The OTHER Red River Rivalry

Saturday night, we made our annual trip to an SMU game. We live something like 5 miles from the stadium, but one game a year is about all I can muster. You see, ever since SMU was made the NCAA football example and given the death penalty back in the 80's, they haven't been known for winning. And, if you're not a big football fan but happened to spend years in a marching band, going to a football game to see a team lose over and over is not appealing to you. Or, at least to me. I have friends who go week in-week out. They are loyal to the Ponies. I am loyal in my own way, but in this way - attending games - I do not rank high. But, we headed out to the game.

I called it the OTHER Red River Rivalry, because that other well known game between an Oklahoma team and a Texas team happened to be in Dallas earlier in the day. But, THIS game was between SMU and Tulsa - see, another OK-TX rivalry, right? Well, the city of Tulsa must have thought so anyway, as all four local stations had news trucks there covering the event, and the school had fans in the stands by the bus load. OK, maybe not as many busloads as what must have arrived for that other game, but lots of fans nonetheless.

I decided to take my camera backpack to take some photos with the "good camera" and use my favorite telephoto lens for a change. Or, at least a change from the last few weeks. You see, S likes to sit up high at the game - he thinks it's a better vantage point from which to watch the game. No sideline views for him. So, the telephoto lens is a must to catch action from our seats.

S and Doak Walker

We had great parking, since we had a parking pass into a lot near the stadium from S's work. We passed the Doak Walker statue on our way in, and since the late afternoon sun was positioned nicely, S posed for me next to the statue. Of course, here, the telephoto lens was not yet on the camera. We headed to Bishop Boulevard to visit our friend Jon's boulevard spot. They say at SMU that they boulevard instead of tailgate. Whatever. They have parties outside of the stadium before the game. Call it what you want.

Jon enjoying his boulevarding.

A shot of Jon's big pre-game party. He does it every home game, every year.
Yes, that is a TV in the tent.

My friends Tricia and Wayne. They are boulevard regulars.

S and me doing a little boulevarding ourselves like good alumni.

Eventually, we headed on down to the stadium. S's parents met us there to take in the game with us. We arrived early enough for the pre-game festivities. First, the Mustang Band took the field. At the start of their field entrance, the drum major did a large goose step all the way across the field.

Drum Major Pre-game Goose Step

This drum major had the last name MELTON, which is the last name of former Dallas County Treasurer and voice of the Mustang Band, Bill Melton - I wondered if there was any relation there. This is a very obscure fact not really interesting to most of my 2.7 readers. But to the .3 that do find it interesting, I wanted to include it. Anyway, the band took the field and performed the SMU School Song, Varsity. Then, they performed the National Anthem. After that, they prepared for the team to take the field. The cheerleaders joined them for the festivities.

The band on the move at pre-game.

The band in the traditional Diamond M formation.

The football team takes the field through this inflatable helmet, which kept deflating - perhaps that was an omen...

The team ran on the field and through the middle point of the Diamond M.

Then, the team all knelt at this point in the south end of the stadium before going to the sideline.

A southward kneel - why? What does this mean? I mean, I know its Southern Methodist University, but I went there - and I know - this name is a misnomer for anyone who thinks otherwise. And, I am a Methodist, and I know of no ritualistic kneeling to the south in the doctrine of the Methodist Church. So, this kneeling bit remains a mystery to me.

Maybe it is some new ritual put into place by the new coach, June Jones. Lots of hope are riding on this guy. By the looks of the game, he is making some progress, but we'll see what happens in the next couple of years to see if he's worth what they are paying him. ($2M annually, for those of you scoring at home.) That would be, so far, $2 million per winning game. But I digress...

After the team was on the sidelines, the band took to the stands, and not many students around them. Apparently, it was fall break, so the student side was sort of light. Maybe that was it. I don't remember the student section being all that loyal when I was a student, but maybe that has changed and they really were missing because of fall break.

Mustang Band in the stands.

One thing you can say about the people who regularly show up to SMU games - they are loyal. They ARE loyal. THEY are LOYAL. Watching this team lose year after year takes a special breed. The crowd was into the game, though, all the way to the bitter end.

A young pony fan with her pony ears up.

The loyal crowd during the singing of Varsity.

A seriously proud fan that looked like this wasn't her first rodeo, if you know what I mean.

The crowd on their feet after the Mustangs scored.

The game was looking like one for the "win" column for a long time.

The score at halftime.

The SMU flags and cartwheeling cheerleaders after a touchdown score.


A celebratory in-the-air body slam by two players.

It was all looking good. The crowd settled in for the halftime festivities. The Tulsa band played first.

Tulsa Band in performance at halftime.

The the Mustang Band, of course in a different outfit than pre-game (it's the best dressed band in the land) took the field. The played some crowd favorites.

The SMU Dance Squad joined them for one number.

A close up of some band members.


A formation on the way to the Diamond M formation.

Into the Diamond M formation for the traditional "waring ending."

The drumline participating in waring.

After halftime, there were still good times to be had. The ponies kept it together for several minutes of the third quarter.

