state fair of texas

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Omurice Jamjam

Posted by James on January 29, 2017
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , . 23 Comments

So, last summer I got an email from a super nice guy on the other side of the globe in Seoul, South Korea.

Cho Kyungkyu. This is him.

cho-kyungkyu-the-writer-of-omurice-jamjam

I get a lot of emails from readers, usually praising my talents -you’re welcome, but Cho was looking for permission to use a few pictures from our Texas State Fair day for a graphic novel he was writing.

His book series, Omurice Jamjam (Korean for “I Love Food”), is a graphic depiction of food from around the world. It’s pretty popular, just Google. He was drawing/writing the 7th issue and currently working on a section about the cult following of corny dogs. Which led him to us. Naturally.

After reading about how much he loves Texas BBQ and the films of Robert Rodriguez, how could I say no? I love being a part of pop culture, and would much rather share pictures with actual people and not just greedy magazines looking for free content.

Of course I said,”yes“.

Then I just kinda forgot about it. People are always contacting me for the use of my pictures – most recently for a textbook on haunted objects – and I rarely ever hear anything from them again.

But just this past week…… a box from South Korea arrived.

With a signed Omurice Jamjam #7 book for each of us.

7th-edition-of-omurice-jamjam

Check out the awesome double-paged spread we got…

our-texas-state-fair-spread-in-omurice-jamjam

You can tell we’re eating in the United States because;

  1. Everything is deep fried
  2. Everything is brown (except for the unnaturally fluorescent green “Smokey Bacon Margarita”)
  3. There isn’t a fresh veggie in sight (except for the celery garnish on the “B-B-Q Brisket Eggrolls….which we skipped over)

Now people all over South Korea will be saying, “Look how much garbage those fat Americans ate!”….That’s the first thing I thought. HA!

And as an added thank you, Cho also threw in a handful of pretty tasty South Korean food treats. Somehow, he got the idea that we aren’t afraid of sugar/sodium. Hmmmm

box-of-sodium-snacks-from-south-korea

Cho even took the time to label each snack with a post-it.

He was just way too sweet. We were honestly flattered just to be a part of his wonderful book series.

chos-inscription-in-omurice-jamjam

And no, Cho

Thank you.

Buy the Ticket. Take the Ride.

Posted by James on October 8, 2016
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , . 10 Comments

If I have any advice on enjoying life, it’s this simple little bit of wisdom..

Buy the t-shirt.

Buy the refrigerator magnet.

Buy the little key-chain.

Buy the picture.

What’s a few bucks, anyway?

It’s these little mementos that will spark those great memories again and again.

Every time I see this pictures of us on the Crazy Mouse roller coaster at the Texas State Fair, I can’t help but smile…….

crazy-mouse-ride-texas-state-fair-2016

How could I not?

Glad I bought it.

In case y’all were interested in seeing us on this roller coaster over the past 9 years….(because I always buy this picture)…here ya go;

Crazy Mouse at the State Fair of Texas 2015

Crazy Mouse at the State Fair of Texas 2014

Crazy Mouse at the State Fair of Texas 2013

James and JAmie on the Crazy Mouse 2011

Crazy Mouse James and Jamie 2011

Crazy Mouse with Gert and Kylie 2009

Crazy Mouse James and Jamie 2007

Crazy Mouse with Leslie 2012

Crazy Mouse James and Jamie 2008

Fun, Fun, Fun…

The State Fair of Texas 2016

Posted by James on October 2, 2016
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , . 12 Comments

It’s that time of year again…..

Time for the State Fair of Texas…

state-fair-of-texas-monolith

We’ve got some busy traveling schedules this month, but we managed to squeeze in a few hours of fair time….

….and Fletcher’s Corny Dogs under Big Tex.

fletchers-corney-dog-collage

james-a-corney-dog-and-big-tex

If you’re looking for a place to drop 9 bucks on some crazy deep-fried shit, the State Fair of Texas is the place to do it.

