Since 1952, Big TEX has welcomed visitors to the State Fair of Texas, the biggest state fair in the country where fair goers spend more than $21 million every year on food and rides alone..
Before Big Tex became Big TEX, he was a giant Santa Claus in Kerens, Texas, east of Corsicana.
This photo was taken in 1949. Two years later, the giant figure was purchased for 750 dollars by Dallas banker R.L. Thornton, then president of the State Fair of Texas and later mayor of Dallas. Dallas Artist Jack Bridges was hired to create a face for Big TEX, he used a combination of his own face, rancher Doc Simmons and Will Rogers.
Big Tex made his debut at the State Fair in 1952.
Here are some numbers on Big TEX
He is 52 feet tall
Weighs about 6,000 pounds
Has a 75 gallon Stetson hat, that is 5 feet tall
His belt is 23 feet long with a 50 pound buckle
Ft Worth based Dickies made his clothes
His shirt is 600 times larger than a store bought Dickies shirt
His jeans have a 283 size waist, with a 56 inch fly
His boots are size 70, and 7 foot 7 inches tall
In 2000, he began to wave at visitors for the first time. Over the years, 7 different men have voiced the voice of big Tex, the most recent is radio personality Bill Bragg.
It’s no coincidence that the Fletcher’s Corny Dog stand is right in front of this Dallas icon.
We stop here every year…..and have a corny dog.
In case you don’t know, a corny dog is a hot dog on a stick, dipped in corn meal batter and deep-fried till golden brown. They were first created on this very spot in 1942, and the Fletcher family still owns the company. Regular or jalapeno, both delicious…..lately I’ve been choosing jalapeno.
Last year, the unthinkable happened. An electrical fire caused Big Tex to engulf in flames………in the middle of the fair.
But none to worry,
This year he’s back, and better than ever. His mouth even moves when he talks.
We made a quick stop by the fair last weekend to say “Howdy”…….(that’s Big Tex’s line)
We even managed time for a corny dog…..with perfectly art-directed mustard.
…and we couldn’t miss the Crazy Mouse ride.
We buy this roller coaster picture every year….you can read about that here. and see all the previous years pictures.
That’s my brother Ben crammed in the car with us…..we invited him along to take pictures of us ,…….again
In 1939, Margaret Hamilton was cast in the role of the Wicked Witch of the West, opposite Judy Garland’s Dorothy Gale in The Wizard of Oz, creating not only her most famous role, but one of Hollywood’s most memorable villains. Hamilton won the role after Gale Sondergaard, who was originally considered (as a more glamorous witch and with a musical number) declined after it was decided that the witch would be “ugly”.
MGM studio executives even cut some of Hamilton’s more frightening scenes, worrying that she would frighten children……….. too much.
Later on in life, she would comment on the role of the witch in a light-hearted fashion. For an interview, she joked:
“I was in a need of money at the time, and I had already done about six pictures for MGM already when my agent called. He said ‘Maggie, they want you to play a part on the Wizard.’ I said to myself, ‘Oh Boy, The Wizard of Oz! That has been my favorite book since I was four.’ And I asked him what part,
and he said ‘The Witch’
and I said ‘The Witch?!’
and he said ‘What else?'”
Hamilton suffered a second-degree burn on her face and a third-degree burn on her hand during a second take of her fiery exit from Munchkinland, in which the trap door’s drop was delayed to eliminate the brief glimpse of it seen in the final edit. Hamilton had to recuperate in a hospital and at home for six weeks after the accident before returning to the set to complete her work on the now-classic film, and she refused to have anything to do with fire for the rest of the filming. After she recuperated, she said, “I won’t sue, because I know how this business works, and I would never work again. I will return to work on one condition — no more fireworks!”
When that first cold front of the fall comes through Dallas, our minds – and stomachs – turn to home-made chili. (honestly, I think of potato soup. But Jamie is the true Texan here, and he makes chili)
Jamie’s Shiner Bock Chili to be exact.
Here’s the ingredients for his secret recipe:
8 Slices of Thick-Cut Apple wood Smoked Bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 cloves of Garlic, Finely Chopped
2 Medium Shallots, Chopped
2 Red Bell Peppers, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin
1 Tablespoon Chipotle Chili Powder
2 Teaspoons of Dried Mexican Oregano
1 Tablespoon Smoked Paprika
Salt and freshly Ground Black Pepper to Taste (But Not Much)
1 Pound of Lean Ground Beef
1 Pound Ground Pork
1 Full 12 Ounce Shiner Bock Beer, or Dark Beer
1 (15 Ounce) Can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 (15 Ounce) Can Kidney Beans, Drained and Rinsed
1 (24 Ounce) Can Crushed Tomatoes
2 (15 Ounce) Cans Diced Tomatoes
In a large heavy-bottomed dutch oven, found ours in the William’s Sonoma dumpster (Not Kidding), cook the bacon over medium heat until lightly crispy, stirring occasionally.
Don’t drain the fat.
It looks like it produces a lot of grease, but you will need all that for sauteing the chopped veggies.
These chopped veggies….dice and chop everything,
And add to the cooked bacon in the pot. Continue to cook over medium heat until the shallots and garlic are soft.
The dry spices are a big part of this recipe.
Chipotle chili powder (chipotles are smoked jalapeno) and the smoked paprika are key.
We find them in the bulk spice section of our local Central Market.
Jamie premeasures and mixes all the dried spices.
Then adds them to the bacon, red bell pepper, shallot and garlic mixture.