A Mustang touchdown in action.

The sideline celebration after aforementioned touchdown.

And more celebration.


And Peruna's celebratory run down the field. Go little horse, go.

But, then this happened.

They tied it up.

And they ran their flags.

Why is there only a T and a U? I know, don't write in, "Well, it stands for Tulsa University." I get that. But, there are TONS of TUs in the world, and they would NOT be in the top 10 of those mentioned at a game of "name the TUs you know" of trivia. They are missing their L-S-A, don't you think? When I saw this shoddy display of the alphabet without the L-S-A, I decided either a) budget cuts or b) cheerleaders who run the L-S-A got suspended for bad grades. Certainly they should have an L-S-A!!! Goodness.

There were a few more runs of those two measly flags, and the very important officials who ran up the net for the extra point got to do more than just this:

Very important "net goes up" officials.

And, the game ended in Tulsa's favor, with or without the L-S-A.

Ending score.

What's that you say? Why is this view of the scoreboard from the other side? Huh? Wha? Well, my friends, because we were already on our way OUT of the stadium, one SMU game a year under our belts, reminded of why we don't come more often.

Go Ponies. Really. I mean, I hope one day you figure it all out and we can enjoy a Mustang win without, you know, paying the players, but geesh, it gets old being a Mustang fan.

An Update on Echo

Some of you have asked if there is any update on Echo, since I mentioned she might be sick again in the post about her a while back. After several tests and uncomfortable biopsies of her nose, we have determined that she does not have cancer or other more serious malady at this time. However, she is still, as my mother would say, "snot-nosing around here" so we're still looking for a definitive answer. The cultures done on her nose indicate allergies and a strep infection. We've been treating for that and so far, she's still producing unwanted amounts of, well, snot. She's got the veterinary community befuddled and tied around her little paw at the same time. I think the vet is going to recommend trying a different antibiotic to see if we get a better result. In the meantime, we're just going to enjoy the fact that she's not as sick as she could be, for sure. Thanks for asking about her!

And then, there's this...

You thought I was making up the Tex-Tut connection, didn't you? Well, here is proof others are thinking in the same direction. Or, is Ms. Meyers a reader of this blog? Who knows?

But, I think we can all agree its a) a slow news day besides the economy going to hell in a hand basket and b) Ms. Meyers can wield those reporting skills for good or evil.

State Fair Friday

The State Fair of Texas started on a Friday, two weeks ago. I posted about said fair last Friday, so I thought I'd post some photos from my one and only - yes - that's right - only one so far - trip to the fair, on a Friday. And, I bet - since S is jonesin to get to the fair - I bet we'll go tonight. So, here we go.

I went to the fair last week while S was at work with my in-laws and my brother and sister in law and Alexandra, the only baby around these parts, as you can clearly see from recent posts - you'd think, from the past week, that this was her blog. But, alas, I've just seen a lot of her. And, well, babies are camera magnets. Anyhoo - we we to the fair. And here is what we saw.

The State Fair of Texas grounds have a varied past, but the last expansion was built mainly in the 1930's and 1940's. The State Fair site doesn't cite this, but it is my understanding from several reputable Dallas sources that this expansion was done mainly by members of the WPA. Many of the buildings throughout the fairgrounds exhibit art deco and arts and crafts influences from the turn of the 20th century. Following are a few things I photographed while we were walking around.

A relief on the side of the food court building near Big Tex.

An exquisite art deco angel statue outside one of the automobile buildings.

A strange vantage of an art deco column through a piece of sculpture across from the Hall of State. Just go with me on this one. I know it's sort of strange.

The livestock buildings at the State Fair of Texas are mostly empty after the first week. This is in great contrast to the Indiana State Fair. There, the agricultural aspects of the fair are more central and meaningful to those who attend, and most animals are on display for the duration of the fair. That being said, there are "petting zoo" and "baby" animals still around here in Texas, as well as, I suppose, the animals involved in this banner's festivities:

"Dog Shows AND Pig Races"

Who could ask for anything more? Really - this establishment houses dog shows - AND - pig races. Whoa. Who needs TV. Or the Internet. Or the Performing Arts. Bring on the dog shows. And the pig races. And then, maybe, more dog shows.

Since I showed you a large pig and some piglets from the Indiana State Fair, here is a Texas equivalent-sort of. I love the fan.

You couldn't have a state fair post without something about the food. Right outside the pig barn - we have this:

Chicken Fried Bacon. Ahem.

There is food everywhere. But, at the Texas State Fair, there is also a food court - indoors, in the air conditioning, which can be key some years to get on out of the HEAT that can still plague us in late September and October. Thankfully, this year has been pretty merciful once the summer waned. We headed to the food court, though, because that's the usual plan. And, because there are special culinary delights in there that you can find no place else.

Texas shaped nachos in the food court.

Dallas is hosting one of the North American stops of the huge King Tut exhibit. This was evidenced at the fair as well.

This fine lad greets up upon entry from parking through gate 10.

And, an annual favorite - the butter sculpture - wears an Egyptian theme this year.

