Microsoft Takes Me To Weatherford's Parker County Peach Festival To Get Misted

The Microsoft OneDrive Memory from this Day is a memory I remember well, and fondly.

The Parker County Peach Festival, taking place this month in Weatherford, Texas.

It was earlier this century I last visited the Parker County Peach Festival and webpaged the experience.

The Parker County Peach Festival is huge. The biggest festival I have been to in Texas.

An outdoor festival anywhere in Texas, in July, is guaranteed to be HOT. The Parker County Peach Festival, the day I got festive was under 100 degrees, but still plenty HOT. 

One could cool off with the many peach themed refreshments, or walk through the many cooling misting stations, which is what you see photo documented above.

It was way back in March of 1999 or 1998 I first visited Weatherford. This was part of a two-week trip to Texas, checking out if moving to Texas was something doable. Weatherford was the first experience I had with a Texas county courthouse square. Weatherford is the county seat of Parker County.

There is, or was then, a Confederate Memorial Statue in the Parker County Courthouse square. Seeing that memorial was the first I realized, yikes, we are currently in the location of the Confederacy.

I can not remember when I last had me a good peach. I need to rectify that shortcoming soon...

29th Annual Parker County Peach Festival Next Saturday July 13 In Weatherford Texas

Next Saturday, July 13, the 29th Annual Parker County Peach Festival takes place in Weatherford.

The Parker County Peach Festival is one of the biggest and best festivals I've attended anywhere.

A lot of effort goes in to this one day festival that runs from 8am til 5pm.

Children 12 and under pay no admission fee, while those older than 12 pay $5. You can save a dollar by getting your tickets in advance at the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce.

If I remember correctly the last time I attended the Parker County Peach Festival was the 2nd Saturday in July of 2004.

I read somewhere recently that this year's crop of Parker County Peaches is not a bumper crop. Bad weather woes wreaked havoc with the peaches.

This year's Parker County Peach Festival Poster promises LOTS of Peachy Treats. Previous visits those Peachy Treats have been items like Peach Julep, Peach Cobbler, Peach Ice Cream and other Peachy things I am not remembering.

I hope with this year's not too productive Parker County Peach Crop that the Parker County Peach Festival does not have to resort to using imported peaches to make those promised LOTS of Peachy Treats.

Walking The Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Finding Tasty California Peaches

For my mid-day doctor prescribed daily constitutional today I went to Gateway Park to walk, not bike, the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail.

When you walk a trail that you've previously biked, it looks way different on two feet than two wheels, because when you are on two wheels you have to pay very close attention to the trail, lest you end up having a painful accident.

So, I was a bit surprised, whilst walking the trail, to see how close the trail is, at times, to the paved trail. I had no idea, except for locations where the MTB trail crosses the paved trail, that there were so many escape routes from the Gateway Park Mountain Bike Trail Roller Coaster.

Another thing I had not noticed, whilst quickly zipping by on two wheels, is the sign at the start of the trail which has a map which shows the convoluted twisting and turning, roller coaster maze nature of this trail.

Click on the picture to make it big. The Mountain Bike Trail is the black squiggly line on the map.

The trail begins on the far left, you'll see two lines, the upper black line is the start of the trail, the lower black line is the end. Follow the upper black line til you make it back to the lower black line and you'll get a clear idea of why this trail has twice left me disoriented, not knowing which direction I was going, and exhausted from the miles of ups and downs, twists and turns and dodging of obstacles, like cliff drops, root ruts and stumps.

Walking this trail, through the jungle canopy, at around 90 degrees, was very pleasant. Totally shaded, for the most part.

I only saw one reptile today, and that was not in Gateway Park, it was on my front door when I opened it to leave. A cute little lizard.

Since Gateway Park is almost next door to Town Talk I went to Town Talk where I got a case of peaches for only $4. California freestone peaches. 84 peaches when I got them home and counted. What am I going to do with 84 peaches?

Well, more accurately, what am I going to do with 80 peaches? 4 disappeared during the lunch process.