Like this year’s winner of the Big Tex Choice Awards…..Fried Jell-O

Yupp, you read that right. Fried Jell-O.

deep-fried-jello

It was……..ok,

(The cherry was the best-tasting part.)

The winner for Most Creative went to the State Fair Cookie Fries.

cookie-fries

They, also, were………just ok.

I think the most creative part was the packaging….

I had high hopes for Southern Fried Chicken & Dumplings,

chicken-dinner-ballz-collage

Actually pretty tasty.

The chicken/cornmeal balls dipped into the gravy anyway.  The dumplings,…..not very good. (sigh)

No worries, because there was plenty of fair to see…..

Here’s a taste of Jamie’s photos.

texas-state-fair-ferris-wheel-2016

state-fair-collage-2

jamie-shooting-the-wall-of-fluffies

big-tex-at-the-texas-state-fair-2016

wall-of-jars

carousel

This “little” Big Tex sign used to stand in front of a now-defunct Dallas liquor store.

It was rescued this past year by the State Fair Commission and reconstructed just off the midway.

james-in-front-of-the-liquor-store-big-tex

Speaking of liquor stores……How about Roasted Pumpkin Spice Lager?

…..with the rim dipped in cinnamon sugar?

Hmmmmmm?

james-drinking-the-pumpkin-spice-beer

I had 2,

Were still planing on hittin’ the Texas State Fair for dinner one night.

and I just might have 2 more….

Don’t judge,

Welcome Back to “Big TEX”

Posted by James on October 10, 2013
Posted in: Did Ya Know?, New Home. Tagged: , , , . 5 Comments

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..

Big Tex at the State Fair of Texas

Before Big Tex became Big TEX, he was a giant Santa Claus in Kerens, Texas, east of Corsicana.

"Big Santa" Before he Moved to the State Fair

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 Being Assembled for the First Time

Big Tex made his debut at the State Fair in 1952.

Vintage Big Tex Postcard - State Fair of Texas

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.

James, Big Tex, and Fletcher's Corny Dog

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.

Big Tex on Fire

But none to worry,

This year he’s back, and better than ever. His mouth even moves when he talks.

Big Tex is Back at the State Fair of Texas 2013

We made a quick stop by the fair last weekend to say “Howdy”…….(that’s Big Tex’s line)

James and Jamie with Big Tex at the State Fair fo Texas

We even managed time for a corny dog…..with perfectly art-directed mustard.

James with the Perfectly Art-Directed Mustard 2

…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.

Mouse Ride at the State Fair 2013

That’s my brother Ben crammed in the car with us…..we invited him along to take pictures of us ,…….again

Texas Star Ferris Wheel At the State Fair of Texas

Best,

State Fair,

Ever

The Crazy Mouse at the State Fair

Posted by James on October 19, 2012
Posted in: New Home. Tagged: , , , , , . 12 Comments

If I say,”The Texas State Fair”.

Any decent Texan will automatically think of  Big Tex and Fletcher’s corny dogs.

Yepp, we also think of  both of those things….

But we also think of the Crazy Mouse ride.

Last week, with our busy travel schedules, we managed to make it to the State Fair of Texas.

Even with all the rickety carnival rides to choose from on the midway, there is only one ride that we wouldn’t miss out on…the Crazy Mouse.

It’s also the only ride at the fair with a camera that takes pictures. 

We ALWAYS buy this picture……I love the sheer joy that we undoubtedly have on our faces just as we drop 4 stories (and how we look sick and excited at the same time).

Here are those pictures from the past 6 years.

Enjoy

Can you hear us laughing/screaming just looking at these pictures?

We can……….

Every time we see them.

( UPDATE on this post )

I couldn’t ignore the fact that just a few hours after we posted this post, Big Tex caught an electrical fire that singed him into nothing but a metal skeleton in a matter of minutes. And on his 60th birthday too……

No doubt that the kind folks at Dickies will have him better than ever by this time next year,

but still, he will be missed…….