Maybe Big Tex was excited to host King Tut because they both sport single syllable two word names. They're brothas. Big Tex. King Tut. They feel one another's pain. They're simpatico. Or at least, simp. They probably only talk to one another in one syllable grunts. OK, let's move on.

Alexandra seemed to enjoy herself at her first State Fair.

Around the corner, sort of in the middle of everything, Big Tex stand guard over the festivities. Here are some shots of the very important guy.

Big Tex from the left of center. Check out that belt buckle, huh?

A friendly close up shot of his movable chin. Friendly because he is of course, well, friendly.

A mid-torso shot that includes that waving hand. Do you wave with your hand at that angle? Does anyone? Maybe King Tut does.

His boots. I bet its cheaper to re-sole those babies than buy a new pair. What do you think?

Even after dark Alexandra was hanging in there.

We headed on over to the Midway.

A Midway sign near the entrance from parking through gate 10.

A general shot of the booths on the way to the Texas Star.

The Skyway shooting across through the Midway.

We walked on down for a closer look at the Texas Star. In case you don't know this - it is the largest Ferris Wheel in North America. Of course it is. It's in Texas. It's a beauty to photograph at night. But, all I had was the powershot, so I ramped up on the ISO and tried to stand very still to get a few photos. In this instance, you really need a tripod and possibly an SLR to get an amazing photo. But, here are a few I captured.

Upon approach.

I walked over to get this shot from the front. But, in every photo, there is that pesky street light. Can someone turn that off for me next time? Geesh.

Here's one attempt at removing the lamp - I used the Photoshop clone stamp.

The lamp is gone, and if you didn't know I did it, maybe you wouldn't notice there are now way too many spokes in the lower left of the Ferris Wheel. It's not a real pretty solution, but I gotta tell you - I like it better than staring at that street light.

This is the "vivid light" filter, I think.

Again, the lamp is gone here, but this time I just burned it on out of there once I got the background dark enough. And, in some ways I like this treatment. But, its not a natural look, for sure.

The street light cropped out.

So, in this version, I cropped the photo down until the street light wasn't there. And, I "hued" up the photo - making the blue more than believable. I was just playin'. I sort of like this one too, but again, its not a believable edit. Just an artistically fun one.

So, that's the highlights of one State Fair of Texas visit. If we don't go tonight, I'm sure we'll go next week. And, I am going next week with my work colleagues, too. So, more to come from the fair, my friends. Like it or not! Happy Friday!

Sam's Birthday

Last Saturday, I posted a birthday wish to my father-in-law, Sam. Last Sunday, we had a birthday dinner at our house to celebrate. My in-laws, as well as S's two brothers and wives and S's niece, Alexandra, came. Sam's menu request was spaghetti. S made the pasta and the sauce and even grilled the Italian sausage.

I made a salad and garlic bread (photographed here before the oven) and set the table, so I got off easy on this one.

S's mom brought the cake.

Everyone ate up the fresh pasta and sauce and visited with one another.


Another angle of the almost-finished-dinner-portion-of-the-evening conversation.

I feel I should digress from the point of the post at this juncture to explain that wallpaper in my dining room. I did not put it up - it was there when we bought this 1951 house. The curtains, light fixture, table and chairs are of course all mine. You may not be able to tell, but the curtains are a dark blue. The plan is to one day put up white painted paneling 2/3 the way up the wall all the way around the dining room, with a plate rail on top, where blue and white dishes would reside. That is why there are blue curtains and a pewter light fixture with red and gold wallpaper.

I should also say I regularly get compliments on said wallpaper. That's nice - I'm glad some people like it. It's just not my cup of tea. Those same people may hate the idea of my plan for the dining room. That's life.

Sam opened presents while we cleared the dinner plates to get ready for dessert.


People passed the baby around the table. Here, Mark, her dad is hurling her in the air toward S.


Alexandra's grandmother, S's mom, had a turn at holding her.

Then, the dessert was ready for presentation. Birthday cake and ice cream for everyone.

Sam successfully blew out all the candles on his cake.

(You can also see another little item that needs removing in the room here - that's right, at some point in time, someone installed a phone jack in the dining room. When the panels go up, the jack will not be staying.)

It was a nice little family gathering to celebrate another birthday with Sam. We wish him many more Happy Birthdays.

Norman and I had a conversation

Our cat Norman speaks to us. Not really, but often when he meows, he sounds like he is saying, "Hello?". This sometimes freaks out the pet sitter when we're out of town. He'll do it in the dead of the night from the middle of the house at the top of his lungs. Norman will meow back and forth with you, too, if you start talking to him - this doesn't have to be in "meow" form - just any talking will do.

So, the other morning I grabbed the Powershot and took this little video. It's not the best "hellos" he's ever muttered, but I think you can get the idea. Yes, that's me taking part in the conversation, too, off camera. The best "hello" meows are about half way through. And, yes, I realize this might just seal the deal on the whole "not quite all there" hypothesis some of you already had of me. But, I did it for the blog reading public. And, here it is.