Very good peaches. Blindfolded I would have bet they came from Eastern Washington, because they actually taste like a peach, unlike other tasteless peaches I've had the misfortune to have misrepresented to me as peaches in the past.

I didn't go to the Parker County Peach Festival this past Saturday. I read no glowing reports about the tastiness of the Parker County peaches this year.

Anyone want some peaches? I deliver within a 4 block radius.

Get A Peach Julep Saturday At The Parker County Peach Festival In Weatherford

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 14 the Parker County Peach Festival takes place in the area around Weatherford's historical Parker County Courthouse square.

The festival opens at 8am and closes at 5pm.

You can find all the info you need to find your way to the Parker County Peach Festival on my Eyes on Texas website.

I've been to the Parker County Peach Festival twice. Both times were not good years for Parker County Peaches. I've been told this year's crop is a good year for Parker County Peaches.

The Parker County Peach Festival is BIG. It seems to me to be an awful lot effort for a one day festival that is only open for 9 hours.

There is a $5 admission charge. You get a lot of free entertainment for your 5 bucks.

It will be HOT tomorrow. The Parker County Peach Festival has several walk through misters to help you cool down. Along with Peach Juleps, Peach Ice Cream and likely some other cool Peach Products that I am not remembering right now.

The Peach Julep is non-alcoholic. You will need to bring your own whiskey to make the Peach Julep fortified. I don't know if Weatherford and Parker County is wet, dry or damp.

For you reading this who live in a state where Prohibition long ago ended, in Texas some areas are still totally in Prohibition mode, as in dry. Others are damp, as in you can buy wine and beer. Others are totally wet, like Fort Worth, where you can buy beer, wine and whiskey and any other type alcoholic product.

In Fort Worth you can even attend Happy Hour Inner Tube Floating events in the Trinity River. Fort Worth is a very liberal town.

See you tomorrow at the Parker County Peach Festival.

Maybe.

Sven's Skagit Strawberry Patch Is Not In Poteet Texas

Dirty Ol' Sven Holding A Box Of
Skagit Valley Strawberries

In the picture you are looking at a box of strawberries.

You are also looking at the first husband of a young lady who taught me not to step on thyme when I was in high school.

The strawberry holder is known by various names. In strawberry mode he goes by Sven Burwash. By another name, Sven is the author of a major best seller titled Vis Major.

Being a best selling author is what Sven does to make a living. Growing strawberries is what Sven does for fun.

I can not remember the last time I had a real strawberry.

The last time I was in Washington was well past strawberry season.

A Driscoll strawberry from California is not a real strawberry. It looks like a strawberry, it sort of tastes like a strawberry, but if you've had a real strawberry, a Driscoll strawberry is a pale imitation.

Texas grows strawberries, down by Poteet. Poteet has a real big festival to celebrate its strawberry harvest. I have not had a Poteet strawberry. Poteet does not grow enough strawberries to export this far north. Poteet is south of San Antonio.

I'm guessing a Poteet strawberry, to me, would not taste like a real strawberry, but that prejudice may be unfair, due to being appalled by the peaches touted as being so good at the Parker County Peach Festival in Weatherford.

During my first time sampling peach products at the Parker County Peach Festival I told myself maybe they had a bad year. A few year's later I was back. Still not good peaches.

I remember wondering what one of those Parker County people would think if they were in Yakima or Wenatchee and came upon a Peach Orchard and tasted one of those peaches? Would they scream out "Dang, is that what a peach is supposed to taste like?"

Back to Sven and his strawberries.

The past few days Sven has been advertising his strawberries on Facebook with the following...

Get the kids, grandkids, stray kids....come on up to Ole and Sven's Strawberry Patch and take Sven's Strawberry CHALLENGE! Can you or one of your group get as dirty as ol' Sven here after picking just ONE flat of juicy berries?

UFF-DA-MY!

Remember, at Ole and Svens' U-pick/We-pick;
You only pay for the ones we see
The ones in your tummy leave for free
Yah Sure Ya-betcha......

