning attack on the villages of the Caddo and other tribes which were located along Village Creek."

Okay, digest the above paragraph and then read this sentence...

"Soon after entering the creek, they were ambushed and Denton was killed."

So, General Tarrant invaded from the north, deep into the Caddo Confederacy, in an early morning sneak attack on multiple villages, during which John B. Denton was killed by Caddo Indians defending their villages.

How can Denton's death be characterized as an "ambush" after he helped attack the Caddo villages which then resulted in Denton being killed? That'd be like the Japanese claiming one of their planes was shot down in an ambush by Americans on December 7, 1941, during the Japanese Sneak Attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Caddo Confederacy villages along Village Creek were in existence back when the Spanish first arrived in 1542. In other words, those villages had been the Caddo home for a long time. The Caddo Confederacy was mostly a peaceful, agrarian group of tribes. They were not warmongers like the Comanche.

I suspect a historically accurate Battle of Village Creek historical  marker would be something like this....

Acting on faulty intelligence that blamed Caddo Indians in the Village Creek area for attacks on settlers along the Red River, General Tarrant led a group of settlers in a sneak attack on peaceful Caddo villages, killing untold men, women and children. The Caddo fought back as best they could, killing several of the attacking invaders. 

However, the devastation to the Caddo villages, caused by General Tarrant and his army, was so great that the Caddo abandoned the villages they had inhabited for centuries.

___________________________________________

Attacking innocents based on faulty intelligence happens in modern times, even with all our modern information gathering and communication ability.

I imagine it was rather easy to whip the Red River settlers into a frenzy after some violent Comanche attacks. I also imagine it was likely an easy sell to convince the revenge seekers to attack villages of friendly Indians, who were basically farmers, rather than go after the Comanche, who were a fierce force with which to reckon...

Perplexed By Memorial Day BBQs At Fort Worth Parks With No Running Water

Fosdick Flower Blooming Bright
On Memorial Day

I went to Oakland (Lake) Park to walk around Fosdick Lake today for my memorable Memorial Day aerobicizing.

There were a lot of people in Oakland Park today memorializing Memorial Day with picnicking barbecues.

So far today I have not memorialized Memorial Day with a picnic or a barbecue.

I did have some memorable meatloaf for lunch.

The Oakland Park Pavilion was packed today. With multiple barbecues spewing tasty smelling smoke.

The Oakland Park Pavilion has no running water. The restroom facility is an outhouse.

Have I mentioned before that I find it bizarre that in Texas it is considered perfectly okay to have picnic facilities in parks with absolutely no running water?

Or modern restroom facilities.

I can not think of a single park, with picnic tables, I have been to, anywhere in any west coast state, that does not have restroom facilities of the non-outhouse variety. And does not have running water in the form of a faucet.

Are the health codes for such things more stringent in other states?

Hot On The Tandy Hills Thinking About The Possible New Fort Worth Cowtown Wakepark Lake Public Swimming Hole

In the picture you are on the Tandy Hills, looking north, across the I-30 freeway, at the stunning skyline of beautiful downtown Fort Worth and its 4, or 5, short skyscrapers.

Currently the outer world at my location is heated to 92 degrees, with the Heat Index, meaning humidity, making it feel like 97.

To my delicate heat sensibilities it felt way HOTTER than 97, today on the hills.

I may have gotten myself a much needed dose of aerobically induced endorphin stimulation, but I also had myself an unneeded steambath.

Soon, I hope, the humidity will dramatically lessen and the steambath will turn into a much more pleasant sauna.

My swimming pool is currently disabled, so there was no swimming this morning. The water had to be drained in order to replace a burned out light bulb. Without a functioning light bulb the pool does not glow with the appropriate level of blue brightness in the nighttime darkness. The pool is currently slowly refilling. I do not know if it will have enough water in it for an appropriate swim tomorrow morning.

Speaking of swimming.

This coming weekend is Memorial Day Weekend. Usually thought of as the start of summer, even though the summer solstice is not til June 20.

