"The Chicken Dance"

Saturday was a festival day for my favorite people and me! 

We started out at Oktoberfest at our favorite micro-brewery/ restaurant.  We have taken M-t-G every year since it started about five years ago.  Its become a tradition!   We began taking her because the child LOVES music!  Any kind of music from classical to show tunes to Big Band.    (Her favorite singer is either Ella Fitzgerald or Rosemary Clooney depending on when you ask her. Also, I heard her whistling "The Brandenberg Concerto" the other day! She is 8 l/2 years old!)

Anyway, Oktoberfest has Oompah Bands playing on alternate stages all day long.  I never knew there were that many polkas!   They also have beer (of course!), bratwurst, Kielbasa, saurkraut, and spiced red cabbage.  The highlight for M-t-G was the games for kids ( you know, those "bouncy things", like a moonwalk, bungee pull, basketball, and "king of the hill").  Plus they had face painting!  M-t-G did it all.  Came away with a purple unicorn on her cheek.  Mikey, known to M-t-G as Poppa, was the opponent of choice, as he has been every time she can talk him into playing, and as always, she knocked him on his "not'so little" behind....several times.  He used to let her beat him when she was a "little" girl.  Now, not so much.  She pretty much wins hands down.  Watching him get yanked back by the bungee pull thing was hysterical.  Darn strong, those bungees! 

T.A., Ratchlet, and I sat nearby and watched the show while we ate.  Lots of laughter all around.  Food was pretty good, considering this is in the middle of Texas.  They served the Brats and Kielbasa (really Polish Sausage, not German at all, oh well) on Pita Bread!!!  Surprisingly, it worked pretty well, but is sure ain't traditional.  The saurkraut and the cabbage pretty much saved the day!  And of course, the beer for Poppa and T.A.!

Best deal of the morning?  None of the bands played "The Chicken Dance"!!   Oh joy, joy!

After we were fully stuffed and played out, it was time to go. T.A. and Ratchlet had plans for the evening so M-t-G came with Poppa and me back to our house where she talked Poppa into watching "Toy Story" for 8,000th time.   I was right proud of him, he only slept for about 1/2  hour of the movie!  (Usually Saturday and Sunday afternoons can be marathon naptime for the Big Guy!)

That would have been enough for me.  I would have been content not to do another thing.  But no, Mikey wasn't festivaled out I guess.  Our neighborhood HOA was holding their annual Hoedown in the park about 3 blocks from our house.  Nevermind that we've never gone before, didn't know what to expect, and were totally in the dark as to whether it was worth doing, but off the 3 of us went. 

Here's the picture:  they had music, food, kid stuff, and face painting.   Sound familiar??  It was a lot like our morning's activities.  Substitute a DJ for the Oompah Band, country for polkas.  They had some different things for kids, like a tractor/barrel ride, rock climbing wall, the bouncy basketball thing, a very tame bull riding machine for kids, and a very small petting.... ahh....thing (you couldn't have called it a zoo!) that had 2 little goats, 2 rabbits, a dove, and about 5 baby chicks.  Didn't matter, the kids loved 'em! 

Food was Texas BBQ:  smoked brisket, sausage, and chicken (sauce on the side, thank you), white or wheat bread, potato salad and cole slaw, beer, lemonade, or iced tea, with Blue Bell ice cream cups for dessert.  (If you are unfamiliar with Texas BBQ that is what it ALWAYS is!  No variation, right down to the store bought white bread!)  It was actually pretty surprising, the brisket was the best I ever had!  Mikey and M-t-G thought the sausage was great too.

M-t-G did the kid things, except the rock climbing (yay).  We passed on the face painting this time as the painter was incredibly slow and had about a thousand kids in line (ok, just 15, but still...)  Besides bedtime was only about an hour away and it would have to be washed right off!

We were back home by dark and everyone was pretty worn out but happy.

Best deal of the afternoon?  The Hoedown was FREE!  Really, everything was no cost, including the food.  (Guess those Homeowner's dues go for something after all!)

Overall best deal of the day?   Spending time with my Family.... and NOT having to do "The Chicken Dance"!!