Continue to stir and cook until the vegetables are tender and the spices are aromatic.
Then it’s time for the ground meat.
Add the ground beef and ground pork and break up with a potato masher until it’s in small pieces.
Brown for 5-6 minutes more until the meat is fully cooked.
Tucked between San Antonio and Houston Texas is the Spoetzl brewery in the tiny hill country town of Shiner Texas. Population just over 2,000. Since 1914 the brewery has been producing Bavarian style beer. Until recently, it was only available in Texas. A dear friend of mine, who lives in Los Angeles, would only allow Texan guests to stay with him if they brought him a six-pack. Thanks to the Miller Distributing Company, Shiner is now available in 40 states.
You’re welcome America.
Add the Shiner, or some other dark bock beer, to the fully cooked meat mixture.
We all know that canned veggies are terrible for you. But what are ya gunna do? They’re part of the recipe.
Add the cans of beans and tomatoes.
You can always save the cans to make candles later.
Now turn the heat down as low as it will go, and simmer for 1- 2 hours. Stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Rule of thumb here, “The Longer it sits, the better it gets”.
Taste for seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. But it probably won’t need either.
Scoop into chili bowls and garnish with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, and a slice of avocado. (to cut the heat)
…and of course, enjoy with an ice cold Shiner Bock.
Last week, a dear blog follower sent me a picture of these striped wonders, and this week…they are on my feet.
How Amaze-ballz are they?
2 of my favoite things, working togther in perfect harmony.
So the Hudson’s Bay Point Blanket Company gathers up the courage to call the Converse Shoe Company and asks them on a date …….let’s assume that they shared a nice dinner, some drinks, perhaps a walk under the stars,…… they went back to the Converse Shoe Company’s house and they made sweet, sweet love.
A few months later – baby. (Of the Lifesaver Striped wool, Jack Purcell variety)
We can’t imagine a better artist to highlight in the month of October…… than Edward Gorey.
His illustrated stories teeter on the crevice between the hilarious and the horrific, the delightful and the dreadful.
Gorey’s characteristic pen-and-ink drawings often depict vaguely macabre narrative scenes in Victorian/Edwardian settings. His illustrated, often wordless, books have an ominous air that have developed a cult following. But it was Gorey’s animated introduction to the PBS series Mystery! in 1980, as well as his art direction for the 1977 Broadway production of Dracula, that won him a worldwide fanbase….Oh, and a Tony award for Best Costume Design.
Gorey graduated from Harvard University in 1950 with a focus in French. He frequently stated that his formal art training was “negligible”; because he’d only studied art for one semester at the Art Institute of Chicago in 1943. From 1953 to 1960, he lived in New York City and worked for the Art Department of Doubleday, illustrating book covers and in some cases, adding illustrations to the text. He illustrated works as diverse as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, H.G. Wells’ War of the Worlds, and T.S. Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats. All of which seem to have influenced his art, …….which he classified as “literary nonsense”.
His first independent work, The Unstrung Harp, was published in 1953.
Almost 100 more books followed that first one. He was also published under pen names that were anagrams of his first and last names (like Ogdred Weary, Dogear Wryde, Ms. Regera Dowdy, and dozens more). Gorey loved word play.
Gorey didn’t actually animate the PBS Mystery! opening sequences. They were done by animator Derek Lamb. But he provided elaborate notes and sketches that would have made a 30 minute movie by themselves.
If you don’t remember it….it’s eerily charming. (Sorry for the poor quality of these pictures…there are NO good stills from this sequence)
Even Gorey’s view of Christmas has a slightly ominous wit about it.
Here’s his cover of The New Yorker in 1992.
One of my favorite Edward Gorey books, and soon to be yours as well, is The Gastlycrumb Tinies. 26 children die gruesome and odd deaths in alphabetical order ….. it’s an anti-children’s book for adults.
A is for Amy who fell down the stairs
B is for Basil Assaulted by bears
C is for Clara who wasted away
D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh
I don’t want to ruin the next 22, you will just have to read them for yourselves.
In his later years, Gorey lived year-round in Yarmouth Port, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, where he wrote and directed numerous evening-length entertainments. He performed these shows for dinner guests with his own papier-mâché puppets, an ensemble known as Le Theatricule Stoique.
Gorey was noted for his fondness for ballet (in 30 years he never missed a New York Ballet performance), fur coats and Converse tennis shoes (always worn together), and cats (of which he had many).
Gorey was also an unashamed pop-culture junkie, avidly following soap operas and television comedies as broad as Petticoat Junction and Cheers. But he had particular affection for dark genre series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman: The Animated Series, and The X-Files. Gorey once told an interviewer that he enjoyed the Batman series so much that it was influencing the visual style of one of his upcoming books. He treated television commercials as an art form in themselves, even taping his favorites for later study. (I do that, I could watch some commercials over and over) Gorey loved movies, and even wrote regular reviews for the Soho Weekly……. Of course under a pseudonym – Wardore Edgy.
Gorey’s work continues to influence Tim Burton, David Lynch and even Lemony Snicket’s Daniel Handler.
With his own inspirations as diverse as Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Addams, Charles Dickens, Lewis Carrol, Agatha Christie and Batman Beyond, Edward Gorey’s works will continue to delight …..and quite possibly frighten…..for decades to come.
and I’m pretty sure that he wanted it that way.
Wanna read more about Edward Gorey? I hope you do. I found an excellent PBS interview by Ron Miller…you can read that here.
THE CAVENDER DIARY 