FW Weekly has its annual Summer section in this week's edition. The Summer section is full of fun ideas of things to do during the HOT time of the year.

I could not help but notice that I saw no ads for the notorious Cowtown Wakepark.

Has the Cowtown Wakepark already met its easily predicted fate of going out of business?

If so, methinks, since the Trinity River Vision Boondoggle already wasted money building the Wakepark Lake, that that lake should be turned into Fort Worth's first public swimming hole. I'm sure it would not cost a significant amount of the Boondoggle's nearly billion dollar budget to figure how to install some aerating fountains and other methods to clean up that little lake's water to make it palatable for humans.

Why, the Cowtown Wakepark Lake, cleaned up, might even make a sane place to hold J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision Boondoggle Rockin' the River Happy Hour Inner Tube Floats, free of any alligator, gar fish, water moccasin, nutria, turtle or floating feces dangers.

A Memorable Memorial Day Monday Morning In Texas

It is the morning of the next to last day of May which also happens to be a Monday and Memorial Day.

Looking through the bars of my patio prison cell at the blue pool oasis and the sky about it, it would appear that Memorial Day at my location on the planet will be a pleasantly weathered day.

The forecast for my location on the planet for Memorial Day also indicates it will be a pleasantly weathered day, partly sunny and breezy with a high of 89 and no threat of tornadoes.

I have no idea what I am going to do to memorialize Memorial Day today. I may drop in on the Paradise Center. I may go do some hill hiking on the Tandy Hills. I may have a hot dog for lunch.

The only thing I am absolutely certain of is I am going to go swimming in about 5 minutes. Talk to you later.

Are Memorial Day BBQs Contributing To The Texas Level Orange Air Pollution

Almost a year ago, in a 4th of July related event, the section of the Tandy Hills you're looking at here, burned. In olden times the prairie was renewed, regularly, by wildfires, keeping the prairie healthy and burning off bad stuff.

You can see how wildfires were a good thing, by looking at the change in this Tandy Hills location, compared to the unburned zone.

I did not overheat today. It was a pleasant experience. It helped that it was breezy and only in the mid-80s.

I won't be swimming tomorrow morning. My pool has had a major malfunction. Something was not done right when the pool was re-lined and now the filter is clogged. This may be a quick fix. Or not.

It being Memorial Day, in my immediate vicinity, the smoke from multiple BBQs is contributing, in a pleasant way, to the Level Orange Air Pollution.

LOST Dreaming About A Happy Memorial Day In Texas

It is too early to tell if this is going to be a memorable Memorial Day, for me.

One good indicator is, unlike yesterday, I did not wake up with a headache.

But I did have me a night. Insomnia. Finally fell asleep sometime past 1. And then went into heavy duty full blown epic cinematic dream mode.

I think the epic dreaming may have been triggered by watching war movies on Turner Classic Movies yesterday. The Dirty Dozen really is a pretty ridiculous movie. Guns of Navarone is sort of ridiculous too, but fun to watch.

My dream/nightmare of last night was sort of like an episode of LOST. I did me some time traveling, which included a visit with my grandmas, which was a very Memorial Day appropriate thing.

Somehow bringing Fort Worth's corrupt mayor, Mike Moncrief, to justice, was also involved. I uncovered a huge stash of stolen cash, hidden in giant mayonnaise jars on Costco shelves. That somehow led to Barnett Shale natural gas drilling operations randomly exploding and eventually the collapse life as we know it in Fort Worth.

I think somehow my grandma's were involved in the collapse of Fort Worth.

Needless to say, but I will anyway, I woke up exhausted from way too much nocturnal activity. Woke up early. As in before 6, which led to a very long, very early, bout in the pool.

I am not cooking hot dogs for my Memorial Day lunch. Instead it will be fish & chips. Around 1. Don't be late.

Memorial Day Moms, Humidity & Pizza

I've only got a few minutes before my Memorial Day pizza comes out of the oven. It is 84 and very humid here this afternoon. We had some rain overnight, hence the humidity. It seems sort of counter-intuitive to be baking a pizza in a 400 degree oven while you're running the A/C.