Sven got several comments to his Facebook strawberry posting, including the following one from my nephew, Spencer Jack's dad, which elicited a warning from Sven ...

Jason Jones: Will for sure keep up the annual tradition...of picking the berries for free after dark...

Sven Burwash: Just don't step in one of our lutefisk booby-traps...

Those pesky Skagit Valley strawberry growers and their notorious lutefisk booby traps.

We Are Going To Have Ourselves A Very HOT Second Saturday Of July In Texas Today

I was up late last night, which has me up after the sun this 2nd Saturday of July. July 9, to precisely identify the date.

Looking skyward through the bars of my patio prison cell you can see it is yet one more blue morning in Texas.

In a little over a half hour the 2011 iteration of the Parker County Peach Festival will be underway. I do not believe I will be having myself any Parker County peaches today.

Every year since I've been putting Google ads on my websites and blogs the week leading up to the Parker County Peach Festival has been the biggest week, Google AdSense wise.

This is a bit of a mystery due to the fact that I can run a specific channel on a specific webpage, giving me the AdSense data for that page. The specific Parker County Peach Festival page does not account for the jump in ad revenue. For example, yesterday the Parker County Peach Festival only made $5.89, while the total for the day, of my websites and blogs, was $92.94.

It's very perplexing.

I choose not to think about it and go swimming instead.

But, before I do that I must mention that yesterday the temperature forecast high for today was 99. Overnight this has changed to today's scheduled high being 106. With a Heat Index real feel of 107. This is going to make for a HOT Parker County Peach Festival. Likely straining the ability of the misters to cool the festival goers.

Seeing Hello Kitty On The HOT Tandy Hills While Elsie Hotpepper Refuses To Get Parker County Peach Festival Peaches

A new art installation appeared on the Tandy Hills today.

A cursory forensic exam indicates this is Japanese Guerrilla Art. That conclusion was arrived at due to the fact that the item you see hanging from the tree limb is a deflated Japanese Hello Kitty balloon.

Maybe it floated in the atmosphere all the way from Japan, an airborne version of the Japanese floating fish balls that wash up on the Pacific coast.

Today the Tandy Hill hiking was almost too HOT.

This is perplexing me. In summers past I easily managed hiking the hills when it was well over 100. I think the current problem may be due to the humidity. I may have to seek an alternative form of aerobic stimulation until this humidity problem goes away.

As you can see, currently we are being heated to 102 with the Heat Index making it really feel like 113.

I was thinking that Elsie Hotpepper was going to the Parker County Peach Festival with me after I blogged that I was seeking someone to take me to the peaches.

But.

Elsie Hotpepper has informed me that on Saturday she is going to emulate Bruno Mars' Lazy song and lay about all day, poolside, soaking up the sun. And, if I know my Hotpepper, which I do, consuming copious amounts of adult beverages.

Ending this blogging on a pleasant note, tomorrow the forecast is for a high of 99 for the Parker County Peach Festival, a temperature greatly preferable to something over 100.

The Second Day Of July In Texas Thinking About Next Saturday's Parker County Peach Festival

The Saturday morning sky shines bright, semi-deep in the Heart of Texas, on this, the second day of July.

Currently we are being chilled to a relatively cold 79 degrees, heading, supposedly, to an eventual high of 101 today, with the humidity making it feel like 107.

Parker County peaches are currently in ripe mode. This means the Parker County Peach Festival is next Saturday, July 9, from 8am til 5pm.

The Parker County Peach Festival takes place in the county seat of Parker County, Weatherford.

The Parker County Peach Festival is a one-day event. A HUGE one-day event. A very well-done HUGE one-day event. With all sorts of peach products, like peach juleps, peach cobbler, peach ice cream and just plain peaches available for your eating pleasure.

The first time I went to the Parker County Peach Festival I was a bit disapointed in the quality of the peaches. As in the peach flavor was a bit lacking. That was an off year for the Parker County peaches.

On my second visit the Parker County peaches were as good as the peaches I was used to in Washington.

