Dance Hall & Saloon, or just a Texas Style Man-Cave?

Nick & I had the honor of being included in the grand opening celebration of the 1836 Dance Hall & Saloon, a great big party room behind a friend's house. Dave Roberts & his beautiful wife Rose welcomed good friends to enjoy a night with TessieLou & the Shotguns Stars who were absolutely wonderful!

Everything in the 1836 has a story. From the Frio river pecan floors  to the black walnut bar. The old signs, the collectables, & in case you missed it, the huge Pearl Beer sign on stage.

As is the case with any good Texas Dance Hall, you must have dancing! ...and we did! My absolute favorite couple to watch dance together is Chay & Yvonne Turnbow, they move together with the kind of synchronicity that can only be found in years of love together. Everyone else managed to keep up just fine!

Dave is the author of Patriots of Treason, & he will be delivering more in the future. His passion for Texas, & his knowledge of the history are evident in the decor.

But there is more... there is always more...

Meet Lone Star the longhorn, died of old age...

 The "other styles" of wall decor..

look closely at the wallpaper... damask you say???

The stories, the introductions, & the laughs filled the Dance Hall.

 and let's not forget the fire pit!

It was a wonderful time with old friends, and many of the Band of Brothers were able to make it out.

How To Train Your Dragon, Live Spectacular!

I had the luxury of being able to take my son to Seattle to see family for a quick weekend while also catching my cousin, Will Watkins, in the live production of How To Train Your Dragon. I knew the movie well, and I knew this would be an amazing show, but I had no idea just how much. A couple days later I found myself standing in front of my classes all day long describing the show and the amazing scope theatrical history it covers. They had aspects of Greek theatre with the use of arena staging, they had traditional puppet theatre, shadow play theatre, even musical theatre. They had pantomime, and I was quickly reminded of my own neglectful habbits when it comes to teaching mime in the classroom. Ironically, I used it myself recently in a one woman show. I used mime almost entirely. As if that was not enough it was a clear sign of direction theatre is going. More & more I see theatre with the use of modern technology such as projections, remote controlled sets, & intelligent lighting. Don't even get me started with what we can do with a digital sound board! This show had the history of theatre built into the script of How To Train Your Dragon. The use of helium-filled bubbles, upside-down train tracks above the stage, and the lights! Oh my the lights. My son was on the edge of his seat the entire night. I don't think I saw a bad seat in the house either, it was a great view from any seat I could see. Excellent show! Very well done! 

 Will played Gobber. It was great fun, & we got a tour backstage after the show! I loved the ships on the water of lights, so I was thrilled to see how they were made. The organization needed for such a huge production, that loads in & out in 72 hours each week. is a monster!

 This is the classic example of what can happen if your battery is about to loose its charge. I could not get an accurate reading & missed the moment (on camera that is).