Texas Rose Festival Queen’s Tea in 2011

Here’s a view of the gorgeous train of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival Queen at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

It’s time for the  2013 Texas Rose Festival, which is October 17th – 20th. This year’s festival, the 80th, features “Raindrops on Roses and Other Favorite Things” as its theme.  The Texas Rose Festival started in 1933 and is held every year on the third weekend in October at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Here are photographs from the 2011 Queen’s Tea at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden, as part of the festivities of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival. Click on the thumbnails to see full size-size photos with captions in a slide show.

2011 Texas Rose Festival Queen Morgan Elizabeth Rippy at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

2011 Texas Rose Festival Queen and Some of her Attendants at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

One of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court members at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Members of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Tyler Municipal Rose Garden during the 2011 Texas Rose Festival. The rose festival is held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Some of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court in the Rose Garden Center at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

in 2011, young members of the royal court enter the Queen’s Tea at the Texas Rose Festival, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Refreshments are served at the Queen’s Tea at the 2011 Texas Rose Festival, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

One of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court members in the Rose Garden Center at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Members of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

The Queen’s Tea (2011) at the Texas Rose Festival held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

One of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court members in the Rose Garden Center at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Members of the 2011 Texas Rose Festival royal court in the Rose Garden at the Queen’s Tea, held the third weekend in October every year at the Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

One of the biggest events in the Texas Rose Festival is the parade, which you can read about by clicking on 2011 Texas Rose Festival Parade.  Lots of photos!
About the Texas Rose Festival.

Official Texas Rose Festival Website.

Tyler Municipal Rose Garden.

Texas Rose Festival Parade

The 2011 Texas Rose Festival Queen, Morgan Elizabeth Rippy, waves to the crowd on the leading float in the Rose Festival Parade in Tyler.

Another snowstorm is forecast for the Kansas City area. We still haven’t entirely cleared our driveway from the foot of snow that fell in the last storm a few days ago. How to chase away this wintry gloom? I’m taking a photographic visit to the Texas Rose Festival Parade in Tyler.

These photographs are from October 2011. I’ve been to two Rose Festivals in Tyler. I love them! Marching bands, majorettes in cowboy hats, tractors, Shriners in silly vehicles, Smart cars, dogs from animal shelters, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, fire trucks, army vehicles, gymnasts, politicians running for re-election, assorted citizens from various groups, lots of horses and, especially, the elaborately gowned Rose Festival Queen and the many members of her fantastically dressed court.  Have I left out anyone?  Here are the Queen’s Tea photos.

CLICK ON ANY PHOTO IN THE GALLERY BELOW TO START THE SLIDE SHOW.

The Texas Rose Festival started in 1933. The 2013 Texas Rose Festival is October 17th – 20th. This year’s festival, the 80th, features “Raindrops on Roses and Other Favorite Things” as its theme.
About the Texas Rose Festival.
Official Texas Rose Festival Website.

Ouch! That Hurts!

Here’s one of the roses I was photographing  in Texas when I was stung by fire ants. 

Birdwatchers have a life list of birds they want to see. I, unfortunately, am ticking off a list of different type — arthropods that have bitten me. So far, I’ve been bitten or stung by ticks, mosquitoes, spiders, chiggers, a wasp, a bee, a horsefly and now fire ants. Please no more bug bites! When I was a kid, one of the scariest movies I saw was “The Naked Jungle,” about an attack of army ants on a South American plantation.

Recently, I was photographing roses in a Texas rose garden in when my sandal-clad feet started to itch. I looked down and saw tiny ants milling over my feet. I brushed them off, did some scratching and thought that was the end of it. Most ants rush to protect their queen when an invader (me, in this case) appears, but fire ants, an invader to North America, attack.  They inject a toxin when they sting.

Here's where a fire ant stung me on my toe. I have several of these, they hurt, and they haven't improved in ten days.

My brother-in-law, whose legs are peppered with the tiny scars of fire ant bites, told me that fire ant bites produce pustules. I looked at my toes. No sign of any damage. But then three days later, the pustules appeared. They are more ugly than painful, although they do hurt and itch. There goes my career as a foot model.

Now I know why Texans wear cowboy boots, even if they never get near a horse or cow.  About Fire Ants.