I do not know if I will make it to the 2011 Parker County Peach Festival. I do know I am going to go swimming in about 5 minutes.

2010 Parker County Peach Festival's Record Breaking Crowd With Bumper Crop Of Perfect Peaches

Well. The one day Parker County Peach Festival is over for another year. Ever since I made a webpage about the Parker County Peach Festival it causes the biggest one-day spike in my web stats.

And now that I've added a blog to the mix the same is true of the blog.

Both times that I've gone to the Parker County Peach Festival it was not a good year for peaches. And the temperature both times was in the 100 range.

This meant I spent a lot of time walking through the cooling misters, seeking shade under awnings, or seeking refuge in air-conditioned stores.

This year's bumper crop of high quality, extra juicy, extra sweet Parker County peaches, combined with perfect temperatures in the 70s and 80s, made for a huge crowd in Weatherford on Saturday.

Usually around 35,000 will show up to shop the vendors and have some peach ice cream, peach salsa, peach cobbler, peach smoothies, peach juleps, peach limeade and all sorts of other peach things, including just eating a fresh peach.

Saturday's Parker County Peach Festival attracted a crowd estimated to be in the 50,000 people range. I probably would have enjoyed being part of the plus-sized crowd. Maybe next year.

Early Saturday Morning With The Parker County Peach Festival & My Supposedly Expired Fort Worth Library Card

The sun was just starting to light up the place when I stepped out on the patio this morning. As you can see, it is cloudy.

A lot of rain fell Friday afternoon at my location. With one extremely close, extremely loud, lightning strike.

The Parker County Peach Festival is today in Weatherford. I have gone to the Peach Festival twice. I don't think I'll be going today.

I've had some more vexation with the Fort Worth Library system. Last night I went to renew a book that is due today. The website would not let me renew.

Because my library card expires on July 12.

Why would my library card expire? All the years I lived in Mount Vernon, in Washington, my library card never expired. I think I've had this Fort Worth library card less than 5 years. It's not like a driver's license where they need to check my eyesight to make sure I am still able to read.

So, we have a town that cuts back library hours due to budget woes, yet wastes time and resources to re-issue library cards which are functioning fine?

Unlike my driver's license or a bank card I see no expiration date on my Fort Worth library card.

Very perplexing.

Quanah Parker Park Big Oak Tree & Homeless Shelter

The sky started to drip as soon as I got out of here, intending to go to Oakland Lake Park to walk around Fosdic Lake. And then on to Town Talk.

Instead I went to Quanah Parker Park which is on Randol Mill Road, which is the same road Town Talk is on.

The dripping at Quanah Parker Park was significant enough to have caused unwanted wetness. I walked through the drips til I got under a big oak tree.

I'd not paid attention to the Quanah Parker Park big oak trees before. They must be the Texas equivalent of Old Growth trees.

With the old growth oaks likely born well before Quanah Parker was born to his Anglo mom, Cynthia Ann Parker, who'd been kidnapped by the Comanche when she was 9, eventually becoming one with the tribe and hooking up with the Comanche chief Peta Nocona, then giving birth to Quanah, who became the last great Comanche chief.

And a major legend in these parts, with all sorts of places named after him, like Quanah Parker Park and Parker County, where July 10 the Parker County Peach Festival will take place. After he helped settle the Comanche people on the Kiowa/Comanche/Apache Reservation in what is now Oklahoma, Quanah Parker became a wealthy rancher, often visiting Fort Worth to conduct business. He had 5 wives and 25 children. Many Texans and Oklahomans claim to be related to Quanah Parker.

I saw something troubling at Quanah Parker Park today. A hapless soul was using the covered picnic area as a homeless shelter. At least that was the assumption I made.

It's time for lunch now. I made an Eggplant casserole type thing with Parmesan and Mozzarella. With oven-fried chicken breast and watermelon.

I'm hungry. Talk to you later.

A Bumper Peach Year In Texas

A couple days ago I blogged about the upcoming, July 10, Parker County Peach Festival.

In that blogging I said I had not heard if this was being a good year for peaches, in Texas, or not.