I was up before the crack of dawn again, which means that once again I went swimming as the sun came up. This seems to be a good way to start the day.

Due to the rain, the Tandy Hills would not have been hikeable today, most likely, so a walk around Oakland Lake Park substituted. A lot of people were there having their Memorial Day picnic.

I called my mom while I walked. Even though I didn't get gas. My one long time reader may remember that I call my mom whenever I get gas to tell her how much it cost. Yesterday I got email from my mom and dad telling me how much their Phoenix gas cost. I figured this was a hint that I'd not called with a gas call in awhile.

Yesterday I got two Facebook messages from long ago high school friends telling me they'd lost their moms and how it hard it was on both their dads. That was sort of odd to hear that from two people on the same day. I think that was what motivated me to make a non-gas related call to my mom on Memorial Day.

That's been my exciting Memorial Day. It started with an urgent cry for help from my Favorite Blogging Co-Conspirator. She finds the most interesting ways to mess things up. I find it quite enjoyable fixing them.

And now it's time for pizza.

Memorial Day Weekend at Fossil Rim Wildlife Center

I've said it before, I'll say it again, during my now decade long exile in Texas the funnest thing I've done, where I laughed more than anything else I've laughed at in Texas, was my drive through Fossil Rim Wildlife Center.

If you're in the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex zone and you've not been to Fossil Rim Wildlife Center and you're looking for something in the area to do to kick off the start of the summer season, you can not go wrong with Fossil Rim. Especially if you have kids.

Fossil Rim is down by Glen Rose, near Dinosaur Valley State Park, which is also a good getaway if you've never seen the dinosaur tracks in the Paluxy River bed. The hiking and biking in Dinosaur Valley may be the best I've experienced in Texas.

At Fossil Rim you go into the Visitors Center to buy your tickets and feed, if you want to feed the animals. On weekend and holidays the entry fee is at its highest. It may sound a tad expensive in these troubled times, with adults 12 - 21 $22.95, kids 3 -11 $16.95 and seniors $19.95.

I do not know, what with Fossil Rim qualifying 12 year olds as adults, if the 12 year olds are allowed to buy adult beverages at Fossil Rim.

The entry fee may seem steep, you will only think that before you see what you get for your money. After that it will seem like a bargain and the money will seem well spent.

After I webpaged my visit to Fossil Rim I was sent an annual pass good for one year and two guest passes. I did not get around to using the pass. I had good intentions. I wanted to go back and take video. But, I've not been back.

For more pictures, including more zebra pictures, go to my Eyes on Texas website to see why Fossil Rim Wildlife Center is the funnest thing I've done in Texas.

Have yourself a good, happy Memorial Day Weekend.

Month of May Memorial Day Texas Festivals

Today I'm going on my first BBQ Picnic of the year. We are in the sweet spot temperature wise here in Texas right now. Not too HOT, not too cold. Perfect picnic weather.

Texans aren't quite the outdoorsy sorts I was used to up in Washington. Parks and picnic tables are empty much of the year. Likely weather related. But come Memorial Day it seems pretty much every Texan is outside at a picnic table. A few years ago, on Memorial Day, I looked for a picnic table in 6 different parks before I finally found one.

So, start hunting early on Memorial Day if you want to be sure to have a picnic table with something to burn wood in.

One of the many things Texas does really well is the small town Texas Festival, Fair and Parade. I've been to parades in Fort Worth, Arlington, Granbury and Ennis. All good. I really like Granbury's festivals and parades. I've been to General Granbury's Birthday and Granbury's 4th of July. In Texas they somehow are able to get high school kids to participate, everyone from cheerleaders to the marching band to the football team. The Arlington 4th of July Parade had at least 4 high school's marching bands. Impressive.

The Ennis National Polka Festival is another good one. The parade is very amusing. My chief researcher sent me info about some of the upcoming Texas events, including the Ennis Polka Festival, with all the details you could possibly need. I'll copy that below.

