The Great Texodus

After Baton Rouge, we headed straight back to Texas, did not pass Go, did not collect $200. At best, we collected a few more Texas postcards and truck stop photos. Our first stop back in the Lonestar State was Beaumont, not far from Houston and rather sunny and warm. We had a couple days off, which we took advantage of - we visited Gator Country, home of the reality show Gator 911, I ran to the Beaumont Botanical Gardens, which is dedicated to Babe Didrikson Zaharias, the greatest female athlete who ever lived, and we had a group outing to the local bowling alley where our company manager treated us to bowling and pizza. My teammates and I competed for the lowest score, and the outcomes were close. I came in a consistent third out of fifth place, scoring way under 100. Mission accomplished. But after a few days of relaxation and fun, we went back to work. We had a quick cleaning rehearsal on Thursday and closed out the week with a grueling three show day on Friday. Only it was a two show day for me, because my understudy went on for the last of the three shows! I was able to watch the show, and it was actually really fun. I sat in the audience and watched as the kids bolted to the aisles to dance and smiled each time they shouted out their love for Barney. It was nice to see up close just how well our show is received.

From Beaumont, we had a long drive to Hidalgo, Texas, otherwise known as Not-Mexico for its five-mile proximity to the border. We got in late, but were able to enjoy the 85 degree weather the following morning before our two shows. We also soaked up a little sun between shows while shooing away the tropical insect population. The audiences were mostly Hispanic families, and they went wild for Barney. We also journeyed out after the show, courtesy of Senor Shuttle to find the delicious Taco Palenque with its custom-made vegetable fajitas and delightful strawberry margaritas. We woke up the next morning at 5, fueled up on some dollar burritos made fresh at the gas station, and then, finally, took our leave from Texas.

Who knows how many hours later (ten? twelve?), we find ourselves in Sulphur, Louisiana (named for its fragrance!). As a parting gift to our performance director, we made homemade salsa in the hotel. A Leatherman for a knife, a couple ice buckets for bowls, a razor blade to mince the garlic, and a soap dish for a cutting board. We improvised until we were close, but something was missing. A late night trip to Sonic for some limes did the trick. Get excited, Rebecca, homemade hotel salsa is coming your way!