Well, I have now learned that Texas extension agents and peach growers are predicting a record peach harvest, possibly the best since 1982.

Last year's freeze in late spring and hail damage ruined the peach crop.

This year's extra cold winter is just what the peach trees needed to get them being extra bountiful.

Peaches are grown in other counties in Texas besides Parker County. Hill County, for instance, where Jamey Vogel, who owns a peach orchard, says "We've got the makings of a tremendous crop."

Parker County extension agent, Jon Green, agrees with that sentiment, with Parker County also having a bumper peach year.

The best of the peach picking runs from June 15 through July 25. I've got myself a real strong hankering from some fresh peaches.

The Parker County Peach Festival Is July 10

The Parker County Peach Festival, surrounding the Parker County Courthouse Square, in Weatherford, is one of the biggest festivals I've been to in Texas. The only ones bigger, that I can think of, are Canton's First Monday Trade Days and the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival.

There is one thing that makes the Parker County Peach Festival different than any other Texas festival, that I know of, and that difference is that the Peach Festival lasts only one day.

Not Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, just one day. Saturday, July 10. This enormous sprawling festival goes to the bother of setting up for only one day.

Why? I don't know.

I found out the Parker County Peach Festival was a one day deal several years ago when I went to Weatherford on a Sunday, thinking I'd go to the Peach Festival. Only to find the Peach Festival was already history. I ended up at Weatherford's Iron Skillet Truck Stop's buffet. It's a fun buffet. I don't remember if peach cobbler was among the desserts.

If you are within driving distance of the Parker County Peach Festival and you've not previously experienced the peaches, well, it's worth the drive.

Admission is $5 for adults. Kids under 12 are free. The Parker County Peach Festival is open from 8 am til 5 pm.

To get to the Parker County Peach Festival take Interstate 20 to exits 406, 408 or 409. Follow the signs to multiple parking lots with free shuttles to take you to the Peach Festival.

The parking lots are at the First Monday Trade Days grounds, Weatherford College, Weatherford 9th Grade Center (old Weatherford High School) and Hall Middle School.

A Handicap Shuttle is available at the Weatherford 9th Grade Center and Handicap Parking is available at the Palo Pinto entrance to the festival.

I do not know if this is being a good year for Parker County Peaches. Bumper crop, or not, you'll find peaches for sale in various forms at the Parker County Peach Festival. Boxes of fresh peaches, peach julep, peach cobbler, peach ice cream, all sorts of peach stuff.

The Parker County Peach Festival is the first summer event I attended in Texas where I saw the mister method of cooling used, as in there are several walk through misters to help cool you down.

I'm hoping to make it to the Parker County Peach Festival this year. If the forecast is something less than 100 degrees.

Another Texas Sinkhole, This Time In Weatherford

Early this morning a sinkhole popped open in Weatherford. Weatherford is about 25 miles west of Fort Worth.

Several things are memorable, to me, about Weatherford.

First off, on my first visit to Texas I got the worst case of food poisoning I'd ever suffered, courtesy of a tainted burger from a cafe on the Parker County Courthouse square.

Weatherford is memorable as the burial site of Oliver Loving, drug back to Weatherford for burial by his best friend, Charles Goodnight, in an incident made famous, in fictional form, in Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove.

And Weatherford is memorable to me due to being the location of the Parker County Peach Festival, one of the best I've been to, with this year's festival fast approaching on Saturday, July 10.

This morning Weatherford woke up to a problem that needs a fix before the Peach Festival opens. A big sinkhole opened up by the intersection of Highway 180 and Sante Fe Drive, right on the path of people making their way to the Parker County Peach Festival.

Several roads have been closed.

The sinkhole is currently 10 feet deep and 30 feet across.

I am very wary of bringing up the subject of another Texas sinkhole. The last time this subject came up it was in regards to the Wink Sinkhole. That turned into a raging debate between Gar the Texan and the Queen of Wink as to the source of the Wink Sinkhole water.