May 23-25, 2008 - FESTIVAL - Ennis: 42nd Annual National Polka Festival. National Polka Festival celebrates Ennis' Czech heritage with 13 live polka bands, Polkfest 5K run, Czech food, horseshoe tournament, king and queen dance, arts, crafts, special country concert and more. Time: Fri. 7-11pm, Sat 10am-12:30am, Sun. 11am-11pm. Cost: Free for downtown activities; $7-11 per day for admission to dance halls. Location: Downtown Ennis and at KC Hall, Sokol Hall, and KJT Hall in Ennis. Region: Texas Prairies and Lakes. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call 972-878-4748 or visit http://www.visitennis.org/; http://www.nationalpolkafestival.com/. Held annually, Memorial Day Weekend.

May 23-24, 2008 - FESTIVAL - Fredericksburg: Crawfish Festival. Join us for great Cajun food, music and fun. Mouth-watering crawfish plates, red potatoes, corn, Jambalaya & fried fish plates. Kids area, shopping area. Time: Friday 6pm-12 midnight, Saturday 11am-12 midnight. Cost: $6 Adults, $1 for kids 12/Under. Two-day passes $10. Location: Marktplatz, 100 block, West Main Street. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call 1-866-TEX-FEST (839-3378) or visit http://www.tex-fest.com/. Held annually, Memorial Day Weekend.

May 23-25, 2008 - EXHIBIT - Kerrville: 5th Annual TX Masters of Fine Art & Craft Invitational Exhibition. A high-quality exhibition of 20 of the finest professional artists and craftspeople from all over Texas. Reception May 24 from 2-4pm. Time: Fri. 12-8pm.; Sat. 10am-8pm.; Sun. 10am-6pm. Cost: no admission charge. Location: Y.O. Resort Hotel, 2033 Sidney Baker, Kerrville. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call (214) 328-6382 or visit http://www.texasmasters.com/.

May 23-25, 2008 - SPORTING EVENT - Bandera: Cowboy Capital Rodeo Association Pro Rodeo. Performances Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, at Mansfield Park, Bandera, Texas. Cost: yes. Location: Mansfield Park. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call 830-796-7207 or visit http://www.banderarodeo.com/. Held annually, end of May.

May 23-25, 2008 - FESTIVAL - Llano: 3rd Annual "Texas Proud" Festival. Gunfighters, varmints, chuckwagons, trail bosses, John Wayne and more turn Llano into a Texas Living History happening. Time: All day. Cost: none. Location: Main Street. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call 325-247-5354 or visit http://www.llanochamber.org/. Held annually, 3rd weekend in May.

May 23-26, 2008 - FESTIVAL - Bandera: The Best In Texas Festival And Chili Cook Off. An annual festival celebrating all the things that make Texas great. Fun for the whole family including Great Texas Music, Arts, Crafts, Cook Offs, Carnival Rides, Food and Libations. Each day includes performances by several of the best bands Texas has to offer on two stages. Time: Friday Times Vary Daily. Cost: One day tickets - $30 for any 1 day. Location: Bandera Downs 2303 State Hwy 16, Bandera, TX. 78003. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: under 50,000. For more information, call 972-690-6099 or visit http://www.bestintexasfest.com/. Held Annually, Memorial Day Weekend.

May 23-26, 2008 - FAIR - Kerrville: The Official Texas State Arts & Crafts Fair. A four-day fair full of arts, crafts, live music, food and fun for the whole family. Ceramics, pottery, glass, wood, jewelry, metalwork, photography and more from Craftsmen around TX. Time: Fri 4-8pm.; Sat/Sun 10am-6pm.; Mon. 10am-4pm. Cost: see web site. Location: River Star Arts & Event Park, 4000 Riverside Dr., Kerrville. Region: Texas Hill Country. Average attendance: 50,000-200,000. For more information, call (830) 896-5711 or visit http://www.tacef.org/. Annual event held over Memorial Day weekend.