Parade night was perfect for an outdoor, waterway parade! Before claiming our waterside viewing table, we stopped at a bistro and had several drinks above the Riverwalk, providing a good observation point for watching all the preparations. All entrances to the Riverwalk were barricaded and strictly controlled by the handsome Cavaliers.
We finally were permitted to enter after our reservation was confirmed. Spirits were high and decidedly silly.
Parade-goers were eating inside pieces of tortillas to create faces and then hurling the face-tortillas at parade floats. The river was littered with face-tortillas with every imaginable expression! The parade was colorful and full of music and high energy.
We ordered a Texas-sized margarita (quart?) and enjoyed a leisurely dinner of Texas rolls, fajitas and choc/caramel pecan crusted cake.
What a pleasant surprise to open our door to the sunshine the next morning! All the weather talking heads were forecasting very iffy weather.
So, we decided to go have some cowgirl fun!
Took a Day Trip to the "Cowboy Capital of the World"--Bandera, TX. It was a beautiful drive through Hill Country; the road was lined with a carpet of flowers of every color--red, orange, yellow, lavender and, of course, the Texas Bluebonnet.
Cruised the "strip", alert for Cowboy sightings. But it was quiet, so we stopped in the local Cowboy Saloon for lunch.
We ordered Texas Chili Fries and the cook presented our lunches (one of which had a very ornate sauce design) and took our picture.
The wooden table was littered with graffiti and we added our own (actually Marilyn and Sharon did it).
While waiting for our lunch, we thought it might be fun to shoot some pool, but the pool table required coins. The cue ball, however, was FREE, so we improvised by setting up their condiments to shoot at. This pic is Sharon aiming for the ketchup.
Strengthened by mass quantities of carbohydrate energy, we began walking and exploring the shops, which had the usual tourist souvenirs. We especially like the CowGurlZ shop (Tee shirt says "What happens with the Girlfriends Stays with the Girlfriends"). There were also some very famous shops, one of which had been featured in the TV series "The Simple Life" with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie.
We had a blast in the Cowboy/Girl Hat Shop and Marilyn found the Perfect Hat.
"You look SOO cute, Girlfriend!"
Alas, Sue's head was discovered to be too small for anything in inventory and she was counseled to find a hat shop for kids.
We met friends Hal & Cheryl for dinner on the way back from Bandera. The restaurant was on top of a hill with a commanding view of north-east San Antonio and the weather was so nice we sat outdoors. We giggled a lot.
Next day, the weather wasn't so hot, but the Cowgirls were! We were prepared with DVD movies, cards and poker chips and a deluxe Scrabble board. Neither Marilyn nor Sharon had played Texas Hold'em so they quickly learned the game, much to Marilyn's delight!
After a few margaritas, we began to invent variations of the game. One can only imagine the penalty to the loser...
Today is Departure Day and fortunately, the weather is OK for now, though there is a huge severe weather system bearing down--creating tornados and other mayhem just north and west of our location. It will not delay flights.
All the Cowgirls will return home after discussing the destination choices for next year's gettogether!
Looks like Las Vegas is a frontrunner.
Sounds like the CowGirls have had a most wonderful time! Makes me want to pack up and hit the road. I do know we MUST go back there....we were there once. However, I was recovering from a tummy bug, and we didn't have nearly as much fun as y'all are having!
ReplyDeleteAnne
It's almost as delightful to read your redition of the cowgirl antics as it was to be there!
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