I do not know if the Weatherford Sinkhole is going to be equally controversial. If it grows as big as the Wink Sinkholes, Weatherford will be facing one seriously HUGE problem.

Texas Governor Rick Perry's Only Asset Is His Hair Says Billy Mitchell

On the flip side of the cover of this week's Fort Worth Weekly there is a half page political ad that caught my eye.

The name of the guy who paid for the ad seemed familiar but I did not remember why til I went to his website.

Billy Mitchell. I first heard of him when he put up the billboard you see in the picture.

Victim of eminent domain abuse in, I believe, Parker County. That is the county to the west of the county I live in, that being Tarrant. Parker County has this real nice annual event called the Parker County Peach Festival.

Billy Mitchell is not a fan of Texas Governor, Rick Perry. I don't know anyone who is. But Perry somehow gets elected governor. I call this type thing the Mike Moncrief Conundrum.

I think I'll go to the bother of typing in Billy Mitchell's ad. I will change one word though. I will change "crap" to "bull" because I saw on his website someone suggested he do so...

I BELIEVE RICK PERRY'S ONLY ASSET
IS BEAUTIFUL HAIR: OTHERWISE HE IS
JUST COMPLETELY FULL OF BULL!!!

Is it really necessary for Governor Rick Perry
and his wife to live in a three story mansion at
$10,000 a month bill to Texas taxpayers?

Texas Governor Bill Clements moved to a
$1,500 a month condominium when repairs forced
him out of the Governor's mansion.

Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee moved
into a mobile home. "I am a Republican, trying to
save the taxpayer's money," Huckabee explained.

---

When Perry was a Democrat, he billed
taxpayers more to fly aboard a private airplane
than any other legislator.

---

Texas taxpayers paid over $12,000 so Perry
could attend a bachelor party in Las Vegas.

---

Taxpayers paid over $32,000
when Perry attend private meetings with
campaign donors in New York.

---

While Texas Workforce Commission is
overwhelmed by the surge in unemployment,
Perry acts surprised to hear there is
a recession going on.

---

Nine foreign trips by Perry and his wife cost
taxpayers almost $260,000.

---

Perry was not a millionaire until after he
became a politician.

---

No recessions going on in Rick Perry's world,
thanks to the Texas taxpayers!

---

Political ad paid for by Billy Mitchell of Aledo, Texas

Sources found at www.billymitchellsworld.com
(254) 486-0044

The Parker County Peach Festival

A couple months ago someone associated with the Parker County Peach Festival let me know that I had the date wrong for this year's Peach Festival.

I fixed it. Or thought I did. Sometimes I do these things too fast. Today I looked at that webpage due to a Roadtripping Blogging I was writing about a Daytrip, when I saw the error.

So, I fixed it and uploaded. Then I look at that website again to get a picture for this blogging, that I'm writing right now, and I see another error. That fix uploaded right at the time I was writing about it, as in right now.

I hope I've got it all correct now. One would think this would not matter, and in the bigger scheme of things it doesn't, but the problem is, my webpage about my visit, years ago, to the Parker County Peach Festival, comes up #1 or 2 in searches, causing people to think it's the Official Parker County Festival website. How people can be that clueless perplexes me, but it happens all the time.

This year alone I've gotten at least a dozen requests for information about how to be a vendor. I always direct them to where they can get that information. It's sort of annoying, but I bring it on myself, so I guess I shouldn't be whining about it.

The Peach Festival is a one day only event. Which has always seemed odd to me because it is so HUGE. All that bother for one day. I assumed it was a Friday, Saturday, Sunday type deal, a few years ago, and went on a Sunday to find it was done with. Ended up at the Weatherford Iron Skillet Buffet instead of a Peach Festival. I think I had peach cobbler there.

I'll repeat the Peach Festival information, that I hope is now correct on my website, below, as yet one more public service helping the Parker County Peach Festival.

Weatherford hosts the 2009 Annual Peach Festival on Saturday, July 11th. This year's festival features more than 200 arts and crafts vendors. Come to the Peach Festival in Weatherford’s historic downtown, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. You will find a children’s area, a food court, non-stop entertainment, and of course sweet, juicy Parker County Peaches. Beat the heat with Peachy treats of all kinds - Peach ice cream, Peach juleps, Peach smoothies, Peach cobbler, Peach jams, and just plain ol' Peaches to bite and let the juice run down your chin. Admission is $5 for adults and FREE for children 12 and under. There will be free parking from the Ninth Grade Center (1007 S. Main St.) Exit 408, Weatherford College (225 College Park Dr) Exit 409, and the First Monday Grounds (100 Block Santa Fe) Exit 409. Free Shuttle services are available from these sites as well. Free handicap parking and handicap shuttle from Weatherford Ninth Grade Center. The Peach Pedal Bike Ride is on July 14th. Visit www.peachpedal.com for more information. Call the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce for more information: Toll Free 1-888-594-3801.

Dialing Doctor Durango and the Parker County Peach Festival

Every year around this time of the year, for the past 7 years, I start getting emails like this one from Leroy...

---

I understand that you have some gospel singing at the festival and would like the opportunity to be considered for a spot to sing. I have a group called Established and you can see us and listen to our sound clips at establishedtrio.com. Thank you for any consideration,

Leroy Lewis,the old gospel singer

---

They go to my Eyes on Texas webpage about the Parker County Peach Festival and somehow think I run the thing. To help alleviate this confusion I put a link to the actual place where they can get the information they are seeking, but that doesn't help, they still email me.

I don't know how anyone could mistake one of my webpages for any sort of official website representing an event, but every year I get questions about the Fort Worth Main Street Arts Festival, Fort Worth Stock Show Parade, the Sweetwater Rattlesnake Festival and General Granbury's Birthday. And others I'm not remembering right now.

One of the reasons people get confused, maybe, is my webpages on these subjects show up at or near the top of searches, often above the official website. They should all hire me to make websites for them and solve this problem.

This sort of confusion, where people somehow miss the drift, dates back to way back when I made my first website, Dialing Doctor Durango, way back in 1995. Dialing Doctor Durango was supposed to be this tongue in cheek thing where I acted as if I was an authority on everything. I made up a lot of fake questions and answers.

Then Dialing Doctor Durango got picked for one of those site of the day things. I think it was Funky Site of the Day. After that happened I started getting questions of all sorts from people who did not get that I was not actually a doctor. Just a quack pretending to be one.

One of the questions came from Wee Cheng in Singapore. It was a lovelorn question about her ex-boyfriend who was returning from London, wanting to rekindle their relationship. I advised Wee to give Teck Seng another chance. Soon Wee became Wee Cheng Seng. Wee credited me with pointing her in the right direction to getting married. Wee and I communicated for years, including several phone calls. Wee shipped me several gifts. Wee got mad at all Americans after George W. invaded Iraq. I've not heard from Wee since.

Soon after I first heard from Wee I found out that a medical university in Munich had listed Dialing Doctor Durango as one of the Top 25 medical advice websites on the Internet! I was appalled.

Soon after that I got a very serious gynocological question regarding a UK lady's uterus. I thought, I've got to put a stop to this. I explained to the UK lady that I was not a doctor and that she should consult a real doctor about her uterus problem.

I then killed Dialing Doctor Durango and turned it into the Durango Files. Dialing Doctor Durango had become so huge it was easy to lose the doctor part and still have a website. The Durango Files lasted til I moved to Texas. Some time in 1999 I got the durangotexas.com domain. Some time after that I started Eyes on Texas. I don't have the Dialing Doctor Durango or Durango Files files anymore. They died long ago on a long ago dead computer. Sad.

Fort Worth Susan Has Solved The Fort Worth Mystery

This blog gets some interesting comments. I particularly enjoyed two I got this morning from "susan-n-ftwrth."

Susan's first comment was in response to a blogging I wrote that I called "Fort Worth: A Paradox". I spew out so many of these things I didn't remember what the Fort Worth Paradox was til I looked. Sad thing is, apparently my memory is getting really bad, because I wrote Fort Worth: A Paradox only 10 days ago.

Well, I have to admit that Susan has come up with a unique theory, that had not occurred to me, that explains why much is so goofy here. Too much booze.

So, here is Susan's first comment. It will be followed by her second.

Fort Worth is only one of the best in the nation thru the eyes of the drunkards that live here. I believe that if Tarrant County, as a whole, would stop promoting alcohol everywhere you go here (even children's ballgames and at Six Flags where the drunks have to drive their kids home) that maybe people's minds would have time to clear and see the place as it really is.

Ugly-Corrupt-Behind the Times-Bigoted-Small Minded-Back Stabbing.

But as long as nothing is done about the huge amount of alcohol that is consumed here on a daily basis, the people will not have the inclination nor the money to travel to other parts of this great nation.

I believe this is exactly what "the powers that be" want from the citizens of Tarrant County and beyond. "Keep them drunk or hungover and they will never question our behavior."

I am sure that many of you will want to tell me to go kill myself or go #$@# myself, but save your bad little breath. I've heard it before and don't care.

Susan's 2nd comment was in regards to a blogging I wrote the 2nd day of the new year, called "Texas Insomnia & Other Woes". The comment confused me, because I didn't remember ever verbalizing, on this blog, my amazement regarding the fuss made over the peaches from Parker County. I long ago, somewhat, verbalized my opinion regarding the mediocre peaches, on my Eyes on Texas website, in a webpage about the Parker County Peach Festival.

Anyway, here is what Susan said....

I love the fruit that comes from Washington & Oregon. It takes 3 or 4 Parker County peaches to even come close to the size of a peach from the northwest. And the flavor cannot be matched!

So totally true. I remember my shock the first time I tasted a Parker County Peach after enduring all the hype about them being special. Bland and pretty much flavorless. Washington peaches ooze peach flavor. Blindfolded I don't think I could tell a Parker County Peach was a peach. I miss fresh Washington fruit. I still can be appalled and amazed when I see blackberries for sale here. 3 or 4 bucks for a teeny carton of blackberries. In the northwest blackberries grow wild everywhere. So, they are free.

Parker County Peach Festival

Tomorrow, Saturday, July 12, 2008, the Parker County Peach Festival takes place in Weatherford, Texas. Weatherford is the county seat of Parker County, about 30 miles west of Fort Worth. I've been to the Peach Festival a couple times. Texas does this type festival really well, small Texas town festivals and parades are a good thing.

It's hot in July in Texas, so the Peach Festival uses multiple walk through misters to cool people down.

Click here to view photos, directions and my description of my last visit to the Parker County Peach Festival.

The Peach Festival is a one day affair. I learned this a few years back when I tried to go on a Sunday. It is odd that this is only a one day thing, as the Peach Festival is huge, covering several blocks surrounding Weatherford's cool county courthouse square. A lot of bother for a one day event.

The Peach Festival has multiple music venues and 100s of vendors. And peaches. You can get them fresh, in cobblers, in ice cream, in juleps and in forms I've likely forgotten.

Now, Parker County does not produce many peaches, but they are intensely proud of their peaches.

Me, being a Washington boy, having lived most of my life in a state that produces peaches for export, in addition to apricots, nectarines, cherries, berries, grapes and apples, has a high flavor standard expectation regarding the quality of my fruits. Washington's eastern Washington soil, climate and irrigation are perfect for producing big, sweet, flavorful peaches.

In other words, both times I tasted a Parker County peach I said, "are you kidding me?" It barely even tasted like a peach. Maybe they were bad years, not enough sun or water.

At the last Peach Festival I attended there was a peach bobbing tub full of peaches floating in water. You bobbed for prizes. A big sign assured Texans that none of their precious Parker County peaches were being desecrated in this tub of water, that these are all California peaches, purchased at the local Albertsons.

See what I mean? This is a fun festival. I don't know if I'll go tomorrow. 6o miles roundtrip is a huge investment in gas. I suppose if I start walking now I could make it in time.